Other Sweet Treats Archives - Page 5 of 10

Sauteed Apricots with Honey, Goat’s Cheese and Pine Nuts

15|07|2014

Where did I find apricots at this time of the year? I would love to give so many different answers, my favourite being..the farmer’s markets. Alas! That is a hardly a possibility in the dead of winter. I am constantly dreaming of Spring and Summer, of juicy stone fruits, sunny beaches, of ice pops and every kind of summery treat. I have been doing the last two, though (beaches and ice pops). Being in Sydney, you can’t escape the beaches but it’s never like Summer.

I had a glut of apricots last summer and that is when I had cooked with these. I think, I liked them so much from a photography perspective that I wanted to keep them as simple and intact as possible. Apricots in season are so sweet and juicy by themselves that I best enjoy them plain.

There is really no recipe. You wouldn’t need one. I halved the apricots and removed the stones. I sautéed them in a little butter till they were slightly golden. On removing from the heat, I placed them on a serving tray. Drizzled a bit of honey (whilst they are warm), spooned over goat’s cheese and scattered with toasted pine nuts.

Apricots are versatile so this dish is open to all possible variations. Mascarpone or Ricotta can be used in place of goat’s cheese. Replace pine nuts with almonds or pistachios. Add mint or basil for an extra herby punch. Spice works too. A sprinkling of powdered cinnamon, ginger or cardamom elevates the flavours to a whole new level.

Chocolate and Coconut Slice

22|06|2014

I love recipes that can be made without prep or planning. Shopping for ingredients is always fun but once in a while it’s nice to be able to make something with regular pantry ingredients. One-bowl recipes make life so much easier. The last thing you want to do in winter is wash heaps of dishes. And the one thing in winter that you love to do is use the oven.

This recipe is all of the above and tastes amazing. I discovered chocolate and coconut as a combination only recently. Individually I’ve cooked or baked with both for as long as I can remember. Put together in a slice or bar, I found it hard to stop eating them.

Technically, there is no chocolate in the recipe however it tastes as good as chocolate. They are fudgy almost like brownies but not soft. They have a great texture and the icing makes them really indulgent.

Chocolate and Coconut Slice (adapted with variation from Taste.com)
Yields 16 slices

150g butter, melted, cooled
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup plain flour
1/3 cup self-raising flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup desiccated coconut

Chocolate Icing
1 cup icing sugar mixture
1/4 cup cocoa powder
20g butter, finely chopped
2 tbsp. boiling water

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Grease a 20cm x 30cm rectangular pan and line with baking paper extending paper 2cm from edge of pan at long ends.
Place butter, brown sugar, egg and vanilla in a large bowl. Stir until well combined. Sift over flours and cocoa. Add 1/2 cup coconut. Stir to combine. Spread mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until firm to touch

Make Chocolate icing: Sift icing sugar and cocoa into a medium heatproof bowl. Add butter and boiling water. Stir until smooth. Spread hot slice with icing. Sprinkle with remaining coconut. Set aside to cool completely in pan. Cut into pieces. Serve.

Caramelised White Chocolate Doughnuts

4|05|2014

I share a little shopping ritual with my twin boys. If they are joining me on a grocery trip to the supermarket, they would get to pick and choose and eat their favourite doughnuts. The supermarket is located inside a busy shopping centre and though many of the popular doughnut outlets also happen to be on the same floor, they always want to pick the doughnuts from the bakery section in the same supermarket. The obvious reason for that is the colourful inviting displays are very suitably placed within the eye level and even reach of a small child. Marketing strategy at its best. So each time not one but two of the combo packs tinted in bright shades and strewn with colourful sprinkles land up on my shopping trolley.With a constant supply of outsourced doughnuts, my blog has completely missed the opportunity to make some at home. But since the time I’ve discovered caramelised white chocolate I’ve developed an uncontrollable urge of dunking everything into it…muffins, cupcakes, eclairs, cookies and even store bought doughnuts. That is if I am able to convince the boys to buy the non-glazed ones, especially cinnamon doughnuts. Caramelised chocolate with a little spice is the next thing to Heaven…is all I can say. So I thought it was time to post a doughnut recipe.

I’ve tried out a few baked doughnut recipes before but they’ve never turned great so I was on the lookout for one. This one is way better (from Sally’s Baking Addiction) than the rest and is soft with a great texture. Though I personally feel that a baked doughnut never measures up to a fried one, keeping health and convenience in mind these are pretty good. You can use the fried ones as well and I am sure they would taste amazing too. The caramelised white chocolate is the star of the show so really anything dunk-able would do.

I think I have mentioned before that I use David Lebovitz’s recipe and method for caramelising the white chocolate. It always works for me. It is a simple process (explained really well) and all that it requires is some patience. The results are worth it. The recipe will yield more caramelised white chocolate than needed to glaze the doughnuts. To use up the rest of the chocolate, you may want to look at this cheesecake or this mousse. I’ve added toasted chopped pecans mixed with a little bit of chocolate sprinkles to decorate the doughnuts. Feel free to play around with the decorations.

The original recipe for the doughnuts using a doughnut pan made 8 doughnuts. Since I used individual pans which may be slightly bigger than the size of a regular doughnut, I got 6 out of the batter.

Caramelised White Chocolate Doughnuts
Yields 6 large or 8 medium doughnuts

For the baked donuts (adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction)
1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour (careful not to over measure)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/3 cup (65g) granulated sugar
1/4 cup (60ml) milk
1/4 cup (60g) Greek yogurt
1 large egg
2 Tablespoons (30g) unsalted butter, melted
1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 recipe caramelised white chocolate ganache, lukewarm
1/4 cup toasted, finely chopped pecans, to decorate
chocolate sprinkles, to decorate

For the caramelised white chocolate ganache (makes about 2/3 cup)
1/2 cup caramelised white chocolate (using David Lebovitz’s recipe)
1/4 cup heavy or thickened cream

For the baked doughnut: Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Spray a donut pan with non-stick spray. Set aside.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, and granulated sugar together in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Whisk the milk, yogurt, and egg together until smooth. Add the melted butter and vanilla, whisking until fully combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Do not over mix. The batter will be very thick.

Pipe the batter or spoon the batter into the doughnut cups. Since the batter is quite thick it is easier to pipe it in. You can use a ziplock bag in case you don’t have a piping bag. Cut a corner off the bottom of the bag and pipe the batter into each donut cup.

Bake for 9–10 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Allow the donuts to slightly cool before glazing.

For the Caramelised White Chocolate Ganache: Place the caramelised white chocolate in a medium bowl. Bring the cream to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat and pour over the chocolate. Leave aside for 5 minutes and stir with a spoon till smooth. Cool slightly before glazing the doughnuts.

The chocolate ganache sets completely when cooled so the glazing would have to be done before the ganache cools completely. In case, it becomes hard, warm slightly while stirring with a spoon and it turns to a liquid consistency.

To Assemble : Dip the cooled doughnuts into the caramelised white chocolate ganache and turn to coat evenly. Transfer each doughnut onto a wire rack over a baking sheet to catch the glaze drippings. Take each doughnut and dunk again if you have enough glaze leftover. Sprinkle with toasted pecans and chocolate sprinkles in your desired pattern.

Lemon Curd and Yoghurt Eton Mess

27|04|2014

If there is something that is always present in my refrigerator, greatly appreciated by my family and finds its use in multiple savory or sweet dishes cooked in my kitchen, it has to Greek Yogurt. Because of it’s thick creamy consistency, slightly acidic taste and significantly high health benefits, I find myself including it in my everyday diet, slowly using it instead of cream (single or double) sour cream and even cream cheese in recipes that require their usage.

In Australia we have easy access to Greek yogurt. On account of that, it is widely used to replace mayonnaise in burgers, in salad dressings, dips, marinades, cakes and of course frozen yogurt. My latest way of using it is in a Greek inspired home made lamb pizza in the form of a tzatziki topping (recipe coming soon). What are benefits of Greek Yoghurt over regular yoghurt, you may ask. The answer lies in the way it has been processed. Extra steps in straining the yoghurt results in a more concentrated, thicker consistency which is higher in protein, lower in sugar and carbohydrates. Basically, it keeps you feeling full longer.

It is no secret to my regular readers how much I love meringue…making it and eating. I usually don’t have leftover egg whites at home as they are quickly turned into meringue. Home made lemon curd on the other hand is again another lemony treat that frequents my fridge. It’s easy to make and dolloping it on any sweet treat takes the sweet to a different level. I have been combining the 3 together for a quick, light sweet fix since years and the combination is always appreciated. Being gluten free and rich in probiotic goodness makes it what it is…guilt free!

The greatest thing with this dessert is that the individual elements can be made ahead and stored separately. Better still, for those who may find it hard to make meringue or lemon curd, go ahead and use store bought and assemble before serving. If you are making meringue (or meringue nests) at home, particularly for a Eton Mess, you don’t have to be neat or use a piping bag. It’s supposed to be messy and that is how it is enjoyed. Therefore dolloping whipped egg whites with a spoon is just fine. Just make sure that the sizes (big or small) are more or less uniform so they are baked evenly.

Lemon Curd and Yoghurt Eton Mess
Serves 4

400 g Greek Yoghurt (Plain or Vanilla), slightly cold
24 meringue kisses (or 4 meringue nests), a few crushed (recipe below)
1/2 cup Lemon Curd (recipe here)

In a medium bowl, whisk the Greek Yoghurt slightly to make it light and airy (about a minute). Spoon it into 4 serving bowls. Divide the meringue kisses and lemon curd equally between the bowls. Swirl slowly with a spoon. Serve immediately.

Meringue Kisses (Makes 24-26 meringue kisses)

3 egg whites
3/4 cup Castor Sugar

Preheat oven to 110 degrees C. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper.

Using an electric mixer, beat eggwhites until stiff peaks form. Add caster sugar. Beat for 8 minutes or until sugar has dissolved.

Place mixture into a piping bag fitted with a star or plain nozzle. Pipe 3cm wide meringue rounds or kisses onto prepared trays, allowing 2cm between each for spreading. Bake for 30 minutes or until meringues are firm to touch. Turn off oven and allow to cool in the oven with door slightly ajar.

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