Banana & Almond Loaf

Have you ever wondered what to do with overripe and blackened bananas? Or maybe you're like me and you're not really a fan of the flavour of blackening bananas and want a recipe that will use up the bananas without highlighting the overripe flavours. If you don't want to make this straight away, you can peel the bananas and put them into the freezer for a few weeks then let them defrost in the fridge overnight before using.

I based this recipe on the basic pound cake ratio of equal parts butter, sugar and flour. It's incredibly easy to make and vary to your own preferences and doesn't require any special equipment. To make this a little more fancy than your conventional banana bread, I added some lemon zest and juice, and sliced almonds scattered on top for contrasting texture. I also reduced the amount of sugar as bananas convert their carbohydrates to sugars when they ripen which is why ripe bananas are more sweet than underripe ones.

Banana & Almond Loaf

200 g butter, at room temperature

120 g sugar

2 overripe bananas, peeled

1 lemon, zest and juice

200 g flour

a small handful of sliced almonds

• Beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until it becomes lighter in colour and creamy. You can use a whisk or a wooden spoon for this job.
• Break up the bananas and mix them into the butter with the lemon zest and juice.
• Fold through the flour gently and stir until just combined.
• Line a loaf tin with some baking paper and leave the excess hanging out to make it easy to take out afterwards.
• Transfer the batter into the tin and use a spoon to smooth the top.
• Sprinkle over the sliced almonds and bake in the oven for 40 minutes at 170 degrees Celsius.
• Turn the tin around after 20 minutes to make sure it cooks evenly.
• When it's done, remove from the oven and allow it to cool for a while, then use the baking paper hanging out to pull the loaf out of the tin.

Preserving Winter Fruit

Hey you, yes you in the kitchen, holding that bowl of orange peels left from the bounty of winter citrus that were nurtured so lovingly by your favourite producer down at the weekend farmers' market. I can see what you're up to. You were planning to upend the entire contents into the waste bin that'll undoubtedly go into landfill and contribute to our already warming atmosphere weren't you? 

Shake your head. Lie to me. That's right. 

There's something else that we can do with these that'll add another awesome secret ingredient to your pantry and have your neighbours peeking over the fence with jealousy as you entertain your friends and family with beautifully perfumed renditions of Italian classics.

Preserved lemon is an ingredient that I know you're familiar with. Tangy. Robust. A burst of floral citrus and acidity all in one. It's proved to be quite versatile, contributing to some of the great culinary masterpieces and traditional peasant dishes of our time, providing a subtle backdrop or Kill Bill-style smack in the face.

Luckily for us, orange peels have just the same potential if not more. Google preserved oranges and what you'll find is 2.47 million images of sugar-laden, diabetes-inducing goodness. This is not what I'm suggesting.


Preserved orange peel

orange peel (with or without pith, whatever)
cheap rock salt (preferably local, organic and sustainably harvested)
aromatic spices and stuff
fresh orange juice/lemon juice/apple cider vinegar to cover

Pay close attention. This recipe is deceptively simple.

Stuff a sterilised jar with orange peel and handfuls of rock salt.

Throw some cinnamon quills or peppercorns or bay leaves or whatever in.

Cover with juice and/or vinegar.

Screw on the lid.

Chuck it in a dark place for a couple of months.

Jars must be stored in a cool, dark place as excessive heat and UV light can cause degradation of citric acid which is BAD. Reconstituted orange juice and any other non-fresh juice that is heat treated during processing should not be used as heat destroys acidity.

Fresh lemon juice has a pH that lies somewhere around 2-3, fresh orange juice typically has a pH of 3.5 and apple cider vinegar has a pH that falls between 4.25 and 5. For safe preservation, the pH should ideally be maintained below 4.6. 

If using apple cider vinegar this can be achieved by mixing it with a substantial amount of lemon juice to increase the acidity. If you don't have citrus juice, you can try adding powdered citric acid (no more than 8% of liquid weight). Palm vinegar is an inappropriate dress to wear to this occasion. White vinegar will have you thrown out.

Preserved orange peel will take your dinner parties where they never dared. If a riot breaks out when you hit the bottom of the jar, don't blame us.

Caramelised white chocolate bubble cake

It's been three weeks and barely a dent has been made in my ever growing list of things I'd like to do. The library books I borrowed in February are still collecting dust. I go to bed every night meaning to do more, and every morning I wake with dreams of escape.

If you want something done sometimes you have to do it yourself, but what if this is too much? Can I alone affect even one person? My doubts keep getting in the way, along with my tendency to put off the most simple of things like asking a gorgeous woman to a dinner at her suggestion. Fuck.

These last few weeks have been whiled away digging trenches in the garden, planting heirloom King Edward spuds, nibbling on freshly picked roquette salad leaves and providing my young plants with a heavy mulching of shredded pea straw to protect them against the oncoming frost. One more day to endure before I find out how my efforts fared.

I wish I could bury myself amongst the potatoes and somehow fast forward time to tomorrow. Will I pass? Will I fail? Will I be throwing up with excitement or trying to kick myself in the head? This waiting game is excruciating, even with the consolation of a soft and buttery homemade white chocolate cake worthy of cardiac arrest.

White chocolate sponge cake

145 g white chocolate buttons (Callebaut)

60 g unsalted butter

6 egg yolks

10 g all-purpose flour

4 egg whites

5 g vanilla paste

1 g cream of tartar

90 g castor sugar

Melt chocolate and butter over a bain marie.

Remove from heat and stir until smooth. Allow to cool slightly.

Whisk together egg yolks, flour and 20 g sugar.

Add melted chocolate to yolks and whisk to combine.

Whisk egg whites, vanilla and cream of tartar in a large bowl until medium peaks form.

Sprinkle in a little sugar at a time, whisking until all remaining sugar has been used; firm, glossy peaks have formed and sugar granules can no longer be felt in the meringue.

Add 1/3 of the meringue to the yolks and whisk to combine.

Add remaining meringue and fold together gently with a whisk.

Pour onto a heavy baking sheet lined with baking paper.

Bake at 140ºC for 12 minutes, rotating halfway.

Cool completely on the baking tray.

Place a sheet of baking paper over the top and flip upside down.

Gently prise off the first sheet of paper and set aside.

Dehydrated yoghurt

200 g natural yoghurt

Spread yoghurt onto the shiny side of a silpat/non-stick baking mat.

Dehydrate in oven with the door slightly ajar at 50ºC for 5 hours or until crisp.

Cool to room temperature.

Break into shards and store in an airtight container.

Malted milk honeycomb

70 g liquid glucose

185 g castor sugar

60 g water

12 g dehydrated milk powder

15 g malted milk powder

4 g baking soda

Heat glucose, sugar and water in a small pot to 160ºC.

Whisk together dehydrated milk, malted milk powder and baking soda in a small bowl.

Add powder to caramel and whisk until just combined.

Pour malted caramel into a large bowl lined with baking paper. (Caramel will bubble up and expand)

Set aside at room temperature for half an hour to set.

Remove paper and break apart into small chunks.

Store in an airtight container.

Custard buttercream base

300 g milk

4 g vanilla paste

5 egg yolks

240 g castor sugar

450 g unsalted butter, soft

Scald milk, vanilla and half of the sugar in a small pot.

Set aside for half an hour to infuse.

Cream egg yolks and remaining sugar.

Pour milk into the eggs a little at a time and whisk to combine.

Return to the pot and bring to a simmer to thicken, stirring continuously. (High amount of sugar will prevent egg from scrambling)

Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

Whisk butter in an electric mixer to aerate.

Slowly add cooled custard and continue whisking until light and creamy.

Lemon buttercream

700 g custard buttercream

10 g lemon zest, finely grated (approx. 3-4 large lemons)

Add lemon zest to buttercream and whisk until fully incorporated.

Caramelised white chocolate buttercream

250 g custard buttercream

50 g white chocolate buttons

20 g milk

Spread chocolate onto a silpat mat and bake at 150ºC for 12 minutes, mixing every 3 minutes.

Heat milk with 35 g of caramelised white chocolate and bring to a simmer. (Eat the rest of the caramelised chocolate.. yummy)

Allow to cool to below 55ºC.

Add caramelised chocolate milk to buttercream and whisk until light and creamy.

To assemble:

Cover white chocolate sponge with lemon buttercream.

Crush a little malted milk honeycomb with a mortar and pestle and sprinkle over the buttercream.

Roll, using the baking paper underneath to support the sponge.

Refrigerate until firm.

Cover the sponge exterior with caramelised white chocolate buttercream.

Refrigerate until firm.

Tempered white chocolate bubbles

400 g white chocolate buttons

Melt chocolate over a bain marie, stirring with a spatula.

Bring to 45ºC.

Cool to 27ºC by spreading chocolate on the bench in a thin layer to cool quickly before scraping back into the bowl.

Return to bain marie for a few seconds until it reaches 31.5ºC.

Spread tempered chocolate over a sheet of intact bubble wrap that is large enough to cover the entire sponge.

To finish:

Place sponge into the middle of the bubble wrap sheet and bring the sides up.

Smooth down the bubble wrap, making sure all parts come into contact with the buttercream exterior.

Place on a tray and refrigerate until firm.

Remove bubble wrap carefully and turn upside-down for best presentation.

Serve at room temperature with shards of dehydrated yoghurt.

An Old Love, Crumbled

A few days ago I caught up with someone who was once a very special person in my life. Years have gone by since we last conversed but she's still the same striking, unconventional, deeply intelligent and self-possessed woman that I remember. It's strange - even after so much time apart we met again with the same comfort and ease. Amidst the frantic pace, I'd resigned myself long ago to the thought of never seeing her again. Together in the silences, sitting close enough to trace her hands, her face, her lips; I wanted so much to cast off my remaining inhibitions and blurt out "I've never stopped loving you".

Somewhere on the journey home I realised that occasionally a taste is required to remind ourselves of the things that we've always loved and momentarily forgotten.

After a long leave of absence, rhubarb crumble made a reappearance at the dining table to much delight, and perhaps, even a little surprise. It's been a while since I've given a humble crumble the time of day. I've come to consider it as a "fallback dessert" - possible to whip up with minimal ingredients and the most meager of tools.

Perhaps it was the crimson rhubarb, stems snipped from their crowns under drawing dusk; maybe the apples with their blanket of floral perfume were to blame, the mandarins, just fallen from their bowing branches; or the Madagascan vanilla, so sweet and seductive; that brought me back to appreciate this simple dessert.

Baked in the oven with a sprinkling of rapadura sugar for a boost of extra caramelisation and served while still warm with a zealous dollop of cold and tangy sheep's milk yoghurt, some old loves are truly worth pining for.

Rhubarb Crumble

a dozen stems of freshly picked rhubarb (20cm long)

1 fuji apple

2 mandarins, zested and juiced

castor sugar

unsalted butter

1 vanilla pod, split & scraped

all-purpose flour

a sprinkling of Murray River salt flakes

rapadura sugar

lots of sheep's milk yoghurt

Give the rhubarb a rinse and dry.

Finely slice stems and place in a small pot.

Dice the apple into small cubes and add to rhubarb.

Add mandarin juice to pot and cook over medium heat, stirring every now and then until apples have collapsed.

Add castor sugar to taste and cook for a few minutes until jammy.

Stir through mandarin zest and spoon into a ceramic dish.

Rub about half a cup of diced cold butter with a large pinch of castor sugar, a small pinch of salt, scraped vanilla seeds and enough flour to form a clumpy, breadcrumby consistency.

Sprinkle this over the rhubarb in a thick layer.

Sprinkle a little rapadura sugar over the crumble topping.

Bake for 30 minutes at 180ºC or until golden and bubbling.

Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving with a generous amount of yoghurt.

Submitted for Grow Your Own - August 2010.

MasterChef Challenge: Passionfruit Pavlova

With three contestants from earlier episodes back in play for another shot at the MasterChef title, I thought I'd revisit one of the very first challenges set by Donna Hay. Can you guess what it is? Why it's the pavlova challenge of course!

We all know what pavlova is: crisp and crunchy on the outside with soft, pillowy meringue on the inside and all as white as a cloud on a bright, sunny day. Where most people tend to go wrong in the pav-making process is hmm let's see.. The stage when the egg whites are whisking and the recipe calls to add sugar to create a meringue. If you've read books by the likes of Shirley O'Corriher, Harold McGee or Hervé This, you'll be aware that adding sugar early in the mixing process inhibits the ability of egg white to become light and fluffy with loads of volume.

If you add sugar at the beginning, you'll end up with the perfect paste to pour into a soup bowl. What you should do instead, is beat the whites until they are aerated enough to form soft peaks and only then begin adding sugar (a little at a time mind you). If you dump it all in at once, the egg whites will collapse. If you add it gradually, the sugar will bind with the whites to create a more stable platform to hold up under the weight of the additional sugar and you'll have a meringue with maximum volume!

At the far end of my garden, a golden passionfruit vine has slowly wound its way up an old stone wall that provides shelter for ferns living on the other side. Using a sprightly young orange tree as leverage, it reaches for the empty sky and basks in sunlight all day long. Late autumn marked the first (ever!) harvest, and even now the vine lays abundant with winter fruit. 

Allowing the season to guide my inspiration, I decided against making a traditional pavlova. Wanting to do something a little more fun, I clambered up the stone wall and reached through the thorns of the orange tree. Waving a spindly stick around like a lunatic, I eventually swatted down about half a dozen ripe golden passionfruit from the creepers that had entwined themselves around the upper branches.

I scooped out the sweet pulp and incorporated most of it into a rich pastry cream, half of which went into the oven to dry into wafer-thin crisps. The other half, I reserved in a piping bag for plating. I made oeufs a la neige in the microwave and mandarin jelly from the juice of freshly squeezed mandarins (straight out of the garden too!). I kept the peel and candied it in a simple syrup with anise, pared a few mandarin segments, cracked open a couple of walnuts and turned the remaining passionfruit pulp into a sharp vinaigrette.

Passionfruit Pastry Cream and Crisps

420 g milk
94 g egg yolk (approx. 5)
85 g castor sugar
32 g potato starch
4 g sea salt (I use Murray River pink salt flakes)
45 g unsalted butter
128 g golden passionfruit pulp

Pour milk into a small pot and bring to the boil. Remove from heat.
Whisk eggs, sugar, potato starch and salt in a bowl until thoroughly combined.
Temper eggs by slowly adding hot milk, whisking continuously.
Pour into pot and simmer over medium heat for 2 minutes to thicken, whisking continuously.
Remove from heat and whisk for a few minutes to cool.
Whisk in butter when it cools to below 55ºC but is still quite warm.
Whisk in passionfruit pulp.
Spread half onto baking paper in a thin layer.
Place onto a baking tray and dehydrate at 90ºC for 2 hours or until crisp when cool.
Push remaining pastry cream through a fine sieve.
Keep refrigerated in a piping bag until serving.


Candied Mandarin Peel

25 g mandarin peel
150 g castor sugar
150 g water
1 g sea salt
1 star anise

Cut peel into 2-3 cm wide pieces.
Remove any white pith with a sharp knife.
Blanch 3 times in boiling water to soften.
Place sugar, water, salt and star anise in a small pot and bring to the boil.
Add mandarin peel, reduce heat until barely bubbling.
Cook over low heat until nearly translucent (approx. 30 mins) and the syrup becomes viscous like honey.
Cool and store in syrup in fridge.


Mandarin Jelly

1 gold gelatine leaf
20 g boiling water
150 g freshly-squeezed mandarin juice

Soak gelatine leaf in cold water for a minute to bloom.
Squeeze out excess moisture and dissolve in a bowl with boiling water.
Add mandarin juice and whisk to combine.
Strain and pour into a shallow dish.
Refrigerate for 1 hour or until set.


Oeufs A La Neige

144 g egg white (approx. 5)
175 g castor sugar
2 g vanilla paste

Place everything in a bowl over a bain marie and stir gently until the whites have warmed up slightly and the sugar has dissolved.
Transfer to an electric stand mixer.
Whisk on high speed for 2 minutes.
Reduce speed to medium-high and whisk for an additional 3 minutes.
Divide into two square plastic containers (takeaway containers work well) and smooth over the top.
Microwave one at a time on medium setting for 90 seconds or until cooked through and puffed like a souffle.
Refrigerate until thoroughly cold.


Passionfruit Vinaigrette

33 g golden passionfruit pulp
5 g extra virgin olive oil (I used Nolans Road - Delicate)
2 g light agave syrup (available in Aus. from Santos Natural Food Store)
2 g apple cider vinegar

Whisk together in a small bowl to break up the passionfruit pulp.

To plate up - pipe passionfruit pastry cream into two parallel lines 3cm apart, running from one end of the plate to the other. Using a 3cm diameter round pastry cutter, cut cylinders out of the cold oeufs a la neige. They should feel firm like marshmallow. Square off the ends and place these along the lines of pastry cream. Place a few mandarin segments around the cream and spoon a little mandarin jelly in-between. Slice a piece of candied mandarin peel into thin strips and drape a few over the mandarin segments. Pop a few small pieces of raw walnut around and spoon over a generous tablespoon or two of passionfruit vinaigrette. Break the dehydrated pastry cream into shards and finish by leaning one up against each vanilla eouf.

Ta da! And that's my passionfruit & mandarin pavlova! It encompasses all of the original tastes and textures - sweet, sour, crisp, crunchy, creamy, soft and smooth, but presented in a different form, I think it takes an old dessert to a new level.

Submitted for Grow Your Own: July 2010 hosted by Kitchen Gadget Girl.

A Cherry Pie Exclusive

"Do I have to leave some for everyone else?" Mat teased after taking a bite or two or three when I dropped off a box of leftovers at work early one afternoon. I shook my head and grinned stupidly; still a little giddy from stuffing my face with sugary goodness the night before. I'd just rolled, filled and baked my first ever cherry pie and my sister and I had gorged on it, morning and night. It was my first proper pie: made with weaved-lattice crust and tender, flaky, buttery pastry; filled to the brim with sweet, black and bubbling cherries; smothered with velvet-smooth pastry cream, infused with the nutty, earthy taste of almonds.

Before that weekend I would have considered myself a pie making virgin of sorts. But after caressing the delicate pastry, filling the plate with soft, ripe fruit and peering through the oven door tentatively for just the right moment to rescue my love from the searing heat, I now have a perfect recipe that I can check off my ridiculously long list of things-to-try and to add to my baking repertoire.

None of this would have come about were it not for Melissa; a wonderfully generous friend I met whilst attending to cookery studies years ago at the Sydney Intercontinental Hotel School. Although no longer working in kitchens, we still catch up every now and then for a meal and food talk. It was Melissa who offered me the opportunity to get my grubby little hands on the most recently published 'Williams-Sonoma Baking Book: The Essential Recipe Collection for Today's Home Baker' for a scant $20 (RRP. $US35). I took her word for it when she flicked through it briefly and told me over the phone that it looked good; she was right on the money there. It's quite a large book, with over 400 pages and a corresponding picture for every cookie, bread, cake, pie, tart and souffle recipe, including step-by-step instructions on how to make a lattice pie crust, stemming from a collective source of American favourites. In my letter to Santa, I wished for Williams-Sonoma to open up a flagship store in Sydney, but with postal strikes on Christmas Eve, I fear I may have to wait in trepidation for yet another year... I don't suppose anyone knows of any reasonably-priced freight forwarding companies willing to ship crates full of kitchen goodies over to Australia?

The Williams-Sonoma range being unavailable, I purchased a lovely white, fluted 19cm Corningware pie plate from Kitchenware Direct and a lattice cutter (while not the best and a little rattly, it was cheap and served its purpose diligently) for the top crust and trim. Previously without knowledge of the proper method of laying out the trim for the lattice crust, I'd always avoided making pies, feeling slightly intimidated by the intricate folds and weaves. But I've since realised that those fears were unfounded; the method is quite a simple one to master and can be done by even the newbies of novices.

There's nothing really difficult about this recipe although it does require about 2.5 hours to complete due to the pastry resting time and baking. I use almond meal in the filling as a thickener to soak up all those fruity juices, much like one would use breadcrumbs in a savoury pie, and if like me, you pit your own whole cherries, you'll need to start with an additional 100g, plus extra if they're really tasty as they'll keep disappearing before they make it into the pie. Proven to be perfect for SHF holidays.. and a Christmas potluck party with friends.


Flaky Pastry Dough
adapted from The Williams-Sonoma Baking Book

400 g flour
20 g castor sugar
2 g salt
250 g unsalted butter, diced into 6 x 6mm
85 g ice water

Sift flour, sugar and salt into a large bowl.
Press butter into flour with fingertips until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs with pieces of butter the size of small peas.
Add ice water and fold lightly until it just comes together.
Divide into equal parts, pat into rough circles.
Cover one half with a dry tea towel and place in the fridge.
Roll remaining half into a circle on a lightly floured bench to 2.5mm thickness.
Fold over rolling pin and lift into the bottom of a 19cm pie plate.
Leave overhang on the sides and keep refrigerated.

Cherry Pie Filling

800 g pitted cherries, halved
125 g castor sugar
25 g potato starch
2 g salt
5 g vanilla paste
30 g almond meal
30 g unsalted butter, diced

Combine sugar, starch, salt, vanilla and almond meal in a bowl and stir to combine.
Sprinkle over the cherries and toss to coat evenly.
Fill pie plate with cherries and smooth out the top as best you can.
Roll second half of pastry into a rectangle on a lightly floured bench to 2.5mm thickness.
Starting from the right side (for right-handers) and using the rolling pin as a straight guide, cut out 12 strips 1.5 - 2cm wide with a lattice cutter.
Lay lattice strips over the top and seal ends by brushing the pie edge (underneath the lattice) lightly with cold water.
Run the lattice cutter around the edge and remove excess overhang.
Dot butter in-between the lattice strips.
Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Bake at 200ºC for 20 minutes, reduce heat to 180ºC and bake for an additional 45 minutes, rotating halfway.
Cool to room temperature on a wire rack before cutting.

Almond Pastry Cream

700 g milk, plus extra
150 g almond meal
2 g salt
110 g egg yolks (approx. 6)
110 g castor sugar
2 g vanilla paste
30 g potato starch
40 g unsalted butter

Bring 550 g milk, almond meal and salt to the boil in a small saucepan.
Reduce heat to low and infuse for 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and rub through a fine sieve. Discard almonds. Add a little extra milk to bring the total weight to 500 g.
Whisk yolks, sugar, vanilla and potato starch in a medium bowl until pale.
Temper the yolks with the milk by pouring the milk into the bowl slowly and whisking continuously.
Return milk to the pan and over medium heat, bring to a simmer, whisking continuously (starch will thicken upon reaching boiling point).
Transfer to a bowl and stir in remaining 150 g milk to cool.
Add butter and stir until completely incorporated.
Keep refrigerated.

Hooray For Spring!

Spring has well and truly sprung and before the official commencement of summer it's best that we take full advantage of all the glories that the season has to offer us right now. Buckets of rain and loads of sunshine mean that domestic herds have finally stopped chewing on old winter hay and moved onto the new lush Spring growth that's creeping up the hillsides. With a sharper flavour and lower fat content than bovine milk, goat's milk carries strong aromas of grass and flora. I don't need much more convincing and as the saying goes, 'There's no better time than the present!'

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This is quite a simple recipe but a good one all the same. Tangy berries and biscuity base are matched with all things dairy for a sumptuous Spring treat. Fresh goat's curd is mellowed with rich cream, offset by the sharpness of fruit and ice cream with just a hint of honey.

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Raspberry Ice Cream

210 g milk
35 g honey
3 g salt
5 egg yolks
40 g castor sugar
210 g cream
70 g raspberries

Scald milk, honey and salt in a medium saucepan.

Whisk eggs and sugar in a large bowl until creamed.

Temper eggs with milk by pouring milk in slowly and whisking continuously.

Cook in a large bowl over a baine-marie until it reaches the nappe stage (84ºC), stirring continuously with a large spatula.

Strain, add cream and raspberries.

Refrigerate until cold then churn in an ice cream machine.

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Tart Pastry

280 g flour
70 g castor sugar
4 g salt
140 g unsalted butter, chopped
115 g cream
1 egg white

In a large bowl rub together the flour, sugar, salt and butter.

Stir through the cream and knead until it comes together.

Shape into a flattened circle, wrap and refrigerate until cold.

Roll out the dough to 2.5 - 3mm thickness.
Trim to fit a 20cm diameter fluted tart pan.
Pierce base with a small sharp knife and freeze until completely set.
Blind bake at 180ºC for 10 - 15 mins.
Remove weights, rotate pan and continue baking until golden.
Lightly beat egg white and brush to coat the inside of the tart pastry.
Return to the oven for 1 minute until dry then remove to a rack to cool.

Goat's Curd Filling

200 g goat's curd
100 g cream
2 eggs
55 g castor sugar
2 g salt
1 lemon, finely zested
30 g lemon juice

Whisk all ingredients together and pour into the cool tart pastry.
Bake at 150ºC for 25 minutes or until just set.
Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before slicing.
Serve with a scoop of ice cream and a generous scattering of fresh berries.

Tea For Dessert Looks Peachy

Anger was the motivation behind this dish. A passing comment from a waitress after service and an offhand remark from the Sous Chef about the quality of the current dessert (which for the record is not of my design) was enough to send me into a "fuck-you-I'll-show-you-better!" mood. Sunday night saw me storming straight out the door and down Oxford St to Coles in World Square.

The original idea that popped into my head while crossing Pitt St was peach panna cotta with mandarin tea (an infusion made with mandarin peels), slices of peach and pistachios. However the acidity present in the peaches was enough to curdle the milk which I had attempted to cook the fruit with. I tried folding peach puree through the mix at a later stage but the flavour didn't carry well so I abandoned the idea and switched to classic vanilla.

Mandarins were simply unavailable so I took a risk on rosehip tea (an organic brand infused with ginger and lemongrass) which I sweetened with small spoonfuls of honey until it was just right.

I suppose in a round about sort of way, you could say that this dessert is based on a popular Chinese item: almond milk jelly which is often served with a cocktail of fruit pieces, only instead of almonds I used pistachios and placed them on the side as a sweet garnish. Rosehip tea adds a unique floral note which works surprisingly well but if you don't have any on hand, a jasmine or green tea can be used.

The panna cotta (albeit a healthier modern version containing no cream whatsoever) is the hero here and care must be taken not to let the milk reduce or the result will be a rubbery jello. The sidekick peaches are not infallible even in their simplicity, so make sure you pick only the sweetest and most luscious of fruit to sit alongside the panna cotta.



There's no trick with the nuts but don't try to rush it, just go nice and slow so that the pistachios have time to cook in the syrup. Keep stirring it over a gentle medium heat. You don't want them to get any colour and as soon as the syrup dries, remove the nuts onto a silpat mat and press them apart with the back of a wooden spoon. They won't look like they're crystallising in the pan but you'll see it as soon as they begin to cool.

Vanilla Milk Panna Cotta

360 g milk
1 vanilla pod, seeds only
2 g salt
56 g castor sugar
3 gelatine sheets (gold strength)

Bring milk, vanilla, salt and sugar to the boil.
Place gelatine sheets in cold water to 'bloom' until soft.
Squeeze out excess water and stir into milk to dissolve.
Cool until room temperature.
Pour into moulds greased with vegetable oil and refrigerate for a few hours until set.

Rosehip Tea

260 g boiling water
12 g honey
1 g organic rosehip tea

Combine all ingredients and allow to infuse until cool.
Strain and refrigerate.

Frosted Pistachios

50 g rosehip tea
50 g castor sugar
50 g pistachios

Simmer all ingredients in a small pot, stirring continuously for 5-10 mins until the syrup crystallises without colouring.
Spread nuts onto a silpat and separate with a spoon.
Cool at room temperature.
Store in an airtight container.

Toasted PB + Choco Banana Sandwich

 
The first thing that came to mind when I read that this months Sugar High Friday theme was "toasted" was well.. toast! Bypassing the idea of nuts and spices, there is nothing more quintessentially linked to toast than the humble slice of bread.

Bread is employed for many uses in the kitchen: crumbed as a filler for meatballs and turkey stuffing, fried to add layers of textural interest to pasta dishes and salads, rolled fresh around a hot grilled banger with bbq sauce and baked to create a quick and easy foundation for canapes. But nothing is simpler than the humble sandwich - two bits of bread slapped together with something slathered in-between.

In primary school my mother often packed me a sandwich for lunch. And being Asian, more often than not I would open my lunch box to find a fried egg sandwich of some description, accompanied by nearby screams of "Ewww! What's that smell?!". Needless to say that primary school was filled with embarrassing moments. She eventually stopped and the egg sandwich was replaced with horribly soggy bread holding together a combination of soft tomato, iceberg lettuce and a slice of plastic cheese. So it was quite a revelation in high school to discover that other not-so-disgusting things were available.

Peanut butter, chopped banana, marshmallow fluff and chocolate spread were my favourite sweet sandwich fillings so here I've combined the essence of all four items into a sweet, totally unbalanced and seriously unhealthy dessert: toasted peanut butter and choco banana sandwich with peanut butter marshmallow, chocolate + brown butter mousse and banana milkshake foam. DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!

Toasted Peanut Butter Marshmallow

420 g castor sugar
20 g glucose
4 g salt
300 g water
7 gelatine leaves (gold strength)
2 (70 g) egg whites
140 g peanut butter

Combine sugar, glucose, salt and 200 g water in a small pot.
Bring syrup to 127ºC while whisking egg whites to stiff peaks in an electric stand mixer.
Bloom gelatine leaves in cold water until soft then dissolve in 100 g of boiling water.
Strain gelatine into sugar syrup then immediately begin pouring (slowly) into the egg whites, whisking continuously.
Continue whisking on medium setting until cool and thickened.
Mix a little into the peanut butter to lighten and then fold gently through the remaining marshmallow.
Pour into a greased and lined 6 x 10 x 1.5" brownie pan and leave at room temperature for an hour or two until set.
Cut marshmallow into desired shapes and toss lightly in cornflour.
Transfer to a plate and blowtorch one at a time.

Fried Peanuts

a small handful of peanuts
enough vegetable oil to cover
salt flakes

Heat oil in a deep saucepan over medium-high heat until 180ºC.
Drop in the peanuts and let them fry for a minute until just starting to colour (you'll need to take them out just before they're golden as the residual heat will continue cooking and colouring them as they cool).
Strain peanuts from the oil and spread them out onto a baking sheet lined with paper.
Sprinkle them generously with salt and shake them around to coat.
Cool at room temperature and store in an airtight container.


Croissant Wafer

You'll need to wrap a croissant tightly in clingfilm and place it in the freezer until firm to allow for easy slicing. Unwrap the croissant and slice it as thinly as possible. A long serrated bread knife is the best tool for the job. Place the slices straight onto a tray and pop it in the oven at 110ºC for 30 minutes or until it shatters loudly when broken.


Chocolate and Brown Butter Mousse

200 g milk chocolate, melted
200 g cold pouring cream
40 g brown butter, cooled to room temp

Combine ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and whisk until light and thickened.
Do not refrigerate as it will set.