Meringue Christmas Tree

Meringue Christmas Tree

by | Dec 2, 2017 | 0 comments

#SPONSORED

The best kind of Christmas tree? The one you can eat, of course! Imagine not having to worry about table decorations for Christmas this year? Imagine that the table decorations ARE the dessert! I came up with the idea for this Meringue Christmas Tree when I was dreaming up desserts that guests can have fun with and assemble themselves. They’ll have more fun, and more importantly, it’s less stressful for you! One giant meringue christmas tree in the middle of the table then becomes the pavlova at the end of the meal! Simply put bowls of ice cream, whipped cream, custard, fresh fruit and maybe a bottle or two of liqueur and everyone breaks off shards of meringue to create their own masterpiece!

Meringue Christmas Tree

Because this is quite a structure, you’re going to need to make sure you make a really good meringue! Here are my tips:

  1. Use room temperature egg whites
  2. Make sure your bowl and whisks are sparkling clean – any grease or fat will stop the whites from frothing
  3. There shouldn’t be any egg yolk in sight.
  4. Use a really good-quality sugar, I love the Natura Sugars Golden Caster Sugar because it’s unrefined which means it’s not just sweet, it has a light caramel flavour which adds so much extra flavour oomph to the merinuge! The fine texture is also important so it can dissolve and form a crisp shell.
  5. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form before you start adding the sugar, and then add it gradually – not all at once.
  6. Whip the meringue until the Natura Sugars Golden Caster Sugar is completely dissolved.

 The meringue stars can be made up to a week before serving which means the only thing you need to worry about on Christmas day is stacking them, adorning the ‘tree’ with gold balls, glitter and a generous dusting of Natura Sugars Demerara Icing Sugar.

Meringue Christmas Tree

Watch how to make the Meringue Christmas Tree below:

 

Print
Meringue Christmas Tree

Ingredients

  • Serves 6-8
  • 10 large egg whites
  • 550g Natura Golden Caster Sugar
  • 150ml cornstarch
  • 1 tsp drop vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup Natura Demerara Icing Sugar, for dusting
  • Decorate with gold leaf, chocolate stars or any other desired decorations.
  • Whipped cream and berries, to serve

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 100 ?C and line two to three large baking sheets with non-stick baking paper. Trace star shapes onto one side of the baking paper, ranging from 25cm wide to 5 cm wide then flip the paper over onto a baking tray. Place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer and whip to stiff peaks. Combine the cornflour and caster sugar together then gradually start adding the mix, little by little, continuing to whip, until the meringue is very thick and glossy. Whisk in the vanilla then place the mixture in a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle. Pipe the meringue into star shapes on the templates created. Place in the preheated oven to dry (wedge a wooden spoon between the oven and the oven door to keep it ajar) until the meringues are crisp but still soft in the middle, 1 – 2 hours. Take out and allow to cool completely.Once all the meringue stars have dried out and cooled, stack the stars on top of each other. Twisting each star so the points don’t all face the same way. Decorate with desired decorations and dust generously with icing sugar. Serve the Meringue Christmas tree with whipped cream and berries.
https://thekatetin.com/meringue-christmas-tree/

What will you be making for Christmas dessert this year? Let me know in the comments below! And if you don’t already know, here are a few more ideas:

 

Magic Latte Cake

Magic Latte Cake

by | Nov 24, 2017 | 0 comments

#SPONSORED

What do you make when LG sends you their new NeoChef microwave oven and a mystery basket of ingredients containing maple-flavoured golden syrup, cinnamon sticks, vanilla coffee, edible balls and gold dust?  You make magic! Well, Magic Cake, that is.

What is magic cake, you ask? See all those beautiful layers? There’s a dense caramelly bottom topped with a set custard and finally a light airy sponge on top. All of those layers were magically formed in the LG NeoChef. Amazing, right?

I’ve always been a microwave fan and I’ve got loads of recipes to show for it: this Microwave Chocolate Lamington recipe or my favourite Microwave Fudge. The LG NeoChef is beyond a standard microwave, though. It has fancy new smart inverter technology which allows you to control the watts; high for fudge, low for melting chocolate and super low for proving dough or even making yoghurt!

I used the grill combi setting for this cake. It’s perfect for microwave cakes or cupcakes as it combines the speed of microwave cooking but has a grill element to brown and caramelise the top.  For me it’s a total game-changer. This cake is so versatile – feel free to swop out the coffee for chocolate, the syrup for honey or the cinnamon for cardamom. What’s your favourite thing to make in the microwave? I’d love to know in the comments below!

Print
Magic Latte Cake

Ingredients

  • 250ml milk
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 2 large eggs, separated
  • 75g maple flavoured syrup
  • 15ml strong brewed Vanilla flavoured coffee, cooled
  • 65g salted butter, melted
  • 60g cake flour, sifted
  • Coffee Syrup
  • 60g maple flavoured golden syrup
  • 30ml warm, brewed vanilla-flavoured coffee
  • Vanilla ice cream, white chocolate shavings, gold dust and edible balls, to serve

Instructions

  1. Preheat the LG NeoChef oven to 160 degrees Celsius or set the oven to grill combo - see TIP. Grease and line a standard loaf tin (or a similar sized microwaveable dish if you're using the combo setting).
  2. Bring the milk and cinnamon stick to the boil. Set aside and allow to cool completely. Strain.
  3. Beat the egg whites in a clean bowl until stiff peak stage.
  4. In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks with the syrup and coffee until light. Add the melted butter and beat for another minute then add the milk.
  5. Fold in the sifted flour - the mixture will look lumpy but don't worry, this is correct.
  6. Gently fold in the beaten egg whites with a metal spoon.
  7. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and bake for 1 hour or until the top is golden and the cake jiggles like jelly when you shake it lightly.
  8. Allow to cool in the pan for at least 3 hours before unmoulding. Make the syrup by combining the ingredients and microwave on high for 30 seconds. Serve piled with vanilla ice cream, white chocolate shavings, drizzling of syrup, gold dust and edible balls.
  9. TIP If you want to make it using the microwave setting, set the LG NeoChef cook mode to Grill-Combi 1 and cook for 10 minutes or until slightly wobbly but set. Allow to cool completely before serving.
https://thekatetin.com/latte-magic-cake/

Disclaimer: This post has been sponsored by LG South Africa.

I’ve started a baking YouTube Channel!

I’ve started a baking YouTube Channel!

by | Aug 28, 2017 | 1 comment

The Kate Tin YouTube channel is here! Well, I’m getting there… So many of you have been nagging me to get onto YouTube (especially you, Khadija!) so I’ve done it. All the videos I’ve been creating (and there will be many more in the future) have been loaded into one convenient place so let me know what you’d like to see! More tutorials on baking like this one or more delicious, decadent food porn like this? Your wish is my command!

In the meantime, go ahead and visit the channel and don’t forget to subscribe (press the little red ‘subscribe’ button in the corner) – it’s completely free and you won’t miss any videos as you’ll be notified every time there’s a new one! Do it now. Click HERE

Image of Katelyn Williams from The Kate Tin YouTube Channel wearing a blue polka dot dress eyeing a forkful of cake with a plate of chocolate cake in her hand

 

 

The Sweet Life Of A Pastry Chef & Opera Cake Recipe

The Sweet Life Of A Pastry Chef & Opera Cake Recipe

by | May 12, 2017 | 2 comments

The hero of petit fours, the champion of chocolate, the conqueror of macarons and the instigator of my ever expanding waistline… The Pastry Chef’s job is one we all dream of having! Whipping up decadent desserts all day long? Oh yes, that sounds like the perfect job. But what does it really involve? After my recent trip to Mauritius where I ate 40 desserts in one day (tough life, eh?), I simply had to pick the brain of the mastermind behind all the magnificent bakes. Nicolas Durousseau is not just any pastry chef, he’s the Executive Pastry Chef at the Constance Belle Mare Plage Hotel home to 5 restaurants. Jip, that means 5 different dessert menus, bread and pastries baked daily for the 1000 guests that stay at the resort and a never-ending amount of creativity!

Nicolas’ story began long before he could wield a palette knife; his love of food runs fluidly in his family but began with his grandfather working in famous Parisian pastry shops well into the sixties. He also remembers his grandmother preparing Nice clafoutis with red cherries in the summer along with beautiful egg custard cream with deep-fried beignets – with memories that sweet, no wonder he chose to be a pastry chef! Gordon Ramsay, Marco Pierre White, Pierre Gagnaire, Le Negresco… Nicolas has worked with some of the finest chefs in the world, and while he spends his days tempting the hotel’s guests with decadent creations, I wondered what desserts does he enjoy? So I asked him the question that has always haunted me; If you could only eat one dessert for the rest of your life, what would it be? His answer; a simple Flan Parisien (which to you and I, is a French Custard Tart similar to our milk tart minus the cinnamon). Ah yes, a man after my own heart!

After tasting so many of Nicolas’ wonderful creations, I was struck by his incredible ability to merge flavours effortlessly, but with so many wonderful combinations to choose from, what is his favourite?  “We received a sample from a world-renowned French chocolate maker,  Valhrona, it is a blond chocolate couverture made with muscovado sugar from Mauritius. I simply made an emulsion with the ganache by adding some red chilli, a fresh fruit caramelized compote made of mango, pineapple and banana with a thin layer of yuzu jelly and lime zest. ”  *taste buds explode, brain explodes, tummy grumbles*

Okay, okay but how can we be like him? How do we channel our inner pastry chef at home? “Perseverance” he says, “Set yourself a goal and then keep practicing until you achieve it”. How about taking his advice and tackling one of Nicolas’ recipes? Like this Opera slice which was my favourite of all his desserts! It consists of layers of sponge, coffee buttercream and chocolate ganache. 

OPERA CAKE SLICE

by Nicholas Durousseau

Serves 8

Sponge

25g butter

125g ground almonds

145g castor sugar

4  whole eggs

3 egg whites

Coffee Syrup

110ml water

100g sugar

2 tsp instant coffee powder

Coffee Buttercream

25ml water

90g sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp instant coffee

1/2 vanilla pod, deseeded

170g butter, cubed

Chocolate Ganache

20g butter

80g 70% dark chocolate

40ml milk

10ml cream

To make the sponge, preheat the oven to 210 degrees Celcius. Melt the butter in a pan and allow to cool. Combine the ground almonds in a separate bowl along with half the sugar and the whole eggs. Mix in the cooled butter. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks then gradually add the sugar and whip until stiff peaks.  Gently fold into the almond mixture in 3 batches. Take a large sheet of baking paper and use a ruler to outline a 30cm by 20cm rectangle then flip the baking paper over. Place the baking paper on a large baking sheet and spray generously with cooking spray. Gently spread the mixture out about 5mm thick on the sheet of baking paper (keeping within the lines of the rectangle) and bake for 10 minutes or until slightly golden in colour. Make the syrup by combining all the ingredients in a small saucepan and bringing it to the boil for 1 minute. Take off the heat and cool. Set aside. For the buttercream, make the syrup by bringing the sugar and water to a boil in a small saucepan over a medium-heat until the syrup reaches 118 degrees Celcius on a thermometer. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the egg whites together on a low speed until soft peaks form. Increase the speed to high and pour the hot syrup in a steady stream. Sprinkle in the coffee powder along with the vanilla seeds and drop the butter in, cube-by-cube, until all of it has been fully incorporated. To make the chocolate ganache, roughly chop the chocolate into medium-sized pieces. Bring the milk and cream to a boil and pour over the chocolate, allow to sit for 2 minutes then stir to combine. Mix the butter in and allow to cool.

To assemble: Slice the sponge into three equal parts, these will make up the layers of the opera. Dab the coffee syrup gently onto the sponge slices using a pastry brush. Evenly spread half of the coffee butter cream on top the first layer of sponge then add the second layer and spread half the ganache over. Add the final layer of sponge and spread the rest of the buttercream evenly then spread the rest of the ganache over the buttercream. Allow to set before trimming the edges neatly. Once set, slice the opera into 10cm by 3cm rectangles.

Milk Tart Éclair Trifle with Pinotage Jelly and Naartjie Caramel

Milk Tart Éclair Trifle with Pinotage Jelly and Naartjie Caramel

by | Dec 12, 2016 | 3 comments

Here’s a question for you; if there’s a Christmas lunch and there’s no trifle on the table, was it even Christmas at all? These are the things I lie awake and think about at 3am. Also, why do we still struggle with Christmas puddings, custard and roast turkey’s in the middle of summer. I’m not saying we should abandon traditions that spilled over onto our South African shores, but, each year I long for us to inject our own flavour and twists onto them. In our home, we’ve stripped the British Christmas down to one thing; gammon. That’s it for us! Give us gammon, and it’s Christmas! Last year was the fall of the trifle and the year before that, the turkey got the axe.  But unlike all the other hot puddings, trifle fits with our climate which is how it came to get a bit of Pinotage, some milk tart and a drizzling of naartjie caramel. And because we’re huge fans of the eclair in SA, I thought I’d get rid of the sponge too. These flavours together are just magic – in fact, the trifle may just be making a comeback on our Christmas menu! If you’re skipping the booze, then swop the Pinotage for Naartjie juice but it really does taste incredible with the milk tart filling. And the best part about this dessert is that it can be made ahead of time – bonus! Which traditional Christmas dessert do you wish would get a local makeover?

Milk  Tart Éclair Trifle with Pinotage Jelly and Naartjie Caramel

Recipe originally shot and created for Food & Home Entertaining Magazine

 

Éclairs

75g cake flour

40g butter, cubed

125ml (½ cup) water

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

 

Milk tart filling

500ml (2 cups) milk

1 cinnamon quill

40ml cornflour

45ml (3 tbsp) caster sugar

5ml (1 tsp) ground cinnamon

2,5ml (½ tsp) vanilla essence

4 large egg yolks

2 large egg whites

 

Pinotage jelly

3 (2g) gelatine sheets

310ml (1¼ cups) pinotage wine

30ml (2 tbsp) sugar

2 whole star anise

1 cinnamon quill

 

Naartjie caramel

225g castor sugar

225ml naartjie juice

To serve

 

500ml (2 cups) fresh cream, whipped to soft peaks

60ml (4 tbsp) icing sugar, sifted

225g castor sugar, to dip and to make spun sugar

edible gold stars (optional)

 

1 For the éclairs, preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C for fan-assisted). Sieve the cake flour. Heat the butter and water in a pot over high heat until just melted and bring to a rolling boil. Immediately remove from heat and add all of the flour at once. Mix until a smooth dough forms, return to the heat and cook, about 1 minute or until the pastry pulls away from the sides of the pot. Allow to cool completely. Transfer the mixture to a stand mixer fitted with a paddle and beat until cool. Add the beaten eggs into the pastry, a little at a time, until smooth, shiny and of a piping consistency. Add a little more egg, if needed. Place the pastry in a piping bag fitted with a large plain nozzle. Pipe tablespoonfuls of mixture into lined baking trays, leaving enough space to puff up. Bake, about 15 – 20 minutes or until puffed up and golden. Switch off the oven, remove the puffs, pierce each with a skewer to allow steam to escape and immediately return to the oven to dry out, 5 minutes.

 

2 For the milk tart filling, heat half of the milk with the cinnamon quill until just below boiling point. Set aside to infuse, 5 minutes. Whisk the remaining cold milk with the cornflour, castor sugar, ground cinnamon, vanilla and egg yolks. Whisk into the hot milk. Cook over medium heat until thick and the flour taste is cooked out, about 5 minutes. Remove the cinnamon quill. Beat the 2 egg whites until soft peaks start to form and slowly fold into the custard. Pour into a medium-sized dish, cover the surface with cling film and refrigerate until set.

 

3 For the pinotage jelly, soften the 3 gelatine sheets in a bowl of cold water. Once soft, squeeze out the water and transfer to a small pot with 250ml (1 cup) of the wine, sugar and spices. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the gelatine and sugar are completely dissolved, about 3 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve into a jug and stir in the remaining red wine. Pour the mixture into the bottom of a large 4-litre capacity trifle bowl and refrigerate until set.

 

4 For the naartjie caramel, place the castor sugar in a saucepan and heat until caramelised and golden. Deglaze with the naartjie juice, bring to a boil and remove from heat. Set aside to cool.

 

5 To assemble, fold half of the whipped cream into the set milk tart filling, place in a piping bag with a plain tip nozzle and fill the profiteroles. Make a caramel by heating the castor sugar in a saucepan over medium heat and cooking until golden. Remove from heat and dip the tops of the profiteroles into the caramel, working quickly so that it doesn’t set hard (use the remaining caramel to make spun sugar, if desired).

 

6 Stir the icing sugar into the remaining whipped cream, and layer the profiteroles and whipped cream in alternate layers. Drizzle with the naartjie syrup in between. Decorate with spun sugar and edible gold stars, if desired.

 

 

 

TIP  To make the spun sugar, tape 2 wooden spoons, 10cm apart, onto a benchtop with the handles hanging over the side of the bench. Place a sheet of baking paper on the floor under the handles. Once your caramel starts to set, use a fork or whisk and quickly flick the caramel back and forth between the handles of the spoons to form thin strands. Once set, gather the strands and shape into a large ball. Use immediately.

Frozen Chocolate Tiramisu

Frozen Chocolate Tiramisu

by | Dec 6, 2016 | 0 comments

I love it when a dessert TELLS me to eat it and even more so when it says it in Italian! Tiramisu means, ‘pick me up’ and yes, I think I will pick you up, and then I’ll put you in my mouth! This is an easy summer dessert that’s super-impressive to serve guests – especially when you say it with your best Italian accent. The Italian in my house is rather precious about tiramisu – although I think all Italians feel this way.  When I once proudly skipped into the room with what I thought was one of my best ideas ever; caramel tiramisu, he announced that it was a despicable idea. How dare I contaminate a perfectly delicious dessert with CARAMEL!? So when I tried my luck at suggesting a frozen version and he didn’t cancel our wedding plans, I was relieved. And of course, pushed my luck and suggested we add a chocolate layer as well. Might as well take advantage of the seemingly good mood he was in!  And so, this frosted version has a chocolate layer – because there are a lot of things Mr Italian and I disagree on, but when it comes to this we agree; chocolate makes everything better!

Frozen Chocolate Tiramisu

Serves 6-8

 

1 cup freshly brewed, strong coffee, cooled

18 finger biscuits

4 egg yolks

½ cup caster sugar

500g mascarpone cheese, softened

2 tbsp coffee liqueur or grappa (optional)

60g The Kate Tin Dark Baking Chocolate, melted

250ml cream, whipped

The Kate TIN Cocoa Powder, for dusting

 

Line the base and sides of a standard loaf tin with baking paper, leaving a 5cm overhang at long ends. Using an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks and sugar for 5 minutes or until light, pale and creamy. Whisk in the softened mascarpone and liqueur (if using) – don’t overmix. Dip 6 biscuits, 1 at a time, into the coffee mixture, turning to coat. Place, in a single layer, at the bottom of the loaf tin. Pour over half the mascarpone mixture then dust with cocoa powder. Place another layer of soaked biscuits on top. Fold the melted chocolate into the remaining mascarpone mixture and pour that over the biscuits. Top with a last layer of soaked biscuits. Cover the surface with plastic wrap and freeze overnight or until firm. Allow to soften at room temperature for 5 minutes before turning out onto a plate. Top with whipped cream and a dusting of cocoa powder.

 

TIP If you’re worried about the raw egg yolks, gently whisk the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl over gently simmering water until warm to the touch, then whip with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.