Celebrating good things to come/-/ Rainbow Red velvet layer cake and rainbow sprinkle macarons

I am so excited about the coming months. You would think that the end of the Australian summer, return to university and lack of Pink lady apples would dampen my spirits (well the last one is a bit upsetting); but nope! I am in high hopes.

March is month of great things. Autumn comes in a delivers us a wonder change in temperature from the normal sticky heat we have been experiencing. I go back to University, I love my gender study classes and the insight delivered by the lectures into the workings and schemas of societies gender binary. Winter fashion is something I am in love with, tailoring and a return to bold colours is what I am taking about. None of this fluoro and tight pant business, which leaves very little to the imagination.

Something extra special this month is my older sister is getting married! I am so excited for her and new journey in her life she about to embark on. 16 days until the big day.

I am one her bridesmaid which I am thrilled about it, but I am not so thrilled about wearing high heels and a long dress. High heels are unmarked territory to me; I live in boots, thongs and bare feet. Therefore, you can only guess how much trouble I get into when trying to wear them (blisters and hot foot bathes are in my future)



For this special event, we recently had a Hen’s day and guess who done the desserts for this event?

ME!

The theme was wild make up and popping colour. The only cake that reminds me of this theme has to be red velvet, the deep and dark red tints a rich chocolate cake and is offset by the tang of cream cheese icing. For something different, instead the white outsides; I took the colour theme of rainbow and made them super bright. For this tiny 8 layered 13cm cake, constructing a tower was hard work. Almost had an accident when it was close to tipping over. Thankfully, it saved itself. I used lemon curd on the inside, because I just like the tang on anything sweet; plus this cake is so deeply sweet it can take it.

Macarons are just a special treat for my sister, she loves these cookies more than anything. As her sister, I feel it is my way of saying congratulations on reaching a new landmark in life. I used the normal go to recipe for macarons and butter cream as outlined here, here and here. (Yes I make a lot) 

I tried to ice it like the pastel swirl way, described here. My cake is far from the perfection on internet right now, but every day I am getting better! Follow her instructions to a T because that is what I used and her description is most likely the best you will come across. Mine is a little loop sided but hell it gives it character.

Red velvet cake, lemon curd filling and Swiss butter cream, cream cheese icing all say party cake in my books. Good bye February and hello marvellous March! Here is a cake to you! 

Rainbow Red velvet cake with rainbow swirl icing and lemon curd filling.

Red velvet cake

Adapted from Taste.com.au

Double this recipe in order to make eight 13cm layers



300g plain flour

30g cocoa powder

1tsp bicarb soda

1tsp baking powder

300g caster sugar

150ml Greek yoghurt

100ml butter milk

200g unsalted butter, melted

1tbs white vinegar

2tsp vanilla extract

Red food paste about ½ tsp.



Preheat oven to 170°C.

Line and grease your tins of choice.

Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda into a bowl.

Stir through the sugar.

Whisk the buttermilk, yoghurt, butter, eggs, vinegar and vanilla in a large jug until combined. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture. Add the buttermilk mixture. Stir until just combined. Stir in the food colouring. DO NOT OVER MIX.

Pour in to prepared tins and bake for 30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when poked and the cake is slightly coming off around the edges.

Cool in tin for 10 minutes then turn out to cool completely.



Cream cheese butter cream
Taken directly from the instructions on Bravetart’s website. Found here.



280g egg whites

280g caster sugar

450g unsalted butter

500g full fat cream cheese icing, room temp.

Zest of one lemon.


Her instructions for this variant on butter cream is outlined on her web page.



Lemon curd

6 egg yolks

200g caster sugar

125ml lemon juice

The zest of two lemons

250g butter

0.5 salt



Place eggs, sugar and lemon juice in a glass bowl over pan of simmering water. Whisk continuously.

Add butter in small cubes one at a time until fully combined.

Whisk for about 5 minutes until it thicken and can coat the back of spoon.

Remove from heat, then place in bowl of ice water to hold cooking.

Allow to cool to room temperature before refrigeration. Store in jars in fridge for about one week.

A Fruity dilemma /-/ Apricot pear and mint sorbet with cardamom biscuits.

I will never thought I would whine about having too much fruit in the house. Fruit is something that I could not live without, Pink lady apples are my absolute favourite but I adore so many others. Everyday I would eat over 4 pieces, yes that four WHOLE piece of honking fruit a day. I think it is borderline addiction to fruit or at least an unhealthy healthy habit.



It is summer in Australia right now so that means an abundance of soft (berries, grapes) and stone (apricots, peaches) fruits are in season and growing like mad. A bit cross that the Pink lady apples have seem to disappeared but I guess that how the season rolls.



Now this is great if were not for the weather we are currently having in Australia. It is damp, warm and humid; all these conditions have lead to my fruit bowl becoming brown before its time. I like my fruit crisp and almost raw still, so the mere sight of overdone-ness will lead it to be further neglected ( unless my dad picks it up on the way to work).



Thanks to the weather and unusually sweet fruit, I have a home threatening to be overrun by pieces of ripe fruit. No even my mass consumption of fruit can handle the pressure of the summer harvest. Freezing is my best friend right now. Wonderful preserving technique and also makes for a great excuse to whip up some sobert.



Sorbet is a sweetened fruit puree which is frozen, churned and churned some more in order to produce a icy treat suitable for all types. I do not own a ice cream maker but this icy treat does not require one as I learnt from watching an episode of Nigella Forever summer a while back. Another interesting fact I came across when making this sorbet is that different fruits require cooking and some can be simply blitzed up.



Pears have been unusually sweet this year, so pairing them up with the tart sourness of apricots and mellow bitterness of mint provides the flavour balance. Another spice I have recently become obsessed with is green cardamom; they provide a hidden citrusy hum to these butter biscuits. Making ice cream sandwiches has to be best bit about icy treats, but with these flavours they are grown up enough to serve at your next dinner party.



Apricot, Pear and Mint Sobert with Cardamom shortbread



Makes about 1.5 L of sorbet.


Cardamon Short bread

Adapted from Donna Hay Modern classics book 2



250g butter

155g caster sugar

100g icing sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 tsp ground cardamom

1 egg yolk

335g plain (all-purpose) flour, sifted



Preheat oven to 180°C (355°F).

Place the butter and sugar in an electric mixer and beat until pale and creamy. Add the vanilla, spice and egg yolk and beat well to combine.

Add the flour and beat until a smooth dough forms. Divide the dough into 4 portions and wrap each portion in plastic wrap.

Place in the refrigerator for 15 minutes or until the dough is firm.

Roll out each portion of dough between 2 sheets of non-stick baking paper until 5mm thick. Remove the baking paper and use a 7cm round cookie cutter to cut out rounds from each sheet. Place the cookies on baking trays lined with baking paper. Bake for 8 minutes or until the cookies are light golden. Cool on wire racks. Makes 28



Apricot and Pear Sobert

Based on the ratios in PS desserts by Philippa Sibley



500g fresh seeded Apricots

500g Fresh peel and cored Pears

30g fresh mint

60g Glucose powder

200g Caster sugar

300ml water



Place pears, apricots, mint, glucose powder, caster sugar and water in a large saucepan.

Simmer until tender and place in a blender.

Blend until fully pureed then push through a fine sieve to remove pulp and mint leaves. Allow to cool.

Place in a shallow tray and freeze for 1 hour. After remove and break it up into small pieces.

In a food processor, blend frozen shards of sorbet until fully broken down. Re freeze for 1 hour.

Repeat the blending process after 1 hour. Store in freezer until used.

Really, you are related?/-/ Sourdough Shallot bread knots

This line is probably something I have heard hundreds of time over the years whenever I tell people I have two sisters. You would think that three sisters coming from the same parents would at least have similar characteristics; wrong. We might be sisters, but more often than not people think we come from different Asian families. When we stand next to each other most people guess we are friends rather than siblings. Anyone else experience this?

I think there are few reasons for this.

My older sister is you typical oriental beauty; fair pale flawless skin, very slender and the normal oriental features. Compare this to my middle sister who has more westerner features; larger eyes, tan skin, taller and having a lighter variation to normal black hair. Then there is me, people say I fall into the middle of this range. Not typically Asian but definitely not western.



I have recently mentioned that my sisters are into Makeup and hair. Both of them work for a major fashion and makeup companies, owning their own business for wedding makeup and hair; so you can guess they are girly and on trend with fashion. While I am here with my cooking, baking, sport and recently revived passion for art and photography. I might be their sister but I am so new to makeup and hair it is embarrassing.



For example, recently I have done my makeup for the first time by myself at the age of 20. I think I was late bloomer, and I am still lagging behind. I am talking the real deal; foundation, lips, full eyes and fake eye lashes!!! So proud of myself, similar to the feeling when your macarons turn out for the first time or when you get your first loaf of sourdough (yes I relate everything back to food and baking).



These rolls are the unrecognisable sister to the Asian shallot bun in the stores. They are not made from normal dried yeast but sourdough and whole wheat flour. While they have the undertones of that typical soft, sweet and salty bun; it is different with added dept due to the natural yeast and wholemeal texture. These hearty buns are better for roasted game meats or gourmet sandwiches than the regular shallot rolls. You can use any kind of small herb if you do not have shallots. I think rosemary would be wonderful if you wanted to serve a more western variation. I used the whole shallot green bits and all, I like that sweet rawness of spring onion but you can just use the white bit if you find the green too bitter.

Whether we look the same or not; I love my sisters. Celebrate your relationship with your siblings today. Why not bake some Shallot bread with them?



Sourdough shallots bread knots



Makes 16 buns.

Barely Adapted from TxFarmer’s Recipe for Ricotta Sourdough.



levain
starter (100%), 40g
water, 66g
bread flour 122g



1. Mix and let fermentation for 12 hours covered in a large bowl.

Final Dough
bread flour, 382g
whole wheat flour, 250 g
egg 118g
Raw sugar 41g
salt, 16 g
Warm whole, 170g
chopped shallot, 40g
water, 218g
Butter 40g, softened
levain from before

- For Brushing
Mix everything but he butter and scallions in a large bowl, until it becomes bouncy and smooth. I kneaded by hand for about 25 minutes. Slowly add the butter until it has absorbed by the bread.

Place in an oiled bowl and allow to rise covered for 4 hours. It should be double by now.

Punch down and add the scallions. Transfer to the fridge over night.
Divide into 16 portions, roll into rough balls and rest for one hour.

Line two trays with baking paper

Roll into a rope about 25cm long. Tie a loose knot in the middle of the rope then tuck the extra dough around the opposite sides of knot. Seal by pinching it into the middle. This should give you a knot like a Kaiser roll, but rougher.

Proof at room temperature until almost fully developed, I did mine for 6 hours. When pressed the dough should slowly spring back a little bit.

Pre heat oven to 190c and bake for 35 minutes.

Allow to cool on wire racks and store in airtight boxes.

Submitted to Yeastspotting.

Candy bar envy/-/ Cherry ripe Inspired sourdough waffles

I am an envious person and I am probably going to get to hell for it, but eh. I know it is a dumb thing to be jealous of but I adore other countries candy bars and candies. I am envious of variety of M&Ms in the USA. I dream of the unique and flavourful chocolates in Japan. I lust over the hard boiled sweets and confectionary the British have.



Australia, none of that, no interesting candies or chocolate bars. Just the standard ones. Plain ,dark etc.

Can you image how boring it is to stare at the candy isles each week hoping a new exotic flavour might pop up? Not happy major exporters and importers of International candy.





Sure, we do on the rare occasion stock chocolates and candies in different flavours but most are short lived. I think Australian developers of candy flavours need to take a refresher course because lately the new candy bars have gone burst due to low sales, or never took off in the first place. Really? Vanilla or honey comb Mars bars? Yea, no thanks.



I have always wondered why Cherry ripe was popular enough to be included in the Cadbury favourite’s box. Besides Turkish delight, that one is always left at the bottom of box to gather dust. Strangle thing is I love cherries, I love coconut and dark chocolate; yet I find the combination repulsive in this candy bar. Maybe it is all the fake sweetness of the bar and the faux dark chocolate covering which taste more like vegetable oil than chocolate.



This past stove Tuesday, I made waffles. I don’t often get to make breakfast treats but today was special and I was bothered to whip up some while my family was in bed. Sourdough waffles are all over the food blogging sphere but they have good reason to be. It is simple and produces a consistent result every time even with my $20 waffle maker. A waffle needs a crisp exterior, burned to dark golden while the insides have a porous texture, allowing for whatever you put on them to be soaked up. I did not make them with normal milk but coconut water and skim milk powder (I forgot to buy milk), but they still taste fantastic. With the addition of fresh cherries and a homemade chocolate sauce; this is far better than the candy bar.



Maybe one day Australia might get better with inventing candy, until then I always have these.



Coconut sourdough waffles with dark chocolate sauce and fresh cherries



Waffles

Adpated from wild yeast



350g Sourdough starter

100g plain flour

100ml coconut water

20g skim milk powder

30g raw sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

60ml Rice bran oil

1/2tsp salt



Combine all ingredients in a bowl, but baking powder and soda. Allow to sit for 4 hours.

Add baking powder and baking soda. This will foam and bubble, so make sure you have a big bowl.

Cook your waffles in your waffle iron.

Serve with cherries, chocolate, coconut and powdered icing sugar.



Dark chocolate sauce

100g 85% dark chocolate

20g golden syrup

120ml cream

15g Dark brown sugar



Place all ingredients in bowl. Place above a pot of simmering water, stirring until fully melted.

Growing pains/-/ Creme brulee three ways

I think I have reach a point where everyone but me seems to be moving on to another stage of their lives. My sister’s have both moved out in to their own houses, one is married for over two years and the other one is getting married in months time( say turned for updates on hen’s and wedding goodies!). My parents are reaching a stage were retirement or at least part time work is on the cards; I know my parents would never fully want to give up working but at least take some more time for themselves. Friends are continuing to do honours degrees or have a pretty good idea on what job they would like to obtain after university.



Where does this leave me? I still hell confused on what I am going. Go on with my degree in order to gradate with a masters or if I chase my dream of being a fully accredited baker and seriously put some thought into partnering up with sister’s make up/wedding business (shameless pug: Their business is “Pretty creations” Here is link to the Website. They seriously good at what they do and I am not just saying that because I am their sister.



This choice is growing ever closer as I enter my last year of a bachelor degree, but no closer to figuring out what I am going to do with my life. Hmmrffff..... Enough thinking to my head explode with self-doubt, questioning and what if’s.



Unlike my life choices, this dessert is anything but complicated. Crème Brulee has to one of my most regularly made desserts; creamy, comforting and crunchy. It is my dad’s favourite desserts and it gives me all the eggs whites in the world to make more macarons. This simply is a baked silky custard which caters to a plate which like things not as sweet or as rich.



You can serve this in three different ways. I adore Philippa Shibley and her desserts. By taking the basic desserts and giving it new life by combining it on full dessert plates, the book I got this idea from allows you to do that at home! I am always looking for new ways to serve my favourite meal of the day.


Creme Brulee

The crunchy nuts in Crème Cassonade provides a flavourfully contrast against the smooth custard. Baked vanilla custard is served warm or cold and finshed of with a carmaelised layer of oplain suagr or nuts and seed brittle. Toasted nuts are great but sugar coated nuts are better, also it give you an excuse to eat the left over brittle. I think nothing beats the real deal of crème brulee, but this is great for people who love there nuts too.


Creme cassonade with crushed caramel coated peanuts


Creme Cassonade with cashew and sesame brittle


Crème brulee or Crème Cassonade

Inspired by Philippa Shibley PS desserts

Makes 6 standard 150ml ramekins



400ml pure cream

100ml full fat milk

4 yolks

1 egg

1 vanilla pods, cut in half, length ways

110g caster sugar plus extra for Brulee

1 Tsp vanilla extract



Pre heat oven to 150c

Place milk, vanilla pods and cream in a medium saucepan. Heat on low until it is just boiled. Leave to cool and infuse with vanilla pod.

Whisk eggs, extract and sugar in a large bowl. While whisking pour the warmed cream/milk over the eggs in thin stream until fully mixed.

Skim off the foam.

In large baking tray, place 6 bowls of choice and pour in crème brulee mixture. After pour hot water round the ramekins, be careful not to splash water in the cream mixture.

Bake tray in oven for 30 minutes or until it set on the outside. It should be wobbly on the inside.

Cool at room temperature and refrigerate until needed.


Assembly

Crème Brulee: Top with caster sugar and use a blow touch to toast the sugar until a crackling crust forms.

Creme Cassonade: Top with candied peanuts or Crushed cashew, white and black sesame brittle.

Wishful thinking /-/ Blueberry Brulee Tart

After the sugar rush of Valentine ’s Day, you would think I would be going along the savory route. NOPE!

I will always be a cheese and toast girl over a macaron, but I just had to share this tart I made for a lady who gave a wonderful gift. Last Christmas I received a large array of goodies from make up to camera stuff, but I did not expect to find a large living pot plant. I seem to bake a lot of thing to repay people for the gifts they get me, but it does not feel right if I don’t. I normally give them something even though it is only a small baked good sometimes macarons, sometimes cookies but always they are made with love and sugar (the bases of all my recipes)

I am city girl but I am so excited about getting a pot plant was filed with herbs! Wonderful herbs which seem to cost a fortune if you buying them from the supermarket. This got me so excited about the combinations I could use these herbs for in savory and sweet things. So many of my bookmarked recipes have herbs as the sidekick to the key ingredient. They seem to bring out these best of simple ingredients to turn them mundane to something extraordinary.



The only problem is that I have the worst record when it comes to keeping plants. You know that line in “28 days”, you should only start a relationship if you can keep a pot plant alive and dog that still likes you? Base on that I think I may be single forever. Thankfully, my dad is a jack-of-all-trades and has a good green thumb to go with it. I hope that with a bit of luck and good soil will be able to post some recipes that use some herbs fresh from my suburban garden!




I have not made many tarts over my years of baking. Maybe because I think they are complicated? Anyway I have recently watched an episode of “How to cook like Heston at home” were he shared his secret to eggs. I love eggs, runny or hard-boiled are all good in my book. His technique for lemon tart seem to produce a smooth custard tart, I just had to try it. The reason why this tart is purple is that I infused the cream with blueberries as well as the lemon zest. Blueberries are currently in season here, so I might as well use them. In addition, I find the normal blueberry pie too big and too sweet, so this is variation on that American classic. The custard sets to silky smoothness I can only compare to the skin of perfectly boiled egg, but it is set just enough to melt on the tongue. I used a whole-wheat pastry base because the nutty texture can hold the flavours of the custard better than a normal pate sure.

Bake a tart today, who is going to complain of the smell of pastry or custard anyway?



Blueberry creme brulee tart
Adapted from Heston’s book, “Heston Blumenthal at home”
Makes 4 10cm tarts

Pastry
200g whole meal pasty plain flour

150g wholemeal flour
180g unsalted butter
½ tsp salt
60g icing sugar
3 large egg yolks
1 vanilla pod
1 egg and 2 tbsp water for the egg wash

For the filling
Zest of one lemon
300ml double cream
100ml milk
200g fresh blueberries
250g white caster sugar
9 large eggs
1 large egg yolk



To make custard



Infuse blueberries with 300ml of boiled cream. Leave for 1 hour. Strain and leave to cool.

Put all the filling ingredients into a bowl and mix together using a spatula.

Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and allow to warm up until the temperature reaches 60ºC. At this point, strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a jug. With a spoon, remove the bubbles from the surface of the liquid.



In food processor, combine the flours, salt, vanilla and pulse for 30 seconds.

After add cubes of butter in the processor and pulse until it looks like uncooked crumble.

Combine the sugar and egg in another bowl with a whisk.

With the processor-running stream in the egg and sugar mix until forms a rough dough.

Turn out on to piece of cling wrap and pat into a flat disc. Cover with more cling film and fridge for 1 hour.

Roll out pastry to 5mm thick and line your tins of choice. Leave the overhang, you can cut this off later. Fridge for 30minutes.

Preheat oven to 190c. Take your pastry tin out and prick with a fork all over. Crush a piece of baking paper up and use this as a bse to hold your baking beads or coins. Place in oven for 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and take off the baking beads or coins, return to oven for a further 20 minutes until golden brown.

After make a liquid pastry by mixing left over pastry with an egg. This will seal up any holes in the tart. Return to oven for 10 minutes.

Turn oven down to 120c. When ready to bake place tart tin in the oven to warm for 5 minutes, after pour in your blue berry filling until it is filled. Bake until the custard reaches 70c on a thermometer. I had to bake for 15-20 minutes.

Transfer to fridge to cool completely.

Cut off the pastry to tidy up the pie.

Sprinkle caster sugar the custard tart and use a touch to bur lee the top until dark brown

Singles, where do you mingle?/-/ Beer nut macarons with light ale butter cream.

With all the talk of Valentine ’s Day and the glory of being in relationship, the single sout there can often feel left out. So this is my post aimed at you singletons, yep the souls who will not have someone to spend the 14th with. I am one of you millions, I do not have a valentine and I am quite content to remain single for a while yet. This valentine’s day I am spending it watching big bang theory, over some good sweets and in comfortable daggy clothes. I am loving up the person closest to me, which is me!



Though not everyone is like me and is happy single, I would like to ask where do you go to meet other singles?

Parties, pubs, clubs, libraries, Gyms?

I have recently read an article on the best and worst places to meet people. I took this article with a grain of salt because it came from one of those women aimed magazines but it got me thinking do like personalities converse in the same places?






For example, the first rule is do not go to meet people in club setting because you will not meet someone stable or “relationship material”. Wow really? *sarcasm*

If I am going to club, I am not looking for my future husband; I am looking for good time.

“Be wary of the gym goers as they can self centred”. This really got me, because the reason they are self-centred is that the gym is me improvement time not meeting others time. I actually find it annoying if someone talks to me at the gym.





While this article did give some generalised knowledge about where to meet people; I believe it forced people into categories of good and bad. Now we all know people are not that simple and relationships do not just magically work base on where you meet them. Many people seem to forget that persistence and communication make relationships work, this coming from someone who has seen her older sister’s trails in their relationships (both married now by the way, and both very very happy)

Now for these macarons. I know, I know another one but like a good relationship you need to pay some attention to it or else you lose the skill.

I took some inspiration from the article, apparently the pub is 5th best place to meet someone. Higher than I expected but maybe it is because of the laid back nature of the place. So when you go to a pub what do you have? Beer snacks of course! My favourite would have to be the salted or honey peanut and cashews in the little foil packages. I matched these up with the most common brew served here in Australia, which is light ale. The creamy smoothness of beer butter cream, contrast with the crunch of the honey and salted cashew mix with surrounds the outside. In the shells is not the typical almond mixer but I have replaced some of the mixture with ground cashews (ground it a dust and dried) in order to match the same texture of almond meal.

All these produce a wonderful bite sized treat and makes the pub snack look elegant (I can use all the help I can get frankly).

Singletons do not be caught up in the places to mingle. If you are not up for meet someone on 14th, show some self-love with a sweet treat and good drinks. You know you are worth it




Beer nut macarons with light ale butter cream.
Adpted from tartlette's recipes for macarons.

95 gr egg whites (use eggs whites that have been preferably left 3-5 days in the fridge)
25 gr granulated sugar
200 gr powdered sugar
60 gr almonds (slivered, blanched, sliced, whatever you like)

60g ground cashews

Prepare the macarons:
In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites to a foam, (think bubble bath foam) gradually add the sugar until you obtain a glossy meringue (think shaving cream). Do not overbeat your meringue or it will be too dry. Place the powdered sugar, cashews and almonds in a food processor and give them a good pulse until the nuts are finely ground. Add them to the meringue, give it a quick fold to break some of the air and then fold the mass carefully until you obtain a batter that falls back on itself after counting to 10. Give quick strokes at first to break the mass and slow down. The whole process should not take more than 50 strokes. Test a small amount on a plate: if the tops flattens on its own you are good to go. If there is a small beak, give the batter a couple of turns.
Fill a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip (Ateco #807 or #809) with the batter and pipe small rounds (1.5 inches in diameter) onto parchment paper or silicone mats lined baking sheets. Let the macarons sit out for 30 minutes to an hour to harden their shells a bit. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 280F. When ready, bake for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on their size. Let cool. If you have trouble removing the shells, pour a couple of drops of water under the parchment paper while the sheet is still a bit warm and the macarons will lift up more easily do to the moisture. Don't let them sit there in it too long or they will become soggy. Once baked and if you are not using them right away, store them in an airtight container out of the fridge for a couple of days or in the freezer.



Ale butter cream

70g egg whites

70g raw caster sugar

1/2tsp salt

100g icing suagr

1 vanilla bean

150ml of ale reductions (take 300ml of ale and reduce it over low heat until thick and syrupy

310g butter



Place sugar and eggwhite in a bowl over simmering water. Stir constantly until it comes to 50c or the sugar is dissolved.

In stand mixer with the whick attackment. Pur egg white mixture in bowl and beat until firm peaks.

Add salt and vanilla. Beat again.

Change the attachment to the paddle. Slowly add butter in cubes of about 2cm.

Once it becomes a fluffy mass, add the ale reduction in a thin stream. Beat until fluffy again. Place aside until ready to use



Assembly 

Sandwich one shell with a 1.5 teaspoon of butter cream. After coat cream crushed salted beer cashews and honey cashews.