Cherries on top

Cherries are such a beautiful fruit – small, almost berry–like, dark and sweet, the perfect pick-and-eat fruit.  Cherry trees are also some of the most prettiest trees out there – their blossoms so gorgeous and pink. I have many childhood memories of having kind of overdosed on fruit - sitting under cherry trees in friends' backyards, happily eating way too many cherries.

Coffee & cookies

You know that time around 3pm when you hit that afternoon slump, can’t keep your eyes open but still have lots more work to do? At that time I need either caffeine or sugar (or both).

Yes, I know that caffeine and sugar aren’t the healthiest options for sustenance. But my oatmeal cookies are not all that sweet, and they do a great job satisfying afternoon cravings and giving you a little boost of energy.

My oatmeal cookies use wholegrain rolled oats, coconut, walnuts and of course, smooth, rich and anti-oxidant packed dark chocolate.  Once the batter was made, I used an ice cream scoop to make small little imperfect balls, pressed them down a little and baked for 10-15 minutes. Easy to make and delicious to eat – the perfect afternoon treat (with your coffee!).

oatmeal-coconut-walnut cookies

makes about 15 fat cookies

1/4  cup canola oil

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp soy milk

1/4  raw sugar

1 cup desiccated coconut

1 cup wholegrain oats

1/2 cup plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

pinch sea salt

1/4 cup walnuts, roughly chopped

1/4 cup dark chocolate, chopped

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.

In a large bowl add oil, egg, vanilla, soy milk and sugar and mix until well incorporated.  In a separate bowl mix coconut, oats, flour, salt and baking powder.  Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients and stir through walnuts and chocolate. Using an ice cream scooper or large spoon make little balls and place onto lined baking tray. Bake 10-15 minutes or until just golden. Enjoy with your afternoon coffee!

Cold and creamy cups of custard

When you crave something creamy, sweet and smooth but also light, why not make some custard. Much like tapioca (see my earlier post) custard has a reputation as an old-school, boring pudding - but I disagree. Adding a bit of flavour and love can turn a plain egg custard into a

magical treat.

My custardly creation is based on a traditional crème caramel making process: I use a base of brown sugar caramel and then add a mix of delicious coconut cream, milk, eggs, dark agave syrup and lime zest. I bake my little pots of creamy goodness and then place them in the fridge to get a wonderfully wobbly but firm texture. 

baked coconut custards with lime

serves 6

*use organic where possible

1/3 cup brown sugar

3 eggs

pinch sea salt

270 ml coconut cream

200 ml low fat milk (any kind will do)

2 tbsp dark agave syrup (or a similarly sweet sweetner)

zest of 1 lime

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C

Add brown sugar to a small pot on medium heat and let caramelize.  Pour caramel into 6 ramekins and ensure it covers the bottom.  In a separate large bowl, beat 3 eggs, add coconut cream, milk, salt, and agave syrup and lime zest and mix well. Divide mix between ramekins and place into roasting tray – fill with 1inch of hot water (to create a water bath) and place into oven*.  Bake for 40-45 minutes or until set.  Let cool and place into fridge.  To serve carefully tip out custards onto plate. Yum!

*note – I covered the custards with foil for half the baking time – if you don’t want any colour on the top, make sure to cover the whole time.

Tapioca temptation

Tapioca needs a new image.  Considered to be one of those old-fashioned, plain and boring items, tapioca is one of those desserts that all too often appears in hospital food. But these wonderful, chewy pearls are so much more exciting thank you think.  They have serious potential.

A number of cultures use tapioca – a starch that comes from the cassava root – in their cooking and baking. Growing up in my Indian home, we used tapioca to make payasam.  A milk (cow’s or coconut) based dessert, sweetened with sugar or jaggery (a dark sugar byproduct that tastes like molasses) and spiced with saffron and cardamom, payasam is an Indian dessert staple. There are a number of different versions of payasam, depending on which ingredients you select from a long list that includes rice, lentils, semolina, raisins, and almonds.

For my tapioca image overhaul, I decided to use one of my favourite flavours: coconut. I cooked the tapioca in water and separately made a liquid mix of coconut milk and coconut sugar, vanilla and a pinch of cardamom. I served this rich, coconut infused pudding with raspberries and flaked almonds  - simple and delicious!

coconut tapioca with vanilla and raspberries

serves 4

1/2 cup tapioca pearls

4 cups water

1 1/2  cups coconut milk

2 tbsp coconut sugar (or alternative sweetner)

2 tsp vanilla extract

pinch cardamom

Bring a pot with water to boil, add in tapioca pearls and cook while stirring – about 10-12 minutes until almost transparent.  Strain and keep aside.  In another pot, add coconut milk, coconut sugar, vanilla and cardamom and mix well on medium heat.  Add cooked tapioca and cook a few more minutes (adjust for taste and thickness).  Take off heat and keep aside to cool down.  I like to refrigerate my tapioca for a few hours to let the flavours infuse and to ensure the pearls increase in volume, which adds to the creaminess of the dish. 

If using raspberries, add a bit of sugar and mix to form a delicious sweet liquid and add to tapioca and finish with almonds. Enjoy!

Distinctly different muffins

Did you know that carrots were originally purple? I remember hearing this piece of information years ago and I also remember wondering why they would ever change such a beautifully coloured vegetable. Later, when living in Holland I learnt more about the Dutch, their love of orange and the making of the orange carrot.
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After spotting these dark-purple-almost-black heirloom carrots at the store I just had to try and see what they tasted like. Besides their gorgeous indigo colour, the shape was like any other common carrot. The taste, however, was somewhat different.

These purplish carrots had a more bitter flavour than their sweeter orange cousins. Their stronger taste matched their crunchy texture well; their 'feel' resembles that of other root vegetables like parsnips. Purple carrots are thought to have many nutritional qualities and their bitterness might account for this ‘health’ factor. 

I decided to make muffins with my carrots and they turned out distinctly different than my usual recipe for muffins (click here and here for more muffins). They were tasty and their beautiful, almost beetroot-like colour, added a colourful touch to a regular carrot muffin. The recipe is simple: I used two types of flour – millet and plain – added yoghurt for moisture, coconut for flavour and finally added dried blackcurrants for sweetness and colour.

purple carrot muffins with coconut and blackcurrants

makes a dozen

*use organic where possible

1 1/2 cups flour (half millet, half plain)

1/2 cup coconut

2 tsp baking powder

pinch sea salt

1/3 cup raw sugar

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup yoghurt

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup oil (non fragrant oil like canola, rice bran etc)

2 medium purple carrots, grated

1/3 cup dried blackcurrants

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celcius

In a medium bowl, sift in flours, add coconut, baking powder, salt and sugar – stir to combine. In a separate bowl add wet ingredients. Add in eggs, yoghurt, vanilla, oil and combine well. Add wet ingredients into dry and mix well but be careful not to overwork as it will toughen the texture of the muffins. Add in grated carrots and currants. Mixture should be thick but not too dry. Place into muffin pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until knife inserted comes out clean. Take out and let rest. I keep my muffins in the fridge – perfect for a morning or afternoon snack. Enjoy!

The end of ‘love week' and some cake

It’s the end of ‘love week’ (not the ‘end of love’ week – just to be clear). Valentine’s day this year was celebrated in usual fashion by eating delicious food and chocolate.

We started the week with dinner at Blancmange – a modern Australian restaurant.  It’s a sweet little spot in an unlikely neighbourhood. We ate three filling courses – all showcasing local and seasonal ingredients.

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By the end of the week we had lovely friends for dinner.  I wanted to make something special for dessert and stumbled on a recipe for a ‘Persian love cake’.  What a beautiful and special name – it sounded like the perfect sweet.

I changed the recipe ever so slightly and added coconut to the main base of almond meal.  The recipe called for nutmeg and of course I added some cardamom – given the cake’s Persian influence.  Yoghurt lent the perfect creaminess without adding heaviness.

persian love cake (gluten/wheat-free)
serves 8 
recipe adapted from Australian Gourmet Traveller Magazine
*where possible ingredients used were organic*

360 g/ 3 cups almond meal
100g dessicated coconut
120g/1/2 cup brown sugar
120g unsalted butter
1 tsp sea salt
2 eggs
250g greek-style yoghurt, extra to serve
1 tbsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 tsp cardamom
1/4 cup unsalted pistachio nuts, coarsely chopped

First, preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Prepare a 26 cm - diameter springform pan with baking paper and grease with a little butter.  In a large bowl - add almond meal, coconut, sugar, butter and salt - then rub butter into mix until course sand-like crumbs form.  Place half the mixture into pan - press down until evenly covering base. Next, add lightly beaten eggs, yoghurt and spices and mix until creamy.  Pour mix into the pan and place chopped pistachios around edge.  Bake until golden 35-40 minutes*. Take out and let cool in pan on wire rack.  Will keep for up to a week in an airtight container - I placed mine in the fridge and enjoyed it cold. Serve with more yoghurt. Enjoy.

*note - I baked mine longer than the recipe called for - I found the middle of the cake more moist than I wanted so baking it longer worked better. Also, I covered the cake halfway through baking time with foil so it wouldn't get too dark.