85 Degree Bakery, Chatswood

If you haven't been to 85 Degrees Bakery, then you haven't lived! Its full of carby, sugary goodness! Me & my friend Amanda frequent the Chatswood store (326 Victoria Avenue, Chatswood, NSW, 2067) and every time we go we like to see if they have these adorable sheep & naughty bear cakes! I haven't tried one but they would totally make your birthday that much brighter!! One day I'm going to try make one at home... one day haha.

Basic Crepes

I was the very lucky recipient of a crepe maker for Christmas (it's basically a round fry pan thing) and have been eager to use it. It was a gift from my parents, and holds a lot of sentimental value to me as my grandma's most famous dish is her crepes & now I can recreate them in my own home!

So this morning I opened the box, made a couple batches of batter & got cooking! There were a few recipes for crepes online so I tried a couple different ones. I found a batter containing sugar made them a bit rubbery & another batter took forever to unlumpify. Just like Goldilocks & the three little bears, the third batter was just right! Perfect, in fact. This is my favourite crepe recipe & I found it on Taste.com (one of my favourite places to trawl for new recipes).

Ingredients:
1 cup (150g) plain flour, sifted
a pinch of salt
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups (310ml) milk
15g butter, melted


1. Place sifted flour & salt in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre. Use a whisk to mix together the eggs, milk & melted butter.

2. Pour milk mixture into flour & whisk until smooth. Cover & refrigerate for 30 minutes.

3. Heat your crepe maker or crepe pan to medium. Lightly grease with butter. Pour about 1/4 cup mixture on to your pan, spread out or swirl pan until batter is thinly covering most of the surface. Cook until golden, then flip & cook for another 30 seconds or so. Serve.

Suggested toppings:
- This morning I spread a bit of Nutino (Italian nutella) on my crepe, rolled it up & served it with whipped cream.
- Squeeze some lemon on top & sprinkle with sugar.
- Top with maple syrup & ice cream
- Serve with strawberries & whipped cream.
- Recreate yum cha Mango Pancakes by filling with mango & cream then rolling into a delicious package.

xSunnyx

My Favourite Chocolate Cake

(serves 8)

Ingredients:

200g butter, chopped
300g good-quality dark chocolate
1/4 cup hot water
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup caster sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup self-raising flour
pure icing sugar, to serve

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 160°C. Grease a 6cm deep, 20cm (base) round cake pan. Line with baking paper.

2. Place butter, 200g chopped chocolate and hot water in a heatproof, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave, uncovered, on HIGH (100%) for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring every minute with a metal spoon, or until smooth.

3. Add cocoa to warm chocolate mixture. Stir until smooth. Stir in vanilla, caster sugar and egg. Sift flour over chocolate mixture. Stir gently to combine.

4. Pour half the batter into cake pan. Chop remaining chocolate and sprinkle half over batter. Top with remaining batter and chopped chocolate. Bake cake for 55 to 60 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre has moist crumbs clinging.

5. Allow cake to cool completely in pan. Remove and dust with icing sugar. Serve. This cake keeps well for up to 1 week stored in an airtight container lined with baking paper.

I hope you enjoy it as much as i do! i like to heat my slice in the microwave for 40 seconds and then top with cream or ice cream and suddenly nothing else in the world matters! Its quite a rich & moist cake so a little goes a long way!

Love and sunshine,

xSunnyx

Fried Brie

OK, let me start by saying - if you're on a diet, don't even look at this!

I have seen many fried brie recipes but never dared to go there... however Valli Little inspired me to give it a shot. I used one of her recipes but over time it has evolved into my own no-fuss version!

Remember with this recipe - a little goes a loooong way! I usually serve a couple small wedges next to a lightly dressed salad. And for the record - it's the sweet chili sauce that makes it, so please please please use it!

Ingredients:

2 cups breadcrumbs
2 tbs of either finely chopped fresh parsley or basil (or none if your not a herb person)
3 tbs plain flour
1 egg, beaten
2 tbs milk or cream (whichever you have on hand)
350g (approximately) of brie or Camembert cut into 8 small or 4 large wedges
Oil for frying - I use sunflower or vegetable but I've tried with olive and still tastes as good
Sweet chili sauce - my favourite brand is Trident.

Method:

1. Mix breadcrumbs & parsley together. Place breadcrumbs and flour in separate bowls (or plates). Whisk the egg & milk/cream in another bowl.

2. Toss wedges first in flour, then egg mixture, then in the breadcrumbs.

3. Place on a plate & chill in the fridge for 30 minutes (or up to four hours ahead).

4. Pour enough oil in a pan so that it reaches a few millimetres up the side. The oil should be hot enough that it turns a cube of bread golden in 30 seconds.

5. Fry the cheese on each side until golden. Drain briefly on paper towel. Serve immediately with sweet chili sauce.

I tend to flip back and forth between brie and Camembert (which ever is on sale) and it comes out perfect every time! This recipe makes enough for four people.

Valli recommends using Panko breadcrumbs, a coarse & light Japanese breadcrumb variety. Personally, I like the regular stuff :)

Enjoy my darlings!

xSunnyx

Madam Brussels Inspired Poached Chicken Sandwiches

If you have read my post about Madam Brussels, you know how I felt about their divine poached chicken sandwiches. From the second we left I was planning my recreation at home! So here is my version, it doesn’t taste exactly the same, but is delicious all on its own!

Sunny’s ‘Madam Brussels’ Inspired Poached Chicken Sandwiches
(Makes 2 sandwiches)

1 Chicken breast, poached & chopped
4 tablespoons Mayonnaise – the best you can get
2 teaspoons garlic chives
4 slices bread – whichever you prefer, I like multigrain
Squeeze of lemon juice
2 lemon wedges & Tabasco to serve
Butter

1. Combine mayo, chives & a squeeze of lemon in a bowl. Add slightly warmed poached chicken & mix well.

2. Butter 4 slices of bread lightly. Divide chicken mixture among 2 pieces of bread. Top with remaining slices of bread. Squish together slightly to make sure the chicken is sealed inside the bread. Butter outsides of bread well.

3. Heat a pan, without any butter or oil. Place sandwich in the pan. Fry until golden, flip & repeat.

4. Cut into quarters; serve each sandwich with a lemon wedge & Tabasco.

These were totally yummers. I just eat mine with lemon because I’m not a fan of spicy things. So simple, so easy, how can you not try it!

x Sunny x

Poached Chicken

Poaching chicken is a great way to cook boneless, skinless chicken. You don’t need to use and oil or fat & the end result is juicy and flavourful. Poached chicken is great for use in sandwiches, pies, salads & any other low fat chicken dish. You can use poached chicken in almost any recipe that calls for shredded BBQ chicken, which also helps cut some calories out of your meal.

The keys to poaching are: the size of the pan, the volume of liquid and the cooking temperature.

1. Place chicken breasts flat in a pot that's just large enough to fit them in one layer.

2. Add chicken stock so that it completely covers the chicken by at least a half inch to an inch. Throw in a couple of bay leaves to get some more flavour.

3. After bringing the liquid to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer so that only an occasional bubble breaks the surface. At this point, partly cover the pot, cook for about 10 minutes, then turn off the heat, leaving the chicken to finish cooking in the hot water for 10-15 more minutes.

4. Remove chicken from the poaching liquid & chop or shred depending on what your using it for.


x Sunny x

Sunny's Chocolate Snowballs

These are a great idea for cheap Christmas presents, put them in a box & tie it up with a beautiful ribbon. Voila! A beautiful gift for someone you love.

Ingredients

2 Packets of Milk Arrowroot Biscuits
2 Cans of Sweetened Condensed Milk
4 Tablespoons of Cocoa
A splash of Baileys (or your preferred alcohol)
2 Cups Dessicated Coconut or grated white chocolate

Method

1. Smash up the milk arrowroot biscuits. By smash, i mean really hack into them. I prefer to put them in a freezer bag and have at them with a meat mallet or rolling pin. Picture your boss's face in the bag and that will get you going! You can also alternatively put them in a blender and blend until there are small chunks about the size of a fly. You can completely process if desired but i prefer a bit of texture in them.

2. Combine condensed milk, smashed arrowroot biscuits, Baileys and cocoa powder in a bowl. Make sure your hands are clean and then get in there and get dirty mixing it all up. You can try and do it with a spoon or utensil of some variety but I'm telling you, its futile. Hands are the only way to go!

3. When the mixture is well combined and nice and sticky (and your hands are completely covered in it!) roll them into balls and then roll the balls into the dessicated coconut or grated white chocolate until evenly coated.

4. Chill for about half an hour and them eat until your heart is content or your chocolate craving is gone :)

Makes about 30-50 truffles depending on the size of the balls.

For something different - roll them in cocoa powder, your favourite chopped nuts or smashed honeycomb.

Enjoy my darlings!

x Sunny x