Little Box Brownie

A Baking Blog from Melbourne, Australia

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Pomegranate Granita

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It got to a whooping 41°C here in Melbourne yesterday, when you walk out side from air conditioned comfort you feel like your skin is being roasted alive. The heat and the humidity are awful. 
If you come form a colder climate you have know idea of how hot it can get. When I first moved from New Zealand to Cairns in Queensland. I remember the feeling of walking out of the airport and the heat just hitting me. I remember thinking I felt like I was in an indoor pool when the air is thick and it feels like its a bit harder to breath than normal, you feel like you have to get out, but can’t. 
So to cool down you need lots of icy drinks, plenty of ice cream and a few of this next dish an Granita.

Pomegranate Granita
236ml of pomegranate juice (I used a bottle of Pom Wonderful)
1 cup of freshly squeezed orange juice

Place the juices into a flat tray about 20×30 cm. Then place in the frezzer. When completely frozen get two forks and scratch into the ice to form little shards of snow. Serve in a cup or bowl.

Cookies for Santa

by 27 Comments

Cookies for Santa
It was the night before Christmas…. And I have been busy preparing some desert for tomorrow. However most importantly I have just baked some cookies, to leave out for Santa and have some carrots for his reindeer. So find the recipe below.


Chocolate chip cookies
Chocolate Chip Cookies For Santa

100g flour

1 ½ tablespoons of cocoa powder

140g brown sugar

100g butter

100g chocolate

1 egg

150g caramel chocolate chips

Pre heat the oven to 180°C

Sift the flour and cocoa powder together then add the sugar and combine.

In a heatproof bowl place the butter and chocolate and place in the microwave until the chocolate melts, the stir to combine and pour into the flour mixture. Beat the egg into the mixture and then stir through the chocolate chips.

Roll into balls and place on a tray, place in the frezzer for 30minutes then place in the oven for 20 minutes or until just cooked. I like my cookies slightly under done so that the are chewy, if you like then crunchy leave in the over slightly longer.

Cookies for Santa

Merry Christmas everyone, I hope you all have a great day shared with your friends and family, and filled with some of your family’s favourite foods. For me it has always been a hot lunch even when it reached a whooping 40 degrees one year. However you celebrate Christmas, I hope its filled with happiness and lots of good food.  


The night before christmas

Citrus & Raspberry Meringue Pie

by 25 Comments

Whenever I need to get out of the house or kill some time I head to the supermarket. Supermarkets make me happy. I think its because I can justify spending money in a supermarket – as you have to buy food don’t you? I don’t need the gorgeous dress but I need food.

A few months back I was in the supermarket killing time as I do, flicking through a Magazine when I came across a pie cooking competition. I decided I would enter, as the 3 finalists got to fly to Sydney for a pie cook off (and I do need a holiday.) The winner took home $10,000 dollars, which would have been lots of fun supermarket shopping for me ;-). Sadly I didn’t win, I never even heard anything back!!  At least it gave me an excuse to cook a pie, and I’ll take any excuse to bake. As part of the entry you had to photograph it and write about why this pie should win.
 Anyway I thought I would share with you the pie I decided to enter. So here it is my Raspberry, lemon and lime curd pie….



Citrus & Raspberry Meringue Pie

Pastry

150g butter

250g plain flour

100g white sugar

1 egg

Filling

4 egg yolks

125g white sugar

2 tablespoons cornflour

½ cup of freshly squeezed lime juice

½ cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice

500g of frozen raspberries

Meringue

4 egg whites

150g white sugar

1 teaspoon cornflour

Pre heat oven to 180C

To make the pastry, rub the butter into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs, then stir through the sugar. Combine the egg with your hands until a dough forms. Place in cling wrap and place in the fridge for 1 hour.

Remove from the fridge and roll the pastry out until about 3mm thick then cut into 12cm rounds. Place in 10cm pie tins and blind back for 10mins. Remove the beans and bake for a further 10mins or until slightly golden.

To make the filling, place the egg yolks, sugar, cornflour and citrus juices into a saucepan. Stir continuously on a medium heat until the mixture thickens then remove from the heat.

To make the meringue, place the egg whites into a clean dry bowl and using an electric beater whisk until soft peaks form. Slowly add the sugar and cornflour and whisk until stiff.

To assemble the pies, place the raspberries into the bottom of the pastry cases and then spoon the filling over the top of the raspberries. Place the meringue mixture into a pipping bag and pipe over the top.

Place the pies into the oven and turn the temperature down to 100C and bake the pies for 25mins or until cooked.

Makes 8













Citrus & Raspberry Meringue Pie

by 10 Comments

Whenever I need to get out of the house or kill some time I head to the supermarket. Supermarkets make me happy. I think its because I can justify spending money in a supermarket – as you have to buy food don’t you? I don’t need the gorgeous dress but I need food.

A few months back I was in the supermarket killing time as I do, flicking through a Magazine when I came across a pie cooking competition. I decided I would enter, as the 3 finalists got to fly to Sydney for a pie cook off (and I do need a holiday.) The winner took home $10,000 dollars, which would have been lots of fun supermarket shopping for me ;-). Sadly I didn’t win, I never even heard anything back!!  At least it gave me an excuse to cook a pie, and I’ll take any excuse to bake. As part of the entry you had to photograph it and write about why this pie should win.
 Anyway I thought I would share with you the pie I decided to enter. So here it is my Raspberry, lemon and lime curd pie….



Citrus & Raspberry Meringue Pie

Pastry

150g butter

250g plain flour

100g white sugar

1 egg

Filling

4 egg yolks

125g white sugar

2 tablespoons cornflour

½ cup of freshly squeezed lime juice

½ cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice

500g of frozen raspberries

Meringue

4 egg whites

150g white sugar

1 teaspoon cornflour

Pre heat oven to 180C

To make the pastry, rub the butter into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs, then stir through the sugar. Combine the egg with your hands until a dough forms. Place in cling wrap and place in the fridge for 1 hour.

Remove from the fridge and roll the pastry out until about 3mm thick then cut into 12cm rounds. Place in 10cm pie tins and blind back for 10mins. Remove the beans and bake for a further 10mins or until slightly golden.

To make the filling, place the egg yolks, sugar, cornflour and citrus juices into a saucepan. Stir continuously on a medium heat until the mixture thickens then remove from the heat.

To make the meringue, place the egg whites into a clean dry bowl and using an electric beater whisk until soft peaks form. Slowly add the sugar and cornflour and whisk until stiff.

To assemble the pies, place the raspberries into the bottom of the pastry cases and then spoon the filling over the top of the raspberries. Place the meringue mixture into a pipping bag and pipe over the top.

Place the pies into the oven and turn the temperature down to 100C and bake the pies for 25mins or until cooked.

Makes 8