no bake Archives - Page 2 of 10

Blueberry-Misu

11|08|2017

Do you guys make anything special on Fridays for the weekend? I don’t enjoy spending too much time in the kitchen on the weekend unless I’m hosting a get-together or entertaining. When Rugby season kicks in during the cold months, most of our Saturdays are spent driving the boys and watching them play at a different location versing a different club. Being constantly on your toes can get really tiring! So on Friday, I make my treats and put them in the fridge to enjoy on the weekend. Trifles, mousse and cheesecakes are perfect for this.

Tiramisu is one of my favourite desserts. The pairing of coffee and mascarpone cheese is like a flavour bomb. But that does not mean that mascarpone is not great in other sweet recipes. Berries and Mascarpone are fantastic together as well. This trifle like dessert with layers of sponge fingers that have been dipped in lemon syrup, blueberry compote and whipped mascarpone is perfect for a delicious, make ahead treat without actually being perfect. As in, get messy! No need to use piping bags or make neat layers. It looks great anyway and taste even better.
Have a wonderful weekend all of you!

Blueberry-Misu
Serves 4

10-12 Savoiardi sponge finger biscuits
fresh blueberries, to serve

Blueberry compote
1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1 tbsp castor sugar

Lemon syrup
Finely grated zest and juice of 2 lemons
1/2 cup castor sugar (for the lemon syrup)

Whipped mascarpone
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup castor sugar (for the cream filling)
120 g (about 1/2 a tub) mascarpone cheese, room temperature

To make the blueberry compote, combine blueberries and sugar and with 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook over moderate heat till blueberries break down (about 5 mins). Cool to room temperature.

To make the lemon syrup, heat the lemon juice, lemon zest and sugar and 1/2 cup water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over low heat. Once sugar has dissolved, remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

Beat cream and sugar until soft peaks. Add the mascarpone and beat gently till combined and almost stiff. Regrigerate until needed.

To assemble: Dip sponge finger biscuits in the cooled lemon syrup one at a time for about 10 seconds so that the sponge fingers soak up some of the liquid but do not disintegrate. Place at the base of a serving glass. Using a spoon layer the mascarpone and blueberry compote over the sponge fingers. Repeat layers till you reach the top of the glass. Serve chilled with fresh blueberries and edible flowers

White Chocolate and Strawberry Tart

20|06|2017

Delicious White chocolate and Strawberry tart with a cookie crust and an orange infused white chocolate ganache filling. No baking and easy to put together.

Posting after a while now. How has everyone been? I had a lot going on these past few weeks, the first being a house move which I was totally unprepared for. We were renting this place for almost 3 years now when the owner just sold the property. The new owners wanted to move in quickly and we were asked to vacate. With a huge number of commitments and client work already scheduled for the beginning of June, I had no choice but to book the closest available house and move my entire setup into a new place. Since, I could only afford to take the weekend off from work, I figured out that there was no way I could bubble wrap all my stuff, box them and unwrap them later. So I made close to 30 trips back and forth loaded with props, backgrounds and a hundred other things so I could place them in shelves (in the new place) just the way they were before. By Monday, I couldn’t move. And then realizing the greatest fear of all, food photographers would relate to. Light!!! The angle and direction of light was entirely different and I spent a few frustrated days trying to figure out the best solution.Finally, things have settled down…well, sort of, and life is getting back to normal again.

In the middle of all this chaos, the oven in the new house gave me a bit of trouble as well so I just gave up temporarily and started creating no-bake recipes. Always think positive, right? When it comes to desserts, there are enough options, thankfully. Yay! This White Chocolate Tart has a cookie crust made with digestive cookies. I’ve experimented with a number of cookies before and digestive cookies were on my mind for some time, just to find out if they would be a lighter version of the rest. Oreos are generally the best bet when it comes to a no bake cookie crust but I didn’t want a chocolate crust for this tart. The filling is white chocolate ganache infused with freshly grated orange zest that balances out all the sweetness. The idea initially was to create an orange tart until I discovered on that day that our winter strawberries had hit the markets. We are so lucky to have two strawberry seasons in Australia. Look how big, juicy and red they are! The White Chocolate and Strawberry tart comes together quickly and needs no special skills to make. If you’ve always hesitated to make a tart the traditional way, give this a go for sure. There is hardly a thing that could go wrong here. Play around with seasonal fruits that are available near you or simply decorate with grated white or dark chocolate.

White Chocolate and Strawberry Tart
Makes a 14 x 5 inch rectangular tart or a 9 inch round tart.

250 g pack of digestive cookies
100 g unsalted butter, melted
250 g white chocolate, roughly chopped
130 ml heavy/thickened cream
40 g unsalted butter, roughly chopped
1 tsp finely grated orange zest
Fresh strawberries to top

Process cookies in a food processor until fine crumbs form. Add the melted butter and mix till well blended.

Press the cookie mixture into the bottom and edges of a rectangular tart pan (14 inch x 5 inch) with a removable base. Use the back of a spoon (and your fingers where necessary) to evenly spread out into a neat tart crust. Place the tart pan onto a plate (this makes it easier to move the tart in and out of the fridge.). Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until crust is firm.

While the crust is in the fridge, heat the cream in a medium saucepan over low heat until it just comes to a a boil (do not boil). Remove from heat and add the chopped white chocolate. Leave aside for 5-10 minutes until chocolate melts. Add the butter and the orange zest. Mix.

Cool the white chocolate mixture slightly and pour onto the prepared crust. Refrigerate until set (about 2 hours). Serve with fresh strawberries and fresh basil leaves.

Matcha Lime Tartlets

6|05|2017

I have a bag of dessert tricks that come handy when I need a true dessert without having to spend a few hours in the kitchen. I do like mug cakes and crumbles and grilled fruit but I’m talking about desserts that would have heaps of flavour, look pretty and yet come together in minutes. My greatest go-to of all times for these treats is ganache. Dark, milk or white chocolate, there are various ways of playing around with them. Ganache is nothing but a mixture of cream and chocolate. By infusing the cream with different flavours, one can create a multitude of sweet treats. I’ve infused Matcha (green tea) with white chocolate in this case. Since white chocolate is really sweet, I’ve balanced the sweetness with a bit of lime juice. That it! Quick and easy.

If you don’t have access to matcha, skip it and you’ll still have delicious lime white chocolate tartlets. The tart cases are store bought in this case. If you are up to making your own from scratch, go ahead by all means. I almost always have the pre-baked ones at home that I fill up with sweet or savoury fillings for my children’s lunchboxes. For all those who are new to making dessert, these are great to serve up on Mother’s Day. No sweat and absolutely delicious.
Happy weekend to all of you!

Matcha Lime Tartlets
Makes 6 small tartlets

90 ml heavy cream
180 g white chocolate (roughly chopped)
20 g unsalted butter
1 tsp powdered culinary matcha
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
6 pre-baked pastry cases (store bought)

Heat the cream in a medium saucepan over low heat until it just comes to a a boil (do not boil). Remove from heat and add the chopped white chocolate. Leave aside for 5-10 minutes until chocolate melts. Stir with a spoon to make a smooth mix. Add the matcha and lime juice and mix to blend.

Spoon the ganache uniformly into 6 tart cases. Refrigerate until set (about an hour). Serve with grated white chocolate or a dusting of matcha or edible flowers.

Rose And White Chocolate Mousse

21|05|2016

There are few things in life as exquisite as a tall glass of luscious chocolate mousse. It is one of those things that may not really be hard to whip up, but not many would do it at home. Nothing makes my friends more happy than the mention of mousse for dessert. Many years ago I used to dream of owning a mousse shop that would sell every flavour of mousse under the sun. I also set out to test recipes and flavors. The testing continued even as of today but the mousse shop of my dreams was long forgotten. Much the same way the cupcake shop, a cake shop, a handmade chocolate shop, candles, flowers, a store all about cake decorating tools came about existing and then disappeared. In my dreams:-) Who said life doesn’t give you options! There are so many to choose from. I tell my husband that maybe some day I’ll bundle everything together and open up a store. Even if it doesn’t have all of it, mousse is definitely going to be there. Rose flavoured mousse will be on top of my list.

If you have been following me on Instagram, you might have heard me ranting all the time about my obsession with rosewater. That bottle occupies a place on the top rack of my cupboard at eye level. The only others that share that space are milk and white chocolate, orange blossom water, culinary lavender, gold dust and some cupcake decorating items. So basically these are my absolute favorite things. I have quite a few mousse recipes on the blog but not with white chocolate. Also, all my recipes until now are egg yolk based as I am a fan of the rich, decadent mousse variety. This one is different. This chocolate mousse is actually easier to make and uses egg whites only. The rest is just cream, white chocolate, rosewater and sugar.

To get the ombre effect, once I whipped up the mousse, I divided them into 3 bowls and tinted them with pink food colour. I think the appearance of the mousse takes it to a different level. If you are not fond of white chocolate, I would recommend adding a bit of orange zest or orange liquor (or even lemon) or fresh berries or anything tart to cut down the sweetness. This is one dessert that is really sweet (typical of white chocolate). If you are fond of white chocolate, you are in for the biggest treat of your life!

Rose And White Chocolate Mousse
Serves 4

150 g good-quality white chocolate, broken into squares
4 egg whites
1/3 cup castor sugar
2/3 cup thickened cream
1 tsp rosewater

Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan half-filled with simmering water (make sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water). Use a metal spoon to stir for 3-4 minutes or until the chocolate melts. Remove from heat.

Use an electric beater to beat the egg whites in a medium, clean, dry bowl until firm peaks form. Add half the sugar and beat until the sugar dissolves. Add the remaining sugar and beat until glossy. Add the cream and beat until the mixture thickens. Add the white chocolate and rosewater and use a metal spoon to fold until just combined.

Divide the mixture between two or 3 bowls and tint with a desired shade of food colour (preferably pink since we are using rose). Layer them in serving glasses pouring each layer gently so as not to deflate the mousse. Place in the refrigerator to set for about 3-4 hours.

Serve with shaved white chocolate, candied rose petals or meringues.