Fathers Day 2013 and Lemon Melting Moments

Normally the weekend would have gone by in the blink of an eye, but this weekend we actually managed to squeeze in a fair bit of rest and relaxation so for once, it's Monday morning and I am feeling refreshed.

That may have something to do with the fact that it's 9:20am and I'm still in bed and not at work but let's not go into that right now.

Yesterday was Fathers Day so Mr B and I were up bright and early because Mum and Dad were coming over for breakfast. Mr B treated Dad to his famous mexican eggs and bacon, complete with lime tomatoes and avocado and Mum and I settled for simple avocado and tomato on buttery toast which I have to say was absolutely delicious!

After breakfast we headed off to visit Dad's Dad, Mum's Dad and Mr B's Dad who are sadly no longer with us, but each Fathers Day we visit them all and leave them some flowers. It makes me especially grateful to still have my Dad with me and reminds me not to take that for granted.

Our next stop was The Court of Petty Sessions Cafe in Franklin for lunch. Mr B and I fell in love with this little cafe on our recent trip down for our anniversary and it is an old favourite of Mum and Dad's so we were all glad go back.

The only problem was that EVERYTHING on the menu sounded amazing, I think each of us had at least 3 or 4 dishes we just couldn't decide between so it looks like we will be heading back sooner rather then later!

After lunch we decided to make the most of the gorgeous day and take our full bellies for a walk along the waterfront. It was the first day of Spring and the weather was really turning it on.

By the time we got home it was close to 4pm so it was down to the business end of the day - presents!!

We were all on a bit of a theme this year as since Mum and Dad have moved into their new home, Dad has his first ever real garage so we were on a mission to deck out his bar!

Dad had several sets of postcards that we have given to him as gifts over the years, one of them was a set of black and white photos of the gargoyles of Notre Dame which Mr B and I brought back from our honeymoon and the other was a set of black and white postcards detailing 100 years of Harley Davidson that Mum found in a bookshop.

Mum took the postcards and had them mounted and framed to hang in Dad's shed and I just think the end result is fantastic - talk about one of a kind!

And what bar would be complete without a bar mat?

Or a jukebox??

We helped Dad set some of his new toys up out in the bar and by then we were all fading fast - it had been a lovely day spent with my favourite people, but it was time to go home, have a cup of tea and go to bed.

Each year for Fathers Day I try and make my Dad something edible whether it's a slice or some of his favourite biscuits and this year was no exception. Mum had been dropping hints about Dad missing his favourite melting moment biscuits and seeing as I had never made them before, I thought it was the perfect time to give them a go.

These little biscuits are so simple to make, full of gorgeous lemon flavour and just down right adorable!! 

Lemon Melting Moments

For the biscuits 
200g butter, room temperature
1/2 cup icing sugar
1.5 cups plain flour
1/2 cup cornflour
1 tspn vanilla extract
zest of one lemon

For the filling 
1.5 cups icing sugar
50g butter, room temperature
juice of one lemon

Preheat oven to 150C

In the bowl of an electric mixer cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add the vanilla and lemon zest and beat until combined.

Add the flour and cornflour into the mixture and beat until just combined.

Take small portions of the dough and roll into balls, continue until you have 30-40 (I made mine quite small).

Place them on a greased and lined baking tray and gently press on each piece with a fork until it has left an imprint.

Bake for 20 minutes and allow to cool.

For the filling beat the sugar, butter and lemon juice using your electric mixer until smooth. Place small teaspoons of the filling onto the flat side of a cookie and then sandwich together with another cookie that is a similar size and shape. Repeat with remaining filling and cookies. The filling may seem a bit soft but it will set within 15-20 mins of the cookies being sandwiched together.

Only thing that is left to do is put the kettle on, make a cup of tea, sit down and enjoy!!

HAPPY FATHERS DAY DAD!!!

Mrs B xx

Peppermint Slice

What weekend is complete without some good old fashioned baking?

In this house, it seems every weekend involves some form of baking whether it be a full run of goodies for Mr B's lunches, a cake for someone special or just a batch of bread for us to nibble on, there is always something coming out of our kitchen.

This weekend has also involved long walks in the morning, lazy afternoon naps in the sun, hot cups of tea on the pergola and loads of buttery boston bun and it has been absolutely lovely - every weekend should be like this.

Whilst doing the grocery list the other day, I was telling Mr B about all the things I had decided I would make for his lunches this week.

Mr B piped up and said he had actually been thinking that he would like a Peppermint Slice....

Obviously he meant my Aero Bar Slice, because I remember that being pretty damn tasty.....

But Mr B said No.....

He meant one of those Peppermint Slices with the biscuit base and the white peppermint filling and the chocolate on the top....

I must admit he had me stumped for abit because I hadn't made a peppermint slice like the one Mr B was talking about before but after some time perusing the recipe books we found the one he wanted and I set about giving it a go!

I was really happy with the way this slice turned out and Mr B tells me it tastes just like a home made mint slice biscuit.

The only thing I changed from the original recipes (I was kind of using the base from one recipe and the filling and topping from another one) was to double the filling because Mr B has serious biscuit base to filling ratio issues, other then that it worked out really well and was absolutely delicious!

To make this Peppermint Slice for yourself you will need:

Base
1.5 cups self raising flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup coconut
125g butter

Filling
4 cups icing sugar mixture
100g copha
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon peppermint essence
1 drop green food colouring

Topping
180g milk chocolate, chopped
25g butter

Grease an 18cm x 28cm slice pan and line the base and sides with baking paper.

Combine the flour, coconut and brown sugar. Add the melted butter and mix well. Press the mixture into your tin and bake at 180C for 20mins.

To make the filling, place the icing sugar, copha and milk in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on medium for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir until the mixture is smooth and the sugar has dissolved. Add the peppermint essence and food dye. Pour the filling over the prepared base and place in the fridge for an hour or so until set.

To make the topping, place the chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl and heat on medium for 40 seconds. Stir until smooth. If your chocolate starts to seize, add a tiny bit of milk and stir until it comes back together and it smooth and glossy. Spread the chocolate mixture over the filling. Place in the fridge for 3-4 hours or until set.

Slice into squares using a hot knife and enjoy!!

Mrs B xx

Pavlova Cheesecake

Over the last few weeks Mum, Dad, Mr B and I have been ramping the dessert wars to new heights.

There have been chocolate tarts, lemon meringue pies and now....just when we all promised to go 'back to basics' for the sake of sanity....we have the Pavlova Cheesecake.

I have to say that when this dessert is placed on the table it certainly does have the wow factor, it just looks spectacular. All the fabulous fresh fruit, whipped cream and crisp meringue you would associate with a pavlova paired with a tart creamy lemon cheesecake - this dessert is an absolute show stopper.

Pavlova Cheesecake

100g plain biscuits
86g butter, melted
500g cream cheese, softened
2 x 395g can sweetened condensed milk
3/4 cup lemon juice

Grease the base and sides of an 18cm round springform tin. Line the base and sides of the tin with baking paper.

To make the base, place the biscuits in a food processor and pulse until fine crumbs form. Add butter and pulse until combined. Using the back of a spoon or a glass, firmly press crumb mixture into base of pan.

To make filling, place softened cream cheese into the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until smooth. Add the condensed milk, one can at a time, beating between additions until combined. Add lemon juice and beat until thick, creamy and smooth.

Pour the filling over the base and smooth the surface. Refrigerate overnight or for at least 8 hours until set.

Remove the cheesecake from the tin and transfer to a cake plate or stand and smooth the edges. Serve with pavlova topping.

Pavlova Topping

300ml thickened cream, whipped
10-12 mini meringues
2 small kiwi fruit, peeled and sliced
125g strawberries, halved
170g tin of passionfruit pulp in syrup

Spoon the cream over the cheesecake. Top with meringue and fruit pieces and drizzle with passionfruit syrup to serve.

And say hello to awesome-ness.

The great thing about this recipe is that you can change the topping up to suit your mood....

Think whipped cream with bananas and caramel sauce.....

Think whipped cream with macerated strawberries....

Think whipped cream, raspberries and white chocolate.....

The possibilities and flavour combinations are endless!

Oh and definitely think about sneaking spoonfuls of the leftovers straight out of the fridge for breakfast....

Enjoy!!

Mrs B xx

Egg and Bacon Pie

The humble egg and bacon pie has been staring at me from the pages of my recipe folder for quite some time now. 

I always look at it with fond memories of the one my Mum used to make.....tell myself I really should make it one day.....and then promptly turn the page and move onto something else.

Well not this time! I finally decided it was time I (meaning Mr B) made our first egg and bacon pie....with a few minor twists on the original version.

My Mum used to make hers with mustard spread on the pastry base before adding the filling and I think that is a super awesome idea that admittedly I forgot to try this time, but will definitely be trying it next time because this recipe is a keeper - easy, tasty and filling - could you really ask for anything more??

Egg and Bacon Pie - Serves 4

2 tomatoes, thinly sliced and drained on a piece of paper towel to absorb excess moisture.
5 pieces short cut bacon diced
1 onion, diced
8 eggs
¼ cup milk
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
2 sheets puff pastry
Extra 2 tablespoons milk

Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat and cook bacon and onion for 5 minutes or until browned. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel.

Whisk 1 egg, milk and thyme together in a small bowl.

Preheat oven to 220°C (200°C fan-forced) and place a baking tray in the oven. Grease a 22cm pie tin and line base and sides with 1 sheet of pastry. Prick base all over with a fork.

Sprinkle half the bacon and onion mixture over the base. Top with tomato. Carefully break remaining eggs over tomato, try to keep the yolk in tact. Sprinkle over remaining bacon and onion. Pour thyme mixture on top, tapping base of pan to remove any air bubbles. Season with salt and pepper.

Place remaining pastry sheet over top. Roll up edge of overhanging pastry to seal your pie.

Brush with extra milk and pierce a small hole in the centre.

Place your pie dish on the hot tray in the oven and bake for 10 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 180°C (160°C fan-forced) and cook for a further 30 minutes or until pastry is golden and puffed. Stand for 10 minutes before serving with salad.

Enjoy!

Mrs B xx

Lemon and Blackberry Meringue Pie

Ok so recently I may have been indulging in a little too much reality TV.

I mean I don't watch THAT much TV, but when I do, it usually revolves around cooking shows.

I'm sure it drives Mr B bonkers, but well Saturday nights filled with American reality shows about big factories or mighty structures don't really do it for me either.

For months I watched the ads for Great Australian Bake Off with anticipation and you know when it finally came on, I was not all that impressed. Isn't it always the way?

However, one evening I flicked the channel and something caught my eye. The contestants were all trying to make a lemon meringue pie from the same recipe, but the catch was that each recipe was missing a few bits and pieces. I was absolutely amazed at how different each and every one came out and that was when I decided I was going to have a go at making my very own Lemon Meringue Pie....with a twist!

I decided to make a Lemon and Blackberry Meringue Pie and I will be honest, I did make this in stages. I started making the tart shell on Sunday, made the lemon curd on Monday and on Tuesday I made the meringue, assembled and baked the tart.

I was concerned that I hadn't baked the meringue long enough and that my first attempt at making a tart shell would be a disaster, but I was excited to try my new pie dish and well the end result was that between Mum, Dad, Mr B and I we demolished the entire thing Tuesday night.....it was delicious and I just love the tart lemon filling paired with the sweet blackberry jam, the buttery tart shell and the fluffy meringue - YUM!

I used Smitten Kitchen's recipe for the Great Un-Shrinkable Tart Shell. This was my first time making a tart shell and I decided to try this recipe because it sounded so simple and didn't require the use of weights during baking. I was really pleased with the end result so I think I will definitely keep this as my go to recipe in the future.

Lemon and Blackberry Meringue Pie

To make the tart shell

1.5 cups plain flour
1/2 cup icing sugar
125g cold butter cut into small pieces
1 egg

Using a food processor, pulse the flour and sugar together.

Scatter the butter over the flour mixture and process until combined.

Add the egg and process until dough comes together. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours. You can leave in the fridge for up to 5 days at this stage which is great if you want to make the dough in advance.

Lightly grease a 9-inch tart pan. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface (or between two pieces of lightly greased baking paper) to roughly a 12-inch round. Gently place the dough into the pan and seal any cracks that have formed. Fold any overhang in to strengthen your sides. Pierce the crust all over with a fork.

Freeze the crust for at least 30 mins, preferably longer, before baking.

Pre-heat oven to 190C. Butter the shiny side of a piece of foil and place, buttered side down, tightly against the pie crust, ensuring that the whole surface is covered. As the crust has been frozen, you can bake it without weights - hooray! Place the tart pan on a baking tray and bake for 20-25 mins.

Remove the foil. If the crust has puffed, press it down gently with the back of a spoon. Bake for a further 10 mins until firm and golden and allow to cool.

To make the Lemon Curd

1/2 cup cornflour
1 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice
1.25 cups water
2 tspns grated lemon rind
3 egg yolks
60g butter
1/2 cup blackberry jam

Combine the cornflour and caster sugar in a saucepan over medium heat.

Slowly stir in the lemon juice and water, continue to stir until smooth.

Continue to stir over medium-high heat until mixture boils and thickens. Reduce the heat to a simmer and continue to stir for 1 minute.

Remove from heat and working quickly, whisk in the lemon rind, egg yolks and butter. Keep whisking until butter is melted. Cover with cling wrap touching the surface to prevent a skin from forming and allow to cool to room temperature.

Spread the cooled tart base with blackberry jam and pour lemon curd directly over the top.

To make the Meringue

 3 egg whites
1/2 cup caster sugar

Pre-heat oven to 200C

Blend egg whites using an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Gradually add in the sugar, beating until dissolved and the egg whites form stiff peaks.

Use a fork to gently score the surface of the lemon curd, this will ensure your meringue sticks to it and doesn't slide off.

Spoon the meringue mixture on top of the lemon curd and use a spoon to form peaks.

Bake for 2-3 mins or until meringue starts to brown.

Allow to cool to room temperature before serving.

Mrs B x

Chocolate Ganache Tart

Today has been a lazy lazy Saturday.

Actually the whole weekend is turning out to be relaxing and lazy.

Yesterday Mr B went to work so I did some baking, visited a friend for her birthday, ran some errands, had tea and cake with another of my friend's in celebration of a very special first birthday, went to the supermarket, went for a jog and still had time to laze on the couch for a few hours - all before Mr B got home! It might have seemed busy and I was definitely buggered by the end of it, but it was a day full of 'me' time and it doesn't get much more relaxing then that!

Today Mr B and I had a lovely sleep in and then seeing as the sun was shining for a change we decided to take the bikes out for a quick run. 

We did try to take the bikes out last weekend but both of them had flat batteries which really wasn't surprising seeing as I haven't been on my bike since Easter. I know, it is absolutely disgraceful but the weather hasn't been the best and there always seems to be a million other things going on. Not this weekend though, we were determined to get them out for a short run and it was nice to get back on it after so long. 

We went for a quick ride to visit Mum and Dad and then headed home as the clouds began to roll in. I made a quick supermarket run so that we could have homemade caprese pizza and garlic bread for dinner tonight and then it was home for lunch. After living in our house for 4 years, we have finally figured out how to use the griller on the oven so it was grilled cheese all round......and then because we had obviously had such a hectic morning, we curled up on the couch and had a nap. 

Life is tough.

Do you know what would have made our lazy day even more luxurious and indulgent? Some of this decadent chocolate ganache tart that Mum and Dad made us for dessert last Tuesday night. Be warned, it is very rich and a small slice goes a long way, but it is so worth it.

Chocolate Ganache Tart - Serves 8-10

200g plain sweet biscuits
75g melted butter
300ml thickened cream
1 tspn vanilla paste
100ml full cream milk
1 tbspn custard powder
250g dark chocolate (70%) chopped
Cream, Icecream and fresh raspberries to serve.

Place the biscuits in a food processor and mix until fine. Add the melted butter and process to combine. You may need slightly more butter - to test if it's done, press the mixture firmly and it should hold it's shape.

Firmly press the biscuit base into a 21cm springform tin - I like to use a glass to ensure it's really compacted. Freeze for 20-30 mins or until firm.

In a saucepan over medium heat combine the cream and vanilla paste and heat gently.

In a bowl combine the milk and the custard powder. (The custard powder will give the ganache it's silky texture.) Add the milk mixture to the cream and whisk over medium heat until thickened slightly.

Add the chocolate to the cream mixture and whisk until chocolate has melted and mixture is smooth. If you wish to substitute normal dark chocolate in this recipe you will need to reduce the amount of cream by 2 tbspns and if you want to use milk chocolate then reduce the cream by half. Unfortunately white chocolate is not suitable for this tart.

Brush a small amount of the ganache over the tart base and leave for 2 mins to set.

Pour over the rest of the ganache and smooth the surface. Place in the fridge overnight to set.

To serve remove the tart from the pan and stand at room temperature for 5 mins. Lightly dust with cocoa and serve thin wedges with whipped cream, ice cream and raspberries.

Enjoy!

Mrs B x

Mushroom and Parmesan Gratin

Last night when we went to Mum and Dad's for dinner I was feeling very proud of myself. You see I had been super organised and lodged our groceries for next week online all ready for collection later in the week.

Imagine my surprise when Mr B and I walked in the door, greeted by the smell of somethign incredible in the oven....and then I noticed the recipe on the bench. The EXACT recipe I was going to cook when Mum and Dad came for dinner next week and the EXACT recipe I had just purchased all the ingredients for.

I mean honestly, what are the chances??

Actually I imagine they are pretty good seeing as Mum and I get the same magazines and often read them together, picking out the things we want to make. We are probably lucky it hasn't happened prior to now!

And do you know what annoys me the most?

It was DEE-LICIOUS!

The crispy parmesan topping paired with the creamy thyme and mushroom filling is just divine, I could have polished off the whole thing without a second thought!

Mushroom Gratin

2 tbspn olive oil
600g button mushrooms, sliced
400g portabello mushrooms, sliced
1 onion, diced
2 tbspns crushed garlic
1.5 tbspns fresh thyme leaves
2 tbspn red wine vinegar
1/2 cup thickened cream
1 tbspn butter
3 eggs
1/2 cup parmesan

Pre-heat oven to 260C or 240C fan forced.

Heat a large fry pan over medium high heat. Add the oil and the mushrooms. Cook for 12-15 mins or until mushrooms are tender.

Add the onion and cook for 3 mins or until softened. Add the garlic and thyme and cook for a further 3 mins. Stir in the vinegar and reduce heat to medium.

Add the cream and butter and heat gently until cream beings to simmer. Season with salt and pepper and pour into a baking dish.

In a bowl combine the eggs and cheese. Season with salt and pepper and whisk well - the mixture should be slightly foamy. Gently pour over the mushroom mixture.

Bake for 10-15 mins or until the egg mixture is just cooked through and golden. Serves 4-6.

It took me a little while to figure out what I was going to create with 1kg of mushrooms next week, but after spending far too much time on Pinterest I think I have it figured out....and in the mean time Mum and I will be coordinating our dinners from now on!

Enjoy!

Mrs B xx