Coconuttiest shortbread cookies and the amazing "Birdman"

I have the feeling sometimes that coconut raises strong opinions pretty much like cilantro: people either love it or (really) hate it.

The same has happened with Birdman and I belong to the group of people who loved it: I found it sensational, intriguing, interesting, creative, with amazing acting – I never knew Michael Keaton could be so good! I left the theater with a deep appreciation for Iñarritu’s film – the way he moves the camera around is a thing of beauty (it reminded of how wonderfully Spielberg moved the camera around in Munich). And as I did last year with the ladies, I’m switching sides: I am so sorry, dear Steve, but I want the Oscar to go to Michael’s hands. :)

As for the coconut, I’m part of the loving group, too, so when I saw this recipe on Food52 I was more than willing to give it a go: coconut in two ways – both flour and oil – in shortbread cookies. They turned out delicious and have a lovely sandy texture, so just be careful when storing them (if there’s any left – I haven’t stopped eating mine ever since I removed them from the oven). :D

Coconuttiest shortbread cookies
from the wonderful Food52

2 cups (280g) all-purpose flour
¼ cup (25g) coconut flour
¼ cup (35g) confectioner's sugar
1/8 teaspoon table salt
½ cup (113g/1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup (120ml) coconut oil, room temperature
½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
2 egg yolks
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

In a small bowl, whisk the all purpose flour, coconut flour, confectioners’ sugar and salt. Set aside.

Combine the butter and coconut oil in the bowl of stand mixer. Cream on medium speed for two to three minutes, until the two are combined. Scrape the bowl down, and beat for another minute. With the mixture still running on medium, add the sugar in a slow stream. Beat for another two minutes, then scrape down the bowl. Add the egg yolks one at a time, scraping the bowl between each addition. Beat in the vanilla, then beat the mixture for another two minutes, until the mixture looks white and satiny. Add the flour mixture all at once. Mix on very low speed until a dough starts to form.

Divide the dough into two equal parts. Place each on a piece of parchment paper; shape dough into logs. Fold parchment over dough; using a ruler, roll and press into a 3.5 cm (1.4in) log – like Martha does here. Wrap in parchment. Chill in the freezer until very firm, 2-3 hours.

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F; line two large baking sheets with baking paper - I like Beyond Gourmet a lot.
Unwrap one log at a time (keep the other in the freezer). Cut log into 6mm (¼in) thick rounds; space 2.5cm (1in) apart onto prepared sheets. Bake until golden brown around the edges, 12-14 minutes. Cool completely on the sheets.

Makes about 50

Citrus and poppy seed slice and bakes, Matthew and Leo

I admire actors committed to their craft who are willing to go the extra mile for a part, but getting fat/thin/ugly to play a character must be part of the preparation, not the only highlight – the physical transformation and the talent to play the part must go in hand. Nicole won an Oscar with a prosthetic nose and not much else, while Christian Bale’s impressive weight lost in The Fighter was part of his portrayal of Dicky Eklund, not all of it.

I watched Dallas Buyers Club last week and though not very impressed by the movie – it is an OK movie with great performances, like Monster – the amount of dedication put into characters by both Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto is outstanding. I wish Leto had had more screen time for he’s absolutely amazing as Rayon, and Matthew’s contained yet strong performance is something completely different from the movies from his past, but I think that a better script and a more talented director could have gotten much more out of him (he’s even more brilliant in True Detective, for instance).

Having said that, if I were the one choosing the winner for Best Actor in a Leading Role this year Leonardo DiCaprio would take the award home: he is ten times the actor Matthew will ever be (and the latter has evolved quite a lot in the last few years) and his character is a despicable one, even with the sort of comedy route Scorsese chose for the movie, while Matthew’s character has the empathy/sympathy factor going on for him; the Wolf is a complex character that expresses and ignites several different feelings and emotions throughout the three hours of the movie and Leonardo adds layer after layer to the character, making him hateful yet very interesting, and I did not see that in Ron Woodroof – I think that the character could have been taken to a whole new level by someone more talented, such as the very Leo or Christian Bale.

These slice and bake cookies are delicious, buttery and a snap to make – the original recipe called for lemons only but I decided to use oranges, too, and added poppy seeds to make the cookies even more interesting, for they add crunch and make the cookies look beautiful.

You can omit them, of course, for the cookies will still taste great – let’s say that they will be the Matthew McConaughey version while the ones with poppy seeds will be the Leonardo DiCaprio version. ;)

Citrus and poppy seed slice and bakes
slightly adapted from Epicurious

Cookies:
2 ½ cups (350g) all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoons table salt
2 ½ tablespoons poppy seeds
1 cup (226g/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
finely grated zest of 1 large lemon
finely grated zest of 1 large orange
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large egg yolks

Icing:
¾ cup (105g) icing sugar
½ tablespoon lemon juice, more if necessary
½ tablespoon orange juice, more if necessary

Cookies: whisk flour, salt and poppy seeds in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter, sugar, lemon and orange zest and vanilla in a large bowl, occasionally scraping down sides, until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg yolks; beat just to blend. Reduce speed to low; add flour mixture and beat, occasionally scraping down sides, just to blend. Divide the dough into two equal parts. Place each on a piece of parchment paper; shape dough into logs. Fold parchment over dough; using a ruler, roll and press into a 3.5 cm (1.4in) log – like Martha does here. Wrap in parchment. Chill in the refrigerator until very firm, about 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F; line two large baking sheets with baking paper. Unwrap one log at a time (keep the other in the fridge). Cut into 5mm thick rounds; space 2.5cm (1in) apart onto prepared sheets. Bake one sheet at a time until cookies are firm and golden brown around the edges, 12-14 minutes. Cool slightly on sheets, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the other log.

Icing: whisk sugar and juice in a small bowl, adding more juice by ½-teaspoonfuls if too thick. Spread or drizzle icing over cookies. Let stand until icing sets, about 10 minutes.
The cookies can be stored in an airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Makes about 50

Hazelnut Gâteau Breton, Niki Lauda and Daniel Brühl

As a kid, I hated Formula 1 – back then most of the races took place in Europe which caused them to be aired here in Brazil in the morning, and it made me really mad that something so boring would be on TV instead of my beloved cartoons. :) However, there was a pilot that I found super cool: Niki Lauda – I thought it was amazing that someone so badly burned could be such an amazing driver and win that many races. I grew up admiring this guy and that was the reason why I went to the movies to watch “Rush” – much to my surprise, the movie is really good (I don’t like Ron Howard as a director) and Daniel Brühl is excellent as Lauda: the physical resemblance is amazing (there’s even a dental appliance to make his teeth just like Lauda’s), and as far as acting is concerned he’s on the top of his game. There’s Oscar buzz already for him as a supporting actor – I find he deserves recognition for the part but to me he’s co-lead (maybe they’re trying to set things up like they did in this year’s nominations, throwing Christoph Waltz as supporting when he was actually co-lead).

I loved “Rush” and I don’t even like car races, just as I loved this gâteau breton even though I don’t like dense cakes – this is a dense cake, indeed, but in a good way, and since it’s very rich one small slice goes a long way. I read somewhere that this cake tastes like a cross between a cake and a cookie and I think it describes it perfectly.

Hazelnut Gâteau Breton
slightly adapted from here

1 ¼ cups (250g) granulated sugar, divided
½ cup hazelnuts, lightly toasted, husked - I used 40g hazelnut meal
6 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup (226g/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
2 cups (280g) unbleached all purpose flour
pinch of salt
1 large egg yolk beaten with 2 teaspoons water (for glaze)

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 165°C/325°F. Butter and flour 23cm (9in) springform pan.
Combine 2 tablespoons of the sugar and hazelnuts in food processor; blend until nuts are finely ground but not pasty. Combine 6 egg yolks and remaining sugar in large bowl; whisk until well blended and slightly thicker, about 2 minutes (do not use electric mixer). Whisk in hazelnut mixture and vanilla. Gradually whisk in melted butter. Sift flour and salt over batter; stir just until blended (batter will be thick; do not overmix or cake may be tough).
Transfer batter to prepared pan; smooth top with offset spatula (layer will be thin). Brush top generously with egg glaze. Using back of tines of fork, deeply mark crisscross pattern atop cake. Bake cake until deep golden on top and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool in pan on rack 15 minutes, then remove pan sides and cool cake completely (can be made 1 day ahead. Wrap in plastic wrap and store at room temperature).
Cut cake into wedges and serve with whole strawberries or with warm strawberry jam.

Serves 8-10 – I made the exact recipe above using a 20cm (8in) cake pan

Marbled sour cream pound cake with white chocolate icing

A while ago I nominated Flo Braker and Lisa Yockelson the Queens of Pound Cakes but now I have to add another name to that fabulous list: Alisa Huntsman, who to me was already the Queen of Layer Cakes, kicks ass in other fields, too, and her pound cakes have become favorites of mine, not only because they are insanely tender and delicious but also because her pound cake recipes from this wonderful book make more than one cake, and to me that is always a bonus. :)

I’ve had my share of marbled cakes and always felt that the chocolate part was usually a bit on the dry side, but not here: this cake is sheer perfection and to be honest with you the icing is not even necessary.

Marbled sour cream pound cake with white chocolate icing
cake from the absolutely delicious Desserts from the Famous Loveless Cafe and icing from the equally wonderful Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook

Cake:
1 ¾ sticks (200g) unsalted butter, softened
1 ¾ cups (350g) granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
2 ¼ cups (315g) unbleached all purpose flour
¼ teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
2/3 cup sour cream*
85g (3oz) dark chocolate, melted and slightly cooled

Icing:
¾ cup (105g) confectioners' sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons whole milk, room temperature
65g (2¼ oz) best-quality white chocolate, melted and cooled

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter two 20x10x5cm (8x4x2in) loaf pans, line with baking paper and butter the paper as well.
In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add the whole eggs and egg yolks in 2 or 3 additions, scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition. Beat to incorporate. Sift the flour, baking soda and salt into the batter, add the sour cream and fold with a rubber spatula until batter is evenly blended.
Measure out 2 cups of the batter into another bowl. Add the chocolate and mix to combine. Spoon both vanilla and chocolate batters into prepared pans in layers, alternating spoonfuls of vanilla and chocolate. To create marbling, run a table knife (or wooden skewer) through the batters in a swirling motion.
Bake for about 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean. Cool in the pans over a wire rack for 5 minutes, then very carefully unmold, remove the paper and let cool completely on the rack.

Icing: in a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners' sugar and milk. The mixture should have the consistency of thin sour cream. Add the melted chocolate and whisk until glaze is smooth. If it is too thin, add more sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time; if too thick, add more milk, 1 teaspoon at a time. Immediately pour over the cake.

* homemade sour cream: to make 1 cup of sour cream, mix 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream with 2-3 teaspoons lemon juice in a bowl. Whisk until it starts to thicken. Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for 1 hour or until thicker (I usually leave mine on the counter overnight – except on very warm nights – and it turns out thick and silky in the following morning; refrigerate for a creamier texture)

Makes 2 cakes, each serving 6

Fruit mince muffins with eggnog icing

Eggnog is not part of Brazilian Christmas celebrations but everything I’ve made so far flavored as the drink turned out delicious, the sablé rounds and Flo Braker’s cake being my favorites –therefore, I bookmarked Rachel Allen’s muffins the minute I saw them on the book. This fantastic recipe is a keeper, not only because the delicious muffins match eggnog and fruit mince, flavors I love, but also because Allen’s homemade fruit mince is very tasty and easy to make – so good that I used it in my brownies, too.

Fruit mince muffins with eggnog icing
slightly adapted from the wonderful Cake (mine was bought here)

Muffins:
150g unsalted butter, softened
½ cup + 1 tablespoon (112g) granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 quantity fruit mince, cooled - recipe here
1 cup + 1 tablespoon (150g) all purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt

Icing:
4 egg yolks
1 teaspoon corn starch
¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
1 tablespoon brandy
½ cup (120ml) heavy cream
½ teaspoon finely grated nutmeg
12 dried cranberries, for decoration (optional) – if you decide to use them, place them in a small bowl with some hot water till they plump up

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F, and line a 12-hole (1/3 cup-capacity cavities) muffin pan with paper cases.
Muffins: using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition – scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally. Beat in the vanilla, then the cooled fruit mince. Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt and fold in gently to combine. Divide between the muffin cases, filling each ¾ full, then bake for 20-25 minutes or until well risen, golden on top and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan over a wire rack for 5 minutes then carefully remove from the pan and transfer to the rack. Cool completely.

Icing: whisk together all the ingredients and place in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring continuously, until it starts to boil and becomes thick, then remove from the heat and put through a fine sieve into a medium bowl. With an electric mixer, whisk continuously for a few minutes until the mixture has cooled and become very thick (after doing that, I refrigerated the icing for 30 minutes and it became easier to spread). Spoon the icing onto the muffins and decorate each with a dried cranberry.

Makes 12

Orange cream bars - a layered treat with some layered music on the side

I love layers. Layered cakes, layered performances, layered music... That is one of the reasons why I love most of Silverchair’s songs so much, especially the ones in "Diorama": they have so many different layers, so many different details that one can really feel that there was real effort put into those melodies – as their audience, I feel spoiled and lucky being treated that way. One of my favorite songs is “Across the Night” – how can one not love a song that starts with the sound of a harpsichord, followed by a big band feel? And then, in the end, there is a complete change in music, it’s like getting two different songs in one (which reminds me of the amazing “Layla”) – sublime doesn’t being to describe it.

With those talented boys and their layered music in mind, I bring you some delicious layered bars, which might seem like a lot of work but it’s not: it’s just a bit time consuming (I’ll admit that), since you need to make the layers separately and they need to cool/firm up in between; I used that time for a little TV treat since I hadn’t started reading this book by then.

Orange cream bars
from the always delicious The Good Cookie

Crust:
1 ¼ cups (175g) all-purpose flour
2/3 cup (94g) confectioners' sugar, sifted if too lumpy
pinch of salt
10 tablespoons (140g) unsalted butter, cut into 1cm (½in) cubes

Orange curd filling:
2 eggs
4 egg yolks
¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ cup (120ml) freshly squeezed orange juice
2 tablespoons finely grated orange zest
pinch of salt
½ cup (113g/1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

Topping:
¾ cup (180ml) sour cream*
¼ cup (60ml) heavy cream
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Line a 23cm (9in) square baking pan with foil leaving an overhang in two opposite sides. Butter the foil.
Crust: place flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor and process until blended. Scatter the pieces of butter over the mixture and pulse 6-8 times, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Process until the mixture forms large clumps and holds together when pinched between two fingers, 15-20 seconds (I had to add 1 teaspoon ice water to the pastry to get the right consistency).
Scrape the dough into the prepared pan and pat into an even layer. Using a fork, prick the dough all over. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until golden brown around the edges. Remove from oven to cooling rack and allow to cool completely.
Curd: set a fine-mesh sieve over a medium bowl and set aside. In a medium saucepan, whisk together the eggs, yolks and sugar until blended. Stir in the citrus juices, orange zest, salt, and butter and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens, 7-8 minutes (do not let the mixture boil, or it will curdle). Immediately strain the mixture through the sieve, pressing it through with a rubber spatula.
Transfer ¼ cup of the curd to a medium bowl, cover and refrigerate. Scrape the remaining warm curd onto the cooled crust and spread it into an even layer. Place the pan in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, or until the curd is cool and firm.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Whisk the sour cream, heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla into the reserved orange curd. Gently spread the mixture over the cooled orange curd layer.
Bake the bars 10 minutes, just until the topping is set**. Place the pan on a wire rack and cool completely, then chill in refrigerate for at least 2 hours (or up to a day).
Using a thin sharp knife, cut the bars into 16 squares, wiping the blade clean after each cut (I wiped the blade clean 3 times, tops). Serve chilled.
The bars can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 5 days.

* homemade sour cream: to make 1 cup of sour cream, mix 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream with 2-3 teaspoons lemon juice in a bowl. Whisk until it starts to thicken. Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for 1 hour or until thicker (I usually leave mine on the counter overnight – except on very warm nights – and it turns out thick and silky in the following morning; refrigerate for a creamier texture)

** my bars were in the oven for 25 minutes (!!) and the topping did not firm up – I removed if from the oven and it ended up firming in the refrigerator, but not enough to hold its shape once the bars got sliced

Makes 16 – I made the exact recipe above using a 20cm (8in) square pan

Salted chocolate caramel tartlets

Talk about perfect timing: the fall issue of my favorite food magazine arrived one day after I’d opened a jar of dulce de leche just to eat a spoonful of it (just ONE, guys, I swear). :)
Since I could not eat the remaining contents of that jar – wanted to, but couldn’t – I’d already started thinking of something to make with it; that was when, flipping through the beautiful pages of the magazine, I saw these tartlets – filled with dulce de leche and topped with ganache, they were just what I needed.
I know that not everyone likes salt in their sweets – my sister had her tartlet without salt – so consider it an optional addition.

***

So you don’t think I’ve forgotten about the “The Hunger Games” trilogy: after reading the first two books in a very short period of time, I’ve been procrastinating like hell with “Mockinjay” – is it just me or this book is boooring? :/

Salted chocolate caramel tartlets
slightly adapted from the always wonderful Donna Hay Magazine

Pastry:
1 cup + 1 tablespoon (150g) all purpose flour
½ cup (45g) cocoa
½ cup + 1 tablespoon (78g) icing sugar
pinch of salt
½ cup + 1 tablespoon (127g) unsalted butter, cold and chopped
3 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon iced water

Filling and topping:
1 cup dulce de leche
1/3 cup (80ml) heavy cream
120g (4oz) dark chocolate chopped
sea salt flakes, for sprinkling – I used Maldon

Start with the pastry: place the flour, cocoa, icing sugar, salt in a food processor and blitz to combine. Add the butter and pulse until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. With the motor running, add the egg yolks and vanilla, then the iced water and process just until a dough starts to form. Transfer to a large piece of plastic wrap and bring the dough together with the tips of your fingers. Shape into a disk and wrap in the plastic. Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.
Lightly butter six 8cm tartlet pans. Divide the pastry into 6 parts. Between two pieces of lightly floured baking paper roll each piece of pastry into a rough circle then line the pans, removing the excess pastry. Prick the pastry with a fork then freeze for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.
Butter the shiny side of a piece of aluminum foil (or use nonstick foil) and cut roughly into six squares; place the foil squares, buttered side down, tightly against the crust. And here is the very best part: Since you froze the crust, you can bake it without weights. Bake for 10-12 minutes, then carefully peel off the foil. If the crust has puffed, press it down gently with the back of a spoon. Bake the crusts for 10-15 minutes longer or until cooked through. Cool completely in the pans.
Divide the dulce de leche between the pastry cases and, using the back of a spoon, spread evenly. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Place the cream in a small saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, add the chocolate and stir until smooth and glossy. Spread the tartlets with the ganache and refrigerate for 2 hours or until set. Sprinkle with salt to serve.

Makes 6 – I made the exact recipe above, used 9cm (3½in) tartlet pans and got 10 tartlets; I first divided the pastry in 8 parts, then rerolled the scraps once to get two more tartlets

Milk chocolate stracciatella ice cream

The day is cold, gray, cloudy, the rain comes and goes, and I plan to spend the afternoon under the blankets, with a bowl of popcorn and a good movie. Too bad this delicious ice cream is long gone - it was so amazing I would certainly have a bowl of it even on this chilly day. :)

Milk chocolate stracciatella ice cream
from the always amazing The Perfect Scoop

225g (8oz) milk chocolate, finely chopped
1½ cups (360ml) heavy cream
1½ cups (360ml) whole milk
¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
generous pinch of salt
4 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons Cognac
140g (5oz) dark chocolate, finely chopped

Combine the milk chocolate and cream in a large heatproof bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water and stir until melted and smooth. Remove bowl from the saucepan and set a strainer on top.
Warm milk, sugar and salt in a medium saucepan. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the hot mixture over the yolks, whisking constantly. Scrape the mixture back to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Pour the custard through the strainer onto the milk chocolate cream, add the Cognac and mix. Cool completely, stirring occasionally, over an ice bath.
Refrigerate, covered, at least 6 hours. Freeze custard in ice cream maker.
While ice cream is freezing, melt the dark chocolate in a clean metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring frequently, In the last minutes of churning, carefully pour the melted chocolate in a slow stream directly onto ice cream as it churns and continue to churn 30 seconds (chocolate will harden in streaks). Transfer ice cream to an airtight container and put in freezer until firm, at least 4 hours.

Makes about 1 quart (950ml)

Chocolate crème brûlée tartlets

Sometimes it takes me forever to do certain things – make a recipe, watch a movie – and then, when I finally do it, it just feels... bleh.

Many, many years ago I watched the trailer for “November” and it intrigued me: I thought it looked interesting and I liked the idea of watching Courteney Cox in a drama: to me, she was the funniest of the girls in “Friends” – to this day I haven’t understood Jennifer Aniston’s wins at the Emmys and the Golden Globes. But then it took me 7 years to watch the movie and... bleh.

*spoilers*

It made me think of “Stay” – which is a movie I really like – but in a poor way.

*end of spoilers*

With that in mind I decided to make these tartlets, because I’d been meaning to make them since August 2008 – they turned out delicious! Thank heavens. :)

If you’re not into pastry making, make the chocolate custard only, pour into small bowls and serve, no need to caramelize it – it’s that good.

Chocolate crème brûlée tartlets
slightly adapted from the always wonderful Donna Hay Magazine and Modern Classics Book 2

1 recipe sweet shortcrust pastry
1 cup (240ml) whole milk
100g dark chocolate, chopped
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 egg yolks
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
½ tablespoon corn starch
1 tablespoon Amaretto (optional)
granulated sugar, extra, to sprinkle
whipped cream, to serve

Tart cases: lightly butter eight cavities – 1/3 cup capacity each – of a muffin pan. Divide the pastry into 8 equal parts. Roll each one into a rough circle and line the muffin pan with the pastry. Prick the bases with a fork and freeze for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Roughly cut 8 pieces of foil – the size of the tart cases – and brush one side with butter. Press the foil pieces onto the frozen pastry (buttered side in contact with the pastry) and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for a further 5–8 minutes or until golden and crisp. Allow to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Carefully remove the tart cases from the pan.

Filling: place the milk, chocolate and vanilla in saucepan over medium heat and stir until melted. Bring to the boil and remove from heat. Place the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl and whisk until pale and creamy. Add the corn starch and whisk to combine. Gradually pour in the hot milk mixture, whisking continuously. Return to saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking continuously, for 1–2 minutes or until thickened. Stir through the Amaretto. Set aside to cool. Pour the filling into the tart shells and refrigerate for 4 hours or until set. Sprinkle tarts with the extra sugar and use a blowtorch to caramelize the sugar. Top with the cream to serve.

Makes 8

Macadamia crunch ice cream + my favorite cookbooks

Every other day I receive emails from the readers asking which are my favorite cookbooks; for each of those emails I reply two more arrive in my inbox – not a very practical thing. That is why you’ll find below the list with my all time favorite cookbooks – the ones I love the most (in no particular order):




This delicious ice cream – if you think I’ve become addicted to praliné, you’re right, how could I not? – comes the cookbook I’ve used the most so far: the one that comes to mind whenever I think of making something sweet – which, let’s be honest, is something that happens quite often. :D

Macadamia crunch ice cream
from the fantastic and always delicious Bon Appetit Desserts: The Cookbook for All Things Sweet and Wonderful

Toffee:
2/3 cup (94g) roasted salted macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup (67g) granulated sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter

Ice cream:
1 ½ cups (360ml) heavy whipping cream
1 ½ cups (360ml) whole milk
pinch of salt
½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
6 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Toffee: butter small rimmed baking sheet. Combine nuts and baking soda in a small bowl. Stir sugar, water and butter in a heavy small saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves and butter melts, about 2 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high. Boil until dark amber colored, stirring constantly, about 3 minutes. Mix in nut mixture and immediately pour it onto buttered sheet, spreading it as much as possible. Cool completely, then chop with a sharp knife into small pieces.
Ice cream: bring cream, milk and salt to a simmer in a heavy large saucepan. Whisk sugar and egg yolks in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk hot cream mixture into yolk mixture. Return mixture to same saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until custard thickens and leaves path on back of spoon when finger is drawn across – do not boil. Pass through a sieve into a medium bowl, stir in vanilla and refrigerate until very cold, 3-4 hours.
Process custard into ice cream maker according to manufactures’ instructions. Add toffee during last 5 minutes of churning. Transfer to an ice cream container, cover and freeze until firm.

Serves 8-10