It was time for risotto, and I had this beautiful pumpkin waiting to be roasted so the union was inevitable. I didn’t quite know what to team with the pumpkin, so I put a call out on my Facebook page. “Nut brown butter and crispy sage,” Marnee suggested. Okay then.

I love butter. I don’t believe there is such a thing as too much butter, the more the better. I know, I know, my arteries may not agree but for now it’s a vice I am not prepared to give up. Bubbling butter with sage thrown in? Heaven in a frying pan! Only problem was, out of 4 grocers I visited not one had sage. So although this idea will eat at me for days to come (once I think of something I want to cook I can’t let it go), I decided to make this pumpkin risotto with feta and baby spinach instead. Next time though, that sage is gonna a good decent frying to crispy perfection.

My sidebar has recently become home to realrisotto.com, a delicious website created to showcase risotto recipes for a risotto-loving community. Being a fan of risotto, I find this site very informative. There are so many misconceptions about how to cook authentic risotto – should you add all the stock at once or in batches? Should you stir risotto while it’s cooking or leave it to cook on its own? Real Risotto answers all those questions.

Real Risotto is also hosting a competition, submit your favourite risotto recipe to be in the running to win some fabulous prizes.

Ingredients (serves 4):

2 tbsp good quality olive oil

2 cups pumpkin, peeled and diced into small cubes

1 medium brown onion, finely diced

2 cups vialone nano rice (or arborio)

4 cups vegetable or chicken stock

100g parmesan cheese

50g butter

50g baby spinach

100g feta, cubed

Sea salt and pepper

Method:

Scatter pumpkin pieces on a baking tray, drizzle generously with olive oil and lashings of sea salt. Roast in preheated oven at 180C for about 15 minutes until tender but not too soft.

Heat oil in a heavy based saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until softened and transparent.

Add rice to the pan and sauté until rice is heated through.

Add stock to pan, gently stir, cover, then allow to simmer over medium heat for about 12-14 minutes. I always thought risotto would stick the bottom of the pan if not continuously stirred, but according to the back of the vialone nano rice packet I used it states the rice will absorb the stock and will cook evenly without sticking. Thanks for the tip!

Add roasted pumpkin, stir, cover again and allow to simmer for 5 minutes.

For the perfect risotto, the rice should be soft but slightly firm to the bite (‘al dente’), and not soggy or mushy.

Take off the heat, add parmesan, butter and baby spinach, stir well. Season with sea salt and pepper. Allow to sit to absorb all the delicious flavours. Finally, stir through feta and plate up.

And then, head over to Real Risotto and add your own recipe to win yourself an awesome prize!

I was fortunate to be asked to take photographs at this wonderful event to raise money for the National Breast Cancer Foundation. The Biggest Vintage Afternoon Tea was initiated by Fleur Cassidy, founder and owner of Leaf Bean Machine (producers of fantastic Karvan Coffee might I add), and soon enough a group of creative small business owners around Perth became involved.

This collaboration included the likes of Leaf Bean Machine, Littlesweet Baking, Made by Marnee, Me & Mabel, florist Kay Crowhurst (did you see that cute little blue teapot? I wanted to smuggle it out with me!), Kookery, The Lettuce Shop, Clay & Clasp, Breastique Art, and Bubbler,  all offering their time and products for this great cause. It’s amazing to see such generosity, I was so very proud to be a part of it.

Tables were adorned with vintage linen, gorgeous floral designs, delectable canapés, macarons, cupcakes and meringues. Drinks were flowing, lovely ladies (and one kind gentleman who brought his mother along) were mingling, prizes were being won and proceeds were generously donated. It’s so inspiring to see people come together and partake in an event created purely to help others. 

What a day!

I recently put my hand up to run a photo booth at a fabulous fundraising event. I got so excited at the thought of doing this photo booth, I forgot that I had never ever seen a photo booth, let alone make one!

Commence panic.

True to my usual style, I planned and planned in my head for weeks before the event, but I whipped the props up the day before. I just work best under pressure. I found printable props online here (gotta love google) and then visited Spotlight for the materials. I spent under $70 on the backdrop for the booth plus all props. Obviously you can get super creative, the booth can be as fabulous as you want it to be. I considered hanging gorgeous vintage fabric as the backdrop but I had cement wall to deal with, so I wasn’t sure a temporary fixture would stay up. Tissue paper however, easy as. 

What you need

For the background:

Tissue paper

Patterned masking tape

Bunting

Sticky tape or bluetack to fasten the tissue paper to the wall

For the props:

Coloured card stock. Or you can print on white card and colour the props in yourself.

Craft glue

Free printable prop stencils from here

Scissors or an x-acto knife

Wooden dowel rods – or you can use bamboo sticks or even straws. I thought of using cute little retro straws but didn’t know if they’d last multiple handlings.

Light weight photo frames. I came across one in Spotlight that had cracked glass, so received a 40% discount.

Chalk board and chalk

Additional props such as quirky glasses, a tiara or hat. Cheap and available in the party aisle of craft store.

For the backdrop I used 2 packets of tissue paper, 6 sheets in total. I ran the sheets vertically, fastening them to the wall with good old sticky tape. I then ran masking tape along the joins, and hung 2 rows of bunting across. Ta-daaa!

For the props I printed the prop stencils as found here. I glued the cut out props onto card stock, then glued a dowel stick to the side. Done. I made 16 props and it took me about an hour. You could get really creative and colour them in yourself. You can also buy glittery and patterned card stock to make it more interesting.

Cost breakdown:

Tissue paper x 2 packets: $4 from Spotlight

Patterned masking tape x 2 rolls: $4 from Spotlight

Bunting: make yourself with old fabric or steal from a creative friend (that’s what I did, thank you Amy of Kookery)

Card stock: $1.30 per sheet or $3 for glittered card stock from Spotlight

Craft glue: $4 from Spotlight

Wooden dowel rods x 2 packets of 10: $10 from Spotlight

Lightweight photo frame: $14 from Spotlight 

Chalk board and chalk: $12.90 from Typo

Quirky glasses or hats: $6 each from Spotlight

I also made a sign by using a chalk board back drop from here, then I added font and vintage overlays in picmonkey. All free.

The thing about a photo booth is it’s the perfect place to ham it up. Young and old dived into the booth, I had a fantastic time behind the camera giggling at the goings on in the booth. When I got home I scrolled through the photos and smiled at the frivolity and fun that was had. The props need only be as limited as your imagination, you can create whatever you like. I already have new ideas for my next one!

And here we have Isabella of Blooms on 18 attempting to use as many props as possible. Brilliant! By the way that necklace and little posie ring Isabella is wearing are her own creations. Isn’t she clever!

I had an email from a lovely young lass who was after some photos for her business. Her business? Making delicious looking (and I am sure, tasting) treats for man’s best friend. I love it when people have a unique business idea and they run with it.

When I first met Traci I was instantly intrigued, a dog-loving human who put her money where her mouth is. She had an idea to make treats for her own pooches from human grade ingredients, and so she did. From there she created Pampered Pooch Parties & Barkery Treats. And yes, she also caters for puppy parties!

After taking photos for her website I asked if I could do a feature on her wonderful business to share with my readers. Lucky for me, Traci has also since sponsored cake crumbs & beach sand so I get to introduce Traci and Pampered Pooch Parties & Barkery Treats to you as one of our lovely sponsors.

As I was photographing the delicious treats I asked Traci a few questions about how she got started. I am always intrigued about how people formulate original ideas and then create a business out of it. Here is what Traci shared with me.

Traci what first inspired you to start making dog treats?

I grew up with dogs, and when I adopted Pepsi nearly 8 years ago, I celebrated with her every Birthday/Christmas occasion with cake, presents and all the trimmings.  I have always treated Pepsi, (and also Pepper) as my furkid/s, and a very spoilt at that. Then after having worked in retail for over 21 years, I had an operation on my foot. After the first operation, I was then told a year later that I had to have another as it wasn’t successful.  During the second stage of recovery from my second operation being wheelchair bound, I decided to do a little bit of research on dog treats and parties for dogs.   I figured there were/are many people like me – Pooch loving crazy dog ladies/men so I decided to take the plunge. I haven’t looked back! I love that I can get up in the morning, and enjoy the many aspects of my job, and spend it with my inspirations, my furkids.

How did the idea come about to use human grade ingredients?

I didn’t like the idea of the store bought food that was available for dogs.  Fillers, fat and ingredients that sounded more scientific than actual fresh nutritious ingredients. With that I decided to create a Barkery treat line that used 100% Quality Human Grade Ingredients. All the ingredients I use are fresh, healthy and safe for dogs. 

Do you have any specific treats that are your best sellers?

I have two best sellers, the Cheese & Bacon Scotty Dogs and the Crunchy Donut Cookies.

Do your own dogs enjoy taste testing your creations, and have they ever turned away a treat?

Pepsi & Pepper love tasting my creations from the kitchen.  Pepsi being a Lab, seems to be ALWAYS hungry, and Pepper is a grazer.  Rhani, my mum’s dog, also helps out with the taste testing, she is a FUSSY pooch.  Pepper and Rhani have turned away certain treats, but they are both very different in their likes and dislikes. Latest addition Charlie, he is a food lover, so he doesn’t really help me out with the research as he LOVES everything, even more so than Pepsi. 

What else do you have in store for Pampered Pooch Parties and Barkery Treats?

I am, with the help of my mum, releasing a new line of barkery treats that feature Super-food ingredients, as well as expanding the wheat & Gluten free lines for allergy prone pooches.

We are also branching out selling our treats around the world, customs permitting.  We have retailers in America, and hopefully Canada soon. 

Mum and I are also hopeful that we are able to open a Pampered Pooch Barkery in Perth within the next year to two years.

*****

If you have a furkid of your own (and I know as a dog owner myself, we do love to spoil our little pooches) head over and check out Pampered Pooch Parties & Barkery Treats’ site. Order something while you’re there, your dog will love you (even more) for it!

Also share some link love by clicking here:
facebook // twitter // website

Every so often I have this sudden idea to whip up something I have never made before. This week, it was tiramisu. And boy if I have ever had a smart idea, this was definitely one of them.

I may have mentioned previously that I am quite fussy when it comes to dessert. Fussy as in I have a set taste – cake needs to be super moist or super light, cheesecake needs to be super creamy, and if possible there has to be chocolate or caramel, or chocolate caramel. Salted works well too. And anything coffee flavoured gets voted in.

Tiramisu is something I rarely go for, and this week I have been wondering why. It ticks all the boxes for me. Creamy, coffee flavoured, and the soaked biscuit base is right up my taste buds’ alley. I contemplated contacting my favourite Italian food specialists Enoteca Sileno for a sample of their finest savoiardi, but I just couldn’t wait. I had to make this pronto now that I had it in my head.

I looked online for a simple tiramisu recipe. I discovered there aren’t too many variations, I think it’s one of those dishes that is perfect as it is so why change it. You can use a variety of liqueur – Tia Maria, Kahlua, Amaretto – I used Baileys. You could even combine a couple of liqueur flavours, although I’m not sure how that goes with sticking with the Italian tradition. If you know what is the proper tradition, please let me know.

Preparing this dish took no time at all, less than half an hour in fact. Leaving it to set overnight was the hardest part, I contemplated getting up in the middle of the night to have a peek (translate: dig my finger into the bowl) but that would be a little obsessive and impatient. So we’ll just say that never happened.

Traditional tiramisu has cocoa powder dusted on top, but I went chocolate-hardcore and shaved chocolate on top instead. Chocolate and coffee combined is akin to the chocolate/caramel combination in my books. B-LISS! Digging a spoon through the layers to reveal the oh-so-deliciously coffee and Baileys soaked savoiardi and the velvety mascarpone topped with shavings of chocolate was just delightful. I unfortunately started photographing this before breakfast, needless to say my usual Sunday cooked breakfast didn’t get a look in. This dessert rightfully took over, it is pure delight.

Ingredients (serves… oh who cares, just dig in!):

1 cup freshly brewed espresso. You can use instant coffee if you don’t have a coffee machine.

1 cup Baileys (and no, you can’t sip while you’re baking. I don’t do that.)

400g savoiardi biscuits

4 large eggs, separated

4 tbsp caster sugar

500g mascarpone

Premium quality chocolate or cocoa powder for the top

Method:

Combine cooled coffee and liqueur in a shallow bowl. Dip the biscuits into the coffee/liqueur mixture coating all sides. You want them to be well soaked but not soggy. Line the base of a 22cm dish with a layer of soaked biscuits, leaving the remainder of the biscuits for the next layer.

Beat egg whites in a bowl until stiff peaks form.

In a separate bowl whisk yolks with sugar until creamy, for about 1 minute. Add mascarpone and combine well until smooth and creamy.

Gently fold egg whites into mascarpone mixture.

Pour half of the mascarpone mixture onto the layer of biscuits in the base of the dish.

Place a second layer of soaked biscuits on top of the mascarpone layer. Pour the remainder of the mascarpone mixture on top of the biscuits.

Cover and place into fridge to chill overnight. No midnight peeking/sampling!

Once chilled, shave good quality chocolate over the top before serving. Or if you want to make it more authentic dust the top with cocoa powder pushed through a sieve.

Do we really need to even serve this up? I think not, grab a spoon and dive in! Unless of course you have guests, then better keep the table manners at bay and plate it up. We don’t want to look like crazy dessert-obsessed animals that dig our fingers into chilling dessert in the fridge in the middle of the night.

Edwardian compote and vintage linen courtesy of The Vintage Table.

]]> http://cakecrumbsbeachsand.com/2013/06/tiramisu-coffee-mascarpone-and-biscuit-heaven/feed/ 8 http://cakecrumbsbeachsand.com/2013/06/a-winter-delight-homemade-beef-bourguignon-pie/ http://cakecrumbsbeachsand.com/2013/06/a-winter-delight-homemade-beef-bourguignon-pie/#comments Sat, 01 Jun 2013 07:31:07 +0000 Peggy Saas http://cakecrumbsbeachsand.com/?p=3128

Beef bourguignon is a traditional French casserole dish with beef braised in red wine and beef stock. I’m SO worldly when it comes to French cuisine that I had to google how to pronounce ‘bourguignon’. I was at first tempted to make this famous casserole dish that is usually served with mashed potato or fabulously fresh bread (oh the Finn in me is crying out here – potato? bread? YES PLEASE!), but I have been eager to make a beef pie for months so I decided on this pie as a compromise with my taste buds.

Beef bourguignon is traditionally made with bacon pieces, however I don’t eat pork so omitted the bacon. This recipe would work well as one large pie or individual ramekins, I made it into two medium sized pie dishes. Washed down with a good glass of red, it goes perfectly served with a side of deliciously creamy and buttery mashed potato. You could also top the pie with mashed potato instead of pastry, oh the possibilities!

I can see this becoming a regular in our household over winter. All I need is a big cozy arm chair, an open fire and a winter throw. Someone fetch my slippers. 

Ingredients (serves 6-8):

750g topside or chuck steak, trimmed, diced into 2.5cm pieces

2 tbsp quality olive oil (I use this one)

50g plain flour

1 onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, diced

2 carrots, peeled and diced

4 shallots, halved

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 cup red wine

1 cup beef stock

2 bay leaves

Leaves from 4-5 fresh thyme sprigs

200g mushrooms, whole

Freshly ground sea salt and black pepper

Puff pastry sheets

1 egg, lightly beaten + dash of milk {for egg wash}

Method:

Preheat oven to 170C.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Add beef pieces in small batches so you don’t overcrowd the pan. I did mine in 3 batches. Brown beef for about 2 minutes each side, don’t cook the meat through as we want to cook it in red wine and stock topped with the herbs. Once sealed, pour beef into a strainer to remove the juices, then place beef into a casserole dish. Add flour and toss well to coat beef.

Heat the remaining 1 tbsp oil and add onion and garlic, sauté until fragrant for about 3-4 minutes. Add carrots and shallots, sauté for 5 minutes.

Add tomato paste, stir for a few minutes.

Add red wine and bring to the boil to remove the acidity of the wine.

Add stock, stir until well combined.

Pour mixture over the top of the beef in casserole dish. Top with bay leaves, thyme and season generously with salt and pepper. 

Cook casserole for 1.5 hours. Remove from oven, add mushrooms, and set aside to cool.

Increase oven temperature to 200C.

Place casserole mix into pie dish. Lay pastry over the dish, trim along the edge. Brush pastry generously with beaten egg and bake in oven until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbling away nicely, about 30 minutes.

The first time I made pear tarte Tatin I was really cautious about the sugar caramelising as I’ve always thought it is easy to burn sugar. Now when I make tarte Tatin I let that the sugar crystallise baby! There is a very clear point where the sugar starts to turn to caramel, it’s very obvious. The sugar forms little clumps and right before your eyes turns to a gooey caramel-coloured delight. Whoever came up with this idea is a Godsend.

Caramel. Mmmm.

Looking back at that first pear tarte Tatin I realise the colour wasn’t quite right, it was too pale. The top of the tart should be golden in colour, it should look sticky, as if the caramel will stretch between your fingers when you prod it (by the way, don’t ever touch hot caramelised sugar, it is hotter than hot!). So now after making tarte Tatin about 40 times (okay, maybe half a dozen), I think I have the caramelising process downpat.

The trick is, in my experience, to first keep the sugar swirling in the pan over medium heat. Then when you add the butter you let the butter and sugar bubble away until it turns nice and golden. Throw in the apples (or pear or banana – I’ve made all three versions) and let the fruit cook in the caramel until soft, about 15 minutes. I haven’t burnt one yet.

I am still surprised at how easy this gorgeous dish is. I have seen tarte Tatin recipes that call for liqueur to be added, I think this sounds divine but I am yet to try it. My recipe is super simple. Make sure to add the spices as they truly add to the caramelised fruit flavour perfectly. Top with a dollop of vanilla ice cream or crème anglaise if you like, but make sure you eat the tarte warm. It’s the perfect dessert for a cold winters night.

I followed the exact same recipe as my pear tarte Tatin and banana tarte Tatin.

Ingredients (serves 8):

5 granny smith apples, cored, peeled and halved

100g caster sugar

100g unsalted butter

1 cinnamon stick

1 vanilla bean, split

1 star anise

1 cardamom pod

2 sheets of puff pastry

Method:

Preheat oven to 190^oC.

Scatter sugar over the base of a 20cm cast-iron ovenproof frying pan and place on medium heat. Toss the pan as the sugar starts to caramelise, swirling the sugar to ensure it caramelises evenly.  Add butter, cinnamon, vanilla bean, star anise and cardamom and continue to swirl the pan as the caramel starts to foam up.  The sugar should caramelise to a toffee colour.

Lay the apple halves in the pan and cook in the sauce for about 15 minutes. The sauce will bubble but won’t burn, swirl sauce in the pan occasionally. Once apples have caramelised to a nice golden colour, remove pan from heat.

Cut pastry sheets to make a circle slightly bigger than the pan. Once the apples have slightly cooled, position them in the pan in a decorative pattern, flat sides up so that when you invert the tart the rounded sides will be on top. Drape pastry sheet over the top of the pan, covering the apples. Gently tuck the edges of the pastry down the inside of the pan and under the apples, I use a big plastic spoon to ensure the pastry tucks right under. 

Pierce the pastry a few times with a fork, then place pan in oven and bake for approx. 25-30 minutes. Once the pastry is crisp and puffy and cooked to golden perfection, remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Gently invert onto a plate, be super careful as the pan handle will be scorching hot as will the caramel which may ooze out when inverted.

If there is one thing that excites most Finns I know, it’s Pulla. Pulla is a traditional cardamom sweet bread that everyone’s grandmother used to make. We ate Pulla as kids, I couldn’t wait for them to get out of the oven after smelling the combination of butter, cardamom and sugar melding in Mum’s kitchen. And the smell of the cardamom bread baking in the oven is just, well even better than salted herring squished onto a slice of rye bread topped with fresh dill (another Finnish must-have). Pulla is my quintessential childhood memory.

I have made Pulla countless times. I have posted different ways to craft them – into a loaf topped with flaked almonds, into spirals with cinnamon added and the traditional cinnamon filled Korvapuusti. Whichever way you want to shape it, Pulla always tastes insane.

Today I made the pulla dough into simple little buns and filled them with butter. The easiest little butter buns you ever did try. The trick with pulla dough is in the kneading, it has to be super soft to come out light and fluffy once baked. I do mine by hand, I’m just not a thermomix/dough hook kinda gal, but if you prefer to make light work go ahead and use a dough hook. I personally love the pain of almost putting a shoulder out, something to do with the 15 minutes of meditation that comes with moving the dough around.

Pulla can be frozen, once cooled place into freezer bags and pop into the freezer. To defrost, simply pop onto a tray and into the oven for 5 minutes. If you have unexpected guests you can give them the impression you just baked your buns off (geddit?) and whipped these up before their arrival. And the smell from the Pulla in the oven will excite any warm-blooded being. Whenever I make a batch I run a bag full around to my Dad, he just loves it. 

I made the mistake of telling my pulla-loving-child that I was making these today well before I had started baking. Five minutes later we had “when will the pulla be ready?” It seems like that childhood tradition of impatiently waiting for the Pulla to come out of the oven has been passed down.

Ingredients (makes 7 million buns – approx 45 actually):

500ml (2 cups) milk, warmed

2 eggs, lightly beaten

150g (2/3 cup) sugar

1 tsp cardamom

1 tsp salt

900g (6 cups) plain flour

6 tsp dry yeast

200g butter, melted

For the topping:

75g butter, melted

1 tbsp caster sugar

1 egg for egg wash

2 tbs milk for egg wash

Method:

Mix warm milk, 2 eggs, sugar, salt and cardamom together until the sugar has melted.

In a separate bowl mix the flour and yeast together.

Using a spoon to mix, start adding a little of the flour and yeast through the milk mixture. Keep adding the flour in small portions, and when the mixture starts to resemble dough ditch the spoon and use your hand. Knead until the dough comes off your hand (don’t worry if you have not used all the flour).

Add slightly cooled melted butter and keep kneading until it is all absorbed into the mix. At first it may seem the dough is swimming in the butter, but as you keep kneading the butter will be absorbed into the dough.

If the dough is too moist and sticks to your hand, add a little more flour. Knead until the dough is super soft. Mum’s tip: the softer the dough, the softer the pulla.

Cover the kneaded dough with a tea towel and let it rise to double its size in a warm place (away from draft), for approximately 1 hour. I love waiting for dough to rise, the anticipation of waiting to see that little rise in the tea towel is just thrilling! Clearly doesn’t take much…

Punch dough, then let rest for a few minutes. Roll dough out of the bowl onto a floured surface.  

Divide dough and roll into small balls about the size of (or slightly bigger than) a golf ball. You can make them any size you like, but I find if they are bigger I have more guilt about going in a for a second (ahem, third) bun. Smaller portions mean more helpings, right? Right. Makes about 45 balls at this size.

Place buns onto baking trays, cover with tea towel and leave to prove for a further 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 225^oC. Combine egg and milk wash.

Once balls have risen, use your thumb to make a hole in the middle of each bun. Fill each hole with 1/2 tsp of combined butter and sugar. I know, I know, lots of butter and sugar. Well they are called ‘butter’ buns. And let’s face it, butter makes everything good again.

Brush all over buns with egg wash and bake in oven for 10-15 minutes. Don’t let them overcook or the pulla dough will dry out, just slightly golden and fluffy is the key.

Then, if you’re like me, devour half a dozen fresh out the oven with a bluddy good cup of coffee, then invite the kids to come and take their pick!

Before I show you the cute little Finnish buns I have in store for tomorrow, I need to tell you about this fabulous event. When Fleur of Leaf Bean Machine asked if I would be interested in being involved in this collaboration I couldn’t write the date in my diary quick enough. The thing I have discovered about this group of very inspiring women is, they all share a desire to help others, they’re all business savvy, incredibly creative and super friendly. It’s one network I am proud and privileged to be a part of.

So, if you live in Perth and want to attend this event for a fantastic cause, head over and get yourself a ticket. Get a group of friends together, we guarantee an afternoon of fun, inspiration, great tea and treats, and a few surprises. Plus, you’ll get to spend the afternoon in the company of an amazing network (I mean just look at that list of contributors!), one that I am humbled to be involved in.

I hope to see you there!

And back here tomorrow for some Finnish noms.