Linzer Torte

This recipe was made on request from my mum as i was trying to think of something to cook for the dessert for our regular Monday night family dinner. And all in all: this dish was a pain! The pastry, being comprised mostly of ground nuts, did not form the proteins required to make it pliable and easy to work with, like as pizza dough. Instead, it was soft and delicate. This made for a fantastic, soft, crumbly texture once cooked, but a real effort to work with.

Linzer Torte is an Austrian tarte that dates back to the 1700's. The glistening, red raspberry filling matches beautifully with a nutty, spiced pastry that makes for a beautiful afternoon dessert. The elegant european flavors pair well with marscapone or better yet, clotted cream.

Raspberry & Cab Sav Summer Puddings

The first time i can remember trying summer puddings was when my cousin Pauline, who is Irish, brought one to a family gathering. I remember her saying at the time that it turned out as a bit of a disaster, but i loved it! This is the first time that i've made them myself, basically changing an Alton Brown idea (the tin cans... you'll see) into a blend of my favorite fruits: raspberries! The best part about summer puddings is there's no cooking. It's pretty foolproof.

Raspberry Truffles cure what ails ya

Raspberry Truffles! My second favorite truffle from Koko Black (first is the caramelized coconut and white chocolate... that will come soon!)

I was prowling through cooking websites today looking for something to satisfy my sweet tooth, the hungry hoardes at work, and as medicine for some niggling emotional hangups i've been having lately. With a broken cake pan, a broken food processor, and a broken whisk, my options were limited. Slice? Meh. Cookies? Bleh. Truffles? Oh yes indeed.

This is my first foray into the realm of chocolateering, and horror stories abound of the agony of tempering chocolate, having it curdle, having it grainy, having it burn. In the end, i didn't see what the big deal was. If you can make ganache... hell if you can boil and egg, you can make truffles.

Ingredients

• 600gm semi sweet chocolate (use a chocolate you would happily eat plain)
• 300gm frozen raspberries
• 1/4 cup caster sugar
• 1 cup double cream
• Cocoa and icing sugar, to coat

Method

Chuck the raspberries in a blender and blend into a fine puree.

Pass this through a sieve into a saucepan and simmer with the caster sugar, stirring regularly, until the mixture is beginning to turn from syrup into a thicker goop.

Set aside.

In a double boiler (bowl over a pot of simmering water as per photo; do not let the water touch the bowl base), add the cream and chopped up chocolate.

Stir constantly until the chocolate is completely melted and mixed with the cream.

Add the raspberry mixture and stir well.

Refridgerate for 3 hours.

Lay out candy pans on a baking tray.

Set up cocoa and icing sugar (sifted) into two separate bowls.

Coat hands in either cocoa or icing sugar.

Scoop out a heaped teaspoon of the cold truffle mixture.

Roll into a rough ball (the longer you roll, the warmer the mixture will get, and therefore the stickier)

Drop into the coating mixture and roll around until well covered.

Place truffle into candy pan.

Repeat with half of the mixture for the cocoa and half of the mixture for the icing sugar.

Note: It's better to do all the cocoa at once, and then all the icing sugar, or vice versa. Do not alternative as the cocoa on your hands will mess up the finish on the icing sugar truffles.

Refridgerate until ready to devour!