Other Sweet Treats Archives - Page 4 of 10

Chocolate Covered Lemon Meringue Truffles

6|10|2014

The best weekends for me are those that I wake up with more than one recipe in mind and run around my kitchen with chocolate on my clothes and fingers. Is there ever a thing called chocolate stain? Chocolate doesn’t stain. It’s too special. It glorifies, it dignifies..the Midas touch, perhaps?

I have had plenty of fun with chocolate recently and have come up with a few creations that make me love it all the more. This one has a double dose of chocolate. I have used white chocolate and crushed meringues (you know how much I love meringue) in the filling along with some lemon zest. To complement the sweetness and slight tangy citrus flavour, there is bittersweet dark chocolate. These truffle balls are big on flavour and texture. A complete blow-away treat that doesn’t need a lot of time or effort and they look so festive. You can use home-made meringues or store-bought. It would not really matter as you are crushing them anyway. However do make sure to crush them gently so you are left with big and small pieces. I was bit worried if they would turn out too sweet but the bittersweet dark chocolate took care of the required balance. Needless to say, using a good quality dark chocolate is important here.

I am already thinking of the holidays and cookie and truffle season. I guess, since chocolate overrides the seasons, why wait till the end of the year!
Our long weekend is still not over and I have another favourite ingredient to work with. Beetroot and chocolate!
Please excuse this short and impromptu appearance. Short and sweet! I was a bit too excited to share this treat with you.

Chocolate Covered lemon Meringue Truffles
Yields 12 medium-sized truffles

250 g white chocolate (roughly chopped)
1/3 cup thickened/heavy cream
1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest
1/2 cup meringue (home-made or store-bought), crushed
200 g good quality dark chocolate (Lindt 85% cocoa), roughly chopped
sugar flowers/sprinkles to decorate.

Place the white chocolate and cream in a medium heatproof bowl that is placed over a saucepan of simmering water (make sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water over medium heat). Use a metal spoon to stir the mixture gently till the white chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth..

Carefully remove the bowl from the pan and stir in the lemon rind. Let the mixture cool down to luke warm before adding in the crushed meringue. (If the mixture starts to set before adding the meringue, put it back on the saucepan to warm up and loosen slightly). Stir to mix. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to chill.

Line a tray with baking paper. Remove the lemon-meringue mixture from fridge and scoop out balls with the help of a teaspoon and then quickly and gently roll out between the palms of your hands. (You will need to do it swiftly as the warmth from your hands could melt the chocolate). Place the truffle balls on the baking paper. Refrigerate again for 30 minutes.

Melt the dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Remove from heat and leave aside to cool slightly. Dip the lemon-meringue truffle balls in dark chocolate (allowing the excess to drip off) and place them quickly back on the tray lined with baking paper. Place the sugar flowers or coat them again in sprinkles. Refrigerate till chocolate is set.

Almond Milk and Lemon Curd Pancakes

4|09|2014

In my new kitchen, I have a large window. Since my house is at an elevation, the view outside is breathtakingly beautiful. Miles and miles of unobstructed scenery and the sky like a painted false ceiling. It appears so near that it gives you the illusion that you could touch it if you reached out. The calm and quiet is broken into occasionally by a passing aircraft that immediately draws the attention of my soon-to-be 5 year olds. The number of birds around this area is also something I have never experienced before. Excited parrots nesting in the snug hollows of the trees below, lure me into waking up from my precious slumber every morning. And I live in the middle of a bustling city. Lately, I find myself day dreaming by the window. Quite often. So much so that I burnt a few of these pancakes.

My obsession with almond milk continues to grow. It is one of those things that I want to add to recipes simple and complex. It has not failed me till now. Even in baked goodies. I have started making my own and as an convenient excuse to finish it, I dream up more recipes. These are basic pancakes where milk is substituted with almond milk and some ground almonds mixed in the batter to add a tiny bit of crunch. Lemon curd is my favourite thing to spread on pancakes. Beside that, I have served it with passion fruit puree, berries and finely chopped pistachios.

Almond milk has many health benefits besides being low calorie. But that is not the reason why I use it so often. I can have it for taste alone. For the love of almonds, that are an integral part of my textured recipes. The recipe below is for the huge stack of pancakes you see in the pictures. Feel free to halve the recipe as per your requirement.

Do you like almond milk? Have you tried cooking or baking with it?

Almond Milk and Lemon Curd Pancakes
Serves 5-6

1 and 3/4 cups self raising flour
1/4 cup ground almonds (almond meal)
1/2 cup castor sugar
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 and 1/2 cups almond milk
2 eggs
olive oil for cooking
1/2 cup lemon curd (recipe here) to serve
Fruits and berries to serve

Combine flour, ground almonds, sugar and bicarbonate of soda in a bowl. In a jug. whisk the almond milk and egg together.. Stir into flour mixture.

Heat a frying pan over medium heat. Spray with oil. Pour 2 tbsp of batter into pan. Cook for 2 minutes or until bubbles form on surface. Turn. Cook a further 1 to 2 minutes or until cooked through. Repeat with remaining mixture. Serve with lemon curd and berries

Pear and Raspberry Pie

5|08|2014

I had my first real pie when I came to Australia. My excitement knew no bounds when I discovered a charming little bakery a short distance away from my new home. I went back every day. I had pie every day. For dinner, and for breakfast the next day. My kitchen ware were still in boxes so living on something that was convenient to bring back home, didn’t need too many dishes and filled up our empty stomachs while satisfying our taste buds, saved me a lot of trouble. I walked all the way to the bakery and back, convinced that it was the workout I needed to burn those pie-enriched calories. Till one day the bathroom scales told a different story!

I still love pie. What is there not to love about warm meaty and fruity fillings encased in pastry! However, when making pie at home, I tend to skip the bottom layer. The deep dish ones are my current favourite. It is a like a cross between a crumble and a pie. Plus you can play around with the pastry on top. I especially get my little boys to help me with the top and it makes for a wonderful afternoon activity with kids.

The pie is inspired by a slightly different recipe I had come across in Donna Hay magazine using white peaches and raspberries. The pie crust caught my eye and decided to make my own version using pears. This one is not a large one so if you plan a standard size, you may want to double the measurements.

Pear and Raspberry Pie
Serves 4

For the crust
3/4 cup plain flour
60 g unsalted butter, chilled, chopped
1/4 cup icing sugar
1 egg yolk (from an extra-large egg)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp. iced water
1 egg white
raw sugar for sprinkling

For the filling
3 ripe pears, skin removed and roughly chopped
1 cup frozen raspberries
1/3 cup castor sugar
1 tbsp. corn flour
1 tbsp. lemon juice

Place the flour, butter and icing sugar in a food processor and process in short bursts until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. With the motor running, add the egg yolk, vanilla and water and process until the dough just comes together. Turn the dough into a lightly floured surface and bring together to form a ball. Flatten into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.

Pre heat oven to 200 degrees C. Place the pear, sugar, cornflour and lemon juice in a non stick pan over high heat till the sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until thickened. Remove from heat and stir through the raspberries. Spoon the mixture into a baking dish (I used a 20 cm by 13 cm oval Pyrex dish.)

Roll the pastry out between two sheets of non-stick baking paper to a 3mm thickness. Using a 5 cm round cookie cutter, cut out circles from the dough and place on top of the filling, overlapping until the entire top is covered. Brush the pastry with the egg white and sprinkle with raw sugar. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the pastry is golden. If you like the top of the pie, really browned and crisp like this one, switch over your oven to the grill mode
and brown the pastry for 2-3 minute. Remove carefully from oven. Serve warm with ice cream on the side.

Masala (Spiced) Coke Popsicles

19|07|2014

The sidewalks in India are home to some amazing Indian food. Street food, as it is popularly known is not only cheap and convienient but also authentic. This kind of food may also be available in big and small restaurants but rarely measures up to the taste and feel of food from the vendors. There is something incredibly exciting about watching the food being assembled right before your eyes.. the sultry weather coupled by the smoke escaping the sizzling tawas (large frying pans), crowds of people waiting for their turn, the fiery heat of the chillies as they are generously sprinkled over Chaat or Chicken rolls or for that matter any food originating from these makeshift stalls. It is an experience in itself. To go with this kind of food there are refreshing thirst quenchers that send flavours splattering across your palate. The key to this can only be one. Spice!

Masala Coke is nothing but a spiced up version of Coke. Adding spice and salt to a cola drink not only lifts up its flavour but leaves your senses refreshed and energised. The after-taste is incomparable, trust me! The spice blend or seasoning in this case is Chaat Masala, a tangy, zingy, mildly hot mix that is a must-have in most Indian households. Unlike some spices, it does not require to be cooked down so it can be easily substituted for seasonings in savoury dishes. I would recommend this spice, not only for this popsicle recipe or the drink, but also on salads, fritters and vegetarian dishes. If you love spice, this is a great investment to store in your pantry. Try it on fruit, you are sure to get hooked on! Here in Sydney, Chaat Masala should be available in any Indian store.

These popsicles are easy to make. I’ve been making these for as long as I can remember. Put all the ingredients together in a large jug and leave aside for 30 minutes. This is necessary for the flavours to blend and the aeration to escape or the popsicles tend to expand and become uneven in size. Needless to say, this recipe would work on any drink of similar variety.

Masala Coke Popsicles
Yields 6

500 ml Coke
Juice of 1 Lime
2 tsp Chaat Masala
1/4 tsp salt (optional)
1 tsp ground black pepper
Fresh herbs, mint and/or basil

Place all the ingredients together in a large saucepan. Cover loosely and leave aside for 30 minutes. Remove fresh herbs and pour into popsicle moulds. Freeze for 2 hours and insert popsicle stick. Freeze for 4-6 hours (preferable overnight).