I find that most people have a love/hate relationship with pretzels. I know which camp I fall into and it is not love. The strange thing is, I love salty, savoury, crunchy snacks but there is just something about pretzels that I dislike. Continue reading
I do not recall the exact date that roasted cauliflower became my children’s favourite cooked vegetable but suffice to say, it was a case of ‘oh happy day.’ Continue reading
Did somebody say sweet tooth? Sugar cravings? Salty and sweet in one dessert? I got you covered with this decadent yet easy tart. Continue reading
I love coconut in all of its forms – freshly cracked, desiccated in cakes, served alongside spicy curries in a sambal, and especially coconut milk. Continue reading
The saying ‘better than sex’ is thrown around a lot in relation to certain foods. This pie – served as squares – with the addition of whiskey caramel sauce, may not be better than sex but it sure is up there with some of the best PG-rated times you’ll ever have. Continue reading
You’d think by now I would have learnt my lesson regarding taking photos of my baked goods but nope – I still tend to bake then serve the item to friends before I’ve had a chance to take any photos.
Such was the situation with this ooey, gooey, decadent pie. When The Hungry Mum family descended upon America last year we hit many a supermarket, stocking up on all manner of baking goods unavailable in Australia. One of my fav purchases was ginormous marshmallows, the kind of which simply aren’t seen in the Antipodes. I’d been stashing them away, waiting for the perfect recipe and it soon presented itself. Thanks to Sally’s Baking Addiction and her delectable s’mores brownie pie my packet of behemoth marshmallows got cracked open. See her fab recipe here: http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2013/05/06/smores-brownie-pie/
I made this for a recent gathering of friends and managed to snap a few pics before it was cooked. Afterwards was a blur of people almost charging each other over in order to get a slice. As this desert is so rich a teeny sliver goes a long way.
I do also have a box of the legendary graham crackers which this recipe called for but decided to keep these for another day. I used plain sweet bickies so didn’t need the sugar as called for in the original recipe used. I also reduced the amount of sugar in the brownie as I knew the marshmallows would make the pie very sweet.
In any case this was such a hit that I reckon I’ll be called upon again to serve this delish creation.
GATHER:
*Crust
10 plain biscuits [such as Marie], snapped in half
90grams melted butter
Place biscuits in bowl of food processor and wizz until it looks like big crumbs. Add butter and combine until it resembles wet sand. Press into a glass pie dish and place in fridge while you prepare the brownie filling.
*brownies
150g diced butter
¾ cup caster sugar
¾ cup sifted cocoa powder
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
½ cup plain flour
25 large marshmallows
LET’S GET TO IT:
Melt butter, sugar and cocoa in a microwave-safe bowl for 30 seconds at a time until melted and smooth when stirred. It will look gritty. Allow to cool for a few minutes.
Stir in vanilla, then eggs, one at a time.
Add flour, gently stirring, until fully incorporated. Ensure you don’t overbeat.
Tip into pie crust and use a spatula to level the top.
Bake for about 25 minutes, then remove from oven and neatly decoare the top with marshmallows. Bake for a nother two minutes but watch closely to ensure it doesn’t burn.
Allow to cool before serving.
A confession before we continue: I did not make this luscious looking creation. Rather, The Hungry Dad and Miss7 whipped it up for a family lunch at my mum’s house recently. I’m lucky – I married a man who is a great cook and our first born also loves cooking (especially desserts!).
They chose this recipe from my ever-present copy of Australian Women’s Weekly ‘Bake.’
It is no exaggeration to say this pie was the hit of the lunch – everyone was full of compliments for my hubby and daughter. So proud!
GATHER:
½ cup cornflour
1 cup caster sugar
½ cup lemon juice
1 ¼ cups water
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon rind
60g butter, diced
3 eggs, separated
½ cup caster sugar, extra
pastry
1 ½ cups plain flour
1 tablespoon icing sugar
140g cold butter, diced
1 egg yolk
Approx 2 tablespoons iced water
LET’S GET TO IT:
Make pastry:
Process flour, icing sugar and butter until crumbly. Add yolk and enough iced water to process until it all comes together. Knead dough on floured surface until smooth. Wrap in plastic wrap and put in fridge for 30 mins.
Tart:
Grease 24cm round loose-bottomed fluted flan tin. Roll out pastry between sheets of baking paper until large enough to line tin. Carefully ease into pan, using rolling pin as guide. Gently press into base and sides, trim edges, then place in fridge for 30 mins.
Preheat oven to 220C.
Place dough-lined tin on oven tray and line with baking paper, fill with baking weights and bake for 10 minutes. Remove weights and paper and bake another 10 minutes. Cool, turn oven off.
Combine cornflour and sugar in medium pan and slowly stir in juice and water until smooth. Cook, stirring, over high heat until mixture boils and thickens.
Reduce heat and simmer while stirring for one minute.
Remove from heat and stir in rind, butter and yolks. Allow to cool.
Spread filling into case and bake preheat oven to 220C.
Beat egg whites in bowl of electric mixer until soft peaks form and gradually add extra sugar, beating until sugar dissolves (it shouldn’t feel grainy).
Spread meringue mixture on top of tart and bake for 2 minutes / until golden.
Serve cold with cream or ice cream.
I adore pumpkin and love it in any incarnation. In Australia it is not really used in desserts but I know pumpkin pie is a true American tradition. Many moons ago I had pumpkin pie in Canada and loved it. I’d been wanting to make it for ages but most recipes seem to start with ‘one can of pumpkin puree’ – that’s not a thing in Australia.
The I stumbled across the magnificent book ‘Bake’ by pastry chef Alison Thompson and lo and behold – a pumpkin pie recipe. This book makes you want to stop everything and get into the kitchen to bake. Highly recommend it.
My iphone pictures do not do this delicious dessert justice. Note to self: use a better camera…
The pastry recipe is the easiest I’ve ever made [and I have a bit of a phobia about making pastry as it always seem so fragile and delicate but this is a hardy yet gorgeous pastry].
GATHER:
Sweet shortcrust pastry
225g sifted plain flour
60g sifted icing sugar
100g diced unsalted butter at room temperature
2 egg yolks
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment combine the flour, icing sugar and butter. Mix on low speed until no lumps of butter are visible. Add the egg yolks and mix on low speed until the mixture comes together to form a dough.
Wrap dough in cling wrap place in fridge for at least two hours
Filling
1kg pumpkin, peeled and cut into small pieces
125mL pouring cream
3 eggs
60g brown sugar
60g caster sugar
½ teaspoon ground ginger
pinch of ground cloves [I didn’t have any so used nutmeg instead]
LET’S GET TO IT
Make your dough. Leave in fridge for two hours.
Preheat oven to 170C.
Place pumpkin on baking tray, cover with foil and bake until pumpkin is very soft [Alison Thompson said around an hour, mine took about 1.5 hours. Maybe my pieces were too big].
While pumpkin is cooking take pastry out of fridge and allow it to come to room temperature.
Place sheet of baking paper on bench, unwrap pastry and using a rolling pin roll out to shape of non-stick tart tin with removable base [I used a rectangle tin approx 35cmx11cm]. Gently place in tart tin.
Place in fridge for half an hour.
Remove pumpkin carefully from oven [there may be water and steam] and place in bowl.
Increase oven temp to 180C.
Meanwhile place baking paper over pastry, fill with baking weights and bake until pastry is golden. Remove paper and weights and bake for a further 5 minutes.
Remove to bench; allow to cool for ten minutes.
Using a stick blender puree pumpkin until smooth and measure out 500ml of puree and pour into a bowl.
Whisk in cream, then the eggs, sugars and spices.
Pour into tart case, bake for 40 minutes until the filling is set.
Serve warm [or cold or eaten straight from the left over container at room temperature – it is amazing!]
the hungry mum 