Tag: easy recipe

Oat florentine and how to adapt it

I based this nuts and oat florentine on oats and on a variety of nuts. There is lots of space for accommodation around your taste.

Florentine cereal bar

Those tips were posted in a post I placed on this blog and you may not have seen them. Consider them, they are convenient. Now feel free to add other ingredients than oats to your base, for example you can add silvered almonds or corn flakes.

Tip 1 – the “glue” of your oat florentine

In the end, I realised it doesn’t matter too much what you want in it, it is important to make sure you have a good “glue”.  I looked at a number of recipes for that binding mix and opted for my own made with simple ingredients (butter, honey and brown sugar), so no glucose syrup or other fancy items.

Tip 2 – you need salt in your florentine

One thing I did wrong was having a little too much salt. So put salt but go slowly, once added you can’t remove it

Tip 3 – solid ingredients: let yourself go! There are no limitations there. You need to think of the flavours you are combining together, this is crucial but not too hard. if not sure, stick to a few nuts, seeds or dry fruits in addition to the oats.

Mine was a little extravagant as I went through the pantry nuts jars: brazil nuts (cut), shredded coconut, pepitas, walnuts, roasted hazelnuts, macadamia pieces. And some dry cranberries.

Now for he new tips:

Tip 4 – bake your florentine until nice and brown, do not hesitate to go to a nice coloured brown as it means the florentine will be more solid. The caramel is what binds the ingredients together. If it is too light, it will not hold.

Tip 5 – the slice shape is so much easier to handle, but the florentine round shape is pretty.  My round shapes are enormous, too big really but fun!

Ingredients:
  • 250 g of rolled oats
  • 175 g of brazil nuts, cut in pieces
  • 50 g of shredded coconut
  • 100 g of pepitas
  • 100 g of walnuts broken
  • 150 g of roasted hazelnuts, cut in pieces (quarter size roughly)
  • 100 g of macadamia, also cut in pieces
  • 1 tsp of salt
  • Wet mix:
    • 100 g of melted butter
    • 120 g of honey (you may need to heat up the honey if it is solidified)
    • 150 g of brown sugar (or up to 200g if you like them quite sweet)
  • 180 g of dark cooking chocolate gently melted for the top
Method:
  1. Preheat the oven to 170°C.  Line a baking tray or slice tray with baking paper.
  2. Prepare the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix them.  Prepare the wet ingredients in another bowl.
  3. Mix dry and wet ingredients.
  4. if using a slice tin, press the mix to a thickness of 1.5 cm to 2 cm. If doing florentines, use a tablespoon of mix minimum and press down to a 1.5cm thick disc.  The width will depend on the amount of mix.
  5. Bake in the middle of your oven for 1/2h to 40 minutes until nicely brown (the time will depend on your oven)
    Florentine cereal bar
  6. Cool down before covering with melted chocolate. If doing a slice, cut when the chocolate has almost hardened.

Florentine cereal bar

 

Salted chocolate and walnut caramel slice

This salted chocolate and walnut caramel slice is adapted from Delicious magazine.   The slices taste amazing. Since they are quite filling, there is here for a fair number of serves. I made mine in a  20×30 cm slice tray.  The recipe originally called for a 23 x 23 cm tray.

There are a few steps to make the salted chocolate caramel slice but all are pretty easy. To make it even easier, I advise using the caramel version of sweet condensed milk.

Barre choco caramel

Ingredients:

BASE

  • 220 g plain flour
  • 50 g  icing sugar, sifted
  • 180 g unsalted butter, melted, cooled slightly

FILLING

  • 380 g sweetened caramel condensed milk (this is the volume of a can of condensed milk in Australia)
  • 50 g dark  brown sugar
  • 100 g dark corn syrup or glucose syrup
  • 100 g unsalted butter
  • 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
  • one teaspoon worth of good quality vanilla extract

TOP

  • 200 g dark 70% cooking chocolate
  • 15 g unsalted butter
  • 40 g roasted walnuts (roast them 15 minutes in a 160°C oven)
  • 1 tsp sea salt flakes (if using a 23×23 cm tin, you will need to use slightly less)
Method
  1. Preheat the oven to 160°C. Grease the base and sides of the slice tin and line with baking paper.
  2. Place the flour, icing sugar and 1⁄4 tsp salt flakes in a heatproof bowl and stir to combine. Add the melted butter and mix with your hands to form a sticky paste. Press the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth out with an offset spatula.
  3. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the base is golden. If any bubbles form under the base while baking, use a skewer to gently deflate them.
  4. Now, for the caramel filling, place all the ingredients in a large heatproof bowl. Place the bowl on top of a saucepan of gently simmering water, stirring well occasionally, until the butter has fully melted and emulsified. The consistency should be thick and gloopy and the colour just a shade darker. Set aside at room temperature. As soon as the base is ready, remove from the oven and immediately pour the caramel filling over the top.
  5. Reduce the oven to 120°C. Return the filled base to the oven and bake for 20 minutes or so. If it starts to brown too quickly, reduce the oven slightly and continue to bake. When cooked, the middle will feel set and a little rubbery and the sides should be starting to blister and turn light brown. Remove and leave to cool for 1-2 hours at room temperature.

    Tip – it is important to place the slice at the bottom of the oven at this stage, it allows cooking while avoiding the top to brown and darken too quickly.

  6. It is now time to prepare the topping.  Melt chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water. Stir thoroughly then pour it over the top of the caramel. Smooth lightly with an offset spatula or tilt the pan to distribute the chocolate. Crush the walnuts with your hands and sprinkle over the top with the salt flakes.
  7. Leave to cool a little.  It should be fully set after an hour (this depends on the temperature of your kitchen as well). This salted chocolate caramel slice keeps in an air-tight container for a week.

Barre choco caramel

Roasted almond and chocolate slice

This roasted almond and chocolate slice is very easy to make and quick. The difference from the more frequent almond cake base is the amazing aroma that comes from having toasted carefully the almond meal!

You will need a 20 x 20 cm slice tin or brownie tin for this slice.

Ingredients:
  • 180 g of caster sugar
  • 4 large eggs (that means from a box of 12 eggs weighting 700 g min)
  • 200 g of  almond meal
  • A few drops of good vanilla extract
  • 100 g of melted butter (I use salted butter, the choice is yours)
  • Chocolate top: 150 g of dark chocolate and 70 g of butter
Method:
  1. Heat up the oven to 170°C.
  2. Place the almond meal in a large thick based frypan on medium to high heat (no need for anything else!).  While constantly moving the almond meal around slowly with a wooden spoon or wooden spatula, allow it to toast to a nice golden brown. Remove from the heat when you reach the colour and immediately transfer to a bowl (else the almond meal will further darken). Careful, this is hot.
  3. In a food mixer with the whisk (or by hand with a wide whisk!), whisk together sugar and eggs until light and fluffy like a mousse.
  4. Add the vanilla extract.
  5. Slow down the speed of the mixer if using one. Add the melted butter. Then add the roasted almond meal once it has cooled down.
  6. Line the tray with baking paper (use a bit of butter to help it stick well on the sides). Pour the bottom mix into the slice tin.
  7. Bake until light brown (you can insert a skewer to check or simply press the top of the base with the tip of your fingers, it will slightly spring back). Remove from the oven. Leave in the tray.
  8. Melt the chocolate and  70 g of butter. Once melted, mix until smooth, then pour over the base and use a spatula to spread across the base.
  9. Leave to cool until set. If you are short of time, place the tray in the freezer for 20 minutes.
  10. Cut into slices.  The slices keep well for a few days in an air-tight container. Do not refrigerate.

barre amande et chocolat

Salmon with hot and cold mix vegetables salad

This is a recipe you should feel free to adapt with what you have available at home.  It is designed to have a few roasted vegetables, a few fresh vegetables, herbs, a little feta or similar fresh cheese and of course a piece of salmon.

There were two cooking stages,  all in the same roasting dish. First, the cauliflower and sweet potatoes first, then the fish and a little chickpeas. And finally herbs, a few crumbs of feta and some cherry tomatoes.  Over that, a dash of balsamic vinegar and olive oil, a splash of lemon and dinner is ready.

fish meal

Ingredients:

This is for 2 adults for a light meal, increase the amount of fish per person for a more copious meal.

  • 1 piece of salmon fillet skin on
  • 1 cup of cut heads of cauliflower
  • 1/2 tin of chickpeas
  • 1 sweet potato
  • a few brussels sprouts ut in quarters
  • 5 cherry tomatoes cut in quarters
  • 1 cup of finely shredded red cabbage
  • about 1/4 cup of  pomegranate seeds  (omit if you don’t have, you can put walnut pieces or pepitas as an alternative)
  • Coriander, chives herbs (or other fresh herbs, about  1/4 cup)
  • Lemon, olive oil, balsamic vinegar
  • A little feta or other soft fresh cheese
Method:
  1. On a plate, sprinkle a little olive oil over the salmon and a little salt.
  2. Peel the sweet potato and cut in pieces of 2 cm size maximum.
  3. Place in a small roasting dish the chickpeas, the sweet potato, the cauliflower. Pour a fillet of olive il and a little salt, toss and place in a 200 °C oven (middle rack). Allow to cook for about 10 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are half tender.
  4. Add the fish in the middle of the vegetable and return to the oven another 10 minutes about until the fish is just cooked.
  5. Remove from the oven, add to the dish all other vegetable, placing on top the herbs, feta and pomegranate.
  6. add a fillet of balsamic vinegar over the dish, of olive oil and squeeze half a lemon over it. Serve.

Note: if some people do not like lemon, you can let other people squeeze it on their serve themselves.

School lunchboxes are back!

School lunchboxes are back!

Yeah, yeah.  In New South Wales, school starts officially tomorrow.  We have just moved house, still in Sydney but on an island! I managed in time to get my baking goods out of boxes to prepare a great lunch box slice for this week.

choc fondant slice

You can’t make it easier

This is as easy as it can get really.  There are 4 ingredients, no cooking skills required (i.e. make your child mix it all) and it is ready and baked in a flash!

Hopefully you have a can of sweet condensed milk in the pantry.  I had to buy one to do it tonight, I found that recipe or variations of it on many french websites when emptying my pantry before our move.

Follow the link to the recipe

Go to the recipe HERE.  Have a go at it, it is pretty simple (and not just for children of course).

choc fondant slice

choc fondant slice, school lunchbox are back

 

 

 

Lime Yoghurt Cheesecake

Think how refreshing lime and yoghurt can be on a hot day. Combine the two in a cheesecake and this is it, or almost.  This recipe is inspired from a recipe given to me by a Japanese flatmate in Bondi Beach years ago! I have changed it to adapt to what I had available handy when I made it as it was cot planned at all.

 

You need to make it a day ahead.  You will need a 20 cm diameter springform mould.  This recipe is quite versatile and you an adapt it to your taste (more or less lime, less sugar, another coulis, more yogurt and less cream, a pistachio crumb base…). I did not make the coulis on purpose, it is more like I was trying to empty the freezer and I had a container of frozen strawberry coulis in my freezer.

Serves 8

Preparation – 20 min

Settling in fridge – 15 h +

refreshing lime and yohurt cheescake

Ingredients:

The base

  • 100 g of lady’s finger biscuits (also called savoiardi – the same as for tiramisu)
  • 70 g of butter – soft
  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt
  • no need for sugar, there is already some in the biscuits, it is sufficient

The top

  • 5 g of powder gelatin (1 heaped teaspoon)
  • 4 limes
  • 60 g caster sugar
  • 250 g yogurt
  • 150 mL of cream
  • 1 cup of milk
    Method:
  1. Grate the limes, squeeze the juice.
  2. Heat up 1 cup of milk (don’t boil) and dissolved the powdered getatin in it (let it dissolved then stir until fully dissolved).
  3. In a large bowl, combine yogurt, cream, lime, sugar, lime rind.
  4. Add milk with gelatin and remaining milk to the mix.  Cool down at room temperature.
  5. In the meanwhile, butter and line with baking paper the bottom of your tin making sure the baking paper sticks out between the base and wall of the tin (it helps when removing the cheesecake, feel free to use another method if you prefer),
  6. Using a food processor, bring the lady finger biscuits to crumbs, mix with the soft butter and the salt.
  7. Spread all over the base and with your hand press firmly to form a uniform base for your cheesecake. No walls needed here.
  8. Pour the liquid mix in the tin.
  9. Cover with cell wrap and place in the fridge for a minimum of 12 hours.
  10. Before serving, unmould and place the cheesecake in a large serving dish.  Spoon a couple of spoons of the coulis on the top then gently pour around the cake the bright coloured coulis.  Add further lime rind (optional).

refreshing lime and yohurt cheescake

Chocolate Mousse

A real chocolate mousse is light and airy.  The chocolate mousse is made only from eggs and good quality cooking chocolate.  There is no sugar, no cream! Chocolate mousses for cakes are different and would include whipped cream.  You will find this recipe with small variations on pretty much every French chef website.

Make it at least 4 hours before serving as it needs to set in the fridge.  You can make it the day before if you want.  You can put the mousse in individual ramequins or serve it as one dish to share.

For 8 people.  Preparation- 10 minutes. Resting – 4 hours minimum.

Ingredients

  • 200 g dark cooking chocolate (I like to use 70% but it may be a bit strong for children, use as a minimum a 50%+ chocolate)
  • 6 large eggs separated
  • 10 cl milk (preferred) or water

Method

  1. Melt the chocolate with the method of your choice.  For non-couverture chocolate, I would typically break the tablet in chunks in a bowl, add the milk or water and microwave for 2 minutes on 50 or 70% power depending on the strength of your microwave.  It is important that the chocolate does not burn.  Once melted, mix until silky smooth.  If using couverture chocolate you will want to melt it in a bain Marie (once melted add the milk) and ensure your eggs are at room temperature.  The role of the milk is to make it easier to mix in the egg whites.
  2. Add one egg yolk at the time and mix well.
  3. Beat the egg whites to snow quite firm and insert them by folding them into the chocolate slowly.
  4. Transfer to a bowl or individual ramequins, cover with cell wrap and place in the fridge.  The mousse will settle in the fridge.
  5. Remove from the fridge 20-30 min before serving (in summer 10 min is enough), serve with a madeleine or other plain biscuit.

 

Bonne mousse au chocolat