Chow Down to Eurovision 2014 - France

Bonsoir, this is France calling, where things have gotten a little hairy both physically and emotionally.

Things may have been a bit cursed for this entry as there were a few hiccups, one being that the first time I typed it, working on the HTML I managed to clear the post the split second before it autosaved....oh well, start again.

The birth of this year's entry for France was a moment of fate.

I had bought my dear "Manu Feildel obsessed" friend MP a cookbook for her birthday (autographed... I am an awesome friend) so when he was launching his new book at his new Melbourne restaurant of course I had to escort her. (we paid not a sponsored post)

So after the meal and after they had revived some of the ladies and a couple of gentlemen from hyperventilating with a severe case of Manu lust there was a photo opportunity.

I was official photographer while MP had another book signed and hoped for a marriage proposal. 

She told Manu how I had given her an autographed book for her birthday to which he said I must have got a lot of brownie points for.

We did laugh about how he thought we were a couple, though MP didn't laugh as much when I said I was sure he thought she was on the better end of the deal.

So, ok, the birth of the dish...

While Manu was asking what we thought about the food, I pressed on and went straight into the "ok, so a Eurovision of food, what dish should represent France?"

While he was deliberating I could see my friend was having an issue using my camera to which I offered some assistance, "it's upsidedown love..."

"tarte tatin, it's upside down!" exclaimed Manu, and so that is how this entry was born.

We could even go so far as to say she was Manu's muse but that may put her over the edge........

It's lovely to see how excited he was to meet the guy from Don't Boil The Sauce!

Louisa Baileche continues our facial hair theme, as in 2003 she may have put her face in a tarte tatin before she went on stage as no matter how she flicked her hair it wasn't going anywhere, poor love.

Given it was Manu's suggestion I felt it would be a tad awkward not to use his recipe, unfortunately it wasn't in either of the books MP had.

A Google search revealed this version from Boy's Weekend which sadly I report doesn't work if you follow the method listed as you just end up with fried sugar.

For the caramel on the tarte tatin pictured I consulted the recipe in John Whaite Bakes At Home and then followed what I thought would work.

Worrying about what I should publish here as I didn't just want to say, thanks for the idea Manu, but your recipe doesn't work, I went back to Manu's website and found a copy of the recipe with instructions that look like they would work much better. (If only I was clever enough to try there first instead of relying on Google results!)

My twist to this apple tarte tatin is candied citron for that extra burst of flavour and I love the way it almost disappears into the caramel.

I will workshop my own version with the citron and a puff pastry base and publish that at a later date, when I'm sure it all works.

Till then this is Manu's version with the correct method.

Perfect just barely warm with some thick cream or ice cream.

Bon appetite!

 

Twin Twin wanted a Moustache in Copenhagengen but barely managed a whisker.

Chow Down to Eurovision 2014 - Austria

Guten Abend this is Austria calling, we hope you are enjoying this really really wonderful show.

Last year Austria provided us with a delightful lamb cooked in hay which bought them a place in the Final

As I've previous mentioned, many of this year's contestants have provided the inspiration for their countries' Chow Down to Eurovision dish.

So while I had thoughts of cooking my way through My Favourite Things, I couldn't go past this year's contestant for Austria Conchita Wurst and putting her song into a cake.

This torte is loosely based on a recipe for Linzer Torte from the Austrian National Tourist Office though I have added a touch more glamour.

Austria's highest placing act in the recent times was Alf Poier with Weil der Mensch zählt they came 6th and it's guaranteed to have you singing along by the end.

 

Conchita's Phoneix Linzer Torte

• 250g butter
• 250g plain flour
• 150g hazelnut meal
• 100g icing sugar
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 egg
• 1 egg white
• 750g raspberry jam approx. (recipe at bottom)
• 150g marzipan
• Gold lustre dust (from some supermarkets or cake decorating suppliers)
• Black food colour

Method

• Place butter, flour, hazelnut meal, icing sugar, cinnamon in the bowl of a food processor
• Pulse to crumbs 
• Add egg and process till it starts to come into a ball
• Shape into a ball and cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes-1 hour
• It is a very soft dough
• Line a 25cm tart tin with the pastry, it may be too soft to roll completely but it can be pushed into shape in the tin
• The left over pastry will be the border and the bird (or lattice if not making the phoenix)
• Brush the inside of the tart with egg white
• Preheat oven to 180°C
• Fill the tart with raspberry jar (stir it up so its easier to spread)
• Roll some of the remaining pastry into a sausage and place around the inside edge of the tart
• Roll out a small piece of pastry and use a cutter or free hand to shape the phoenix body
• Place on top of the jam
• Refrigerate the tart for 15 minutes
• Bake for 35-40 minutes
• Let cool in the tin
• Once cold place on serving plate and decorate

My phoenix is made from an Easter cookie cutter and silicon feather press, cake decorating shops would have similar or ebay...always ebay!

To let the phoenix rise

• Press a small amount of marzipan into the feather press
• It is easier if you dip the press in icing sugar and shake off the excess first
• Make about 25-30 feathers
• Using a small paint brush dust the feathers with gold lustre dust
• Dust the pastry with lustre dust, if you have left your tart in the oven for 2 minutes too long like I did....oops
• Arrange the feathers over the tart like a phoenix, the jam will help secure them
• It's optional, but you can add a beard to your phoenix with black food colour and a paint brush, If Conchita has taught us anything it's everything is better with a beard!

 

To make the jam

• Put 1kg of raspberries into a saucepan
• Add 700g sugar and the juice of 1 large lime
• Stir over low heat
• Heat to 105°C and stir for about 5-10 minute
• Test the jam by placing a spoon full on a plate that has been in the freezer.
• Let it cool
• If it wrinkles up when you push your finger through it, it's ready
• Store in sterilized jars
• This makes more than is needed for the tart but there are always, toast, muffins, scones, or crumpets needing to be eaten!

Wurst, Conchita Wurst will ignite Copenhagen like the love child of James Bond and Shirley Bassey with Rise like a Phoenix.

Will she set fire to the stage and fly straight into the final?

Viel Gluck!

My Own Private Bake Off

Seeing the ad for The Great Australian Bake Off - Tart Week, reminded me that I hadn't posted the recipe for the tarts I made for my audition.

 

We had to present 2 bakes a sweet and a savoury. For the savoury I made an olive and parmesan cast iron bread., possibly too simple but my sweet was bigger than Ben Hur.  

 

Being inspired by Minny's chocolate pie from The Help (without the secret ingredient) I went all out and made a trio of tarts.

• White chocolate crème patisserie with a hint of Campari on top of a rhubarb compote adorned with rhubarb leather.
• Blood orange milk chocolate ganache, in a choc chip tart garnished with a blood orange petite macaron
• Dark chocolate mud tart

I may have confused the brief and given them the Olympics of chocolate tarts, gold, silver and bronze.

 

My only regret about the whole process, isn't not being selected but that I didn't take a picture!!

It was back in the my early days of blogging when a simple task like slicing an apple didn't involve a fully staged photo shoot. 

  

I had never heard of the show before my audition but quickly became obsessed with watching the British version and then trying the various technical challenges. If you haven't seen any of the numerous international versions of the show I can't recommend it highly enough, but be warned you will catch the baking bug bad!!

8 plait loaf from Great British

Bake Off 

 

 

Kale and bacon Danish

 

 

Olive and parmesan cast iron bread  

 Blueberry bakewell tart

 Italian pork pie with quail egg

 Chicken, bacon and apricot pie

 

Eyeful cookie

 

When the new oven arrived I will post the recipes for the other tarts but luckily I had photographed a batch of the dark chocolate tarts.

 

Dark chocolate mud tart

Ingredients

• 125g unsalted butter diced
• 125g caster sugar
• 1 large egg (my girls are doing whoppers these days)
• 250g plain flour
• 40g cocoa
• 300ml cream
• 200g dark chocolate (75%-85% is my choice)
• 20g butter
• Whipped cream to garnish

Method

 

To make the tart

• I do this all in the food processor as it is quick and is less handling of the pastry
• Cream the sugar and butter on high for about 30 seconds
• Add the egg and mix through another 30 seconds
• Add flour and cocoa and mix till it comes together in a ball about 1 minute
• Let rest covered in plastic wrap for 1 hour in the fridge
• Grease 6 7.5cm tart tin (or one big one)
• Roll pastry on lightly floured board to 1cm thick
• Line the tart tins with pastry
• Prick base with a fork and line with baking paper
• Blind bake in a 180°C oven for 35-40 minutes
• Let cool in the tin for 15
• Remove from tin and cool completely on a wire rack

To make the mud

• Break the chocolate into small pieces and put in a mixing bowl
• Add butter to chocolate
• Gently heat the cream in a saucepan till just below the boil
• Add cream to chocolate and stir till melted and smooth
• Let cool for a 10 minutes
• Fill the tart cases, wiggle to avoid air bubbles
• Let cool completely
• Garnish with some whipped cream
• Find a quiet space with a coffee away from the world and enjoy intense chocolate heaven