Chocolate Caramel Pecan Tart

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Now as I might have mentioned before, chocolate is pretty much a staple in this household. The Monkeys quite happily eat squares of 72% cocoa dark bitter chocolate, while I don’t think this is normal taste bud behaviour for little people. I don’t have a problem with it in small quantities, ( I would rather they had a square of that than a packet of smarties.) It’s good stuff! However they will not be trying espresso coffee and red wine any time soon, as with those taste buds they are sure to like it.

Now after my little kitchen crisis. After I had sat on the floor with a teatowel over my head, with thoughts of “this is the end of my cooking FOREVER!” I had a little pause, got back to basics, caught my breath and then made this little baby. It’s a little bit pastry, it’s a little bit caramel, it’s a little bit nutty and it certainly is quite a bit chocolatey.

…and did The Monkeys like it?

Of course they did…Mr Chocolate had to wrestle the last piece from their sticky little paws.

Chocolate Caramel Pecan Tart

pastry

150gms softened butter

1/2 cup icing sugar

1 2/3 cup plain flour

1 tps vanilla

2 tbs water

Add dry ingredients and butter. Either use processor or by hand until resembles bread crumbs. Add vanilla and water. Knead on lightly floured surface, until mixed well. Wrap dough and place in freezer for ten minutes. Roll out to desired shape, (I did individual tarts) and bake blind in greased tart tins. 180C until lightly golden. Allow to cool.

caramel

1 cup condensed milk

1 knob of butter

2 tbs muscavado sugar (or other dark unrefined sugar)

Pop them in a pot and stir over medium heat, until it turns to caramel. Don’t let it get to thick as it will be harder to manage. Add layer of caramel to cooled tart dish.(Option- you could add toasted pecans within the caramel.)

ganache

150mls cream

150gms dark chocolate

Bring the cream to a boil and then turn off heat. Drop broken chocolate into the cream and stir until melted through. While ganache is still runny, pour over caramel tart. Place in fridge and allow to set.

toppping

toasted roughly chopped pecans

*** I obviously used pecans here, but I do think they would taste just as well with any other nuts you may have on hand. Hazelnuts were my first choice, but as the only ones I could find were from Europe and I had pecans grown locally…it had to be pecans.

The real food companion

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Finally! In my hot little hands I have the The Real Food Companion by Matthew Evans. Now I have been waiting for this book patiently for quite awhile now and finally here it is…sorry did I say patiently?… impatiently for quite awhile now. Matthew Evans, other wise known as Gourmet Farmer, known formerly as Chef, and Food Critic.

Was it worth the wait?

*big sigh*…yes.

This book is really something special. He writes so passionately about what he believes in, I think it would be very hard not to get caught up in that enthusiasm and run with it. It’s a truly wonderful book full of backgrounds, information, ethics and not to mention delicious ‘real’ food recipes. It’s the kind of book that you curl up on the couch and read from beginning to end not wanting to put it down, (if it wasn’t for The Monkeys, so you have to frequently keep putting it down) book marking page after page to go back to.  For me, true escapism into a world that I hold really, really important. Your belly and your soul are left feeling nurtured.

From making your own mascarpone to Tiramisu. The dilemma of what egg to buy, to Lemon Curd and mayonnaise. Heritage breed meats and a Beef, Coconut & Lime leaf Curry (very tasty that one.) At 574 pages, its got a whole lot and then some, in it.

So a new book to be putting under my pillow, Bourke Street Bakery Cookbook move over please…


crisis of confidence in the kitchen

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I like experimenting in the kitchen. Sometimes it really pays off to experiment and find out what sort of deliciousness you can cook. However. Sometimes those end results scream go back to the kitchen and it’s grilled cheese sandwiches for you my friend.

A crisis of confidence in the kitchen that’s what I had recently. I think I got carried away… Other aspects of life were being challenging and I wanted the security and comfort of making something up and it being delicious. Sure, maybe I should have held back a little and tried not to do so many new things at once…but, I didn’t.

Date and Almond Sourdough Triangles– nope. Just didn’t work for me. They tried, I gave it a red hot go, but still nope.

Sourdough Pizza– not enough time to prove, so quite a dense base. It could be worked on though…there is hope for that one.

Chocolate Tangelo Cake– sweet mama, that was disgusting. All effort, no taste. Mr Chocolate even refused to eat that one. It even ended in the bin, it was so hideous…picture? God no.

Strawberry Scones, (top picture) I still think this could work (maybe) it’s just….I really do suck at scones.

Was I doomed to be a kitchen failure for ever?! Oh the horror!…

However, after a little pause. Some time to reflect, a little recalibration with a fried egg and salad my mojo snuck back.

Chocolate Caramel Pecan Tart here we come.

* So whats the moral of the story? Playing in the kitchen is fun. Experiment, find out what works and what doesn’t. Don’t be put off by burnt bread, raw biscuits, runny marmalade. Yes, they are annoying but you learn from them. Kitchen mistakes can quite often be salvageable and turned into something else. If you are running in to consecutive mistakes, just take a break and go back to the basics again.

And, above all…DO NOT make a Chocolate Tangelo Cake.

Plaited bread and a frugal meal

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What to do when someone is coming over for lunch or dinner and all that is on offer is a simple soup. Budget, time, resources all point towards a simple nourishing, belly warming soup. There is certainly nothing wrong with that. But how to turn that flaccid celery, pumpkin looking like its going to produce its own penicillin and the odd carrot or two in the bottom of the crisper into a delicious meal?

Place some simple plaited bread that looks pretty in the middle of the table and your meal is complete. After being inspired by Heidiannie and all her plaited and beautifully presented bread, I had decided to give it a go too.

Pumpkin Soup

good slurp of olive oil

a couple of sticks of celery

big hunk of pumpkin chopped up

carrots

Cook them up in some stock, then wizz with hand held mixer when soft. Add a spoonful of ready made asian sauce, (rendang, green curry paste etc) to give it an extra zing.

Serve with some fancy looking bread, (that’s actually really easy…shhh).

sourdough plaited bread

sourdough plaited bread

For more on braiding bread check out Celia’s latest post.

Date and Orange Spiral Biscuits

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Date and orange. The two flavour combinations had been stuck in my head and were not going anywhere. I wanted to play….

Date and Orange Icecream, Date and Orange Cake, Date and Orange Lamb Tagine, Date and Orange Sourdough…ok maybe not the last one…or mayyybbe…but certainly these little babies.

Date and Orange Spiral Biscuits

Date Mixture

300 gms Medjool Dates

1/2 grated orange rind

juice of 1 orange

In a pot slowly cook up mixture, until dates soften and mixture becomes like a thick paste. Cool.

Biscuit Dough

120gms softened butter

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 grated orange rind

1 beaten egg

1 cup plain flour

2/3 cup S/R flour

Cream the butter and sugar and then add the orange rind and beaten egg. Then add flours. KNead lightly and roll out on to a lightly floured surface. Roll to about 1cm thick.

Add date mixture to the dough, carefully spreading out mixture. Roll up and trim edges.

Gently pressing in the roll and turning as you go, to get any air spaces out. Cut to 1cm thickness, and line on a tray with baking paper. Bake at 180C for approx 30 minutes.

Permaculture Diary and Sustainable House Day pictures

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I just got my 2011 Permaculture Diary and I have to say I am thrilled to bits at the quality. It’s printed through Permaculture Principles and so much information is in there that you will be skipping ahead to see whats happening in the next month.

From seasonal planting guides to introductions to some truly inspiring people. The lovely Dylan from frugalist massive is in there talking of suburban wwoofing. Happy Earth and how they have transformed their suburban back yard along with lots of other inspirational people doing their ‘thang’.

Now even if you recoil at the sight of dirt in your finger nails, and think double glazing is only for donuts- it’s still a great read, and you get to write all your doings in the calendar bits.

Sunday was Sustainable House Day and a few photos of some of houses we visited.

This particular one I was thrilled to see, especially after writing about lack of edible gardens in this post. A new building due for completion later this month. Four citrus trees planted in its front garden, with more edible gardening out the back.

An internal courtyard, with louvred roofing. This makes it possible to cut out sun and rain or open the whole area up for cooling. (No air conditioning in this house.)

The side of the internal courtyard had a green wall. Filled with all sorts of plants, some edible and others just to add more lovely greenery.

Over all we spent a really interesting afternoon getting to check out 3 totally different houses. From simple renovating ideas, new building constructions and a tour around a sustainability consultant/architect own house.

More ideas for us to chew on and The Monkeys didn’t break anything!

need to sing a little aria…

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Sometimes a bit of the city comes out of the hippy farm girl. Sometimes that city part needs to be nourished, embraced and relished in. Sometimes, just sometimes that city living is enough to make you want to sing…

Sing an aria.

I have been singing all week. Ever since I got the confirmation email…”we are pleased to confirm your reservation…and look forward to welcoming you to ARIA restaurant.”

Now call me a dag, call me a curd nerd, call a ‘bloody hippy’, but you can also call me a Matt Moran fan. Why?…There is something about that guy that and his food that catches my attention. I had wanted to go to his Sydney restaurant (two hatted) for quite a few years now and here I was finally about to get that opportunity.

…and yes I was singing with excitement.

A gorgeous day out with my man, they could have served us canned baked beans and I would have been happy. Why?

1/ We don’t go out that often by ourselves…actually, um never.

2/ The Monkeys weren’t grappling my legs. Instead happily tying their grandmother to a door frame at home, lighting small fires under her feet and taunting her. (As long as we didn’t get a phone call, that was fine.)

3/ It really is the most stunning harbour, sometimes I need to be poked and prodded and reminded of this.

So did they serve baked beans?

amuse bouche- leak and potato soup

Kurobuta sweet pork belly (the best I have EVER tasted) with pickled watermelon and crackling

cured goose breast with chicken liver parfait, poached rhubarb, black pepper and ginger bread

seared fillet of Murray cod (so crispy skin), spinach purée and fricassée of salsify and borlotti beans

char-grilled Rangers Valley sirloin with a cauliflower and bacon croquette, roasted king brown mushrooms and a grain mustard sauce. (otherwise known as the best steak we have ever eaten.)

custard tart with poached pears, nutmeg and ginger bread ice cream

chocolate deliciousness of some kind or another

complimentary petit fours- turkish delight, lamington, nougat
So was it good?….
It was sooo good. The food really was amazing. A truly gorgeous afternoon for a special occasion.
Stand out dishes. The pork- oh sweet mama it just melted on your tongue and made me do embarrassing little groans at every mouthful as it was so good. The poached rhubarb black pepper a combination that I really need to steal. The steak was served with a steak knife- No need, it was the softest, most melt in your mouth steak I have ever come across. And I don’t even like steak!
The custard tart soft and delicate, the gingerbread icecream with a heady taste of spices that makes you roll each bit around on your tongue.
All simply delicious and inspiring.

Truly beautiful food that I got to share with my lovely Mr Chocolate on our wedding anniversary, on Sydney harbour, next to the Opera house….

Book us in again for next year please.

Sustainable House Day

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Sustainable House Day is on this Sunday 12th September all around Australia. To find out where the open houses are in your area, click here.

Houses are open from 10-4 pm and are free. Just look out for the balloons.

You get to have a look at how different houses are rigging up solar panels, harvesting water, recycling, gardening and many more things. Lots of info to be had, and a good opportunity to find out what is happening in your sustainable living community.

Anyone in the Sydney area that is interested in having a look, a list here of all the houses.

Iced VoVo’s

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The humble Iced VoVo I mentioned back here in this post. Since I mentioned it, I have been plagued by thoughts of these biscuits. I eyed them off in the supermarket, $1.90- bargain…but so full of ‘stuff’. Tickity Tock goes my brain... lets give them a crack. Not the most wonderful thing I have ever made… But they were fun, and I really did have a giggle while eating them.

Now I’ve made them, I can move on.

Iced VoVo’s

Biscuit Base

125gms softened butter

1/2 cup caster sugar

1 beaten egg

2 tps vanilla

1 1/2 cups plain flour

Cream butter, sugar, vanilla, egg and then add flour. KNead to a smooth dough. Roll out to an approximate square shape and then with a knife cut out squares the size you would like. Bake at 180C, until light golden and cool.

Coconut Icing

Equal parts icing sugar to desicated coconut, adding a little water as you go. Just enough to bind the two together.

Squish it together and lay them on the biscuits, add a dollop of jam in between (I used my Vanilla Plum Jam) and viola…Iced VoVo biscuits (of a sort.)

10 tips for Eucalyptus Oil use

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To me, if you want to smell Australia. It means going into the bush after rain and breathing in deep. What you will smell is the earthy undertones of eucalyptus trees wet from a recent down pour or drizzle. It smells so wonderfully clean. There are hundreds of different varieties of eucalypts found in Australia. However due to them being introduced to all corners of the globe, you will also find them from Egypt to Chile. As they have been introduced to some areas that are not suitable for their growth and the fact that they are also large water suckers, not everyone is a fan of the old eucalypt.

10 reasons to become a fan of the oil they produce are…

1/ Stains in clothing can be easily gotten out with a paste of eucalyptus oil and liquid washing detergent. Rub it in to the stain with some thing like an old toothbrush, leave for 10 minutes and then wash as normal.

2/ Removing remains of anything sticky, eg. wax, sticker. Use oil straight and rub sticky business off.

3/ Feeling clogged? Or perhaps a toilet plunger to suction outgoing mucus sounds like a good idea? Try boiling some water, put the plug in the sink, fill sink with hot water and 3 drops of eucalyptus oil, and drape a towel over your head to breathe the vapours. The eucalyptus oil works as an expectorant and decongestant. DON’T add 2 tablespoons of the oil to the water, as your lungs will constrict and you will be blinded for approximately 5 minutes- you have been expertly warned.

4/ Underarms in clothing having a residual pong (smell)? Try the same oil to laundry liquid paste as no.  , leave and wash as normal. No residues from under arm body odour or deodorant build up.

5/ Freshens and deodorises anything that may need a little lift.

6/ Feet looking a little funky with a touch of athletes foot? Try soaking the foot in a bucket of 1 part vinegar/ 3 parts water, dry and then dab straight eucalyptus oil on to the infected area. Eucalyptus oil works as a fungicide. It can also be used straight on any discoloured nails that may have a fungal infection.

7/ A mixture of Eucalyptus, bicarbonate soda and vinegar can be made up and used for cleaning all parts of the bathroom, including the toilet. Its non-toxic for drains, and is great to disinfect, deoderises, and anti-bacterial.* [see this post for exact measurements]

8/ For dust mite control, add a cap full to your washing machine and wash sheets and mattress protector. Soft toys can also be washed in this way. This kills the dust mite and removes the allergen that the they produce which can effect asthmatics.

9/ Insect bites can be treated with dab of straight oil. eg. Mosquito or tick bites.

10/ When cleaning out cupboards. Get a 1/4 bucket of hot soapy water, with a cap full of eucalyptus oil, and wipe down shelves for clean and fresh smelling.

See here for 10 Tips on using Bicarbonate Soda. 

Sri Lankan Love Cake

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What do I think of when I think of Sri Lanka, little island in the Indian Ocean?

Beautiful white sandy beaches with swaying palm trees. Swinging in a hammock, being hypnotized by the sound of crashing waves.

Fish on your plate at dinner time. So fresh, you can still hear the whispered words of the fisherman I wonder how much I will get for this big one?

Wild majestic elephants being heard in the near by jungle as you sip your locally grown tea.

A selection of short eats (small entree sized finger food, Sri Lankan style tapas/yum cha to go- if you will) to choose from as you wonder around in search of the next ancient Buddhist temple to discover. Sri Lankan cuisine that is so full of flavours that your taste buds want to sing every time you eat.

Ancient rock fortress, Sigiriya. With so much history within its rocky walls, that you feel quite overwhelmed at the thought of how much this amazing rock had seen.

A kind of driving that can be only described as tiring. Honk when you are going to over take, honk when you are over taking, honk when you have over taken, honk when you would like to over take…and then begin again.

A country floored by the 2004 Tsunami.

Umbrella Lovers- if you wonder down to the beach, you will be sure to find some young couples sharing some ‘alone’ time, sitting under an umbrella. These umbrellas dot the surrounding areas, as couples shield themselves from prying eyes.

Buffalo yoghurt being made in earthen ware pots, lining the sides of the roads sitting in the sun. (similar to a Greek style yoghurt- thick and creamy, and oh sooo delicious.)

Love Cake, a cake with so many different recipes and variations. Usually made for celebrations. I hadn’t actually tasted this one before, but with the ingredients and the name…

Whats not to love?

Love Cake

150 gms crushed cashew nuts (cadjunuts)

125g semolina

3 eggs

150g sugar

125g softened butter

1 tbs rose water

1 1/2 tbs brandy

1/2 tps cinnamon

1/2 tps cardamom

1/2 tps nutmeg

Separate the eggs. Whisk together softened butter, 3 egg yolks, and sugar. Add semolina, cashews, rose water, brandy, spices.

Whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks appear and fold into mixture. Cook in a square tin, greased and lined with paper. Bake at 180C for approx 25 minutes or until golden.

(recipe taken from a local Sri Lankan cookbook and adapted.)