Creme Brulee

I received a blow torch last Christmas but it's taken me nearly a whole year to use it to make creme brulee.  It was the yummiest thing ever and everyone in my little family enjoyed eating it.  Using a blow torch is so much fun too :).

I got the recipe from http://www.taste.com.au/ and adapted it slightly.  I think caster sugar worked much better than brown sugar (which was suggested).

Jackson turns three!

My little boy turned three last week so I made him some special cupcakes to take to day care.

He was very pleased with them.  I did a mixture of chocolate and vanilla cakes with ready made white icing.  I made the colours by adding drops of liquid food colouring until the colour was right.

I would like to say I made the little figures on the top of each cake, but they were from the supermarket!

We had a little party at home and I made a rainbow jelly ring. I got the idea from Liss at http://www.frillsinthehills.com/.

I couldn't get all the same colours and flavours as they have in Australia so I had to improvise a little with what we have available here in NZ.  It was delicious and everyone loved it.

I used my tupperware jelly mould. I sprayed it with canola oil spray first but it came out so easily that I am not sure if I really needed to.

I served it with rainbow icecream cake :)



Marshmallow Balls

This is a recipe from my after school class, "Top Baker".  It's a very easy recipe, so is a good one to start a course with as it gives students the chance to use a range of equipment and make something foolproof and delicious.

The marshmallows are hidden in the middle of each biscuity truffle and are a little surprise when you bite into them.

To lower the cost of the recipe, use the cheapest, plain biscuits you can find.  I used Homebrand "Round Tea" biscuits at $1.44 a packet and they tasted really nice.  You will use one packet per recipe.

If you can think of a better name for this recipe than "Marshmallow Balls", let me know.  There were more than a few sniggers in the class when I told them not to make their balls too big!

Marshmallow Balls

Ingredients

100 g butter
2 T cocoa
½ c brown sugar
½ can sweetened condensed milk (1/2 c plus 2 T)
1 t vanilla essence
2 c plain sweet biscuit crumbs
10 – 12 marshmallows cut in half
¼ c desiccated coconut


1. Collect all of your equipment and ingredients before you start mixing and cooking.


2. Place the butter, cocoa, brown sugar and condensed milk in a medium saucepan. Heat over a low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the butter and sugar are just melted and the mixture is smooth.


3. Stir in the vanilla essence and biscuit crumbs and mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon.


4. Leave the mixture until it is cool enough to shape.


5. With wet hands, shape some of the mixture around each piece of marshmallow, forming a ball.


6. Roll the balls in coconut.


7. Place on a tray lined with baking paper and refrigerate until firm.


8. Store in a covered container in the fridge, if they last that long

Chocolate Self-saucing puddings

Here are two recipes for Chocolate self-saucing puddings. 

One is a microwave recipe which is great if you don't have a lot of time, but beware, it is very messy.  Make sure you put a plate under the pudding dishes to catch the overflow.

The other recipe is a normal oven recipe.

Both make delicious puddings.  Enjoy!

Chocolate Self-Saucing Puddings (Microwave)


Ingredients


• 30 g butter
• ¾ c self raising flour
• ½ c white sugar
• 2 T cocoa
• 100 mL milk
• 1 t vanilla


• 1/4 c brown sugar
• 1 T cocoa – extra


• 1/2 c boiling water


Method


1. Place butter in microwave-safe bowl or jug.


2. Melt butter in microwave on HIGH for 30 seconds.


3. Stir in sifted flour, sugar, cocoa, milk and vanilla. Beat with wooden spoon until smooth.


4. Place mix into two small ramekins.


5. Mix extra cocoa and brown sugar together and sprinkle on top of pudding mix (Divide equally between two puddings).


6. Carefully pour 1/2 c of boiling water over cocoa and brown sugar mix


7. Cook on HIGH in the microwave for 8-10 minutes or until just cooked in centre.


8. Stand for 5 minutes before serving.


Chocolate Self-Saucing Pudding
(Oven Method)


Ingredients


1 c self-raising flour, sifted
1/2 c caster sugar
3 T cocoa, sifted
1/2 c milk
50g butter, melted
1 egg
1 t vanilla extract


1 c firmly packed brown sugar
3 T cocoa


1 c boiling water


Method


1. Preheat oven to 180°C/160° fan-forced.


2. Lightly spray 4 ramekins with cooking oil spray


3. Place flour, caster sugar and first measure of cocoa in a large bowl.


4. Whisk milk, butter, egg and vanilla together in a jug.


5. Add egg mixture to flour mixture. Divide mixture evenly between ramekins.


6. Combine brown sugar and remaining cocoa in a bowl. Sprinkle cocoa mixture over batter.


7. Pour ¼ cup of boiling water over the back of a large metal spoon onto pudding mixture in each ramekin.


8. Place dish on a baking tray. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until pudding bounces back when pressed gently in the centre.


9. Remove from oven. Stand for 3 to 4 minutes. Serve with cream or icecream.

Citrus Slice - use any citrus fruit in this delicious slice

This is quite similar to the recipe Liss has for Lemon slice on her blog over at Frills in the Hills.  I've tried her recipe and it's fantastic.


For something slightly different, this recipe (from NZ icon, Alison Holst) is a citrus slice in which you can use any citrus fruit that is in season.  We have an orange tree in the back yard which is covered in fruit ready to use so I am going to save some money for the school and take in my own oranges to use in this recipe.


I love anything with a condensed milk, butter, and biscuit base!  An Australian friend of mine teased me that NZ baking always involves crushed biscuits and condensed milk :)


Give this recipe a go with lemons, oranges, mandarins and tangelos in season.

Citrus slice


Base
100 g butter
¾ c (1/2 can) sweetened condensed milk
1 c coconut
Grated rind of 1 or 2 citrus fruit
1 (200g) packet of plain sweet biscuits


Icing
1 c icing sugar
1 T soft butter
Citrus fruit juice


1. Collect equipment and measure all ingredients.


2. Grate rind of fruit using fine side of grater.


3. Make biscuits into crumbs using a food processor


4. Melt the butter in a saucepan.


5. Add condensed milk, finely grated rind of citrus fruit, coconut and the biscuit crumbs to the melted butter. Mix well.


6. Press mixture into a lined slice tin.


7. Mix icing sugar with soft butter than add juice, a few drops at a time, to icing consistency.


8. Spread with a knife and decorate with a fork if desire.


9. Refrigerate until firm.


10. Cut into squares or rectangles and store in the refrigerator.

Cheese Cakes - not what you expect!

I am not sure if this is a New Zealand recipe or not, but I've never seen or heard of them anywhere else. These are a small cupcake with a jam filling and a pastry base - not at all what you would expect a cheese cake to be.

My mum used to buy these as a treat for my brother and I from the local bakery in St Martins, Christchurch (which is sadly no longer there).  I always have lovely memories of my mum and my childhood whenever I eat them.

Give them a try - they are delicious!

Cheese Cakes

200 g flaky pastry (1 ½ sheets)
3 T raspberry jam
125 g butter, softened
½ c sugar
1 c plain flour
1 t baking powder
2 eggs, beaten


1. Preheat oven to 200ºC.


2. Place sugar and butter in a mixing bowl.


3. Sift flour and baking powder in a separate mixing bowl.


4. Beat eggs together in small jug or bowl with a fork or whisk.


5. On a lightly floured surface, roll out pastry to 2 mm thick.


6. Cut out rounds, using a scone or biscuit cutter and use to line patty tins (or muffin tins).


7. Place ½ t of jam in each pastry case.


8. In a bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.


9. Add sifted flour/baking powder to creamed mixture alternatively with beaten eggs.


10. Stir to mix.


11. Drop large spoonfuls of mixture into each pastry case.


12. Bake at 200ºC for 15 to 20 minutes or until cooked.

The World's Best Apple Crumble

This is a great apple crumble.  I have a lot of students who pull a rude face when I tell them we are making apple crumble and they say they don't like it.  I always say, "Wait until you try this apple crumble."  And in 99.9% of cases, they agree that it is the best ever.
Enjoy!

ps.  I have a thing for making individual desserts because it makes presentation quick and easy.  Also, in a class situation, it saves arguments about who got the biggest piece.  But if you want to make it in a family size dish, it will work fine.

Apple Crumble

(Serves 2)

Ingredients


Crumble:
1 ¼ c plain flour
4 T brown sugar
100 g butter, cubed


Filling:
225 tinned pie apple (or homemade cooked apple)
1 T brown sugar
¼ t ground cinnamon

Method:


1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.


2. Place the flour and sugar in a bowl and mix well.


3. Taking a few cubes of butter at a time, rub into the flour mixture. Keep rubbing until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.


4. Mix the second measure of brown sugar and cinnamon together.


5. Spray two ovenproof dishes with cooking spray. Place the fruit into two dishes and sprinkle over the cinnamon-sugar mixture.


6. Stir well, being careful not to break up the fruit.


7. Sprinkle the crumble mixture on top of the fruit.


8. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes until the crumble is browned and the fruit mixture is bubbling.


9. Serve with thick cream, ice cream or custard.

Note:  If you have a food processor, instead of rubbing the butter in by hand, you can just pulse it until it's like breadcrumbs.  Much quicker!

Super Yummy Chocolate Brownie Mix

This brownie mix is one of my most popular lessons. The students just love designing their own original brownies.

It's a super-easy recipe that works well whatever is added to it. Although it is part of my Year 7 "Presents in a Package" unit, I have also used it in my Year 8 "City Cafe" unit as it is one of those easy, never-fail recipes that is also very, very yummy.

For the first part of the lesson, the students make up the mix and package it. Then for the second part of the lesson, they make the mix again, but this time they mix in eggs and oil and bake it in the oven. Students love taking home a finished product in addition to the brownie mix.

Although the brownie mix is supposed to be given as a gift to a friend or family member, most of my students use it as an opportunity to make the brownies again at home. I am happy that they do this because if they are cooking at home, it means they are gaining confidence and learning new skills :)

Brownie Mix
(Between 2)

1 c plain flour
1 t baking soda
½ t salt
2/3 c packed brown sugar
1/3 c cocoa
2/3 c sugar

• Combine flour, baking soda and salt, brown sugar, cocoa and sugar in a bowl. This is your basic brownie mix

• Add ½ cup of your choice of ingredients from the following list:

• White chocolate chips
• Dark chocolate chips
• M & Ms
• Marshmallows (cut into quarters) or mini marshmallows
• Glace cherries
• Dried apricots (chopped)
• Dried cranberries

• Stir your chosen ingredients into the basic brownie mix.

• Evenly divide your mixture into two bags (1 each to take home) and attach the instructions. Don’t forget to write your extra ingredients in the space provided

Instructions to add to your Brownie Mix before giving it as a gift:

Combine contents of bag with:

2 eggs
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup (75 mL) vegetable oil

Pour into a greased/lined brownie tin.

Bake at 180ºC for about 15 minutes until the top is set.

How to make Brownies (if you just want to bake them without just making the mix)

½ c plain flour
½ t baking soda
¼ t salt
1/3 c packed brown sugar
3 T cocoa
1/3 c sugar

2 eggs
½ t vanilla
1/3 c (75 mL) oil


• Preheat the oven to 180°C.

• Line a brownie tin with baking paper.

• Mix together the flour, baking soda, salt, brown sugar, cocoa and sugar in a bowl.

• Add ½ cup of your choice of ingredients from the following list:

• White chocolate chips
• Dark chocolate chips
• M & Ms
• Marshmallows (cut into quarters) or mini marshmallows
• Glace cherries
• Dried apricots (chopped)
• Dried cranberries

• Add the eggs, vanilla and oil to the flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until well combined.

• Pour mixture into your prepared tin.

• Bake in oven for 15 minutes or until top is set.

• Leave to cool for 10 minutes before cutting into small pieces.