Coconut Milk Sorbet

Hey Guys and Girls! 

Its coming to the last month of Summer, here in Australia and I figured making cool treats before the cool days of Autumn sets in, is a good idea. I got this amazing recipe from a fellow blogger, The Hungry Mouse and with a few tweaks its still as amazing! 

This sorbet exerts the aromas of coconut, and tastes absolutely beautiful! Its so light and refreshing as a sorbet should be and is extremely creamy! This recipe yields an entire square cake pans amount of sorbet, if that makes any sense.

Ingredients:

• 2 Cans (400ml each) Coconut Milk
• 1 1/2 Cup Caster Sugar

• 1 - 2 tsp Vanilla Essence (depends on your taste)

Method:

1. Place the sugar and vanilla in a bowl and mix until the vanilla essence is fairly distributed through the sugar.
2. Pour half a can of the Coconut Milk into the bowl with the sugar and whisk until the sugar is dissolved.
3. Slowly incorporate the rest of the Coconut Milk and place into a blender. Blend on high for 2 - 3 minutes until the mixture is foamy and thoroughly blended.
4. Pour the mixture into a freezer safe container. I used a square cake pan that you would normally use to make brownies in. Freeze for 3 - 4 hours, or until firm.
5. When the coconut mixture is frozen, break it up and blend the mixture on high for 2 - 3 minutes until smooth. Pour the mixture in the container and freeze once again. Repeat this procedure two - three more times, until the mixture is frozen smoothly (meaning without any ice crystals).
6. The Coconut Milk Sorbet is now ready to serve.
   

SO until next time...

Thanks for Reading, 

Lusciously Decadent Writer :)

Nutella Mousse

Hey Guys and Girls! 

As you can probably tell, I'm in a Nutella Phase at the moment and that's cause I'm gonna be out of the house and I don't want our jar of nutella to go off or get wasted while I'm gone. So i figured I'd go on a dessert rampage including Nutella, and as a result, here's my second Nutella recipe. This mousse is so light, fluffy, simple, and mouthwateringly good! So  definately give it a go.

This recipe approximately yields 4  - 1/3 cup mousses 

Ingredients:

• 3/4 Cup (180ml) Thickened Cream
• 2 - 3 tablespoons Icing Sugar

• 1/ Cup Nutella, at room temperature

• 1/2 teaspoon Instant Coffee Powder*

• 2 - 3 tablespoons Boiling Water

• Pinch of Salt**

* You may have heard this tip around, and may I add, it makes any chocolate dish that tiny bit more AMAZING. I'm not a coffee drinker, in fact I despise coffee, it's way to bitter. But in saying that, when you add brewed coffee into any chocolatey mixture, the tastes of that chocolate elevates so much that you'll be thinking why didn't I do this earlier. So definately do this. Also the amount of water you'll need depends on how strong the taste of coffee you want to be present in you mousse. I used roughly 3 tablespoons water and it gave me this nice background flavour whilst still making my mousse amazing!

**the salt may seem unusual, but it is crucial, as it brings out the sweetness and the intense flavours that are present in any sweet/baked goods. 

Method:

1. Place the instant coffee powder and the water  in a bowl and stir to combine.
2. Stir in the Nutella and the Salt, until the mixture is beautifully combined. 
3. Whip the cream with the sugar until hard peaks form.
4. Whisk in 1/4 of the cream mixture into the Nutella mixture and stir till combined.
5. Pour the Nutella mixture into the entire Cream mixture and then lightly fold until all combined. 
6. Pour into prepared glasses, and refrigerate until firm, 3 4 hours minimum but overnight works best as it allow the Nutella to infuse and obtain this beautiful chocolatey taste.
7. Remove from the fresh, garnish with what you would like, such as Strawberries, more cream, etc and ENJOY!

SO until next time...

Thanks for Reading, 

Lusciously Decadent Writer :)

Nutella Truffles

Hey Guys and Girls! 

Truffles - pure heaven in your mouth, and its chocolate, so nothing can beat it! I got this recipe again from the wonderful Laura Vitale and tweaked it just a little. It is so simple and easy and makes a beautiful little christmas gift. Just a note, I doubled up on the recipe, so I made roughly about 46 teaspoon sized truffle balls. So here goes!

Ingredients:

• 475g Milk Cooking Chocolate, chopped roughly
• 300ml Thickened Cream
• 80g Butter, cubed and softened
• 1 cup Nutella (Chocolate Hazelnut Spread)
• 2 pinches of Salt*
• Your choice of coating - Sprinkles, Cocoa Powder, Icing Sugar, Coconut, Hazelnuts etc. 

*the salt may seem unusual, but it is crucial, as it brings out the sweetness and the intense flavours that are present in any sweet/baked goods. 

Method:

1. Place the chocolate into a heat-safe bowl and set aside.
2. Place the butter and the cream in a saucepan, and bring up to a simmer, making sure to mix to ensure the butter melts and turn off.
3. Pour the cream mixture on the chocolate and set aside for 2 minutes.
4. Whisk the chocolate and cream mixture until smooth and shiny. Make sure to whisk a lot to ensure the chocolate is smooth and that the heat escapes to allow the next step to be effective.
5. Whisk in the salt and the Nutella and ensure all is combined.
6. Pour the mixture into a Lamington tray and place in the fridge to set for 3 - 4 hours. 
7. Using a teaspoon, take the mixture and roll into a bowl and dip into your desired dipping. I used sprinkles, coconut, cocoa powder and icing sugar. 
8. Place the complete truffle balls, onto  a tray lined with baking paper and place in the freezer for 2 hours or until firm.
9. After the freezing time is complete, return to the fridge and enjoy.

I used these as a cute Christmas gift, for my family and friends. To do what I did in the below picture, I used paper cups that I had remaining from my brothers 21st - 2 years ago and i followed this tutorial, Zakka Life, and as you can see, the finished product is adorable! I just decorate the cups with some Christmas writing along the base and a paper ribbon, as well as a label to say what was inside. 

SO until next time...

Thanks for Reading, 

Lusciously Decadent Writer :)

Garlic Naan

Hey Guys and Girls! 

Naan - a beautiful bread that many people have come to love! I went through numerous recipes for Naans, with yeast, without yeast, with eggs, without eggs, with yoghurt without yoghurt, and finally I came across this one. AussieGriller Naan Bread's recipe has got so many compliments, so I figured this is the best recipe for me to test. And this recipe is the BEST! I did tweak the recipe slightly because initially I didn't have enough yoghurt, but the recipe worked just as good. Also, I added more flour because the dough was far to sticky. This recipe also makes 6 Long naans, so here goes!

Ingredients:

• 340g Plain Flour + 1 Cup* Plain Flour Extra
• 190ml Lukewarm Water
• 2 1/2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2/3 Cup Yoghurt**
• 1 Teaspoon Sugar
• 7 grams Yeast Sachet
• 1 tsp Salt
• 6 Tablespoons Butter/Meadowlea
• 3 Cloves of Garlic, finely sliced/diced
• Some Coriander

* This depends on how sticky your dough is when kneading
** Because I had very little Yoghurt, I did 135g (1/3 Cup + Half 1/3 cup) Yoghurt and then 40ml (Half 1/3 Cup) of Milk, and it worked well, as you can see in my below picture. 

Method:

1. Melt the butter in a microwave safe bowl and then submerge the garlic and coriander. Set aside for when you're cooking the Naan. 
2. Mix the sugar and yeast together with the water. Set aside for 5 - 10 minutes to activate.
3. Sift the plain flour into a large bowl and add the salt.
4. Once the yeast is activated, whisk in the Yoghurt and Olive Oil.
5. Make a well in the centre of the Flour mixture, and slowly using your hand or a spoon, mix until all the flour is combined. At this stage the mixture will be really sticky.
6. Add the extra flour, 1/2 at a time, and knead until the dough is no longer sticky and becomes elastic (roughly 10 Minutes). ***
7. Oil a bowl and place the round dough and cover with Cling/Plastic Wrap. Set aside in a warm place for 2 Hours to rise. ****
8. Once the prooving stage is done, the dough is ready to be rolled. Punch the dough to release the air and split the dough into 6 equal balls. 
9. Heat a Tawa on high and then lightly oil the plate.
10. Place 1 dough ball in between 2 sheets of Baking Paper and then roll out to a thin tear shape. Do this for all the dough balls.
11. Once the tawa is hot enough, place the rolled Naan onto it and cook till it bubbles, and then turn and cook on the other side.
12. Once the naan is cooked, brush on the butter mixture and set aside to cool ever so slightly.
13. Do this for all the Naans and serve!

***I used roughly 1 cup, maybe more for my dough to become elastic, so it depends on how your dough is at that time. It is a mere estimate of 1 cup, so don't be dependant on that. Just add as much is needed. 

****I place any dough that needs to rise, in my Microwave. The Microwave is off, but because its a compartment where hardly any air drafts can come, this allows the dough to activate quicker. A special thanks goes to Laura Vitale for this awesome tip!

. 

You can tell how fluffy the naans are, and the garlic butter mixture just exerts the aroma's of garlic which is just beautiful! SO until next time...

Thanks for Reading, 

Lusciously Decadent Writer :)

Peanut Butter & White Choc Muffins

Hey Guys and Girls! 

Peanut Butter - a glorious substance that is amazing in baked goods, like cookies, muffins, pancakes... just thinking about them makes my mouth water. And as such, this peanut butter muffin will too make yours! As a kid, I never enjoyed PB,. but over the last year, one of my dear friends, Lakshu, has got me addicted by enticing me with PB Cookies, which will too be posted on this blog. So here goes!

Source: Hershey's Kitchen

This recipe yields 12 Muffins

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp Butter
• 3/4 cup Smooth Peanut Butter
• 3/4 cup Caster Sugar
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup Milk
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 1 1/2 cup Plain Flour
• 3/4 cup White Chocolate Chips
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/4 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/4 tsp Salt

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Line a 12 cup Muffin Pan with paper pans and set aside. 
2. Sift the Flour, Baking Powder, Baking Soda and Salt together. Add the chocolate chips to this mixture and set aside.
3. Beat the Butter and Sugar until slightly pale and creamy. Beat in the Peanut Butter until thick. 
4. Beat in the eggs, one at a time until fully incorporated. 
5. Stir in milk and vanilla and beat once again until thick.
6. Fold the entire flour mixture into the butter/milk mixture and make sure the flour is well incorporated. 
7. Pour the muffin mixture into the muffins cups until 3/4's full.
8. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. **
9. Allow to cool, or enjoy warm!

**When I made my muffins, it took close to 25 - 20 minutes, because I was baking cookies at the same time, so at the 15 minute mark, check with a clean skewer/toothpick to see whether its cooked. If its not cooked, place back into the oven for 5 minute intervals until fully cooked.   

This recipe isn't like muffins which are overly sweet. Its got the perfect amount of sugar and Peanut Butter, so like I enjoyed it, I hope you do too!

Thanks for Reading, 

Lusciously Decadent Writer :)

Lemon & Herb Grilled Chicken

Hey Guys and Girls! 

This is something, I have been making the past few days that is incredible easy and delicious and goes perfect with a side salad. This recipe is for 1 Chicken Breast, but feel free to double it for more than 1 serve! So here goes!

Ingredients:

Chicken Breast

• 1 Chicken Breast, butterflied, cleaned and dry
• Salt & Pepper to Taste

Lemon & Herb Sauce

• 1 Tablespoon Butter/Meadowlea
• Generous amount of Pepper & Oregano
• 1/2 Lemon, juiced

Method:

1. Place the chicken breast on a plate and generously salt and pepper it. Spray the chicken with a generous spray of Olive Oil or Canola Oil.
2. Heat a pan to high and sear/brown the chicken on both side and put aside. At this stage the chicken will not be cooked, but will soon be in the sauce.
3. In the same pan, melt the butter, and place the juice of half a lemon, a generous sprinkle of pepper and oregano and allow to brown on high. 
4. Place the chicken back in the pan and cook till the chicken is no longer pink or a skewer placed in the thickest part allows clear juices to flow. 
5. It is now ready, and goes well with a salad like as shown below. Enjoy!

Thanks for Reading, 

Lusciously Decadent Writer :)

Choc Ripple Cake

Hey Guys and Girls! 

Another popular recipe that a lot of people down under know and love! Its the Famous Choc Ripple Cake, also known as an icebox cake or kind of like a biscuit pudding. The cream content in this may seem like a lot, but because its absorbed by the biscuits, you will need it. But in saying that you don't need to eat a lot, just a small slice will suffice.... but if you're anything like me, you'll go back for seconds... and thirds. So here goes!

**Serving Suggestion: Flan out a Strawberry, for a simple and elegant decoration. See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mma4wgX22wg for a how to Video.

Ingredients:

• 600ml Thickened Cream
• 250g (1 Pack) Choc Ripple Biscuits 
• 1/8 Cup Icing Sugar
• 1 tsp Vanilla Essence
• 100 - 200ml Thickened Cream, additional for cracks that appear
• Slight squeeze of Lemon Juice

Method:

1. Place the desired serving dish in the fridge. 
2. Whip the 600ml of the Thickened Cream with the icing sugar, lemon juice and vanilla extract until stiff.
3. Spread some whipped cream along the base of the serving dish. This acts as a cushion for the biscuits.
4. Place 1 biscuit upright and continue sandwiching using a tablespoon of cream. Continue doing this until a log is formed. 
5. Using the remainder cream, spread it across the top Sandwich the biscuits using 1 - 2 tablespoons of cream. Stack into your desired shape and then smother the remainder cream on top of the log. (I stacked my choc ripple cake with 5 sandwiched biscuits per row until all used up. This allow the log to be long yet easy to cut to serve).
6. Place the log into the refrigerator for a minimum of 6 hours but overnight is best. 
7. After this time limit is reached, you can see that the cream has been absorbed and spectacles of the biscuits are visible. If you're a perfectionist like me, using the remainder cream, whip until stiff with some icing sugar, lemon juice and vanilla and smother the top of the log once more. Refrigerate once more.
8. Slice on the opposite direction to how you stacked it and serve. This will let you see the biscuit layers within this case.
9. ENJOY!

**Note: the lemon juice is only tiny and don't think that it will make the cream tangy becasue it won't. A friend let me know of this tip, and it helps whip the cream faster and trust me - it WORKS!

**Serving Suggestion: Splatter some Raspberry Coulis or sauce with some fresh Raspberries in the center. 

Thanks for Reading, 

Lusciously Decadent Writer :)