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.