Chocolate and Mango Tart

I came across this Curtis Stone's chocolate and mango tart recipe from the recent MasterChef Magazine and I couldn't wait to try it out. With mango in season, its easy to get good ones with some varieties having less pulp than the others. I chose the less fibrous one in order to achieve the glossy finish of the mango jelly. I think paring chocolate with mangoes is definitely a wining combination.

I am always having problems working with gelatine. I am not too sure about the conversion of gelatine leaves to the powder form.  However, I was lucky to find Matt Moran formula in one of the MasterChef magazine back issue (Issue 16, September 2011). He said" Gold strength leaves usually comes in 2g each and titanium is 5g. Leaves can be cut using scissors for precision. The equivalent weight of powder gelatine can be substituted for titanium-strength leaves but not gold strength. 1 tsp of powder gelatine is approximately 3.3g." Thanks to Matt, I was able to work out this recipe without any problems.

Tart :
200g plain flour
55g icing sugar
35g Dutch cocoa
100g chilled butter, roughly chopped
3 egg yorks

Chocolate Filling:
300ml thickened cream
400g milk chocolate roughly chopped

Mango Jelly:
3x 5g leaves titanium strength gelatine (I used 4 tsp of powder gelatine)
2 large ripe mangoes, flesh roughly chopped
60ml orange juice

Method (use a 26cm tart pan for this recipe):

1. Process flour, sugar, cocoa, butter and a pinch of salt in a food processor until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add egg yolks and process until mixture just come together. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and using the heel of your hand, bring pastry together. Shape into a round, wrap in a plastic wrap then refrigerate for an hour.

2. Roll out pastry between 2 sheets of baking paper until 4mm thick. Use pastry to line tart pan. Trim edge and using a folk to prick base. Rest the pastry in freezer for 30 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, to make chocolate filling, place cream in a saucepan over medium-high heat and bring almost to the boil. Remove from the heat add chocolate then stir until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.

4. Preheat oven to 180C. Line tart shell with baking paper, filled with weights (dried beans /rice) then bake for 10 minutes. Remove the weight and bake for further 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes.

5. Pour chocolate filling into tart shell then refrigerate for 30 minutes or until filling is just set.

6. To make jelly, place gelatine in a bowl of cold water for 3 minutes to soften, then squeeze out excess water. Meanwhile blend mango in a blender to a puree. Using the back of a spoon, push through a fine sieve into a bowl. (you need 300ml). Place orange juice in a saucepan over low medium heat and bring to a simmer. Add gelatine and whisk to combine.

7. Pour jelly over chocolate in tart shell. Spread evenly. Refrigerate for 1.5 hours or until set.

8. Remove tart from pan. Dip a large sharp knife in hot water, dry the blade, then cut tart into slices to serve.

Recipe adapted from : MasterChef Magazine, Issue 19,Dec2011/Jan2012, pg, 150

Financiers With Strawberry

Its Saturday afternoon, I am just going to do something simple for our afternoon tea today. As I still have a little bit of egg whites left over from making a chocolate tart paste, I decided to make these financiers which I came across in Bourke Street Bakery recipe book. This recipe is only involves a few ingredients and the best thing is, it does not require a mixer. They are so delicious that Jason and I have to fight for the last one. At last, we decided to share it out...half/half!

Ingredients: 

150g ground almonds

90g plain flour

240g icing sugar, sifted ( I only use 200g)

1 tsp baking powder

280ml (about 8) egg whites

250g unsalted butter, melted

6 strawberries, hulled and halved.

Method:

1.) Preheat oven to 190 C, lightly greased a standard ½ cup 12-hole muffin tin with butter.

2.) Put the flour, ground almonds, icing sugar and baking powder into a large mixing bowl. Add the egg whites a little at a time. Whisking well after each addition. Pour in the butter and whisk through until just combined.

3.) Spoon the mixture into the holes in the prepared tin until they are almost full. Gently place a strawberry half into the top of each financier.

4.) Bake in the oven for about 30minutes or until they are golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool and serve.

Tips:  According to the book, you may substitute half the ground almonds with ground coconut or pistachios to add a different flavour and texture to the cake. 

Recipe adapted from : Bourke Street Bakery by Paul Allum and David Mc Guinness; pg., 322 

Bouillabaisse - Mediterranean Fish Soup

When I was flipping my new cookbook Indochine by Luke Nguyeny, I was so keen to try out one of his crab recipes. However, finding fresh crabs is difficult especially out of season. I tried to source it out from the nearest famous fish shop however still no luck for crabs. I remembered Jane told me about the mussels she bought from the shop was very sweet and juicy. Instead of crabs I  arrived home with some mussels and barramundi fillets. I remembered I have seen some seafood recipes in my new French cookbook where I found this one. There you go – a very special Bouillabaisse (I don’t even know how to pronounce this French dish) haha!! Bouillabaisse is the most renowned French fish soup in the south of the country. Savored by the local fishermen.

Ingredients:
1kg mussels
1kg Barramundi fillet
2 tbs oil
1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
1 onion chopped
2 cans of chopped tomato (2x400g can)
1.25L fish stock or water
pinch of saffron threads
bouquet garni
5cm piece of orange zest

Method:
1. Scrub the mussels and remove their beards. Discard any mussels that are already open and don't close when tapped on the work surface. Cut fish into bite-sized pieces.

2. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and cook the fennel and onion for 5 mins, or until golden.

3. Add the tomato to the pan and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in the stock, saffron, bouquet garni and orange zest, then bring to boil and boil for 15 minutes. Push the soup through a sieve or puree in a blender. Return to the clean pan, season well and bring back to boil.

4. Reduce the heat to a simmer and add the fish and mussels. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the fish is tender. Throw out any mussels that haven't opened in this time. Serve with bread.

Reference : World Kitchen : France by Murdoch Book. pg, 102

Tip: Bouquet Garni is a classic flavouring for stocks, soups and stews. The ingredients include: Thyme, Parsley, Marjoram and Bay leaves. You can get it from the supermarket spice and seasoning section.