Baking: Boysenberry, White Chocolate and Almond Friands

Boysenberry, White Chocolate and Almond Friands

I have made this a million and a half times. I love how easy and quick they are to make up, the beautiful smell of warm friands and the fact that you have eggs yolks left over with to make custard, creme brulee or something equally satisfying.

They are perfect for morning or afternoon tea, a treat after lunch or a delicious after dinner nibble.

The boysenberry can be substituted with, any other type of berry, plums, peaches or poached fruit (i.e. apple, pear and rhubarb).

Ingredients
175g Melted Butter
1 Cup Almond Meal
6 Egg Whites, Beaten until stiff
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Essence
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Bean Paste
1 1/2 Cups Icing Sugar
1/2 Cup Flour
12 Boysenberries (frozen or fresh)
12 Squares White Chocolate

1. Preheat oven to 190C

2. Place all ingredients but boysenberries, chocolate and egg whites in bowl and combine.

3. Add egg white and fold gently in until almost combined.

4. Place a berry and a square of chocolate in the bottom of each greased friand mould cup. Dollop mixture ontop, dividing the mixture into the 12 cups.

5. Bake in oven for 25 minutes.

6. Allow to cool for 5 mins in tin before turning out onto wire rack.

Dessert: White Chocolate, Raspberry and Gingernut Cheesecakes laced with Butterscotch

White Chocolate, Raspbeery and Gingernut Cheesecakes laced with Butterscotch

This recipe is for one large cheesecake however sometimes it is nice to make individual ones, as seen in the pictures. I make them in a silicon muffin pan, so they are easy to get out (just run a knife around the outside of the cake and push on bottom of the pan - they will pop out easily)

Ingredients:

150g Gingernut biscuits

75g Butter, Melted

250 mL Cream
250 mL Cream Cheese
250g Mascarpone Cheese
125g Caster Sugar
2 Tablespoons Butterscotch (1 for Base, 1 for Topping)
500g White Chocolate, Melted
1 Cup Raspberries (Frozen or Fresh)

Process biscuits, butter and butterscotch in food processor and then press into a 25cm spring foam tin, lined with baking paper. Put in fridge.

Beat, with an electric beater, cream cheese, cream, mascarpone, sugar, chocolate and butterscotch until smooth. Place raspberries in bottom of base. Pour over cheese mixture and refrigerate for at least four hours, preferably overnight.

Cut into wedges and serve.

Matterhorn, Wellington: Vanilla and Black Pepper Ice-cream

I went to Matterhorn in Wellington the other night and had a lovely pineapple souffle with vanilla and black pepper ice-cream. The pepper gave the sweet vanilla a nice spicy kick and I wanted to create something easy and similar.

As i couldn't be bothered with all the stirring or setting up the ice-cream machine I opted for a vanilla and black pepper creme brulee ice-cream. I used the creme brulee recipe, which I have posted on here in an earlier post, leaving out the toffee (sugar and water mixture) and raspberries and adding 3 teaspoons of freshly cracked black pepper. I then froze the mixtures after allowing them to cool in the fridge first (after cooking).


The result was surprisingly refreshing (I didn't bother to brulee the top, I just ran a knife around the container and turned it out onto a small plate!) serving it with a biscuit base, brandy snap and chopped up moro bar. 

- rest of plate explained below and in posts to come

Left: Caramelised pineapple pieces with french milk chocolate = Pineapple Lumps

Left Middle: Vanilla and Black Pepper Ice-cream with brandy snap, biscuit base and slices of moro bar = Moro Bar Medley

Right Middle: Blue Mergingue with White Chocolate, Raspberry and Gingernut Cheesecake laced with Butterscotch = Dream Bar

Right:  Dark chocolate mouse laced with Cointreau complete with Jaffa on top =Jaffas