Stir together gelatin powder and 40ml of cream in a dish till well combined. Set aside for 5 minutes to bloom.
Combine 500ml cream, zest, earl grey tea & sugar to a saucepan.
Bring to a boil, switch off the heat & allow to steep for 10 minutes.
Bring to a simmer then switch off, stir in the gelatin mix until completely dissolved.
Strain and reserve 70ml, divide the rest between 4 x 125ml pudding molds (I was using the containers from yogurts I had finished & washed out for this).
Chill in freezer till just set enough to pour the next layer on.
Gradually stir in the reserved mix into matcha powder till well combined.
Spoon over the chilled first layer, divided evenly among the 4 molds.
Keep airtight and chill in fridge till set, serve as is or lightly warm the mold by dipping in some hot water and inverting onto a plate or dish.
Panna cotta is best served within a few days after making as the gelatin tends to contract after some time and make it less silky smooth, and toughens it a bit.
140 ml (3-4 Large, 1/3 + 1/4 Cup) Fresh Lemon Juice
15g (1 Tbsp) Glucose Syrup
2 Tablespoons (18g) Gelatin Powder
2 Large Egg Whites
180g (1 + 1/2 Cups) Pistachio
140g (1 Cup + 2 Tbsp) Pure Icing/Confectioners Sugar
Zest of 3-4 Large Lemon
METHOD:
Pulse together in a processor the pistachio and pure icing sugar till fine.
Stir in between pulses once or twice to ensure even mixing. Do not pulse for too long just enough to make a fine powder as the nut may leak oil if over done.
Oil & line a 23cm (9″) square pan with cling wrap, sprinkle generously with the pistachio mix to prevent marshmallows from sticking.
In a small dish, stir together 40ml lemon juice with the gelatin powder until combined. Set aside to bloom for 5 minutes.
Add lemon zest, 100ml lemon juice to a saucepan. Add sugar & glucose.
Over medium heat, heat this mixture until 121C (250F), do not stir.
When mix is reaching 100C (212F), whisk egg whites on high speed so that it is stiff peaks when the mixture reaches the right temperature.
Immediately stir in the gelatin mix into the sugar mix & stir until completely dissolved.
Gradually pour the sugar mix in a steady stream down the side of the egg whites whilst whisking on high. Avoid hitting the whisk for splash backs.
Continue to whisk on high speed until bowl feels cold to the touch.
Pour it into the lined pan, gently shake in all directions and it should level out by itself.
Cover generously with pistachio mix.
Allow to set at room temperature for 2-3 hours until springs back to touch.
Flip out the marshmallow onto cutting boards, peel away the cling wrap and slice with a sharp knife.
These taste extra tangy when slightly toasted before eating, but are zingy enough as is. Keep well for up to a week if kept airtight and away from humidity as the sugar pistachio coating can get a bit damp over time.
BLUEBERRY & HERB MAGIC CUSTARD CAKE – Recipe (GF Option)
125g (1/2 cup) unsalted butter melted, cooled
500ml (2 cups) milk lukewarm
4 eggs separated
1 + 1/4 Cups (150g) pure icing sugar
1 Tablespoon Water
1 Cup (115g Flour)
1 +1/2 Tablespoon matcha
1 + 1/2 Teaspoons Dried Tarragon
Zest of 1 Small Lime
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
250g (1 Cup) Blueberries
Grease and line a 20cm (8 inch) square baking pan/dish with baking paper.
Sift flour and matcha powder together in a medium bowl.
Melt the butter and set aside to slightly cool. Warm the milk to lukewarm and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, whip the egg whites to stiff peaks with an electric mixer on lw speed. Set aside. *The key to having an easier time with meringue folding in batters is using lower speed to beat it up to stiff peak so that you build fine air bubbles in the meringue. Larger bubbles happen from abrupt build up of bubbles from high speed and tend to burst easily in folding and baking causing issues like deflated batter which yield dense cakes, or cracks as bubbles burst during baking.
In a separate large mixing bowl whisk the egg yolks and sugar until slightly pale. Mix in the melted butter and the tablespoon of water for about 2 minutes or until evenly incorporated.
Add in the flour mix until evenly combined. Whisk in the milk until well combined.
Stir in 1/3 the meringue until well combined. Add the remaining meringue and fold gently with whisk till evenly combined, being careful not to deflate batter. *Whisk is easiest to disperse meringue without overmixing and deflating.
Spread the blueberries evenly over the base of pan.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake at 160C (325F) for 50-60 minutes or until the top is nicely golden and set. You’ll want to bake it more than the standard cheesecake if using my sized mould as it gives a taller cake so it can take a lot longer than specified time. It should hardly wobble and allow a good few hours to chill and set, preferably overnight. If you are uncertain if it’s baked through after it cools in the fridge for a few hours you can slide a knife in to see if it is covered in custard. If baked through there should be a thin coating, not a very thick and wet coating of custard.
Slice & dust with icing sugar before serving 🙂
Can be stored in the fridge overnight for a few days. Bring to room temperature before serving, depending on your liking.
GLUTEN-FREE: If you need the recipe to be gluten free simply swap the flour out for rice flour.
Toast sesame in a pan over medium heat, stirring frequently until brown and fragrant.
In a bowl, combine oats, sesame, salt, chopped dried mangoes (bite size) and flax seeds.
In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, lemon juice and honey.
Mix together with the dried ingredients until well combined.
In a cling wrap or baking paper-lined pan, place the mixture in and press to compress into a bar of desired thickness and size.
Freeze until firm enough to slice, remove from pan and slice into small bars of choice. Store in an airtight container and keep in the fridge till needed.
Dust with matcha powder before serving for best presentation.
PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE BITES Ingredients:
40g 1/4 cup Cashew Nuts, toasted
30g 1/4 cup oats
100g cup natural Peanut butter
20g honey
2 Tablespoons Flax Seed
35g Dried mulberries
Dark Chocolate, bittersweet 80%
Sea Salt
METHOD:
Toast cashew nuts in a pan over medium heat until brown and fragrant.
Add all ingredients except chocolate and salt into a processor.
Blitz until a fine paste.
Press into small bite sized molds, pressing firmly to ensure the mold is properly filled.
Freeze until solid and pop out of the molds onto a lined tray. Allow to come to room temperature.
Melt the chocolate in short 10 second intervals until smooth.
Place some melted chocolate on top of each cube, and sprinkle a tiny pinch of salt over each one.
NOTE: If you do it whilst the cubes are too cold, chocolate will set faster. I would recommend doing a few then adding the salt, and repeating with the rest.
SPICED COCOA BALLS Ingredients:
100g Unsweetened Tahini
70g Rolled Oats
1/2 Tablespoon Ground Cinnamon
1/2 Tablespoon Cocoa Powder, Unsweetened
4-5 Tablespoons Uncrystallised Ginger, Chopped
20g Honey
Extra Cocoa Powder for rolling
METHOD:
Combine all ingredients and mix until well combined.
Roll into bite sized balls and keep airtight and chilled until needed.
Roll in cocoa powder, toasted sesame seeds or coconut.
Pre-heat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius (338F) and grease a 10 inch oven-safe glass bowl with non-stick vegetable spray. You will need at least 3 inch worth of height for the bowl.
With an electric mixer, or hand-held mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until thick and creamy then add the egg and mix until combined.
Using whisk, mix and sift flour, salt and bicarb soda then fold it in, followed by the buttermilk and vanilla.
Transfer the batter into the well-greased bowl. Use a palette knife to smooth out the batter roughly.
For Bottom Bun: Bake for 40-50 minutes or until they’re firm then allow 5 minutes to cool before flipping onto a plate to cool till warm. Cling wrap and freeze.
For Top Bun: Repeat same steps but sprinkle sesame after greasing the same sized bowl. Bake for 40 minutes reduce temperature to 160 degrees Celsius for another 15-20 minutes or until firm.
*Depending on oven type and that these cakes are such a large portion it may take a very long time to bake, so don’t worry if it exceeds the guide time and still needs cooking 🙂
STRAWBERRY CURD SAUCE
INGREDIENTS:
400g (2 Cups) Frozen Strawberries
8 Tablespoons Caster Sugar (depends on how sweet your strawberries are)
2 Large Lemon Juice
5-10 Teaspoons Cornstarch
Red Food Coloring, Optional
METHOD:
Cook over medium-low heat until the mixture starts to boil. Stir frequently and cook a few more minutes till fruit breaks down.
Mash with potato masher or fork and add the cornflour. Start with 4 teaspoons or so and stir it in well with a whisk and cook until it thickens, roughly 5-10 minutes.
Add more cornflour if necessary.Add food coloring if using and stir until a red ketchup/tomato sauce look is achieved.
Transfer and strain into a heatproof container. Let cool to room temperature then store in the refrigerator with cling wrap pressed directly over the surface of the curd.
If the curd sets too thick or not smooth enough you can add it to a processor and process once more before using. You want some the thickness of tomato sauce, so not too thick but not runny either.
WHITE CHOCOLATE GANACHE CHEESE
INGREDIENTS:
80ml (1/3 Cup) plus 1 Tablespoon Thickened Cream
350g good quality white chocolate, finely chopped (cadbury pinch of salt
zest of lemon
60g (1/4 Cup) Unsalted Butter, cut into Thin Slices
METHOD:
In small, heavy, non-aluminum saucepan, combine all ingredients in a medium heatproof bowl over simmering water. Stir from time to time until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and strain through fine-meshed strainer. Press down on the lemon zest left in the strainer to extract all the liquid from it.
Transfer the mixture to a 9 inch square tray greased and lined first with cling wrap, then baking paper around base and up the sides. Pour up to 3-5mm worth of height imitating that of cheese slice. Freeze until stiff and easy to peel off baking paper.
FUDGE BROWNIE PATTY
INGREDIENTS:
155 grams (1 1/4 cups) Plain Flour
1 Teaspoon Salt
2 Tablespoons Dark Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
310 grams Dark Chocolate, Coarsely Chopped (1 Block Dark Cadbury & remaining milk
230 grams (2 Sticks or 1 Cup) Unsalted Butter, cut into small pieces
Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius (325F). Line a 10 inch round baking pan with parchment paper. The burger looks most realistic if the patty is a bit wider than the bun diameter but if it’s a bit smaller it will look great too so don’t go buying a new pan if you don’t want to! 🙂
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, salt and cocoa powder together.
Put the chocolate, butter, and instant espresso powder in a large bowl and set it over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and smooth. Turn off the heat, but keep the bowl over the water and add the sugars. Whisk until completely combined, then remove the bowl from the pan. The mixture should be room temperature.
Add 3 eggs to the chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Add the remaining 2 eggs and whisk just until combined. Add the vanilla extract and stir until combined. Don’t overmix at this stage or your brownies will be cakey.
Add the flour mixture to the chocolate mixture and fold until just a bit of the flour mixture is visible.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake in the center of the oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with a few moist crumbs sticking to it. Let the brownies cool completely, then flip it out of the pan. Using your hands to smooth the sharp edges of the cake, and press the surface of the cake to make the cake look imperfect like a real patty.
Notes:
Store the brownies at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days. – Brownies can be frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw them on the counter, still covered, or overnight in the fridge.
APPLESAUCE SHORTBREAD ONION RINGS
INGREDIENTS:
1 Sheet of Puff Pastry, Thawed (270 x 270 x 4mm)
6-8 Tablespoons Applesauce
1 Egg, Beaten
2 Tablespoons Water
Processed Shortbread, 1 packet (250g)
1/2 ~ 1 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
METHOD:
Process the biscuits with ground cinnamon until it becomes coarse crumbs.
Slice one sheet of puff pastry in half, spread applesauce thinly on one sheet then lay the second sheet directly over the applesauce one.
Slice into 2cm wide strips and twist the strips into a tight spiral. Fold the ends together gently and transfer to a lined baking tray. Freeze until solid and firm.
Beat egg well, add the water and two tablespoons of applesauce and mix well. Dip in egg wash and coat with shortbread crumbs completely. Add two to three tablespoons of applesauce to remaining egg wash and repeat the dipping process for a second coating.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350F) and bake until golden and puffed up. Allow to cool completely on the tray before packing or serving.
*The baking of the rings are best left until the day of serving, or you can cook the night before then dry out in an oven at same temperature for 4-5 minutes to crisp it up before serving. They do not taste good after they go into the fridge as it looses its texture.
ASSEMBLAGE:
The buns can be frozen if made a few days early as they keep well.
If frozen, the process is easiest for assemblage if defrosted. Carefully place the base bun on serving plate. You can spread some ganache or frosting to adhere the bun.
Spread generously with strawberry curd as you like, I like to cover around 2/3 worth of the surface. Place the patty brownie on top and gently press down to adhere it in place.
Whilst frozen, flip the cheese ganache sheet side up over the brownie. Peel off the baking paper, gently smooth the corners to drape it down like cheese. Let the cheese come to room temperature and shape more to your liking. This process is important as frozen cheese will make the curd on top in the next step weep a little, so don’t do it too early.
Once the cheese is defrosted, spread same amount of curd as before over the cheese layer, then add the top bun. Make sure to check from the top and sides to make sure the burger is standing as straight as possible.
You can tape or use some super glue to add your own craft paper made flag and adhere it to the end of your grilling skewer (skewers for grilling are much longer and sturdier so fits for the burger). Insert the skewer right down the centre all the way down to the base.
Loosely cling wrap or store in a large container/box, keep chilled and bring to room temperature before serving otherwise the cake will be a bit firm to slice.
You can present as you like, putting remaining curd in a container like sauce on the side, onions rings in a takeaway box with wrapping paper, etc.
Hope you guys had heaps of fun doing this cake!
Top Bun Recipe Makes 16-18 Pairs of Top + Bottom Buns.
Top Bun: 2/3 Full, greased, sprinkle with sesame seeds
Baking Time: 22 min
Bottom Bun: Half Full, greased
Has to be really well greased, and press the back of the molds to pop the buns out cleanly.
Sugary Lab 