I road-tested Almond Breeze Chocolate a while ago.   This is highly unusual for me as I generally either make my own almond milk or simply buy the Almond Breeze unsweetened plain variety.  I like to add my own flavouring as whim takes me.   But sometimes late at night when I’m feeling lazy, it’s a godsend.  Plus it’s chocolate and I am never not in the mood for chocolate.   It is sweetened with raw sugar, and it is quite sweet, so I usually mix it with some plain unsweetened almond milk to suit my tastes.

I started cooking with it, of course, and it is fantastic in muffins, cakes, pancakes, and creamy desserts.  My favourite way to use it is to make a classic pastry cream, or custard.  For anyone who can’t have dairy, it makes a fantastic chocolate custard!

When your custard is made, it’s a simple hop, skip and a jump to gelato, isn’t it?  Indeed, yes.

I made gelato.

Actually, I’ve made this gelato a number of times already.  I love it because it is seems lighter than gelato made with dairy milk.  If you have a lactose intolerance or allergy to dairy, it also means you have a great tasting gelato you can enjoy without fear.

Sure, it’s technically winter here now and you might think it is a little chilly for gelato but … chocolate and almond gelato … it’s downright transseasonal, isn’t it?   Plus there’s that whole warm winter pudding with cold gelato combination that is so irresistable in winter

There is, of course, a little irony in my posting a gelato recipe now given I had a devil of a time taking photos on what turned out to be the gloomiest, dreariest day of the week.  But that is the danger and excitement of food blogging and photography when natural lighting is your thing.  Please forgive the unimpressive photos.  This gelato deserves a much more creative and sun-kissed styling.  Perhaps I will redo the photos next time, if the weather is willing.

I do rave about Almond Breeze a lot on the Chocolate Chilli Mango Facebook page and on Twitter.  I really like it as it is extremely convenient and doesn’t contain a lot of the unwanted added extras like sunflower oil, and other ingredients that are so often added to non-dairy milks.  It’s the next best thing if I don’t have time to make my own or I want need almond milk now and cannot wait to soak my almonds overnight and make it.

A few weeks ago, I attended a Blog the Breeze event, hosted by Almond Breeze Australia, with some amazing local health and wellness bloggers here in Melbourne.  It was a great opportunity to find out more about Almond Breeze (I really want a good unsweetened chocolate version … and vanilla) as well as mix it with some truly fantastic and inspiring bloggers.  Guess who was the odd one out?  I felt a bit like the devilish corruptor amongst all these pure and healthy angels.  Me with my multiple personality blog

The best part, for me, was discovering some wonderful women doing amazing work and sharing a whole range of healthy food and lifestyle resources … and they all come at it from different perspectives.  One thing we all share is a passion for finding a balanced, healthy life and the food we eat and enjoy is a large part of that.  Plus, a great sense of fun.  We made up some fabulous almond milk smoothies on the day and you can find the recipes here and here.

I love to scatter crushed crunchy Italian torrone over the top of the gelato and swirl it through for serving.    This recipe also doubles as a lovely dairy free pastry cream or custard.  It is brilliant served with fruit, to accompany a dessert, or to fill tarts, layer cakes, or eclairs.

Enjoy!

This is the chocolate almond milk I used in the recipe to follow.  Of course, you can start with plain almond milk and simply add more cacao or chocolate and sugar to the recipe to get the same result.

When Giles sends me on a mission, he says “please.” And afterwards I get a cookie.

I like the idea of cookies as a reward for a good deed done or an achievement reached.  Don’t you?

I’ve been watching reruns of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  Possibly my favourite show ever.  LOTS and LOTS of cookie references throughout the series.  She even references cookie dough.

Buffy: Because… okay, I’m cookie dough, okay?
Angel: Yet another curveball…
Buffy: I’m not done baking yet. I’m not finished becoming… whoever the hell it is I’m gonna turn out to be. I’ve been looking for someone to make me feel whole, and maybe I just need to be whole. I make it through this, and the next thing, and the next… maybe one day I turn around and realize I’m ready. I’m cookies. And then if I want someone to eat m — or, to enjoy warm delicious cookie-me, then that’s fine. That’ll be then. When I’m done.

Not a bad metaphor for life, really, is it?  Cookie dough.   But sometimes, you don’t have to wait for cookie dough to bake into cookies for it to be delicious.  Cookie dough can be … rather fantastic as cookie dough, no?  Especially with oats and chocolate chips

So it has been a big week for me.  Lots of dilemmas about the direction of the Chocolate Chilli Mango universe and a big week of training (and eating, yay!) that has left me just a bit sore and tired (in a good way) and frankly, in need of cookies!

I have to say that Chocolate Chilli Mango is most definitely in it’s cookie dough phase … so many ideas and so much stressing about which ones to focus on and trying to balance all of it with competing priorities.  I’m starting to get on top of it and am starting to accept that good things require patience.

I haven’t been baking many protein treats for myself lately.  No bars, no brownies, no muffins.  Nada.  Niet. I’ve been spending too much time being a total stress head.  So it was high time I made something.  Due to the protein treat drought, it had to have chocolate.  You don’t have to add chocolate to these cookies.  I do.  I really do.  But you don’t, if you don’t want to.  They would be just as good with some shredded coconut, your favourite dried fruit or berries, chopped nuts or seeds, or anything you like to throw in with your oats.

If sugar fits in with your macros, add some coconut palm sugar.  It is great in these cookies.   I opted for a granulated stevia sweetener that I substitute on a 1:1 basis for sugar.

Both rice protein and micellar casein powders will work well in these cookies and for the cookie dough truffles.  I used rice protein this time as I wanted to stress that you can make these dairy free.  Simply substitute a lactose or dairy free yoghurt, or coconut cream for the Greek yoghurt in the recipe.

I have used 100% cacao mass chips in both the cookies and cookie dough truffles, and used the same to enrobe the truffles.  That is fairly hardcore for a lot of people so just use your favourite chocolate, milk or dark.  Whatever fits your macros and you like best.  I think by now we all know that a mouthful of 100% cacao mass is bliss for me

I have been crumbling a cookie into some Greek yoghurt with fruit for dessert every night this week.  They are also great dunked in coffee, tea or a hot cocoa, or just serve them with some milk or a simple shake.  I’ve been making a simple double chocolate oat shake with oat milk, unsweetened cacao, whey protein isolate and maple syrup for a post workout treat or as a nightcap.   It is amazing served with a cookie on the side.

The truffles are just like cookie dough.  They are great dipped in chocolate or rolled in some cacao powder.

They are relatively low in calories and quite low in fat for a cookie.  I have used the minimum amount of oil and butter in order to still achieve a soft batch, chewy texture for the cookies and added Greek yoghurt in lieu of additional fats.

I hope you enjoy them.  I’m fairly sure they have been helping me gain clarity and purpose with all the fabulous things I am seeking to do this year.  Follow your dreams and fuel them with good stuff

Macros are included below the recipe for the main recipes and the Orange & Wattle Seed variation.

Oh yes, I am totally on the Dark Side of Chocolate

Macronutrient Profile

I have included macros for the recipe as stated above and for the orange and wattle seed variations.

I used 100% cacao chips and chocolate to coat the truffles.  I have included macros for the recipe with 70% cacao chocolate chips and couverture to coat the truffles, as an alternative.  If you use cacao or something else to coat the truffles, simply add the extra macro counts to the base values for the uncoated truffles.

If you subsitute dried fruit, nuts, or other ingredients for the chocolate, you will need to account for the differences, if you are tracking macros.

Note that I used rice protein powder, Chobani Greek yoghurt, Natvia stevia based sweetener, and macadamia nut oil to make these.  However, the suggested alternatives all work well … having tried them all

Cookies

Cinnamon Cookie Dough Truffles

Orange & Wattle Seed Cookie Dough Truffles

So, okay, I am due for another protein packed fighting fit recipe but, you know, there were cupcakes to be made.  Extra delicious cupcakes.  I also felt the urge to pipe swirls.  So cupcakes you shall have!

Not just any cupcakes.  Not dry sandy cupcakes.  Oh, now that’s something.  I really dislike dry, sandy cupcakes.  What is that about?  Cupcakes should not be a bland base for a super decorated technicolour frosted top.  In many cases, the frosting is overly sweet and barely edible.  We don’t subscribe to that here.  A cupcake should be delicious sans embellishment.  It should stand up on its own and be counted as a delightful mouthful of cakey pleasure for the senses.  The frosting should also be fragrant and delicious and make you unconsciously reach for a spoon … because it tastes so good.  Together they should transport your taste buds to a sensory heaven.  If you just get a mouthful of sparkly pink sugar atop a pretty sand castle … well … umm.  That is no fun at all.  That feast for your eyes is suddenly forgotten.

Colour and props are lovely but flavour and texture are the king and queen of cupcakery.  These cupcakes deliver them in spades.  Any colour and props we like to add are purely embellishments.

Passionfruit and chocolate are made for each other.  But then, passionfruit and cheesecake … that’s also a great partnership.  Wait … chocolate and cheesecake.  So much win right there.

All three together? It’s like a holy trinity of deliciousness!   It is also a perfect combination for this time of year … although I think it would be perfect any time of year

Soft, moist intensely chocolate cupcakes.  Creamy, rich cheesecake frosting with the tart freshness of a whole lotta passionfruit love.  Yes, you can eat the leftover frosting with a spoon.  I always make enough for extra frosting.  It must be done.

I used a medium closed star tip to pipe the frosting.  The main reason is that it was the first tip I picked up from my trusty box o’tips. 

Pipe and decorate these cupcakes any way you like.  I merely topped them with a little fresh passionfruit pulp.  One large passionfruit was enough to add a little to all twelve cupcakes.

It doesn’t take a trained eye to see that the Indian Summer we have experienced here in Melbourne is now well and truly over.  The weather has turned much cooler and this past week the skies have been more grey, dark and dreary than I care to think about.  This gets reflected in the lighting of my photographs but hopefully the lovely passionfruit colour (all natural) shines through, along with the chocolate.

Let the cupcakery begin.  Enjoy!

If you didn’t get the Wizard of Oz reference in the title, do you remember when the fab four were marching through the forest chanting “Lions and tigers and bears!”, as they made their way to the Emerald City?  I love that film.    I blame my mother for my love of classic Hollywood musicals … The Wizard of Oz, Singing in the Rain, Oklahoma, West Side Story, Calamity Jane, The Sound of Music … the list is long!  Technically, West Side Story is a full blown opera but that’s okay because I blame my mother for my love of the opera too … and the fact I seem to have all the words to all the songs tattooed on my brain after years of exposure.

It’s a grand thing

My mother has always loved music and she loves to sing.  So it is a blessing that she has the most amazing soprano voice.  To be honest, growing up in our family sometimes felt like being in the Von Trapp Family Singers (sans all the hotfooting it over the alps to freedom … ).   Listening to her singing with her brothers and sisters, is one of the great family memories I and my cousins will ever have.   As a teenager, she was encouraged to be formally trained but WWII and a stern, but loving, father meant she was never able to take up the opportunity.   It seems a shame, but she doesn’t seem too fussed about it.  Singing is just a part of her.   It’s just something she does.  She is eighty one now and still sings around the house as she has always done.

It is good to stop and remember some of the things that we love and appreciate about our mothers that perhaps we tend to take for granted.   Of course, I appreciate my mother’s strength, the values and love she has always given me, sometimes during very trying ordeals.   The way she cares for my father, now that they are both elderly.  The fact she has always been my best friend.   Her wisdom and commonsense, and a childlike sense of fun that belies her years.  Damn, she’s a huge fan of Buffy and Firefly and even enjoys Star Trek.  She is the perfect mamma for a diehard nerdy geek.

But I also appreciate her passing on her love of music, of song, and the need to sing when I am happy or sad or just because … and sometimes when I don’t know why.   Maybe it’s because of her.

Mum also loves a pear and almond tart for Mother’s Day … it’s the perfect Autumn dessert and a long-standing tradition.  Usually, I make a pear and almond frangipane tart, or a variation with walnuts like this one.  This year I made her something slightly different.  This tart has no pastry shell, is quick and easy to whip up, and just happens to be gluten-free.  It’s full of lovely caramelised coconut sugary toffee goodness.  It’s all sticky goodness with fresh pears and caramel flavours, but is still quite light.

Serve this tart at room temperature or slightly warmed with a thick or clotted cream.  It would also pair well with a scoop of ice cream.  Chocolate, almond, caramel, or Amaretto would be good flavour matches.  Of course, a great vanilla bean gelato would be perfection.

Tonight, we’ll be kicking back with a slice of pear tart and Les Misérables on blue ray.   Someone is having a special night in

There might be singing

Wishing all of you mothers out there a very happy Mother’s Day!  May you be loved and appreciated every single day of every year.

Ready for baking!

Nobody should be denied a little pleasure in life.  Nobody should have to make do with insipid desserts or cake just because they have an allergy, a food intolerance, or a medical condition.  Where there’s a will, there is always a way to be inclusive and leave everyone else none the wiser, with a fabulous cake or dessert.

This is pretty much the way my cake logic works all the time.  Whether I’m working on my fitness recipes, recipes suitable for various allergies and food intolerances, or to suit those with health issues, particularly diabetes.  I know what it’s like to have allergies and food intolerances from my own experience.  I am also a fitness freak … and I have numerous friends who fit into one or both of those camps.  I also have family and friends with various forms of diabetes.  It’s not always a lifestyle disease … particularly for those with Type 1 diabetes as children, or women who develop gestational diabetes during pregnancy.  Sometimes it will disappear post partum.  Not always.   That leaves you with quite a lot of adjustments to make to your lifestyle and diet, often during a period when you’re not getting enough sleep and have a new baby to look after.  That’s also a time when everyone around you wants to celebrate, what with the new arrival and all, right?  Egads.

So I made this cake for a dear friend (let’s call her P) who has recently given birth to her third gorgeous little boy, but who had to make some big adjustments to her diet during pregnancy.  It can be frustrating to measure your blood glucose and find that it rarely or never comes down to normal levels, despite making all the dietary changes you need to make.  It was amazing to find that after a slice of this cake, her blood glucose levels dropped considerably.  That’s double the joy … chocolate cake and a healthier blood glucose reading.  This cake is a bit magical like that.  I can’t promise it will do the same for everyone, but the worst thing is that you get a delicious slice of chocolate hazelnut torte.

How bad can that be?  (The correct answer would be “Not at all”)

Why chocolate and hazelnut?  Because she loves chocolate and hazelnut.   I like to be surrounded by like-minded individuals

This is for you, P.  I’m rather overdue with this recipe, but I hope I will be forgiven!

This cake is naturally very low in carbohydrates and sugars, obviously.  It is suitable for anyone with diabetes, following a low carb or ketogenic diet.

It is also gluten and wheat free and suitable for anyone with fructose (and fructan) malabsorption.   So it is a good option for a range of people.

I have not made this torte dairy free, although it can be adapted to be so fairly simply.    A lot of people would instinctively substitute coconut butter for the dairy butter and coconut cream for the dairy cream.  I would advise against that in this cake, as the coconut imparts a very strong flavour profile that will interfere with the whole chocolate hazelnut thing going on.   A better substitution would be to substitute an equivalent amount of cacao butter for the dairy butter and some homemade hazelnut or almond cream for the dairy cream.

I was playing chocolatier earlier today so I made some chocolate curls to decorate the cake along with some roasted hazelnuts I dipped in chocolate.  This cake would be lovely plain, topped with a simple ganache, or decorated with fresh berries and served with some lightly whipped cream or yoghurt.

It has a rich flavour but also a lovely lightness due to the use of cacao powder instead of melted chocolate.  It forms a little crust on top hiding a moist centre.

Nobody should be denied chocolate cake.  Enjoy

Well, this is unprecedented in recent history … I am posting a recipe before I’m good and ready to do so.

[EDIT: I was never going to be ready.  The photos and macros have been included as of 25 April 2013.  Quite appropriate really.]

But this is a special case.  Tomorrow is ANZAC Day and we are commemorating the contribution made by our armed forces in defence of our nation and our allies throughout history since World War I.    I am not going to rant on about the horrors of war, about conflicts past and present.  I just want to recognise and pay my respects to those who have often carried a heavy burden and have sometimes paid an even heavier price in these conflicts. We have a number of traditions here in Australia to mark the day.  There are dawn services all over the country, as well as at ANZAC Cove in Turkey, in France and Belgium, and elsewhere.  Many gather to share a beer and see friends they may only see once per year, perhaps even to indulge in a little gambling with a game of two-up, for old time’s sake.  Children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of soldiers old and young, join in the parade to march in place of family members who have paid the ultimate price in the call of duty.

LEST WE FORGET.

It’s a day of respect and solemn reflection on war, peace, and the state of humanity.  But we also have cookies.  Because hey, we’re Australian and we have to create a treat along with all the beer and gambling

Anyone not familiar with the tradition may still have heard of the famous ANZAC biscuit (or cookie).  It is a cookie that is chock full of oats and coconut and lots of butter and brown sugary awesomeness.  Sure, many have adapted the recipe over time to include chocolate chips, dried fruits and nuts, pretty much anything you can throw at a cookie.

I’m taking a different route … because let’s face it, our armed forces are full of guys and gals who are super fit and have mad survival skills.  The carbohydrates and fats won’t hurt them but hey, an ANZAC treat that has been boosted with some quality protein has to be a move in the right direction.  Keeping them all fighting fit … and let’s hope for a world where they are not required to fight.   Right?  Right.

So here they are … you can make these into cookies if you like.  I could not be bothered forming them into balls and flattening etc.  So I baked them in a slab and cut them into bars.

Now, the first time I made them, I used macadamia nut oil.  Partly because it tastes amazing, partly because it’s full of healthy mono-unsaturated fats, and partly because it’s a very Australian thing to do.   They did taste amazing!  But they don’t hold together very well as cookies or bars.   But I have an astounding tub of ANZAC crumble to swirl through my Greek yoghurt or on top of some poached fruit.  There is only WINNING here.

So, I made them again, but I used cacao butter instead.  Why?  Well, I think it adds a beautiful flavour and all that stearic acid gets converted into mono-unsaturated fats in the body and hey, it is cacao butter.   You can easily substitute dairy butter if you wish.

I have also used less sugar, but you don’t have to.  These bars are not about being low-fat or low-carb.  They are ANZAC biscuits and should stay true to the spirit of the ANZAC tradition.  But adding in some protein is a plus.

Of course, you can go ahead and make these as traditional ANZAC bars or biscuits.  Simply substitute plain flour for the rice protein and brown sugar for the coconut sugar and Natvia.  Substitute golden syrup for the maple syrup.  Use unsalted butter and increase the quantity of butter to 150 grams.

These bars are dairy (lactose) and tree nut free and can be gluten-free if you use gluten-free oats.  They are also low FODMAP if that is a concern for you.

Let’s hop to it.    You will find the macro details below the recipe, as usual.

Macronutrient Profile

The macros provided here are based on the recipe as stated above.  Remember to factor in any substitutions or additional ingredients, if you add them.

These macros include the optional cacao nibs, because of course I added them!

It started with yet another craving for chocolate hazelnut spread.  I was thinking Nutella but, you know, the Nutella I grew up with.  Not that sorry, trans fatty, overly sweet, where the hell are the hazelnuts and cacao spread that masquerades as Nutella these days.

Yes, I’m a little bitter about it.  No, I don’t plan to get over it anytime soon

Anywho, I kind of veered off the Nutella path a bit and thought, I like a little crunch in my spread.  Rocher.  Yes.

So I made a Rocher spread instead.  Of course, I had to add some protein and make it healthy.  This spread has a lot less fat than your average spread, less carbs, and definitely more protein than your average Nutella spread.  But it tastes amazing.

As I indicate in the recipe, you can use whatever suitable sweetener you prefer or fits your macros (if that’s important to you).  A few recommended alternatives are provided with the recipe.

I specifically used rice protein powder for this recipe.  Why?  Rice protein already has a nutty sweetness to it that goes extremely well with the hazelnuts and cacao, and helps to create that lovely Rocher flavour.  I would recommend against using whey or casein as they have a flavour that will compete with, rather than enhance, the chocolate and hazelnut combination.

This recipe is gluten-free and dairy (lactose) free and is suitable for anyone on a low FODMAP diet.  That’s a lot of win right there.

Macros magically appear at the bottom of the recipe as always.

Enjoy!

Oh, who are we kidding?  It’ll be lucky to last 24 hours. 

Go ahead.  Spread it on bread, crackers, whatever.  Use it to fill chocolate shells to make Rocher cups!

Feeling too lazy tired and hungry to muck about in the kitchen?   Grab a spoon.  The jar awaits! 

Yes, that would be my chicken claw delicate hand moving in to spread some on that crusty bread (that sadly, I’m not allowed to eat).  But let my hand be proof positive that this spread won’t make you a fatty boombada overnight

Macronutrient Profile

I have included macros as per the recipe stated above.  If you make substitutions, such as using extra hazelnuts, or all maple syrup or other sweeteners instead of  the Natvia, this will affect the macros.

You can only stay away from making pastry for so long before the desire overwhelms you like a tidal wave of flaky deliciousness … and you find yourself rolling and cutting out dough to line tart tins once more with delight.

Just me?  I doubt it.  But it certainly describes how I’ve been feeling for the past week or so.

I promised my father I would make some macarons this week, but not until I had made some raspberry tarts.  Autumn has arrived here at last (it took a while, what with our balmy Indian summer this year) and the raspberries are having their second fruiting.  I think autumn raspberries are the best.  They are the sweetest, tangiest, and most delicious and fragrant of all, and one of my favourite fruits.  I don’t like to fuss with them too much, preferring to let them take centre stage, atop a simple but sweet and delicate pastry.  It is the perfect setting.

Don’t be alarmed … there is no chocolate in this post.  Although, chocolate and raspberries?  Well, that is perfection, isn’t it?  Whether it be dark, milk, or white chocolate, you cannot go wrong.  But I didn’t want to overwhelm them this time.  So I’ve chosen a lemon thyme pastry crème to fill the tarts.  It’s sweet but not overly so and has a fresh tang of its own.  The lemon and herb infusion gives it a special zing.  Do try to infuse the lemon thyme in the milk and cream overnight, if possible, for the best flavour.

Choose the most perfect raspberries you can find for these tarts.   Whenever I make raspberry tarts, I always think of Jacques Genin (a master chocolatier and patissier of France and long time hero of mine).  He is such a perfectionist, he inspects every punnet of raspberries that arrives from the market each morning and selects each single berry for his tarts, rejecting those that are not absolutely perfect.  While it might seem a little obsessive compulsive, you have to applaud his passion for creating something wonderful.    I must admit, I found myself inspecting and selecting the best raspberries and then lining the tarts up in perfect rows to serve them, à la Genin.  Because I get where he’s coming from.  It isn’t because anyone else would notice or care.  They undoubtedly would not.

But I  care.

I hope you enjoy these tarts.  They are a simple classic with a fresh twist.  The classics done well are often the best, though, are they not?

How pretty are they?  I so desperately needed to make something as pretty as it is delicious.   I spend so much of my time eating for fuel.  These are the perfect antidote and escape.   Mission accomplished

Enjoy!

Print

Raspberry Lemon Thyme Tarts

Makes: 12 x 6 - 7cm tarts

Ingredients

Lemon Thyme Crème
• 300 grams cream (35% fat)
• 200 grams whole milk
• 10 grams sprigs of lemon thyme*
• zest of 1 medium lemon, finely grated
• 60 grams caster sugar
• 20 grams cornflour
• 76 grams egg yolks (4 large)
• *If you don't have lemon thyme, use regular thyme and add a little extra lemon zest, about half to one teaspoon.
Pasta Frolla (Pâte Sucrée)
• 175 grams plain flour**
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder**
• 50 grams caster sugar
• 125 grams unsalted butter, chilled
• 20 grams (1 large) egg yolk
• **Substitute a good quality gluten-free flour and baking powder, if you wish to make these tarts gluten-free. The texture will be less flaky and more crumbly (like shortbread) but will still be utterly delicious. This pastry lends itself well to a gluten-free version. I often make this pastry gluten-free with great results.
Assembly
• 225 grams raspberries
• pure icing sugar

Directions

Lemon Thyme Crème

Combine the cream and milk in a bowl. Remove the leaves from the lemon thyme sprigs and add them to the cream mixture. Do not add the stems, only the leaves. Add the lemon zest, and stir well. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or for at least 6 hours, to infuse.

Have an ice bath ready before you make the crème.

In a mixing bowl, add the sugar, cornflour, and egg yolks. Whisk together until creamy, and set aside. Transfer the lemon thyme cream infusion to a saucepan and place over a low to medium heat. Bring to a simmer and slowly strain the mixture, through a fine sieve, over the egg yolk mixture, in a steady steam, whisking the egg yolk mixture continuously. Make sure to extract every last bit of flavour from the infusion, pressing the thyme leaves and lemon zest as much as possible into the sieve. Take care as you do not want any leaves or pieces of zest in the crème.

Pour the crème back into the saucepan and place over a low heat. Stir gently with a spatula until the crème thickens. Remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl. Place the bowl into the ice bath and stir with a spatula until the crème cools. The ice bath helps to cool the crème fast. Cover the surface of the crème with cling film, to prevent a skin forming. Refrigerate until ready to assemble the tarts.

Pasta Frolla (Pâte Sucrée)

I made twelve individual tarts but the number of tarts you can make with this pastry will depend on the size of your tart tins (mine are 6.5 centimetres in diameter at the base). There is enough crème in the above recipe to fill more than the twelve small tarts, in case it is required. Of course, you can make one large tart, 23 - 24 centimetres in diameter, if you wish!

A good tip for making pasta frolla is to have the ingredients chilled (yes, even the flour on a hot day!)

Heat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Prepare twelve individual tart tins on a tray and set aside (you may need more or less, if your tart tins are smaller or larger than the ones used here).

Place the flour, salt, baking powder, and caster sugar into the bowl of a food processor and pulse for a few seconds to aerate. Add the chilled butter cut into cubes and process for a few seconds just until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add the egg and process just until the mixture comes together to form a ball. Be careful not to over-process the dough in the processor as the machine will heat the dough and the result will be tough rather than short and flaky.

Place the pastry onto a clean surface sprinkled lightly with flour. I tend to use two sheets of silicon paper and roll out the pastry between them, to prevent it sticking. This also allows me to use less flour, which in turns leads to a flakier pastry. Flatten the pastry slightly and roll it out to a thickness of about 3-4mm. If the pastry is very soft, refrigerate it for five minutes to make it easier to cut out discs to line the tins.

Cut the pastry into rounds slightly larger than the tins. I used a disc ten centimetres in diameter, which fit the tart tins perfectly. Re roll left over scraps again and cut out more rounds. Lift them gently using a pastry scraper or palette knife and line each tin. You can use left over scraps to make frollini cookies in whatever shape you like. I hate throwing away this delicious pastry and the cookies are amazing :)

Cover and refrigerate the pastry for an hour or freeze for twenty to thirty minutes before baking. I tend to make the pastry the day before and freeze it until I am ready to bake it.

Prick the base of each tart with a fork and bake the tart shells for about 12 minutes until golden.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool before gently removing from the tins. Take care as this pastry is very delicate but well worth the extra care.

Assembly

Assemble the tarts as close to serving time as possible. They are at their best on the same day.

Half fill a large piping bag with the lemon thyme crème. Snip the end and pipe the crème into each cooled tart shell.

Top each tart with the raspberries and dust with icing sugar before serving. The sugar is optional and the tarts are lovely with or without it.

While these tarts are best soon after assembly, they do keep for a few days if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

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I usually make a tiramisù at Easter.  It is a wonderful tiramisù and deservedly popular.  I won’t even bother with false modesty on this one.  It’s sensational.

Those of you who follow the Facebook page would know that I attended a course on French Entremets earlier in the week and that meant I had plenty of Easter dessert action happening right there.  No need for tiramisù.   The entremets were great, by the way.  Unbelievable.  You can see them here.

But I got to the morning after Easter and well, I woke up thinking about tiramisù and oddly enough, pancakes.  Thinking about tiramisù is probably a bit of a cultural thing for me (it was invented by a family in my mum’s town in Italy) and pancakes … pancakes 

The two go together of course.  I mean, you have layers of coffee flavoured something and you have layers in between of creamy cheesy vanilla scented creaminess.  Plus, don’t forget a liberal dusting of cacao on top.  Can’t go wrong.  So I made tiramisù pancakes.  Then I posted a delish looking picture of said pancakes … and so now I’m making good on my promise to post the recipe!

Note to self: consider well the consequences before posting pics of yummy food on social media

In this case the consequences were extremely favourable.  I got to make and eat them again for breakfast this morning.

Because I was eating them for breakfast, please forgive the imperfect lighting of the photos.  Although, I trust that their goodness is readily visible

How good are they?  They are like a pancake version of tiramisù.  Not a faux version that goes something like “oh sure there is coffee and some creamy stuff.  It’s legit”.   No, it isn’t.  I’m talking bona fide tiramisù goodness.

I’m a great believer in making these fit your macros so you have a choice for the cream layer.  If you are following a high fat (e.g. keto) diet, then go ahead and bust out the mascarpone to make these the real deal.  Conversely, if you need to limit the fat per serve, use ricotta.  If using ricotta, please choose a real, fresh ricotta and not the low fat, runny abomination that is sold as ricotta in the supermarket.  That stuff bears not resemblance to ricotta at all.  It will taste like the rubbish it is.  Your best bet is a true fresh ricotta you can get at a good deli.

The pancakes are light and crepe like when cooked, mostly due to the lack of flour for structure.  If you want to make the pancakes ahead of time, you can do that too.  They only take minutes to prepare but I tried saving one as leftovers yesterday.  I kept it in the refrigerator for 8 hours, covered with cling film.  Reheated briefly in the microwave and spread some almond butter on top and whoooooaaaaa.  Rolled up like a crepe, it was fantastic.  So don’t be limited by making tiramisù pancakes with the pancakes.  They are a protein crepe bombe so spread or cover them with whatever topping you love that goes well with coffee.

The cream is also fantastic to use on cakes, over fruit, or simply eat it with a spoon.

These are gluten and nut free, and suitable for anyone on a low fructose (and fructan) diet.  They do contain dairy obviously.  If you wish to make the pancakes only but want to make them dairy free, I would recommend using pea or rice protein in place of the casein.   The texture might be a little different, particularly if you use the rice protein.  My preference is the pea protein, only because its flavour is more neutral and won’t compete with the coffee.

Some of you will undoubtedly ask … can I make this with almond or coconut cream instead?  Yes you can.  But please don’t call them tiramisù pancakes, OK?  Did I mention that I’m an official defender of the tiramisù faith?  Indeed, yes, I am.

Some of you might be thinking … oh, but I never use protein powder … that’s cool.  Just substitute flour for the protein powder.  You might need to adjust the amount marginally but start with the amount stated in the recipe.  There will still be a decent serve of protein in the recipe but obviously it will be less if you use flour (and the carbohydrate count will increase).

These are a great pre workout meal but would be fine post workout if you use decaf coffee.  It also makes for a fantastic protein packed dessert.  Make smaller pancakes to serve as a dessert for two.

Try to use brewed espresso for the best flavour.  Do not even think about using instant coffee.  No.  Don’t. 

Oh wait, what?  What about the brandy and liqueur?  Well, hey, it’s an optional extra.  I don’t add it for my pancakes, but what the hell … special occasion tiramisù protein pancake dessert!  Awesomeness.  Choose a decent brandy or go for Frangelico or Grand Marnier.  Don’t be daft and add a coffee liqueur.  You’ve already got the coffee in there, remember? 

Enjoy!

Tiramisu` Protein Pancakes

Serves 1 – 2

Macros are provided at the bottom of the recipe.

Coffee Pancakes

Ingredients

110 grams egg whites (or 2 large/jumbo whole eggs)
30 grams micellar casein* (or substitute pea protein powder for a dairy free version.  I use this casein)
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
60 millilitres espresso (freshly brewed and strong), cooled

Optional: feel free to add a little liqueur or brandy to the pancake batter for extra flavour.  You will need about 15 millilitres so reduce the amount of coffee by the same amount or add less alcohol in addition to the coffee.  The alcohol will cook off as the pancakes cook but you will have to account for its contribution to net carbohydrates.

To Serve: 1 – 2 grams raw cacao powder

Directions

Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl and blend or whisk until smooth.  Casein powders can vary in the degree to which they absorb moisture, so add a little extra coffee or water to thin out the batter if too thick.

Spoon one-third of the batter onto a non-stick crepe pan.  If you need to, use a little non-stick spray or brush with butter or coconut oil.  Cook until bubbles appear on the surface, then flip it over an cook until done.  Repeat for another two pancakes.

Your batter will have a lovely caffè latte hue, see?

OK I just wanted to show you my crazy person whisk, given to me by a dear friend, who clearly thinks knows I’m insane :p

It’s cool, though, isn’t it?

Ricotta Cream

Ingredients

75 grams fresh ricotta*
75 grams non-fat thick Greek yoghurt (I used Chobani Plain 0%)*
15 grams Natvia (or substitute your preferred sweetener)
10 grams (1 teaspoon) vanilla bean paste

*if you prefer, simply use 150 grams of fresh ricotta and omit the yoghurt.  I like it with the yoghurt as it gives a lush creamy texture to the cream.

OR

Mascarpone Cream

Ingredients

150 grams fresh mascarpone (or 75 grams each mascarpone and double cream)
15 grams Natvia (or substitute your preferred sweetener)
10 grams (1 teaspoon) vanilla bean paste

Directions

In a bowl, whisk together all the cream ingredients until smooth.  You don’t need a mixer.  A hand held whisk is all that you need.

You can make the cream ahead and store it, covered, in the refrigerator.

Assembly

Place one pancake on a serving plate.  Cover evenly with one-third of the ricotta or mascarpone cream.  Add the next layer of pancake followed by cream until you have completed three layers.

Sift the cacao evenly over the top and serve.

If making the pancakes and cream ahead of time, assemble just prior to serving.

Macronutrient Profile

I have included macros based on the ingredients as stated in the recipe.  If you make any substitutions or additions, you will need to factor these in.

For the ricotta version, I have included macros for the ricotta and yoghurt version.  For the mascarpone version, I have included macros for the mascarpone only version.

Macros for the cream filling are as follows:

Macros for the full recipe, including the cacao topping:

I’d like to say this cake is guilt-free or that it is not a cheat meal … but I don’t subscribe to the notion of cheat meals, nor to the idea that food should ever cause feelings of guilt.   I just don’t buy into that dogma.  It implies that some foods or food groups are somehow wrong and by eating them we should be punished.   The language speaks volumes.  Cheating.  Guilt.

Real food is never bad.  What is bad, is not having a healthy respect for food.  By eating too quickly and not enjoying it or appreciating it. By using it as an emotional crutch.  Demonising and excluding whole food groups without good cause (e.g. good reasons such as allergies, intestinal disorders, food intolerances and sensitivities).  I just wish we didn’t relate to food with feelings of denial.  That kind of thinking leads to binge eating.  How is that good, right?  But enough of my ranting!

What I do believe is that there should be a balance.  That we should make healthy wholesome food the cornerstone of our diet.  You don’t need funky super foods … all real food is super food.  Just ask your grandmother   There is also a place for the sugary, buttery confections most of us love to have … they are a wonderful part of celebrating life.

Exactly.  Bravo, Julia!

When we indulge in cake, we should do so with something wonderful.  It should be worth it.

But that doesn’t mean we can’t allow cake to play a small part in making every day a celebration … and making it healthy and full of nutritional goodness.  I’m often bewildered that some of my healthy treat recipes result in people telling me oh, I can’t wait until I can have this as my cheat meal!  Cheat meal?  Where’s the cheating?  I look at these as part of a healthy, balanced diet.  They have their place, just as fruit does.  You don’t have to have them everyday, but they’re hardly a departure from a balanced diet, whatever your goals.  There is usually something for everyone … whatever your macro allowances for the day or week.

No guilt.  No cheating.  No shame.  No denial. 

This cake is a classic coffeecake, full of lemon and blueberry goodness.  It’s incredibly light, has a wonderful coffeecake crumb and texture and you would never guess that’s it is not your garden variety coffeecake.  It is also gluten and sugar free, and suitable for anyone on a low fructose diet … because some of us have to deal with that.

It is also insanely delicious and makes for an awesome post workout meal with some yoghurt dolloped liberally on the side and more fresh berries on top.  It is also great for breakfast or a snack.   No fresh berries left?  A dollop of peanut butter is pretty good on top too.  Yes, I’ve tried it and can vouch wholeheartedly for it!

I made this for my mum’s birthday earlier this week and got bombarded with requests on the Facebook page and on Instagram for the recipe.  So, for those that asked, here it is

I hope you enjoy it!!  Sans guilt, OK?

Macros are included below the recipe!

Lemon & Blueberry Protein Coffee Cake

Makes

1 x 20cm round cake

Ingredients

145 grams whole eggs (about three)
110 grams Natvia (or substitute your preferred granulated sweetener or coconut sugar)
100 grams almond meal (flour)
40 grams micellar casein* (or substitute rice protein powder for a dairy free version.  I use this casein)
14 grams coconut flour
10 grams (2 teaspoons) gluten free baking powder
1 small lemon (about 95 grams), zest and juice
185 grams thick 0% Greek yoghurt (I used Chobani plain 0% or use a blueberry one!)
125 grams fresh or frozen blueberries**

*If you wish to omit the casein powder, substitute an equal quantity of almond meal instead and proceed.

**If using frozen blueberries, do not thaw them before adding to the batter

Directions

Preheat the oven to 180℃.

Line a 20 centimetre round cake tin with non-stick silicone paper and set aside.

In the bowl of a mixer, whisk together the eggs and sweetener (or coconut sugar) until light.  Add the almond meal, casein, coconut flour, and baking powder.

At this stage, also add the zest and juice of the lemon, and the yoghurt.  Beat or fold by hand, until the batter is smooth.

Transfer the batter to the prepared cake tin.  Sprinkle the blueberries over the top as evenly as possible.  Gently press them into the top of the batter.  Don’t be tempted to press them in until they disappear.  They will sink into the cake as it bakes.  Doing it this way will prevent them all sinking to the bottom.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until risen and golden and cooked through.

Remove from the oven and cool slightly before removing from the tin.

This cake will keep for several days and stay moist and fresh, in an airtight container.

It is lovely at room temperature but divine when served just slightly warm, with a dollop of yoghurt and more fresh berries.

Macronutrient Profile

I have included macros based on the ingredients as stated in the recipe.  If you make any substitutions or additions, you will need to factor these in.