Baking for Nightshift- Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

Tonight is my last night duty thank god! I often sleep terribly on my second sleep day and today was no exception. Within the next 2 weeks I am going onto WW to get rid of those pesky 6-7 kg that seem to have crept on over the last year or so and will obviously not be baking as much as I have had. Of course I will still take baking into work but for the first couple of weeks I'll have to try to refrain so I can get into the swing on the WW-way. As it is my birthday and a big family wedding in the next couple of weeks I may even have to wait until afterwards as once I start I don't want to fall off the wagon too soon into it. Anyway I digress but the point of that was, I'm trying to make the most of it now to bake things that I have really been wanting to try and this recipe is one of them.


Whoopie Pies are an American thing. They seem to be the 'new-cupcake' and are increasing in popularity outside of the USA- where they are already popular. They are a cross between a cake and a cookie with icing sandwiched in between. In American you can get something called Marshmallow Fluff and I have seen this used as a icing ingredient in quite a few recipes. Doesn't that sound fabulous!!! I really wish we could get it here along with those packets of Toffee Bits, Butterscotch bits, Cinnamon Chips and so on. I may have to see if I can bring some in from America through Amazon..... Anyway the whoopie pie is though to have been originated from the Amish times when the women would pack them into their husbands lunchboxes when they were working out in the field. Apparently the men upon seeing these treats would call out 'whoopie!' and so the name came about. I'm sure there are many other stories out there but I like this one.


If anyone has ever eaten a red velvet cake you will know that it has a slight chocolate flavour and is tender and made even more delicious with the obligatory cream cheese frosting. After looking through one of my favourite blogs the other night I came upon this recipe. It is easy and fast to whip up. I have a very cool little scooper thing that I got from Living and Giving bought for this purpose originally. It's like a little ice cream scoop with a spring thing on it to release the mix. It makes the pies all the same size as you can see in these photos...

Uncooked

Cooked

Of course you don't need one but I really like mine BUT I am a real kitchen gadget kind of girl (as you can see if you were to look through my kitchen cupboards). Anyway these whoopie pies aren't as tender as the Red Velvet cake but nor should they be given that they are a cross between a cake and a cookie. I think the girls will really like them tonight.


Red Velvet Whoopie Pies


2 c flour
2 Tbsp cocoa
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt (I omit as I use salted butter)
115 gm butter, softened
1 c packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c buttermilk
2 Tbsp red food colouring (yes you read this right)


Oven to 170 C. Line baking trays with baking paper.


In a bowl combine the flour, cocoa, soda and salt.


Beat butter for 30 sec. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla. Add in the flour mix and the buttermilk alternately, mixing until just combined after each addition. Add the food colouring.


Drop spoonfuls onto the tray and bake 9-11 mins until the tops are set. Cool on the trays for 5 mins then cool on a rack. Sandwich together with your favourite cream cheese icing.

Baking for Nightshift- Cinnamon Rolls

Tonight for my night shift baking I decided to try this recipe that I have been wanting to try for ages since I saw it on Patent and the Pantry's Blog. They sounded easy and looked delicious. Her post also moved me a lot and I especially loved how she wrote it and made these for her friend who died. It goes to show that baking really does equal love and caring for others. 


The recipe is very easy. Even if you are scared of yeast, you will find this a breeze to make and a recipe that you will use over and over again. There is no kneading required and you can really mix up the icing and the filling if you want to to make them taste different. Before I go on I must say that I did make a couple of errors. The first mistake I made was to completely forget to sprinkle the dough with sugar. I did the butter bit (although not as much as the recipe stated), then sprinkled on the cinnamon...and then totally forgot about the sugar which was meant to go on before the butter. DOH!!! I tried to redeem myself but unrolling each individual roll seemed endless and fruitless, so I instead sprinkled one pan with sugar on the bottom and the other with sugar on top. I thought I might as well give it a go and see if it made a difference since I had already screwed it up...! The second mistake I made was to put the rolls in the pan too close together which meant that they weren't able to rise as well. I thought they looked a bit snug at the time but hey there is no point in regrets...or is there?


So despite the mistakes they still taste really really good. Although they are a bit small, (as they weren't able to spread their wings in such a confined space), the dough is very light and tasty. I actually think that they are sweet enough and I used only about 1/3 of a cup of sugar instead of the 1 c in the recipe. The icing really sweetens it a lot and as the dough also has sugar in it, maybe the 1 c of sugar within the rolls would have made them too sweet. Next time, however, I'll make sure to follow the recipe properly... you know just to make absolutely sure!


Anyway here it goes...


Cinnamon Rolls


2 c milk
1/2 c vegetable oil
1/2 c sugar
1 sachet of yeast (or else 2 1/2 tsp yeast)


Put these into a pot and scald the milk (bring it just about a boil). Remove from the heat and let it cool until it is lukewarm, about 45 mins-1 hr. It looks a bit curdled but don't worry just give it a whisk and it will be fine. Sprinkle over the yeast and let it sit for a minute.

Add in 4 c of flour and stir it in. Let it rise in a warm place until it has at least doubled in size, about an hour or so.

Just mixed in

After the rising period...not a great photo sorry

Add in another 1/2 c flour, a heaped 1/2 tsp baking powder, a scant 1/2 tsp baking soda and 1 tsp salt. Stir it in together...you may need to knead them a little bit to get all the ingredients in. This is a soft and sticky dough so try not to be tempted to add more flour into the dough itself.

Sprinkle the bench with a generous amount of flour. Divide the dough in half and roll out to a rough rectangle. Drizzle over 1/4 c melted butter (I used a little less), then sprinkle with a 1/2 c sugar followed by a good amount of cinnamon. In fact for the second roll I made i just brushed it with the melted butter.

Nicely spread with butter and sprinkled with cinnamon...pity I forgot the sugar!

Rolled and ready to cut

Slice rolls into even pieces, about 1- 1/2 inches wide. Brush the pan (I used disposable ones form the supermarket but any low cake pan is good), with melted butter and lay in the rolls cut side up. As you can see I over-squashed mine so give them room to expand. Let them rise for 20-30 mins.

Too squashed but luckily they still taste lovely

Bake at 190 C until golden brown- about 15-18 mins.

These ones had the sugar on the bottom

And these ones had it on top

Glaze

about 300 gms icing sugar

1/4-1/2 c milk

2 Tbsp melted butter

Vanilla (or you can use lemon zest and juice, or any other drizzle icing you want)

Mix together making sure it isn't too thick or too runny. Pour over the slightly warm rolls. YUM!!! The photos (which I took just after pouring the icing on top) make the icing layer look really thick but once it settles into the grooves of the rolls it does look a lot prettier. I think if I had made them properly and not so snug in the pans, the icing would have looked even better.

***Before I go, most of you overseas will have heard of the terrible earthquake that happened in Christchurch on Tuesday at lunchtime. It has been devastating to the region and to the whole country. We are a small country and I know we will all pull together during this terrible time. It is so sad to see that so many people have died and that so much of the city's heritage and beauty has been destroyed. So kia kaha Christchurch, our thoughts are with you during this time and we will all try to do what we can to help you through it xxx***

Baking for Nightshift- Robert's Absolute Best Brownies

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This is a baking for...post from the other night so sorry if you are reading this and working tonight because I won't be there and nor will these. The other day my lovely friend/co worker/sister Ning brought me a takeaway package of my favourite Filipino food- Pansit and Chicken Adobo. Ning is an amazing cook and everything she makes tastes wonderful. By all accounts her husband is a great cook too and I have tasted his Tom Yum soup before and OMG it is GOOD! Anyway I knew Ning was working on Sunday night shift, as was I, so I thought I would bake something that I could give her to take home to her family, as well as provide some much needed sugar for the night shift. 


I chose this recipe from, you guessed it, David Lebovitz's book 'Ready for Dessert'. It seemed to be easy, rich and decadent. It only has 1/4 c of flour to hold it all together so that should give you an idea of it's richness. He talks in the bit before the recipe how it is imperative to "stir the batter vigorously" as he was instructed to do by this guy Robert. He said the first time he made them they were very underwhelming and when questioning the recipe was told in no uncertain terms that this part was the key to the success of the recipe. Anyway they are pretty good if you like a squidgey chocolatey brownie. I chose to use almonds and pecan nuts into mine and think that some extra added in chocolate drops would have taken it into the ridiculously sublime category.


Robert's Absolute Best Brownies


85 gm butter
225 gm chocolate (I used a mix of 70% and 50%)
3/4 c sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 large eggs at room temperature
1/4 c flour
1 c nuts toasted and coarsely chopped


Oven to 175 C and line a greased 23 cm square tin with foil or baking paper.


In a medium pot melt the butter over a low heat then add the chocolate, stirring until it is melted and smooth. Beat the eggs in one at a time, then stir in the vanilla and sugar until combined. Add the flour and stir energetically for a 1 full minute until the batter becomes smooth, glossy and pulls away from the sides of the pot. Stir in the nuts.


Bake 25-30 mins until the center feels almost set. Don't overbake. Cool in the tin completely.


Try to resist!!!...

Flo's Chocolate Snaps

On Friday as I was, again, looking through my David Lebovitz book 'Ready For Dessert', I came across this recipe. I had planned to make it previously but it had been sidelined quite a bit with all the other recipes I have been trying, and I hadn't yet got around to it. They are described as being easy to make, crispy, and having a deep, dark chocolate flavour. I thought they would be perfect for the boys to take to school and to have with a cup of tea. The recipe makes a lot of cookies and the best thing is that you can freeze the dough in it's rolls and therefore bake up a batch of fresh cookies when and as you need them. The mixture is very simple to whip up. I, however, thought they were a little boring with just the sugar sprinkled on top even though they had a nice rich chocolate taste. They also failed to have that crispiness he talked about in the book so maybe I made them too thick. I felt they needed a bit of 'zhoozhing' up somehow. I took a half recipe of the plain ones into work with me on Friday night along with the decadently rich quadruple chocolate loaf cake (give THAT recipe a go!) but remained underwhelmed by them.


As I was looking at the remaining two rolls of uncooked dough I had in the fridge, I thought I might bake them up, making them a little thinner, and either ice them or else melt some chocolate and sandwich them together. I ended up going with the second option and what a difference it made to the cookies themselves! I just melted some milk chocolate,  sandwiched some together and iced the others with the chocolate. NOW they taste great! I know the boys will like them a whole let better. 


Flo's Chocolate Snaps


3 c flour
3/4 c cocoa
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
225 gm butter
1 1/4 c sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 large egg at room temperature
1 large egg yolk


Sift flour, cocoa and baking powder together.


Beat the butter and sugar together until smooth. Add vanilla and then the egg and yolk.


Gradually add flour mixture until completely incorporated.


Divide dough into quarters and shape each into a log. Wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate about an hour.


Line 2 baking trays and bake cookies for 10-12 minutes. Once they are out of the oven immediately sprinkle with sugar. Cool on a wire rack.


The dough can be frozen or stored in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Baking for Nightshift- Quadruple Chocolate Loaf Cake

Hmmm I cut this while it was still warm and the chocolate still gooey

So tonight I start back on 3 night shifts. I usually try to take something to work for my first shift so as I had some spare time today, and I wanted to do something relaxing, thought it was a good chance to whip something up. I have made this recipe before but that was a long time ago. It comes from Nigella Lawson's book 'Feast'. I remembered it as being a bit of a dessert cake particularly nice with cream...hmmm that reminds me that I must buy some on my way to work tonight! It is called a quadruple chocolate loaf cake because it has cocoa in the basic mix, then it has chocolate stirred in to it, then is is drenched in a cocoa/sugar syrup and finally has some more chocolate grated over the top. Mine is there but because it is still warm, the grated chocolate melted. Oh well just a wee excuse to grate more over it before I leave for work...


Nigella says that this is easy to make and she is not wrong. All you need is a food processor and that is it. She recommends making the chocolate syrup really thick so that the sugar almost caramelises. I did this but I found that all the syrup-now-gone-like-fudge did, was to sit on top of the loaf and form a layer. So I quickly whipped up some more and poured this over the cake again so it would sink into it. I love syrupy, moist cakes so I think this will add to it even more. This is a rich, decadent tasting loaf/cake. The photos don't really do it any justice but then again I did cut it a bit early so I could photograph it before I forgot. As well as that Harry was looking forward to trying it and well it gave me a reason to sneak some too...well it has to pass the taste test! So I hope the girls like it tonight, I know it will at least give us all a bit of a sugar hit when we need it the most in the middle of the night.


Quadruple Chocolate Loaf Cake


200 gm flour
1/2 baking soda
50 gm cocoa
275 gm caster sugar
175 gm soft butter
2 eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla
1/3 c sour cream
125 ml boiling water
175 gm chocolate chips (I used a mix of dark and milk)


Syrup
1 tsp cocoa
125 ml water
100 gm caster sugar


Oven to 170 C. Line a large loaf tin with baking paper.


Put the flour, soda, cocoa, sugar, butter, sour cream, vanilla and eggs into a food processor and blitz until you get a smooth batter. Scrape down the sides and pour in the boiling water while it is processing again. Stir in the chocolate chips.


Bake about an hour. This is a damp cake so the skewer won't be totally clean. 


Make the syrup about 10 mins before the cake comes out of the oven. Pour over the cake and leave in the tin until it goes cold. Grate over more chocolate and enjoy.

Ripes Sweet Sweet Muffins- Raspberry and Chocolate

The other day I was flicking through the Ripe cookbook, (as I seem to do all the time it's such a good book!), when I spotted this recipe for Sweet Sweet muffins. it's a base recipe and you can add whatever flavours you like. The book suggest quite a few different options including apple and pecan; feijoa and pear; and passionfruit and coconut. After checking out my stocks I decided on raspberry and chocolate. I would have preferred white chocolate but only had milk or dark so went with the milk. I only made half the recipe as I assumed that the 12 it said the recipe would make, would be the big muffins. I was right and therefore I got 12 standard sized muffins out of only half the mix. I really loved this recipe. It's easy, makes lovely muffins, and the boys also really liked them. In fact I have been having one for breakfast each day warmed slightly in the microwave.


Ripe's Sweet Sweet Muffins


200 gm butter
4 large eggs
1 c milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 c caster sugar
2 c fruit or your choice of mix
4 c self raising flour
2 tsp cinnamon


Preheat the oven to 180 C and line your muffin tins (you will easily get 24 standard sized muffins out of the full recipe).


Melt the butter and leave to cool slightly.


In a large bowl combine the eggs, vanilla, milk and sugar.


Add your flavour combination.


Add flour, cinnamon and melted butter and gently fold together until only just combined. Don't overmix.


Bake about 20 mins.

Dinner for Friends Part 2

So to carry on from part one which was the main for dinner the other night. This post is by far the most important one as it is, clearly, the pudding! My friend Annie and I both love to cook but especially love to make desserts. I think I can speak for both of us when I say that we plan the dessert first and the main second. Usually it's something rich and decadent as we always have various recipes to try and being 'complementary to the main' doesn't really feature, but what does is a chance to make that particular recipe. Besides anything rich and decadent is ALWAYS going to complement something surely...


I decided to use one of my latest books called 'Ready For Dessert' by David Lebovitz (pictured above), as I love his recipes and, so far, they all seem to work. I also have his amazing ice cream book called 'The Perfect Scoop' which is well worth the purchase. So out of this book I chose the caramel ice cream, because life is GOOD with anything caramel; and the Chocolate Ganache Custard tart, because life is GREAT with anything chocolate. As well as that I happen to know that Annie LOVES anything chocolate so this seemed perfect for fitting the brief.


I made the custard a few days in advance and OMG it is amazing. Far too moreish and totally delicious so if you like ice cream give this one a go. As well as that it seems to stay in a rollable consistency which means you don't have to temper it first like you usually have to do with homemade ice cream. The flavour is all down to how far you manage to take the caramel. Mine browned without much effort and I was surprised at just how fast it did so. Maybe I had the temperature up too high... regardless it worked out well so I'm not complaining. The tart base I made a couple of days prior and just kept it in the deep freeze until I was ready to cook it. I have to say that I wasn't all that taken with it. I think Dorie's sweet shortcrust is better and has a better flavour and texture. This one was a bit crumbly for my liking. The filling however, while simple, was delicious and a perfect match for the ice cream. Because it has been so hot, it was probably and bit warmer than it should have been but never mind, it was still good. 


Sorry about the photos but really I was lucky I took any at all especially after the margaritas, wine and general heat and therefore disorganisation that goes with that and lots of kids running around...not to mention the flies, (despite the robocan), all due to this hottest-on-record-February we are having!!!


By the way a big hello to the very lovely little Miss Lotts who reads my blog (so her mum tells me), it's so lovely that you do and I know you will follow in your mum's footsteps of being a fantastic cook! xxx


Caramel Ice Cream


1 c sugar
2 c whole milk (silver top)
1/2 tsp sea salt (I used Fleur de sel)
1 c cream
5 large egg yolks
1/2 tsp vanilla


Put the sugar in a large heavy bottom pot and melt slowly stirring gently and infrequently ( I usually swirl the pot instead) until it turns a dark amber colour and begins to foam a bit. Remove from the heat and add the milk. Be careful as it can bubble up. Keep stirring over a low heat until the caramel melts back into the milk. Add the salt. 


Pour the cream into a medium bowl and set a strainer above it.


In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks then gradually add some of the warm caramel mixture to temper the eggs. Then pour the warmed egg mixture back into the rest of the mixture in the pot. Cook over a low heat, stirring constantly, until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of a spatula.


Pour custard through the strainer and into the cream, add the vanilla and stir to mix. You may want to add more salt so taste now.


Cool in the fridge covering the custard overnight then churn in an ice cream machine.


Delicious!


Chocolate Ganache Custard Tart


Precook your favourite sweet shortcrust base.


280 gm dark chocolate (I used a mix of Whittakers 50-62%)
1 c cream
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 tsp cognac (I didn't use this as I had none)


Melt the chocolate and cream together and mix until smooth. 


Whisk in the egg and yolk and cognac (if using).


Pour into the precooked tart base and bake at 175 C about 20 mins until set but still a bit quivery. Don't overbake. Let it cool completely.


This should be eaten the day it's made but hey, chocolate tart is good at any time!

Dinner for Friends Part 1

Smokey Chorizo Israeli Couscous Salad

Spiced Eggplant and Peanut Salad (undressed)

Spiced Eggplant and Peanut Salad (dressed)

Sticky 5 spice Pork Ribs

Last night my dearest friend Annie, her partner Deb and their children Jesse and Ruby came over for dinner. It was long overdue to be our turn to host dinner so I wanted to make sure it delivered on the food front. Because the weather has been so hot here, it needed to be something that was not going to be too labour intensive nor require too much last minute cooking I figured that by then I would have had a couple of my fantastic frozen margarita's and may not have had the 'drive' nor motivation to finish off any cooking...if you know what I mean. 


For Xmas I was lucky enough to get the new 'Ripe' cookbook which is packed full of wonderful recipes from their fantastic deli in Grey Lynn. They are well known for their salads and homemade cakes and slices as well as their really good coffee...and essential in the morning after school drop off! I really wanted to try some of the salad recipes from the book so it was the perfect opportunity to do so.


I ended up making these delicious pork spare ribs (using happy-pig pork) from Bill Granger's book 'Feed Me Now'; chermoula chicken skewers; sausages for the kids; corn on the cobb (which I duly forgot to put on in time...those pesky margaritas'!); spiced eggplant and peanut salad; and the smoky chorizo israeli couscous salad. The flavours were fantastic and I have to say the salads were delicious. I think my favourite salad was the couscous one but I think that's because chorizo can make anything taste pretty spectacular. The spare ribs were a total hit and were very tasty and moreish. Although it was Bill's recipe I changed the cooking method a bit to how I like to cook ribs. Luckily I managed to get these last minute photos before the food went to the table so excuse me if they are a little dodgy. I totally forgot to photograph the chicken (recipe from Annabel Langbein's latest book) but it was pretty bloody delicious- if I do say so myself! 


Smoky Chorizo Israeli Couscous Salad


1 1/4 c Israeli couscous cooked for about 10 mins in boiling salted water, drained, rinsed in cold water then drained again
2 red peppers, cut into bite sized pieces
2 red onions, cut into wedges and the layers separated
1 Tbsp sweet chilli sauce
3 cloves garlic, cut into thin slivers
3 chorizo sausages, sliced into angled 1 cm pieces
1/2 c kalamata olives
2 tsp smoked paprika
salt and pepper
3-4 tomatoes cut into wedges
1 c fresh Italian parsley, roughly chopped
1 c  fresh coriander, roughly chopped
1 large handful baby spinach leaves
smoked paprika dressing


Oven to 180 C.


Put the peppers, onions, sweet chilli sauce, garlic, chorizo, olives and a good splash of olive oil into a roasting dish. Sprinkle over the paprika, salt and pepper, toss well to combine and roast for about 30 mins until the chorizo and onions are beginning to colour. Cool.


In a large serving bowl combine the chorizo mix with the spinach, tomatoes, couscous and herbs and drizzle over the dressing. Stir to combine well.


Smoked Paprika Dressing (This is for half the recipe and I only used a half of this)


Juice of half a lemon
40 ml white wine vinegar
1/2 Tbsp honey
1 tsp dijon mustard
1/2 Tbsp smoked paprika
3/4 c vegetable oil
salt and pepper


Combine all ingredients in a blender and mix well until the oil emulsifies a bit. Season to taste.


Sticky Five-Spice Ribs


2 kg  rack of pork ribs
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 Tbsp freshly grated ginger
1/2 soy sauce
1/2 c hoisin sauce
60 ml honey
1 tsp 5-spice
2 Tbsp mild oil


Mix all the ingredients together and pour over the pork ribs reserving a bit for basting later. Marinate overnight (well I did). Put into a roasting dish and cover with foil. Bake at about 190 C for about 20 mins then remove the foil, baste and cook for another 45 mins, basting throughout and watching that it doesn't burn. Cut into ribs and enjoy with a flannel to wipe your hands and face as this is very messy.


The BEST Frozen Maragrita's you could ever want!


30 ml cointreau
30 ml tequila
15 ml lime juice
15 ml sugar syrup (made by bringing equal amounts of water and sugar to the boil then let to cool)
lots of ice and a great blender


Mix in a blender and serve. These pack a real punch and are perfect for these hot summer days. Try not to over indulge as I guarantee that after 2 you will be feeling very, very happy and not very inclined to do all that much!


Stay tuned for the next installment which is DESSERT and NOT to be missed!!!

French Fridays with Dorie...Sweet and Spicy Nuts...really late!!

I have been really behind with my cooking for the French Fridays with Dorie group. Some of this has been because of time issues over the last couple of months and the other excuse I have is that some of the recipes chosen are just not right for our very hot summer season as it is winter in most of the world. However I really should have made these earlier. Not only are they extremely easy to make, but they deliver a big bang for your buck in the flavour department. They have that great balance of sweet and spicy which make them very, very moreish! I used almonds and cashews and between us all we managed to get through a big bowl of them they were that good. I will definitely make these again. Go to here to see how the others found it or even better purchase this amazing book.

BGO

Yesterday was out BGO or Big Gay Out where we get to celebrate our diverse communities with our family and friends. I think about 10,000 people went to it so it was pretty busy. As well as that it was extremely hot! We had only planned to go for a couple of hours as we had friends coming over for dinner so I had to get back to finish off preparations for that, (even though I had done most of it beforehand). Therefore we didn't take all that much with us just money, sunscreen, some water and a blanket to sit on. We would normally take lots of food and things with us and sit under the shade so this year we were very very under-packed and unprepared for the heat. I had left my hat at home thinking it would be overcast but when we got there the sun was beating down leaving me no choice but to buy a hat from one of the stalls. Never mind it's a great hat!


Harry really seemed to enjoy it but was a little overcome with the heat. By the end of our time there he looked decidedly peaky so it was time to go home for a swim in our Warewhare pool so he could cool down. It's a pity we weren't able to stay for longer as there were some really good acts coming on including Anika Moa who I think is fantastic. But never mind at least we were coming home to have dinner with good food and great friends. So here are some photos from the day...

Manu Dolls...fantastic!

Pegg, Harry, Me and Ali

Harry with a gorgeous  new lady friend

And a couple more lovely ladies

Harry and I

Dons and Harry

Manu Dolls again...Harry loved this act

2 of the fabulous MC's

Tarn, Harry, Dons and Gina sweltering in the heat