Passion fruit tart

If I had to choose one dessert to eat for the rest of my life (which would be a cruel thing given that there are so many wonderful sweets out there, not to mention the ones I have never tried nor baked at home, but...) it would be lemon bars – there’s nothing I crave more, the sound of the words makes me salivate already.
But a couple of weeks ago something came out of my oven that almost – and it was a really close call – stole the title of favorite dessert from the bars: this passion fruit tart, a recipe from the always breathtakingly beautiful Gourmet Traveller, turned out delicious, with its crisp, buttery base and tangy filling. Oh, so good.

Now, if I had to choose two desserts to eat for the rest of my life... ;)

Passion fruit tart
from the always so delicious and beautiful Australian Gourmet Traveller

Pastry:
225g unsalted butter, cold and chopped
¾ cup (105g) icing sugar, sifted
2 2/3 cups (375g) all purpose flour
pinch of salt
1 egg
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling:
3 eggs
1 egg yolk
¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
150ml heavy cream
200ml strained passion fruit pulp – I used some of the pulp with the seeds
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
icing sugar, for dusting

For the pastry, mix the butter, sugar, flour and salt in a food processor until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. With the motor running, add the egg and vanilla and process just until a dough forms. Wrap in plastic wrap and allow to rest for 2 hours in the refrigerator.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry to 3mm thick and use to line six 8cm-diameter tart tins, then place in the freezer for 30 minutes – in the meantime, preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.
Line pastry-lined tins with baking paper, then fill with pastry weights or dried beans and blind-bake for 15 minutes. Remove weights and bake for another 5 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool, but keep the oven on.
Filling: lightly mix together the eggs, egg yolk and sugar in a bowl until sugar has dissolved. Stir in the cream, passion fruit juice and vanilla and then strain through a fine sieve into a jug. Pour the filling into the tartlet shells and bake for 8-10 minutes or until just set – the filling should still wobble slightly in the centre. Leave to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate.
Just before serving, dust the tarts with icing sugar and caramelize with a blowtorch or under a very hot grill.

Makes 6 – I halved the recipe above and baked it in a 30x10cm (12x4in) tart pan with a removable bottom

Cinnamon bubble buns

One of my favorite things about cooking and baking is being surround by fantastic smells: freshly brewed coffee, onions and olive oil being cooked together, citrus fruits while being zested or squeezed... Delicious. And to that list I'll add cinnamon - one of my favorite smells and one impossible to hide in the kitchen: it's really evident when there's something in the oven made with cinnamon, like these wonderful buns - I've replaced the sour cream called for in the original recipe for yogurt, therefore you can indulge in these and call them healthy. ;)

Cinnamon bubble buns
slightly adapted from of the best cookbooks I own

Yogurt yeast dough:
2¼ teaspoons dried yeast
¼ cup (60 ml) warm water
3 tablespoons (42g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2/3 cup plain yogurt
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
320g all-purpose flour + a little for kneading, if necessary
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda

Cinnamon-sugar coating:
65g light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Dough: sprinkle the yeast over the water in the bowl of a stand mixer; set aside for 5 to 10 minutes until bubbly. Add the butter, yogurt, sugar, egg, and vanilla to the yeast mixture and stir to combine with a rubber spatula.
Attach the bowl to the mixer, and fit the mixer with the paddle attachment. Beat in 250g of the flour, the salt, and baking soda on medium-low speed until incorporated, 30 to 45 seconds. Add the remaining 70g flour and beat until a smooth, moderately soft dough forms.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth and satiny, about 3 minutes. At first the dough will be sticky. Add no more than 1 to 2 tablespoons additional flour during the kneading to combat the stickiness. Place the dough back in the bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour. The dough is ready when a finger gently pressed into it leaves an indentation. Meanwhile, prepare the pan and make the cinnamon-sugar coating.

Generously butter a 12-cup standard muffin pan (1/3 cup capacity each cavity), then flour the cups, tapping out the excess flour.
Cinnamon-sugar coating: in a small bowl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon; set nearby. Place the melted butter in a small, shallow dish.
Gently punch the dough down to deflate it. Form it into a long cylinder, and divide it into 12 equal portions (each portion is about 1¾ ounces/50 grams). Divide each portion into 6 equal pieces, and then shape each piece into a ball. One at a time, roll the balls first in the butter and then in the cinnamon sugar. Arrange 5 balls next to one another in a circle in each prepared muffin cup, and then, using a fingertip, poke the sixth ball down slightly in the center.

Repeat with the remaining 11 dough portions. Loosely cover the buns with plastic wrap and set them aside in a warm place until puffy and doubled in volume, about 40 minutes. The dough is ready to bake when a finger gently pressed into it leaves an indentation – in the meantime, center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.
Bake the buns until golden, 20-22 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 5 to 8 minutes. Then tilt the pan and gently tap it on a counter to release the buns. If necessary, slip a knife blade between the pan and the bun to release. Transfer the buns to a wire rack.

Makes 12

Cocoa brownies with brown butter and pecans

Whenever I feel the urge to bake something delicious but am out of time I bake brownies: they’re super easy to put together, there’s not need to wait for the butter to soften – and in this recipe not even the eggs need to be at room temperature – and once in the oven all you need to do is decide whether to eat them still warm with ice cream or plain, after they’ve cooled down. :)

These brownies are a variation of Alice Medrich’s ultra delicious cocoa brownies, and even though they’re really god I find the previous version better – I like the addition of pecans but I don’t think the browned butter makes such a huge difference in this case, unlike other recipes. As I looked for the cocoa brownies link to post here for you I read there that “my 16 year old sister loves these brownies” – she’s 19 now and I’m feeling really old right this moment. :)

Cocoa brownies with brown butter and pecans
from the Brownie Wizard Alice Medrich

10 tablespoons (140g/1¼ sticks) unsalted butter, chopped
1 ¼ cups (250g) granulated sugar
¾ cup (68g) unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, cold
1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon (56g) all purpose flour
1 cup (110g) pecans, lightly toasted, cooled and coarsely chopped

Preheat the oven to 165°C/325°F. Line 20cm (8in) square baking pan with foil, pressing foil firmly against pan sides and leaving 5cm (2in) overhang. Butter the foil.
Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Continue cooking until butter stops foaming and browned bits form at bottom of pan, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; immediately add sugar, cocoa, water, vanilla, and salt. Stir to blend. Let cool 5 minutes (mixture will still be hot). Add eggs to hot mixture 1 at a time, beating vigorously to blend after each addition. When mixture looks thick and shiny, add flour and stir until blended. Beat vigorously 60 strokes. Stir in nuts. Transfer batter to prepared pan.
Bake brownies until toothpick inserted into center comes out almost clean (with a few moist crumbs attached), about 25 minutes. Cool in pan on rack. Using foil overhang, lift brownies from pan. Cut into squares.
Brownie can be stored in an airtight at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Makes 16

Cinnamon-sugar plum cake + Helen Hunt

I once wrote about the type of characters I’d like to play if I were an actress, and now I have to add Helen Hunt’s fantastic Cheryl to the list: not only the character herself is a very interesting one, but also Hunt’s portrayal is one of the best I’ve seen in years – she surrenders completely to the character which is something I’ve seen very few times, and that is rare because very few actresses/actors have the talent to do it.

I know that my opinion doesn’t matter to the movie industry but to me Helen Hunt had the most powerful performance last year – and not even 10 Anne Hathaways shaving their heads screaming a song won’t change that. :)
Although I’m writing about Helen Hunt today, “The Sessions” is a fantastic movie as a whole: a great script – funny, witty, moving – with amazing performances; John Hawkes is absolutely magnificent – a friend sent me a link to a video of the real Mark O’Brien and Hawkes nailed even his voice perfectly – what an astounding performance. And William H. Macy, who is always very competent, is adorable as the priest. “The Sessions” is a movie worth seeing and it is even better than I’d expected.

***

Plums are in season here now and I’ve been enjoying them a lot lately – unfortunately, some of the plums I’d bought were too sour, even for my taste. I then decided to bake a cake with them, and this delicious recipe – which I believe would be wonderful with nectarines, peaches or cherries – comes from the cookbook that never disappoints.

Cinnamon-sugar plum cake
from the always delicious Bon Appetit Desserts: The Cookbook for All Things Sweet and Wonderful

1 ¼ cups (175g) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
½ cup (113g/1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cup (150g) + 1 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar, divided use
2 large eggs
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
juice of 1 lemon
3-4 large plums, pitted, cut into little over 1cm (½in) wedges
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter 9-inch-diameter springform pan*.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Using electric mixer, beat butter and ¾ cup (150g) of the sugar in a large bowl until fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then vanilla, lemon zest and juice, beating until blended after each addition. Beat in flour mixture just until incorporated. Spread batter in prepared pan.
Press plum wedges halfway into batter in concentric circles, spacing slightly apart. Mix remaining 1 ½ tablespoons sugar and cinnamon in small bowl; sprinkle over plums. Bake until cake is browned on top and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Cut around cake; release pan sides. Serve cake warm or at room temperature.

* I made the exact recipe above using a 20cm (8in) round cake pan with a removable bottom, base lined with a circle of baking paper

Serves 6-8

Chicken, chorizo and lemon bake

When I was little, roast chicken was the Sunday lunch staple: the side dishes would change sometimes - potatoes, pasta, rice, salad - but the chicken was the king of the most important Sunday meal. My mom loved it, my granny loved and I did, too - still do.

After my mom got sick my father would bring a rotisserie chicken for lunch, but it was good anyway. Those days were happy days - I miss them. And when I'm feeling nostalgic I usually make things my mom used to cook, and roast chicken is one of them.

I like to use different recipes now and then and this one, from Donna Hay mag, was elected by the hubby as the most delicious roast chicken I've ever made, and he went crazy with the crunchy chorizo bits and the sweet and mellow roast garlic. We like our chicken very golden and crisp on the outside - hence the long oven time - but you can play around the recipe accordingly to your taste.

Chicken, chorizo and lemon bake
slightly adapted from the always delicious and foolproof Donna Hay Magazine

4 large pieces of chicken – I used 2 thighs and 2 drumsticks

For marinating the chicken:
2 garlic cloves, bashed in a mortar and pestle until puréed
juice of 1 large lemon
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper

For roasting the chicken:
1 lemon, sliced in 6 pieces lengthwise
1 chorizo, sliced
6 cloves of garlic, unpeeled
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
6-8 sprigs fresh thyme
1/3 cup black olives

Place the chicken pieces in a plastic bag or in a shallow bowl. Add the garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper and mix to coat the chicken pieces. Close the bag (or cover the bowl with plastic wrap) and marinate in the fridge for 3 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F. Remove the chicken from the marinade and place it in a shallow heatproof dish (if you line the dish with a double layer of foil washing up will be easier). Drizzle with some of the marinate and roast for about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven, add lemon, chorizo, garlic and thyme, drizzle with the butter and roast for another 40-50 minutes or until chicken is deeply golden brown and cooked through – in the final 10 minutes, add the olives.

Serves 2