Coffee and muffins! Make me a great one (of either) and I’m sold. Somehow coffee is better with a delicious treat on the side. Muffins have a reputation of being breakfast or lunchbox food and I have to admit I find them especially handy on the go. But that does not stop us from making them exciting by dding another delicious element on the top.

These muffins are moist and berry-licious while the crumble/streusel on top makes them crunchy and full of texture. What’s so special about these? These are topped with a hazelnut streusel. The streusel is flourless and uses a nut meal/ground nuts instead so the resulting topping is nutty and outright tasty. These have got to be my favourite muffins at the moment.

What are your favourite muffin combos?

Berry and Hazelnut Streusel Muffins

Yields 12

2 and 1/2 cups self raising flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
150 g unsalted butter, melted
1/3 cup buttermilk
2 eggs, lightly whisked
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup mixed berries (fresh or frozen)

Hazelnut Streusel Topping

1 cup hazelnut meal
1/2 cup roasted hazelnuts, chopped
1/4 cup roasted almonds, chopped (optional)
1/2 tsp powdered cinnamon
1/2 cup brown sugar
60 g unsalted butter, chilled and cubed

To make the berry muffins, preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Line a 12 muffin pan with paper liners.
In a large bowl, with an electric mixer (or by hand) mix the flour, sugar, butter, buttermilk, eggs and vanilla together. Add the berries and gently fold through.

Divide mixture evenly between muffin liners. Meanwhile, make the streusel topping.
Combine hazelnut meal, hazelnuts, almonds, cinnamon and brown sugar in a bowl. Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the nut mixture until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Sprinkle the streusel topping over the muffin batter.
Bake for 25 minutes or until the muffins are cooked through and streusel is golden and crisp.

I was always a crazy fan of lemon and lime desserts, well all kinds of lemony things (as it is evident from the pictures) but recently I discovered a way of creating lemon garnishes that inspired me to revisit this lemon curd tart and a few cocktails. These were so easy to make by dehydrating in the oven at a really low temperature but the results so impressive. 

The lemon curd tart itself is a pretty simple recipe since I usually get a ready base/crust during busy times like now and the filling hardly takes time. Whether you want to make it for the holidays or a weekend indulgence or just to share with friends, there is hardly a person who does not love it’s sweet-tangy taste. The toasted meringue adds another layer of deliciousness but it’s optional. Over and above everything else, I love how bright and joyful a lemon tart looks. Perfectly reminiscent of an Aussie summer.

The dehydrated lemon garnishes were even more simpler for me as I had picked up a pack of frozen lemon slices from my local Woolies and since they were all pretty uniform in thickness and sizes, they baked up beautifully. 

Lemon Curd Tart
Makes a 6 inch round tart, serving 6-8 people

A 6 inch round pastry shell, cooked according to package instructions and cooled to room temperature.
2  eggs
2 egg yolks
3/4 cup castor sugar
80 g unsalted butter, chilled and roughly chopped
zest and juice of two lemons
1.5 tbsp water
1.5 tsp powdered gelatine

Toasted Meringue 
1 egg white
1/4 cup castor sugar

Dehydrated Lemon Garnishes
20 Frozen Lemon Slices or 3-4 fresh lemons, evenly sliced 

To make the lemon curd tart, first make the lemon curd.  Place the eggs, egg yolks and sugar in a medium saucepan and whisk together until smooth. Add the butter, lemon juice and zest and place the pan over low heat, stirring continuously. Cook until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat. 
In a small bowl, place boiling water and sprinkle powdered gelatine. Allow to bloom (1-2 mins). Pour the gelatine mixture into the saucepan with the lemon curd. Mix well till gelatine dissolves. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then strain onto the pastry/tart case (if you’re not comfortable, strain it first into a clean bowl, then pour the lemon curd onto the pastry/tart case).
Refrigerate until set (3-4 hours). Serve as is or top with meringue and lemon garnishes. 

To make the toasted meringue :
Beat the eggwhite with electric beaters until soft peaks form.Gradually add  the sugar, beating until stiff peaks form, then pipe (using an open star nozzle) or spoon over the filling. Brown meringue with a kitchen blowtorch.

To make the lemon garnishes,
Preheat oven to 120 degrees C  (100 degrees C for fan forced ovens). Place the lemon slices in a single layer on two baking trays that have been lined with baking paper. Bake for 2 hours, turning once or until lemon slices are crisp and dry to touch. Switch off oven, leaving the door slightly ajar to dry further. Store in an air-tight container until needed. 

Delicate and delicious Rosewater Tartlets with a biscuit base and a panna cotta filling. No bake, no eggs and just very simple to put together.

For the longest time I have been wanting to do something different with my photography and styling. While it’s flattering to hear things like ‘I can recognize your photos from a mile away’ or ‘your signature style’ from my beloved followers, I’m a creative through and through. In my mind I grow and evolve only when I can constantly overcome new challenges or am able to do something entirely different. I think we all go through phases where we just want to experiment. We want to step out of our comfort zones. Sometimes we don’t know where to start and at other times we are afraid whether our experiments would be accepted by the community we have built around our ‘signature’ styles.

So when I made these delicious tartlets and shot them in the usual way I would, the pastel colours inspired me to do a second round of photography with a whole different setup. I’m all about pinks and mauves so I was pleased with the results. However, though these images were loved by my audiences on Instagram, I received so many messages requesting me not to change my style and that the moody, bright photos are what makes me ‘me’. To be honest, I was overwhelmed that my humble images mattered to people and that a little change could impact them the way it did.

Anyway, pastel or rustic the style has little or no impact on these absolutely delicious tartlets. They were incredible to taste with little effort. Rosewater as I always say is so uplifting, so refreshing and to make the filling as good as a custard tart (which involves eggs and yolks), I increased the ratio of cream to milk so it makes up for the lack of a eggs and still give it that rich, creamy texture.

Rosewater Panna Cotta Tartlets
Serves 3

150 g digestive biscuits
75 g unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup milk
1 and 1/2 tsp powdered gelatine
1/4 cup castor sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp rosewater
1-2 drops pink food colour

Place the biscuits in a food processor and pulse to form fine crumbs. Pour  the melted butter into the processor and pulse to combine. Press the biscuit mixture into the base and sides of six 10 cm loose-bottomed tart pans. Place the tart pans onto a baking tray for ease of movement into and out of the fridge. Chill until required.

Place the milk in a large saucepan and add the gelatine. Leave aside to bloom for 5 minutes. Heat the milk over a low flame, add the sugar and cream. Bring to a simmer (do not boil) stirring constantly, then remove from heat. Add the rosewater and food colour. Stir. Leave aside to cool to room temperature.

Once cool, strain into a jug and pour over onto the prepared biscuit bases. Place the tray back into the fridge for the filling to set. Refrigerate for 4-5 hours or until set completely.
Top with meringues, fresh fruits, edible flowers or grated chocolate. Enjoy chilled.