White Chocolate & Almond Tarte with Sherry Soaked Currants
Preparation 30 Minutes
Cook 18-20 MINS Minutes
Serves 12
Method
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Pre-heat oven to 180ºC (160°C fan-forced). Lightly grease a 34 x 12cm rectangular flan tin and place onto a flat baking tray.
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Combine currants, sherry and orange rind. Set aside.
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For the crust, combine almond meal, sugar and cinnamon in a mixing bowl. Add melted butter and mix until well combined. Press firmly into prepared tin and bake for 18-20 minutes until just golden. Set aside to cool.
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For the white chocolate cream, combine chocolate and ¼ cup of the cream in a heat-proof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Mixing until chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
- Beat cream cheese, remaining cream and sugar until smooth. Add the cooled chocolate mixture, mixing until smooth.
- Remove crust from tin and place onto a serving platter. Sprinkle currants over the almond crust and spread with the cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle with almonds, pomegranate and mint. Serve immediately or chill for later use.
Ingredients
Currants
¼ cup SUNBEAM Currants
1 tbsp sweet sherry
½ tsp finely grated orange rind
Almond Crust:
2 cups SUNBEAM Almond Meal
2 tbsp caster sugar
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
100g butter, melted
White Chocolate Cream:
100g white chocolate buttons
½ cup thickened cream
250g cream cheese, diced and softened
¼ cup caster sugar
Toasted almonds, pomegranate seeds and mint leaves, for decoration
Recipe Collection
Chocolate Ripple Christmas Wreath
You will need to begin this recipe the night before
Whip the cream to soft peaks.
Spread a few tablespoons of whipped cream onto the base of a 26-28cm round serving plate. This will stop your wreath from sliding around.
Dollop 1 flat tbsp of whipped cream onto a biscuit and top with another biscuit. Repeat until you have a stack of 5 biscuits, the top biscuit should not have any cream on top.
Repeat to make 8 stacks of biscuits.
On the prepared serving plate, arrange the biscuit stacks into a wreath shape. Spread the entire biscuit wreath with just enough whipped cream to ensure the biscuits are covered on top and around the sides. Refrigerate overnight, reserving remaining whipped cream.
When ready to serve, spread remaining whipped cream around the wreath. Decorate with dried fruit and nuts.
Beef & Apricot Tagine
1. Heat half of the oil in a large frying pan, add onion and garlic and cook for 3-4 minutes until tender. Add spices and cook a further minute until fragrant. Add to the pot of a slow cooker.
2. Using the remaining oil, sear beef in batches until well browned. Add to the slow cooker with the stock, tomatoes, cinnamon and orange peel. Cook on low heat for 8 hours.
3. Add the apricots and chickpeas in the last 30 minutes of cooking time. Season well. Serve beef with almonds and coriander and accompany with rice and yoghurt.
*For a faster cooking time, cook on High heat for 4 hours.
Mini Choc Raisin & Hazelnut Puddings
- Preheat oven to 170ºC. Place raisins, sultanas and rum in a bowl and set to one side.
- Cream butter and brown sugar, until light and fluffy.
- Beat in eggs one at a time beating well after each addition.
- Sift flours, mixed spice and cinnamon.
- Add breadcrumbs, finely chopped hazelnuts, chocolate, buttermilk, rum soaked fruit and butter mixture and mix well to combine.
- Prepare 8 pudding basins (200ml capacity): spray pudding basins with oil and line the bottom with baking paper.
- Divide evenly between prepared pudding basins.
Steaming Instructions
Place basins into a baking dish, and pour in enough boiling water to ½ fill the baking dish, cover with foil. Steam bake for 1 hour. Remove foil and bake for a further 20 minutes.
Microwave Instructions
Cook in microwave on defrost setting (300W) for 15 minutes, check if a skewer inserted into pudding comes out clean. If not cooked, microwave at 5 minute intervals, until skewer comes out clean. Stand for 10 minutes before turning out. Repeat with remaining mixture. (Note: Do not use foil in microwave).
Butter Biscuit Wreaths
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Preheat oven to 160°C and line with baking trays. Set aside 1/4 cup raisins for decorating. Roughly chop remaining raisins.
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Beat butter and sugar with electric mixer until light and creamy. Sift in flour and mixed spice and add chopped raisins. Mix until combined. Divide dough in half and form into two disks. Wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes or until firm.
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Roll dough between sheets of baking paper to 0.5cm thick. Cut 8cm rounds with cookie cutter. Transfer to lined baking trays and cut 3cm circles from middle of rounds to form rings. Reroll dough as necessary and refrigerate if too soft. Bake 15-20 minutes until lightly coloured. Cool on trays.
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To decorate, working with one biscuit at a time, drizzle white chocolate over the top and decorate with raisins, almonds and other decorations.
Macadamia Biscuits
Preheat oven to 170⁰C. Line baking tray with grease proof paper.
- Cream butter and sugar. Add vanilla essence and egg, beating until well combined.
- Stir in flour, macadamia nuts and choc chips.
- Roll tablespoons of mixture into balls and place on tray 5cm apart. Bake for 12mins or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack.
Mini Bombe Alaskas
Line 6 x 180ml dariole moulds (or 6 x 180ml capacity small dishes) with plastic wrap.*
Place icecream into a large bowl and allow to stand at room temperature for 10 mins, or until soft (do not allow to completely melt). Add fruit, nuts and sherry and use a spatula to mix well.
Spoon the mixture evenly between the prepared moulds and freeze overnight or until firm.
Slice the madeira cake horizontally into three big slices, about 2cm thick. Use a cookie cutter (just bigger than the bases of the icecream moulds) to cut 6 rounds from the cake slices.
To make the meringue, combine egg whites and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk until stiff peaks form.
One at a time, carefully remove an icecream from the mould and place on top of a cake round. Working quickly, smooth meringue around the cake and icecream to completely cover then blowtorch until golden. Serve and repeat with remaining prepared icecreams.