Tropical Mango and Passionfruit Steamed Puddings Inspired by Jamie Oliver

Its time for another Sweet Adventure - Nic from Dining with a Stud is hosting the

When I think tropical I immeadiately think Passionfruit, mango and vanilla. Who wouldn't? I've been road testing dishes for this challenge since it was announced and in the end I wondered what would Jamie Oliver do. Cause I do love Jamie. In his 15 minute cook book he makes coconut steamed buns.
They are easy and quick. 1 part coconut cream and 2 parts self raising flour. Jamie served them with a chicken dish but I thought to myself 'how healthy are these'. The light coconut flavour negates the need for sugar and although there is around 28 grams of fat in 1/3 cup of full fat of coconut cream you could use the light version. This recipe makes 2 large desserts and let's face it sometimes that's just what you need. Even though it is a big dessert it is still quite light and really refreshing so dig in Adventurers.

Tropical Mango and Passionfruit steamed puddings for 2

1 mango
2 passionfruit
1/3 cup coconut cream
2/3 cup self raising flour

To serve
1/4 cup fat free natural yogurt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla paste
2 passionfruit

Method

Set up your steamer and bring the water to the boil.
Divide the pulp from 2 passionfruit between 2 greased 200 ml ramekins.
Peel the mango and cut the flesh from the seed and place on top of the passionfruit, then eat what's left on the skin and seed.
Mix the coconut cream and flour until smooth, spoon on top of the fruit and place uncovered in the steamer.

Steam on high steam for 12 - 15 minutes.
Remove from the steamer when a skewer inserted in the pudding comes out clean.

Run a knife around the puddings and tip them out onto a plate.
Mix the yogurt, vanilla and the pulp from the passionfruit and drizzle over the top.

Enjoy.

Banana and Raspberry Ring Cake.

I'm practicing for the Sweet Adventures January Blog Hop - Tropical Paradise.
I'd like to make something new and amazing and still work on my recipe development.
This is my new Banana and Raspberry Ring Cake.
It would be prettied up with some lemon icing if I was taking it out of the house but it's just for us so the cake is naked.
I tried to turn out the cake to early and it split in the middle. Tastewise it is great but not too pretty.

I'll develop something else for Tropical Paradise perhaps inspired by my favorite cocktail Planters Punch, until then here is my own Banana and Raspberry Ring Cake.

Banana and Raspberry Ring Cake.

Equipment

11" ring or bundt tin (or a 8" springform round tin)

Food processor

Measuring cup for liquid

Measuring cups and spoons for dry ingredients.

Rubber scraper

Small pot

Pastry brush

Measuring scales

Cake tester or skewer

Ingredients

240 mls/1 cup milk

5 grams/1 teaspoon Bi Carb or baking SODA

150grams/1 cup plain flour

125/1/2 cup grams butter

150 grams/3/4 cup caster sugar

5 grams/1 teaspoon cinnamon

10 grams/2 teaspoons Baking Powder

1 teaspoon vanilla paste

1 ripe banana

1 egg

1 punnet fresh raspberries or 1 cup frozen

Preheat the oven to 175° Celsius.

Stir the Bi Carb(Baking) soda into the milk and set it aside.

Cut about 25 grams of butter off the 125 grams and melt in a small saucepan. Brush the ring tin generously with the butter.

Place the flour, sugar, the butter (including any left over melted butter), cinnamon, baking powder and vanilla paste into your food processor and blitz it up until it is in fine crumbs.

Add the banana, egg and the milk/soda mixture. Blitz again until it is smooth.

Pour a thin layer into the bottom of the greased tin. Scatter over 1/3 of the raspberries.

Cover the berries with about ½ of the remaining cake batter and scatter over the remaining raspberries.

Cover with the rest of the batter and smooth the top.

Bake in the 175° oven for 35 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer.

Cool in the tin for 15 minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack or plate. You may need to loosen the edges with a knife to get it out.

If you use the 8" springform tin the cake will need about 45 minutes cooking.

If you are egg free you can leave it out and the cake still works - just add another tablespoon of butter or oil.

Christmas Custard Tart

Christmas Custard Tart

Santa is coming – so what Sweet Adventure

 will I leave out for him to snack on this year.  If I make him something amazing he might just leave me those diamond earrings I’ve always wanted.

I bought my daughter and daughter-in-law diamond earrings a couple of years ago and told them (in front of the Husband) that every woman should have diamond earrings. He obviously didn’t hear me (due to domestic deafness) so I’m pinning my hopes on good old Santa.

Christina of the Hungry Australian inspired us to think of a Sweet for Santa for our December Sweet Adventures Blog Hop. I haven't been involved in all the blog hops but I do try.

Any of the cookies I made for my 12 Days of Cookies would fit the bill.

Or my version of Jamie Oliver’s Quick Mince Tarts made with my own homemade fruit mince. 

Or PipedShortbread Cookies 

Or my Caribbean Spice Cake 

Or I could leave Dear old Santa some Christmas Pudding 

Here in Oz we often have  really hot weather on Christmas Day and something chilled is just the thing for that weather or to take along for a Christmas get together.  A slice of Christmas Custard Tart - A buttery shortcrust pastry filled with eggnog style custard studded with rich fruit cake or some leftover Christmas pudding served chilled or warm with a spoon full of whipped cream is just the thing for Santa.

Equipment

11” X 7” baking tray

Bake paper

Scales

Food processor

Mixing bowl

Measuring cups and spoons

Ingredients

Pastry

275 grams plain flour

25 grams cornflour

25 grams caster sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

150 grams butter - cubed

1 egg + 20 mls of iced water + 10 mls lemon juice (Or 100 mls water + 10 mls lemon juice)

1 ½ cups of fruitcake or Christmas pudding cut into 2 cm cubes

Custard

125 mls (1/2 cup) pouring cream

4 eggs

250 mls cold water

50 mls brandy or whiskey

½ cup milk powder

¼ cup caster sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla paste

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg + 1 teaspoon mixed spice

Method

Place the flour, cornflour, nutmeg, sugar and baking powder into the food processor with a metal blade.

Pulse for a few seconds to mix and then throw in the cubed butter. Pulse again until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs.

Add the egg, water and lemon juice and pulse until it comes together in a ball.

Press out into a 13 x 9 rectangle, place into the baking tray lined with bake paper and chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 150° C

Spread the chopped up fruit cake over the pastry.

Beat the cream, water, brandy, eggs, milk powder, sugar and vanilla together until smooth. Pour this gently over the fruitcake.

Sprinkle the top with the nutmeg and mixed spice.

Bake in 150° C oven for 60 minutes.

The custard should be just set and the pastry golden.

Chill and then cut into squares and serve with a spoonful of whipped cream.

Berry Nice to Meet You - Blackberry Bakewell Tart

It’s Sweet Adventures Blog Hop Time – This month’s adventure is hosted by Christina of The Hungry Australian 

So it’s “Berry Nice to Meet You” – Let me tell you who I’d like to meet - Jamie Oliver. I’d love to  umm shake his hand. He’s gorgeous and he can cook and he’s rich enough to keep me in cookbooks and a style I’d like to become accustomed to. Of course he’s also younger (which wouldn’t stop me, I can be a cougar), married (to a lovely woman which would stop me) and I’m married (to a lovely man oh yeah that would stop me too, darn morals) so I think I am out of luck there but everyone is entitled to a little fantasy.

Anyway I digress, back to sexy Jamie Oliver. For this month’s Sweet Adventures Blog Hop I give you

Jamie Oliver’s Bakewell Tart – Blackberry style.

On TV a couple of weeks ago Jamie was exploring the English country side in his refurbished army truck now a mobile pub.

I was salivating as Jamie poached an egg to go with steamed asparagus and smoked salmon. Next I could practically smell the Bakewell Tart as he made it. Jamie used American cranberries in his version and I am not a fan of those. I decided to use blackberries. It isn’t the right season here for either so I used some blackberries I froze last summer.

Jamie's Cranberry Bakewell – Now my Blackberry Bakewell Tart

Ingredients

Jammy Bit
300g frozen berries  of your choice
zest and juice of one orange
150g sugar

Batter/ Frangipane
100g walnuts crushed or blitzed
100g hazelnuts crushed or blitzed
250g butter
250g sugar
zest and juice of a lemon
zest and juice of an orange
3 eggs
60g plain flour

St Clements icing
1/2 orange juiced and zested

1 lemon juiced and zested
150g icing sugar

Sweet shortcrust pastry
200g plain flour

75g cornflour

5 grams baking powder
50g sugar
180g cold butter cubed
zest  of one lemon
75ml milk or an egg + a little water if needed



Instructions

Jammy bit

Make the filling. Place the sugar, berries, juice and rind into a saucepan on a low heat and stir occasionally until the liquid reduces and it goes jammy.

Pastry
In the food processer blitz the butter and flours until it resembles bread crumbs, add the sugar, lemon zest and milk. Process until it is a soft dough. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 30 mins.

Roll the chilled pastry out on a floured surface to about 3 mm thick. Press it into a greased and floured 23 cm fluted loose bottom pie tin.

Line the pastry with bake paper and then fill with baking beans or rice. Bake for 12 – 15 minutes in a 180° C oven (170°C if your oven is fan forced). Remove the paper and beans. Cool before proceeding with the rest of the dish.

Frangipane
 

Blend the sugar and butter in the food processor or mixer until light and fluffy.

Add the blitzed nuts, lemon and orange zest, juice and eggs.

Mix well and add the flour, mix until smooth.

To finish

Place ¾ of the berry filling into the pastry case.

Top with spoonfuls of the batter. 

Put teaspoonfuls of the remaining berry jam on the top. You could use any left-over pastry to decorate the top.
Bake on 170C for 45-50 minutes. (160° C for fan forced). Cool in the tin.

Icing

Mix the sifted icing sugar with a little lemon and orange juice until a thick runny consistency is made. Drizzle over the cooled tart and serve with runny cream

Chai Fruit Cake

Chai Boiled Fruit Cake

This month’s Sweet Adventures Blog Hop is “What’s Your Cup of Tea?”. 

JJ of 84^th and 3^rd  is the hostess of this month’s blog hop and I was a bit stumped as to what to do as the family aren’t big tea drinkers. Then at the last minute I remembered that the family are big cake eaters. I have a stack of dried fruit and while it does keep it doesn’t keep for ever. So Chai Boiled Fruit Cake it is.

 The fruit cake as we know it is descended from a type of porridge eaten by just about everybody in times gone past. As a special treat for Christmas they’d throw in some dried fruit and nuts. Eventually it became so thick that ground oats or wheat and eggs were added and the whole mixture was put it in a cloth and boiled – Eureka Christmas pudding. Most people, the poor especially, didn’t have stoves as we know them or ovens. So boiling was their main option.

 A traditional fruit cake has fruit soaked in alcohol for a few days or weeks before the cake is made. This results in a heavy dense cake that keeps indefinitely if stored correctly. 

In the 19^th Century the custom was to send Christmas Hampers of food and gifts to family members in the colonies. The contents had to be able to stand a long sea voyage and a fruitcake was ideal.

The quick option is a boiled fruit cake. It doesn’t keep for months or years as a traditional fruit cake will and I can’t tell you how long it will keep as my family eat it all before it goes bad. Stored in the refrigerator or freezing will help it last longer. I recommend cutting it into slices before freezing for easier use.

Ingredients

3 Chai Teabags

600 ml of boiling water

150 grams dates

150 grams dried figs

250 grams sultanas

100 grams dried apricots

100 grams dried pears

100 grams dried peaches

100 grams currants

100 grams dried apple

1 tablespoon fresh ginger

Grated rind and juice of 1 orange

125 grams butter

½ cup of your favourite jam

1 teaspoon mixed spice

1 cup ground almonds

1 cup slivered almonds

1 cup self-raising flour

2 cups plain flour

Method

Place the teabags in a heat proof jug. Add the boiling water and leave to steep.

Chop the dried fruit into pieces about the same size as the sultanas.

Remove the teabags from the tea and place the tea, dried fruit, juice, rind, spices, jam and butter in a saucepan and heat over a low heat, stirring regularly until the fruit has absorbed most of the liquids.

Remove from the heat and allow to cool with the lid off until it is lukewarm.

Add the remaining ingredients and mix well to combine.

Line a 35cm x 25cm x 7cm baking tray with two layers of bake-paper.

Loosely cover with a piece of bake paper and a layer of foil – Bake in a 150° Celsius oven (If your oven is not fan forced increase the temperature to 160° C) for 60 minutes and then remove the foil and bake for another 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

Cool in the tin and store in an airtight container.

Serve with custard or spread with butter for a touch of luxury.

I concocted this recipe from a lot of other fruit cake recipes and I've made it quite a few times.
You can substitute margarine for the butter and gluten free flour for the regular flour I have used.
You can substitute fruit juice for the tea and lemon for the orange.
I use up whatever jam has been hanging around in the refrigerator the longest.
The ginger  came out of a tube as I didn't have any fresh root ginger on hand.
Only lay the the bake paper and foil over the cake do not seal it around the sides the steam needs to escape.
If you like fruit cake can I suggest you also look at my Jaffa Fruit Cake