Baking

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Simple Berry Almond Tarts (no pastry)

Spring. 

Hello again.

Thank you for showing up, as you always do, with your new green growth, your bulbs and buds.

Thank you for your warmth, that’s just enough to start to defrost our homes and our spirits. I seem to forget about half way through winter that you indeed always show up. The coats and blankets start to feel heavy after a while. So, thank you that we can lighten our load now that you are here.

Thank you for your longer days and your breeze that blows through our homes and even our hearts. Winter always takes it’s toll, physically and emotionally. I am so thankful that the winters do end eventually, both in seasons and in our lives. 

Thank you that the washing will now dry in a day and that I can watch the boys play in the backyard while I cook dinner, instead of stepping around them as they play soccer in the kitchen (I wish I was joking).

Thank you for asparagus, oranges and rhubarb. For beetroot, cauliflower, fennel and leeks. Thank you for colour in our gardens and on our plates. 

Now that I have that off my chest, on to these gorgeous buttery berry tarts.

You may remember me telling you all about frangipane in my recipe for the French-style Summer Fruit Tart. If you don’t, you can read about it here.

These tarts are simply the frangipane mixture, pressed into mini tart tins with removable bases and dotted with your berries of choice. No pastry needed.

Perfect for a picnic and freezable, I am very thankful to Donna Hay for this idea.

Simple Berry Almond Tarts
Serves 4
An easy frangipane mix studded with fresh berries.
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Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
35 min
Total Time
45 min
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
35 min
Total Time
45 min
Ingredients
  1. 90 gram unsalted butter, softened
  2. 1/4 cup castor sugar
  3. 1 egg
  4. 1egg yolk
  5. 1 1/2 tablespoons plain flour
  6. 1 1/4 cups almond meal
  7. 125 grams of berries of choice ie. raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 150 degrees celsius.
  2. Cream butter and sugar together with electric beaters until pale and creamy.
  3. Add remaining ingredients, except the berries, and mix on low until thoroughly combined.
  4. Press mixture into lightly greased mini tart tins with a removable base.
  5. Press a few berries lightly into the top of each tart.
  6. Dust with a little icing sugar.
  7. Pop on a baking tray and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until lightly golden and slightly puffed up.
Notes
  1. These will last a couple of days in a single layer in an airtight container.
  2. They can be frozen too.
Adapted from Modern Classics 2
Adapted from Modern Classics 2
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Spiced Pumpkin Bread

So…. I didn’t exactly tell the boys that the star of this loaf was pumpkin.

I just left it on the bench, still a little warm from the oven, for when they arrived home from school. 

The one who hates banana bread, said “this better not have bananas in it!” and I was able to answer confidently that it did not!

No-one guessed the main ingredient, as it was gobbled up and grubby hands reached for seconds. 

I am planning on making another loaf soon, this time leaving out the nuts so I can send it to school for morning tea. 

The smell of this baking made me think of my American sister-in-law and transported me to a White Christmas in North America. Pumpkin and spices baking together in the oven will do that to you. 

Feel free to sub gluten-free plain flour and soy/rice/nut milk to make this a gluten free/dairy free loaf. 

Spiced Pumpkin Bread
A moist pumpkin loaf, with craisins, nuts and a hint of spice.
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Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
50 min
Total Time
1 hr
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
50 min
Total Time
1 hr
Ingredients
  1. 1 cup wholemeal spelt flour or wholemeal plain flour
  2. 1/2 cup brown sugar
  3. 1 teaspoon bi carb soda
  4. 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  5. 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  6. 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  7. 1 cup craisins, raisins or dates
  8. 1 cup of nuts of choice, roasted and chopped (pecans, walnuts or hazelnuts work well)
  9. 1 1/2 cups of grated raw pumpkin
  10. 2 eggs
  11. 1/3 cup olive oil
  12. 1/2 cup milk
  13. 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  14. Pepitas (pumpkin seeds) and Sesame seeds for topping
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius (160 degrees fan forced)
  2. Grease and line a loaf tin.
  3. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, bicarb soda and spices.
  4. Whisk with a balloon whisk till there are no lumps.
  5. Add in the craisins, nuts and pumpkin.
  6. Stir till combined.
  7. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, milk and vanilla.
  8. Add to the dry ingredients and stir till combined.
  9. Pour into loaf tin and sprinkle with seeds.
  10. Bake for 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted in comes out clean.
  11. Leave to cool in tin for 10 minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
  1. This loaf freezes well. Just slice and wrap each piece separately.
Adapted from Mix and Bake
Adapted from Mix and Bake
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Chocolate Cherry Friands (gluten free)

Friands, originating in France, are typically an oval shaped, small cake, made with almond meal, butter, egg whites and powdered (we know it as icing) sugar. 

According to Wikipedia, the word Friand means “dainty, or a gourmet who delights in delicate tastes.”

At our cocktail-party style wedding reception, trays and trays of friands were handed out as part of the dessert. I have always had a soft spot for them and would order one over a muffin or large slice of cake any day of the week. 

Made well, they should be moist and springy and not too sweet. 

A standard Friand recipe will have only a small amount of flour added to the almond meal, so substituting gluten-free plain flour works beautifully in a friand every time. 

Black Forest or Cherry Ripe lovers, this recipe is for you. The dark chocolate, coconut and dried sour cherries make this recipe a little different to the standard berry or citrus friand you always find in the shops. 

For serious chocoholics, I would add an extra 100 grams of dark chocolate, chopped into small chunks and fold it through with the cherries at the end. 

Chocolate Cherry Friands
Serves 12
A moist chocolate friand with coconut and dried sour cherries.
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Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
20 min
Total Time
30 min
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
20 min
Total Time
30 min
Ingredients
  1. 100 grams dark chocolate, chopped (plus 100 grams extra if you want chunks through it)
  2. 175 grams unsalted butter, chopped
  3. 1 cup almond meal
  4. 6 egg whites
  5. 1 cup powdered (icing) sugar
  6. 1/2 cup desiccated coconut
  7. 1/2 cup dried sour cherries (dried cranberries would work too if you can't find them)
  8. 1/2 cup plain flour or gluten-free plain flour
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 190 degrees celsuis.
  2. Place butter and 100 grams of chocolate in a heat proof bowl and melt in microwave for 1 minute. Remove, stir, and if needed, put back in microwave in 20 second bursts until all melted. Set aside.
  3. Lightly whisk egg whites with a hand whisk till it's a little bubbly, then add chocolate mixture and stir till combined.
  4. Add all other ingredients, except cherries (and extra chocolate if using) and stir till thoroughly combined.
  5. Lightly fold in cherries.
  6. Spoon mixture into lightly greased friand tins, filling 3/4 full.
  7. Bake for 20 minutes, or until risen and it springs back when lightly touched.
  8. Leave to cool in tin for a few minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
  1. These will keep for 3 days in an airtight container.
  2. After day 1, they are best enjoyed after being slightly refreshed in the microwave for 15 seconds or so.
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1 Minute Lemon & Coconut Mug Cake and Lessons from a Little Blue Fish

I never thought I would be reminded of some important life lessons from an animated movie about a little blue fish.

As I sat watching Finding Dory with the family, I found myself fighting back tears.

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Dory, with her short-term memory loss, really struggled to survive in the ocean and needed a buddy with her most of the time to help guide where she was going.

She had lost her family and she was afraid.

She was different to the other sea creatures and lacked the skills the other fish had to survive.

The creatures that end up helping her find her family had their own difficulties too, such as the Whale shark with bad eye sight and the Octopus, with relationship and commitment issues. Nemo and his dad Marlin, knew what it was like to lose someone they love, but despite their fears of it happening again, agreed to help Dory find her way home.

 Just Keep Swimming.

And when Dory finally made it home, her parents had not given up either.

They had been faithfully waiting for her to make her way home, laying out paths that might help her eventually remember and find them.

finding-dory-movie

 

 

 

 

 

You’re in another hard season.

Just Keep Swimming.

You thought maybe the battles were slowing down, or it was your turn for a break from the hard stuff.

But life doesn’t work that way and you find yourself weary and discouraged.

Just Keep Swimming.

Despite the fear and the pain and the difficulty.

Just Keep Swimming.

And don’t swim alone. Gather your crew around you, your imperfect, motley crew of people who love you unconditionally, and get them to pull you along when you don’t think you can go any further.

Do the next thing. Take the one next step.

Don’t look too far ahead, but for today, just don’t give up my friend.

quotes-courage-voice-mary-anne-radmacher-480x480

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1 Minute Lemon & Coconut Mug Cake
Serves 1
Lemon and Coconut Cake, mixed and cooked in a mug in 1 minute in the microwave.
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Prep Time
2 min
Cook Time
1 min
Total Time
3 min
Prep Time
2 min
Cook Time
1 min
Total Time
3 min
Ingredients
  1. 4 tablespoons self raising flour
  2. 2 tablespoons desiccated coconut
  3. 1 tablespoon raw sugar
  4. 3 tablespoons coconut milk (or normal milk)
  5. 1 tablespoon light olive oil
  6. 1 egg
  7. 2 tablespoons store-bought lemon curd
Instructions
  1. Mix flour, coconut and sugar in a 11/2 cup capacity mug or cup.
  2. Mix well.
  3. Add milk, olive oil and egg.
  4. Mix till thoroughly combined.
  5. Gently stir through lemon curd, do not mix in completely.
  6. Cook in the microwave for 50-60 seconds.
  7. It will puff up and rise to the top. If the cake batter is not fully cooked, put in for another 10 seconds or so.
  8. Enjoy immediately with extra curd and cream if desired.
Adapted from Tasty Express
Adapted from Tasty Express
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Craisin & Honey Oat Bars

Two of the phrases I will hear the most over the coming weeks are “I am bored” and ” I am hungry.” They will be closely followed by “Can I have screen time?”

If you have school aged kids on holidays, I am sure this sounds familiar to you. 

As my 3 boys grow, keeping up with the what and how much they eat is quite a task. Even for this foodie, it’s quite a job making sure the house is stocked with nutritious food and lots of it for these active and growing boys. 

These Craisin & Honey Oat Bars were my attempt at trying to make a healthy version of a muesli bar. The brief was; nut free so they were suitable for school, low sugar, made with simple pantry ingredients and freeze proof so they’re always available for lunch boxes, impromptu visitors and lazy holiday days. 

These are super easy, and perfect for getting kids active in the kitchen. Just melt, mix and bake. 

One handy tip is they do need to be cut into bars as soon as they are out of the oven. Simply score the lines with a sharp knife and then leave the bars in the tin to cool completely. 

Craisin & Honey Oat Bars
Yields 14
An oat based bar with pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, coconut and honey.
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Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
20 min
Total Time
30 min
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
20 min
Total Time
30 min
Ingredients
  1. 1 cup rolled oats
  2. 1 cup (250gm) craisins (dried cranberries)
  3. 1/2 cup desiccated coconut
  4. 1/4 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
  5. 1/4 sesame seeds
  6. 1/2 cup wholemeal plain flour
  7. 1 teaspoon baking powder
  8. 150 grams butter
  9. 2 tablespoons honey
  10. 1/4 cup rice malt syrup (raw sugar)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius (160 degrees celsius fan forced).
  2. Grease and line a slice tin.
  3. Combine all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir.
  4. Place butter, honey, rice malt syrup or sugar in a small saucepan and stir over low heat till melted.
  5. Combine butter mixture and dry ingredients.
  6. Place in slice tin, smoothing the top of the slice down with the back of a spoon.
  7. Bake for 20 minutes or until risen and golden.
  8. Immediately score the bar slices with a sharp knife.
  9. Leave to cool completely in the tin.
  10. Cut the bars through and store in an airtight container for up to a week.
Notes
  1. To freeze, wrap bars individually in plastic wrap.
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