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.

Pooki's & Sorella

This season we were a little rushed, I am living interstate for a while, the new shop opened and we knew the window for a great Winter photo shoot was small given Tasmania's Winter weather!!
What to do?? well we enlisted the help of Sorella Photoboth an up and coming 'booth biz' out of Hobart, what's a 'booth biz'?, well you can hire Sorella Photobooth to come to your wedding, engagement, hens night, b'day party, just about any occasion and they will come armed with a backdrop and a huge assortment of props! it is a heap of fun! you can check them out HERE.
Doing the shoot inside was very different to our sun lit Summer shoot (you can see HERE ) but we still had a great time. Sorella Photobooth directed and shot the whole thing, which was great! it left us girls time to prepare and choose outfits. I can highly recommend them.


I would also like to thank the 'girls' Susan, Heather, Sheree, Rhiannah, Tammy & Sam, you ladies did a brilliant job and we are so very grateful! see you all for the Spring/Summer shoot??


Here is just the first instalment from our Sorella shoot!

Hello Baby!

Prue from Pooki's Home & Gift has had a baby boy! 
His name is Will Allan, weighing in at 8lb 10oz on the 29th of June.
A big congrats to Prue and Darrin!