After a bad bout with the flu- the kind where you ache all over and a cup of broth constitutes a hearty meal- I'm back with an appetite. It is amazing how being sick can re-invigorate you; I'm ready to cook with a vengeance. Luckily I got thrown in at the deep end when my friend Toral rang looking for an extra pair of hands in the kitchen.
Toral runs The Urban Kitchen a cookery school with courses in London and in Surrey. Sure this is a shameless plug for a friend but the classes are a great value (food and drink are included and free flowing) and she covers everything from Indian to Dim Sum to Pasta workshops.
Back to the story. Toral needed a hand with her Flavours of the Pacific class last week so I happily obliged. On the menu that night were such delectable dishes as Spaghettini with crab, lime and chili, Sweet and sour fish with spicy green salad and Passion fruit and chocolate slices.
She based the dessert on the Australian treat, Lamingtons, which traditionally are made with coconut. I've never Lamingtons to compare Toral's slices against, although I noticed some at The Grocer on Warwick. The next time I'm there I will have to get one.
Anyways, the Passion fruit and chocolate slices were straightforward to make nad had a proper balance of chocolate richness and passion fruit tang. Fresh from the oven they were moist with a cake like base and a firm custard like filling. I kept my extra pieces in the fridge and prefered them cold from the fridge. The passion fruit filling was former and the base was similar to a chewy cookie. Yum.
Passion Fruit and Chocolate Slices
Makes 20 squares
Ingredients:
For pastry
125g unsalted butter
200g caster sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla essence
125g self raising flour, sifted
pinch of salt
For filling
4 eggs
200g caster sugar
100g dark chocolate
50g plain flour
450ml double cream
8 passion fruits, pulp and juice
Preheat oven to 180C.
To make the pastry, beat together the butter and sugar until light and creamy.
Add the egg and vanilla essence and beat well.
Add the sifted flour and salt. Stir until the mixture forms a sticky dough.
Grease and line a 18x28cm baking tin.
Flour hands and press pastry evenly into base of the lined tin and bake pastry case for 15 minutes.
While the pastry case bakes, prepare the filling by whisking the eggs and the sugar together until pale.
Melt the chocolate over a double boiler or in the microwave.
Add the melted chocolate, flour, cream and passion fruit pulp and stir to combine.
Pour filling over the pastry case in the tin and bake for 35-40 minutes or until firm to the touch.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely in the tin. When cool, slice into squares.
Toral runs The Urban Kitchen a cookery school with courses in London and in Surrey. Sure this is a shameless plug for a friend but the classes are a great value (food and drink are included and free flowing) and she covers everything from Indian to Dim Sum to Pasta workshops.
Back to the story. Toral needed a hand with her Flavours of the Pacific class last week so I happily obliged. On the menu that night were such delectable dishes as Spaghettini with crab, lime and chili, Sweet and sour fish with spicy green salad and Passion fruit and chocolate slices.
She based the dessert on the Australian treat, Lamingtons, which traditionally are made with coconut. I've never Lamingtons to compare Toral's slices against, although I noticed some at The Grocer on Warwick. The next time I'm there I will have to get one.
Anyways, the Passion fruit and chocolate slices were straightforward to make nad had a proper balance of chocolate richness and passion fruit tang. Fresh from the oven they were moist with a cake like base and a firm custard like filling. I kept my extra pieces in the fridge and prefered them cold from the fridge. The passion fruit filling was former and the base was similar to a chewy cookie. Yum.
Passion Fruit and Chocolate Slices
Makes 20 squares
Ingredients:
For pastry
125g unsalted butter
200g caster sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla essence
125g self raising flour, sifted
pinch of salt
For filling
4 eggs
200g caster sugar
100g dark chocolate
50g plain flour
450ml double cream
8 passion fruits, pulp and juice
Preheat oven to 180C.
To make the pastry, beat together the butter and sugar until light and creamy.
Add the egg and vanilla essence and beat well.
Add the sifted flour and salt. Stir until the mixture forms a sticky dough.
Grease and line a 18x28cm baking tin.
Flour hands and press pastry evenly into base of the lined tin and bake pastry case for 15 minutes.
While the pastry case bakes, prepare the filling by whisking the eggs and the sugar together until pale.
Melt the chocolate over a double boiler or in the microwave.
Add the melted chocolate, flour, cream and passion fruit pulp and stir to combine.
Pour filling over the pastry case in the tin and bake for 35-40 minutes or until firm to the touch.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely in the tin. When cool, slice into squares.
4 comments:
Does she have a cooking school? Where do you buy passion fruit, dont know if I've ever seen it in the store.
Hello,
The cooking school is called The Urban Kitchen. As for the passion fruit, you should be able to get them at the grocery store- perhaps in the 'exotic fruits' section. Usually you will find them as deep purple coloured balls. If the skin is smooth than it is unripe; choose the wrinkly ones. They will be full of juice and flavour. Unripen ones can be left for a couple of days to ripen if necessary.
Hey, that looks good. Your blog's real nice. Just wanted to thank you for the EBBP4'S parcel, received it yesterday and liked it a lot. Will post something about it soon. Thanks again !
Hi Cindy,
Glad to hear you liked it. I wasn't sure what to send but I'm sure you'll find a use for it all.
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