Bitter chocolate tart with raspberry coulis for my birthday!

Its late and I'm buggered. It's been a long long happy happy amazing day. I love birthdays yes for the obvious reason PRESENTS! but as cheezy as it sounds i love realizing how lucky you really are and i do every year. I got severely spoilt!
I started the day off with a breaky in Balwyn (Snow Pony) I'm never disappointed with the food i consume there.
The rest of the day was spent roaming the shops with my mum trying to tick things off our list, this list is a never ending '21st garden tea party list'. We spent WAY too long searching for little things that should be easy to find. By the time we came home we had just over an hour until the family was coming for dinner. We popped the pork in the oven and i got started on dessert 'Chocky tart'.
I started on the pastry and i learnt one very good lesson....
WHEN BLIND BAKING A TART ALWAYS PUT BAKING PAPER INTOP OF THE TART BEFORE PUTTING THE RICE IN THE TART. IT WILL SINK INTO THE PASTRY. OF COURSE.
This tart is so rich but it is heaven. Such an easy recipe and i really liked the sweet tangyness of the raspberry's with the bitter dark chocolate. I want to try it adding a little more of the cointreau and maybe going with caramelized oranges to serve.

Basic short crust pastry.
in a food processor put 200g plain flour and 100grams of chilled unsalted butter (cut into cubes). Add a pinch of salt and process for one minute. Add 2 tablespoons of chilled water and process until the mixture comes together. wrap the dough and chill for 30mins.
Roll out the pastry with a rolling pin on a floured surface and line your (bakingpaper lined/greased tart tin.)
prick the base with fork and line the top with baking paper. Fill with rice or baking weights. Bake for 10-15 mins.
(I made 2 of these batched just so i had more than enough for my tin.)

For the Inside you'll need....
150g unsalted butter
200g dark chocolate
3 egg yolks
2 eggs
3 tablespoons of caster sugar
2 tablespoons of tia maria
1tablespoon of cointreau
1teaspoon arrowroot

Coulis
2 cups raspberry's
3 tablespoons of sugar

Grated dark chocolate to serve.

Melt the butter and chocolate in a saucepan on very low heat.
Beat eggyolks, egg and sugar until they are light and fluffy.
Pour melted chocolate, tia maria, cointreau and arrowroot into the egg mixture and continue to beat for 1min. pour the mixture into the tart case and cook for 5 mins in an oven of 180degrees.
allow to sit for 1 hour.

To make Raspberry coulis...
In saucepan heat a 2 cups of fresh or frozen raspberry's (I used frozen and it was so delicious!) with 3 tablespoons of caster sugar, keep stirring until the raspberry's cook down.
Pour through a strainer and use the liquid as your coulis.

I have to say i am still so over full and satisfied. With our roast pork (which had the most amazing crackling) we had some delicious mashed potato and green beans topped of with thyme butter. YUM YUM YUM

The 'Real Food companion' Matthew Evans was a present i am snuggling up to bed with right now, hopefully I'll be boasting about how great the homely meals I'm cooking from it are this week.

night xx

Jam Drops

So it seems i am a horrible blogger. i have hope that i will improve and actually photograph everything i bake, While there's been little blogging there has been baking! Lots of cupcakes, some Anzac cookies one very spontaneous casserole and today easy sweet little jam drops.

I finally got my little herb garden set up which makes life so much easier. I've come to the conclusion that i really need to go back to basics and learn about flavours and techniques. I've been reading a heap cooking books and cooking blogs. My wishlist for my birthday is 90% cookbooks.
I had such a nice day had a lovely lie in and then it was up to Ferntree Gully to make my way up the 1000 steps, being Good Friday it was absolutely packed! While this was annoying because its often best to sweat and puff to yourself not right into someones ear, it was also nice to see all the kiddies at the bottom of the hill rummaging around to find the hidden easter eggs.
When i got home i really felt like cooking something then i realized nothing would be open so i picked up a simple cookie recipe and yay i had everything in the cupboard!
Just as i began cooking a friend called and i got chatting trying to multi task i dropped the mixing bowl with the butter and the sugar! of course my dogs were right onto the situation and i swear they ate most of the 125grams of butter, let me tell you the smells coming from them for the next hour were not pretty. Anywho here's the simple recipe i used for these little light
delights.
1/2 cup caster sugar
1egg
1/4 cup custard powder
1 cup self raising flour
125grams of butter
jam to drop in the top. i used blackcurrant jam :)
Beat the butter and sugar until white and creamy, add the egg and beat until mixed in.
Then mix in the flour and the custard powder in with a wooden spoon. Roll into small balls (1.5 teaspoons) and place on a baking tray covered with baking paper. make a hole with the end of the wooden spoon or with your finger and plop the jam inside.
Bake for 15 mins in an oven of 150 degrees temperature.

PIZZA PIZZA PIZZA

Ever have those days where you just don't want to be healthy?? Don't lie I know you do. You want to go and eat a big mac or a pizza. Well here's what you do. you make a healthy pizza and here's how you do it.
To make the dough.... (if you don't want to use wholemeal flour you can use regular plain flour but i felt healthier having used wholemeal)
1 teaspoon of dry yeast
1 teaspoon caster sugar
1 cup of warm water
2.5 cups of wholemeal plain flour
1 teaspoon of sea salt flakes
1 teaspoon of olive oil
Mix the yeast, sugar and water in a bowl. Set aside for 5 mins or until bubbles start to appear on the surface.
Place the flour, salt, and olive oil in a bowl and make a well in the center. Add the yeast mix and mix together with well floured hands to form a dough.
Kneed the dough on a lightly floured surface for 3-4mins or until smooth and elastic. Divide the dough into equal size balls ( i divided mine into 3 bases but you can make any size you desire). Once in balls place on a lightly floured tray under a clean, damp cloth and set aside in a warm place for 30mins (they should double in size).
Then roll the balls out on a floured surface to the size and shape you want.
Then for the topping its really up to you.. Start by spreading a generous amount of tomato paste to the top. If you want to go really healthy use minimal cheese and if you really want you could use light cheese but i went for a mixture of Parmesan and mozzarella.
As well as the cheese i used marinated artichokes, olives, Roma cherry tomatoes and added a little sea salt to the top. Drizzle a little bit of olive oil over the top.
Then its into a hot oven at 220 degrees . Keep an eye on it and you'll know when its reached perfection. I had mine in for about 20 mins.Be sure to add some fresh basil to the top before serving.
You really can have fun with pizza and put whatever your heart desires on top. try things like prosciutto, butternut pumpkin (roasted first), chilli, pesto, pine nuts, and just about anything else you can think of.

Tara's birthday.

It was my lovely friends birthday and what says love more that cupcakes! These ones were yummo. I got the recipe from a cupcake book that i have misplaced but when i find it i will post the recipe, they are a moist lemon cake base with meringue on top, they are so yummy to bite in to. The layer where the meringue and the cake meets goes nice and gooey. The strawberries on top make them taste lovely and fresh.

Fav cook book.

This is not only my favorite cookbook but generally my favorite book! The photography is gorgeous, the writer is funny , and after reading it you feel good about yourself and want to cook food that will warm the soul. For anyone who has had body image problems which has to be 98% of the population, your eyes will be opened to a way of healthy eating that isn't boring and bland. Its the first book I've read where someone is admitting to having a genuine love for food and finding a way to balance that without excessive eating. She is honest and the book holds some beautiful recipes. I especially like the way the chapters are categorized into seasons. Not to mention the beautiful paper that its printed on.
I've already enjoyed a couple of meals from the book in particular a green olive chicken stew that is so yummy and satisfying. I'm looking forward to focusing on her breakfast recipes as breakfast is something I've found a new love for. I've never been one to eat a lot of eggs, its only lately that they have made their way into my diet and I've got to say i love them! They are so filling and anything that goes that well with rye bread that's not butter has to be good. The only thing i have to admit due to my lack of eating them i have no idea of how to cook them. The other day was exciting i poached an egg! not going to lie the first one i did became eggy water but then.. success!
The Thing that jumped out for me was when she said..'Sexy is inherent in a healthy appreciation for food, in having the energy to romp with your beloved, pick up you're baby, cook dinner for your friends, go for a run or simply take a gentle walk to the market. Sexy is feeling sated, having options and feeling alive.'
The woman is married to Jamie Cullum, her grandfather is Roald Dahl!, and she has produced this beautiful book.. what more could she want.

Market days.

By far my favorite thing to do on a Saturday is stroll through local markets, rummage through the beautiful craft, smell the homemade curries and the roasted nuts. I love the relaxed atmosphere, kids running around with ribbons on a stick in one hand and a corn on the cob in the other. The best thing is coming home with a bag of very very random items. For example last week i came home with a cauliflower, a pair of black boots, stain remover, and a basil plant. (came in very handy when making pizza the other night). I cant believe the complete convenience of having a herb garden. Mine is not existing yet but the basil is a good start and that is my next project. Yes i will plant myself a herb garden. Its times like this im actually glad i work at Bunnings. I think that herb gardens should come mandatory with any house. But then perhaps its the planting and maintaining of the garden that makes it all the more special. Anywho heres a few photos of the market.. St Andrews market you drive for about half an hour from where i live and you feel like your a million miles away.

My first blog.

I'm starting a blog because i cant stop looking through the many beautiful blogs out there.
I want to be part of this food loving blog world.. so here it is.

I'm 20 and completely obsessed with food and photography. Lately I've been beginning to think that perhaps my love of food and my desire to know more and MORE/EVERYTHING about food isn't just a phase. Perhaps its the beginning of a life long love affair. Lets hope so.
I hope that i can enthuse more people my age to appreciate the joy of cooking and tasting.
Being a student i realize the importance of food on a budget (my last $15 was spent on dry yeast, some wholemeal flour, and marinated artichokes for my homemade healthy pizza, Definatly worth it) and as im on the road like many people to becoming healthier i want to find solid healthy/satisfying recipes that make use of the basic ingredients that should be a part of every kitchen.
For me cooking is one of those things that i love to do by myself. Its a 'me time thing' i couldn't think of anything better than turning up my favorite songs and going off into my own little 'cooking world'. My favorite sounds at the moment to cook to come from Patrick Watson, try 'bright shiny lights' highly recommend wearing a big smile and twirling around the kitchen while listening to this song.
If there's one thing i cant understand its why anyone ever made cookbooks without photographs. There's nothing more inspiring than beautiful food and beautiful photographs, that's why i've made a promise to photograph everything i cook.
I have SOOOo much to learn about food and cooking and here ill make note of my mistakes and my little victories, and if anything i hope that i can look back to this post and think.. wow i have cooked a bloody lot since that post.