Plum & Chocolate Clafoutis

Summer in Melbourne is really strange, some days cold, some days very hot up to 45 degrees or more, this time of the year (January), even more strange. I still needed my heater early in the morning but needed an AC in the day time, when the sun getting strong...

Lucky me, in our new house we have a very good Ac and ceiling fan in some rooms, plus some fruits tree!! Yippie...

This plum i pick from our garden, don't know exactly when is the plums suppose to be harvest, hehe... when i pick these plums, they taste very sour, so i decided to make something nice than just eat them raw ( i was thinking to make a jam as well).

When i stumble with this recipe from my Donna Hay books, i definitely promised to my self to make it as soon i pick the plums (ending up the day after, hihi..). I thought to my self what the taste will be like, sour and very sweet chocolaty, Hmmm.. interesting and makes me drolling ;P

My daughter love it so much, more than her dad does :), and me??.. es i love it too!! so i would share this recipe for you all.



Plum & Chocolate Clafoutis


Ingredients:

* 1/4 cup (50g) Plain flour
* 1/4 cup (30g) Cocoa powder, sifted
* 1/3 cup (75g) Caster sugar
* 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract ( i used vanilla powder)
* 3 eggs
* 1 cup (250ml) (single pouring) cream ~~ i used thicken cream
* 1 cup roughly chopped dark chocolate
* 20g Unsalted butter, melted
* 8 blood plums, halved & stoned

Method:

1. Preheat the oven 10 180°C. Place the flour, cocoa, and sugar in a bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, place eggs, vanilla and cream and stir to combine.
3. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and whisk to combine.
4. Stir in the chopped chocolate.
5. Brush a 4 cup (i litre)capacity baking dish with the melted butter.
5. Pour in the chocolate mixture, top with the plum halves and bake for 20-25 minutes or until puffed and cooked through.
Serves 8
Recipe by Donna Hay ~~ Simple essential Fruit~~




Enjoy the rest of the weekend everyone...

And don't forget to visit my online book store here :)

Hot Cross Buns

My baking mood is back, yeahh...
Love it..
But....
After i baked many things, photograph and upload on my computer then, who's gonna eat my cakes and sweets i made??, believed or not this hot cross buns i made last week and i still have the left over (getting bored having them for breakfast every morning :P ).

Yesterday i made banana Muffin, i already gave away some for my friend plus eat them as well with my hubby, today i made an attempt to bake macaroons (failed), and yummy Plum & Chocolate Clafoutis, there are lots more left over in my fridge!!. I actually gave some of the clafoutis to my next door neighbour, but still ending up with the left over.

By the way, there is a funny story on the day i finished baking my hot cross buns..
.
I was so exhausted that day after baking these buns, so i went to my room and lying down while Ellyn playing by herself in the family room. After a while, i heard a little foot running back and forward very quickly on the wooden floor (i thought she will go to my room as usual but not.

So i got curious and got up to find out, and there is a panic-ing little girl tried to swallow whole buns in her little mouth but couldn't, she said "Mommy, hug.. hug.." (she was looking so scared afraid that i will be so angry with her, and when her daddy coming to find out too (he was in the spare bedroom), "what happened?" he said , "she was stealing my buns from the kitchen bench" i said, she's even more panic and said "sorry, sorry, sorry daddy" and began to cry, so he just cuddling him cos he felt sorry to see her begging for an apology and cried so badly, " next time you ask mommy ok?, no stealing" he said " Ok daddy" she replied.

My poor girl.. she always feels like snacking and those buns surely was tempt her so much, i already gave her half buns before this happened cos her daddy doesn't want her to have too much, but she actually stole 1 1/2 ( the other half i threw away), all together she ate 2!

Can never forget that moment :)



Ingredients

* 7g sachet (2 teaspoons) dry yeast
* 1/4 cup caster sugar
* 1/2 cup reduced-fat milk, warmed
* 2 1/2 cups plain flour
* 1 teaspoon mixed spice
* 50g butter, chilled, chopped
* 1 egg, lightly beaten
* 3/4 cup sultanas
* 1 teaspoon powdered gelatine
*
Flour paste
* 1/3 cup plain flour
* 1 tablespoon caster sugar

Method

1. Grease a 4cm-deep, 18cm x 28cm (base) slice pan. Place yeast, sugar and milk in a bowl. Stir until combined and yeast is dissolved. Cover and set aside in a warm place for 10 minutes or until foamy.
2. Sift flour and mixed spice into a bowl. Rub in butter until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Make a well in the centre of flour mixture. Add yeast mixture, 1/4 cup warm water, egg and sultanas. Stir to combine. Cover and set aside in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
3. Preheat oven to 200°C/180°C fan-forced. Turn dough onto a floured surface. Knead for 5 to 8 minutes or until smooth. Form into 12 balls. Place balls in prepared pan, 1cm apart. Cover and set aside in a warm place for 45 minutes or until balls double in size.
4. Make flour paste: Whisk flour, sugar and 1/4 cup cold water together in a jug. Spoon into a snap-lock bag. Snip off 1 corner from bag. Pipe crosses onto buns. Bake buns for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden and cooked through.
5. Place 3 teaspoons hot water in a jug. Sprinkle gelatine over water. Stir with a fork until gelatine dissolves. Turn buns onto a wire rack. Brush tops with gelatine mixture. Allow to cool. Serve.

Taste magazine

By the way, i think i forgot to say HAPPY NEW YEAR 2010 EVERYONE, wish you all the best!!

Banana Muffin

There are many recipe for banana muffin, and most of all using brown sugar (just like my banana bread), but this recipe called for caster sugar instead, i love the texture of this muffin, so moist and i can really taste the mashed banana.

I don't have mixed spices, so i tried to experiment making them, by mixing a pinch of ground nutmeg, cinnamon, and allspice, the taste was absolutely great!. Even if you only have nutmeg and cinnamon it's just as good.

There is no better feelings than having warm muffin freshly baked from your oven for breakfast, Hmmm.. the smell, the taste are just yummy... with a glass of milk for me because still, i can't drink coffee :(

I got this recipe from my favorite baking book called : The Essential Baking Cookbook"
You can find it in my STORE.



I will share this recipe for you all :) Enjoy...

Banana Muffin

* 2 1/2 cup self rising flour
* 3/4 cup caster sugar
* 1 cup milk
* 150 g butter, melted, cooled
* 2 eggs lightly beaten
* 1 tsp vanilla essence (i used powdered)
* 1 cup mashed ripe banana
* 1/2 tsp mixed spice

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees C.
2. Mixed sugar, flour, mixed spice, stir trough.
3. Make well in the centre.
4. In a jug, mix together the milk, eggs and venilla essence.
5. Pour liquid into the well in the flour and add the mashed banana then cooled butter. mix well.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.

Note: Easy for beginner :) no mixer required. So don't be afraid to try .