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Monthly Archives: March, 2008

Easter Basket cupcakes

Posted in Cooking and Recipes, Cupcakes, Sweet things

Each year, you know its approaching Easter once the Valentines Day products disappear and the Easter eggs and chicks come out. For some reason I have a bizarre liking for these tiny little yellow chicks. I even made a miniature nappy with safety pins for one. A year ago, we had put them in our mini cactus garden but I accidentally watered one and once you get water on these little chicks, they are ruined. I knew my Easter cupcakes had to include these chicks, in memorandum of the one I accidentally killed with water. RIP little chickadee. And don’t worry, these ones will live the life of a free range chick in our cactus garden afterwards.

Making a cupcake of the chocolate variety would surely be the obvious choice for Easter So I used a double chocolate raspberry cake. The main problem was that my royal icing was not as stiff as it needed to be. Perhaps I need to use meringue powder or something like that to get my icing rock hard.

Now for the technical bits and picking the original recipe apart (from a book I shall not name). Their recipe says to pipe directly onto the cake but when I did, this odd white bloom formed between the cake and the icing the next day after I left it to dry overnight. So luckily I had piped the basket weave onto the cupcake paper for some of them and that seemed fine-although eating the icing off the paper doesn’t make for good eating. Also I wasn’t able to pipe onto the cupcake all at once, I had to do it in two batches - one half and then the other half, as my royal icing was not that firm so I didn’t want them to sit upright as the effects of gravity on setting icing are obvious. So put plenty of time aside for this-2 days to be certain that the icing dries.

I’d also recommend using the a straight edge cupcake paper pan as you will want to pipe upwards and it makes it easier. Of course its up to you but I did use one of the brown paper ones that you can get at stores. It did mean that since they are larger, I got half the amount of cupcakes though so be sure to adjust for numbers. There’s nothing worse than a kid missing out on a cupcake-or an adult for that matter.

25 comments | March 21, 2008 - 8:00 am | Not Quite Nigella

Easter chocolate adventure! Colefax at Haberfield and Belle Fleur at Balmain

Posted in Eating, NQN's most memorable moments and meals, Sydney - West

I approach Easter like that of a child: a week long chocolate eating opportunity. Unlike a child though, I get a say in the type of chocolate that I consume and my preferences are by Colefax chocolates in Haberfield and Belle Fleur in Balmain-both Australian made using Belgian chocolate. I have bought, in my time, over 150 chocolate truffles from each company for myself or friends/family, in all various shapes and sizes, lured by the tempting displays at David Jones confectionery counters. What I particularly liked, apart from the sublime taste is the craftsmanship put into each truffle. So when I was told that they both had shops that I should visit, I left it until Easter, when I knew that the best displays would be on show.

We head off to Colefax in Haberfield, the suburb right next to Leichardt where there is a strong Italian influenced population. So much so that there’s even a Bocci court in the local park and all of the shops on Ramsay street have a definite Italian flavour. As its Easter they’re open on a Sunday and we walk into the chocolate coloured shop, resplendent with all sorts of Easter goodies in a kaleidoscope of shades.

Reg, the owner Peter Lee’s father, is a very charming and affable fellow whose passion for chocolates is almost equaled by his passion for wine and cheese. He tells us all about Haberfield (yes I’m embarrassed to admit that whilst I was born and bred here in Sydney, I had never visited it, only driven through). He tells us that whilst Leichardt is the sister suburb for eating out, Haberfield is a great place for buying produce and cooking at home. I get the feeling that he’s to go-to man for all sorts of food related advice and his enthusiasm is infectious.

There’s a showstopping range of easter chocolates from the gigantic aboriginal paint inspired eggs with 1 kg of chocolate and hidden eggs peering out from detailed holes (the moulds that Colefax use are from Belgium only, such is the detail on them-check out the detail on the Hen’s night favourite “Kama Sutra” chocolates).

Kama Sutra chocolate

There are also huge half egg shells within which sit a range of smaller eggs in various sizes, colours and patterns in four different sizes up to the enormous extended family version. The colourful eggs are not surprisingly a bestseller and I am crushed to learn that their Babushka easter egg which consists of 6 easter eggs all within a layer of each other (the closest thing to a never ending chocolate fantasy) has been sold. Indeed, Reg laments that yesterday during a 20-30 person crush yesterday that their Babushka display model was stolen! All of the chocolates are made daily starting from 6am for maximum freshness so unfortunately I am out of luck as far as the Babushka is concerned.

Single origin chocolate eggs $30

Single Origin Taster pack 6 eggs for $15

He shows us the latest trend in chocolate-single origin chocolate. These are chocolates where the cocoa beans and butter are sourced from a single location around the globe giving rise to markedly different chocolate tastes. There is Peru with a 32% cocoa, Venezuela 43%, Peru 64%, Ecuador 71% up to Tanzania which has a 75% cocoa component. “Its like wine you see-where a Cab Sav from one place will have a different characteristic and flavour to a Cab Sav in another area” he explains and that these are for gourmet chocolate buffs who treat their chocolate like wine. Seven years ago, the chocolate mix they were selling was 85% milk chocolate and 15% dark. Now its 60% milk chocolate and 40% dark and he expects it to reverse to 40% milk and 60% dark as people pick up on the health benefits of dark chocolate.

He also tells us of a great chili truffle trick. When serving truffles or dessert after dinner, start with a chili truffle. This will help clear the palate and make the next course taste much clearer and true, working much like, or even better than a sorbet. Indeed, he recommends serving truffles at the end of the meal not with a champagne but with Tokay which perfectly balances the sweetness.

Along the way he offers us a sample of the Fiesta chili truffle (divine with a mild chili tingle). There are two chili truffles, the Gold Award winning Fiesta chocolate and there’s also the Chili Bomb for the serious chili enthusiasts. A sample of the Vera Myrtle turns me into a quivering mess with the gorgeous dark chocolate surrounding a perfect whole toffee macadamia-if you wanted to convert someone into a dark chocolate lover, give them this chocolate. Even the novelty caramel easter egg, is divine with gorgeously smooth and butterscotchy caramel with a slight crunch-definitely no relation to the tooth aching sweetness of the caramello koala caramel.

I choose for my purchase the carton of eggs, the smaller version of half a dozen eggs as the colours have caught my eye and my imagination ($15). The bunny with the two types of filled eggs (peppermint and strawberry) also finds his way into my basket ($8) along with a variety of truffles to give to my mother for her birthday ($90 per kg). They’re boxed beautifully and Reg slips in some extra truffles so that the box looks great. What a sweetie.

Unfortunately three hours in the car and the bunny didn’t make it home intact. I feel like a muffled, disguised voice has rung me and said “Your bunny is dead” and hung up. Its quite devastating but thankfully the rest of my purchases remain perfect.

With my mother, she lets us sample these along with her (yes its possible to slice a truffle into two). The St Lazare, sugared pistachios and Italian nougat in milk chocolate is gorgeously rich and nutty.

The Alannah, a vanilla ganache in white chocolate named after their daughter is a sweet and delicious creamy vanilla.

The Orange Blossom, a white Marnier ganache in white chocolate is delicately scented with Orange Grand Marnier.

Sunshine, a pineapple fondant in dark chocolate is a somewhat jarring sounding description but the proof is in the eating. Its gorgeous with the sweet tangy pineapple fondant perfect against the bittersweet dark chocolate. Its one of my favourites.

Cupcake is a raspberry marshmallow with nougat in milk chocolate. Of course I had to buy this being that it is cupcake shaped. The nougat is very nutty with an interesting juxtaposition against the spongy raspberry flavoured marshmallow.

Pamela, the milk butter truffle in milk chocolate flakes is soft and gorgeous like an upmarket flake. Its named after his mother.

The Deco, a honey and almond ganache is a honey lover’s dream. Gorgeously smooth and distinct with fragrant honey. Its one of my favourites.

The easter bun has the slightest hint of cinnamon and a sublime creaminess.

The three eggs: peppermint in dark chocolate, strawberry in white chocolate and caramel in milk chocolate are decadent good version of the humble egg. The caramel is definitely my favourite although the other two are close behind.

The Fiesta: a chili ganache in milk chocolate we save for our experiment. A few days later, we have our main meal and then try some Banana bread. We note the flavours and then try a Fiesta truffle. Then we try the Banana bread again and interestingly, we taste a wider palette of flavours-the other slightly more hidden flavours like walnut emerge alongside a more salty flavour. Its a very interesting experiment and one well worth trying at your next dinner party!

The dark chocolate coffee beans ($22 for 250g), ones that we were warned were moreish are frighteningly and compulsively so. I had to put myself between them and my husband or he would have gladly eaten the rest of the 250g bag. The coffee beans giving a fresh roasted crunch (roasted in their kitchens and then coated) and the sublime dark chocolate enrobing them.

My “carton” of half a dozen eggs is tried last and they are dark chocolate vividly streaked and patterned eggs, gloriously artistic but even better when being consumed. After trying these I’d definitely have to say that whilst Colefax does all kinds of chocolate, their dark chocolate is most certainly the star. I’m not even a particularly big dark chocolate eater but find myself enjoying their dark chocolates the most. The only issue here is that I had 5 left waiting for me to eat them and I have to somehow resist.

In May the rest of the renovations will be completed and there will be a huge cafe with coffee and chocolate and other temptations. I think we’ll definitely have to make this our second visit to Haberfield.

Later on in the day, we visit Balmain to pick up some Easter chocolates from Belle Fleur. We walk in past the sun shaded windows which disappointingly render the displays behind the glass invisible (I am too short to peer over the top of them!). Pity as they’re quite creative ranging from chocolate houses to chocolate burgers. Its all very quiet and whilst the people are polite, there’s a decidedly efficient but quiet atmosphere as if they want to get us in and get us out. I buy some truffles and instead of being boxed they’re plonked into a plastic bag marring the top of the cappucino truffle - if I had intended to give it as a gift, I wouldn’t have been able to do so. I also buy a chocolate bunny with eggs and the when I ask for a bag, they give me a plastic supermarket bag, even though there are spiffy paper bags available. Indeed another customer after buying quite a dozen eggs is given a plastic bag which she declines and asks for a proper paper bag. Surely the paper bags doesn’t cost that much? Call me a fussy customer but given the chocolates are so good, its a sloppy ending.

Obviously the chocolate itself is top notch but the staff putting the delicate truffles in a plastic bag where they will get crushed in the heat of Easter and then putting it in a plastic shopping bag does their chocolate no justice and makes a customer feel like they’ve just bought something from a local milk bar or supermarket.

The cappucino cup is a delicate milk chocolate cup three layer creamy ganache filling consisting of milk chocolate ganache, coffee ganache and white chocolate ganache. Its smooth and creamy but not particularly strong in the coffee taste.

The Easter bun is very, very lightly scented with apple and I might be tasting a bit of Calvados in it although it is very, very light.

The Violet chocolate is gorgeous-unusual and heady with violets. I can imagine that if you like floral teas like Earl Grey, you might enjoy this.

The praline filled white bunny and eggs is good-creamy and sweet.

Colefax Chocolates

78 Ramsay Street
Haberfield NSW 2045
Tel: +61 (02) 9798 2022

32 Cottam Avenue
Bankstown NSW 2022
Tel: +61 (02) 9796 2022

Mon-Fri : 10.00am to 6.00pm
Sat : 9.00am to 4.00pm
Both boutiques are opened on the 2 Sundays preceding Easter and Christmas each year.
http://www.colefaxchocolates.com.au/

Belle Fleur chocolates

658 Darling Street Rozelle NSW 2039
Tel: +61 (02) 9810-2690
Mon-Fri: 9:00am to 6.00pm
Saturday: 9:00 to 4.00pm
Sunday: 10:00 to 4:00pm
http://www.bellefleur.com.au/

16 comments | March 20, 2008 - 8:00 am | Not Quite Nigella

Nigella Lawson - Norwegian Cinnamon buns from How to be a Domestic Goddess

Posted in Breakfast recipes, Cooking and Recipes, Sweet things, Winter Warmers

I have officially fallen in love with my pink Kitchenaid, especially its dough hook. I have even bought a cover to protect it-not that my kitchen is a target for stray missiles, but to keep the greasy stickiness that inevitably envelops everything at bay. Previously, I had shunned most dough and bread baking, mainly because I didn’t have the strength or will to knead for the 10 minutes required. Now I pop all of the ingredients in the big bowl, attach the hook and I can come back 6-7 minutes later and it will be kneaded. I say I can come back but I never do, as I prefer to watch the dough hook mix it all in in some sort of perverse food porn observation ritual.

These are so ridiculously moreish that I found myself eating 5 of these babies for lunch and forgoing my usual relatively healthy lunch. And this is from a girl that rarely has seconds. So I warn you, make these with caution and at someone else’s behest. Invite a large group of friends or lumberjacks in for morning tea. Anything to put some distance between yourself and 20 of these tempting, deliciously scented, buttery buns.

Norwegian Cinnamon buns

For the dough:

600 g flour (I added some extra flour as the dough was too sticky)
100 g sugar
½ teaspoon salt
21 g (3 sachets-yes, really) easy blend yeast or 45 g fresh yeast
100 g butter
400 ml milk
2 eggs

For the filling:

150 g soft, unsalted butter
150 g sugar
1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
1 egg, beaten, to glaze

Roasting tin approximately 33cm x 24cm or large brownie tin, lined with baking parchment bottom and sides

Preheat the oven to 230°C/ gas mark 8 (I wouldn’t do this until the end of Step 3)

The ginormously risen yeast beast

1. Combine the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast in a large bowl. Melt the butter and whisk it into milk and eggs, then stir it into the flour mixture. Mix to combine and then knead the dough either by hand or using the dough hook of a food mixer until its smooth and springy-add extra flour until the dough becomes a good rolling consistency. Form into a ball, place in an oiled bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave it to rise for about 25 minutes.

Vast tundra of dough with buttery cinnamoney sugar filling

2. Take one-third of the dough and roll it or stretch it to fit your tin; this will form the bottom of each bun when it has cooked. Roll out the rest of the dough on a lightly floured surface, aiming to get a rectangle of roughly 50×25cm. Mix the filling ingredients in a small bowl and then spread the rectangle with the buttery cinnamon texture (you can made this mixture up during the 25 minutes of proving the dough in Step 1). Try to get even coverage on the whole of the dough.

A little uneven, I’m sure you’ll do better than my rather poor effort

3. Roll it up from the longest side until you have a giant sausage. Cut the roll into 2 cm slices which should make about 20 rounds. Sit the rounds in lines on top of the dough in the tin, swirly cut-side up. Don’t worry if they don’t fit snugly together as they will swell and become puffy when they prove. Brush them with egg and let them rise again for about 15 minutes to let them get duly puffy.

Snug as a bug in a rug

4. Put in the hot oven and cook for 20-25 minutes (a couple of mine were a bit black at the top by 20 mins so watch out for them), by which time the buns will have risen and will be golden brown in colour. Don’t worry it they catch in places. Remove them from the tin and leave to cool slightly on a rack-it’s easy just to pick up the whole sheet of parchment and transfer them like that-before letting people tear them off, to eat warm.

From How To Be A Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson

22 comments | March 19, 2008 - 8:00 am | Not Quite Nigella

The Book Kitchen, Surry Hills

Posted in Eating, Sydney - CBD and inner city

On our visit to Bourke Street Bakery a few weeks back, we drove past The Book Kitchen, a cafe spilling over with patrons inside and out. It looked intriguing and there’s nothing more enticing than a busy cafe so we made a mental note to come back. Looking a their website featuring organic and bio dynamic produce (http://www.thebookkitchen.com.au/) we knew just who we would take here -my husband’s vegetarian, health loving family. So after some tandem bike riding in Centennial Park, appetites well and truly worked up, we descended. In some minor miracle, parking in Surry Hills was not a nightmare and we found two spots right outside The Book Kitchen. Inside we stake out our spot on one side of the large square communal table and order. It appears that everyone likes the sound of the same dishes so we all agree to share dishes, such is our curiosity.

We order our drinks and settle back to choose from the amazing variety of books-mostly food related with some design books thrown in for good measure. I feel like I’ve come home to my dream library and I’m picking up book after book. I’ve got Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations, my husband has a design book on Industrial Interiors, A&D have a book solely devoted to potatoes including some incredible and bizzare looking Peruvian ones and Anneli is looking for her favourite cookbook -the I Hate to Cook Book.

Mixed berry frappe $5

Our drinks arrive first and the Mixed berry frappe ($5) with Berries, apple juice and lemon sorbet is refreshingly good, especially for a sweltering day like this. Its not too sweet courtesy of the lemon sorbet but still resonant with antioxidant berries.

Sunshine shake $5

The dairy free Sunshine shake ($5) with rockmelon, honey, orange juice is delicious-its very creamy and fruity so should sate any lactose intolerant people and fool their food demons! We barely notice the time that it takes for our food to arrive, from reading reviews, its reported to be very slow but the food arrives before we know it thanks to our reading entertainment-a clever trick to keep the hungry boys occupied.

Avocado, sour toast, Persian feta, poached egg, rocket, and lemon infused olive oil 14

I try the Avocado, sour toast, Persian feta, poached egg, rocket, and lemon infused olive oil ($14) and I am in raptures. The sourdough toast is lacey and the lemon infused olive oil gives it a piquant lift. The persian feta (surely stuff that food fantasies are made of) is gorgeously rich with the crusty lemon scented sourdough and the dreamily soft poached egg and avocado. Even though I’m not even remotely qualified to be a vegetarian, I could happily order this again without feeling as if I’m missing out.

Homemade brioche, Bio dynamic scrambled eggs, salmon gravlax $16

On a high, next I try the Homemade brioche, Bio dynamic scrambled eggs, salmon gravlax ($16). The Salmon gravlax is almost like it has been left out in the heat for too long. I try a little but not too much as it doesn’t smell quite right to me. I usually love gravlax so I can only put it down to this. The biodynamic scrambled eggs need a smattering of the fine pink salt flakes provided and are fairly buttery although any goodness in these is offset against the home made broiche which is bizarrely like rice bread not resembling in the remotest way the sweet pillowy brioche loaves that one is used to at all. I find this a tad disappointing and the crumbly rice bread texture does not do it any favours.

Crispy duck salad, roast peaches, pink peppercorn, and a red wine vinaigrette $16 Read More

5 comments | March 18, 2008 - 8:00 am | Not Quite Nigella

Chocolate and Guinness Stout cupcakes for a Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Posted in Cooking and Recipes, Cupcakes, Sweet things

OK please forgive me if I am rolling out all of the stereotypes by having a Guinness flavoured cupcake decorated with green shamrocks. But I am assured by airyfairy’s post that Guinness is indeed a national obsession within Ireland and well, stereotypes are mostly borne of typical behaviors. I used a Nigella recipe, her Chocolate Guinness cake but made in a cupcake form. I also halved it to make a dozen cupcakes so if you would like to make it a regular sized cake, double all of the proportions below and cook in a lined 23cms springform tin for between 40 minutes to an hour and let cool in tin.

What I wouldn’t have done for a shamrock cutter but I’m afraid that in the short time space I had I couldn’t find any as the stores are packed with Easter goodies and I didn’t have enough time to order one from overseas. So the slightly odd shamrocks that I made I’m afraid will have to do for the time being. I admit I didn’t make the cream cheese topping as I used a buttercream one that I had make an excess of a few days before. I chose these high pleated soufflé cups as I wanted them to resemble a tall glass of frothy Guinness.

The resultant taste is unusual, certainly the pleasure wasn’t in the actual eating as much as the aftertaste which I found pleasantly different and lingering and Nigella’s description of a “ferrous aftertaste” is quite spot on. I have tried Guinness once and for someone who doesn’t like beer at all, it’s one of the more palatable beers. And my husband was only too happy to volunteer to drink the remaining 315ml of the can. Aren’t husbands good that way?

Chocolate and Guinness Stout cupcakes for St Patrick’s Day

This cake is magnificent in its damp blackness. I can’t say that you can absolutely taste the stout in it, but there is certainly a resonant, ferrous tang which I happen to love. The best way of describing it is to say that it’s like gingerbread without the spices. There is enough sugar – a certain understatement here – to counter any potential bitterness of the Guinness, and although I’ve eaten versions of this made up like a chocolate layer cake, stuffed and slathered in a rich chocolate frosting, I think that can take away from its dark majesty. Besides, I wanted to make a cream cheese frosting to echo the pale head that sits on top of a glass of stout. It’s unconventional to add cream but it makes it frothier and lighter which I regard as aesthetically and gastronomically desirable. But it is perfectly acceptable to leave the cake un-iced: in fact, it tastes gorgeous plain.

FOR THE CUPCAKES (makes 12 regular sized cupcakes)

125ml Guinness
75ml sour cream
125grams unsalted butter
1 egg
1/2 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
40g unsweetened cocoa
140grams all-purpose flour
200grams caster sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

FOR THE ICING

150g Philadelphia cream cheese
65ml heavy cream
75grams icing sugar
Green coloured fondant and shamrock shaped cutter (I just printed an outline of a shamrock, placed it on top of the fondant and traced along it with a sharp, light knife)
Green sugar crystals
Silver cachous

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C, and butter and line a cupcake tin with papers. Pour the Guinness into a large wide saucepan, add the butter – in spoons or slices – and heat until the butter’s melted, at which time you should whisk in the cocoa and sugar. Beat the sour cream with the eggs and vanilla and then pour into the brown, buttery, beery pan and finally whisk in the flour and baking soda.

2. Pour the cake batter into a measuring jug-it will make this infinitely easier to pour into the cupcake cups and pour the thick chocolate-y batter into the liners about 3/4 of the way up, it will rise up a little but not too much. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes and remove to cool on a rack.

3. Lightly whip the cream cheese until smooth, sift over the confectioners’ sugar and then beat them both together. Or do this in a processor, putting the unsifted confectioners’ sugar in first and blitz to remove lumps before adding the cheese.

4. Add the cream and beat again until it makes a spreadable consistency. Ice the top of the black cupcakes so that it resembles the frothy top of the famous pint.

Recipe adapted from Feast by Nigella Lawson