All posts tagged: dessert

Coconut Macaroons

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What is it about shredded coconut, that just makes me think of snowflakes. Could it be its crisp colour of  whiteness of each shred, maybe it’s the softness as you bite into a ‘sweetie’ and shreds of coconut fall cascading from your bite, maybe it’s the softness of it’s touch and it’s melting texture in your mouth.  These wonderful  Coconut Macaroons are delicate and soft, smooth and melt in your mouth. So delicate are these Coconut Macaroons that you’ll forget how many you’ve had. They have a touch of honey ‘sweetness’ and a chewy soft coconut centre. Recipe: Coconut Macaroons 4 egg whites 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 3 cups shredded coconut pinch of salt 2/3 cup honey, slightly melted, 30 secs in microwave oven 1 teaspoon cream of tartar Preheat oven to moderate temperature of 190°C. In medium bowl, combine coconut, vanilla extract, and salt. Stir in honey until well combined. In another bowl beat egg whites until firm peaks form. Fold in coconut mixture, add the cream of tartar. Using an ice cream scoop …

Sweet Blessings

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A beautiful  Sunday, and Happy Mothers Day. I made a special cake for my sister today to celebrate Mother’s Day with the family. A Vanilla Strawberry Buttercake. Its the first time I’ve used this giant cupcake tin, so a little trial and error, but some great results. And some wonderful ideas for future baking were discussed by us girls….  A Mothers Blessing Thank you, Holy Father, for Your special gift of mothers; for the example of Your unconditional love they share with their children. Thank You for the mother who lets her child know without doubt he or she is loved, and for the child who returns that love. Lord, today we pray You will protect and guide mothers everywhere; that You will grant them Your wisdom in loving and teaching their children. Today, may children everywhere remember the warm caresses and whispers in the night; the tears dried and Band-Aids, the peach cobbler, the laughter; and the blood curdling scream, ‘No!’ at the brink of danger. Thank You for the mothers who played with …

Red Rhubarb Pies

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It was mid November when I last posted something about my baking..I made these rhubarb pies a couple of weeks ago and  on my first baking adventure the pies vanished before I got my photo’s in. So today I baked and photographed all in one. Didn’t want to miss out this time sharing with you this simple recipe…but more importantly showing you this wonderful pie mold I found. Believe me, your pies look perfect! Recipe: Red Rhubarb Pies 1 bunch of fresh rhubarb 1 granny smith apple 2 tablespoons of brown sugar 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon icing sugar 4 frozen pie crust sheets 1 egg white, lightly beaten Isn’t it a beauty, take a look at what I found…It’s called a Petite Pie Mold. You can see details here. Preheat oven to 190° degrees. Take the frozen pastry sheet from freezer and leave at room temp. Cut roughly the rhubarb and granny smith apple, add a couple of drops of water, add the brown sugar and place on a medium heat until rhubarb has softened. …

Baking Vanilla Apple Cake

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My goodness, its been a while since I’ve baked something, so I’m happy to share this moment with you. The sun was shining through the windows and the kitchen had a warming magnetism, and in my head I could hear a voice saying come on Yvette, get creative and make something delicious for morning tea.   So not resisting, I made something that I know the children love as well. The fruit bowl had an overload of apples, so the choice was easy Vanilla Apple Cake. This my friends is a little something, petite isn’t it. It’s a Royal Albert petite china Christmas decoration. Design ‘Old Country Roses’. The little cup is actually joined to the saucer and has a beautiful ribbon with embossed gold calligraphy. Can you imagine your Christmas tree decorated with these and full of fairy lights. I know you won’t be able to resist this apple cake, so read on for the recipe…

Castagnaccio…Chestnut Pie

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We’re well into the season of Autumn showers and new snowflakes falling…an image of everything in the garden sprinkled with a light dusting of icing sugar. Chestnuts are also in season, and although they’re not (of what I can remember in the past) the in thing over in my homeland, chestnuts are the “in” thing here at the moment. I introduced you to our roasting methods here and have had many more Sunday family get together’s  since then, another family favourite is Castagnaccio it’s made from chestnut flour and originates from Tuscany. There are many variations of this recipe, but I found this one and I’m sticking to it! If you haven’t used or tried chestnut flour here’s your change to make a traditional Italian chestnut pie..read on for the recipe…

Baci di fichi *figs dipped in chocolate and hazelnuts

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What’s more appealing than a little chocolate and a love message. All over the world Baci chocolates are given as tokens of love. A whole hazelnut covered with granules of hazelnut and dark chocolate with a magical message of affection. My childhood memories are vivid of these “special” chocolates, everyone opening these petite chocolates and one by one reading the message…nothings really changed in my adult years. I came across this recipe and just couldn’t resist the indulgence! Figs dipped in chocolate and hazelnuts. Divine!      

Mulberry Cream

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  View Full Album This was truly a colorful cooking experience. This cream is made with fresh mulberries, a little messy, but hey all in the fun of cooking. Mulberries are in season at the moment,from May until September, a dark grape nearly black colour, shiny, with a mixed taste of sweet and sour flavour, wonderful for making jams, jellies and ice –creams. Always best to eat this fruit straight away as they’re hard to conserve. There are many wild mulberry trees along the walkways around our place and our street at the moment is stained a dark violet colour. We have four large mulberry trees along the side of our house, planted nearly fifty plus years ago, they were planted to divide not only the vineyard, but used in silkworm farming. Recipe: Mulberry Cream Serves 4 300 grams fresh mulberries 2 tablespoons liqueur (optional) 3 tablespoons sugar 250 grams mascarpone 500 ml fresh liquid cream Preparation Wash and pat dry mulberries. Pass through sifter collecting the juice. To the mulberry juice add sugar, liqueur …