Archive for the Category »Desserts «

21
Dec
Berries in Champagne Jelly
Brigita

Ingredients:

1l Champagne (or Sparkling white wine)

1 1/2Tbsp powdered gelatine

1 cup sugar

4 strips lemon zest

4 strips orange zest

250g small strawberries

250g blueberries

Fresh cream and mint leaves for decoration (optional)

Method:

Pour 500ml Champagne (or Sparkling white wine) into a bowl and let the bubbles subside. Sprinkle 1 1/2Tbsp powdered gelatine over the Champagne in an even layer and leave, without stirring, until the gelatine is spongy. Place another 500ml Champagne in a large saucepan with 1C sugar, 4 strips lemon zest & 4 strips orange zest, and heat gently, stirring constantly for 3-4 minutes, or until the sugar has dissolved.

Remove the pan from the heat, add the gelatine mixture and stir until dissolved. Leave to cool completely, then remove the lemon and orange zest. Divide 250g small strawberries, hulled and halved & 250g blueberries among eight 125ml stemmed wine glasses and gently pour the jelly over the top. Refigerate for 6 hours or overnight, or until the jelly has fully set. Remove from the refrigerator 15 minutes before serving.

For a true Christmas look add on top a layer of fresh cream and mint leaves just before serving.

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20
Dec
Little Christmas Cakes
Brigita

Ingredients:

(makes 25 cakes; double the basic recipe if you are making white and dark version of decoration)

* 235g (1 1/2 cups) dried pitted dates, coarsely chopped

* 2 x 100g pkts red glace cherries, halved

* 95g (1/2 cup) raisins

* 90g (1/2 cup) sultanas

* 250ml (1 cup) brandy

* Melted butter, to grease

* 200g unsalted butter, at room temperature

* 160g (1 cup, lightly packed) brown sugar

* 3 eggs

* 150g (1 cup) plain flour

* 1 tsp baking powder

* 1 tbs ground cinnamon

* 200g dark chocolate, coarsely chopped

* 1 x 120g pkt dry-roasted hazelnuts, coarsely chopped

White Decoration:

* 750g White Icing

* Ribbon, to decorate

* Silver cachous, to decorate

Dark Decoration:

* 1 cup butter

* 1 cup Dark cocoa

* 3 cups powdered sugar

* 1/2 cup milk

* Dash of rum

* Golden ribbon

* Golden dragees, edible paint or foil for decoration

Method:

1. Combine the dates, cherries, raisins and sultanas in a large glass or ceramic bowl. Stir in the brandy. Cover and set aside overnight to macerate.

2. Preheat oven to 180°C. Brush a 27cm (base measurement) square cake pan with melted butter to grease. Line base and sides with non-stick baking paper.

3. Use an electric beater to beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl until pale and creamy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the flour, baking powder and cinnamon, and fold to combine. Stir in the chocolate and hazelnuts. Spoon into the prepared pan and smooth the surface (see tip 1). Tap the pan on the benchtop a few times to settle the mixture.

4. Bake in oven for 30 minutes or until lightly browned and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Set aside in the pan to cool completely.

5. Use a sharp knife to cut the cake into 4cm-square pieces.

6. Soften the White icing following packet directions, if necessary. Roll out half the icing on a sheet of non-stick baking paper until 3mm thick. Cut into 7cm-square pieces. Cover a piece of cake with a piece of icing and trim if necessary (see tip 2). Wrap ribbon around the sides and use pins to secure. Repeat with the remaining cake and icing.

7. Press cachous firmly into the top of each cake to decorate.

8. For dark icing melt the butter. Stir in cocoa. Add powdered sugar alternately with milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add rum at the end, it will help to stiffen the icing. Makes about 2 cups.

9. Cover cakes with chocolate icing, let it set. Wrap golden ribbon around the sides and use pins to secure. Press decorations firmly into the top of each cake to decorate.

Notes & tips:

* Make it ahead: Make this recipe up to 3 days ahead. Store in airtight container in a cool dry place.

* Freezer tip: At the end of step 4, wrap in 2 layers of plastic wrap and 1 of foil. Label, date and freeze for up to 6 months.

* Tip 1: To ensure the cake cooks evenly, it’s important you smooth the surface – use a flat-bladed knife or the back of a spoon.

* Tip 2: To easily cover the cakes with icing, use your hands to drape the icing over the cake and mould it to shape.

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20
Dec
Holiday Sweets (Truffles&Marzipan-Stuffed Fruits)
Brigita

Delicious homemade truffles and marzipan-stuffed fruits are just the right thing to serve up with after-dinner coffee.

Rum Truffles

Preparation time 25 minutes

Standing time 10–20 minutes

Cooking time 5 minutes

Makes about 24 truffles

Ingredients:

200 g plain dark chocolate, broken into small pieces

2 tablespoons rum

60 g unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 teaspoons pouring cream

1/4 cup ground almonds

2 tablespoons icing sugar, sifted

1/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted, for coating

Method:

1 Melt the chocolate in the rum in a heatproof bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Do not allow the water to boil or the chocolate to become too hot. Remove the bowl from the heat and beat in the butter, a little at a time. Stir in the cream, ground almonds and icing sugar. Let the mixture cool, then chill for about 10 minutes, or until firm enough to handle.

2 With dampened fingertips, take teaspoons of the mixture and roll into small balls. Roll in the cocoa powder, spread on a baking tray lined with baking paper, and refrigerate until firm. Put the truffles in individual paper cases and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator – they will keep for up to 10 days. Serve after dinner with coffee.

Variations:

Orange Truffles: Add orange juice instead of rum and 1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange rind.

Coffee Truffles: Use 1–2 tablespoons black coffee instead of the rum.

Hazelnut Truffles: Replace the ground almonds with 1/4 cup ground hazelnuts.

Marzipan-Filled Fruits

Preparation time 40 minutes

Makes about 48 filled fruits

Ingredients:

11/4 cups ground almonds

1/4 cup caster sugar

1/4 cup icing sugar, plus a little extra for rolling out

A few drops almond extract

1/2 egg white

125 g fresh dates, each slit along the top and stoned

125 g small, soft, ready-to-eat prunes, each slit and pitted

125 g each small, soft, ready-to eat dried apricots and figs, each fruit sliced in half horizontally

1/4 cup sugar

Method:

1 Put the ground almonds and sugars in a bowl. Add a few drops of almond extract and sufficient egg white to make a stiff paste.

2 Sprinkle a board or work surface with a little sifted icing sugar and roll the marzipan into a sausage shape, about 25 cm long. Cut the roll into about 48 equal pieces.

3 Shape each piece of marzipan into a neat oval and insert one piece into the centre of each fruit, gently moulding the fruit flesh around the marzipan. Roll lightly in sugar and put into individual paper cases.

These marzipan-filled fruits will keep, refrigerated, in an airtight container, for up to four weeks. Serve at room temperature.

(From Like Grandma Used to Make)

Category: Desserts, Vegetarian  Tags: , , , , , ,  Leave a Comment
20
Dec
Croque-en-Bouche
Brigita

(By Eric Lanlard)


Ingredients:

1. 55g butter, plus extra for greasing

2. 70g plain flour, sifted

3. 2 medium eggs

4. 250g caster sugar

5. Edible silver leaf, to decorate (from squires-shop.com, optional)

For the pastry cream filling-

1. 300ml full-fat milk

2. 25g plain chocolate (70% cocoa solids), chopped

3. 2 large egg yolks

4. 55g caster sugar

5. 30g plain flour

6. Icing sugar, for dusting

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/ fan160°C/gas 4. For the choux pastry, put the butter and 150ml water in a large pan over a medium heat. When the butter has melted and the water is simmering, quickly add the flour and mix to a thick paste. Mix over the heat for 1 minute, then set aside to cool to room temperature.

2. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well before adding the second egg. You should get a thick, glossy, dropping-consistency mixture. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a plain 1.5cm nozzle. Sprinkle 2 large baking sheets with a little water, then pipe on 25 golf-ball-size blobs, spaced apart. Bake for 15 minutes or until well risen and golden.

3. Carefully make a hole in the base of each bun with a sharp knife. Pop back in the turned off oven for 5 minutes to crisp up the centres. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

4. Meanwhile, make the filling. Put the milk and chocolate in a pan over a medium heat, stirring to melt. When just simmering, remove from the heat. In a heatproof bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar together, until pale and creamy, then mix in the flour. Slowly mix in the chocolate mixture, then pour it all back into the pan. Return to a medium-low heat and cook, stirring continuously, for 5 minutes, until thick and glossy. Cool, dust the surface with a little icing sugar to prevent a skin forming.

5. Spoon the pastry cream into a piping bag fitted with a plain 5mm nozzle. Fill each bun, pushing the nozzle through the base-hole.

6. For the caramel, put the sugar and 2 tablespoons cold water in a wide, stainless-steel pan over a low heat. Melt gently, stirring, to dissolve the sugar. Increase the temperature and simmer, without stirring, until a golden amber colour – be careful as it will easily burn. Cool slightly.

7. Carefully dip a little of each bun into the caramel, allow the excess to drip off and stack the buns up into a pyramid shape. Leave to firm up.

8. To make the spun sugar, return the caramel to the heat to melt again. Dip in a fork and flick back-and-forth over the croquembouche, repeating until you have lots of fine strands of hardened caramel all over the buns. Decorate with flecks of silver leaf, if you like, to serve.

Category: Desserts, French  Tags: , , ,  Leave a Comment
19
Dec
Kahlúa Truffle Triangles
Brigita

Ingredients:

(Yields about 6 dozen 3-5 cm triangles)

For the crust-

1-1/2 cups  all-purpose flour

3/4 cup  confectioners’ sugar

1/4 tsp. table salt

12 Tbs  cold, unsalted butter,cut into 10 pieces, more for the pan

1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

For the filling-

500g  semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, broken into squares or very coarsely chopped

3/4 cup whole or 2% milk

8 Tbs.  unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces

4 large eggs

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2 Tbs. Kahlúa

Method:

Make the crust-

Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 180°C. Line the bottom and sides of a baking pan with foil, allowing foil to overhang the long sides of the pan to act as handles for removing the cookie later. Lightly butter the foil.

In a food processor, combine the flour, confectioners’ sugar, and salt.  Process the ingredients briefly to combine, about 15 seconds.  Scatter the cold butter pieces and the vanilla over the flour mixture and process, using short pulses, until the dough begins to form small clumps, 1 to 1-1/2 minutes.  Turn the dough into the prepared pan. Using lightly floured fingertips, press the dough into the pan in a smooth, even layer.  Bake until pale golden, especially around the edges, 22 to 25 minutes. Do not overbake or the crust will be hard and crispy. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and lower the oven temperature to 160°C.

Make the filling-

In a medium bowl, melt the chocolate, milk, and butter together over a pot of barely simmering water or in the microwave. Whisk until smooth and set aside to cool slightly.

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl, using a hand-held electric mixer, beat the eggs, sugar, and Kahlúa on medium-high speed until foamy and lighter in color, 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the chocolate mixture. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl and beater. Beat on medium speed until well blended, about 30 seconds.

Pour the chocolate batter over the baked crust and spread evenly. Bake until the sides are slightly puffed and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out wet and gooey but not liquid, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer the pan to a rack. As it cools, the center may sink a bit, leaving the edges slightly elevated. While the filling is still warm, use your fingertips to gently press the edges down to the level of the center, if necessary.

When completely cool, cover with plastic and refrigerate until very cold, at least 12 hours or up to 2 days. To serve, using the foil as handles, lift the rectangle from the pan and set it on a cutting board. Tipping the rectangle, carefully peel away the foil. Using a hot knife, cut the rectangle lengthwise into 3cm strips, wiping the blade clean before each cut. Cut each strip on alternating diagonals to make small triangles. Let sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes before serving.

Note: You can bake these up to 1 month ahead: Wrap the cooled baking pan in heavy duty plastic wrap and freeze (no need to cut them into triangles first).The baked truffles can also be refrigerated, wrapped in plastic, for up to 2 days.

(recipe by Abigail Johnson Dodge)

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01
Dec
Honey Slices
Brigita

Ingredients:

For pastry-

3 eggs

4 tbs honey

2 tbs oil

750 g flour

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp ground cinnamon

1 tbs oil

For filling-

1 l milk

80 g custard powder

3 tbs flour

200 g sugar

375 g unsalted butter (1 ½ package)

Chocolate shavings or powder for decoration

Method:

1. Eggs, honey and 2 tbs oil mix together and cook on a low heat until darkens a little bit. Cool it down by mixing, then add the remaining ingredients. Make a soft dough, and if it is too tough than add some milk to get the right consistency for rolling the pastry sheets.

2. Divide dough onto four equal parts. Roll it on a baking paper and bake on inverted side of wide oven tray. Make sure all four pastries are of the same dimensions. Bake in the oven on 180 degrees C for 5 min only (not longer!).

3. In a separate jug mix some of the milk with custard powder, sugar and flour until smooth. Bring the remaining milk to the boil and stirr the custard mix in. Cook by constant stirring for couple of minutes (until thickens), then cool it of by occasional mixing. When cooled mix in well beaten butter to get smooth cream.

4. Fill in pastry with cream and finish with cream as top layer.

5. Grate the chocolate shaving or sprinkle the chocolate powder on top. Let it rest overnight, then cut into slices for serving.

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01
Dec
Urmashice
Brigita

Ingredients:

(measured in expresso coffee cups!)

For the dough:

6 cups  standard flour

1tsp baking fpowder

1 tbs grated lemon zest

2 cups oil

2 eggs

2 cups  sugar

100 g whole halves walnuts

For the syrup:

2 lemons (juice)

1/2 l water

500 g sugar

Method:

Beat in the bowl eggs with sugar. Add lemon zest, oil and beat it well. Add flour with baking powder, knead with hands until dough is soft and doesn’t stick to the hand (add more flour if needed).

Form 3 cm ball and press in the middle walnut half, then roll them into oblong shape which is then pressed against the lemon zest grater surface and flattened (this gives decorated surface).

Prepared urmashice lay into greased deep oven tray 2-3 cm appart. Bake at 200 degrees C approx. 20 min or until golden brown.

In the meantime prepare the syrup by boilingthe  water with sugar and lemon juice for 5 mins.

Pour the syrup over the cakes and leave it overnight to soak in.

Serve chilled.

Note: this is energetic bomb, so enjoy it carefully! It is traditional Balkan dessert with probably Turkish origin.

Category: Desserts, Vegetarian  Tags: , , ,  Leave a Comment
18
Nov
Chocolate Cookies
Brigita

Ingredients:

3 cups plain flour

1 tsp baking soda

pinch of salt

3 tbs cocoa powder

250 g butter

2 cups sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence

2 eggs

Method:

Beat soften butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, vanilla essence and beat until combined.

Sift together all dry ingredients, then gradually add into butter mixture until well combined in a dough.

Rest it in a fridge to firm.

Preheat oven on 200 degrees C. Grease baking tray. Form 2 cm balls and space on a tray (3-4 cm apart). Bake until slightly brown on the edges. Immediately lift with the knife while hot, but leave in tray to cool off.

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04
Nov
Turkish Delight
Brigita

Ingredients:

350 ml water

Optional: substitute 30 ml water with rose water or add few drops of rose oil

100 ml orange juice

Juice of 1 lemon

½ teaspoon agar agar or vegetarian jelly crystals

450 g sugar

A few drops of pink or yellow food colouring (optional)

25g pistachios, skinned and finely chopped (optional)

1 oz/ 25g almonds, skinned and finely chopped (optional)

Icing sugar for dusting

Method:

1. Heat the water, orange and lemon juices in a heavy, non-stick saucepan.

2. Add the agar agar or vegetarian jelly crystals, and stir on a gentle heat until they have dissolved.

3. Add the sugar and food colouring, if using, and increase the heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, then simmer on low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the nuts, if using.

4. Remove from the heat and cool the mixture, stirring from time to time until it comes to room temperature.

5. Pour the mixture into a square or rectangular dish, and place the dish in a basin of ice-cold water. Cover the dish with a cloth, and leave it in the fridge until the Turkish delight has set.

6. Remove from the fridge and bring it back to room temperature. Cut into 24 squares using a greased knife, and dust with icing sugar. Store in an airtight container, or wrap in cellophane, tie with a colourful ribbon, and give to someone you love as a gift.

Note: Making Turkish delight – also known as locum – is complicated and labour-intensive, and many traditional recipes are closely guarded secrets of Turkish confectioners, whose families have followed them for centuries. This simplified recipe may not be as good as that served to the Sultans, but it is much lovelier than commercial ones. Do try it! Makes 24 pieces.

Category: Desserts, Middle Eastern  Tags: , ,  Leave a Comment
03
Nov
Rasgullas
Brigita

Ingredients:

4 cups of whole milk

1 teaspoon lemon or lime juice

1 and ½ cup sugar*

½ teaspoon cardamom powder

3 cup water for boiling*

*Proportion of sugar to water should be around 1:2.

Method:

1. Add a teaspoon of lemon juice to milk and bring it to boil. The lemon juice will separate the milk into watery whey and solid chunks.

2. Throw away the liquid part by shifting the mixture through a clean muslin cloth. (It will take around 15 minutes to have excessive water drip off.). Then squeeze out the extra water.

3. Mix solid milk chuck with cardamom. Knead it like dough.

4. Make a small balls (around ½ inch diameter) out of dough.

5. Boil water in a wide utensil with at least 2 to 3 inches of water over medium-low heat.

6. Add sugar to the boiling water to make a sweet syrup.

7. Gently drop the solid balls in the boiling syrup.

8. Cook the balls in the boiling syrup for about 25 minutes. Balls will expand about twice its size.

9. Remove from the heat. Cool it. Serve it in room temperature or colder.

Note: The given recipe is a basic guide to make Rasgullas from scratch. Some also add semolina to firmly hold fresh cheese together in the spherical shape. Rasgulla (also spelled rasgula, rassogolla) is popular milk (soft cheese) based Indian dessert. Literally, rasgullas are spherical fresh cheese balls in sugar syrup.

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