Fresh Strawberries, Shredded Coconut, Butternut Snap Crumble

This is one of the easiest desserts I've ever come up with, and takes next to no time!

fresh strawberries, shredded coconut, butternut snap crumble

Ingredients

• 4 butternut snap cookies
• 1/2 punnet fresh strawberries
• 2 tbsp shredded coconut
• 1 tsp milk (optional)
• Ice-cream or yoghurt (I didn't have any in the fridge, but it definitely needed it)

Method

• To make the base, place cookies into a snap lock bag and break them into crumbs (you can use a rolling pin or a pestle).
• Pour crumbs into bottom of bowl. Mix in half the shredded coconut. Drizzle with a little milk and heat in the microwave for 10-20 seconds to soften the cookie crumbs to form a base.
• Chop strawberries, scatter over base, sprinkle over the remaining coconut. Refrigerate until base is set.
• Serve with ice-cream. If you want, you can also reserve some of the cookie crumbs to sprinkle over the top at the end.

Chocolate Crackle Nests

Having been rostered on to supply afternoon tea on the day before the Easter, I decided to make chocolate crackles with an Easter theme. This recipe is a simpler version and instead of using copha, uses Mars Bars to give it a stickier and more caramel taste.

chocolate crackle nests

Ingredients

• 3 cups Rice Bubbles
• 200g Mars bars
• Cocoa powder or dark chocolate
• 1 tbsp cream
• Easter eggs (one for each crackle nest)

Method

• Melt Mars Bars, cream and dark chocolate over a pot of boiling water. Mix well.
• Stir through the Rice Bubbles.
• Immediately spoon mixture into patty pans and form a small well in the centre.
• Place an Easter egg into the centre of each nest.
• Chill in fridge overnight.

Cantonese Egg Tarts

A traditional yum cha dessert...

egg tarts

Tart Crust

• 220g plain flour
• 80g caster sugar
• 150g butter, cubed
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp salt

Egg Custard Filling

• 1 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 pinch salt

Method: Tart Crust

• Sift flour and sugar into mixing bowl.
• Add in butter, egg and salt.
• Mix with hand mixer on lowest speed (or whisk by hand).
• Once dough starts to come together, turn it onto a floured surface and roll it into a log.
• Cut the log into 20 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and then flatten.
• Place dough into muffin well, press and shape some walls.

Method: Egg Custard Filling

• Pour all custard ingredients into a pot and set over the lowest heat (less than 50 degrees celsius).
• Stir custard in one direction with a whisk until all the sugar has dissolved.
• Sieve the custard through a strainer. Cool and set aside.
• Skim off foam and solid particles.

Method: Assembly

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius.
• Pour custard into tart shells to about 80% full.

ready for baking

• Bake at 180 degrees celsius for 20 minutes.
• Custard should be firm and jelly-like when done.
• Cool for 30 minutes, then lift out of the muffin pan with a butter knife. (We used patty pans, which made it easier to remove).

The original recipe we used made more than four times the amount of filling required, so I have reduced the ingredients to the appropriate ratios. In order to finish off the filling, we used some store made shortcrust pastry. The results were not as great as the homemade tart crust, which was sweeter and more crumbly in texture.