I was lucky enough to be invited to the Langham's kitchen for Christmas in July, to make my very own Christmas pudding, along with 5 other food bloggers, media and other personalities.
I love the Langham. I did alot of my year 12 photography folio based on the fountain the grand entrance. I have also come various times for the buffet. I unfortunately missed out on the bloggers high tea as I was moving house, but am making a special trip there with Miss A at the end of next month to indulge our taste buds.


We all met in the Little Collins Room. It has a lovely warm feeling with a giant wooden table in the centre of the room, tea candles, and Christmas decorations. We were doted on with champagne and a fantastic array of canapes. 


After a bit of a mingle, we donned on our Langham aprons, chef hats and headed down to the kitchens. There were two kitchens, both decorated in the Christmasy style; one making truffles and various chocolates, the other kitchen making puddings. We were split into two groups, and my group started off with truffle making.


Pastry chef Zara told us all about tempering chocolate, and showed us how to dip the perfect truffle, as well as how to get the fancy spiky pattern. The white chocolate truffles had raspberry ganache and elderflower liqueur, they were simply divine.
When tempering chocolate, to check the temperature, you put the back of the spoon on your bottom lip. You shouldn't feel a difference in temperature.... this makes tempering chocolate a delicious exercise!


Then we had the rum truffles coated in Lindt milk chocolate and topped with cocoa nibs.
Needless to say, it was awesome!


We ran out of time to learn how to make the nut clusters, but us bloggers sampled quite a few of clusters on display. You can't let good chocolate go to waste!

We then changed over kitchens and headed in to pudding making 101 with Chef Anthony Ross. Anthony was a fantastic entertainer, and really made the group come alive as they squished their hands into the dough.


We started with pretty much all the butter in the world, mixed with hazelnut and almond meal. No flour in these puddings, they are gluten free! It is tipped all down the bench for everyone to get involved and start mixing. Anthony jokes "this is what you do when you don't have a mixer!". He then pours over a mass mixture of dried fruits that have been macerating in St Remy brandy with a mixture of spices, citrus juice and zest; the smell is phenomenal. The group then makes a well in the mixture and Anythony proceeds to pour in two cans of Guinness to give it a rich flavour.


We each then chose a charm, wrapped it in aluminum foil, and put it in our puddings. The puddings will be steamed for 2 hours and matured at the Langham for 5 months. We will then be delivered our puddings just in time for Christmas. I can't wait, it's my first pudding!

Luckily for us the canapes and champagne kept following when we were in the kitchens, making the whole night a blast.


315g butter
185g almond meal
185g hazelnut meal
250g sultanas
250g raisins
320g currants
65g mixed peel
190g brown sugar
50ml water
135ml brandy
65g chopped figs
30ml water
8g mixed spice
1.5g salt
155ml eggs
1 large lemon (zest and juice)
1 large orange (zest and juice)
80ml stout
30ml milk

1. Make a syrup with the brown sugar, water and brandy.
2. Add to the fruit and let fruit soak for up to a month.
3. Mix butter, hazelnut meal and almond meal.
4. Mix spices, salt, eggs, zest, juice, stout and milk together, then add to nut and butter mixture.
5. Finally, add figs and brandy soaked fruits and mix.
6. Grease pudding moulds with butter.
7. Fill in pudding mixture.
8. Cook in water bath for 4 hours.
9. When cooled, remove from the mould and store in a cool dry place.

To cook when serving:
1. Place 1 layer of baking paper and 1 layer of foil around the top of the pudding and tie securely with kitchen string.
2. Lower into a saucepan of boiling water (pudding needs to be 3/4 submerged)
3. Cover the saucepan with a lid and allow to boil for 2 to 3 hours.
4. Top up water if required.

Serve with hot custard.

Makes 1, 2kg pudding.

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With Christmas on it's way, and requests for some cute Christmas cupcakes following my reindeer cupcakes from last year; I thought I better get my bum into gear.

These were absolutely delicious, and incredibly easy to make. Infact, I am making them again next weekend to go into noodle boxes for a Christmas lunch I'm hosting. I'm also making cute name tags to go with them. Don't worry, I'll be sure to take millions of photos (as always) to post on my blog!

The bursts of cranberries within the puddings are a real treat, and match perfectly with the chocolately batter. They are not as heavy as a pudding would be, and look ultra cute!
I used spearmint leaves instead of fresh bay leaves, which adds a nice minty treat after eating the mini pudding.


Ultra-Choc Christmas Puddings

150g butter
100g dark chocolate, chopped
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup (80g) sour cream
1 cup (150g) self-raising flour
1 tablespoon cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup (90g) almond meal
3/4 cup (165g) caster sugar
1/2 cup (75g) dried cranberries, plus extra to decorate
12 small fresh bay leaves (I used candy spearmint leaves instead)

Custard Icing
250g pure icing sugar, plus extra to dust
1 teaspoon custard powder

1. Preheat oven to 180°C or 160°C fan-forced. Grease a 12-hole, 1/3 cup-capacity non-stick or silicone muffin pan.

2. Melt butter and chocolate in a small saucepan on low heat, until smooth. Cool slightly. Add egg and sour cream and mix well. Sift together flour, cocoa and baking powder into a large bowl. Add almond meal, sugar and dried cranberries and mix well. Pour in chocolate mixture and stir until mixture is well combined.

3. Spoon in prepared pans, until three-quarters full. Bake for 15-20 mins, until cakes spring back when lightly touched. Cool in pan for 5 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

4. Meanwhile, to make icing, sift icing sugar and custard powder into a medium bowl. Add 1-2 tablespoons of water, stirring, until thick. When puddings are cool, trim rounded tops and turn upside down onto a wire rack. Spoon over icing and press bay leaves and extra cranberries into icing. Stand until set. Dust with extra icing sugar to serve.

Makes 12.

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After a recent episode of my favorite TV show, Masterchef, I was inspired to make chocolate fondants. I have made similar things to chocolate fondants before like the molten chocolate cakes, soft centred jaffa puddings, and warm chocolate pots, but never, a chocolate fondant.
First of all Sam stuffed up his fondants, but in the group challenge, the chocolate fondants served at the wedding made me, and most of Australia drool in unison. I knew I had to give them a go as soon as possible!

I made the batter a day ahead to make my life easier. I made the caramel sauce 3 times. I tried 2 times and failed. When I added the cream and butter to the caramel, it would just turn to toffee and it was a massive fail. Not wanting to feel defeated I tried one last time a few hours later just before serving and got it to work. The key is do not plonk the cream and butter in and stir, add them gradually whilst stirring and it will work. I did have a few toffee shards so I just strained the sauce through a sift.

Other than that, it was relatively easy to make. If you over cook them, you won't get a gooey centre, which is the key to a good chocolate fondant. I think the caramel sauce is a must, as it has a nice sweetness. I served mine with vanilla ice cream and we all in dessert heaven for a brief moment.
You can make them in ramekins, disposable tins, or like I did, in a muffin tray.

Chocolate Fondant
Gordon Ramsay

50g melted butter , for brushing
cocoa powder , for dusting
200g good-quality dark chocolate , chopped into small pieces
200g butter , in small pieces
200g golden caster sugar
4 eggs and 4 yolks
200g plain flour
Caramel sauce (see 'Goes well with') and vanilla ice cream or orange sorbet, to serve

1. First get your moulds ready. Using upward strokes, heavily brush the melted butter all over the inside of the pudding mould. Place the mould in the fridge or freezer. Brush more melted butter over the chilled butter, then add a good spoonful of cocoa powder into the mould. Tip the mould so the powder completely coats the butter. Tap any excess cocoa back into the jar, then repeat with 1 the next mould.

2. Place a bowl over a pan of barely simmering water, then slowly melt the chocolate and butter together. Remove bowl from the heat and stir until smooth. Leave to cool for about 10 mins.

3. In a separate bowl whisk the eggs and yolks together with the sugar until thick and pale and the whisk leaves a trail; use an electric whisk if you want. Sift the flour into the eggs, then beat together.

4. Pour the melted chocolate into the egg mixture in thirds, beating well between each addition, until all the chocolate is added and the mixture is completely combined to a loose cake batter.

5. Tip the fondant batter into a jug, then evenly divide between the moulds. The fondants can now be frozen for up to a month and cooked from frozen. Chill for at least 20 mins or up to the night before. To bake from frozen, simply carry on as stated, adding 5 mins more to the cooking time.

6. Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Place the fondants on a baking tray, then cook for 10-12 mins until the tops have formed a crust and they are starting to come away from the sides of their moulds. Remove from the oven, then leave to sit for 1 min before turning out.

7. Loosen the fondants by moving the tops very gently so they come away from the sides, easing them out of the moulds. Tip each fondant slightly onto your hand so you know it has come away, then tip back into the mould ready to plate up.

8. Starting from the middle of each plate, squeeze a spiral of caramel sauce - do all the plates you need before you go on to the next stage.

9. Sit a fondant in the middle of each plate. Using a large spoon dipped in hot water, scoop a 'quenelle' of ice cream.

10. Carefully place the ice cream on top of the fondant, then serve immediately. Repeat with the rest of the fondants.

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This was one of the easiest desserts I have EVER made!
I didn't have to buy any special ingredients, everything was lying around in my kitchen somewhere!

They were so good with caramel ice-cream. So nice and spongy, not too rich, the orange flavour really tied the whole thing together.

Taken from the taste website, I'd highly recommend you try this if you have time.

Ingredients (serves 1)
2 teaspoons white sugar
50g good-quality dark chocolate, chopped
25g butter
1/2 orange, rind finely grated
1 egg
2 tablespoons caster sugar
1 tablespoon self-raising flour
1 tablespoon desiccated coconut
double thick cream, shaved dark chocolate, cocoa powder, to serve

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As mentioned in my previous post, my new Iron Chef's and I made a dessert. I had an excess of pears so a pear crumble was on the menu!
It was a night of Donna Hay recipes!

Rather simple to prepare and a huge hit with the crowd. We had an extra guest for dessert who was on a study break and I think the sugar helped her study a bit harder!

Pear and maple syrup = delicious!!

4 pears (1kg),chopped
1/2 cup (100g) raisins
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1.5 tablespoons maple syrup
topping
1 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup almond meal
20g butter, softened
1/4 cup maple syrup

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.

2. Combine the pears, raisins, sugar and maple syrup. Place in 4 x 1.75cup capacity ovenproof dishes.

3. To make the topping combine the oats, almond meal, butter and maple syrup. Pile the mixture on top of the fruit. Cook for 30-35 minutes or until the topping is golden and crisp and the pears are soft.

Serves 4.

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Mid week cooking was followed by me making a dessert, not a very common occurrence.
Taken from the latest Delicious magazine, these amazing delights are nice and cake like on the top, but explode with gooey chocolate when you eat them. I served mine with a vanilla and caramel ice-cream and couldn't get enough!

A nice wintery alternative to chocolate mousse. Will have to make this one for my friends when they come over next month for a dinner party.

Very easy to make, takes about 30 minutes to prepare and cook.

• 200g good-quality dark chocolate, roughly chopped
• 100g unsalted butter, chopped
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup caster sugar
• 2 tbs plain flour, (sifted)
• cream or ice-cream to serve

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Grease four 150mL ramekins.

2. Place the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water until melted. Stir to just combine, then cool slightly.

3. Place the eggs, sugar and flour in a bowl and whisk until just combined.

4. Gradually whisk in the chocolate mixture, then pour the batter into the ramekins and place on a baking tray.

5. Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes until the edges are set but the centre is soft.

6. Serve hot with cream or ice-cream.

Serves 4.

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