Pavlova

The Queen of all Australian desserts has got to be the amazing Pavlova. Just like the ballerina it was named after it is delicate and fragile and sweet and so pleasing to the eye.

This is one of those desserts that I find is easy and quite fuss free as you make it, it goes in the oven and it can stay there cooling for hours out of sight until you're ready to dress it and shove in face. It's definitely one of the desserts from my repertoire of desserts that gets made often.

I am posting this blog in honour of my sister and my soul sista who have asked me for the recipe. So here you go ladies. This is a Margaret Fulton recipe, can't go wrong. Give it a go. As my rascally twins say "paf ro va is yummy for the tummy"

PAVLOVA

6 egg whites (MUST be room temperature)
a pinch of salt
2 cups caster sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

For the topping
200-300ml cream (depends how much you love cream)
2 tablespoons icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
fruits of your fancy, anything goes

1. Preheat oven. If it's a gas oven preheat to 230 degrees Celsius and if it's an electric oven preheat to 150 degrees Celsius.

2. Beat egg whites and salt until soft peaks form. Then add sugar a tablespoon at a time making sure it's mixed well between each addition. Once all sugar is in and is well incorporated you may stop when the peaks are stiff.

3. Fold in vinegar and vanilla.

4. Pile mixture into your dish of choice or on foil. You may use either a greased china flan dish or a greased springform tin or just draw a circle about 20cm on baking foil on a tray. Pile mixture high and use a spatula to shape.

5. If baking in gas oven turn heat down to coolest and bake for 1.5 hours. If using an electric oven bake for 45 minutes, turn oven off, keep door shut and leave for 1 hour. Then remove from oven or leave it there with door slightly ajar.

6. For cream topping whip cream, sugar and vanilla. Then top the cooled Pavlova and garnish with whatever you like.

                                      

Rosewater Stained Glass Jelly

A friend of mine showed me a post that the very clever people at The Food Librarian had on Broken Glass Jello. It is basically coloured jelly cut up and suspended in technicolor gorgeousness in white jelly. Very very simple, very very beautiful and definitely a hit with the kids. The original recipe is super easy as the technicolor jelly was just 4 packets of Jello in 4 different colours.

I did opt not to use the boxed Jello purely for the fact that if I made my own coloured jelly than the colouring and sugar content was in my control. The white jelly component is sugar laden enough as it's a whole can of condensed milk. I also wanted the coloured component to be rosewater flavoured as rosewater jelly is something that always makes me think of my childhood.

Whichever way you decide to go just know that the kids won't care as all they see is colour, colour and more colour and as quickly as you blink the pieces will disappear.

Stained Glass Jelly

1.2L water
6-10 tablespoons castor sugar (go with your taste buds)
2 teaspoons rosewater
4 tablespoons powder gelatin
300ml boiling water
food colouring (I used 4 colours but it's up to you how little or how many you want)

*** or completely ignore the last 6 lines and get 4 boxes of Jello ***

395ml sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup cold water
1 1/2 cup boiling water
3 tablespoons gelatin power

1. Make jelly. If you are using Jello only use 1 cup water for each colour as you want the jelly a harder consistency and it sets faster. If not add water, sugar and rosewater to desired taste and let simmer. In a separate cup dissolve gelatin in hot water and stir through jelly mixture. Boil once and remove from fire.

2. Separate jelly into 4 containers and add food colouring. Cool in fridge. If possible overnight is preferred but if not as long as possible, 3 hours or more.

3. Once coloured jelly is ready cut into little blocks and mix it up in a container.

4. Dilute condensed milk with hot water. Dissolve gelatin in cold water and mix. Stir and let cool before adding to coloured jelly. If you add when milk jelly is still hot coloured jelly will start to melt. Set in fridge overnight.

 

Maltesers Fudge Slice

A few months ago I was given a recipe for a low fat low sugar low cal Weight Watcher's dessert recipe with one of my all time favourite chocolate, Maltesers. It has taken me this long to try it because I honestly thought that the low sugar and low fat would bring along with it low taste. I am so so pleased to say that I was wrong on that assumption. This recipe made a dessert that is tasty and moist and sticky and fudgey and just Malteserey goodness all the way through.

This recipe has no butter at all, very little vegetable oil and it uses vanilla fruche so it's a win win from the word go. 

**** this original recipe only calls for 120g of Maltesers but I must admit that I bought a jumbo pack, added about 200g in the cake, kept 24 balls aside for decorations and ate the rest ... hehehhehehe****

Maltesers Fudge Slice

1 cup self raising flour

3/4 cup cocoa powder

approx 200g Maltesers

2 eggs

3/4 castor sugar

2 tbs vegetable oil

2 x 150g tubs lite french vanilla Fruche

1/3 cup skim milk

vanilla frosting for decoration is optional (I used store bought)

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

2. In a big bowl mix flour, cocoa powder and Maltesers

3. Use another bowl and whisk all remaining ingredients. Then add to dry ingredients and mix well.

4. Place batter into a tin and smooth the top down. I used a silicone tray but if you don't make sure you line bottom and sides with baking powder.

5. Bake for 30 minutes until firm.

6. Allow to completely cool before cutting.

7. Add a little vanilla frosting if you wish. It doesn't really need it but I could not help myself!

                                                     

Strawberry Custard Tarts

It was twin playgroup time again and I was tossing up between making either this or cookie pops. After a rather hectic week and not really wanting to load the twins into the car and drag them (or rather them drag me) through the shops for 1 item I made these tarts. Always fun to make and certainly a winner among the kids. They just love anything with strawberry in it. Also the price of strawberries are coming back down again so I had several punnets just looking fat and sweet calling at me "eat me, eat me". You only have to tell me once.

The recipe that I used is from Taste.com.au with a little tweak. I doubled the custard ingredients as the original recipe only made enough custard for 12 mini store bought pastry cases and I wanted more. Also I made my own tart cases. I did not make the pastry from scratch but by all means if you can please do. I used ready made shortcrust pastry and also some dark chocolate shortcrust pastry. Here's a thing I learnt from using the chocolate pastry - taste SO crazily yummy as is without baking. All the remnants from the cut outs ... ate them :)

Strawberry Custard Tarts
3 sheets shortcrust pastry (I used 2 normal, 1 chocolate just because I could)
4 egg yolks
4 tablespoons caster sugar
2/3 cups thickened cream
strawberry jam
1 punnet strawberries

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
2. Cut out pastry and shape into muffin trays. I made 24 minis and 6 large muffin size ones.
3. Dock the pastry by piercing it with a fork several times so that it doesn't rise and get too puffy or you won't have room for lots of custard.
4. Bake in oven for 10 minutes, set aside to cool and start on custard.
*** pastry will shrink a little when baked so when you cut out pastry to make tart cases do not cut out pieces that are too small ***
5. Whisk yolks and sugar until all sugar is dissolved. Then add cream and mix. Don't whisk too much or the final product will be bubbly and not smooth.
6. Put a small dollop of jam on the base of each tart and add a piece of strawberry. How big the piece of fruit is up to you and also it has to fit the size of tart.
7. Pour custard into tart case around the strawberry and try not to overfill.
8. Bake for approx 15 minutes until custard is set.