Brioche - Sweet and Savoury

It's been a long time since I made these but after hearing someone retell a story about staying with us and the brioche I made, I thought it might be time to give this one another go.
The recipe is simple and I used the dough for both the sweet and the savoury version. The dough was made in the bread maker and then the completed brioche given time to rise in the oven. The rose during baking too.
They probably could have been glazed to make them look better but the still tasted great. They are best eaten in the day they are baked (straight out of the oven was pretty good) but are ok the next day warmed a little bit.

Brioche Dough
1 cup milk
3 tbs melted butter
2 eggs - plus enough milk to make 1/2 a cup
4 1/4 cups of high grade flour
1 tbs sugar
2 tsp yeast

Make dough in bread maker on dough setting.
Divide dough in half (if making half sweet, half savoury) and roll the dough out to roughly a 15cm by 30 cm rectangle.
Spread filling over the dough.
Roll dough up in a spiral to form a long sausage.
Slice into brioche slices (about 10 cm)
Place slices on tray covered in baking paper with space between ti allow for rising.
Bake at 200 degrees C for about 15 minutes

Sweet filling ideas

• chopped white chocolate and frozen (or fresh) raspberries
• brown sugar (or coconut sugar) and cinnamon
• chopped dark chocolate and raisin

Savoury filling ideas

• pesto, finely chopped mushroom, capsicum and cheese
• cheese, bacon
• cheese and pineapple
• sundried tomato and feta cheese

Chocolate Cheesecake

This recipe is a variation of a fruit cheesecake. I really love anything with chocolate in it so it was a logical step to turn this recipe into a chocolate version.
The recipe is pretty forgiving but is best made the day before it is need to make sure it sets.

I crush the malt biscuits and mix in the melted butter in the food processor...but before I had that I have resorted to crushing the biscuits with a wine bottle between sheets of newspaper.

Another trick I picked up after years of bases that didn't always hold together is to use a potato masher to compact the base.



Cheesecake Recipe

2/3 cup lemonade
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbs of gelatine
250g cream cheese
1 tsp of vanilla extract or 1/2 tsp of vanilla paste
1 cup whipped cream
1 kingsized block of dark chocolate (I use Whittakers Dark Ghana with 72% cocoa solids)
420g can berries
1 packet of malt biscuits
100g melted butter
8 inch spring cake tin

Stir lemonade, sugar and gala tine together in a pot over a low heat until dissolved. Leave to cool.
Crush malt biscuits and mix in melted butter. Press into the base of the tin.
Cream cream cheese, rind and vanilla.
Beat in cooled gelatine mixture and cool until partially set. I don't always wait for this but I do allow time overnight for it to fully set.
Fold in whipped cream, melted chocolate
and well drained fruit.
Pour into crumb base and leave in fridge until set.

Easter Egg Slice

Our Easer plans changed a bit when one of our cats got first disappeared and then returned out of sorts. We took her to the vets and discovered she needed to have most of her teeth out under general anaesthetic. Due to the operation and recovery our plans to go away changed. I decided to embrace the Easter spirit and have a family and friends dinner.
I've added our place settings made by Isabella (6 years) and the easter themed table centre piece in an egg carton with egg shells to hold the flowers and mini easter eggs too at the end of the post.

Our dinner provided a great chance to bring out some old favourites and try something new - Avocado, Bean, Corn and Tomato Salad.

Watching Australian Better Homes and Gardens one night over the weekend, there was an Easter theme and a ridiculously decadent easter egg slice. I had to give it a go. I made a gluten free version to cater for a family member by replacing the shortbread with a pre made gluten free chic chip cookie.

The finished product is very very sweet and very very rich. Small slices are called for, even for someone like me who can usually manage a lot of chocolate.

I used Whittakers 72% ghana dark chocolate (there is always a supply in our house), which I think probably made it a little more manageable to eat.

Easter Egg Slice

Ingredients

200g shortbread biscuits


120g unsalted butter, melted
400g dark chocolate, chopped
300ml cream
2 Tbsp golden syrup
80g pistachios, roughly chopped
250g caramel-filled Easter eggs

Method

1. Line an 18 x 26cm slice tin with baking paper. Put biscuits in a food processor and pulse until coarse. Add 90g of the butter and combine. Using your hands, press mixture into base of prepared tin. Freeze for 5 minutes to firm.

2. Combine chocolate, cream, golden syrup and remaining butter in a small saucepan over a low heat and cook, whisking often, until melted. Reserve 1 Tbsp of the pistachios, then stir remainder into chocolate mixture. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.

3. Pour chocolate mixture over biscuit mixture. Top with Easter eggs and reserved pistachios. Refrigerate overnight. Cut into pieces to serve.

Spiced Feijoa and Chocolate Cake

Once again during 'Feijoa Season', I'm on the look out for recipes to use the bounty from our tree.
Isabella showed her 'entrepreneur' tendencies and set up feijoa stands over a few weeks and managed to get rid of a lot of them while making herself quite a lot of money. It seems like there are a lot of people who really love feijoas and she certainly had vey well developed sales techniques.

This recipe came highly recommended and it is nice...you just need to be expecting more of a spice cake than a really chocolate hit. The icing is really chocolately though.

The cake is really light and crumbly.







Spiced Feijoa and Chocolate Cake

185g butter, softened
3/4 cup caster sugar
2 free-range eggs
1 1/2 cups peeled, sliced feijoas
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon (first measure)
1 1/2 cups self-raising flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon (second measure)
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup sour cream

- Lightly oil or spray a 20cm ring tin. Line the bottom of the tin with strips of baking paper. Heat the oven to 180C.

- Peel ripe feijoas (depending on size  I used 8 egg-sized feijoas) with a sharp knife. Slice each feijoa in half lengthwise, then slice thinly.

- Measure 1 1/2cups of the sliced fruit and place in a bowl with 2 tbsp brown sugar and the first  1/2 tsp cinnamon.

- Cream the softened butter and caster sugar in a small bowl with an electric beater.

- Beat in the eggs one after the other, then transfer the mixture to a large bowl.

- Stir in the prepared feijoas, sifted flour, baking soda, cocoa, second measure of cinnamon and the nutmeg alternately with the sour cream in two batches.

- Transfer the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top evenly.

- Bake at 180C for 45-50 minutes, or until a skewer exits cleanly from the middle of the cake.

- Allow to sit for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and remove the baking paper. Allow to cool completely.

- Cover the top and sides with the chocolate glaze.

For the chocolate glaze

130g dark chocolate
40g butter
 
Place in a small microwave proof bowl and heat on 50 per cent power for about 1 minute. Whip with a knife until smooth and shiny.

Chocolate and Pear Pudding

This was one of the daily recipes I get emailed from Mindfood magazine. I have not made any yet but since this was a Maggie Beer recipe I thought I'd give it a try.

The example in the recipe was in a deep round
dish. I made it in a rectangular dish that was more shallow.

It cooked for just over an hour and was well cooked - possibly a bit too much around the edge.

The result was a very rich and very nice dessert. The contrast of the pear was nice with the richness of the chocolate.

Chocolate and Pear Pudding

Serves 8

5 small pears (total weight 440 g)

375ml verjuice 1⁄4 cup

55g castor sugar

300g dark chocolate 70% cocoa

250g unsalted butter

4 free range eggs

2 free range egg yolks

200g brown sugar

60g plain flour, sifted

40g dutch cocoa sifted (unsweetened)

Pre-heat a fan forced oven to 160˚C.

Cut peeled pears into wedges (sixths). Cut out the core.

Over medium heat place the pear into a medium size pot. Add Verjuice and sugar and simmer 10 minutes, or until the pears are cooked.

Remove from heat and remove the pears from the syrup. Cool, then cut each piece in half.

Melt chocolate and butter over a low heat in a bowl on top of a small pot (the chocolate mustn’t come into contact with steam). Blend the chocolate and butter and cool.

Beat eggs, egg yolks and sugar in an electric mixer until thick and pale.

Stir in the chocolate mixture, then fold in flour and cocoa.

Place the pears in a large greased baking dish (20 cm x 9.5 cm). Pour in the chocolate mixture and place on a baking tray. Bake for approx. 1 hour to 1½ hours until pudding comes away from the sides and the centre should be a little gooey.

Serve warm dusted with cocoa and crème fraiche.

Coconut Macaroons

I made these a few years ago for Christmas presents. At the time I was amazed at how easy they are and how quick to make. With a birthday 'morning tea shout' looming I needed a few ideas to make over the weekend. These seemed like a good idea. They were as easy as I remembered and my colleagues enjoyed them.

They are best when they are fresh and a bit crispy but still pretty good after a few days.

This recipe makes about 60.




Coconut Macaroons

 400g shredded coconut (not fine coconut)
1 tin sweetened condensed milk
2 tsp vanilla essence
2 egg whites
1/4 tsp salt

Heat oven to 150 degrees C

Mix coconut, condensed milk and vanilla together.

Whisk egg whites and salt until they are soft medium peaks. If you can turn the bowl upside down and nothing falls out they are done.

Fold egg whites into coconut mix. It will end up looking a bit wet.

I put them on a baking sheet using a heaped teaspoon to measure them out. Press down so they are not a ball.
Bake for about 13 minutes.

Once cooked, allow to cool then drizzle chocolate over them.

Easter Chocolate Bark

I was after an idea for Easter gifts for the children we would be visiting over Easter...but it had to be quick and easy.
After looking around at ideas on Pintrest we came up with decorated egg cartoons and our own version of Easter Bark.

Isabella had a great time decorating the egg cartoons, although after 5 or 6 of them she lost a bit of interest.

The Easter Bark was simply a large baking dish lined with baking paper with a variety of lollies and treats poured in. We uses jelly beans, marshmallows, smarties and mini easter eggs.
Isabella poured them in and arranged them...eating a few along the way.
I then poured in melted white chocolate, cooled and then broke into rough pieces.
Simple, effective and the children (and adults)
loved them.

White Chocolate Creme Brûlée

This recipe is a family favorite. Almost a guarantee to get the family together for dinner!
I first made it as part of a chocolate dessert platter for a very special birthday dinner for a friend.
I can't remember the last time I made it and as we have a bowl of egg yolks just calling out to be used I'm really left with no choice.
Having not made this for a long time, I was amazed at how simple it really is...simple in that there are not too many steps, but not simple in that there are a few things that can go wrong!

I left making it a bit late today...well, actually a lot late but discovered a way to speed up the cooling process. After the cook brûlées had cooled a bit I put them back in the water bath and slowly added ice.
I left then in there while I caramelised the sugar too. Not ideal in that they were a wee bit runny but good enough to get them finished in time for dinner tonight.


White Chocolate Creme Brûlée

500ml (2 cups) cream

100g (1/2 cup) sugar (plus 5 tsp for topping)

1/2 vanilla bean (split in half lengthwise)

75g white chocolate (best quality tablet, roughly chopped) ( white chocolate melts are not suitable)

5 egg yolks

• Preheat oven to 150°C.
• Pour cream into a medium heavy based saucepan and add half the sugar. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean and add seeds and bean to cream.
• Place saucepan over a low heat and stir till sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and allow cream to sit for 2 minutes.
• Away from heat add white chocolate to cream mixture and stir till smooth.
• Place egg yolks and remaining sugar into a bowl and combine with a wooden spoon hoping not to create froth.
• Gradually and slowly pour warm cream mixture into egg yolk mixture stirring till combined. Pour liquid through a sieve to remove vanilla bean, any strands of egg white and froth. If any froth remains on liquid scrape it off.
• Pour liquid into 5 small ovenproof ramekins or cups. Place ramekins into a roasting tray and add enough warm water to roasting tray to come halfway up the sides of ramekins.
• Place in oven and bake for 55-60 minutes or till custards are just set in the centres. They should still appear wobbly. Immediately remove from water and cool. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or preferably overnight.
• To serve: Sprinkle 1 teaspoon sugar over each custard and brûlée till sugar is browned. Serve immediately.

Chocolate Chia Puddings - diary free

My last experiment with Chia seeds went well. This time I wanted to give them a try substituting milk with almond milk to make them dairy free. Almond milk is not a regular ingredient in our house so I froze the half I didn't use.
I worked on the theory that there were so many recipes around, I could just play with ingredients and get an ok result.

It was ok...not amazing but better than feeding my family ice cream!

The recipe I used was...

Chocolate Chai Puddings
1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk
4 tablespoons of cocoa
2 tablespoons of maple syrup (or honey or stevia)

8 tablespoons of black Chia seeds

Mix the almond milk, cocoa and maple syrup. It takes a while to get them really combined.
Add Chia seeds and mix.
Go back and stir several times over the next couple of hours.
Leave for a few hours for the seeds to absorb the liquid and thicken.

Chocolate Dipped Marshmallows - party food

As a way of sticking to my 'reduced stress' birthday party food theory for Isabella's Rainbow Birthday party I made collected a number of recipes that seemed pretty quick and easy and in some cases could be made in advance. Some were great, others a bit of a disaster.

These were quick, easy and looked effective. I made them a couple of days before the party and they disappeared quickly on the day.



They were as simple as this...
1. Inser a kebab stick into a marshmallow
2. Dip in melted chocolate
3. Dip chocolate dipped marshmallow in a bowl of sprinkles

I painted polystyrene balls to stick the marshmallows in

Chocolate Mi-Cuit

I'm not entirely convinced with the name (I googled it to try to find a translation and it doesn't fit the dish) but I am TOTALLY convinced with the dessert!
This is kind of a cross between a chocolate brownie and chocolate fudge. It was amazing with ice cream and berries and kept in the fridge for about a week (amazing it lasted that long).
It was really easy to make and I will make this again - another good make ahead component for a special meal.
It seemed a bit runny when the cooking time was over but it set beautifully.
It is really rich which means a small serving is essential.

Chocolate Mi-Cuit

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Chocolate Mi-Cuit

Ingredients 110g Unsalted Butter
100g Sugar
3 Eggs
225g Dark Chocolate (75% Cocoa) - in small pieces
1 Tbsp Cocoa
30g Corn Flour

Method In an electric mixer whisk eggs and the sugar and mix well, meanwhile melt the butter and pour on top of your chocolate pieces to melt.
Add the cocoa powder and the corn flour to the chocolate mix.
Whisk in the egg mix slowly and gently.
Pour into mould and cook for 6 to 8 minutes at 200c.
Remove from oven, it should still be runny.
Place in fridge for at least 3 hours.
The most divine and easy chocolate dessert.
And its gluten free!

Chocolate Self Saucing Pudding

I have tried a few different versions of chocolate self saucing puddings. While they are all really nice, this one had a really light cake part. I made the mistake of doubling this the first time I made it and we ended up eating it for a week. It was still great heated from the fridge.
Unfortunately the picture isn't the best. I forgot to take a picture before we ate it the first time...I was too eager to just eat!

Ingredients

• 100gm Butter
• 1C Sugar
• 2Tbs Coco powder
• 1 1/3C Flour
• 4tsp Baking powder
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 2/3 C Milk
• ½ tsp vanilla essence

• 1 C Brown sugar
• ½ C white sugar
• 4 Tbs Coco Powder
• 2 C Boiling water

Directions

1. Turn oven on to 180C Bake.
2. Melt the butter and mix in the sugar and coco powder.
3. Add flour, baking powder and salt and mix until just combined.
4. Mix in milk and vanilla.
5. Put into a dish so it comes no more than 1/3 up the side (cos it boils, and will mess up your oven) 20x25cm is good.
6. Put brown and white sugar, and coco powder on top.
7. Just before it goes into the oven carefully pour the boiling water over a spoon onto the mixture.
8. Bake for 40 minutes at 180C.
9. Serve immediately with whipped cream.

Moelleux au Chocolat - Molten Chocolate Cakes

This recipe comes from a novel called 'Lunch in Paris'. I loved the book - a story set in Paris with recipes related to the story scattered through the book.

I've made this one a lot. I was trying to perfect it for a dinner party for a friend's birthday where each couple served one of many courses. I eventually decided it was too easy to have it go wrong in someone else's oven. The timing is really important, if you cook it too long it does not have the molten centre, too short a time and the outside is to fragile and breaks. Needless to say my family LOVED the experimentation trying to get it just right.
If I have made it sound difficult, it isn't. You just have to be prepared to have a few collapse.

Tonight's verdict was 'Magnificent'!


Moelleux au Chocolat - Molten Chocolate Cakes
150g unsalted butter
150g dark chocolate (70 percent cocoa - I use Whittakers Dark Guarna)
A good pinch of course sea salt
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp flour

Preheat oven to 220 degrees C

Melt butter and chocolate together in the top of a double boiler or in the microwave. Add the sea salt.

Meanwhile, beat together the eggs, egg yolks, and sugar with a whisk or electric beater until light in colour and foamy.

Add the egg mixture to the warm chocolate; whisk quickly to combine. Add th flour and stir to just combine. The batter will be quite thick.

The unmoulding is the tricky part. I used well buttered silicone muffin cases. The recipe in the book suggests foil cupcake liners (5-6 stacked together) or small ramekins, generously buttered.

Divide the batter evenly amount the moulds. (You can make the cakes in advance to this point and chill them until you are ready to bake. But be sure to bring the batter back to room temperature before baking).

Baking time will depend on your oven; start with 7 minutes for a thin outer shell with a completely molten interior, 8n minutes fr a slightly thicker crust and a gooey heart.

Tip: These also cook well straight from the freezer. Freeze directly in foil cup holders. Take out of freezer about 10 minutes in advance. Bake at 200 degrees C for approximately 15 - 17 minutes.

Chocolate, Banana and Berry Cake

This recipe comes from Sarah Kate Lynch's book 'On Top Of Everything.' I really like her books and especially those that have a food theme. I tried this recipe years ago when I first read the book and remembered it being really good. Today we had visitors and when I asked Isabella what kid of cake we should make for afternoon tea she said chocolate and strawberry! I'm not sure where the idea came from but it was a good one.

The recipe is for raspberries but I figure any berry will work. We used strawberries today.
The only part of the recipe I'm not sure about is the chocolate in the cake mixture. It does't say to melt it but unless it is melted it would be in chunks (...maybe I'll try that next time?). I melted it and added it with the wet ingredients.

Chocolate, Banana and Raspberry Cake Recipe

Cake Mixture
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
100g granulated white sugar
50g light brown sugar
1 tsp of BP
1 tsp Baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
150g dark chocolate (I melted it)
3 large very ripe bananas mashed well
3 large eggs lightly beaten
120g unsalted butter - melted and cooled
1 cup raspberries

Pre heat oven to 180 degrees C. Place oven rack in middle of oven.
Butter or spray cake tin.
In large bowl combine the flour, sugars, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, salt and chocolate. Set aside.
In a medium bowl combine mashed banans, eggs and melted butter. Withe rubber spatular or wooden spoon lightly fold the wet ingredients (banana mix) into the dry ingredients until just combined and batter is thick..
Add raspberries and spoon batter into prepared tin.
Bake about 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean.
Place on wire rack to cool for 5 mins then remove from tin.
Let cool and ice.

Icing
250 g dark chocolate
1 cup sour cream
2/3 tsp of vanilla.

Melt chocolate in double boiler or large metal bowl over pot of simmer water, storing occasionally.
Remove bowl from heat and whisk in sour cream and vanilla.
Cool to room temp, storing occasionally.
Icing will become thick enough to spread.
You must work quickly and spread before it becomes too thick. (If icing becomes stiff, reheat over simmering water, then cool and try again)

top with a layer for fresh raspberries.

Fudge For Christmas

A lovely friend of mine started the Christmas tradition of giving amazing platters of home made fudge laced with liqueurs presented with the liqueur and appropriate glasses. Her fudge is amazing.

Over the last few years I have tried a few different 'sweet treats' as Christmas gifts but really had to come back to the tried and true - Fudge.

The basic recipe is great as it is or can be embellished according on the occasion or who will be eating it.
For this years Christmas fudge is made one lot with white chocolate, macadamias and dried cranberries and the other with dark chocolate with pistachios. White chocolate with cranberries and pistachio looks really Christmasy too.
To add a liqueur or spirit flavour (baileys, brandy, whiskey are all good) just add a few drops to the mixture. Do only add a few drops or it won't be firm enough to set.

The recipe below is Nigella Lawson's Fudge recipe. Nigella's is kept in the freezer or fridge to keep it firm.
My friend's recipe is slightly different but I'm not going to publish that without her permission.

Chocolate pistachio fudge

Ingredients

• 350g dark chocolate, at least 70 per cent cocoa solids, chopped -I use more - about 500g to make it set more firmly 
• 1 x 397g can condensed milk - I think a NZ tin is 400g
• 30g butter
• pinch salt
• 150g unsalted pistachios, shells removed - I use all sorts of different nuts or dried fruits

Preparation method

1. Place the chopped chocolate, condensed milk, butter and salt into a heavy-based pan over a low heat and stir until melted and well combined.
2. Place the nuts into a freezer bag and bash them with a rolling pin, until broken up into some large and some small pieces.
3. Add the nuts to the melted chocolate mixture and stir well.
4. Pour the mixture into a 23cm square tray, smoothing the top with a wet palette knife. I always line with baking paper to make it easy to get out
5. Let the fudge cool, then refrigerate until set.
6. Cut into small pieces approximately 3cm x 2cm. Cutting 7 x 7 lines in the tin to give 64 pieces best achieves this.
7. Once cut, the fudge can be kept in the freezer - there's no need to thaw, just eat straight away.