Yes yes, I am playing catch up. Somehow the weeks keep ticking over and before I know it, a month has passed and I havent been here. Can I be that guy and blame the tricky balance of work deadlines, trying to write again, a two year old and a 3month old baby? Will you give me that? If you won't maybe these recipes will convince you to forgive me.
Hope everyone is looking forward to Christmas. We are staying put this year, just spending time with family and friends. I cannot wait.
Blueberry, spelt and crystallised rosemary tart
Love it or hate it, that time of year is upon us. That time where we have to dig out the red lipstick, don something more respectable than sweats and invite people over. It's the holidays and you want to be slightly impressive. Impressive with both the red lipstick and the food offering. So I suggest you try this blueberry tart. It's delicious. And fresh. All the while still being sufficiently indulgent enough to call it dessert. Basically it's a multi-tasker. The very best kind and one that is dreamy beyond compare.
Blueberries and rosemary are a match made in heaven. In heaven I tell you. Get baking. Preferably in the red lipstick just to give the whole process a sense of occasion.
Ingredients
1-2 sprigs rosemary
1 eggwhite
60g caster sugar
500g blueberries
¼ cup dried blueberries
1 cup thick yoghurt
1 tbsp honey
Spelt pastry
2 cups spelt flour, cold
1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
2/3 cup butter, cubed
pinch sea salt flakes
3 tbsp sugar (use caster or rapadura)
5-7 tbsp ice water
Method
Brush the rosemary sprigs with eggwhite, pulling at the individual leaves so they are covered then sprinkle with caster sugar. Place on a baking paper lined tray and set aside for 12 hours or overnight to dry.
Grease and line a loose bottomed pie tin (I used a 23cm tin but there is enough pastry for a 28cm tin).
For the pastry add the flour, vanilla bean seeds, butter, salt and sugar to a food processor and pulse until a crumble mixture is achieved. Add the ice water slowly as needed until the mixture is just coming together. You don't want to overwork the dough. Once combined, turn out and form a disc. Cover in plastic wrap and rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Remove the pastry from the fridge and roll it out between 2 sheets of baking paper until it is about ½ cm thick then line your tart tin with it, gently pressing it in. Allow to rest again for 20-30 minutes then cover with baking paper and pastry weights and blind bake (12-15 minutes). Remove weights and bake until nice and golden (7-10 minutes), then cool completely.
When ready to serve smear the yoghurt over the base and drizzle over the honey. Top with the fresh and dried blueberries then scatter over crystallised rosemary. To serve, cut indecent sized slices with a sharp knife. Best served on day of making.
The deep dish pizza of your dreams
Deep. Dish. Pizza. Other than I Love you – no utterance of three words fills me with such infinite joy. So I'll say it again, just to bring you along for the ride. Deep. Dish. Pizza.
I've never been to Chicago. One day I'll definitely get there but for now I sustain myself with things the city is renowned for – like binge watching the Good Wife and one of the greatest culinary concoctions - the deep dish pizza. Gah, you get the best of both worlds – sh%tloads of topping and s--tloads of crust with every happy freakin mouthful. Why hello dear friend! I've tried to spin a more summer inspired version here with zucchini, mint, lemon and just the smallest hint of chilli. Pizza night just got a little more interesting….
Ingredients
1tbsp brown sugar
4 tbsp olive oil
1 ½ sachets (about 10g) instant dried yeast
1 cup warm water
2 cups pizza flour
2 cups plain flour
generous pinch sea salt flakes
1 tbsp milk powder
Topping
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 zucchini, finely sliced on a mandolin
½ cup fresh mint leaves
1 x ball buffalo mozzarella, coarsely torn
¼ cup soft Persian fetta
¼ cup smoked cheddar, grated
zest of 1 lemon
pinch of Aleppo pepper
1 tbsp olive oil to drizzle
Method
Grease and line a loose bottomed 28cm pie tin.
Combine the brown sugar, warm water, oil and yeast in a bowl. Set aside for 10-15 minutes until it froths slightly with bubbles on the surface.
In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the dough hook combine the flours, sea salt flakes and milk powder. Pulse briefly to combine. Add the yeast mixture and kneed until the dough comes together, it will be slightly sticky but should look smooth and a little shiny. Usually about 8 minutes.
Place dough in a medium bowl lightly oiled with olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap and a towel and let rise for 1 hour or until dough has doubled.
Preheat oven to 200C.
Knock back dough then divide into two balls. Spread one ball out to a rough circle and push into the bottom of the pan, spreading to cover the base. Roll the other ball out, like a sausage and then press this around the sides, using your fingers to combine the base and sides. It will be quite thick so to prevent it falling down, allow it to cover the top of the lip of your tin. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for another hour to rest and rise again.
Bake for 10 minutes until it turns barely golden brown on the crust.
Reduce oven heat to 180C.
Allow pizza crust to cool slightly then smear the base with the tomato paste. Add the zucchini and cheese in layers with half the mint leaves. Season generously then place in the oven and cook for 25-30 minutes or until the crust is cooked through, nice and brown and the cheese is bubbling nicely. Remove and drizzle over the olive oil, add the Aleppo pepper flakes and the lemon rind and some fresh mint. Season and serve piping hot.
A random but delightfully pretty macaron rocky road
If Willy Wonka and Santa got pissed together in the kitchen, I am convinced they would come up with something like this after about their fifth vodka. Something all together random but completely tasty and festive. And for something that is so wildly pretty to look at, it's spectacular to know that no actual cooking skills are required to complete it, making it perfect for the upcoming Christmas agenda.
If ever there was a time for edible gifts it is now and I think this rocky road is pretty much Christmas wrapped in a cellophane bag*.
*Drinks not included.
Ingredients
400g dark chocolate (60% cocoa solids)
250g milk chocolate
100g white chocolate
200g vanilla marshmallows
10 macarons, half roughly chopped, half reserved for top
1 cup plain biscuits, roughly broken into chunks
1-2 funsize kit kats, roughly broken
1 x 50g bar Cadbury aero mint chocolate, broken into chunks
Any other confectionary you feel like putting into it
Optional toppings
20g freeze dried raspberries for scattering
silver leaf for scattering
hundreds and thousands for scattering
melted chocolate for drizzling, optional
Method
Grease and line a 25cm x 16cm cake tin with baking paper, allowing the sides to overhang (for easy removal). Melt the milk and dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally with a metal spoon, until smooth but don't overly mix, the two colours of chocolate make a lovely marbling effect. (2-3 minutes).
Combine the remaining ingredients except half the macarons and the silver leaf in a bowl. Pour over the chocolate and stir to coat. Spread mixture evenly over baking tin, scatter with freeze-dried raspberries, push in the remaining whole macarons and scatter over a few bits of silver leaf (if using) and hundreds and thousands. Drizzle over extra melted chocolate if you feel like it.
Set aside until firm (at least 2 hours). Turn onto a clean surface and cut into rough glorious chunks ready for over consumption.
