The New Little and Friday, New Market, Auckland

The new Little and Friday in New Market is just as fab as the North Shore one. Lisa and I went on a busy Sunday morning for a bite to eat before buying (and assembling) her new rabbit cage. The rose water and orange cake I had after a lovely pie is above and below is the fruit tart with custard beneath that Lisa had. Both were accompanied by STRONG coffee from a hard night previous.

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Baking: Rosewater Teacupcakes with Raspberry Icing

Rosewater Teacupcakes with Raspeberry Icing

 

Today is my birthday.

This morning I had a lovely present from Vic University (Wellington).My summer school paper's exam. Due to the very little time (approx 1 hour) I had at home (inbetween the exam and going out), I was not able to make a proper happy birthday cake.

However I have being dying to use the Teacupcakes - (bake and serve cupcake molds shaped like a teacups complete with saucers) I was given for Christmas. I was given a set by my good friend Lydia Ng and by my nextdoor neighbour/subsitute mother Colleen Munro.

They both must know me well, as I adore them (they are so cute) and receiving two packets of them is ideal to fit a batch of cupcake mixture (as each packet contains 4 sets).  

Ingredients:
225g Butter
225g Caster Sugar
4 Large Eggs
225g Flour
1 1/2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
2 Teaspoons Rosewater

Icing
200g Butter
2 1/2 Cups Icing Sugar
3 - 4 Drops Red Food Colouring
1 - 1 1/2 Teaspoons Raspberry Essence (taste it before adding more)
1 Tablespoon Boiling Water


1. Preheat oven to 180C

2. Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy using an electric beater.

3. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

4. Add flour, baking powder and rosewater, and mix until just combined.

5. Spoon out into greased teacupcake moulds or cupcake cases.

6. Bake for 20 mins.

7. Allow to cool on wire rack, until room temperature.

8. Mix together, using an electric beater, butter, icing sugar, food colouring rasperberry essence and water until light and fluffy. It should be still but malleable, if not add more water or icing sugar until it is required texture.

9. Pipe icing onto cakes, and top with a rose (i used fake rose buds which can be washed and used again).

Dessert: Rosewater Vanilla Baked Peaches

Rosewater Vanilla Baked Peaches

This is a quick easy dessert which uses ingredients which are just in the pantry! I make it when I don't have flakey pastry in the fridge to make a Peach Tarte Tartin.

Ingredients
1 Cup Water
1/2 Cup Sugar
3 Teaspoons Rosewater
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Bean Paste
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Essence
4 Peaches, Stone removed and cut in half

1. Combine all ingredients but the peaches in an ovenproof saucepan and bring to the boil.

2. Place peaches face down in the syrup and simmer for 5 minutes.

3. Spoon syrup over and place in oven to bake for 15 minutes

4. Remove from oven and flip peaches over in pan.

5. Serve with ice-cream and fresh/frozzen raspberries.

Dessert: Rosewater and Vanilla Yoghurt Panna Cotta

Rosewater and Vanilla Yoghurt Panna Cotta

This is a large recipe (which is how I make it, so there are some left over for the next night), however it can easily be halfed (gealtine leaves can be cut in half).

The pictures show the Pana Cotta with candied peach in a rosewater syrup.

Ingredients: 

750ml Cream

1 L Skim Low Fat Youghurt

250g Caster Sugar

2 teaspoons Vanilla Bean Paste

2 teaspoons Rosewater

7 Sheets Leaf Gelatine

1. Heat cream and sugar over a low heat to dissolve sugar, bringing to a gentle similar before turning off the heat.

2. Place gelatine in bowl of cold water for 5 minutes. Remove from bowl and squeeze excess water out, before adding it to cream mixture and whisking.

3. Finally add vanilla bean paste, rosewater and youghurt then whisk to combine.

4. Pour into ten dariole mould and refridgerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

5. To remove from the moulds, to serve, run a knife around the inside of the mould, then place in a bath of hot water. This should allow the Panna Cotta to slide out easily when turned onto a plate.

Biscuits, Cookies and Slices: Macarons

Macarons

Before Christmas I had a little bit of a macaroon bake-a-thon. I then placed the unfilled shells in airtight containers in which they kept perfectly until Christmas (shells last unfilled for over a month - once filled they only last up to a week).

I personally prefer the Lavender, Rosewater, Orange Blossom and Vanilla over the Chocolate and Raspberry.

My biggest problem when I first made these was that my mixture was to light and airly! I didn't combine my mixture enough, therefore I recommend that when you combine the icing sugar and almonds your combine it thoroughly! Don't be afraid it it loses alot of volume.

Lavender
2 Teaspoons Dried Culinary Lavender
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Bean Paste
2 Teaspoon Blue Food Colouring
1 Teaspoon Red Food Colouring

Rosewater
2 Teaspoons Rosewater
2 Teaspoons Red Food Colouring

Orange Blossom
2 Teaspoons Orange Blossom
2 Teaspoons Yellow Food Colouring
1/2 Teaspoon Red Food Colouring

Vanilla
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Essence
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Bean Paste
1 Teaspoon Yellow Food Colouring

Chocolate
2 Teaspoons Dutched Cocoa

Raspberry
1 Teaspoon Raspberry Essence
2 Teaspoons Red Food Colouring

Basic Recipe (Summarised From Dish)
Ingredients:
100g Egg Whites
Pinch of Cream of Tartar
2 Tablespoons Caster Sugar
140g Almond Meal
220g Icing Sugar

85g Butter, Softened 
175g Icing Sugar


1. Preheat oven to 150C.

2. Beat, using an electric mixer, egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form.

3. Add food colouring, caster sugar and flavouring and beat until stiff peaks form.

4. Sift almond meal and icing sugar into egg white mixture and fold in until well combined.

5. Spoon into piping bag and pipe small rounds about 3cm apart on to a lined baking tray.

6. Drop trays onto a hard surface about five times (this gets rid of any excess bubbles in the mixture and also creates nice round and flat macaroons).

7. Leave for 45 - 50 minutes until a good skin has formed on top of the macaroons, then bake for 12 minutes.

8. Leave to cool for about 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.


Icing

Beat butter and icing sugar together with second measure of flavouring and colouring.


To assemble I just you a knife and spread dollop a little icing in the centre of a macaroon half, then place the other half on top and gently smush it down. This insures it forms a nice little circle of icing in the middle.