Chocolate Raspberry Tartlets

This sweet treat came about after we were given these beautiful raspberries from Orange.

As nice as they were to just eat, I wanted to make something a little special.

Firstly the pastry is prepared by combining flour, butter and icing sugar to a crumb.

The cold egg yolk then brings it all together.

The dough then rests in the fridge. You may notice my dough has only just come together but I find the rolling out completes the process.

Roll out the dough, I often do so between grease proof paper.

Put in very well greased tins, rest again in the fridge, then prick lightly and bake until golden.

I would like to try the baking beads but am yet to buy some....

Once cooled I added some raspberries which I had warmed in a saucepan to soften, and drained most of the liquid away. 

To make the ganache simply heat cream then remove from heat and stir in the chocolate, I used half dark and half milk.

Spoon on top of your raspberries and allow to set.

So yummy! The tart raspberries went perfectly with the deep chocolate and the crispy pastry.

Would make a lovely christmas treat :)

Chocolate Raspberry Tartlets 

(makes approx. 1 dozen)

Pastry

90g salted butter

1 cup flour

2 tbsp sifted icing sugar 

1 egg yolk

Rub the butter, sugar and flour until like bread crumbs. Add in the egg yolk to bring it together, you may need a little cold water. Wrap in plastic wrap and rest in fridge for half hour. Roll out and and cut to size, place in well greased tins. Rest in fridge for 10 minutes. Prick pastry and cook in a preheated 200C oven until golden (about 10-15 minutes)

Filling

200g raspberries

Warm in a saucepan and then strain.

Once cool spoon into tart cases.

Ganache

1/4 cup cream

50g dark chocolate

50g milk chocolate

1tsp butter

Heat cream until hot, take off the heat and add the broken up chocolate, stir until thick and smooth.

Stir through butter.

Spoon over the top of raspberries and refrigerate until firm.

Tea Country Pork Curry with Pol Rotti and Coconut Sambol - My Sri Lanka SBS

This is another of Peter Kuruvita's recipes from his new television show My Sri Lanka.

If you click here not only will you get the detailed recipe but will also be able to watch him cooking in Sri Lankan tea country complete with a waterfall in the background and the mist coming and going. It is an amazing show to watch as Peter really shares himself and his love for the country and of course its food.

If you missed my previous post on My Sri Lanka I have also cooked prawns and a cashew nut curry.

I am going to share this recipe as I cooked it.

So firstly the pork was marinated with cardamon, roasted fenugreek seeds, cracked cardamon pods, chilli  powder, curry powder, salt, pepper, cinnamon and goroka. 

I must confess I skimped alot on the chilli as my children are not so keen on the heat.

Next you prepare the Pol Rotti with atta flour, finely chopped onion and green chilli, salt, ghee and freshly shredded coconut (I used frozen). 

Curry leaves are also meant to be added but my local shops were all out today.

Enough water is added to knead a smooth dough which is then rolled into balls and allowed to rest.

As you can see my daughter helped me prepare this meal, one her many additions was rolling out 'cute' rotti balls.

Meanwhile you start the curry by heating ghee (I used oil and butter) in a pot. 

I went all out and bought a gorgeous clay pot at one of our local spice shops.

First add pandan and curry leaves (I used dry and I was unable to get fresh today).

Followed by onion, green chilli, garlic and ginger.

Then in goes the marinated pork, covering with water, and cook until it thickens up.

My pot is so huge I could have cooked 10x as much!

Once the curry is on you move on to the carrot sambol which is simply grated carrot, finely chopped onion, garlic and green chilli, fresh coconut, salt and pepper, lime juice and crushed maldive fish.

I bought this down at the spice shop, another interesting ingredient to add to my pantry!

You use your hands to flatten out the pol rotti and cook both sides over high heat with a little oil in a flat pan.

It is served with more fresh coconut on top.

Alongside the carrot sambol. 

You can see I used a beautiful golden carrot bought at the markets on the weekend.

And of course the pork curry.

It was really incredible, every component of the meal complimented the next. 

The whole family really enjoyed it. 

The sambol added the zing and freshness to the tasty pork and incredibly moreish rotti. 

Can't wait until the next episode, need some more recipes for my new pot, and maldive fish, and goroka.....

Texan Beef Ribs with Bourbon Sauce

This is an amazing recipe of Anna Gare's Texan Beef Ribs with Bourbon Sauce.

The ribs are rubbed in a intense mix of smoky paprika, salt, cumin seeds, pepper corns, fennel seeds, chilli flakes, brown sugar and olive oil.

The ribs are then slow roasted for four hours, we did it on our baby Weber Q.

Yes it is meant to be blackened! 

Served with honey roasted vegetables and couscous.

A perfect summer dinner to be shared with friends.

The bourbon sauce is quite expensive, requiring two cups of bourbon, but the results were outstanding.

A sweet bbq sauce that was perfect with the flavoursome fall apart beef just asking to be chewed off the bone....

And of course I made dessert, my rhubarb obsession continues. This one inspired from the "Great British Menu" where instead of using lemon juice in a custard style tart use rhubarb juice. Along with a layer of cooked rhubarb and then topped with a caramelised white chocolate crumble.

The crumble was amazing. I firstly baked a basic crumble of butter, flour and a little sugar in a tray, once it just started to brown I mixed in melted white chocolate and then returned to the oven for two minute stints, giving it a good mix in between. Will definitely be using it again -yum :)

I want to eat this meal all over again.....

Cherry & Rhubarb Clafoutis Tart

If you visit my blog often you would realise I really love to bake tarts!

This one came about after my husband brought home some lovely rhubarb and juicy cherries from the markets.

I have made a clafoutis before but was not overly excited by it so i decided to bake it in a pastry shell. 

I made my pastry with a little almond meal to add a nice texture and flavour.

I also kept the custard not to sweet so that the rhubarb was not overpowered.

Well it baked beautifully, the pastry came out brown and crisp.

The soft custardy filling went perfectly with the tart rhubarb and the juicy sweet cherries.

I loved it and will definitely bake it again. 

It seems I am losing my sweet tooth as more and more I am loving desserts that offset the sweetness with tang or salt.

Rhubarb and Cherry Clafoutis Tart

Pastry

90g salted butter

1 cup flour

1/3 cup almond meal

1 egg yolk

Pitted cherries (i actually like leaving the pitts in but due to kiddies and hubby took them out)

Rhubarb cut into 1.5cm pieces

Rub the butter, almond meal and flour until like bread crumbs. Add in the egg yolk to bring it together, you may need a little cold water. Wrap in plastic wrap and rest in fridge for half hour. Roll out and line a 23cm greased tart tin. Rest in fridge for half hour. Preheat oven to 200C.

Top the pastry with the cherries and rhubarb.

Custard

1 cup milk

2 eggs + 1 egg white leftover from pastry

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup flour

vanilla to taste

Whisk the eggs, vanilla, milk and sugar then add to the flour and whisk until smooth.

Pour over the prepared pastry and fruit.

Carefully place in oven as it will be quite full and bake for about 45minutes or until custard is set and pastry is brown.

Prawns with Black Pepper and Curry Leaf Sauce and Cashew Nut Curry - My Sri Lanka

I have a place in my heart for the country Sri Lanka. Years ago my husband and I booked our first ever overseas holiday - to Sri Lanka. It was called a 'Helping Hands' tour run by NRMA and included times in the trip that helped out those in need. We were so excited but then I received a phone call telling me the tour had been cancelled due to the war, it was no longer safe for us to travel. I was truly devastated and my heart went out to the people who had to live in this 'unsafe' country.

So when I saw advertised the new television series My Sri Lanka by one of my favourite chefs Peter Kuruvita I was so pleased. And I was not disappointed, it really felt as though you were seeing and experiencing a piece of the Sri Lanka Peter knew and obviously loved.

And I was inspired to cook more of this amazing cuisine.

So here are two recipes from the first episode - first a Cashew Nut Curry and the second Prawns with Black Pepper and Curry Leaf Sauce

This curry recipe was really quite simple. 

The onions, green chilli, pandan and curry leaves are cooked before adding in spices of cumin, coriander, turmeric and cinnamon.

 

The cashews and coconut milk are then added and the curry allowed to reduce and thicken.

Finally at the end add some coconut cream.

It was delicious and really did taste fit for a priest!

The flavours were rich and slightly sweet from the coconut with all the underlying flavours allowed to come through.

Just had to include my 'griddled' flatbread, worked a treat, they were perfect.

The sauce from the prawns included a base of chilli. curry leaves, garlic, onion and ginger.

They were cooked over high heat before turning it down and adding lots of butter.

This was allowed to simmer down after adding soy sauce, fish sauce, oyster sauce, sugar and of course black pepper. I actually had trouble with my lowest heat being too hot and ended up having to drastically reduce my cooking time.

The result was a very thick and intense sauce that was amazing with the prawns especially topped with some freshly shredded coconut and some fresh curry leaves.

So I was able to have a little Sri Lankan adventure in my kitchen and one that was greatly enjoyed at our dinner table.

Looking forward to the next episode (thursday 7:30pm SBS).

I am also so excited as for our 10th wedding anniversary next month we are having lunch at Peter's restaurant Flying Fish.

Nigella's Guinness Gingerbread

This is Nigella's recipe, from Nigella Kitchen.

I've been wanting to bake it for ages but decided to save it for my husbands birthday. 

But I forgot, ooops (baked him chocolate quinoa cake instead!).

Anyway I finally tried it and thought it was really good.

Of course Guinness was the star of the show, warmed up in a saucepan with butter, golden syrup, brown sugar, with ground ginger, cinnamon and cloves.

Then simplicity in Nigella style, just whisk in the flour and bi-carb until you have a smooth batter.

Whisk in sour cream and eggs.

Pour your surprisingly runny batter into a prepared lined pan and bake. 

The texture was very soft although I think I slightly undercooked it.

But the flavour was the stand out to me, so deep and left lingering tastes to keep you wanting more.

I think it would taste exceptionally good after a couple of days.....