Almond Nestum Cookies coated in Dark Chocolate

~Makes 200 cookies
250g unsalted butter
150g caster sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4teaspoon salt
300g superfine plain flour (regular plain flour will do as well)
150g corn flour
50g nestum,crushed to very fine almost powder like (you can use crushed corn flakes as well if you don't have nestum)
1 teaspoon baking powder

750g - 1kg dark chocolate,melted
300g whole almonds
50g almond nibs,to sprinkle on top

1. Preheat oven to 180 C
2. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add in the egg & vanilla extract and mix thoroughly 
4. In a different bowl mix all dry ingredients together.
5. Add the dry ingredients into the butter mixture using a spoon carefully.
6. Mix until well combined.
7. Make a small ball dough and slightly flatten the surface. Add an almond in the centre and roll the dough making sure the almond is fully wrapped up in the dough. The dough should be oblong and carefully place the dough in a paper cup.
8. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until completely baked.
9. Allow the cookies to cool completely.
10. Melt chocolate over a double boiler or microwave (in lowest setting).
11. Slowly over cookies with chocolates using a clean spoon.
12. Sprinkle some almond nibs on top immediately as the chocolate is being poured over the cookies.
13. Allow to dry completely before placing it in an air-tight container.

Peanut Brittle

Adapted from Nigella Christmas

1 cup caster sugar

1/4 cup water

3/4 cup liquid glucose

1 1/2 cup salted peanuts

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1. Prepare a large baking tray with a large sheet of waxed baking paper and oil it. Place it near the stove.
2. Put sugar,water & glucose in a heavy pan,bring it to boil then slowly increase the heat and let it continue boiling for 10minutes, do not stir the hot syrup.Occasionally give it a swirl until the syrup has turned gold in colour.
3. Take the pan off the heat and with a wooden spoon,add vanilla extract & baking soda followed by the peanuts. You will have a golden,frothy,hot & gooey mixture.
4. Pour this briskly onto the waiting waxed baking paper,using the wooden spoon to coax and pull it to make a nut-studded sheet,puddle shaped though it may be,rather than a heap.
5. Leave it to cool, then break into pieces and store in an airtight container.

Pear Frangipane Pudding with fresh passionfruit pulp

Poached Pears

1 large brown pear,peeled,cored and cut into 5 medium chunks

1 cup water

1/3 cup caster sugar

1/4tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp lemon juice

Frangipane

100g butter,softened

100g caster sugar

2 large eggs

100g almond meal (ground almonds)

50g self raising flour

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp poached pear syrup

pulp of 3-4 passion fruits,to serve (If you buy canned passion pulp,make sure it's not sweetened.

Prepare poached pears :

• Place sugar,water,vanilla extract and lemon juice in saucepan over medium heat.Let sugar dissolve. Add pear chunks,making sure the syrup covers the pears. Let it simmer for 15mins or until pears are just tender.

Prepare Frangipane :

• Preheat oven at 150C.Place an oven proof container at the bottom of the oven.
• Line 5 ramekins with butter.
• Cream butter, sugar and vanilla extract until creamy.
• Add one egg at a time. Mix batter until well combined.
  
• Add almond meal and flour and mix till combined.
• Lastly add the poached pear syrup.
• Scoop frangipane mixture in ramekins to about 3/4 of the ramekin capacity.
• Place one poached on top of the frangipane.
  


• Steam bake the pudding for about 20-30 minutes. Check pudding at the 20th minute making sure you don't over bake your pudding.
• Cut the middle of the pudding and place passion pulp in the middle. Dust with vanilla bean sugar. Serve warm.

ShortBread

I was over at my aunty's place today baking my fruit cake,not having a proper oven I had to rely on my aunt so while killing time, we made shortbread and also sausages.

4oz caster sugar

8oz butter

12oz self raising flour

nuts for decoration & an egg yolk ,if you desire

• Preheat oven-fan force 160 celcius or 180 celcius for normal oven.
• Mix all ingredients using the rubbing method.

• Then lightly roll the dough on a marble slab.DO NOT use flour to dust your working place.You do not want necessary flour added to your dough.

• Roll gently and use a cookie cutter to cut out cookies

• Place then on baking paper,place a nut on each cookie, brush cookies with egg yolk if you want and bake until golden brown

Gourmet Fruit Cake

UPDATED AGAIN :- Initially I stated 750ml sherry wine plus 100ml lemon juice & juice of an orange but I found that to be very moist for my fruit cake. I have not had to moisten the alcohol soaked alcohol to mature the cake because it was very moist.So I made the cake again by only reducing the sherry wine to 500ml, the outcome at the moment looks good.Better than before.Still moist but not overly moist like before.

UPDATE- It's more than two months since I made my fruit cake. The taste was pretty authentic but slightly over-moist but it's better to be on the moister side than drier side, yeah?=P

October 2011-I have mid semesters coming up and that means mid semester break is coming after, time has flown by so quickly,I am glad. Anyway I have always been wanting to make the traditional fruit cake and haven't quite found a suitable one until recently I stumbled upon the Country Women Association bake book and found quite reliable recipe. They had a few but this was something interesting. It needed the right amount of time to soak the fruits in alcohol and maturing the cake after baking.

Here's the adapted recipe:

Fruits & Sherry

450g currants

190g sultanas

170g cranberries

230g pitted prunes,chopped

230g pitted dates,chopped

200g glace cherries,sliced

200g mixed peel

300g nuts (I used macadamia nuts,cashew nuts,silvered almonds)

500ml sherry (or dark rum)

100ml lemon juice

juice of an orange

rind of two lemons & an orange

1 tsp vanilla extract

Cake mixture

250g unsalted butter,softened (if using salted butter, omit salt)

340g dark brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp each of ground cinnamon,ground nutmeg,ground all spice

5 large eggs

250g plain flour

2tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

A week before baking

• Combine fruits and nuts. Stir in sherry (or dark rum) and let mixture stand for a week.
• Make sure the mixture is keep in a cool dark place and that fruits and nuts have full submerged in sherry.

Baking cake

• Preheat oven to 135 degrees Celsius (It's always good to have a oven thermometer for accurate temperature. Also never set oven higher than 135 degrees.It is always safer to set temperature slightly lower, maybe 130 degrees or lowest be 120 degrees but never higher).
• Butter two 8 cm deep 23 cm x 13 cm baking pans (or any two baking pans that can hold 8 cups in volume each) ,line them with baking paper, making sure the paper extends over the edge of the tins. Butter the baking paper lightly.
• Cream butter and gradually blend in sugar and spices. Beat in 2 eggs. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt.
• Blend 1 cup of the flour mixture with the creamed mixture and beat in 3 more eggs. Stir the fruit and sherry (or dark rum) mixture and remaining flour, mixing the batter well.
• Pour the batter into prepared pans, pressing it down firmly into the corners, then drop filled pans from a height of 15 cm to eliminate any air bubbles.
• Place the cakes in the oven together and put a shallow pan filled with hot water (you can always place the shallow pan filled with water when you preheat the oven) on the bottom of oven underneath the cakes. (This prevents cakes from burning at the bottom and drying out).
• Bake for 2 1/2 hours ( do not open the oven door until at least 2 hour 15mins for consistency in oven temperature. But if cake is browning too fast, take it out carefully and place foil on top and then place ) or until they are test done.
• Cool the cakes completely in the pans then transfer to wire racks, peel off the paper.

• Wrap cooled caked in cheesecloth that has been soaked in sherry wine, double wrap the cake with cling wrap then aluminium foil, store in tightly covered containers. Let the cakes age as long as possible before serving.( one month minimum), moistening cloths every month with sherry wine or rum to prevent cake from being dry.