Honeycomb

Scott LOVES honeycomb!  I don't often make this as it is pure sugar, however as a treat I make a small batch and hide it in a Tupperware container, or make a cheesecake with it.

Here in Australia we grew up eating Violet Crumble, a bar of honeycomb smothered in chocolate.  I love feeling the honeycomb dissolve on my tongue.

You cannot walk away from this while the sugar is dissolving or it will burn.  Lock the kids outside while you make it to ensure a quiet, uninterrupted 10 minutes of quiet honeycomb making.

200 gm caster sugar

5 tablespoons golden syrup

2 teaspoons bi carb soda

Place the sugar and golden syrup in a saucepan and over medium heat stir to combine.

Simmer until all the sugar is dissolved, use a pastry brush dipped in cold water to wash the sides of the pot if sugar starts to granulate there.  Once all sugar is dissolved then remove the pan from the heat and using a wooden spoon stir in the bi carb soda quickly until all combined.

Scrape quickly onto a prepared baking sheet and set aside to cool.  Remember do not touch it as it is molten sugar and you will get burnt.  Break up when cooled to room temp and either keep in an air tight container or dip in chocolate.

Mango Mousse

No fancy photos today, if I didn't take the photo there and then it was gone!

Such a quick and easy dessert to make and so satisfying to eat.  Great for the family or a dinner party.  You can use fresh when in season or frozen mango during winter.

500 gm mango, defrosted if using frozen

2 sheets gelatin, soaked

200 ml cream, whipped

whipped cream and mango chunks for decorating

Soak your gelatin in cold water for 5 minutes.

Blitz your mango in the food processor until you have a nice smooth puree.

Heat half a cup of the puree and dissolve your gelatin sheets.  Stir gelatin mixture into the rest of the puree.

Whip your cream.

Fold the whipped cream through the puree.  Now don't worry if this looks a little runny it is going to set in the fridge.

Spoon into serving glasses or bowls.

Serve with whipped cream and left over chunks of mango.

Lemon Sorbetto

This is one of the easiest Ice Creams I have ever made and very refreshing.  It is easier if you make the syrup the day before and leave it in the fridge overnight to steep.  It does give you a more intense Lemon flavour.  

Tip for those that make their own ice cream... stick your ice cream in the fridge for an hour before your ready to serve to allow it to soften enough to scoop.

250 gm caster sugar

350 ml water

2 lemons, zest and juice

500 gm mascarpone cheese

Peel the lemon zest off the lemons with as little of the white pith as possible.  Place the sugar water and lemon zest in a sauce pan and heat until the sugar is dissolved.  Add the lemon juice and simmer for 5 minutes.  Set aside to cool and preferably refrigerate over night.   When ready to use strain off the zest.

Gently whisk the lemon syrup into your mascarpone until smooth.  Churn in your ice cream maker as per directions.  When ready decant into your ice cream container and freeze for approximately 4 hours before serving.

Prawn and Ginger Dumplings

I grew up near a suburb of Melbourne called Springvale, where there is a large Vietnamese population, so I grew up eating a lot of Asian food.  My mother taught me bad habits growing up and I love dumplings!  Especially Prawn Dumplings! 

Here is my version of homemade Prawn and Ginger Dumplings, so easy to make and if you use fresh prawns you can freeze the excess for later.

500 gm fresh or frozen raw prawn meat

2 spring onions, chopped

1/4 teaspoon ginger grated or paste

1/4 clove garlic grated 

1/4 teaspoon soy sauce

1 packet wanton skins, fresh

small bowl of cold water

Chop, grate etc your garlic, onions, ginger.

Prawns must be defrosted if frozen.

Cut a circle of baking paper to put in the base of your steamer so your dumplings don't stick.

When you fold it into this shape cut little triangle out.

Yes we are making christmas angels.... hehehe no this just allows the steam through.

Stick your prawns in the food processor and give them a couple of quick pulses to chop them up.

Stick in your garlic, onions and ginger and a 1/2 teaspoon of soy sauce and blitz to an almost paste.

Lay out your wonton skins in a production line.

Filling.

Stick a teaspoon of the filling on the wonton and indeed all of the ones you have laid out.  With your finger dip it in the water you put in a bowl and brush it around the outside edges of the wonton skin. This is your sticky stuff with the cornflour on the wonton it will help the edge to stick together.

Fold in half and stick the corners together.

Fold the other two corners up to form your shape and press all the edges together to seal them.

Set the on a baking sheet as you go.  Here if you used fresh prawns you can stick your baking tray in the freezer for 2 hours to freeze them then stick them in a zip loc bag.

If cooking stick them in your steamer over simmering water and cook for 20 minutes.

Serve straight away with dipping sauce of your choice or just plain soy sauce.

MINE!!   Get your own!

Ina Garten's Chocolate dipped Shortbread

I love Shortbread, Mum makes it every Christmas and it always makes the house smell wonderful. However to make it in the middle of winter here in Australia and give it a twist by dipping it in Chocolate, makes it just as special.

It is so nice to have a hot cup of tea or a hot chocolate and a nice biscuit to dip in it when the weather is a bit dismal.

What I also love is that you can make a big batch of these and cut them all up ready and just freeze half ready to cook at a later time.

340 gm butter, room temperature
1 cup caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 1/2 cup plain flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
100 gm good quality dark, milk or white chocolate, melted

In your mixer beat together butter and sugar until just combined.  Add vanilla and salt then flour and beat until combined and starts to come together into a ball.  Turn out and flatten into a disk or square, wrap in plastic and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to chill.

Divide dough into half, place the second half back in the fridge.

On a well floured surface roll your dough to desired thickness.

This is where the kids can get fancy.

Or your OCD can come out and play! At this stage you can stick your shapes on a baking sheet and freeze for 2 hours, then place in a ziploc tagged bag and keep in the freezer for later.

Bake at 180 C for 15 minutes keep an eye on them so they don't burn.

Melt your desired type of chocolate either in the microwave or over simmering water and dip your cooled biscuits, place on a lined baking sheet for the chocolate to set.

Your family and friends will rave over these and think you spent hours slaving away in the kitchen.