dessert

by

Ricotta and Orange Olive Oil Cake: Around the Table, delicious food for everyday – Julia Busuttil Nishimura

Around the Table

Julia Busuttil Nishimura

Plum

Pan Macmillan

ISBN: 9781760984915

Description:

Slow Sundays are for herbed roast chicken and silky smooth panna cotta. Eating outside means cheddar scones and fresh, spring salads. Friends coming by for afternoon coffee calls for a simple blackberry yoghurt loaf or comforting ginger cake with cream cheese frosting.

Beloved home cook Julia Busuttil Nishimura always knows the right dish for the occasion, weather or time of day. She also understands the power food has to bring people together, whether that’s to prepare a meal or enjoy the delicious results.

With recipes ranging from quick, flavourful meals for busy weeknights to simple indulgences for summer feasts, Around the Table perfectly matches dishes to time and place. It includes recipes laden with personal meaning – Mediterranean classics from Italy and Malta, and Japanese dishes Julia has learned from her husband, Nori – that will soon become favourites around your table, too. 

“It is no secret that I love ricotta and extra-virgin olive oil. These two ingredients have featured heavily in my cooking since I was young. Here they marry in this very simple cake where the ricotta provides
fluffiness and the olive oil adds richness and a very moist crumb. This is one of those back-pocket recipes that can be whipped up at a moment’s notice, with no special equipment necessary.” p79

Ricotta and Orange Olive Oil Cake

SERVES 8
250 g caster sugar
zest of 2 oranges
3 eggs
100 ml freshly squeezed orange juice
150 ml extra-virgin olive oil
250 g (1 cup) fresh full-fat ricotta
250 g (1 ⅔ cups) self-raising flour
pure icing sugar, for dusting (optional)


Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease and line a 23 cm round cake tin. Place the sugar and orange zest in a large bowl. Rub the orange zest into the sugar until it is damp and fragrant. Whisk in the eggs until combined. Add the orange juice and pour in the olive oil. Add the ricotta and whisk it all together, then gently mix in the flour until just combined.


Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then remove from the tin and continue to cool on a wire rack. Once cool, dust with icing sugar if desired, then serve.


The cake will keep in an airtight container for 3–4 days.

Around the Table by Julia Busuttil Nishimura, published by Plum, RRP $44.99,

photography by Armelle Habib

by

Pana cotta with Roasted Nectarines and Blueberries: Around the Table, delicious food for everyday – Julia Busuttil Nishimura

Around the Table

Julia Busuttil Nishimura

Plum

Pan Macmillan

ISBN: 9781760984915

Description:

Slow Sundays are for herbed roast chicken and silky smooth panna cotta. Eating outside means cheddar scones and fresh, spring salads. Friends coming by for afternoon coffee calls for a simple blackberry yoghurt loaf or comforting ginger cake with cream cheese frosting.

Beloved home cook Julia Busuttil Nishimura always knows the right dish for the occasion, weather or time of day. She also understands the power food has to bring people together, whether that’s to prepare a meal or enjoy the delicious results.

With recipes ranging from quick, flavourful meals for busy weeknights to simple indulgences for summer feasts, Around the Table perfectly matches dishes to time and place. It includes recipes laden with personal meaning – Mediterranean classics from Italy and Malta, and Japanese dishes Julia has learned from her husband, Nori – that will soon become favourites around your table, too. 

Panna Cotta With Roasted Nectarines and Blueberries p.102

SERVES 4
500 ml (2 cups) pure cream
1 vanilla pod, split and seeds scraped
3 strips of lemon peel
1 fresh bay leaf
80 g (⅓ cup) caster sugar
2 titanium-strength gelatine leaves
200 g crème fraîche
ice cubes
125 g blueberries
boiling water
ROASTED NECTARINES
5 nectarines, halved and stones removed, cut into wedges
2 tablespoons raw sugar

Around the Table by Julia Busuttil Nishimura, published by Plum, RRP $44.99, photography by Armelle Habib

“Panna cotta translates to ‘cooked cream’ and it is one of my favourite Italian desserts. Luckily, it also happens to be one of the simplest. I love it just set – panna cotta should have a good wobble and sit on the plate droopily rather than incredibly still.Mine is lightly perfumed with bay and lemon and heavily scented with vanilla. Served with some lightly poached or roasted fruits – nectarines or apricots in summer, rhubarb in spring (try the roasted rhubarb on page 248) and citrus in winter – panna cotta is such an elegant dessert, and an absolute joy to make.” p102


Method

Place the cream in a saucepan with the vanilla seeds and pod, lemon peel and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook for 2 minutes or until slightly thickened – don’t let it boil. Add the sugar
and whisk to dissolve, cooking the cream for a further 1 minute.

Remove from the heat.


Meanwhile, soak the gelatine leaves in a bowl of cold water until softened. Squeeze the excess water from the gelatine and whisk it into the cream mixture. Whisk in the crème fraîche, then strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl. Reserve the vanilla pod, bay leaf and lemon peel. Sit the bowl in a larger bowl filled with ice cubes and whisk the mixture for 8–10 minutes, until cool. Pour the mixture into a large jug and then divide among four small bowls or ramekins. Chill in the fridge for 5 hours or until just set.
Once the panna cotta has set, cover each bowl or ramekin with plastic or beeswax wrap and return to the fridge.

While the panna cotta is setting, prepare the roasted nectarines. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Place the nectarines in a deep baking tray so they are nice and snug and scatter over the sugar. Rinse the vanilla
pod, bay leaf and lemon peel that you used to flavour the cream. Add these to the nectarines along with 125 ml (½ cup) of water. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes or until the fruit is tender. Transfer the nectarines to a large bowl and add the blueberries. Stir to combine and allow to completely cool. You can store the fruit in a container in the fridge until ready to serve.


Dip each panna cotta bowl or ramekin into a bowl filled with boiling water for 20 seconds, then invert onto plates. Serve with the roasted nectarines and blueberries.

by

Chocolate Fondants – Soulful Baker – Julie Jones

Soulful Baker

Soulful Baker by Julie Jones (Murdoch Books RRP $39.99)

 

Chocolate Fondants

“The trick to getting chocolate fondants right is knowing your oven as they can difer so dramatically. I recommend using an oven thermometer for all of your cooking and baking, but especially when making these. It can be quite surprising how diferent the thermometer may read to that of which your dial is set. If you don’t have a thermometer it would be a good idea to test bake one fondant before cooking the whole batch – you 
can then adjust the baking time if needs be. And remember, peering into the oven biting your nails really isn’t necessary, they will work! “

makes 8 fondants

Use 8 small 180ml (6 oz) non-stick pudding moulds

150g (51⁄2oz) dark chocolate, broken into small pieces

200g (7oz) milk chocolate, broken into small pieces

50g (13⁄4oz/31⁄2 tbsp) unsalted butter, softened

140g (5oz/scant 3⁄4 cup) caster (super fine) sugar

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla bean paste (optional)

60g (2oz/1⁄2 cup) plain (all- purpose) flour

Preheat the oven to 200°C fan/220°C/425°F/gas 7 and place a baking sheet inside. Grease the insides of each pudding mould and place a disc of non-stick baking paper in the bottom of each.

Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl sat upon a pan of simmering water. When melted, remove from the heat and start to make the batter.

Cream together the butter and sugar using a free-standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat the eggs in a separate jug, adding the vanilla if using. Slowly add the eggs to the butter and sugar, continuing to mix as you do so, scraping down the sides of the bowl if needs be. Once all of the eggs are in, sieve over the flour and give a very brief mix, just until the our has been combined. Add the melted chocolate, then stir together using a spatula until all of the chocolate has been evenly incorporated and the batter is smooth.

Pour or spoon the batter equally between the moulds, place each on the pre-heated baking tray sheet and cook for 11 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave the fondants in the moulds to rest for 1 minute.

To turn out, place an inverted plate on top of the mould and carefully turn over, lift off the mould and remove the piece of baking paper that will be on top of each fondant. Serve straight away.

 

 

choc fondant

by

Who Would Have Thought…

Who would have thought that tahini ( ground sesame seed paste) and maple syrup could  taste this good?  Today I made my first raw food dessert – raw caramel slice from  Vladia Cobrdova’s “A Whole New Way To Eat.”

I love the base- dates and almonds, the caramel – basically tahini, coconut oil and maple syrup and the choc top –  mostly just cocoa and coconut oil. YUM.  A little goes a long way – but  make sure you keep this in the fridge.  The recipe  states this will keep for up to three weeks in an airtight container in the fridge, which is good because this recipe made a huge amount.  If you are down this way – pop in for a coffee and a taste.

 

raw caramel slice

by

Banoffee Pavlova Roulade: Julie Goodwin’s Essential Cookbook – Julie Goodiwn

 

Julie Goodwin’s Essential Cookbook ($39.99), published by Hachette Australia.

You can sweeten the cream with 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon icing sugar if you wish. I choose not to as the pavlova itself is very sweet.
Banoffee Pavlova Roulade
Serves 10–12 Prep time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 30 minutes
8 eggwhites
2 cups caster sugar
1 tablespoon cornflour
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
600 ml thickened cream, whipped
4 ripe bananas, sliced ½ cm thick
For the caramel sauce
125 g butter
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup thickened cream
For the candied macadamias
½ cup macadamia nut pieces
¼ cup icing sugar
1 Preheat oven to 160°C. Grease and line a 26 x 34 cm baking tray with baking paper.
2 In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip the egg whites until soft peaks form.
Add the sugar a little bit at a time, whipping continually, until the sugar is
dissolved and stiff peaks have formed.
3 Sprinkle over the cornflour, vinegar and vanilla and gently fold through the
egg whites until combined. Do this very gently so as not to knock the air out of
the mixture. Spread the mixture into the baking dish and bake for 20 minutes
or until just firm.
4 When the meringue comes out of the oven, allow to cool for 5 minutes.
Sprinkle a fresh sheet of baking paper with cornflour and lay over the top of
the meringue. Lay a clean tea towel on the bench, and carefully invert the
baking dish so that the meringue comes out on top of the baking paper and
on top of the tea towel. Carefully remove the baking paper from the bottom
of the meringue.
5 Spread half the cream in a line along the long edge of the meringue closest to
you. Press half the sliced bananas into the cream. Now the fun part: carefully,
using the tea towel as a helping hand, roll the meringue over the cream until
it looks like a log. Carefully lift onto the serving plate, putting the join at the
bottom.
6 For the caramel sauce, heat a large frypan over medium heat and melt the
butter and brown sugar together. Add the cream to the pan and bring to the boil, stirring, for 2 minutes or until slightly thickened. Remove from the heat and allow to cool (at room temperature – don’t refrigerate).
7 For the candied macadamias, place the nuts and icing sugar in a fry pan over medium-high heat. Stir until the icing sugar melts and turns golden. Stir to coat evenly and tip the mixture onto a tray lined with baking paper. Allow to cool and bash gently with the base of a glass or a rolling pin to crush just a little.

8 Immediately before serving, spread the remaining cream over the roulade. Spread the remaining banana over the top, drizzle generously with caramel sauce and sprinkle with the macadamias.

Banoffee pavlova roulade p.275

 

 

 

 

by

Strawberry and Rhubarb Crumble: The Dinner Ladies – Sophie Gilliatt and Katherine Westwood

Dinner_Ladies_FRNT_COV

Images and recipes from The Dinner Ladies by Sophie Gilliatt and Katherine Westwood (Murdoch Books) Photographs by Ben Dearnley RRP $39.99 available September 1st in all good bookstores and online.

Strawberry and Rhubarb Crumble

Strawberry and Rhubarb Crumble Sml

Basic Crumble Topping
Makes 1 x 275 g (93/4 oz) quantity   Prep time 10 minutes
Cooking time none

“The combination of warm, slightly tart fruit and crunchy, biscuity crumble is universally loved – and how about those bits where the fruit’s juices have bubbled up around the edges of the topping and gone jammy and toffee-ish? Oh, stop it right now. With a few different crumble recipes up your sleeve, you’ll never be at a loss for a fail-safe, make-ahead dessert at any time of the year – we’ve often used frozen fruit when there’s been nothing else available and it’s been just fine.

Make ahead: Both the fruit filling and the topping can be made ahead and will keep for 3 days in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer. Just keep the filling and topping in separate tubs till you are ready to fill your ovenproof dish for baking.” (p.247)

 

Ingredients

 

75 g (23/4 oz/1/2 cup) self-raising flour

100 g (31/2 oz/1/2 cup lightly packed) light brown sugar

pinch of salt

50 g (13/4 oz) cold salted butter, diced into 1 cm (1/2 inch) cubes

50 g (13/4 oz/1/2 cup) rolled (porridge) oats

 

Method

In a small bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar and salt. Rub the butter into the mix with your fingertips till the mixture resembles clumpy breadcrumbs. Stir through the rolled oats.

Set aside in a covered container in the fridge.

 

Strawberry and  Rhubarb Crumble
Serves 6   Prep time 20 minutes
Cooking time 45 minutes, plus 10 minutes resting

 

Ingredients
1 quantity Basic Crumble Topping (above)

45 g (11/2 oz/1/3 cup) slivered almonds, toasted

400 g (14 oz/1 large bunch) rhubarb, trimmed and chopped

100 g (31/2 oz) caster (superfine) sugar

400 g (14 oz) strawberries, hulled, halved if large

 

To serve:

cream or ice cream

 

Method

 

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
Combine the basic crumble topping with the almonds and set aside.
Place the rhubarb and sugar in a heavy-based saucepan and cook gently over low heat for about 15 minutes till the rhubarb is completely soft. Add the strawberries and bring everything up to heat. Pour your filling into a greased ovenproof dish of about 1.5 litres (52 fl oz/6 cups) capacity. Scatter the topping over your filling to cover.
Cook in the oven for 25–30 minutes till the topping is golden brown and the filling is bubbling up round the edges. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving with cream or ice cream.

 

 

 

 

 

by

Lemon Tart – BakeClass – Anneka Manning

When I first got the BakeClass cook book I was attracted to the picture and recipe for Lemon Tart, I just needed an excuse to make it. As the lemon tree is  offering up a few lemons at the moment and with visitors coming over for dinner I thought this is a great opportunity to try this recipe.

 

I made the sweet shortcrust pastry in my food processor – so easy and quick.  Next bake blind – then pour the lemon mixture in and finish cooking- easy- and the taste – tangy lemon – perfect with cream or vanilla bean ice cream.

 

Lemon Tart

Lemon Tart

by

Rose & Raspberry Tiramisu – Dolce: 80 Authentic Italian Sweet Treats, Cakes and Desserts – Laura Zavan

Dolce

Recipes and Images from Dolce by Laura Zavan (www.murdochbooks.com.au)

Rose & Raspberry Tiramisu

 

“Here is a variation on the mascarpone cream usually used in tiramisù — a light, rose-scented sabayon. Very girly! It’s made here with pretty Roses de Reims biscuits, a French biscuit coloured pink with cochineal, but ladyfingers are an ideal substitute.” Laura Zavan

 

 

20 minutes preparation time

10 minutes cooking time

2 hours refrigeration time

Makes 6 glasses

 

250 g (9 oz) mascarpone cheese

50 ml (1¾ fl oz) rose syrup

100 ml (3½ fl oz) thickened (whipping) cream

12 ladyfinger or savoiardi biscuits

100 ml (3½ fl oz) rosewater

200 g (7 oz) raspberries, to decorate

 

For the sabayon

3 egg yolks

50 g (1¾ oz) raw (demerara) sugar

100 ml (3½ fl oz) rosewater

 

To make the sabayon, beat the egg yolks in a large bowl with the sugar and rosewater. Place the bowl on top of a saucepan of simmering (not boiling) water, making sure the base of the bowl does not touch the water, and beat for about 10 minutes using an electric beater, until the mixture has a mousse-like consistency. Let the mixture cool, stirring from time to time.

 

Combine the mascarpone with the rose syrup, then gently fold the mixture into the sabayon. In a separate bowl, whip the cream and add it to the sabayon mixture.

 

Place 2 tablespoons of sabayon cream in each serving glass. Moisten the biscuits with the rosewater and place them on top (about 2 biscuits per glass). Cover with more sabayon cream.

 

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Decorate with the raspberries before serving.

 

Rose and Rasperry Tiramisu

by

Coffee Panna Cotta – Dolce: 80 Authentic Italian Sweet Treats, Cakes and Desserts – Laura Zavan

Dolce

Recipes and Images from Dolce by Laura Zavan (www.murdochbooks.com.au)

Coffee Panna Cotta

 

“The coffee–lemon pairing is a souvenir of a drink enjoyed in the Apulia region in summer: caffè in ghiaccio, an espresso poured over a glass of ice cubes with an aromatic twist of lemon peel. I love rediscovering the flavours of this very refreshing iced coffee in my panna cotta.” Laura Zavan

 

 

20 minutes preparation time

7 minutes cooking time

2 hours refrigeration time

Makes 4–5 glasses

 

 

500 ml (17 fl oz/ 2 cups) thickened (whipping) cream

10 g (¼ oz) instant coffee granules

finely grated zest of 1 lemon (preferably unwaxed)

1 vanilla bean, split lengthways and seeds scraped

50 g (1¾ oz) sugar

1 teaspoon agar-agar (see below)

1 tablespoon cornflour (cornstarch)

good-quality dark chocolate shavings, to decorate

tuile-style biscuits or ladyfinger or savoiardi biscuits to serve

Place 400 ml (14 fl oz) of the cream, the coffee blended into a very small amount of water, the lemon zest and the vanilla bean and seeds in a saucepan over a low heat.

 

Once the cream is warm, add the sugar. In a small bowl, combine the agar-agar with the cornflour and blend this mixture with the remaining cream. Combine this mixture with the warm cream, whisking to avoid lumps forming. Bring the mixture to the boil, continuing to stir.

 

Take the pan off the heat and let the mixture cool down until just warm, stirring regularly. Pour the cream into serving glasses and let it cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours for the cream to set before serving.

 

Decorate with shavings of chocolate and serve chilled with a few biscuits.

Note: A plant-based setting agent I use agar-agar in my panna cotta recipes, mixed with cornflour for a smoother texture. Agar-agar, a red algae extract, melts at 80°C (175°F) and starts to set at 25°C (75°F).

 

Coffee Panna Cotta