Gingernuts

Delicious, easy and very very moreish

Ingredients:

* 800 g all-purpose flour

* 1 tblsp baking powder

* 4 tblsp ground ginger

* 2 tsp ground star anise

* 1 tsp sea salt

* 300 g unsalted butter, at room temperature

* 200 g dark brown sugar, packed

* 2 large eggs (approx. 100 g), at room temperature

* 225 ml un-sulphured molasses

* 225 ml Golden Syrups

* Zest of two lemons

Instructions:

1. Prepare Dry Ingredients:

- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, ground ginger, star anise, and salt until well combined.

2. Cream Butter and Sugar:

- In a separate bowl, using an electric mixer, cream the butter and dark brown sugar together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.

3. Add Wet Ingredients:

- Beat in the egg until fully incorporated.

- Add the molasses, golden syrup and lemon zest, mixing on high speed until combined.

4. Combine Wet and Dry Mixtures:

- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing on low speed until a soft dough forms.

5. Chill the Dough:

- Divide the dough into two equal portions. Shape each into a disc, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. Chilling the dough enhances flavour development and makes it easier to handle.

6. Preheat Oven:

- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 180°C. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

7. Roll Out Dough:

- On a lightly floured surface, roll out one disc of dough to a thickness of about 6 mm. Keep the other disc refrigerated until ready to use.

8. Cut and Arrange:

- Use round cutters to cut out desired shapes. Transfer the cutouts to the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 cm apart.

9. Bake:

- Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until the edges are just beginning to turn dark golden.

Mark Best 4/26/20 Mark Best 4/26/20

Chocolate Tart

This Chocolate Tart is based on one of the great tarts in the tart lexicon and originates from his eminence, Chef Joël Robuchon R.I.P. His recipe is a lesson in simplicity and elegance. I have changed the traditional pastry to a very short chocolate crust. Why? Because I think it’s better and that’s how cooking works.

The chocolate does the heavy lifting in texture and flavour. It should only be eaten freshly prepared, for its lustre is tarnished by time and refrigeration will render the filling as hard as a landlord’s heart.

makes two tarts because this is a time when too much chocolate is barely enough.

TART SHELL

150 g salted butter, softened
75 g caster (superfine) sugar
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
125 g plain (all-purpose) flour
50 g rice flour
50 g best quality unsweetened cocoa powder (Valthona, Callebaut)
1 egg, lightly beaten

FILLING

200 g best-quality chocolate (72% cocoa solids) (Valthona, Callebaut) etc
190 ml pouring (single/light) cream
80 ml milk
1 egg, lightly beaten

To make the tart bases - put the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat until pale and creamy.
In a bowl, sift together the salt, flours and cocoa powder.
Using a spatula, fold the flours into the butter mixture until just coming together.
Do not mix them using the electric mixer or you will overwork the dough with the risk of shrinkage.
Tip the rough contents onto a work surface and, using the heel of your hand, press down and away from you to spread the dough in a fluid motion. Repeat three times.
Scrape the dough together and divide it into two balls. Flatten each ball slightly and wrap individually with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Roll one ball of dough into a circle about 5 mm (1⁄4 in) thick. Place a 22 cm
(83⁄4 in) tart ring on the dough and run the tip of a knife around the inside of
the ring. Remove any excess dough. Remove the tart ring. Repeat with the second ball of dough.
Place the tart bases on a baking tray and refrigerate for another 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F).
Bake the tart bases in the oven for 10–12 minutes until the dough is dry. It will firm up once it cools.
Lightly beat the egg and use a pastry brush to paint a thin layer across the cooled bases. Return to the oven for 3 minutes to set the egg. This will prevent the base from going soggy once the filling is added.
To make the filling, coarsely chop the chocolate and place it in a medium heatproof bowl.
Bring the cream and milk to the boil in a small saucepan. Pour the hot milk mixture over the chocolate and stir until melted.
Whisk in the egg until fully incorporated.
Reduce the oven temperature to 100°C (210°F).
Place the two tart rings back over the baked bases. Pour the filling evenly between the two rings. Bake for 8–10 minutes until the filling is just set. It should still have a slight jiggle. Leave to firm at room temperature for 1 hour.
Serve at room temperature within 2–3 hours.

Mark Best 4/23/20 Mark Best 4/23/20

ANZAC Biscuits

Anzac Day, April 25th, is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand that broadly commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations. Specifically it marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War where some 60,000 Australians and 17,000 New Zealanders perished.

The army ration biscuit, also known as an Anzac wafer or Anzac tile, is essentially a long shelf-life, hard tack biscuit, eaten as a substitute for bread. Unlike bread, though, the biscuits are very, very hard. Some soldiers preferred to grind them up and eat as porridge.

Mine is the traditional sweet recipe made from ingredients that could survive the two-month journey sent from loved ones to soldiers on the front line, they were originally called Soldier’s biscuits and renamed following the Gallipoli landings.

The Australia and New Zealand Army Corps or ANZACs as they came to be known are remembered by these simple sweet biscuits that we bake on this occasion. Lest we forget.

90 gms steel-cut oats
75gm plain flour
100 gm wholemeal flour
150 gm raw sugar
30 gms desiccated coconut
5 gms salt
40 gms golden syrup (or light treacle)
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
60 mls water
125 gms butter

1. sift flours, salt & baking soda together

2. add oats, sugar & coconut

3. place butter, water & golden syrup into a pan & heat gently until just melted.

4. stir into the dry ingredients & work lightly until amalgamated

5.moisten your hands and roll into small, walnut sized, balls & place onto a paper lined baking sheet

6. allow 10 cm between each as they spread

7. bake at 170C until golden. around 35 min for chewy, 45 for crunchy

Mark Best 4/19/20 Mark Best 4/19/20

Orange and Polenta Cake with Mandarin Sherbet

New Post Title This ageless middle eastern recipe first came to western prominence in ‘A Book of Middle Eastern Food’ by the inimitable Claudia Roden.

This ageless middle eastern recipe first came to western prominence in ‘A Book of Middle Eastern Food’ by the inimitable Claudia Roden. It was published pre food processor in 1968 when you had to rub the cooked oranges through a sieve - which still works perfectly well.

Google pulled up 1,240,000 results for this cake in 22 seconds. The cake recipe is as sound as it is common and I’ve cooked it for 25 years. My version includes polenta (which is a Sicilian variation) and adds a kick with the syrup and Chartreuse chaser. Any citrus fruit is suitable, but obviously make sure to maintain a similar weight. Two mandarins will - a dry cake make. Likewise the sherbet can be made of any citrus, orange goes very well with the cake but I find the mandarin more floral and prefer it. Serve each slice with a great pile of sherbet on top like a sand dune of icing.

The Cake

2 small oranges
butter for greasing
flour for dusting
5 large eggs 55–60 g
170 g caster (superfine) sugar
170 g ground almonds
50 g polenta
1 teaspoon baking powder (make sure it is fresh!)
SYRUP
1 vanilla bean
230 g caster (superfine) sugar
4 cardamom pods
2 star anise
50 ml Chartreuse

To make the syrup, split the vanilla bean and scrape the seeds into a small saucepan over medium–low heat – throw in the pod as well.
Add the sugar, 1 cup of water and the remaining spices.
Bring to a gentle simmer, cook for 5 minutes then remove the pan from the heat. Add the Chartreuse and allow to infuse for 30 minutes.
Strain into a clean container.
Put the oranges, unpeeled, in a saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil over medium–high heat. Reduce the heat to medium–low, cover and simmer for 11⁄4 hours until the oranges are very soft.
Drain and cool for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 190°C
Butter a 24 cm springform cake tin and line the base with a disc of baking paper. Butter the tin again, including the paper, and lightly dust with flour – shake out any excess.
Coarsely chop the boiled oranges, removing any pips, then transfer them to a food processor and purée.
Whisk together the eggs and sugar for 2 minutes.
Stir in the ground almonds and polenta and sift in the baking powder.
Add the puréed oranges and mix well.
Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for 40–45 minutes until light golden and just firm to the touch. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool.
Transfer the cake to a serving plate and use a skewer to prick it all over.
Spoon over some of the syrup and allow it to soak in before adding more. Continue until all the syrup has been used.

The sherbet

Before the internet, kids had fireworks night, a long walk home from school and sherbet. The liquorice straw in the sherbet gave out with the first suck but continued to give good service as a dipping stick. It wasn’t a sharing thing. We also had Wizz Fizz with tiny plastic spoons and a little plastic ring that would only fit a monkey. The sherbet can be given an AO rating by simply using the skin of a grapefruit instead. Kids and the dull of mind do not like bitter. Also amazing with chocolate or vanilla ice cream.

Mandarin Sherbet - Image Petrina Tinslay - Style Geraldine Munoz

4 mandarins
95 g icing (confectioners’) sugar
3 g citric acid
3 g tartaric acid

Peel the mandarins and eat the flesh
Put the peel on a baking tray and cook overnight in a 55–60°C oven to dry until crisp.
Different peels will vary in drying time. You are looking for crisp
Put the dry mandarin peel in a spice grinder with the tartaric and citric acids and blend to a very fine powder.
Add it to the icing sugar in a bowl and combine.
Pass the mixture through a fine sieve.
Store in an airtight container until required.