Stephen’s Chocolate Crackles

My brother, Stephen, doesn’t bake, so I don’t think he was looking forward to brining something to our high tea – he was just going to buy something from the supermarket.  Hmmm, supermarket cheat baking at my high tea? I don’t think so.  I went around to visit him and looked through some recipe books.  Chocolate Crackles stood out as something he could manage :)

4 cups rice bubbles
1 cup coconut
½ cup cocoa
1 ½ cups icing sugar
1 cup sultanas (Steve left these out as I hate them)
250g kremelta or copha

Combine the rice bubbles, coconut, sifted cocoa and icing sugar, and sultanas in a bowl. 

 
Stir chopped kremelta over a low heat until melted.  Add to the dry ingredients and mix well.  Spoon the mixture into paper muffin cases. 

Refrigerate until set then serve.  Seriously, that is it, you’re done.


I had one of the leftover Chocolate Crackles for my morning tea at work yesterday. Nom nom – took me back to when our mum used to make these for our birthday parties.  Thanks Stephen!

High Tea House Warming

 
Today Simon and I hosted a High Tea which doubled as our house warming since we hadn’t had one yet.  Everyone was asked to bring plate of something to share so we ended up with more than enough food, which I am sure my work mates won’t mind as I am planning on bringing them in the left over's tomorrow.  That also means that there will be a few new posts popping up here shortly as I share the recipes of the treats we had (if I can get used to the stinky keyboard I am using since my laptop is deciding to die – not cool computer!).  We indulged in an afternoon of food, drink, conversation and while our stomachs settled we even played a few board games (we ♥ Carcassone). 

 
The idea of the high tea came to me after an offer from Bakers Delight to try out some of their scones.  We were given their apple strudel and the date varieties to enjoy – you can check them out in the ‘virtual bakery’ section of their website.  Simon loved them.  He is pretty pleased that we had so much food as it means there are still some scones left, which he is looking forward to having for his breakfast tomorrow :)

 
P.S. That is NOT my baby I am holding in the collage above – it is Matthew, Andie’s (who guest posted here about her Russian fudge recently) son.  Check out her blog, Red Strawberries.  And, the little man in the blue and grey striped jumper is Courtenay’s gorgeous baby Max – she’s been writing a separate blog about him so check that out too!

Recipes that are up on the blog from the high tea:
Stephen's Chocolate Crackles
Chicken Meatballs wrapped in prosciutto

Red Velvet Cupcakes – YUM!

These are so delicious I just had to share! Red Velvet cake has become my all time favorite since making it for the first time last year. I am still using Bakerella’s recipe (which makes 30 cupcakes), both Shane and I prefer it to cupcakes we have bought. If you still haven’t tried it I really do encourage you to give it a go, cakes or cupcakes it is the perfect combination of taste, texture and striking colour.

Raspberry Macarons

These were far easier than I imagined they’d be! I tore this recipe out of a Foodtown magazine well over a year ago but put it in the too hard basket until now.

70g packet of ground almonds
1 cup icing sugar
2 egg whites (room temperature)
2 tablespoons sugar
a few drops of food colouring/flavouring (I used raspberry)

1. Line a baking tray with non stick paper.
2. Place the ground almonds and icing sugar in a food processor and pulse until it forms a mixture.
3. Beat the egg whites until they are frothy, add the sugar gradually and continue to beat until the mixture is glossy (2-3 minutes).  Add your colouring/flavour at this stage.
4. Using a spatula, gently fold the almond mixture into the egg mixture.  Fold until the mixture folds back on itself, it is important not to over fold.
5.Place mixture in a piping bag with a 2cm opening.  Pipe onto the lined tray a disc 3cm in diameter.  You should get 12 single macarons each tray.
*TIP: To stop the baking paper moving place a small dot of the macaroon mixture in each corner of you tray – the paper will stick to it.  For best results at this point you should leave your macaroons on the bench for 30 minutes to form a ‘skin’ - this will also allow your oven to pre-heat.


6. Place macarons in the oven for 18-20 minutes at 140˚C.  Once they are removed from the oven, leave them on the trays to cool.
7. Make the following ganache and use to sandwich the macaroons together.

75grams of white chocolate, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons each: cream, icing sugar

Place the chocolate and cream in a glass jug or bowl and place in the microwave on medium for 1-2 minutes.  Whisk gently to combine.  Stir in the icing sugar and leave until thickened.  Once thickened, place mixture into a piping bag or spoon on to the centre of half the macarons and sandwich with the other.  You want the ganache to spread but not come out the sides so be careful.

Enjoy these delicious wee treats!

Ginger Loaf With Lime Glaze

 
Being a stay at home Mum means the joys of early morning TV (not)!  However this week there was a recipe on Good Morning that caught my eye so I thought I’d give it a go.

125g butter
125g brown sugar
1 cup golden syrup
1 ½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon mixed spice
250mL milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup plain flour

Combine butter, sugar, syrup and spices in a saucepan on a medium heat element until melted together.
In a bowl, lightly beat the eggs.  Add milk and baking soda.  Add to saucepan and mix together.
In another bowl, place the flour.  Pour wet ingredients over and mix well.  The mixture will be very wet (basically liquid). Use a whisk to eliminate any lumps if you need. * THE MIXTURE IS A LIQUID MIX SO DO NOT BE ALARMED OR FEEL THE NEED TO ADD MORE FLOUR.
Spray your mini loaf pans/loaf pan with non-stick spray.  Fill each one with the mixture to ¾ full.
Bake at 170˚C for 35 minutes.  Cool on a wire rack, and ice when cool.

Lime Glaze:
Sift one cup of icing sugar into a bowl.  Add the juice of 1 lime and 1 tablespoon of hot water.  Stir together until you get a thick paste, adding more icing sugar if necessary.  Once gingerbread/s are cool, spread glaze over with a knife.

Now on the show and the TVNZ website where I got the recipe the mix was poured in mini loaf tins but it was clearly stated on the show that you could use the mix to make a single large loaf – which is what I did.  However, even though I cooked it for an extra 15-20 minutes, the loaf sprung back when touched and the skewer removed clean, I found that the loaf was starting to overcook on the outside but when cut into it is undercooked on the inside (just).  I think next time I will bake it for the same amount of time but at 180˚C.  The glaze by the way is delicious!

Max’s Cakes

True to my word I have baked my little Max a cake (that Shane and I enjoy on his behalf) on the 10th of the month each month since he was born, I just didn’t post one last month as it wasn’t a new recipe.  Unfortunately due to time constraints I didn’t try a new recipe this month either – but I thought my attempt at cake decoration was worth sharing.

This little guy is one of the little alien critters on the freeze Shane and I created in Max’s room and he tasted delicious I used this excellent easy peasy chocolate cake recipe.  Have a look at the photo below and let me know what you think.

 
Last month I re-made this Marble Cake, I must say second time round the marbling was much improved and to change things up a bit I used ‘boyish’ colours instead of the traditional pink, yellow and brown.

 
I am hoping to get the time over the weekend to try out a new recipe (maybe even two – but I think that would really be pushing it, haha) so hopefully there will be something new to share with you next week!

Pine Harbour Fresh Market

On Saturday in the weekend just been, Simon and I went for a massive drive.  Over 300 plus kilometres.  Yep, petrol was at its highest price too.  Clever.

Anyways, one of the stops we made was at the Pine Harbour market which is held every Saturday between 8am and 12pm.  The food here all looked delicious and we tried our fair share of it too.  Simon also got himself a vintage French fry cutter from one of the stalls that sold old cookware.  I likes how all the stalls were matching carts with their names written on the front on a black board – very quaint.

 
Following our visit to the market we headed to Clevedon for a look around and then went for a walk around the Auckland Botanic Gardens.  At the gardens I picked up a brochure about the Manukau Heads Lighthouse, so we ended up driving all the way out to that.  One the way we had a squizz at the Glenbrook Steel Mill, drove on Kariotahi Beach and stopped in at the Waipipi Bird Park on the way.  This place is awesome – there was over 200 birds; exotic parrots to swans.  The owner brings out one of the Cockatoo’s named Charlie and I got to feed it pistachio nuts from my lips.  The place is up for sale though, so I don’t know how much longer it will be about for people to visit :(

Guest Post: Russian Fudge by Andie from Red Strawberries!

This is a guest post from Andie at Red Strawberries.  She is a friend of Simon’s from their school days, which is how she met Melissa.  She is also now friends with Courtenay as they both have baby boys to run around after, which are about a month apart in age.  There’s more info on Andie below, lets get on with the post :)

This is one of those simple but oh so yummy recipes.  My husband absolutely loves Russian Fudge and it makes a great party food, or in my house, a 'put it in the pantry and snack on it until it's gone' food.

You will need:
3 ½ cups white sugar
125 g butter
3 tablespoons golden syrup
½ cup milk
½ teaspoon salt
200g sweetened condensed milk (half a standard tin)
2 teaspoons vanilla essence

 
1. Place all ingredients, except the vanilla, into a saucepan.
2. Warm over a low heat until all the sugar is disolved.
3. Bring to a gentle boil (you shouldn't need to increase the heat) and cook for about 15-20 minutes until it reaches about 120°C, aka. the soft ball stage. If you're like me and don't have a sugar or candy thermometer, you can test the soft ball stage by getting a glass of cold water and adding a few small drops of the mixture to it. If it forms a soft ball as it drops through the water then you're at the right stage.


4. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla.
5. Beat until the fudge is thick and has lost its gloss.
6. Pour into a baking tin and let cool (you can put it in the fridge if you like). Once cool you can cut into bite size pieces and go for it!

Though I haven't tried it yet, you could probably add some Rum / Whiskey / Kaluha (or other liquor of your choice) to give it an 'adult' touch.

 
Andie is a full time mum of one little boy & wife of a slightly larger one.  In her spare time she takes photos, bakes and catches up on sleep.  She blogs over at Red Strawberries about her family and life in general.

Chocolate Caramel Cups

These chocolate caramel cups are very decadent.  Very rich.  And, probably very bad for the waist line.  They are also very simple.

To make them you will need:
400g chocolate (I used half milk chocolate and half dark chocolate)
½ cup cream
380g caramel condensed milk

Place the chocolate and cream in the top of a double boiler and stir until chocolate has melted and combines with the cream.
Place spoonfuls of the chocolate into paper muffin cases.  Mix the caramel condensed milk to get a smoother texture.  Place teaspoonfuls in each of the paper muffin cases on top of the chocolate.  Use a skewer to swirl the caramel and chocolate together.
Place in the fridge for 15 – 20 minutes until set.
Makes 12.

English Pork Pies

Last Thursday evening Simon and I went to an English Pork Pie workshop that I had booked us at The Gourmet Gannet, a cooking school out in Muriwai.  We got taught how to make these cute little pies by Allison Mawer who was a very helpful and patient teacher (and runs a fab food blog Pease Pudding), then we got to have a go ourselves.  And, I think the pie class was awesome timing too, as Simon took his English Pork Pies to his friends house the next night and ate them while watching the Royal wedding :)

 
You can have a go at making your own pies too.  You will need:

Pastry:
75g lard
50ml water
225g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 egg, beaten, for brushing

Pork Pie Filling:
500g should of pork, half finely chopped, half minced
3 rashers streaky bacon, finely chopped
½ teaspoon ground allspice
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to season
handful of chopped sage

Preheat the oven to 180˚C.
For the pastry, place the lard and water into a small pan and gently heat until the lard has melted.  Sift the flour into a large bowl and season with salt and pepper and mix well.  Make a well in the flour and pour in the warm lard mixture.  Mix well to combine, until the mixture comes together to form a dough.  Knead for a few minutes, then form into a ball and set aside.

For the pie filling, place all of the pie filling ingredients into a large bowl and mix well.

On a floured work surface, roll out the pastry to about 3 or 4 millimetres thick.  Cut out 12 circles – 6 at 12cm, and 6 at 8cm in diameter.  We traced around saucers and used glasses for this.  Dust the base of a small jar, or a glass (what we used), or if you’re a fancy pants – a pork pie dolly, with flour.  Place the centre of one of the larger pastry circles over the base of the glass and draw the pastry down around the glass to make a cup.  You want to be careful here not to pull the pastry down the glass and make it too thin, rather, you just want to fold the pastry over the glass and push out any pleats created by the pastry in the process.  Carefully remove the pastry from the glass so you are left with a little pastry cup that can stand on its own.

Roll some pork pie filling into a ball and carefully place into the bottom of the pastry case.

Brush the top inner parts of the case with some of the beaten egg or some water and place one of the smaller pastry circles on the top.  Pinch the edges of the pastry together to seal the pie.  Brush the top of the pie with the egg wash.

Repeat the process with the remaining 5 pastry circles.  Bake in the oven for 35 minutes, until the top of the pie is golden brown.

 
If you are interested going to a cooking class, The Gourmet Gannet runs a variety of different classes such as making your own cheese, sausages, and even croissants :)

 
The Gourmet Gannet
6 Edwin Mitchelson Road, Muriwai Beach, Auckland
Ph: 09 411 8847
E: Allison@gourmetgannet.co.nz
www.gourmetgannet.co.nz

Hobsonville Point Farmers Market

Simon and I went out to the Hobsonville Point Farmers Market this morning.  It was talked about at a Pie Making class we went to on Thursday night (that’s right, a pie making class – will post about it soon!) so Simon wanted to go.

Lots of yummy fresh food on offer to buy and heaps of samples to try :)

 
Also, next door to the Market is the Catalina Cafe, which is apparently really good.  Simon has been and reckons I would love it.  However, we’ve been out here twice, and both times the place has been so busy that we couldn’t get a table.  Hopefully it will be third time lucky :)