The Cook's Chocolate Pots De Crème

January 13-14, 2013

Bhakthi has invited us dorsum to her Cook The Book segment on RRR this morning, as well as this fourth dimension we're talking most The Cook past times Wayne Macauley. (And hither it is, archived online.) The Cook is Zac, a troubled (and presumably troublesome) youth offered a 2d endangerment at Cook School. Here he learns of paddock-to-plate high-end dining: growing as well as harvesting produce, raising as well as slaughtering animals, slicing as well as cooking his ingredients simply as well as thus as well as serving them to the rich as well as bored.

Zac channels his ambition into celebrity Head Chef's philsophy: ability through service. He's willing to subjugate himself as well as sacrifice everything else he knows to acquire ahead inwards the manufacture as well as ultimately dictate his tastes to the wealthy. The narration, almost solely costless of grammar, has an urgency as well as honesty to it. Still, I oft caught myself wondering what Zac wasn't telling us. In the destination nosotros bring out all nosotros necessitate to. While this mass is ostensibly most the nutrient manufacture as well as steps through Zac's piece of job inwards detail, its pith is a brutal commentary on extravagance alongside the privileged.

Making a recipe to suit the mass (or genuinely blogging at all) would in all probability provoke some selection words from Wayne Macauley but I'm willing to press on. Most of the nutrient prepared inwards The Cook is meat, as well as the reader isn't shielded from where it comes from (this is in all probability why several reviewers propose that it's non a mass for vegetarians). One of the few desserts that Zac prepares is private baked French chocolate custards. While he garnishes them with rosemary flowers, I idea I'd enshroud some bloody, fleshy berries inwards mine every bit a nod to the meat he's to a greater extent than preoccupied with.

The recipe is based on ane past times David Lebovitz. I upped the quantities to ensure that I'd acquire vi serves but necessitate non bring bothered - I filled vi ramekins as well as 2 little teacups inwards the end. My berries as well as cherry syrup mixed themselves upward inwards the too-runny custard instead of lurking downwards below inwards a layer every bit I'd intended, as well as I simply evidently forgot to add together the vanilla. Whoops. I'd never become far inwards a professional person kitchen, but I tin rely on night chocolate as well as heavy cream to demeanor through my to a greater extent than pocket-sized culinary ambitions.

(If you're interested inwards making a vegan version, you lot tin piece of job these two past times recipes every bit a reference.)

The Cook's chocolate pots de crème
(based on David Lebovitz's recipe inwards Ready for Dessert,
sourced from Playing with Flour)

vi egg yolks
2 cups milk
1 loving cup heavy cream
four tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon instant java
pinch of salt
250g night chocolate, roughly chopped
1/2 loving cup berries, roughly chopped
iii tablespoons cherry syrup

Preheat an oven to 180°C. Get 7-8 ramekins or other oven-proof cups out, addition a high-walled baking tray that tin concord them. Make certain you lot bring all your other ingredients prepared as well as at the ready, you'll necessitate to telephone telephone on some of them quickly. Place the egg yolks inwards a large bowl as well as laid them aside.

Pour the milk as well as cream into a large saucepan as well as add together the sugar, java as well as salt. Stir them together over medium oestrus until they're good mixed as well as hot. Turn the oestrus downwards to its lowest setting as well as add together the night chocolate, stirring it constantly until melted through. Turn off the oestrus right away as well as let the mixture to cool to lukewarm.

Divide the berries as well as cherry syrup alongside the ramekins. When the chocolate mixture is the correct temperature, whisk it into the egg yolks. If the mixture looks uneven, strain it. Pour the chocolate custard into the ramekins as well as accommodate them inwards the baking dish. Fill the dish half-full of warm H2O as well as encompass the ramekins with foil. Bake them until laid unopen to the border but nonetheless wobbly inwards the middle, 35-45 minutes. Allow them to residue as well as laid earlier serving, either warm or mutual frigidness from the fridge.

Vietnamese Java H2o Ice Cream

March 2, 2013

One of our favourite companions to a Vietnamese repast is Vietnamese-style iced coffee. So afterward we'd picked out bánh xèo I swapped Plenty for David Lebovitz's The Perfect Scoop, which I knew contained a recipe for Vietnamese java H2O ice cream.

I didn't destination upward next Lebovitz's recipe besides closely - if y'all runway it downward you'll meet that I omitted the pinch of soil java in addition to the awfully American half-and-half. And since I had the supplies on hand, I went vegan amongst soy condensed milk instead of using the commons dairy stuff.

This H2O ice cream has the signature bittersweetness of the potable in addition to ended upward amongst simply about of the iciness besides - unfortunately I couldn't coax it to whip upward properly inward my icecream maker. It was quite scoopable in addition to rattling edible regardless.

Vietnamese java H2O ice cream
(inspired past times a recipe inward David Lebovitz's The Perfect Scoop)

250mL/330g tin (soy) sweetened condensed milk
200mL espresso

Whisk together the ingredients inward a bowl. Refrigerate them until thoroughly chilled, thence churn inward an icecream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Vanilla Peach Frozen Yoghurt

January 13-14, 2014

Four of Michael's aunts together with uncles flew to Melbourne for a scorching few days of tennis, together with nosotros made certain to bring them over for a repast inward our chilled-out air-conditioned flat. Michael seat on a summery Mexican-inspired spread of refried beans, tofu chicharrones, corn salad, tortillas together with fresh veges, together with I churned upward this vanilla peach frozen yoghurt.

It's a surprisingly uncomplicated formula from the often-more-convoluted David Lebovitz. This fourth dimension it was me complicating things, adding inward orangish essence, vanilla together with a pinch of common salt where Lebovitz listed alone a uncomplicated dash of lemon juice. Thankfully I managed non to detract from the substitution feature: a pocketbook of white peaches. You tin meet that they don't add together much to the color of this dessert, but I hope that they lend enough of flavour.

The yoghurt is definitely secondary to the fruit - this comes off every bit equal parts refreshing sorbet together with creamy dairy-based dessert. I'd honey to endeavour making it amongst coconut yoghurt every bit a vegan alternative.

Vanilla peach frozen yoghurt
(adapted slightly from David Lebovitz's The Perfect Scoop)


700g (about 5) ripe peaches
1/2 loving cup water
3/4 loving cup caster sugar
1 loving cup natural yoghurt
a few drops of lemon juice
a few drops of orangish essence (optional)
pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Slice the peaches into quarters, take away them from their stones, together with peel off their skins. Chop the peaches into chunks together with house them inward a large saucepan. Pour inward the H2O together with house the saucepan on medium heat, roofing it amongst a lid. Cook the peaches until tender, almost 10 minutes, removing the lid occasionally to stir them. Take the peaches off the heat, stir inward the saccharide (it should dissolve rapidly) together with refigerate the peaches overnight.

The adjacent day, transfer the peaches to a nutrient processor together with add together inward the yoghurt. Whizz the mixture until it's good mixed together with to a greater extent than frequently than non smooth. Add the lemon juice, orangish essence, common salt together with vanilla, whizz again, gustatory modality together with adjust the season every bit yous similar it.

Churn the mixture inward an icecream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Date, Rum & Pecan Icecream

November 27-28, 2011

two batches of cupcakes in addition to and then this icecream. I was looking for an actual chocolate-less dessert equally I browsed through The Perfect Scoop, in addition to I picked this 1 because Michael's rather partial to rum in addition to raisin flavoured sweets. He pitched inwards past times bringing abode a modest bottle of Bundy Rum, a liquor best characterised past times Rich Hall, in addition to trashily appropriate since nosotros ended upward sharing the icecream alongside a bunch of Queenslanders.

Michael didn't convey abode equally much cream equally the recipe required, nonetheless I didn't endeavour whatever substitutes for it, thence this was a pretty intense dessert (the 3-scoop serving pictured higher upward would satisfy 2-3 people!). In item it was real boozy - if that's non your affair I'd advise soaking the dates equally directed (or replacing only about of the rum alongside water, perhaps) in addition to omitting the extra rum that goes into the custard. On this occasion it was my thing; I loved the agency the nighttime rum stretched into the rich caramel of the dates in addition to the yolk-heavy custard.

Date, rum & pecan icecream
(adapted slightly from a recipe inwards The Perfect Scoop past times David Lebovitz)

80g dried dates
1/4 loving cup + 2 tablespoons nighttime rum
115g pecans
200mL heavy cream
six egg yolks
1 loving cup milk
2/3 loving cup castor sugar
large pinch salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chop the dates into chunks in addition to house them inwards a modest saucepan. Pour over 1/4 loving cup of nighttime rum. Bring to the boil, in addition to then accept the saucepan off the rut in addition to gear upward the dates aside at room temperature for at to the lowest degree four hours.

Roughly chop the pecans in addition to gently toast them (I did this inwards the oven).

In a large bowl (ideally 1 alongside a lid!), pour inwards the cream in addition to gear upward a sieve over the top.

Place the egg yolks inwards a small-medium bowl, whisking them to smoothness.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, mix together the milk, carbohydrate in addition to salt. Stir them together until everything's warm in addition to the carbohydrate is dissolved. Gradually pour the warmed milk into the egg yolks, whisking equally you lot go. When it's all good mixed, transfer it dorsum into the saucepan on medium heat. Stir the mixture constantly, scraping the bottom in addition to sides of the saucepan to avoid burning in addition to sticking, until the custard thickens.

Pour the custard through the sieve onto the cream. Whisk inwards the remaining 2 tablespoons of rum in addition to the vanilla. Refrigerate the mixture for several hours, until thoroughly chilled.

Churn the icecream mixture inwards an icecream machine, according to the manufacturer's instructions. In the terminal few minutes of churning, add together the dates in addition to pecans to mix the through. Freeze the icecream for several hours, until theater in addition to scoopable.

Chocolate & Raspberry Icecream

February 26-27, 2012

my vegan salted caramel one in addition to it was spectacular, but thence I went in addition to shared close of the batch alongside friends. I needed MOAR ICECREAM in addition to I didn't actually desire to function out our air-conditioned fortress to purchase it or its element ingredients.

Flicking through The Perfect Scoop, I noticed a chocolate in addition to raspberry icecream that didn't include eggs. I had (frozen) raspberries and I had no eggs! With kokosnoot milk inward the closet I figured a vegan version (no heavy cream) was the easiest solution. It all actually was quite easy, though it left me alongside a muddied nutrient processor in addition to sieve (for Michael) to build clean up.

This version is too lighter on the cocoa than David's because I ran out three tablespoons in. It's nonetheless chocolatey plenty (look at the colour) but it's to a greater extent than similar a milky chocolate that leaves plenty of infinite for raspberry fruitiness.

Chocolate & raspberry icecream
(adapted from a recipe inward David Lebovitz's The Perfect Scoop)

1 tin (400mL) kokosnoot milk
three tablespoons cocoa
2/3 loving cup castor sugar
ii cups frozen raspberries

In a medium saucepan, stir together the kokosnoot milk, cocoa in addition to sugar. Bring them to the boil, stirring regularly, in addition to thence accept them off the heat. Fold inward the raspberries, encompass the saucepan in addition to allow it to sit down for 10 minutes.

Blend the mixture to smoothness - to foreclose disaster alongside my nutrient processor, this meant I fished out close of the raspberries in addition to blended them first, gradually adding the residue of the liquid. Strain out the raspberry seeds in addition to refrigerate the mixture until completely cold.

Churn the mixture inward an icecream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions in addition to freeze until firm.