This salad is RED! I just went nuts at the green grocer buying pink and red fruits. I think it works well with the lime and vanilla too. This is my justification:

Vanilla has a variety from Tahiti – Tahitian Vanilla

Lime has a variety from Tahiti – Tahitian Limes

And often flavours grown in the same area go well together. The lime gives it a tropical zing and the vanilla smooths it out giving it a velvety base-note.

Ingredients

Watermelon

Red Apple

Strawberries

Cherries

Red Grapes

Lychees

…and anything else remotely ruby-toned.

1/4 lime

capful of vanilla extract.

Method

Cut all fruit into bitesized pieces, squeeze the lime, pour the vanilla. Mix carefully to combine.

Sometimes we all want a little bit of devilish food.  And, like most people, give me a plateful of tasty food and I’ll eat more than I really need to. This is where this little dessert is perfect! It’s sweet enough to satisfy any sweet-tooth craving, but not big enough to make you need to loosen your belt by the end of the dish. The berries are a high antioxidant blend of wild blueberries, bilberries and blackcurrants, and 80% dark chocolate was used!

JUSTIFIED.

OK, so on the naughty side – there is coconut biscuits and butter. But let’s not dwell on the negatives.

The (not so) secret ingredient in this tartlet is the Musk liqueur made by the local Tamborine Mountain Distillery. This boutique distillery creates a myriad of flavours from their small still on the top of Mt Tamborine – about an hour’s drive from Brisbane. I picked this bottle up from the Good Food and Wine Show, but you can buy it any time from the ‘cellar door’ or – “still door” in this case, or online at www.tamborinemountaindistillery.com . I do recommend going up there for a Sunday drive to experience the place for yourself. It’s a beautiful place to visit. They grow a lot of their own ingredients themselves and source them from the local community.

The next secret ingredient is sourced from over the Tasman. Griffin’s Krispie Biscuits http://www.griffins.co.nz/by-name/krispieare perfect for making tart and cheesecake bases. They truly are crispy – with a good amount of toasted coconut (and saturated fat!). And lucky enough – New Zealanders (and their Aussie wives) can breathe a sigh of relief as many Brisbane stores are starting to stock Kiwi products. I got these from Supa IGA in Mitchelton. I’ve also seen them in the lolly store in Anzac Square in the CBD. Get them! They are awesome!

Ingredients:

1/2 pack Krispie biscuits
about 50g Butter, softened

small amount of Dark Chocolate, melted (we used 80% dark – it added a great bitterness to it to even out the sweet)

Handful of frozen berries (use anything – Cherries, raspberries, but we used these ones http://www.creativegourmet.com.au/products/high-antioxidant-berry-mix-details.htm

Splash of Musk Liqueur from TMD

Icecream, to serve

Method:

1.Grease a mini-muffin tin

2. Crush the biscuits – there are a few different methods
Put it a plastic bag and bash with a rolling pin/mallet/brick wall/cricket bat
Put in a food processor

3. Mix the biscuits and butter together. It will still be crumbly
4. Press a small amount into each muffin tin until it forms a cup shape
5. Refrigerate until firm

6. Melt the chocolate and with a brush (even an artist’s brush) coat the inside of each tartlet shape with chocolate.
7. Refrigerate again

8. Throw the berries and liqueur into a hot saucepan and swirl around until warmed through

To Serve:
Put a tartlet case on a plate, add berries and icecream.

You will be able to make about 10 tartlet cases with this mix. Keep the others in the fridge for another time. It’s a really quick way to make a dessert.
Why not try:
lemon curd and cream
or
summer fruits and custard
or
chocolate ganache and raspberries
or
Cherries with port and vanilla spiked mascarpone
or…

oh man! I want to try all of these now!
Right – back into the kitchen I go!

I made this compote with a Yaldara Tawny Port that I bought in the Barossa Valley about 5 years ago.   We kept it in the liquor cabinet to open up when we had our first child.  When we came home from the hospital with our daughter in our arms, we cracked open the wax on top and poured ourselves a glass. I had one sip, then went to bed! And since then, even though it is a lovely drop, it hasn’t been used much at all, except for cooking, I often put a slurp of port into stews, and as in this recipe, it’s reduced to become a delicious syrup.

Ingredients

A big handful of cherries (or stone fruits)

A slurp of Tawny Port (or wine, or perhaps a kirsch… you could even use apple juice)

A spoonful of Brown sugar

Method

Pit all the cherries and put in a small saucepan. Pour over the the port and sugar and simmer on a low heat until it becomes thick and syrupy.

SOAK THE RICE OVERNIGHT!!!!!

Right… now that’s out of the way, I can continue with the rest of the recipe. There is nothing worse than thinking “Hmm, I might make some sticky rice for dessert tonight…. Damn it! Soak it? Overnight?!… GRRR!” 

 This recipe came about after I didn’t read a recipe right, and not realising what I had in the cupboard…. again. I’m beginning to find out that this is a very bad habit of mine, but hey, we end up with something delicious anyway!

This can be served cold, or warmed. To heat, just place a serve of rice into the microwave for 40 seconds, then add the fruit and icecream. Also, because the rice does not have any sugar added, you could serve the rice with savoury dishes too.

Ingredients

Sticky Rice

1 cup of Glutinous Rice – SOAKED OVERNIGHT in LOTS OF WATER

165ml can coconut milk

165ml can coconut cream

pinch of Salt

Palm Sugar Syrup

5tbsp Palm Sugar, Chopped

3tbsp Raw Sugar

1 cup Water

Mango and Bananas, or Strawberries, and Icecream to serve.

Method

1. Soak the Rice Overnight in water

2. Drain the rice, and add the cream, milk and salt.

3. Line a steamer basket with baking paper and steam (with lid on) over rapidly boiling water for 30 minutes. Top up water if neccessary.

4. Meanwhile, Place the sugars and water into a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Boil it for approximately 10-15 minutes, or until it becomes syrupy.

5. Let both rice and syrup cool.

6. Scoop out a serve of rice, pour over a tablespoon of syrup. Heat if you wish and serve with Bananas and Mango, or strawberries and icecream.

2 slices white bread

1 egg 1tbsp milk

1tsp vanilla extract

1tsp raw sugar

Butter and Oil for frying

Frozen mixed berries

Crumbly low-fat Ricotta (from the deli)

Honey

1. Remove the crusts from the bread

2. To thaw berries, pop in microwave for 10 seconds, then leave on bench while cooking.

3. Whisk egg, milk, sugar and vanilla together in a bowl until sugar is dissolved

4. Heat a frypan to medium heat and add a small knob of butter and olive oil (the olive oil stops the butter from burning)

5. Dunk the bread into the eggy mix until fully drenched.

6. Fry until golden on both sides

7. Arrange on plate with berries, and bit of ricotta and a drizzle of Honey.

200g Strawberries, hulled and cut in half
3-4tbsp caster sugar
1 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar (the thick stuff is best for this)
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 sheet of Puff Pastry
1 egg
1 tbsp Milk

Cream, whipped with Vanilla extract, to serve.

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees
2. Choose a small fry pan with a handle you can either put in the oven or remove.
3. Trace around frypan with a knife to cut the puff pastry into a round that will fit within the pan.
4. Place the sugar in the pan over a medium heat. Keep a good eye on it until it turns a light golden colour.
5.Take off heat and add the vinegar and vanilla.
6. Arrange the strawberries over the bottom of the pan, cut side down. Gently warm so the caramel smoothes over the surface of the pan.
7. Spray the edges of the pan with oil spray. Place the pastry over the top and brush with egg and milk wash.
8. Pop in oven until pastry is puffed and golden.
9. Take out of the oven and let it rest until warm.
10. Place a plate over the fry pan, and with both hands and one quick movement, flip the tart over.
11. Serve with the whipped cream spiked with vanilla.