baking – Page 10 – Baking with Gab

Chocolate swirl meringues and sweetness

I cannot get enough of meringues. Before I was given my gorgeous mixer, Penelope, I found meringues really challenging. Now that I have her, however, they’re a cinch. They’re so simple to whip together (although it does take some patience) and everybody loves them.

Top them with sprinkles for a touch of nostalgia – this addition will make them irresistible for adults and children alike.

I made these meringues as an accompaniment to a super sweet treat for you all to make this Valentine’s day. I’ll post the recipe that goes with these meringues tomorrow, but here’s a sneak peak of the romantic dessert…

Chocolate meringues:

2 egg whites
½ cup sugar
100g milk chocolate

Before you start making your meringues, wipe your whisk attachment and bowl down with half of a lemon. Just swirl the lemon around and then wipe off the excess. This will remove any residual fats that may be lurking, and could flatten your meringues!

Whip your sugar and egg whites together – I’d recommend using a stand mixer or a hand mixer because it’s far more efficient! Start on a lower speed (I went for 3 on my stand mixer) and speed it up a notch at a time (up to about 8) over the course of a minute; I find that this method gets the most air into the meringues.

While the egg whites whip up, preheat your oven to 120°C and line two baking trays with baking paper.

Keep whipping until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture turns white, thick and glossy. This should take about ten minutes. Your mixture should hold soft peaks and should stay in place if you turn the bowl upside down.

Melt your chocolate and spoon it into the meringue. Give it a quick swirl (literally, like one swirl, if you want veins of chocolate through the meringues) and spoon the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a star shaped nozzle.

Pipe onto your lined baking trays bake for 50-60 minutes – you’ll know they’re done when they’re dry to touch. Transfer to a cooling rack and devour once they’re cooled!

Damper and brown butter sugar

Australia day is dawning, and I love how it brings people together. This holiday is laidback, community-focussed and gets pretty warm. The same can be said of this damper! The fact that damper only has six ingredients and needs very little attention is just a plus! Damper is an easy dish to serve at your Australia day gathering – even though I would say it is best enjoyed with a cuppa, this rustic Australian classic will sit comfortably alongside whatever you choose to drink this weekend. Continue reading “Damper and brown butter sugar”

Vanilla slice and Australian icons

Vanilla slice is an Australian icon. I associate vanilla slices with Australianness so much that I’m currently trying to imagine how structurally stable a vanilla slice version of the Opera House would be.

My brothers and I were transfixed by the sweets section at the bakery when we accompanied mother to the bakery. Cream buns, doughnuts, lamingtons, meringues, and the vanilla slice was the king of them all. Whether the vanilla slice had vanilla icing or passionfruit, it was always the filling that was the best – that tall, cold, unusually firm layer of custard sandwiched between two teeny bits of pastry… bliss. Continue reading “Vanilla slice and Australian icons”

Chocolate blueberry friands and alliteration

I’m taking a brief break from my Australian recipes. I’m still busily baking all things Australian, but I made these friands for a dinner party recently and I couldn’t wait to share the recipe with you. They’re super speedy to make, and they always look impressive.

They’re such humble little morsels, but they pack so much flavour! Deceptively delicious is how I would describe them.

And the mixture of blueberry and chocolate? Divine. Continue reading “Chocolate blueberry friands and alliteration”

Blackberry jam cake and being away

This post was done in advance. I’m in Cairns and I will have been instagramming like mad (check here to see all of the photos), but I made sure I wrote up this cake recipe before I left. It is pretty divine. It’s full of spices and sweetness in just the right measures. It’s super moist too – it’s kind of like a really fragrant sticky date pudding.

I bought the blackberry jam when I was away in Mudgee recently. I still haven’t blogged about Mudgee yet, but I loved it.

Continue reading “Blackberry jam cake and being away”

Pear recipes and perfecting

It’s no secret that I love pears. I continued to eat Golden Valley pear puree well into high school because I loved it so much – I may have looked like I was eating baby food, but I didn’t care!

I also love caramel, so I recently tried to make pear caramel. It was a success (and it was delicious!), but there wasn’t a great output for the amount of pear that I put in. I’m going to continue to work on the recipe because I want to get it perfect before I share it. Continue reading “Pear recipes and perfecting”

Herb thins and easy food

Summer is a time for easy food. Chips and dips are de rigueur barbecues, pool parties, weekend getaways… basically any event you will attend this Summer! I split my New Year’s Eve between the 9pm fireworks with The Boy’s parents and a rental house with friends at Cottage Point, and we had chips and dips at both!

I did have a fabulous New Year’s – we had a great position at Lavender Bay for the fireworks, and Cottage Point is glorious. I could have instagrammed everything, but restricted myself to gorgeous Westhead Beach and the adorable wharf at the bottom of our house. Continue reading “Herb thins and easy food”

GF almond choc chip biscuits and the new year

The new year is definitely here. Resolutions are being made and broken, my gym is heaving with well-intentioned women, and Facebook is full of inspirational quotes. I never really make resolutions because I have a memory like a sieve. I do, however, fully support those who make plans to eat healthier/be fitter/strive harder in the new year.

Also involved in this post are two small businesses that you should resolve to get behind this year. Continue reading “GF almond choc chip biscuits and the new year”

Chocolate basil crinkle biscuits and New Year’s Eve

I’m very excited about 2014 – it will be my first full year of blogging, and things are going to be very busy for Norman and I! 2013 has been fabulous; I started the blog, I tried a bunch of new recipes, and I even convinced my family and The Boy to try some new things too.

My final post for this year is nothing too spectacular, it’s understated, but impressive, which is how I like my New Year’s Eve. The chocolate element of the biscuits has a lovely fudginess to it, which contrasts beautifully with the hard shell that forms as a result of the white sugar.

If you’re hesitant about the mix of chocolate and basil mixture, don’t be. You mix chocolate and mint all the time without thinking about it! I converted a few members of my family, although The Boy was somewhat reluctant to concede defeat. I think that the basil heightens the chocolate taste, he just disliked the green bits that he saw in the mixture. Continue reading “Chocolate basil crinkle biscuits and New Year’s Eve”

Baking and absences

Hello dear followers!

I’ve nabbed a computer to let you know that I’ve not forgotten you all, I have broken my computer.

And I miss you!!

I was madly blogging the other day and leapt up from my seat to plug it in to the charger, and I knocked the computer from its perch. My computer was in a very sorry state, but I’ve sent it off to be fixed and should have it fixed in a number of days.

If you miss me terribly, you can keep up to date with my adventures (Norman and I are continuing to be cute and bake, respectively) on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

I’ve been Instagramming like mad, because there has been so much going on. I went to Mudgee for a fabulous weekend with friends, I turned 24, Norman got a hair cut, the Boy’s parents have flown over from England come to spend Christmas and the new year with us, and CHRISTMAS IS COMING!! We finally got out Christmas tree as well. The house smells all piney and delicious, I can’t wait to share photos with you!

Overall, I’m pretty excited, I love December.