Recipes - Desserts / Sweets

(Most recently added recipes display first.)

Christmas Wreath

Ingredients

  • 12 x 5cm profiteroles
  • 2 x 200g tubs crème fraiche at room temperature
  • 1-2 tablespoons milk
  • 5 tablespoons Blackwood Lane natural healthy Fruit mince
  • ½ x 200g block Plaistowe dark cooking chocolate
  • 2 punnets medium strawberries, rinsed
  • ½ honeydew melon
  • ½ x100g packet hazelnuts, roasted, skin removed and chopped or
  • 2-3 tablespoons ground hazelnut meal

Serves 6 – 12

Preparation

Step 1
Cut the profiteroles in half and set aside. Mix the crème fraiche and milk together in a bowl until smooth. Gently stir through fruit mince. Generously fill the each profiterole bases and return tops.

Step 2
Place the filled profiteroles in a circular configuration around the edge of a 28-30cm wide flat plate so they are touching each other. Place the chocolate in a zip lock bag and microwave on Medium High (70-80%) for 1 minute or until melted. Snip the end of the bag and drizzle over the profiteroles. Scatter over choice of hazelnuts. Refrigerate for 5 minutes or until the chocolate is set.

Step 3
Cut strawberries in half. Remove the seeds from the melon half. Either dice or scoop into balls using a melon baller. Combine the fruits and fill the centre of the wreath just before serving.

Brandy Sauce

Ingredients

  • 40g unsalted butter
  • 30g plain flour
  • 60g castor sugar
  • 2 tabsp golden syrup
  • 1 1/4 cups milk
  • 3 tbsp Brandy

Makes 1 cup

Preparation

  • Melt the butter in 1 litre Pyrex Jug on High (100%) for 35 seconds.
  • Add the flour , stir well.
  • Mix in the sugar and syrup and cook on High (100%) for a minute.
  • Pour in the milk gradually blending well.
  • Cook on High (100%) stirring regularly.
  • Blend in the brandy prior to serving with your Plum Pudding.

Tip
Leave out sugar and syrup and replace with your favourite grated cheese for a savoury sauce

Yule Log

Ingredients

  • Spray oil
  • Three quarter cup plain flour
  • 1 teaspoon fresh baking powder
  • pinch of salt
  • 5 eggs, room temperature
  • Three quarter  cup caster sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
  • 350g  King Island Yoghurt
  • 250g chocolate flakes
  • 200g hazelnuts chopped

Serves 6-8

Preparation

  • Preheat the oven to 200°c.
  • Have ready clean tea towel.
  • Prepare a  21 x 30 cmnon stick Swiss roll pan by spraying lightly with oil.
  • Sift together flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.
  • In a clean mixing bowl beat egg yolks until pale and thick then gradually add 6 tablespoons sugar, beating well after each addition.
  • Mixture should fall in a thick ribbon when beaters are lifted.
  • Add vanilla and beat again.
  • In a separate clean mixing bowl beat egg whites with remaining sugar until they stand in firm, glossy peaks.
  • Fold a third of the whites into yolk mixture, then fold in the remaining whites.
  • Fold in the dry ingredients gently and thoroughly.
  • Spread the batter evenly over the prepared pan and cook for 10 – 12 minutes until the cake is golden on top.
  • Remove from the oven working quickly cover the pan with clean towel.
  • Turn over pan and towel to remove the cake – cake will be wrong side up.
  • Roll cake in towel.
  • Place rolled cake seam side down on wire rack to cool completely.
  • Unroll cooled cake and place on a platter.
  • Spread with sweetened yoghurt, dust with chocolate flakes and sprinkle nuts in a line down the centre.
  • Re-roll gently to avoid splits.
  • Spread yoghurt over the exterior then run a fork lengthwise to emulate a log and dust generously with chocolate flakes.
  • Refrigerate until ready to slice and serve, with a fresh berry coulis.

Chocolate Dipped Prunes & Almonds

Ingredients

  • ½ cup soft vanilla icing
  • 12 almonds, blanched and chopped finely
  • 12 large pitted prunes
  • 200g premium cooking chocolate

Serves 4. Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Preparation

  • Mix vanilla icing with chopped almonds
  • Fill each prune with icing mixture and refrigerate
  • Break chocolate into pieces and place in a 1 litre ovenable glass jug
  • Microwave, uncovered on Medium (50%) for 1 minute
  • Stir. Repeat the process in 30 second bursts until chocolate has melted
  • Dip chilled prunes into melted chocolate and coat well
  • Place chocolate coated prunes on a flat plate covered with baking paper to set
  • Serve on a platter with bite sized pieces of fresh fruit such as papaya, pineapple and orange segments

Tips
Macadamia nuts may be substituted for almonds.
To melt chocolate on the stovetop places pieces of chocolate in a heat proof bowl. Bring a small quantity of water to the boil in a saucepan remove from the heat and place the bowl firmly on the top.
Stir chocolate until melted, 4 – 6 min.

Poached Pears with Prunes and Citrus

Ingredients

  • 4 Beurre Bosc pears, peeled
  • 4 cups water
  • ¼ cup caster sugar
  • 2 tblsps orange blossom water
  • 1 cup of pitted prunes
  • 2 cups of water, warm
  • Zest of 1 orange and 1 lemon

Serves 4 Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Preparation

  • Place pears in a small saucepan with caster sugar, orange blossom water and cover with water.
  • Cook for 15 – 20 minutes until just cooked (which will depend on the ripeness of the pears)
  • Place the prunes in a ovenable glass jug with 2 cups of luke warm water, cover and microwave on Medium (50%) for 2 minutes to plump prunes
  • Stand and cool prunes
  • Place poached pears on individual dishes with prunes and a little juice
  • Garnish with citrus zest and serve with vanilla yoghurt

Tip
Pears can be poached quickly in 5 minutes in the microwave oven using half the quantity of water.