Caramelized Pineapple & Toasted Coconut Ice cream

Summer is almost here, and my home here on the Sunshine Coast is pineapple country. I am living just down the road from Pineapple mecca , 'The Big Pineapple' and have been making the most of this summer fruit.

What better way to make the most of it than by combining it with the ultimate Tropical Summer ingredient, Pina Colada style!? Coconut!

This ice cream is made with coconut cream so its dairy free. Use an organic tinned coconut cream for the best, creamiest results.

If you are lucky enough to own an ice cream churner simply add the cream, the pineapple and toasted coconut to the churner together.

Caramelized Pineapple & Toasted Coconut Ice cream... with a hint of spiced rum

makes approximately 1L of ice cream.
* 250g fresh pineapple cut into 5mm thick small wedges
* 3 tbsp pineapple juice (i cut my pineapple up the day prior to making the ice cream and this juice had collected in the bowl)
* 2 tbsp spiced rum (optional can be substituted with more pineapple juice)
* 4 tbsp coconut sugar (or other such as agave syrup, rapadura, honey, rice syrup)
* 1/3c dessicated coconut

* 3c coconut cream
* 5 egg yolks
* 3 tbsp maple syrup
* 1/4 tsp salt
* 1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped

put the pineapple pieces, pineapple juice, rum and coconut sugar in a bowl, stir and put aside.
in a fry pan add the dessicated coconut and stir over medium heat until toasted golden. set aside in a small bowl
Whisk egg yolks, maple syrup and salt in a pot
Add coconut cream and whisk well
Add the vanilla seeds and the scraped vanilla pod. Put the stove on medium heat, stir constantly with a wooden spoon for 8 minutes until thickened slightly, so it coats the back of the spoon. Don't let the mixture boil.
Remove from the heat and strain into a container or bowl. Put into the freezer to chill.

Heat the frying pan on a med/high heat on the stove again, add the pineapple pieces and juices to the pan, let bubble, string occasionally and reduce until syrup has thickened. (approx 5 minutes) set aside.

(optional extra step - heat a griddle pan very hot and char the pineapple pieces slightly.. and for garnish only a few extra discs dusted with a little extra coconut sugar to help caramelize them)

Each 45mins to an hour remove the bowl of ice cream from the freezer and stir/whisk/ Bamix/blend to break up any ice crystals. you will need to do this 3 or 4 times for the smoothest creamiest ice cream.
Once the ice cream is beginning to thicken to thick shake or soft serve texture gently stir through the toasted coconut, pineapple pieces and syrup before placing back in the freezer to complete freezing.

Let soften out of freezer for 5minutes before serving.

Lovely Bush Lemon Crostata....with thanks to Matt and Bill Granger

 


Last week while Biss was visiting me at my new home on the Sunshine Coast we went for a nice long walk along my nice long beach... On the path to the beach by my home Biss spotted a bush lemon tree.... the lemons were knobbly and juicy looking, alas we could only reach one little lemon.

A few days later on a walk to the beach with my darling husband i asked him to collect the lemons for me. OK, so i may have been taking advantage of his drunken state and may have challenged him to retrieve me some lemons. So up the tree went Matt and down came the lemons! It turns out though that lemons are quite thorny buggers, poor Matt had plenty of battle wounds and decreed i better make him something "f*#*king yummy" with those bush lemons. And so i did.

This recipe is a combination of two of Bill Granger's recipes from his cookbook Bills Basics. I had been wanting to make his Plum Jam Tart (p45)  recipe for a while, however there are no plums yet! i spotted his Lemon Tart (p234) recipe which is a crustless tart, only i love my biscuitty bases... so decided to bastardize his 2 recipes to suit me to a T.  This is a really easy recipe as there is no kneading required, no leaving to rest in the fridge and although i blind baked the crust i didn't need to worry about any pastry weights.

I have now eaten WAY WAY more than my share of Crostata and am a content fatty... man do i need some friends around to help eat all these goodies!

happy baking until next post~
x Ba

Lemon Crostata

Base
100g unsalted butter (melted and cooled)
1/3c caster sugar
175g (just over 1c) Plain Flour - i use wholemeal
1/4c ground almonds

Filling
3 eggs
1/2c plain flour - i used wholemeal
1c caster sugar
125g unsalted butter melted
zest of 2 unwaxed lemons
150ml lemon juice
300ml cream

Method

* Pre-heat oven to 180degrees
* Line the base of a 23cm spring form cake tin
* In a bowl stir the butter and sugar together.
* Add the flour and a pinch of salt, stir to make a soft dough
* Press the dough evenly into the base of the tin
* Bake in oven on a baking tray, for 15-20mins until the pastry is just slightly puffy and golden
* Remove from oven, sprinkle the ground almonds over and let cool while you make the filling
 * In a large bowl whisk the eggs
 * Gradually add the flour, then the sugar, butter, lemon zest, juice a small pinch of salt and the cream. Whisk well
* Pour on top of the base and bake for a further 40-45 minutes, until slightly browned.
* Remove from oven and let cool for 20minutes before slicing.
* serve with yoghurt or cream.

Yummy still warm...or cool

Strawberry Hazelnut and Condensed Milk Brioche Scrolls (with Chia Seeds)

 

Hello Friends!
We are here, still alive and kicking..... Sorry for the long wait between bites, life has been happening at quite a pace lately!
I know Biss has been a busy girl since arriving home from her 4 months of travels gallivanting around the globe... and me? Well I've been cooking up my bun in the oven, 6 weeks until he is ready to join us in this delicious world. On top of pregnancy i have just moved with my husband to the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. The past few weeks i have spent unpacking DIY-ing and nesting...and trying to learn the ways of my new kitchen and oven. Prior to that i was madly packing and organizing our great migration... so i apologize profusely for the neglect the blog has been experiencing.

I hope you are all well and have sprung to life with the change of season. The change in menu has been most welcomed in my house with the spring fruit and veg now available and i eagerly await the tropical summer fruits just around the corner.

Today I baked some buns in the oven, I have been craving sticky cinnamon  scrolls for a few days...and found in the current (October) issue of Delicious magazine a yummy looking recipe for Dulce De Leche Brioche Buns by Rachel Khoo author of cookbook The Little Paris Kitchen. We have a recipe for Dulce de Leche on our blog if you would like to make this recipe as it can be hard to find ready made. I cooked up a variation as i had plenty of strawberries in the fridge, which turned out to be delicious and slightly (only slightly) better for you.

Strawberry, Hazelnut and condensed milk Brioche Scrolls (with chia seeds). All i can say is yummo my craving has finally been satisfied!

This is a bit of effort to cook as you need to begin the day ahead, knead and prepare and then let rest the following day for another 2 hours before baking... and they are best eaten warm from the oven...however I do suggest though that you give it a try and i hope you enjoy them as much as i did!


 Strawberry  Hazelnut and Condensed Milk Brioche Scrolls (with Chia Seeds)

Ingredients:

dough:
75g unsalted butter
50ml milk
7g dried instant yeast
1 2/3C plain flour (i used half wholemeal)
60g Rapadura sugar 
2 eggs (lightly beaten)
1 heaped tbs creme fraiche (i used sour cream)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp orange blossom water (optional)
filling:
150g condensed milk
2tbs chia seeds
1 punnet (250g) strawberries roughly chopped
1 handful chopped hazelnuts

Method
Put the butter and milk in a small saucepan and heat until the butter has just melted. You want the milk and butter lukewarm NOT hot. Add the yeast and stir to dissolve

In a large bowl mix the flour, sugar and a pinch of salt. Create a well in the middle and stir in the the milk mixture, half the egg, and the remaining dough ingredients. Mix until you have a soft sticky dough. Place in a bowl cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight.

Next day... Line a 24cm spring form cake tin with baking paper.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured working surface and knead for 5 mins.
Roll into a large rectangle (approx 40 x 30cm)

Drizzle the condensed milk over the dough leaving a 2cm border. Sprinkle the chia seeds over, then the strawberries and hazelnuts. Roll the dough up to form a long log. Cut into 6 equal pieces.

the condensed milk will make this a little messy but the condensed milk will thicken and caramelise in the oven and be delicious. Place the cake tin on a baking tray lined with baking paper (to catch the excess oozy mess).

Place the pieces cut side up into the prepared pan, brush with some of the egg then leave covered with a clean tea towel in a warm place to rise for 2hours, or until doubled in size. (I placed the tray on top of my little coffee machine on the cup warmer..it worked a treat. i have also used a Italian trick in the past of filling the kitchen sink with hot water and placing the dough in the cupboard under the sink.)

Pre-heat the oven to 160 degrees. Brush the buns with a little more egg, then place in the oven to bake for 30-40minutes or until nice and golden brown. Once cooked transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly.

Gâteaux de Comminges - France

Usually when I visit my uncle Jean Odon and aunt Claire in France I get many stories of the history of our family as well as this cake! :)

This recipe is a family heirloom that goes back five generations. Jean Odon tells me that this recipe was passed on from his great aunt to his great grandmother (or my great, great grandmother!), La Maréchale Lyautey.  From then on it was made for special occasions and birthdays for the de Comminges family and the name Gâteaux de Comminges was born.

It is very easy and quick to make but the moistness depends on cooking time and is best when it is slightly undercooked. I have doubled the recipe in the past and it has come out cooked but all gooey and moist in the middle which was so good! If you have a hotter oven than usual watch it carefully. If you do happen to overcook it a little it should still be moist and fluffy. I hope you enjoy it as much we do! :)

Cake Ingredients

125g good qualitydark chocolate (70%)

125g Butter 

3 eggs separated

125g almond meal

80g plain flour

125g caster sugar

Chocolate Glaze –Ingredients

80g good quality darkchocolate (70%)

1 tablespoon of cremefraiche (you could also use thickened cream).

Cake - Method

1) Preheat the oven to 180°C.

2) Grease a 24cm cake tin with a bit of butter andcoat it with a light dusting of flour and remove the excess (instead you could line the tin with baking paper). I find spring form cake tins to be the easiest option but anywill do.

3) Melt the chocolate and butter in asaucepan over low heat. Allow to cool slightly.

4) While the chocolate is melting beat the 3 egg yolks until combined

5)  In a separate bowl mix the almond meal,flour and sugar.

6) In another bowl beat the 3 egg whites untilstiff peaks form.

7) Gently Mix the 3 egg yolks into the chocolate mixturealong with the dry ingredients.

8) Very gently fold in the beaten egg whites untiljust combined.

9) Pour mixture into cake tin and bake in theoven at 180°C for approximately 20-25 minutes.

10) Removefrom the oven allow to cool slightly before turning out onto a rack or a plate.

11) To makethe chocolate glaze melt the chocolate as in step 3 and stir through the cremefraiche. spread over the cake immediately

12) You canserve the cake warm or cold with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream and some strawberries sprinkled with some sugar would also compliment it nicely :)

 

Honey Fig and Ricotta Filo

 


I LOVE baklava and came across a recipe in an old Vogue Entertaining Magazine not too long ago which has inspired me to make a naughty warming brekkie filo dish. (but by all means feel free to eat it with ice cream for dessert too!)

The inspiring recipe was names 'Sardinian Cheese & Honey Pastries' the picture looked divine, but the recipe read poorly... ricotta and sultanas mixed with lemon rind, stuffed into frozen puff pastry sheets and deep fried.

The deep frying turned me off..

I was surprised the recipe didn't call for filo and couldn't stop thinking about how delicious it would be to have the feathery light and fine filo pastry with the warm spiced ricotta, and how the sticky sweetness of baklava honey/sugar syrupy pastry would work so well. well my dreaming went on and i thought about how much more i like figs than i like sultanas.... and eventually i created it.

My first attempt i mimicked the baklava recipes and poured the honey syrup over the filo triangles after baking them to a satisfactory crispiness, i found them to become too soggy and so have adapted the recipe, brushing the syrup over the triangles again and again until i am happy with the amount of coating and crispiness.

It is a naughty breakfast, i cant ignore it. But on a weekend morning like it is this time of year here in Sydney...when i am sitting in the sun, (which is giving me less than enough warmth than i would like) a nice cup of milky sweet earl grey tea and a steamy-hot, crispy-sticky, sweet filo triangle full of warm fig and cinnamon scents is perfect to warm me up!

Here is the recipe, i hope you enjoy.

Honey, Fig and Ricotta Filo

Ingredients

* 375g Ricotta (drained in a sieve for 20mins)
*100g Figs (chopped and soaked for 5mins in boiling water and then drained)
* grated rind of 1 lemon
* Juice of 1 lemon
* 2tspn cinnamon
* 5tbsn rapadura
* 1/2 packet of filo pastry
*  4tbsn water
* 1 cinnamon stick
* 150g butter (approx)

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees

Mix ricotta, figs, lemon zest, cinnamon & 2tbsn rapadura together in a bowl

melt butter and brush butter over a sheet of filo pastry, repeat with 3 more sheets of pastry laying the pastry sheets on top of one another. Cut the pile of pastry sheets in half and spoon about 2 or 3 heaped tablespoons of ricotta mix in a triangle shape into the corner of each of the piles of filo.

Fold over and over to create a triangle filo pillow, wiping butter over the pastry each time you fold it. You want to create a nice neat sealed filo triangle.

Repeat the process until you have used all of the ricotta.

Place a wire baking rack onto a baking tray. Cover with a piece of baking paper.Place the filo pastries onto the baking paper and bake in oven for 20mins (or until nicely browned and crunchy)

While they are baking heat the honey, the water, the lemon juice, and the cinnamon stick over a low heat until slightly thickened. keep warm.

Once the filo are cooked remove the baking paper from under the pastries and use a pastry brush to wipe the honey syrup over the pastries coast after coast until you achieve a still crispy but syrupy coating on top.

Eat immediately, or if saving for later, re-heat very gently in the oven to ensure you don't burn the sugar coating.

Enjoy!

xx BA

Wholemeal Banana Oat Bread - No Butter or Oil!

On a cold morning when i am getting ready for the daily grind my morning cup of warm maple syrup latte and a slice of toasted buttery banana bread is really the only thing that can wake me up and warm me up.

For this recipe i used wholemeal self raising flour, but added LSA oats and hazelnut meal to give it some extra nutrition and texture. I have a sweet tooth but can't afford to have dessert for breakfast. I need some health benefit in my meal!

Instead of using the usual brown sugar called for in most banana bread recipes I used Rapadura (aka Panela) sugar which is unrefined cane sugar. It has a lovely caramel flavour and a nice crunch...i love to sprinkle it onto of my latte and eat with the froth... it is by far more delicious than regular sugar and i urge you too to make the swap! i also swapped some of the sugar for maple syrup simply because i love the stuff and it too is unrefined.

This recipe uses NO oil or butter, so although it does have sugar it is far healthier than most banana breads. I admit i love to slather it with butter after i toast it....but i can suggest you slather it with some macadamia butter if you want to stay away from the bad saturated fats.

This recipe takes only minutes to make and the smells permeating from your oven while it cooks are too good to not try baking this recipe... so go...do it now!

and enjoy!
xxx Ba

Ingredients

* 3/4c light evaporated milk
* 1/2c Rapadura (or brown sugar)
* 1/4c Maple syrup
* 2 eggs
* 4 extra ripe bananas mashed (the riper the better)
* 1/2c Rolled Oats
* 1 1/4c Wholemeal Self Raising Flour
* 1/3c  LSA
* 1/3c Hazelnut meal (or almond meal)

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees, line a loaf tin with baking paper

Whisk Rapadura, maple syrup, eggs and evaporated milk together in a large bowl

Stir in bananas, Stir in Oats, Stir in LSA and Hazelnut meal, Stir in Flour

Pour into Loaf tin and place in centre of oven. Bake for approx 1 hour....or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

Remove from oven and leave to cool for 15 - 20 minutes. turn onto a baking rack to cool.
Cut and eat while warm or wait until it has cooled slice and wrap..or even freeze some for later.

Caramelised Yoghurt - Kolkata's Mishti Doi - India

Think creme caramel style yoghurt! This was so delicious and something I look forward to re-creating when I get home! :)

From what I've read there are a couple of ways you can make this. I think the easier version is by combining the yoghurt with condensed milk and carnation milk an then baking it in the oven. See here for a recipe I found online

Otherwise the more original version is made by caramel using sugar and mixing this with the yoghurt before baking it. See here

If you're at all inspired to give it a go let me know how it turns out! :)

Red Wine, Quince and Cinnamon Poached Pear Sorbet

Winter, meet summer!

I had 4 packham pears which were becoming quite ripe, i needed to do something with them...but other than crumble...or pie or other wintery desserts i could think what.

Somehow i decided this would be a good idea.

Turns out it was.

It is quite rich, but served with some orange segments to cut through the richness it is just delish

I am also thinking of making this combo again, however as an ice-cream to balance the richness

This recipe seems tiresome since there is cooking, cooling, freezing and refreezing....but begin this recipe (as i did) one night, and after work the next day scrape the sorbet once, and then again while cooking dinner...then it is ready for dessert that night.

too easy! :)

Ingredients

*4 packham pears
*1 cinnamon stick
*a sprinkle of ground cinnamon
* 2 1/2 tbsp quince paste
*1/3 to 1/2 bottle red wine (i used Merlot)
* 1/2c caster sugar
*1/4c liquid glucose
* 1/2c water

to serve
*mint sprigs
*orange segments


Method

Pre-heat oven to 160 degrees
Peel and core the pears, cut each into 4 wedges, place into a baking dish or tray ( i used a loaf tin)
add the cinnamon stick and sprinkle with the ground cinnamon. scatter little blobs or quince paste over the pears. pour wine in to just cover pears.
Bake until just soft (approx 20-30 minutes)

Meanwhile...Place sugar, liquid glucose and water in a pot over high heat, stir until sugar has dissolved and mixture boils. Boil mixture for 10seconds longer.. (only 10 seconds longer or the sorbet will not freeze/set)
leave to cool

Once the pear mix has cooled remove the cinnamon stick and discard. put the mix into a blender jug (or use a hand blender) and puree mix until smooth.

Stir the puree and the sugar syrup together and pour into a baking tray. Make sure the mix in no more than a 2cm depth in the pan.
Place tray in the freezer.

Once frozen remove the tray and scrape the mix into fine icicles. Spread evenly and place back into the freezer.
Repeat this process once more.

Then you are ready to serve.

I hope you enjoy

If you do try this recipe, please leave us a comment with some feedback :)

yours in yumminess

xx BA

Nuttylicious Mousse with Banana & Raw Cacao

Mmmmm I had this for breakfast this morning! I know you might be wondering - mousse for breakfast!? But this 'mousse' which also makes for a great dessert or snack is a great way to start the day as it is packed full of nutrients, minerals, antioxidants, protein, essential fatty acids and energy :)

I have a real sweet tooth and love it that I can start my day with dessert without feeling like crap for the rest of the day :) The discovery that raw cacao powder is full of nutrition was one of the happiest food discoveries I have made :)

This is a dairy free, gluten free, sugar free, healthy, wholesome mousse that tastes delicious. If you want to make it 100% raw substitute the peanut butter for black tahini, macadamia nut butter or abc spread (nut spread made from almonds, brazil nuts and cashews).

The maca powder isn't 100% necessary but just adds some extra nutrition. You can also use regular cacao powder but try and get your hands on raw cacao as it contains twice as many nutrients and minerals than its heat processed counterpart :) I strongly recommend that when using peanut butter to make sure it is organic as conventionally farmed peanuts are heavily sprayed with all sorts of pesticides and are usually processed with added vegetable oils.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!

Nuttylicious Mousse

Serves 2-3

2 very ripe bananas that have been frozen, chopped
1/2 ripe avocado
1 heaped tablespoon organic peanut butter (or substitute with black tahini or other nut spread)
8 dates soaked for about 30 minutes (to speed up this process you can soak them in boiling water for a few minutes)
3 tablespoons raw cacao powder
1 teaspoon maca powder
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
Pinch of cinnamon
Pinch sea salt
Cacao nibs to serve

Place all ingredients in a food processor or mini whiz and blend until smooth. Spoon into bowls and sprinkle with cacao nibs to serve. For raw cacao or other ingredients either visit your local health food store or check out Loving Earth online.


:) Biss X

Mango gelato served with banana & macapuno

 

My favorite food is mango, summer in neat little package all sweet smelling in its curvaceous blushing skin. A delicious mess to eat at the beach closely followed by a cleansing swim! I love mango for breakfast or dessert In a salad or on a skewer with some veg and feta on the BBQ (you NEVER see me with any facon or 'vege sausages') for dinner.

Mango is great anytime of everyday!

Today it's in a simple mango gelato

I served this with banana and macapuno. But if I didn't need to post a photo k would have eaten it straight out of the tub with a BIG spoon!

Macapuno is a delicious sweet Philippine conserve made with young 'sick' coconut, but Don't be put off! it's called a sick coconut as it's flesh does not dry and become hard. The coconut doesn't have any juice inside and the flesh is soft and jelly like. It is deliciously sweet, typically used in baked desserts.

Makes Approx 1L

*3 large mangoes flesh diced
*juice of 1 lime
* 1/2 cup caster sugar
* 100g glucose syrup

Put the mango flesh into a blender or food processor and purée until smooth

In a heavy based saucepan heat on medium-low the sugar and glucose syrup with a little of the mango puree until sugar is completely . Mix the glucose mix into the rest of the mango puree,add the lime juice & then transfer to a container and put in the freezer.

Once the gelato is frozen (I waited until the next morning) remove from the freezer cut up into pieces and process or blend until smooth again.

Put back into the container and freeze again.

Done 

(macapuno is available at most Asian supermarkets)

X ba

Dulce de Leche

This recipe is my mum's she has a sweet tooth brought with her from the Philippines. She loves thick and rich sweets, made with cassava, or with tapioca, always containing coconut in some form & ALWAYS ALWAYS condensed milk in some form.....this one is our favourite form..... Caramel!!!

For the smoothest most decadent cake or pastry filling...or even to eat by the spoonful in the same guilty way one might eat a spoonful of nutella or peanut butter!

This recipe is unbelievably simple....

1 x can of condensed milk

Remove the label from the can and place in a slow cooker, fill the slow cooker with water ensuring the can/s are completely covered. set the slow cooker on low and leave to simmer for 6 hours.

You can adjust the cooking time depending on how runny or thick you like you caramel, and on what you plan on using the caramel for. The longer you cook it the thicker it will become.

I usually leave the cans in the slow cooker while I go to work so 8 hours.

You can cook the cans on the stove, however be sure to keep checking the water level to ensure the cans remain completely covered with water.

NB: Dulce de Leche can make a great gift idea. When the cans are still warm, but cool enough to touch, open them and spoon the hot caramel into sterilised jars, seal and decorate as a present!

Chocolate Chia Pudding

Healthy and delicious. Chia seeds are full of omega 3, fibre, protein and antioxidants. Satisfy your chocolate cravings with this beautiful satisfying raw dessert recipe. It also makes for a great energising breakfast! You can also add a tablespoon to smoothies.

1 1/2 cups of nut mylk

4 tbsp of chia seeds

1 tsp of vanilla essence

pinch of celtic sea salt

3 tbsp of raw cacao

2 tbsp of agave nectar or maple syrup or to sweeten (you could also use a pinch of stevia)

Cacao nibs to serve

Place all ingredients in a jar. Seal tightly with a lid and shake well. Keep shaking every few minutes to ensure that the chia seeds don't clump together. They will slowly start to swell. For a thick chia pudding leave in the fridge overnight. The longer you leave the chia the thicker the pudding will become until it reaches a sago like consistency. Serve with a raw cacao nibs, sifted raw cacao and a drizzle of maple syrup or agave nectar :)

Traditional Banoffi Pie

I discovered and fell in love with banoffi pie in Goa, India. Where the cafes have such an array of dishes on offer and where you can indulge in just about anything your heart desires. Although this looks like a really rich dish, the bananas and whipped cream cut through the rich caramel and the flavours work amazingly well together. This is a very easy dessert, but just remember to prepare you dulce de leche (caramel) ahead otherwise this will slow you down!

Ingredients

1 tin of dulce de leche
2-3 large bananas
280 grams of McVities Chocolate or plain Digestives
300mls of double cream, or whipping cream
2 tablespoons butter

Method

1) Gently heat butter in a saucepan until liquid (or just leave some out at room temperature to soften).
2) Place the biscuits in a food processor and blend until they are crumbs 3) Add melted butter to food processor and blend until combined.
4) Transfer the biscuit crumbs to a round dish (a large pyrex dish or spring form cake tin is good) and pat with a spoon so that they cover the base. 
4) Place in the fridge for about 30 minutes to set.
5) Pour/spoon the dulce de leche (caramel) from the tin onto the biscuit base of the Pyrex dish. Place back in the fridge to set. 
6) Whip the cream until peaking with seeds of the vanilla bean and the sugar.
7) Spoon half of the cream mixture on top of the caramel.
8) Slice the bananas and arrange them on top of the first layer of cream working in a circle from the outside in to the centre overlapping them as you go.
9) spoon the rest of the cream over the bananas and smooth out.
10) Decorate with grated chocolate. Keep in the fridge until ready to eat! 

Tips

You can also buy pre-made caramel from most supermarkets (it is not quite the same as making it yourself but does make the process a little speedier if you're short for time)

Raw Spiced Chocolate Drops

Want to try the healthiest and most melt in the mouth chocolate you have ever eaten? Try this! The raw movement has been taking off and you can now buy raw pre-made chocolate in most health food shops and organic cafes. However it is so easy to make yourself and nothing beats the pride and satisfaction of making something from scratch yourself.  I must admit that this recipe comes with a warning - these ingredients are EXPENSIVE! However once you have these superior quality ingredients you can make it again and try other yummy raw chocolate recipes! 

I also think raw cocoa butter would make for a much better, healthier, more nourishing, skin healing and rejuvenating body and face cream than anything else on the market (and if you look at it like that is more than likely cheaper than all of those highly processed products).

This recipe was inspired by the Choc Chic which has a lot of great info about making your own raw chocolate recipes at home. To this recipe I also added a pinch of dried chilli and a pinch of cinnamon. Instead of agave nectar I used organic maple syrup.

Why raw? Raw cocoa contains over 300 nutritional compounds and contains essential minerals including magnesium. It has twice as many antioxidants as regular heated cocoa.

Chocolate Banoffee Pie

This recipe was taken from the Delicious Cookbook As yummy as this looks and as proud as I was of the glossy texture of the chocolate caramel filling and the base (which came out of the non-stick pie dish very well) this pie was very disappointing!
What attracted me to this recipe was that I was searching for a simple no-bake dessert for a dinner party that looked impressive and of course tasted good. I thought that a twist on the traditional banoffi pie combining both caramel and chocolate would have been amazing. This recipe was very disappointing... I think it may have been the golden syrup that tipped the sweetness overboard and that was responsible for the sweet taste bud numbing texture of the dessert. Being the ultimate sweet tooth I was completely surprised at how I too was bewildered by the over-sweetness and tastelessness of this dish. The only thing you could taste was sweet -not caramel, not chocolate....

I love banoffi and that's where I think this recipe went wrong - you can't improve on it. Banoffi Pie is meant to be simple and it is meant to be caramel!!

I do still believe that when combined well chocolate and caramel can be a match made in heaven and perhaps I will attempt to improve and make it yummy. I will most likely remake the base of this dish again as a replacement for other pies or tarts that call for a chocolate pastry - this base was so easy, hassle free and effective.

Don't be deceived by the pictures - go for the traditional recipe...

Ingredients

250g dark chocolate digestive biscuits
180g unsalted butter
1 tbs Dutch cocoa powder, plus extra to dust
1/2 firmly packed cup (100g) brown sugar
395g can condensed milk
75g dark chocolate, melted
1 tbs golden syrup
300ml thickened cream
2 small bananas, sliced

Method

1) Finely crumb biscuits in a food processor. Melt 80g butter and add to crumbs with cocoa. Process to combine. Press into six 10cm loose-bottomed tart pans or as I did, just use one large loose-bottomed tart pan. Chill for 20 minutes until bases are firm.

2) Place sugar and remaining butter in a pan over low heat, stirring, until butter has melted. Add condensed milk and stir over low heat for 5 minutes or until mixture is a thick, golden caramel.

3) Remove from heat, then add chocolate and golden syrup, stirring to combine. Fill tart shells with caramel mixture, smoothing tops with a palette knife. Chill for at least 1 hour to set.

4)Whip cream until soft peaks form. When ready to serve, place tarts on plates, top with sliced banana and whipped cream, then dust with cocoa.

Yours in yumminess,
Biss

Caramel Cheesecake

Biss made this amazing looking and even more amazing tasting caramel cheesecake from delicious magazine, i belive it is a recipe the most talented Valli Little

Baked dulce de leche cheesecake with toffee shards
recipe from taste.com.au and delicious mag;

Ingredients (serves 8)
300g digestive biscuits
90g unsalted butter, melted
750g cream cheese, chopped
2 tbs cornflour
3 eggs
340g caster sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 x 450g jars dulce de leche (see note)
600ml sour cream

Method
Preheat oven to 200°C and grease a 23cm spring form pan.

Finely crush biscuits in a processor, then pour in melted butter and pulse to combine. Press mixture into the base of the pan. Bake for 8 minutes, then remove pan from the oven and reduce temperature to 160°C.

Meanwhile, place cream cheese in cleaned processor with cornflour, eggs, 100g sugar and 1 tsp vanilla. Process until smooth, then add one jar of dulce de leche and process until smooth and combined. Pour mixture over biscuit base, then bake for 45 minutes until set.

Meanwhile, place sour cream in a bowl with another 20g sugar and 1 tsp vanilla. Beat with a wooden spoon to combine. Remove cheesecake from oven and top with sour cream, then bake cake for a further 15 minutes until set. Leave in the switched-off oven with the door ajar until completely cooled, then chill overnight.

To make toffee shards, line a baking tray with a sheet of foil. Stir remaining 1 cup (220g) sugar and 1/4 cup (60ml) water in a pan over low heat to dissolve sugar. Increase heat to high and cook until a light golden caramel. Quickly pour onto the tray, swirling to spread toffee. Set aside to cool, then break into shards.

Add 2-3 tbs boiling water to the remaining dulce de leche until you have a smooth sauce consistency.

When ready to serve, remove cake from pan and place on a platter. Decorate with toffee, then drizzle with the sauce.

Notes

Begin this recipe a day ahead.
To make your own dulce de leche see herehttp://theblissbar.blogspot.com/2011/11/dulce-de-leche.html

Mango, Macadamia and White Chocolate Ice-cream

Yum Yum Yum!  This recipe was inspired by an  Annabel Langbein recipe. This is the EASIEST and most DELECTABLE ice-cream recipe EVER! You wont need an ice-cream machine for this one - give this one a go for a treat in summer...

Prepare...
2 mangoes, flesh removed and chopped
2 cups of raw macadamias chopped
200 grams of white chocolate melted (or you can put half melted and half as is for crunch and texture)
Line 2 loaf tins with baking paper

Ice Cream Base; Remember Three Bowels Three Ingredients

Ingredients

3 eggs separated

Castor sugar

2 cups chilled cream

Method

1) Place egg yolks in one bowl and egg whites in the other.

2) Add 5 tablespoons of sugar to egg whites and beat until soft peaks form. Set aside.

3) Add 5 tablespoons of sugar to the egg yolks and lightly whisk and add 2 tablespoons of boiling water, beat until pale and ribbony (until it holds figure 8)

4)  Whip 2 cups chilled cream

5) Combine all of the above ingredients from each of the three bowls folding the mixture gently with a big fat spoon. Be careful not to over fold - fold until all the ingredients are just mixed.

Now fold through the mango, macadamias and melted white chocolate and pour into the two loaf tins lined with baking paper. Place in the freezer and freeze for 4 hours. It should keep for a while too :)