Summer Fun

The New Summer 2011/2012 range at Pooki's Boutique.  Thank you to the ever gorgeous Rhiannah and a special mention to the also ever gorgeous beach side hideaway of Tomahawk. 

OMG!

Ok, so while you are at risk of maybe gaining a few pounds from just reading the recipe, this is a MUST TRY! 
My version of Chocolate Marquise.
Ingredients: 
5 egg yolks

• 1/2 cup caster sugar
• 150g good-quality dark chocolate, roughly chopped
• 150g unsalted butter, chopped, softened
• 45g good-quality cocoa powder, sifted
• 300ml thickened cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

1. Lightly grease loaf tin and line with plastic wrap, leaving the excess to hang over the sides.
2. in a pot over a low heat melt your chocolate and butter together then sit aside.
3. Use a mixer to beat yolks and sugar in a heatproof bowl for 5 minutes or until thick and pale. Place bowl over a pan of simmering water (make sure bowl doesn't touch the water). Add the melted chocolate and butter mix, remove from heat and fold in the cocoa.
4. Beat cream and vanilla until soft peaks form. Fold a little cream into chocolate mixture. Fold in remainder until combined. Pour into loaf tin and cover with the  plastic wrap, then refrigerate overnight.

You can serve up delicious slices of this dessert topped with raspberries, cream or even ice cream! 

Date & Nut Slice

I don't know about you, but in my house come 3pm on a weekday when the kids roll through the door, shoes kicked off and sent flying across the hallway, bags flung from shoulders to come to rest with contents spewing onto the floor, this is when it starts.
"Muuuum I'm hunnnggrryyy"
There is no "Hello Mum, did you have a nice day?" 
No! just the chorus of the hungry masses, well maybe not the masses but certainly two very hungry primary school kids!
Here is a great recipe of mine that is sure to please the kids, make sure you grab a piece too, lovely with a coffee for morning tea!



Perfect for lunch boxes too!


1 cup dates
1/2 cup dried figs
1 cup water
1 cup your favourite nuts, we used pecan and walnut.
1 cup oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup plain flour
150g chopped butter


In a pot over low heat simmer the figs, dates and the water until they have absorbed the water (10 mins)


In a food processor add all dry ingredients except the butter  and process until it resemblems a rough crumb, now add the chopped butter and process for a few minutes longer, remove from the processor and set aside now put the date mixture into the processor and pulse  until it becomes a paste. Add the date paste to the flour mix and combine, spread into a tin and cook on 170c for 15-20 mins.

Pizza Night

I love the weekend! who doesn't, right! Saturday hails the start of relaxing, long lunches, bathing in the warm afternoon sun, children giggling and playing and easy food that tastes so good! Here I will share my lazy weekend pizza recipe with you. Enjoy and relax for a bit, it's the weekend!


for the dough:


500g '00' flour
pinch of salt (or two)
7g sachet of yeast
pinch of caster sugar
good dollop of olive oil (2TBS)
300ml lukewarm water
50g grated parmasan


you can top with anything you like, we love boccincinni and salami
they take 15 - 20 mins to cook on 180c




In a jug mix your warm water, yeast and sugar together, add to the flour and combine by hand or mixer. once it is mixed together nicely bring it out and knead it on a floured bench, add the salt and cheese and knead some more.
pop your dough into a large floured bowl, cover and place somewhere warm until dough has doubled in size.
push it out on a floured bench into your pizza shape and if you feel lucky, fling it into the air just like Giuseppe does at the Italian pizza house.
Top with your favourite toppings.

What's in store at the moment

We have some great new lines coming to both stores over the next few weeks, Trade Fair was on last week and Jude & Deb came home with some funky bits and pieces for Pooki's Home & Gift and at the end of August they are off to Fashion Fair to stock up on lots of new designers for Pooki's Boutique! 
New stock will be arriving from next week onwards so be sure to pop in and check it out!
Here are just a few pics of what's in store at Pooki's Home & Gift:

Shortcake biscuits

Great for lunch box treats or served with a cup of tea.


Shortcake biscuits
175g SR flour
100g butter
75g caster sugar
1 tablespoon water
1 egg yolk


Put all the ingredients into the processor and pulse till it forms a crumbly dough, remove and roll out on a floured surface, I use a small cookie cutter to press my biscuits out. 
Cook on 150c for 8mins or until lightly golden.


Let them cool and then  I top mine with icing with a dash of strawberry essence in it. Yum!

Warm Winter salad.

1 cup of chopped pumpkin (dice size)
1 whole red beet
100g feta
good sized bunch of endive or rocket
1/5 teaspoon of ground fennel
olive oil


pierce a few tiny pricks in the beet and wrap in foil, bake in the oven on 200c for at least 1hr for a cricket ball sized beet.
coat the chopped pumpkin in a splash of olive oil and sprinkle with the ground fennel. roast for 30mins.
once the beet is cooked remove from the foil and peel the skin off, cut into chunks.
pull apart the endive and drizzle with a splash of olive oil and toss through the feta, pumpkin and beets. season to taste.

Orange syrup cakes

I love these easy to whip up little beauties! 


1 orange
150g butter
3/4 cup caster sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup of water
1/2 teaspoon of bicarb
2 cups of SR flour
2 eggs


THE SYRUP:
* juice the orange into a small pot, then grate the rind of half of the orange into it, add 1/4 cup of the caster sugar, the vanilla and the water, let boil and thicken slightly into a syrup.
(I also add the orange half to the syrup while it's cooking and take it out just before I add the syrup to the flour mix)


THE CAKE:
* cream the butter and the sugar, adding the eggs one at a time making sure each is combined before adding the next.
* slowly add the flour, mixing well.
* now add the bicarb to your syrup mix and stir till it froths up then add to your flour mix and continue to mix for a further minute.
* fill your muffin cases and cook on 160c for 10-14 mins.
* for the icing I used pure icing sugar, the grated rind and the juice from the remaining half of the orange.

Boozy semifreddo

This one is 'Adults only' for sure!
1 egg
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup caster
200g nutino hazelnut spread
300ml full fat thickened cream
1 tablespoon of alcohol, now I used Bundaberg Rum Choc coffee liqueur but you could use anything you like I guess. 
Also I like to add a dash of mint essence.


* whisk the egg & yolks and the sugar in a heat proof bowl over a pot of simmering water until it has thickened.
* in your mixer blend together the Nutino, cream, liqueur and coco until peaks form.
* fold in the egg mix and the hazelnuts.
* pour out into a loaf tin lined with baking paper and freeze for at least 3hrs.
* I serve mine with chopped hazelnuts on the top and a drizzle of the liqueur and sliced into a decent size wedge!

Hazelnut loveliness

Easy and yummy, what a great combination!

Hazelnut coffee yum cakes

1 cup of caster sugar

1 cup of butter (soft)

3 eggs

1/4 cup of milk

2 cups of sr flour

splash of vanilla extract

small shot of esspreso coffee

1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts

Cream butter and sugar, then one at a time add the eggs making sure to combine fully before adding the next.

Slowerly add the flour and then the remainder of the ingredients.

Mix for a further 3-5 mins.

Cook on 160c in muffin cases for 15-18 mins.

For the icing I used pure icing sugar and a drop of esspreso and then sprinkled the top with chopped hazelnuts.

Ethan's Rhubarb Souffle

I kid you not, my 8 year old son made this with only a little help with 'hot' things from me!  I know it seems a daughnting recipe but really it is very simple and so delicious!!

500g rhubarb, chopped
150g caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
1 tbs cornflour mixed with 1 tsp water
4 egg whites
For the crumble topping75g plain flour
100g softened butter
50g brown or white sugar
50g rolled oats
1/3 cup roasted hazelnuts, finely chopped
　Place rhubarb in a saucepan with 75g of the caster sugar and ¼ cup water. Cover & cook for 5-10 minutes until softened.
Add ½ of the cornflour mixture and stir for 3-4 minutes until thickened, then cook for a further minute to cook out the cornflour. Set aside in a bowl to cool to room temperature for at least 5 minutes.
to make the crumble topping, combine flour, 50g of the butter, sugar and a pinch of salt in a bowl, mixing with your fingers until combined and crumble like. Add the oats and hazelnuts.

Increase oven temperature to 200°C.
Grease 125ml soufflé moulds with remaining softened butter. Refrigerate for 5 minutes to set the butter, Sprinkle sugar into each mould and roll ramekin around so the sugar coats the butter, tip out any excess.
Place egg whites in a large, clean, dry bowl with 1 tablespoon of the remaining sugar and beat in mixer on high until soft peaks. Gradually sprinkle in the remaining sugar and beat for about 30 seconds - 1 minute until you have shiny, soft peaks.
Mix an equal amount of beaten egg white with cooled fruit puree until combined, then add the same amount of egg white again and fold through gently, turning the bowl, then lifting and folding the mixture to keep as much air in the mixture as possible. Spoon into buttered, sugared moulds, taking care to avoid getting any mixture on the side of the ramekins until the moulds are full. then run your thumb around the very inside of the rim so you have a clean rim.
Bake for 8-10 minutes until risen about 1 cm above the rim. Sprinkle the crumble topping over the top and Serve with vanilla ice cream if you like, we just have them on their own. YUM!

Place the crumble mixture on a lined baking tray and bake for 5 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Pasta, my way.

The recipe:
pasta is simple! 1 to 1 for 1 is the best way to remember it.
100g '00' flour
to
1 egg
serves 1 person!
just double as you need, for a family of 4:
400g '00' flour
4 eggs
and I like to add a splash of olive oil and some salt and pepper to taste, we often add some chopped rosemary or parsley too.
you can mix the flour and eggs by hand or in a mixer, knead it into a ball on a floured surface and the cover with clingwrap and put it in the fridge for half and hour.
get a pot of salted water on the boil ready for the cut pasta.
roll your pasta out either with a machine or by hand and cut into the desired shape using the macj=hine sutters or a pizza wheel works just as well.
cook for 5 - 8 minutes depending on the quantity.

we like to serve ours with a light creamy sauce, pancetta, leek and toasted bread crumbs.
lily's breadcrumbs:
process some day old bread in the food processor along with a dash of olive oil, salt & pepper and fresh parsley, leave a few larger pieces in the mix too.
tip onto a lined tray and bake for 5 minutes or until golden brown.
in a pan add (rough measure)
40g of butter
50g of pancetta
1 teaspoon of capers
S&P
cook until your leeks are soft and then add a small dash of cream,
1 tablespoon, but add more if you please.
toss in your cooked pasta
serve with a sprinkle of parmasan cheese and those gorgeous
'lily's breadcrumbs'
Buono!!

Facile per un Sabato

AKA: Easy on a Saturday.
I love this quick and easy lunch snack, it makes a quick dip if you're in a hurry too!


1 stick of gorgeous lovely fresh bread, don't skimp, get a good one.
1 avocado
half a chopped fire roasted pepper (I buy the Always Fresh brand in a jar)
squeeze of lemon
dash of finely grated lemon rind
salt & pepper
good handful of chopped parsley


*Combine everything in a bowl and mush roughly with a fork, spread on a slice of crusty bread!
EASY!

Vanilla Panna Cotta with caramel sauce and shortbread.

My Husbands favourite dessert! Panna Cotta (Italian translation: cooked cream!)
You will need to start this 4hrs ahead of time.


Panna Cotta:
300mls thickened cream (I use light)
140mls Milk (I use light here also)
1 & a half tsp of gelatine
2 TBS caster sugar
1tsp vanilla bean paste ( you can use extract if you like but the paste has real bean in it)


* in a pot warm your cream, milk & vanilla, it should be just luke warm when you touch it.
* add the sugar and gelatine
* whisk mixture over low heat until gelatine and sugar are dissolved. DO NOT LET IT BOIL
* spray your ramekins (I used dariole moulds you buy them at Pooki's)
* pour your cream mixture though a fine sive into the moulds, cover with cling film and fridge for 3hrs minimum!


Shortbread:
110g plain flour
60g caster sugar
60g rice flour
pinch of salt
110g butter


*put everything into the food processor and 'pulse' till it comes together in a dough.
* roll out to the thickness you desire and bake for 20-30 mins on 150c until golden.


Caramel sauce:
50g butter
50ml cream
2 TBS brown sugar


* mix all ingredients over a low heat until sugar has dissolved.


Assembly:
Turn your Panna Cotta out onto a plate, it should be a little wobbly don't worry. I crumbled our shortbread around the base and we did actually have pan fried banana in our caramel sauce....but we ate them all before I took the photo!  This is such a great dessert, nice and light and quite simple.

Profiteroles

Profiteroles:

Now I promise these are not as hard as you think they might be! give them a try, you'll be pleased you did.

roles:

80g butter

225ml water

pinch of salt

135g plain flour

custard:

1 cup milk

1 cup of cream

1 tsp vanilla paste

4 egg yolks

1 TBS corn flour

1/3 cup caster sugar

*First to make the role, bring the butter, water and salt just to the boil.

*add your flour and mix like mad until it is coming away from the sides and looks glossy (2-3 mins)

*add the eggs one at a time mixing them in well before adding the next.

* using a piping bag (or a snap lock bag with one corner snipped off) pipe little 'mounds' about the size of a 50c coin with a bit of height. I like to pipe a 'base' and then curl up to finish off....if that makes sense :-)

*cook on 180c for 20 mins or until golden on top. remove and let cool.

Now for the custard.

*heat milk, vanilla & cream in a pot for 5 mins or until hot but not boiling.

*in a bowl whisk your egg, corn flour & sugar

* once egg mix is combined well and pale in colour add your warm milk mix to it and whisk some more.

*return to the pot and stir over low heat for 10-15 or until as thick as you like your custard.

The chocolate ganache.

*1/3 cup cream warmed in a pot over low heat then add

*1/3 block of dark chocolate and stir off the heat till melted.

Assembly:

I use a childrens medicine syringe to inject the custard into my profiteroles then drizzle some of that gorgeous chocolate ganache over the top. 

Frangipan Tart

Blueberry Frangipan Tart

1.5 cups plain flour + 1/3 cup extra 

100g cold butter chopped + 100g extra at room temp

1/2 cup caster sugar

1teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

2/3 cup almond meal

300g of frozen blueberries (or whatever berry you like)

pre heat over to 180c

1. Place 1.5 cups of flour in a bowl and rub in 100g of cold butter to make fine crumbs.

add 2-3 tablespoons of icy cold water and knead together till mixture starts to form a ball.

2. Roll your pastry out to fit a flan tin, mine was 38x14cm. chill for 30 mins.

3. Cover pastry with weights and cook for 10-12 mins, remove and let cool.

4. Using a mixer, beat remaining butter and caster till light and creamy. Beat in vanilla and the eggs one by one.

5. Fold in the almond meal.

6. Pour mixture into pastry case and then arrange your frozen berries over the top.

7. Cook for 30 mins.

Apricot Jam

Apricot Jam

• 1kg dried apricots
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 3 cloves
• 6 cardamom pods
• 1.25kg caster sugar
• 60ml (1/4 cup) lemon juice

1. Place apricots in a large bowl, cover with 2 litres of water and soak overnight.
2. Place spices in a piece of muslin and tie securely with some kitchen string.
3. Place apricots and soaking liquid in a large pan with spices, bring to the boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Add sugar and lemon juice, and return mixture to a slow boil. When scum forms on the surface, remove with a slotted spoon.
4. After 25 minutes, test to see if it has reached a set - place a spoonful onto a chilled plate and push mixture with your finger. If it wrinkles and a skin forms, then it's ready; if not, wash plate and return to freezer.
5. Cook jam 10 minutes, then test again. Continue until jam reaches a set. Remove the spice bag and pour jam into sterilised jars.

   
   

   
   

Italian Plum Tart

Italian Plum Tart

This is without a doubt the best ever tart recipe I have ever baked, I love it! so simple and the flavour is amazing!

 PASTRY:

200g cold cubed butter

2 cups sifted flour

pinch of salt

1&half cups icing sugar

1/3 cup butter milk or sour cream (whatever you have)

FILLING:

120g softened butter

150g caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract, please try the extract you will notice the difference from essence.

2 eggs plus 1 yolk

200g hazelnut or almond meal

1/4 cup of brandy, now I used scotch because I didn't have brandy and it was delicious!

2Tbs plain flour

6 ripe plums

Prepare your pastry by hand or processor. combine all ingredients, roll into a ball and chill for half an hour.

Set your oven to 180c, roll your pastry out and line a 12 inch pie pan, now blind bake the pastry for about 10 mins.

For the filling cream the butter and the sugar until fluffy, add the vanilla, meal,flour and brandy then add the eggs one at a time, beating well.

Pour your filling into the baked tart base and then slice and arrange the plums on top, bake for 30 mins.

Enjoy with double cream or custard. YUM!

Little Lu Lu cakes!

I love how in this day and age we have the ability to communicate with anyone anywhere in the world and establish 'friendships' with those we have never met yet somehow feel drawn to them, well I have such  a 'friend' the very talented and lovely Luisa from Serendipity Corner Photography and she has requested that I make a little variation to the 'Anything Cake' for her so I made these this morning and named them after her! 
Little Lu Lu Cakes. Enjoy!

RECIPE:

100g butter

50g caster sugar

splash of vanilla extract

3 eggs

1 & half cups of SR flour

2TBS cocoa powder

quarter of a cup of Buttermilk (normal is fine if you don't have it)

100g dark chocolate

* melt 50g of the butter with 100g of chocolate on a low heat, set aside once melted.

* in you mixer, cream the remaining butter, vanilla and sugar

* add your eggs one at a time beating well after each egg.

* now add the cocoa and flour and continue to mix on a low speed

* add the melted chocolate

* and now add the buttermilk 

* mix on a low speed until well combined, pour out into a loaf tin or muffins.

* cook for 10-12 mins for muffins. 20 mins for loaf tin. keep an eye on it though and take it out when pressed it springs back nicely.

Now I like mine with chocolate ganache:

50g choc

30mls cream

10g butter

* warm the cream over a low heat

* add the butter and melt

* once melted in add the chocolate and stir till velvety.

* set aside to cool for a while before icing.