Mary Berry's Chocolate Roulade

I made something similar to this a couple of years ago and filled it with Ice Cream instead of cream.

This chocolate roulade is to die for and Gluten free!  I used the recipe from Great British Bake Off, by Mary Berry, yes I am a GBBO tragic!

You do need to be prepared with this recipe otherwise you could get caught out and have a flat roulade.  Prepare your tin first, remember to butter before you line your tray to ensure no movement of the paper.  

You can make this in the morning and fill just before you serve.  If you fill with ice cream you will need to soften the ice cream for 30 minutes in the fridge to make easier to spread it.

Both children and adults will love this dessert and with a little fruit on the side it's not bad for you at all!

175 gm dark chocolate

175 gm caster sugar

6 eggs, separated

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

Separate your eggs.

Melt your chocolate either over a double boiler or in the microwave.  If using the microwave use 30 second bursts.

Whip your egg whites until stiff.  Set aside.

Whisk your egg yolks and sugar until thick, pale and creamy.

Add the melted chocolate and mix until just combined.  Beat through a third of the egg whites to loosen the chocolate mixture.  Stir through the cocoa powder.

Gently fold through the egg whites in 2 batches.

Pour into your prepared tray and gently tip the tray to ease into the corners.  Bake for 20 minutes in a pre heated oven 160C fan forced or 180C non fan forced.  Remove from the oven when cooked and leave to cool in the tray with a dry tea towel over the top.

When cold place a sheet of baking paper on your bench and dust with icing sugar.

Turn your cold cake onto the icing sugar and peal off the baking paper base.  Spread your whipped cream on all but one inch at the end of the cake.

Fold over the end without the cream and using the baking paper, roll the cake.  Don't worry about cracks in the cake, you should have some.

Make sure the seam is facing down.  Transfer to your desired platter or tray and decorate as you wish.

Martha's Fresh Strawberry Pie

Here in Australia it is Spring technically, however we have some very warm to extremely hot days. Today is one of those lovely warm days where I can have the house open still with a nice breeze blowing through.

Spring/Summer in the Kitchen mean fruit!  We love fresh fruit and tend to devour it!  I order lots of fruit all year round, however this time of the year allows for fantastic variety, watermelon, rockmelon, pineapple, strawberries, kiwi fruit and soon our faves, cherries, and the stone fruit!

I saw this recipe on the Martha Stewart site as a video a while ago and have been waiting for this time of year to try it.  I did change it up and put it in an Oreo crust and reduced the sugar a little.

Give it a try this is a great way of having a pie without heating up the house too much!  This has been given a double thumbs up from both the Crash Test Dummies and didn't last the full weekend.

Base

200g Oreo Biscuits

5 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling

3 punnets of strawberries, sliced

1/2 cup unsweetened cranberry or pomegranate juice

1/4 cup corn flour

1/2 cup caster sugar

300 ml cream, whipped

For the base blitz the oreo's in your food processor,  when a fine crumb with the motor on add the melted butter blitz until all coated.

Tip into either a pie dish or tart tin.

Gently press with a flat bottomed glass into the base and sides.  Place in pre heated 180C oven for 10 minutes.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool until cold.

For the filling, place 2 cups of your sliced strawberries, juice, sugar and corn flour in a jug or blender and with a barmix or stick blender blend until smooth.

In a non stick pan place the strawberry mix and heat on medium heat, stir constantly until the mix thickens and boils.  Once cooked the mix will go from a cloudy colour to clear.  Allow to cool.

When cool, mix the rest of the sliced strawberries through the mix until coated.

Place strawberry mix in the pie base, ensure the mix is spread out across the base,  refrigerate for minimum 4 hours.

Top with whipped cream just before serving.

Fruit Tart

This is more an assembly job than a recipe, I love a fruit tart they are very French and a treat from my childhood.  It's a very spring like recipe that is great for a party.  Make this ahead it can be prepared ahead the day before and assembled the morning of your party.

1 blind baked pastry shell, Pate Brisee Pie Crust

2 to 2 1/2 cups Creme Patissiere or Custard

Fruit of choice.  I used 4 kiwi fruit sliced and 1 punnet of strawberries, halved.

Glaze

1/2 cup apricot jam

1 tablespoon water

Heat the jam and water in a saucepan until the jam has liquified, then set aside to cool slightly before you assemble.  While this is heating slice your fruit.

Assemble your cast of careters, tart shell, creme patissiere, fruit and glaze.

You will need to whisk your creme patissier or custard to ensure no lumps.

If your creme patissiere or custard are too thick loosen with 1/2 cup of whipped cream.

Gently pour into your tart shell.

Decorate with fruit as desired.

Your glaze should be cool by now if not wait till cool so you don't melt your filling.  Gently brush over your fruit topping being generous.  Place in the fridge to allow the glaze to set or until ready to serve.

Creme Patissiere (French Pastry Cream)

I have always been reluctant to try making Creme Patissiere as it looks so complicated.  As usual I don't know what I was worried about!

I do have a cousin or two who are chef's and one who is currently doing a Pastry Chef's course,  I was going to get Rachel to show me how to make it while I was visiting my parents in Melbourne recently, however with Rach working and me visiting just about everyone else, I didn't even get time to spend with her.  Sorry Rach!

I am going to give you the measurements for 2 amounts here, one for 500ml and one for 1 litre, you don't always need to make a full litre of Creme Pat you can make a nice reasonable amount.

Creme Patissiere can be used in many things, in Eclair's lightened with a little cream, in Profiteroles or a nice Strawberry Tart.

500 ml

125 gm caster sugar

500ml milk

50 gm plain flour

1 whole egg

3 egg yolks

1 vanilla bean, split with seeds scraped out

1 litre

250 gm caster sugar

1 ltr milk

100 gm plain flour

2 whole eggs

6 egg yolks

1 vanilla bean, split with seeds scraped out

I found it best to get all your ingredients together and have everything measured and ready to go before you start, once you get going it can be a quick process, if you have to leave what your doing you could end up with scrambled egg!

In your saucepan place your milk and vanilla seeds and pod.  Heat milk until just boils.  Remove the vanilla pod.

In your mixing bowl place your eggs, yolks and sugar.  Whisk until light and fluffy and doubled in size.

Add the flour to the egg mix and whisk again.

With your mixer running at about 3/4 speed in a slow steady drizzle add the hot milk mix.  When you have added all the milk transfer back to the saucepan you heated the milk in, I personally strain the mixture back into the saucepan

.

With a whisk ;you need to whisk the mixture over a medium heat.  It will take about 5 minutes to cook off the flour and eggs and for the mixture to thicken.  This is a good way to get rid of the old Tuck shop lady arms, if like me you have them!

The mix will go thick quickly but don't worry this is correct.

Transfer to a shallow dish and cover with cling film, this is to stop a skin forming on the Creme Pat while it cools.  Scott's Auntie Marg did remind me the other week that you can sprinkle a thin layer of sugar over the top and this will do the same thing.  Allow to cool to room temp then refrigerate until needed.