Rosewater tart with pistachios and white chocolate

It all starts with a rosewater tart. The guy takes the girl to his favourite bakery that's known for its spectacular rosewater tarts. She tries the tart and of course, falls in love with it, with him and they live happily ever after.

The germ of the idea took root in my head. A rosewater tart with pistachios and white chocolate seemed like something that was doable and if it worked, would be a good celebration recipe for the blog's twelfth birthday!

 

Lucky me - all ingredients were on hand but not the time. Nor an oven! There was nothing wrong with old faithful but it was time for a change after almost 20 years of service. The new oven came just in time for me to bake my version of a rosewater tart. 

The base of the tart was a sweet pastry with ground pistachios and baked in a perforated tart pan. Even though I had greased it, but not too well in hindsight, the tart stuck to the sides after baking. Well, patience, and a sharp knife pays and I managed to get the shell out without damage. It's another matter that I spent the rest of the afternoon pushing out bits of pistachio from the holes 🙄

The filling is simplicity itself - white chocolate ganache flavoured with rosewater. You could use rose essence in a pinch but I prefer rosewater. (Do go easy on the flavouring as the dried petals you will use later will add to the aroma and flavour.) I had some extra ground pistachios and decided to add it to the ganache for texture. It took on a slightly greenish hue which I thought looked real pretty,  and contrasted beautifully with the red of the preserve. 

A couple of months ago, a good friend from Coonoor gifted me a jar of strawberry preserves that she had made. She had used only half the amount of sugar and for my tart, that was the perfect amount of sweetness since I didn't want a cloyingly sweet one. If you're making this recipe, you could make a strawberry compote and use that. The combination of rosewater and strawberries is a perfect summer dessert.

Rosewater tart with pistachios and white chocolate

Ingredients for the tart base
225 gm flour
Pinch of salt
110 gm cold butter, cut in small pieces
50 gm sugar
30 gm raw pistachios
Yolk of 1 egg, beaten
A little ice water to mix
8" tart pan

Rosewater white chocolate ganache
140 ml fresh cream
350 gm white chocolate, chopped
About 2 - 3 tsps rosewater
30 gm ground pistachios
1/2 cup strawberry preserve or strawberry compote

To decorate
Sliced pistachios
Dried rose petals

Method
Grease the base and sides an 8" tart pan.
(My tart mould measured 9" x 3". I had enough pastry left over to make a smaller 5" tart).

Place the sugar and pistachios into a grinder or food processor, process them together till finely ground.

Sift together the flour and salt. Rub in the butter, add the ground sugar and pistachio. Mix together, add in the beaten yolk and enough ice water to form a dough. ( I use a food processer to combine all the ingredients together.)

Once the dough is formed, roll it out on a lightly floured worktop. (For the rectangular mould, I placed the tray on the pastry and pushed it down to cut out the base). The remaining pastry was cut into broad strips, brushed with water and placed along the sides. Use a sharp knife to cut out all the extra bits of pastry sticking out along the side. Dock the centre with a fork to prevent the pastry from rising.


Chill the pastry for about 20 minutes

Preheat the oven to 175°C and bake blind for about 20 minutes. Once the pastry takes on a warm golden hue, remove from the oven and leave to cool.

Gently remove the pastry from the mould and place on a plate. Keep aside.

Rosewater white chocolate ganache
Warm the cream.
Pour it over the chopped white chocolate.
Leave aside for about 5 minutes and then gently stir them together till the chocolate has melted completely.

Add in the rosewater, taste as you go along to avoid using too much.
Stir in the ground pistachios and mix well.

To assemble
Apply a thin layer of strawberry preserve or compote on the base of the tart shell.
Pour the ganache over this till the very top of the tart.
Chill the tart for an hour or so.
Decorate with sliced pistachios and rose petals.
Chill for another 2 hours before slicing and serving.

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Blueberry and almond tart and 7 years on

My son's birthday is in October and every year, I try to come up with a new bake for that special day. Let's face it - I've been baking for a pretty long time and he's seen everything in my repertoire. No point asking him what he'd like either - the standard answer the past few years has been, "Anything Ma, whatever you want." Which sounds exactly as if he's indulging me!!

More than an year ago, the macaron baking bug had bitten me and in an attempt to making the perfect one, I had spent a small fortune on almond powder. This resulted in almost every shelf in my fridge (even the freezer) occupied by bags of almond powder... err...did I  say it was a "small" fortune?? I became a frequent visitor to the egg shop and the owner, seeing me buy dozens of eggs every week, once asked me if I was running a "hotel" ...duh!  My maid's eyes would light up with sheer happiness every time she saw me take out my macaron-baking paraphernalia  because she knew that she would be taking home plenty of egg yolks and "button biscuits" (she's seen and profits from my failures) for her kids the next day. Much angst, trial, error and pulling out of hair happened; the occasional batch turned out well but most of them didn't and "macaron" became a banned word in my house for some time.

So then, what to do with those packs of almond powder all over the fridge? Google assured me that there were fruit tarts I could make with it. Nothing could be simpler - a blueberry almond tart was going to be the birthday cake.

So you're wondering where I was going to get blueberries from in Chennai, right? Frozen
ones of course. Thaw them and they're just as good as fresh, maybe a little less messy on the bake. You need to make a sweet shortcrust pastry first and bake it blind. I add an egg to my pastry mix because I like how crisp the crust becomes but have done it without too. While the pastry is baking, make the filling and as soon as the pastry is ready, pour in the filling and pop it back into the oven. 45 minutes later, you can admire your beautiful tart. 

As I did. What we liked about it was that it was not too sweet but packed with flavour. The crust is buttery and the filling is little dense too, thanks to the almond flour which made slicing it a dream. Serve it with thick cream or a runny custard or ice cream. If you ask me, a sprinkle of icing sugar is all it actually needs. I kept mine unadorned because I had to write a message on it.

Also, I was given strict instructions not to place any of those *%*$#m******s on it (he's figured me out...sigh)!

Blueberry almond tart

Blueberry almond tart

Ingredients for pastry 

200 gm flour

1/2 tsp salt

3 tbsp icing sugar, sifted
1 egg, beaten

100 gm chilled butter, cut in cubes
Ice water to mix, as needed

Sift flour and salt into a mixing bowl.
Rub in the butter till the mix resembles breadcrumbs,
Stir in the icing sugar.
Make a well in the centre, add the egg and just enough water and mix lightly to form a dough.
If you need a little more water, add it in drops till the dough comes together  and does not crack when pressed.
Place in an airtight container and refrigerate for at least half an hour.
*It's important not to add too much water or to knead the dough.

Preheat your oven to 190°C.
Dust your work space with flour and roll out the pastry into an even circle.
Line a 9" flan tin with the  pastry, trim off excess.
Bake the pastry blind for 15 minutes, remove paper and beans and bake again for another 10 minutes.
Lower the oven temperature to 170°C.
(To bake blind, place a large sheet of baking paper over the pastry. Place baking beans over the sheet and place it in the oven. This helps partially cook the pastry and prevents it from puffing up.)

Filling
300 gm frozen blueberries
90 gm butter, at room temperature
170 gm sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp grated lime rind
1 vanilla bean, halved and scraped
150 gm almond powder

Place berries in a colander to thaw and drain.
While the pastry is baking, make the filling.

Cream butter and sugar for a minute.
Add in eggs, rind and vanilla bean paste, cream till light and fluffy.
Fold in the almond powder and lightly mix in the drained berries.
Spoon the filling into the prepared crust.
Bake the tart for about 40 minutes or till the filling is firm and golden.
Remove from the heat, allow to cool for about 15 minutes before unmoulding.

It's another trip around the sun for my blog and we're 7 years today. Thank you for reading, for commenting and for being in our orbit! And this image is just to show how far my mac journey too has progressed. I'm off to the store now to pick up more almond flour!

Cheers!

I can say it now - macarons!

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Old fashioned English trifle

My dad had a patient, an Indian man, who owned a petty shop very close to the clinic. He called it a corner shop; it wasn't even a shop, rather, the outside wall of a store against which he had racks and shelves stocked with hairbands and hair clips, chewing gum (this was before it was banned in Singapore), needles, safety pins, embroidery thread, dried snacks, sweets and chocolates, make up, magazines and a whole lot of knick-knacks. It was amazing to see the load of stuff he could store in that tiny space. Home for the holidays, I'd walk over to the shop from the clinic and browse through English magazines like Woman's Own and Women's Weekly before making a selection. Pictures of beautiful English homes, gardens and kitchens fascinated me.

Ok ok! It wasn't the homes and kitchens that interested me but the recipes. Pictures of cakes, biscuits, pies and desserts, all beautifully captured, were tantalising and I must admit that a lot of my baking "education" came out of those pages. I'd wait for my parents to organise a dinner party for their friends just so I could make a dish from one of those mags, usually dessert.



The English trifle was about the easiest to do. It was absolutely delicious, colourful, a crowd-pleaser and by the end of the evening, THE topic of conversation. The best thing was that it could be made a day in advance so the flavours could mellow and merge. My preparations would start two days earlier when I would bake the cake and make the jelly. On my shopping list would be canned fruits, custard powder, sliced nuts, whipping cream and sprinkles. The next day, it would be quick work to chop the fruits and sandwich the cake with jam. Trifles need to be presented in a clear glass bowl and Mum would let me use one of her best ones. Dad's finest sherry would be used to moisten the cake slices once they were arranged in the bowl and topped with chunky squares of jelly and fruit. Cold custard forms the middle layer and then softly whipped cream is spooned or piped over the top. A few fruits, toasted nuts and sprinkles were all that would be needed for the finishing touches. The sprinkles, by the way, are mandatory :)

The trifle is one of those desserts that you could either spend a lot of time over starting with the cake and créme anglaise (custard) or like me, make it with custard powder. I get my stock from home and it's as good as made-from-scratch custard. The jelly too is made from a pack, my favourite flavours are orange and strawberry.  As for the fruits, it's always a large can of cling peaches. For texture, I like to add toasted almonds. As for the cake, I always bake a pound cake, slice it into thick slabs and sandwich them with strawberry jam. (A trifle is a great way to use up stale or leftover cake.)

Trifle trivia - Trifle history reveals that the first trifles were a combination of biscuits (sometimes cake), custard and alcohol and were probably made around the mid-1700s!

Here's the recipe:

Old Fashioned English trifle

Ingredients

500 gm vanilla pound cake.
Jam
1/4 cup sherry (can use orange juice)
1/4 cup peach syrup (from the can)
2 packs fruit flavoured jelly crystals
3 tablespoons custard powder (I use Bird's)
4 tablespoons sugar
600 ml milk
I large can peach halves, cut in large squares. Reserve some for the top.
200 gm whipping cream
2 tablespoons icing sugar

An 8" glass bowl

To decorate
3 tablespoons slivered almonds, lightly toasted
Sprinkles

Method
Start a day earlier, follow packet instructions to make the jelly. If using two different flavours, set them in separate moulds.
To make custard, mix the custard powder and sugar with a little of the milk. Place the remaining milk into a saucepan and when nearly boiling, stir in the custard powder-sugar mixture.
Whisk the custard till it thickens, allow to come to a boil and simmer for a minute.
Remove from heat, cover with cling film to prevent a skin forming.
Cool to room temperature.
 
When you are ready to assemble the trifle, slice the cake into slabs, sandwich with jam.
Cut into cubes and arrange them inside a large clear glass bowl.
Moisten the cake with the sherry (or orange juice) mixed with the peach syrup.
Scoop out blobs of jelly, place them over the cake, top with fruit and most of the toasted nuts.
Stir the cooled custard till smooth and pour over the jelly and fruits (if the custard is warm, the jelly will definitely melt).
Leave to set in the fridge for a couple of hours till the custard is cold.

Whip the cream with icing sugar till it forms soft peaks.
Pipe or scoop over the custard layer, top with the remaining diced peaches and toasted nuts.
Leave to set in the fridge for about 8 hours or even overnight.

*To make this a completely no-egg dessert, use an egg free cake and packaged custard powder;
*Any fruit can be used, stew them before use with the exception of mangoes, oranges and bananas;
*Nuts may be omitted;
*You could substitute sherry with any other liqueur
*Omit liqueur especially if giving to young children;
* You could make your own créme anglaise in place of packaged custard powder.

Baketales is now 6 years old and how better to celebrate than with a recipe! So go on, make a trifle and impress your family and guests. Thank you for keeping us going!

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NZ Roadtrip: 2. To Dunedin, Lanarch Castle and dark chocolate orange pannacotta

Lake Tekapo is situated somewhat in the middle of New Zealand's South Island. Most people who drive from Christchurch to Lake Tekapo usually continue westwards towards the glacier regions but not us - we drove back east and travelled along the coastal road. It took us around 4 hours to reach Dunedin but the scenery along the way was spectacular - the steely blue of the Pacific Ocean on one side and mountains on the other. Much of the journey was through the undulating countryside and past cattle stations; cows, alpacas and sheep provided several photo ops.

The Pacific Ocean

Roads in S. Island are very well maintained, drivers are courteous. Occasionally we would pass other cars or camper vans. Whenever there was a bridge, the right of way would be clearly marked.

Dunedin is the Gaelic name for Edinburgh, many of the early settlers were from Scotland. The town's main business is education, the University of Otago, New Zealand's first university was set up there in 1869. The city sits at the head of the Otago Harbour and is a busy place where cars and buses rush along the streets.

Victoria Hotel Dunedinn

We checked into the Victoria Hotel Dunedin. From the window of our suite, we could see the Cadbury factory which was where we were headed next. A quick walk up the street and we made it just in time to join the Cadbury World tour.

Chocolate heaven - the Cadbury factory; my chocolate loot

Louis, our guide, took us out through a side door to a large locker where we had to leave our jackets, cameras and mobile phones. Cadbury has a no-photo policy inside the factory.

A gleaming purple and gold Cadbury milk truck. The green building in the distance is the silo

This is a milk delivery van that was used by Cadbury when they started production. Louis pointed to a silo in the distance and told us that was part of the original factory. The Cadbury World tour does not take you into actual production areas but there's a sensory room where you get to smell the various essences that go into the fillings that are then coated with chocolate. Also, a demo on tempering chocolate after which we could fill our little cups with melted chocolate and top it with a variety of toppings - from sprinkles to marshmallows to popcorn. We were shown how jaffas, chocolate balls coated with orange-flavoured shells are made and from there, led up inside the silo. There is a balcony on one of the landings and we could see the city of Dunedin from there. Louis pointed to a ridge that stood across the Otago Harbour and told us that New Zealand's only castle was located there! Getting back into the silo, we were instructed to stay well away from the middle and then there was a swoosh and a sheet of molten chocolate fell all the way from the top to the base of the silo. Of course we wanted a repeat performance and they obliged. At every stop we made, Louis would hand over chocolates and at the last stop, we were each given a large bar of milk chocolate.

If you do this tour and if the sights and smells of chocolate have not knocked your olfactory senses out of whack, there is a chocolate store on the premises where all the chocolates made in the the factory are sold. The most popular, we were told, are jaffas and chocolate-coated pineapple chunks.

Fair warning!

A castle in New Zealand was something we definitely could not miss. It was a 15 km drive from the chocolate factory and on the way, we passed this sign that had us in splits. Mt. Horrible, by the way, is an extinct volcano.

Larnach Castle; the main entrance

Larnach Castle was built in 1871 by William Larnach, a banker. There are stories of scandals, paranormal events and tragedies that took place within its walls, in reality, the castle was a private residence. Situated on the ridge of the Otago peninsula, it offers a fabulous view of the harbour and the Pacific Ocean. It was in a run-down condition when it was bought by the Barker family in 1967 and who now live in it and are restoring it to its former glory. Situated within a 14 ha property, the entrance is guarded by stone lions and eagles.

China plates and a recipe book on display

Visitors are encouraged to go around to all the rooms that are open to the public. It is indeed a stately home with magnificent ceilings and a lot of the original furniture. The music room has a piano and anyone who can play it well is encouraged to. From the ornate dining room, we went past the pantry whose shelves held beautiful china dinner sets, there was even a recipe book on display. Hmm... the cooks at Larnach Castle must have made some delicious meals.

Ceilings at Larnach Castle; the Staircase; nursery; the steamer trunk; view of the Harbour from the Castle

Going up the wooden stairs, we admired the gleaming banisters. A gleaming brass bassinet stood in the middle of the nursery. In another bedroom, there's a steamer trunk as big as a dresser (I guess one can't pack light for a long sea journey!)

Back in the city, we had a birthday to celebrate. Speights Brewery, in operation since 1876 was our destination. In spite of a slight drizzle, we decided to walk there as we were warned that parking might be a problem. Thankfully, we didn't have to go anywhere near Baldwin Street, reputed to be the steepest urban street in the world. Speights didn't disappoint, their pub food is superb.

Speights signage; Old Dark; cider & Old Pale - all spectacular!

Rattray Street ribs; Brewer's braised steak; "The Holmdale Salmon"; pecan tart & Fiordland venison

I love pannacotta and this recipe has been inspired in part by the jaffas during our visit to the Cadbury factory. Of course, I had to put a baketales spin on it so I've used dark chocolate rather than milk chocolate. You could use milk chocolate instead if you like. 

Dark chocolate and orange pannacotta

Dark chocolate and orange pannacotta

Ingredients
400 gm cream
4 tablespoons sugar
150 gm dark chocolate chunks
1½ teaspoons gelatin, sponged in 2 tablespoons water
Pared rind of 1 orange
6 small ramekins

Method
Place cream and sugar in a saucepan, stir and heat over a medium flame till it reaches boiling point.
Remove from heat, stir in chocolate chunks, gelatin and pared orange rind.
Mix till smooth, leave to cool to room temperature.
Strain into the ramekins and leave to set in the fridge for about 4 hours.

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NZ Roadtrip: 1. The land of kiwis and a recipe for berry scones

The roadtrip around New Zealand's South Island was done in September 2016. Weather-wise, it's the perfect time of year.
This is a 6-part series. As with all my travel posts, I have a recipe at the end of each part.

The Māori name for New Zealand's South Island is Te Waipounamo; pounamo is a greenstone, a kind of jade, highly prized by the Māori.

It's a 10 hour flight from Singapore to Christchurch, South Island's largest city. In the arrival hall at the airport, our group of 4 was greeted by a sign that read Kia Ora - the Māori phrase of welcome.

Map of South Island (pic courtesy www.goway.com)

We were on a 12 day road trip (11 days of driving) around S. Island but first, we had to go collect the rental car. The agency, Go Rental sent around a van to collect us and our baggage and took us to their office a couple of kilometers away. Everything was well organised, paperwork done quickly and in no time, we had packed our stuff and ourselves into a roomy Hyundai Santa Fe. GPS showed the way to the Airbnb we had booked at but on the way, we stopped at the Christchurch Farmer's Market at the historic Riccarton House and Bush.

Trees, bushes, a stream and ducks!

The grounds the market was situated in were beautiful, a gurgling stream flowed by and there were ducks swimming in it. How idyllic! Stalls had been set up selling the freshest of greens, artisanal cheeses, nut butters and tubers. There were also stalls selling Japanese food, grilled meats, bakes and bread but we settled for coffee which was the best thing for the 11°C temperature.

Farmer's Market produce - lettuce; apples; shallots, carrots & oca yams

Home made cakes; salami; rolls & bread; cheeses; Manuka honey

Stalls selling Korean noodles, sausages & coffee

Comfortable room at the Airbnb; train tracks behind the house

The house we had booked to stay in was easy to locate and we had the whole top floor to ourselves. Neat and cozy, it was a relief to see electric blankets and room heaters ready to be switched on. Behind the house, there were train tracks and our host Rosie told us that a tiny train passed by 5 times a day! And that was the only noise we would hear when indoors. I didn't see the train but heard it trundling along sometime late in the night!

The damaged Christchurch Cathedral

A quick freshen up and we were soon driving around the streets of Christchurch. Several of the streets in the central business district had been damaged in earthquakes and work was on to repair them and this resulted in many roads being made one-way. One of the casualties was Christchurch Cathedral which had taken a big hit in 2011, causing the spire to collapse.

Majestic trees at the Christchurch Botanic Gardens

We drove to the Botanic Gardens to have a look. A river flowed just outside, the mandatory ducks swam in the icy cold water. It was getting dark at 8 in the evening but we did manage to walk around and admire azaleas in full bloom and take a few shots of the magnificent trees.

Dinner at Novotel's The Square- ouzo Greek salad; duck fat potato, broccoli with almonds, seafood chowder; NZ sirloin steak

By sundown, traffic in the city had thinned down considerably. The Square Restaurant, Novotel Christchurch was where we popped in for an early dinner. If ever you are there, do try the seafood chowder which is absolutely delightful.

The next morning, after a breakfast of cereal, toast, a range of NZ's jams, honey, peanut butter and coffee, Rosie sent us off with invaluable tips on sights to look out for on our drive to Lake Tekapo. Driving along the vast Canterbury plains, I think that when we all fell in love with the island. Soon, mountains, some covered with snow and impossibly blue lakes became our constant companions. Smooth roads and the beautiful pastoral countryside made the journey pleasant. On the way, we saw plenty of sheep and cows. Dairy, along with tourism is the backbone of New Zealand's economy. Every turn on the road would reveal beautiful scenery and our cameras would always be on the ready.

Farm Shop cafe specials - slices, pies&quiche; salads, scones & biscuits

We stopped for coffee at the Farm Shop Cafe, and a filo pie and a quiche. There was a store at the back of the cafe that had a lot of local fruit, veg and cheese for sale.

Lake Tepako

Three hours later, the shores of Lake Tekapo came into view. The beautiful expanse of turquoise coloured water and snow covered mountains in the distance is a never-ending source of attraction for visitors.

Cabins by the lake; view of the lake from indoors( it was really cold outside)

Lake and mountain

We were staying at the Lake Tekapo Holiday Park. From our cabin, we had an unhindered view of the enchanting milky blue lake fringed by mountains.

Lake Pukaki just before sunset

Half an hour away by road from Lake Tekapo is Lake Pukaki, the largest of the 3 alpine lakes in the Mackenzie Basin. We parked the car and walked through clumps of grass to get a closer look. There was a gentle breeze blowing but the surface of the lake was mirror smooth, reflecting the snow clad mountains that stood behind it and lit by the rays of the setting sun.

Dinner at Poppies - local salmon with spinach, bean burrito, sole with Hollandaise, chocolate fondant

Twizel is a large town  but at that time of the evening, the roads were mostly deserted. We made a stop at a nearby supermarket to stock up on  bread and eggs for the next day's breakfast. Every Airbnb and motel we had booked at had facilities for cooking.

Poppies Cafe & Restaurant came highly recommended and the charming cafe served one of the best dinners we had in South Island. Fresh local salmon from the nearby river was the highlight of the meal. Service was super efficient and friendly. On the way back, we contemplated going to the St. John's Observatory to view the stars in the southern skies but it was a cloudy night so we gave it a miss.

Church of the Good Shepherd

Leaving the cabin beside Lake Tekapo was a wrench but we had one more stop - The Church of the Good Shepherd situated along the shore of the lake. Built in 1935, the altar of this stone church looks out over the lake; how meaningful it is to praise the Creator in these surroundings.

The scones at Farm Shop Cafe were bursting with fresh blueberries. Now back home, getting berries is impossible so I used a mix of dried berries ...and guess what - it did taste nice, they even plumped up a bit. Here's the recipe:

Cherry and berry scones

Ingredients
100 gm mixed dried berries (I used cherries, blueberries and cranberries. Cut the cherries and cranberries into halves)
340 gm plain flour
3 tsp baking powder, 3/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda, 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp sea salt (ordinary salt is also fine)
130 gm cold butter cut in cubes
1 cup cold milk
1 tbsp vinegar
A little milk to brush over
Brown sugar for topping

Method
Stir vinegar into the cold milk, leave in the fridge while assembling the other ingredients.
Sieve flour along with baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and cream of tartar into a roomy bowl.
Add in sugar and salt.
Rub the butter into the flour mix till it looks like breadcrumbs. Also add in the fruits
Make a well in the centre of the bowl, stir the milk and add enough to bring it together into a soft dough. Don't overwork the dough or your scones will not rise.

Triangular scones

Dust a worktop with a little extra flour, shape the dough into a circle and either pat it out or roll lightly to 1" thickness. (I rolled mine into a rectangle as I wanted triangles.)
Use a floured 3" cookie cutter or slice into squares or rectangles and arrange on a parchment-lined baking tray.

The brown sugar adds crunch

Brush the top with milk and sprinkle over a little brown sugar.
Bake immediately in a preheated 210°C oven for about 10 minutes.

Ready to eat

These scones will not rise much because of the quantity of fruit in them. Serve with butter and jam, delicious plain as well. 

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