Ground Almond Biscuits

             

        

 
 The other day I was heading over to my friend Eliane’s house to take some photos of her gorgeous wee newborn Monica who was only 10 days old, and I suddenly thought, I must take some home baking.

Realising that they are on a dairy free diet I was panicking though, thinking, what on earth shall I make?   so I sifted through my  recipes and found a gluten free recipe that my mum makes every time she visits us, that has no dairy in it – so dairy free and gluten free, bonus! and I happened to have ground almonds in the pantry, double bonus!

So after deciding  I was going to some effort to bake something I decided I better post it on the blog too…  then I decided to go a step further and dress up these delicious bikkies..

 

 

 

 

Ground Almond Biscuits

• 1 1/4 cups icing sugar
• 1 egg
• grated rind of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp,  vanilla essence
• 210g ground almonds (3 x 70g pkts)

1. Whisk together icing sugar and egg until well combined.
2. Add lemon rind and vanilla essence.
3. Add the ground almonds and mix well.
4. On a surface dusted with icing sugar, knead the mixture together.
5. Shape the mixture into balls and place on a baking tray, and press with a fork or cookie stamp to flatten, then dust with a little icing sugar.
6. Bake at 170c for approx. 15mins.

Chocolate Caramel Square

 

 

Chocolate Caramel Square

 

 

I love the chocolate biscuit base of this recipe, a lovely fudgy, dense texture, with a not so thick layer of oh so sweet caramel, then a chocolate ganache which adds a strong cocoa creamy flavour and texture.  It really is about having the 3 layers ideally balanced, so that when you bite through you experience each layer and they compliment each other…


Chocolate Caramel Square

• 2 cups icing sugar
• 180g butter
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup cocoa
• 1 2/3 cup flour

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 160c.
2. Line a flat biscuit tray with baking paper.
3. Cream butter and sugar.
4. Add egg and mix.
5. Add cocoa and flour and mix.
6. Press into flat tray.
7. Bake for approx. 15 mins.

CARAMEL LAYER

1. In a pot, add 1 tin of condensed milk, 3 Tablespoons of Golden Syrup, and 50g butter.
2. Heat gently for approx. 5 mins then pour over the biscuit base.
3. Bake for a further 10mins.

CHOCOLATE GANACHE

1. Heat 200ml of cream in a microwave safe bowl for about 30secs, or in a saucepan till not quite boiling stage, then add about 200g of  broken good quality chocolate(if you are in NZ, Pam’s is what I use, it has a good % of cocoa).
2. Stir with a wooden spoon till smooth.
3. Pour over caramel layer and place in the fridge to set.

 

 

biscuits caramel chocolate caramel cookie chocolate caramel slice chocolate caramel square chocolate ganache

Mrs Hassans Smashed Chocolate Brownie

 

       

I really couldn’t resist sharing with you this recipe given to me by my sister…




This recipe uses good quality chocolate, and makes are very large batch which saves us ladies the pain of repeating the process so soon, as this brownie undoubtedly ends up in the mouths of everyone very quickly!

Anyway my dear sis decided to make loads and loads of this decadent brownie for her husbands  birthday party, as it was an easy dessert that most people will definitely like and where you can add those extra toppings such as cream and berry compote to dress it up!  she made plenty to feed the thousands and even froze batches of it as well… which it froze perfectly fine and even had more of that fudgy type texture once it was cold.
Check out the recipe…

 

 

 

 

Anzac Biscuits

 

 

 

Anzac Biscuits

                 

Anzac biscuits are a very popular biscuit of New Zealand and Australia.  Originally created during World War I, when wives of soldiers supposedly sent them to their loved ones, because the ingredients stayed reasonably fresh during their travels.



The main ingredients consist of rolled oats, coconut, and golden syrup, making a buttery golden oaty flavour.

The main ingredients consist of rolled oats, coconut, and golden syrup, making a buttery golden oaty flavour.

ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corp.

This version of the recipe is from Jo Seagar’s ‘Its easier than you think’ cookbook – I just love her recipes for their simplicity and decadence, so easy and quick to throw together always!

ANZAC BISCUITS

• 125g butter
• 2 Tablespoons cold water
• 2 Tablespoons golden syrup
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup long-thread coconut
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup brown sugar

1.  Preheat oven to 160c.
2. In a saucepan over a moderate heat, add butter, cold water and golden syrup.
3. Once the butter has melted, remove from heat and add the baking soda.
4. Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix till combined.
5. On a tray lined with baking paper, place balls of the mixture and press with a fork to flatten.
6. Bake for 15-18mins.

Easy Boysenberry Cheesecake

 

 

 

Boysenberry Cheesecake

                             

Here is my very simple and delicious cheesecake recipe – this is the one I pull out of the bag when I need to prepare a dessert quickly, especially when you have visitors over and just want a no fuss recipe.



I have used boysenberries but you can choose any topping you like… raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, passionfruit…



Boysenberry Cheesecake

• 1 pkt malt biscuits (or any plain biscuit will do)
• 100g butter, melted
• 1 x 250g container sour cream
• 1 x 250g container cream cheese
• 3/4 cup icing sugar
• 1 pkt jelly (I used boysenberry flavour)
• approx. 1 cup of fresh, tinned, or frozen berries

1. Crush the biscuits, either in the food processor, or if by hand, place them into a bag and crush them with a rolling pin.
2. Then in a bowl, add the melted butter and crushed biscuits and mix to combine.
3. Place the biscuit mixture into the bottom of a lined cake tin or buttered dish, press firmly and place into the fridge.
4. In a bowl, mix the sour cream, cream cheese and icing sugar together till combined, then place this on top of the biscuit mixture and place back in the fridge.
5. In a pot, heat some water as per jelly pkt instructions and add the jelly crystals, then add the fresh fruit to combine, crush the fuit or leave whole( however you prefer it). leave to cool slightly, and then pour the topping onto the cheesecake.
6. Leave to set in the fridge.

Pear & Frangipane Tart

 

Pear and Frangipane Tart

 

 

• 1 pkt sweet shortcrust pastry
• 1 tart flan dish
• 5-7 poached pears
• Frangipane filling

Method:

1. Peel the pears and place them in a saucepan with water(just enough to cover), 2 cinnamon quills, 1 T. honey, and 1 cup sugar, and simmer for about 30mins.
2. Roll out the pastry and place in a tart dish, then refrigerate for approx. 30 mins.
3. Make the Frangipane as follows…

Frangipane

• 125g unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup caster sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups ground almonds
• 1 T. flour

1. Cream butter and sugar,
2. Add eggs one at a time and mix well.
3. Using a wooden spoon, mix in ground almonds and flour to form a paste.

1. Preheat oven to 180c.
2. Spread the frangipane filling over the base of the tart pastry.
3. Carefully drain the pears, and slice lengthwise down each pear removing the core, and lay the slices around the tart, as per photo. ( I used a whole pear for the middle, with stalk, and just removed the core, just placing and fanning slightly in a circular motion)
4. Once the whole tart is covered, place in oven and bake for 30-40mins or until frangipane is cooked.
5. Once the tart has been removed from the oven, glaze with 1 tsp. honey(and a tiny bit of  hot water) using a pastry brush, while the tart is still hot.

Salted Caramel & Chocolate Pavlova

 Salted Caramel and Chocolate Ganache Pavlova

 

18 February, 2014                              

Well this post has been a running a little late, I was hoping to post it over a week ago for Waitangi Day which is New Zealand’s National Holiday of February 6th, and I just haven’t got around to it… so here it is finally!

Of course I had to celebrate our national holiday with our national dish – Pavlova, but this time I decided to try something a little different than the usual kiwifruit and strawberry topping that us ‘Kiwis’ like to put on it, so I went for something  a little more decadent…. that being Salted Caramel and Chocolate ganache with a mascarpone vanilla bean cream filling.  I also split my pav mixture into 3 to create a layered style version… which gives off a lovely chewy texture to the pavlova(which I prefer), rather than the marshmallowy inside of the single version.

For the filling, I just whipped up some cream and added a pkt of mascarpone cheese, along with a tsp. of vanilla bean paste, adjust it to your liking.

So here's the recipe...

 

Carnival Meringues

Carnival Meringues

                 

25th February 2014

As many of you are aware a couple of months back I set up stall at the encraftment market here in Christchurch, New Zealand, just prior to Christmas. We had a fantastic day, gorgeous blue skies and the lovely location of the Cathedral square in the central city, slowly healing after the 2010/2011 earthquakes. It was great to feel the bustle and buzz of people in the city again.

I had been meaning to set up a market stall for quite a while, and had previously been making meringues for my brother-in-laws birthday bash, which gathered quite a response in popularity, so I decided these would be a great little item to sell at the market and to promote my food blog as well.

So the week prior I made meringues, meringues and more meringues… different flavours, such as vanilla bean, candy cane, rosewater and pistachio, lemon, coconut, coffee, chocolate…just to name a few… and the different colours.  I had come to the conclusion that the kids loved the colours and the adults would be more attracted to the flavours.

On the day of the market everything went fantastically, so much so, that I was concerned I was going to run out of meringues to sell. By the end of the day there were only a couple of packets left.  Thanks to my dear friend Brigid, and my niece Ana for helping out.

 

So as promised to so many people out there who have asked – here is the recipe for these stunning meringues… and please do not do what I did and add a little too much colour gel paste, as you can see from the pics above…go easy on the colour!

 

 

 

 

Lemon Meringue Pie

                 

Have you seen the movie ‘Toast’?  definitely worth a watch if you are a foodie. Its all about UK writer and cook Nigel Slater, his childhood, growing up with a mother who couldn’t really cook anything other than toast and tinned food, his desire to eat ‘real’ food, and his journey to reach that point.  On the front of the dvd cover is him sitting there with a rather large lemon meringue pie on the table.

Recently I felt inspired to create a lemon meringue pie, and with lemons in abundance what more did I need to get me started….

 

love the lemony lusciousness of this dessert…

LEMON MERINGUE PIE

•  sweet short pastry
• 3/4 cup water
• 2 T. cornflour
• 1/2 cup caster sugar
•  lemon zest and lemon juice from 1 lemon
• 40g butter
• 3 egg yolks

1. Roll pastry and place in a 20cm pie dish and blind bake for about 10mins at 200c.
2. In a pot add water and cornflour and whisk to combine then add the sugar.
3. Add lemon zest and juice and heat for 2 mins stirring.
4. Remove from heat and add butter and egg yolks and whisk.
5. Leave to cool.

MERINGUE

• 3 egg whites
• 1/2 cup caster sugar

1. With an electric mixer beat egg whites until stiff and slowly and gradually add the sugar until glossy and thick.
2. Place the lemon filling into the pastry shell, then spoon the meringue mixture over the top.
3. Bake for approx. 10 mins at 180c, or until meringue is lightly browned.

Caramel Self-Saucing Pudding

 

Caramel Self-Saucing Pudding

                 

Comfort food…. well today is one of those days… rain, wind and cold… and so I decided we needed to create a little something to warm us up.



This recipe t takes 8 minutes to throw together and another 7 minutes to cook in the microwave.  Ideal for the person who is very busy – which is the majority of us!
So here’s the recipe…

CARAMEL SELF-SAUCING PUDDING

• 50g melted butter
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup self-raising flour
• 1/2 milk

Add all ingredients in order into a microwave safe bowl and combine.


SAUCE

• 2 cups boiling water
• 25g butter
• 4 Tbsp. golden syrup

Add the sauce ingredients together and stir to combine, then pour over the pudding mixture, and microwave for 7 minutes, then serve.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lemon Yoghurt Cake

                 

Today I made this beautifully moist and lemony cake. It is impossible to go wrong with this cake, so simple to make, and so lovely and fragrant. Handpicked lemons from my wonderful little lemon tree add to the organic flavour of this cake..



Lemon Yoghurt Cake

• 3/4 cup sunflower oil (or canola)
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup plain yoghurt
• juice and zest of 1 lemon
• 1 1/2 cups caster sugar
• 2 cups self-raising flour

1. Preheat oven to 160c.
2. Whisk together wet ingredients, and then add dry ingredients and combine.
3. Bake for 1 hr.

Lemon Icing
Combine 1/2 cup icing sugar, the juice of 1 lemon, and if you need a bit more liquid add a little water.  Mix and pour over the cake.

 

 

Peanut Brownies

 

Peanut Brownies

The first memory that comes to mind when I mention Peanut Brownies, is that of mums baking. Peanut Brownies were part of the baking regime in our house back in my childhood days… it was just one of the many standard Edmonds recipes that our mums tended to make.  To tell you the truth I haven’t eaten a Peanut Brownie for a very long time, and I have hardly made them as well, but I really felt I had to recreate this classic recipe, from the classic cookbook that nearly every New Zealander owns, which is the Edmonds cookbook.




These days I don’t really use my Edmonds cookbook that much, as there are so many other cookbooks and recipes that I prefer, but there will always be a few favourites and old classic recipes that I will consult back to when I need to.
I am mostly drawn to cookbooks with incredible photography, and I find I just love flicking through the pages, being tempted by the mouthwatering food, even if I never get round to making the recipe – for me there is a visual indulgence.


The reality of my life is that there really isn’t always time to make these elaborate fancy foods, except on special occasions, and at the end of the day I often need to feed my four hungry kids, so you can see why I often end up with speedy recipes.
And the truth of the matter is I seem to only have time to photograph the baking because it can last slightly longer than many of the meals I prepare…  of course I hope to squeeze in some more  savoury recipes at some point.  At the end of the day the photography and available natural light play a huge part for me in presenting the food and recipes that I share with you…


Peanut Brownies

• 125g butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 Tbsp. cocoa
• 1 cup peanuts
• pinch of salt

1. Cream butter and sugar, then add egg and beat well.
2. Add flour, baking powder, cocoa and salt and mix well.
3. Mix in the peanuts.
4. Place spoonfuls of mixture onto a baking tray and then flatten with a fork.
5. Bake 180c for 15mins.

(Recipe from the Edmonds Cookbook)