Rhubarb and Chocolate Tart

8 stalks rhubarb, sliced thick
1tbs brown sugar
1 tbs boiling water
150g butter
1/2cup caster sugar
2 eggs
1/4cup hazelnut spread
1cup almond meal
2tbs plain flour
icing sugar to dust.


Preheat oven to 180c, roll out pastry dough over tart tin, bake with heat beads for 15mins, then without heat beads for ten.
Combine chopped rhubarb with brown sugar and water, set aside and stir couple of times.
In mixer beat butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Add eggs one at a time beating well after added.
Stir in the hazelnut spread, then stir in the almond meal and flour until well combined.
Drain rhubarb mixture then scatter half over pastry. Top with chocolate mixture spread with spatula then arrange left over rhubarb over top.
Bake for approx 30 minutes or until set.
Serve warm or room temperature with cream, ice cream or a sprinkle of icing sugar.
Enjoy.

Chocolate Beetroot Cake

I love that Beetroots are in season now and I love to research what to make with them, that is were I stumbled across the idea to put beets in a cake. Beetroot and chocolate together is such a unusual flavour but somehow it works. Some baking to lift my mood was very much on the cards today as I remember with a heavy heart that our little girl Lillian who would have been 5 months today.


85g Dark Chocolate- melted
3 medium eggs
300g Brown Sugar
240g Butter
300g Beetroot
1 tbs vanilla essence
30g Cocoa Powder
200g Almond Meal or plain flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Oven at 180c Grease cake tin.
Cook Beetroot in boiling water for about 40 minutes, drain and rinse with cool water, when cool to touch rub off skin. mash or put in blender. set aside.
In a large bowl whisk eggs, butter and sugar together, slowly add beetroot and melted chocolate, vanilla into egg mixture.
Sift Cocoa and add almond meal, baking powder and salt into beetroot mixture, fold in but don't over mix batter.
Spoon mixture into greased cake tin and bake for 50 minutes may need longer depending on your oven.  Check by putting a fork in cake if it comes out clean its ready. Wait till cooled to put icing on cake.
Enjoy.

Tangy Lemon Squares

125g butter softened
1/4cup icing sugar
1 1/4 cup plain flour
3 eggs
1 cup caster sugar
2 tsp lemon rind
1/2 cup lemon juice

Preheat oven to 180c, grease square cake pan line with baking paper.
Beat butter and sifted icing sugar until smooth. Stir in 1 cup flour. Press mixture into pan and bake for 15 minutes.
Whisk eggs, caster sugar, remaining flour, rind and juice in bowl. Pour over hot base.
Bake slice for 20 minutes. Cool in pan then cut.
Enjoy

No Knead Bread

After doing a bit of research to find an easy and tasty bread, I came across the "New York Times- No Knead Bread". Adapted from Jim Lahey of Sullivan Street Bakery, this recipe has worked for me every time. Have a look at the recipe here, just a little note to remember to use warm water so the yeast activates otherwise it wont rise. I used 1/2 cup warm water with the yeast to activate, then added the remaining water to the flour mixture. I put this dough in a pyrex and it came out a lovely round shape. Have a play around for what works for you. 

In the garden

A few snap shots of our vegie garden, at the moment we have broccoli and chilli's growing. I'm loving this weather where you can just let the vegie garden do it's thing. It doesn't need a lot of tending to, the broccoli have shot up pretty quickly. The only issue seems to be green caterpillars eating the leaves, but they are pretty easier to keep on top of. I've also been spending a bit of time trying to master a good bread recipe but I'll post that another time.

 

Oreo Brownies

Follow same recipe for Tim Tam Brownies  except put Oreo's instead of Tim Tams.

Beet, walnut & goats cheese tart

Beet, walnut and goats cheese tart 

This is the second day in a row that I'm making this tart. I promised the girls at work to bring some in and I thought I'd share the recipe as its super easy.

1. Salt roast the beet with thyme for 1 hour at 200 degrees.
2. Put pastry in tart tin and line with baking paper, add pie weights, bake for 10-15 minutes on medium heat.
3. Whisk eggs with milk set aside.
4. Take pastry out of oven
5. Put chopped beet, goats cheese and walnuts in pastry case.
6. Pour over egg mixture then put in oven and bake for 30-40 minutes on 350'