Et en fin... Inspiration 101

It's been awhile... Between work and life, things have just gotten in the way of blogging...
So I thought I would share some of my inspiration with you. Or rather, a person who inspires me.
I worked with Lawry - waitressing at his restaurant - while I was studying. He simply makes the most beautiful food, and is always happy to talk and discuss food - sharing the benefit of his knowledge! From looking, watching and talking with Lawry I have learnt so much! A fabulous creme brulee is one of those things...

So, what makes Lawry's creme brulee so wonderful? Texture and surprise. By pouring the toffee over the custard instead of blowtorching sugar to form a "crust", you get crack and crunch which is of course the attaraction to creme brulee!! The surprise comes in the form of different flavour combinations... Of course nothing beats that vanilla hit, but one thing Lawry tought me is how to build flavours into a dish and to pleasantly surprise the diner! Try layering the flavours in the custard, try giving them something unexpected!

In this variation, I have used Frangelico to give pleasant mellow nuttiness to the custard, and I deepened this by putting some crushed toasted hazelnuts on top of the firm custard, but underneath the toffee crust. The almost-but-not-quite hazelnut praline topping gives the Frangelico something to bounce off!

Hazelnut Crème Brulée
3 egg yolks
225mL milk
3 1/2T caster sugar
1T plain flour
1tsp vanilla bean paste2T Frangelico
150g hazelnuts, chopped roughly
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup water

Heat milk in saucepan over low heat, slowly bringing the milk to boil. At the same time beat caster sugar and egg yolks until light and fluffy. Incorporate flour until well combined. Add hot milk, and whisk mixture over low heat until mixture thickens. The consistency should be thick enough to leave a ribbon of custard. Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla and Frangelico. Pour custard into ramekins, leave to cool.
Toast hazelnuts lightly in a dry frypan. Set aside. Place sugar and water in a saucepan, heat until sugar dissolves (do stir the pan!) and continue heating until a toffee is achievedScatter toasted hazelnuts over cooled custard, pour a thin layer of toffee over the top. Leave to set

Ma petite robe noire... Canapes!

Do you ever have those recipes which just work? The ones that you know everyone will love without even thinking about it? I was given a cookbook for my birthday a few years ago, Ma Petite Robe Noire. This fabulous French cookbook by Trish Deseine is a collection of basics such as stocks and sauces and of, course, her stand-by recipes! The idea is that every cook should have a few fail safe recipes, just like every woman should have "une petite robe noire" (little black dress) in their wardrobe for those occasions when nothing else seems to work for you. Over the years I have definitely accumulated a few "little black dress" recipes of my own which I gradually share over upcoming posts.

These beautiful little tartelettes are so fresh and summery - absolutely perfect for the warm autumn weather we have been having of late. Keep in mind that these rely on super fresh ingredients - great tomatoes are the key! Though you can use ready-made basil pesto, homemade is vastly superior (you can ask my baby sister - I had to wrestle the spoon away from my sister - she couldn't get enough of it!) You can make the pastry cases and pesto earlier, and assemble at the last minute. What more could you ask for?




Tomato, Basil and Bocconcini Tartelettes

12 grape tomatoes, halved
6 bocconcini, halved

Pâté brisé
100g plain flour
50g butter
Iced water
Basil Pesto
1 bunch basil (reserve some of the small leaves and flower-y heads)
2T parmesan, grated
2T pine nuts, toasted
1 clove garlic
Salt
75mL olive oil

Combine flour and butter until you get a crumb like mixture. Add a little water until the mixture comes together as a dough. The less you work the dough, the better the texture will be! Rest the pastry for half an hour in the fridge.
Roll out the pastry and line your tartelette cases (I used a mini cupcake pan for this). Prick the pastry lightly and bake for 10-12 mins or until golden
To make the pesto, crush the garlic and a pinch of salt together in a mortar and pestle. Add pine nute and parmesan and pound further. Add half the basil leaves and half of the oil, continue pounding until well combined. Add remaining basil leaves and the rest of the oil, pound agin until well combined.
Spoon a little pesto into each case, top with 2 tomato halves and a piece of the bocconcini. Top with the reserved basil leaves.
Occasionally I pop the tartelettes back in the oven for a few minutes (without the basil leaves of course!) if I want something a bit warmer. Either way they are delicious!

Makes 12

Mastering Macaroons

Macaroons are beautiful (End point - no arguments!). I first came across these beautiful jewel coloured treats in patisseries when I was living in France. Needless to say, I very quickly became addicted to their slightly chewy texture and vibrant flavours (my personal favourite is violet and cassis - last tome I was in Paris we splurged in Laduree as you can see below!)

Since I have joined the world of food blogging I have been reading about how hard and tempremental these babies are to make at home. With my sister , we decided to spend a weekend mastering the art of the macaroon (at least for home cooks anyway!)

Armed with lots of egg whites and almond meal, a tried and true recipe and a whole day, we set about it. And guess what? We did it! Our little babies had feet and tasted delicious - so maybe my hand isn't the steadiest in piping small circles of batter, but the texture was wonderfully chewy and the lemon and line clearly shone through the sugar and the almonds.

I think I'm going to have to say it...

My macaroons were a success!

Lemon and lime macaroons

3 egg whites

50g caster sugar

200g icing sugar

110g almond meal

Zest of 1 lime and 1/2 a lemon

Lemon curd, to fill (my sister made this, and it was amazing!)

1. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add caster sugar to egg whites until a glossy merengue forms. If you tip the bowl upside down, nothing should fall out!

2. Sift icing sugar and almond meal together twice to make sure you have a fine homogenous mixture. Add to merengue along with zest. Fold aggressively for about 10 "turns" to incorporate the almonds into the merengue. Continue folding for another 35 turns. Lift a small bit up, if the tip fades after about 30 seconds, then you are good to go! Otherwise, do a few more turns and test again.

3. Fill a piping bag with the mixture, pipe small rounds onto lined baking tray. Once complete, let tray "proof" for about an hour.

4. Pop the macaroons into a 150 degree Celsius oven for 10-12 minutes.

5. Cool and fill with the lemon curd

Makes about 24 macaroons