Chocolate, Orange and Hazelnut Slice

Just before we start, I wanted to quickly say that this blog hit 1000 pageviews today. One THOUSAND!! And although I know that in the scheme of things, that is one very, very, very small number, that's taken a long time to get too, for me, a beginner, this is a BIG deal. So thanks to everyone who's made up one of those pageviews; I can't tell you how exciting I find it to think there are people like you out there who genuinely want to here what I say!

To celebrate, I've got something yummy for you today. Like, very yummy. In Mum's words 'Possibly one of the best baked things I've ever had!'. And Mum has had her fair share of baked goods, so that means something!

This is possibly more of a brownie than a slice, though I'm a bit unclear on the boundaries. It's like a rich chocolate-cake in slice form- does that make it a cake, a brownie or a slice? Whichever it is, it's very yummy- the rich chocolate is cut by the orange, and complimented by the almond meal and the hazelnuts. Yummo!

This was my first time cooking with hazelnuts, but I can tell you it won't be my last (partly because I love hazelnuts, and partly because 1/2 the packet is still in the cupboard). They go so, so, so well with chocolate that I can't believe I'd never considered making that combination myself!

So, overall, I'd HIGHLY recommend you make this whatever-you-want-to-call-it because it is delicious and anyone you give it to will probably love you for it.

Chocolate, Orange and Hazelnut Slice

Based on: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/you/article-2046137/Recipe-Chocolate-orange-slice.html

Makes 1 20x30cm cake for slicing (approximately 15 serves)

200g unsalted butter softened plus extra for the tin
80g whole roasted hazelnuts*
300g good-quality dark chocolate
4 large eggs
160g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
250g ground almonds
65g chopped candied citrus peel
zest of 1 orange
icing sugar to dust
whipped double cream to serve

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Butter a 20cmx30cm baking tin about 7cm deep (or equivalent square tin), line the base with baking paper and butter this too.
2. Keep a few nuts whole and roughly chop or crush the rest. Chop 100g of the chocolate into very small chunks and reserve. 
3. Place the remaining 200g chocolate in a medium bowl over simmering water, and melt, stirring from time to time, until smooth and satiny. Turn off, allow to cool a little and then reheat it**. Add the 200g butter while it reheats and gently beat together until thoroughly mixed. Leave to cool a little. 
4. Using an electric hand whisk, beat the eggs with the sugar and vanilla extract until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes, then mix in the melted chocolate mixture.
5. Stir in the ground almonds, candied peel and orange zest, the whole and chopped hazelnuts and reserved chopped chocolate. Spoon the mixture evenly into the prepared tin. Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until firm on top but with a slight spring.
6. Once cooled a little, remove and leave on a cake rack until cooled completely. Dust with icing sugar and cut into thin slices or bars as you prefer.

*Buy ready-roasted hazelnuts to save time or, to roast your own, spread nuts on a baking tray and toast in the oven at 190C/170C fan/gas 5 for 8-10 minutes or until lightly golden. Tip into a tea towel and rub off the skins.  

**Reheating isn't essential, but provides a smoother finish. If you're short on time, add the butter as soon as the chocolate is melted and continue as normal.

Garlic, Rosemary and Sea Salt Focaccia

I love the simple pleasure of baking bread.

The smooth, elastic dough between your fingers as you knead. The excitement of seeing how much your bread has risen. The eager, nervous anticipation as you watch it cook. The lovely smell, drifting through your house. Most of all, the joy of a warm, delicious mouthful of bread that you know you made.

This recipe fulfills all of those fantasies. Plus, it came with the thrill of trying something new and succeeding! Now, if you've been hanging out here for a while, you'll know I'm a wee bit addicted to that thrill. I almost never choose to cook something I've made before- and if I do, I have to change it up a bit; fill it, flavour it, ice it! Making a focaccia had long been on my list of things to try- it came with all the joys of baking bread, but was just different enough to warrant calling it 'a new skill'.

In the school term I barely ever bake bread. All the things that make it so wonderful- proving and kneading and baking- take a long time and a long time is one thing I rarely have during the term. That's how focaccia kept getting ignored on my list of things to try and stayed there so very long. But in a way, that made baking this loaf all the more special.

Having said that, however, this recipe is so quick and easy that I think I might make it in the school term. Sunday morning I could make it and it'd be ready just in time for a warm, delicious lunch! This was possibly the quickest of all the focaccia recipes I saw, and although you need a while, proving and baking times leave plenty of time to do whatever else you need to.

I kept this loaf very simple because I'm intending to serve it with a beautiful Italian vegetable soup for dinner, but if you wanted to make it more elaborate to serve on it's own you could top it to your heart's desire! I'm intending to try a tomato (maybe even sundried?), olive and feta one for lunch at some point. Marinated eggplant or capsicum also seem like they'd suit, or maybe goats cheese if we were going to go all out extravagant? Oh the possibilities!

Garlic, Rosemary and Sea Salt Focaccia

Based on: http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/1789/olive+rosemary+focaccia

Ingredients

• 310ml (1 1/4 cups) warm water
• 2 tsp (7g/1 sachet) dried yeast
• 2 tsp caster sugar
• 3 1/2 tbs olive oil
• 450g (3 cups) plain flour
• 2 tsp sea salt flakes
• 1 1/2 tbs fresh rosemary leaves
• 2 tsp garlic, crushed*

Method

1. Combine the water, yeast, sugar and 2 tablespoons of oil in a small bowl. Set aside in a warm, draught-free place for 5 minutes or until frothy.
2. Place flour and half of the sea salt in a bowl. Make a well in the centre and pour in yeast mixture. Use a wooden spoon to stir until combined, then use your hands to bring the dough together in the bowl.
3. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Brush a bowl with oil to grease. Place dough in bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel. Set aside in a warm, draught-free place for 45 minutes or until doubled in size.
4. Preheat oven to 200°C. Brush a 20 x 30cm Swiss roll pan with 2 teaspoons of remaining oil. Punch down centre of the dough with your fist. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 2 minutes or until dough is elastic and has returned to original size. Press into the prepared pan. Cover with a damp tea towel and set aside in a warm, draught-free place to prove for 20 minutes or until doubled in height. Use your finger to press dimples into the dough. Brush with remaining oil and sprinkle over rosemary, garlic and remaining salt. 
5. Bake in oven for 25-30 minutes or until golden and focaccia sounds hollow when tapped on base. Serve warm or at room temperature.
 

Mia :)

*I actually used dried minced garlic, because we *gasp* only have one clove of garlic in the whole house! If you would prefer to use dried, it worked out well, but otherwise I imagine fresh would be even yummier!

Lemon and Cardamon Rolls

What could be better than a fresh warm cinnamon bun?

Nothing, you say? Well, I would have agreed with you until I tasted one of these warm out of the oven. 

Now I honestly don't know. Lemon or Cinnamon? Modern or Classic? Citrus or Spice?

It's the big decisions in life.


Before you make your choice, however, you better get educated on the intricacies of the humble Lemon and Cardamon bun.

Well, they're very much like a cinnamon bun- swirl shaped, sticky, topped with delicious cream cheese frosting. In fact they pretty much are a cinnamon bun, except without the cinnamon and with some lemon instead.


They take a while, so you'll want to be organised (unlike myself!), but there is a lot of rising and cooking time, which is perfect for whatever you need to get done- whether it be blogging, school work, house work or preparing the rest of your Mother's Day Breakfast! 


Of course, to fully understand the intricacies of the humble lemon and cardamon bun, you'll have to make them yourself!


Lemon and Cardamon Buns
Based on: Lemon Sticky Rolls by Kitchn

Sticky Lemon Rolls with Lemon Cream Cheese Glaze
Makes 12 large breakfast rolls

Lemons, for dough, filling, glaze, and garnish
3 large lemons, at room temperature

For the dough:
2 1/2 teaspoons active yeast

3/4 cup milk, warmed to about 40˚c (warm but not hot on your wrist)
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, very soft, plus 3 tablespoons more for roll assembly
1/4 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamon
2 large eggs

For the sticky lemon filling:
1 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamon
1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger

For the lemon cream cheese glaze:
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar

Prepare the lemons:
Zest and juice the lemons. Divide the zest into three equal parts. One part will be used in the dough, a second part in the filling, and the final part will be sprinkled on top of the baked rolls for appearance and flavor.

Divide the juice into two equal parts, and set aside. Half of the lemon juice will be used in the lemon-sugar filling for the rolls. The other half will be used in the glaze.

Make the dough:
In the bowl of a stand mixer sprinkle the yeast over the warmed milk and let it sit for a few minutes or until foamy. With the mixer paddle, stir the softened butter, sugar, vanilla, and one cup of the flour into this milk and yeast mixture. Stir in the salt, cardamon, and one part (1/3) of the lemon zest. Stir in the eggs and enough of the remaining flour to make a soft yet sticky dough.

Switch to the dough hook and knead for about 5 minutes, or until the dough is elastic and pliable.

(If you do not have a stand mixer, stir together the ingredients by hand, then turn the soft dough out onto a lightly floured countertop. Knead the dough by hand (see this video for explicit instructions) for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the dough is smooth, pliable, and stretchy.)

Lightly grease the top of the dough with vegetable oil, and turn the dough over so it is coated in oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a towel and let the dough rise until nearly doubled — about one hour.

Make the filling:
In a small bowl, mix 1 cup sugar with the cardamon and ginger, then work in the second part of the lemon zest (1/3) with the tips of your fingers until the sugar resembles soft sand. Slowly pour in one part (1/2) of the lemon juice, stirring. Stop when the sugar and lemon juice form a thick, clumpy mixture like wet sand. (You may use all of the reserved half of the lemon juice; you may stop before completely adding that half of the lemon juice, depending on how much juice you got from your lemons.)

Assemble the rolls:
Lightly grease a 13x9-inch baking dish with baking spray or butter. On a floured surface pat the dough out into a large yet still thick rectangle — about 10x15 inches.

Spread the dough evenly with 3 tablespoons of very soft unsalted butter, then spread the lemon-sugar mixture over top. Roll the dough up tightly, starting from the top long end. Stretch and pull the dough taut as you roll, to keep the lemon sugar firm inside. Cut the long dough roll into 12 even rolls. Pinch the bottom of each roll closed to help keep the lemon sugar inside, and place each one, open and cut side up, in the prepared baking dish.

Cover the rolls with a towel and let them rise for an hour or until puffy and nearly doubled. (You can also refrigerate the rolls at this point. Cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap or a towel, and place it in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. When you are ready to bake the rolls, remove the pan from the fridge, and let them rise for an hour before proceeding with baking.)

Heat the oven to 350°F. Place the risen rolls in the oven and bake for 35 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into a center roll reads 190°F.

Make the glaze:
While the rolls are baking, prepare the glaze. In a small food processor (or with a mixer, or a sturdy whisk), whip the cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add the remaining part lemon juice and blend until well combined. Add the powdered sugar and blend until smooth and creamy.

Finish the rolls:
When the rolls are done, smear them with the cream cheese glaze, and sprinkle the final part (1/3) of the lemon zest over top to garnish. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving, but do serve while still warm.

Mia :)
Ps. Sorry for the bad photo + the lack of photos. They just looked so good that everyone ate them before I remembered that I hadn't taken any! Oops!

Apple and Date muffins

Some days you just know you're meant to make muffins.


You don't know what sort or even whether they'll be sweet or savoury, but you're 100% sure that muffins are the thing to make.


During the week I had one of those days. I realised I hadn't made muffins in.... well.... let's just say WAY too long. Looking around, their were all sorts of interesting ideas.


Part of me wanted to make savoury muffins because they are pretty yummy and it seemed awfully responsible to bake something that could almost be called healthy... but as usual, the other part of me won and I made the much-less-healthy-but-really-really-yummy version.

Not that they were the least healthy muffins in the world. I mean they're wholemeal, full of oats AND they contain fruit. Sounds healthy to me!


And they were delicious! Who knew date and apple was such a good combination; you'll be seeing it again here for sure!

They are based on the master muffin recipe.


I don't think I've ever baked a muffin, sweet or savoury, that wasn't based on this recipe. It has a very easy basic recipe, and then pages of quantities and advice for editing it. It even covers savoury muffins! I'll post the whole thing here sometime, but for now why not give these a try?


Apple and Date Muffins


1 1/2 cups wholemeal flour (you can use white if you prefer)
1 cup rolled oats (85 g)
1/2 cup caster sugar (120g)
1 cup buttermilk (265g)
1 egg
1/3 cup grapeseed oil
3/4 cup chopped dates
1 apple, grated


1. Preheat oven to 180˚c. Line a muffin tin with patty pans.
2. Combine flour, oats and sugar in a bowl. In a separate bowl, stir together remaining ingredients.
3. Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients and stir together gently, being careful not to overstir.
4. Spoon mixture into prepared tin and bake for 20 minutes (12 for mini muffins).
5. Turn out onto wire racks and allow to cool.


Enjoy!


Mia

Raspberry Friands

The other day I made friands (well, duh!).

But not just any friends. Mini-friands.

Like, really mini. Cute, little tiny friands.

Perfect for a tea party or a picnic!

I can just picture a group of little girls sitting having a dolls tea party with these things.

They're just that cute!

They're so, so easy too!

And great for sharing with friends, because they're so little everyone can have one or two (or three or four)!

Rasberry and Lime Friands

Based on: "Australian Womens Weekly: Sweet"

INGREDIENTS

3 egg whites
90g unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon finely grated lime rind
½ cup (60g) almond meal
¾ cup (120g) icing sugar
¼ cup (35g) plain flour
1/3 cup (50g) frozen raspberries
1 tablespoon icing sugar, extra

Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Grease two 12-hole (1-tablespoon/20ml) mini muffin pans.

Place egg whites in medium bowl, whisk until frothy. Stir in butter, rind, meal and sifted icing sugar and flour.

Drop heaped teaspoons of mixture into each muffin pan hole; top each with a raspberry.

Bake about 10 minutes. Stand friands in pans 5 minutes; turn onto wire rack to cool.

Dust with sifted extra icing sugar.

Mia :)

ANZAC Biscuits

Hi, I'm Mia's Mum (Cookbooknic). Mia is in Outback Australia having a fabulous adventure. I am sure you will hear more about that when she has time and internet access!! While she is away she has asked me to help keep her blog chugging along by doing a guest post. 


I'm writing this on ANZAC Day. For those outside of Australia and New Zealand this stands for Australia and New Zealand Army Corp and is our remembrance day for anyone who has fought in conflicts for Australia or New Zealand. It involves a dawn service, a parade, a Public Holiday, a gambling game legal only one day a year called 2-Up and baking and eating a biscuit (cookie) called the ANZAC Biscuit. I believe the biscuit was developed in World War 1 to be a nutritious, energy filled biscuit that would keep well so it could be mailed from home to the soldiers.


We are having a quiet home day. We marked the occasion by baking ANZAC biscuits which we shared hot out the oven with some friends who dropped in earlier. 

They are very simple to make. Recipes vary a little but all contain flour, butter, oats, coconut, sugar in some form and bicarb soda. This recipe came from the Country Women's Association (an authority on traditional Australian Baking) and contains lemon zest which I think lift them a little and cut-through the richness.

Anzac Biscuits

Ingredients

1 cup plain flour

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup coconut

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup caster sugar

grated rind of one lemon (or an orange)

125g butter

1 tablespoons golden syrup

1 teaspoon bi-carb soda

1 tablespoon boiling water

Method

Put all the dry ingredients in a bowl with the grated rind.

Put the butter and golden syrup in a saucepan on a low until butter is melted.


Mix the boiling water and bi-carb soda in a cup. 

Pour the butter mix and the bicarb mix in with the dry ingredients and stir to combine. 

Roll into balls (approximately one teaspoon of mixture per ball).

Place on oven trays and flatten slightly, leaving space for them to expand a little.


Cook at approximately 170 degrees C for ten minutes, or until golden.

Leave on tray to set a little before serving warm with a cup of tea!

If you are keeping them cool on the oven tray and keep in an airtight container for a few weeks.

I must say I am all for weeks where you work Monday, Tuesday have a holiday Wednesday, work Thursday, Friday and then have a weekend! I think this model could work every week!!

 Enjoy!

Nicola

Olive and Rosemary Bread

There is nothing better than a fresh, warm loaf of bread.

Nothing.

It's usually Dad who makes bread in our house. Beautiful Sourdoughs, with days of effort and care in them.

But this loaf doesn't ask for days of effort and care. Not at all! 

 Maybe half an hour of your time, and two hours of resting. That's all these loafs want. They're not greedy, that's for sure.

Which makes them perfect for a weekend morning. Prepare them, go get some stuff done while they rise, shape the loaves, get some more stuff done and bake them. Voila! Fresh bread!

But this isn't just your average loaf either. It's moist, stays soft and is full of olives and rosemary.

It's delicious! Do I have you sold?

I'd recommend fiddling with it- add whatever you please! I think nuts, dried fruits, different herbs or sun dried tomatoes would all be nice. Add them during the punchdown- a short knead to get the air out of the dough.

What would you add to the bread?

Olive and Rosemary Bread

Based on: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/delicious-rosemary-bread/detail.aspx and http://mademoisellesonushka.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/rosemary-olive-bread.html

• Ingredients
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 cup warm water
• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons rosemary
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 3 cups bread flour
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 egg, beaten


1. Dissolve the sugar in warm water in a medium bowl, and mix in the yeast. When yeast is bubbly, mix in salt, butter, 1 tablespoon rosemary, and Italian seasoning. Mix in 2 cups flour. Gradually add remaining flour to form a workable dough, and knead 10 to 12 minutes.
2. Coat the inside of a large bowl with olive oil. Place dough in bowl, cover, and allow to rise 1 hour in a warm location.
3. Punch down dough, and divide in half. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly grease paper. Shape dough into 2 round loaves, and place on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with remaining rosemary. Cover, and allow to rise 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
5. Brush loaves with egg. Bake 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.
• 
  

Mia :)

Circular Cheese Stars (otherwise known as holiday baking)

Now I'm going to start by saying that I'm not quite as insane as you might think. I'm well aware that stars are not circular.

Phew!

(excuse my horrible photography. at home everyone's used to the 'half hour photography

 before anyone can eat' routine, but it seemed unfair to keep my grandparents waiting. 

especially after someone had already eaten one of the top of the plate!)

In fact, I wish my cheese stars hadn't been circular. It's just that… well… I forgot the cookie cutter!

And the rolling pin…

But never fear, the humble drinking glass is here!

A rolling pin and a cookie cutter all in one- you can even drink out of it!

You don't think about all those little things you use in the kitchen until they're missing- cups, tablespoons, proper baking trays, cookie cutters and rolling pins!

Still, they're perhaps not as important as we might think- I appear to have gotten through fine.

We're also living (pretty much) without the internet. Apart from the odd, very brief, phone hotspot, there's no internet access. 

At all!

Again, we do seem to be surviving, but I don't know how long we'll last.

We're at a library right now though, basking in the slow but free internet.

Oh! I'm a bit off topic. I'll get back to the biscuits now.

They're delicious and very, very easy!

They don't make many- maybe 15 or so- but they go quickly and are great hot out of the oven!

Cheese biscuits (in whatever shape you like!)

Based on: http://bakemedelicious.blogspot.com.au/2010/04/cheese-stars-or-hearts-story.html

Ingredients

1 cup plain flour

6 tbsp (85g) butter

1 cup tasty cheese, grated

1/4 tsp mustard powder

1 small egg

Milk, to mix

1. Rub together the flour and butter in a bowl until they have a sand like texture.

2. Add the cheese and mustard powder. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg and add. Mix well.

3. Mix with your hands until a ball forms. Add milk if necessary.

4. Chill in the fridge for half an hour. Preheat the oven to 180˚c. 

5. Roll out on a lightly flowered bench to roughly 1 cm thick. Cut into whatever shape you like.

6. Bake for 10 minutes. Serve while warm, or allow to cool.

Enjoy!

Mia :)

Madelines

Birthdays are always so fun, and even though it was a week ago I'm still enjoying it!


For my birthday, I got a beautiful red electric mixer, a madeline tin, a beautiful cookbook of little sweet things and (gasp!) an overlocker!


How exciting! There'll be more about the overlocker later, but today I'm going to focus on the other three.

I absolutely had to make madelines, and what do you know, the book had a recipe! Plus, you needed an electric mixer!

I got to try out all my beautiful new things at once!


And gosh, those madelines were AMAZING! Warm out of the oven, with a cup of tea- they were bliss! I think a batch of these might just need to become a saturday morning tradition round here!


They were SO easy, and the recipe fit my pan exactly. The lemon was really yummy too.


Don't you just love when you try something out for the first time, and it's a success?


So if you've got a madeline tin, I'd highly recommend whipping up a bach of these nect time you've got half an hour to spare.


And they'd make a pretty impressive treat if you've got friends popping in for coffee don't you think?

Lemon Madelines
Based on: 'Womens Weekly; Sweet'


Makes 12


Ingredients
2 eggs
2 tbsp caster sugar
2 tbsp icing sugar
2 tsp finely grated lemon rind
1/4 cup (35g) self raising flour
1/4 cup (35g) plain flour
75g unsalted butter, melted
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp icing sugar


1. Preheat the oven to 200˚C. Grease 12 hole (1 1/2 tablespoon/30ml) madeline tin.
2. Beat eggs, caster sugar, sifted icing sugar and rind in a small bowl with electric mixer until pale and thick.
3. Meanwhile, triple sift flours; sift flour over egg mixture. Pour butter and juice down the side then fold ingredients together.
4. Drop rounded tablespoons of mixture into each hole of the tin. Bake about 10 minutes. Tap hot tin firmly on the bench to release madelines onto a wire rack to cool.

Thanks for all the amazing presents everyone!


Mia :)