Mum's Group High Tea Delights!

As usual, I spent this Wednesday having a fantastic afternoon tea get-together with my mum's group. It was at my house this week so therefore, up to me to provide the yummy food offerings.

I was feeling like a challenge and hugely inspired by my new "Women's Weekly High Tea" cook-book, so attempted a 3-tier High Tea extravaganza. Ok, so I doubt that Donna Hay would have given me 10 out of 10 for presentation but, for me, this was a pretty good effort and I was really proud of how it all looked!!!

On the top tier, I had some lovely Pistachio Macaroons filled with a Honey and White Chocolate Ganache (WW High Tea Cookbook). I had made these once before and must confess my 1st attempt looked nicer, but these still tasted pretty yummy...definitely not recommended for diabetics though! They are so sweet and chewy...Yum!!!

Second tier was my own creation of Five-Spice Infused Chocolate Ganache Tarts - this involved infusing cream with traditional five-spice and then making a standard dark chocolate ganache with the five-spice cream base (see full recipe below). Sadly I had about 100gms too much dark chocolate in the mix so it was a little bit rich, but I think the idea is still good with some minor adjustments. It is a hard one to describe but you just have to try and imagine the warmth of the subtle spices coming through under the veil of the rich dark chocolate. The flavours linger on the palate and it is easy to draw out the individual spices if you search for them.

The bottom tier was Apple Cinnamon Tea Loaves with Spiced Honey Cream (from WW High Tea Cookbook but I added 2 chopped apples to the cake mix). I also made some delicious sausage rolls (recipe on Master Chef website and a future blog) and it was all topped off with champagne on ice.

What a fantastic way to spend a Wednesday afternoon! Delicious!!! Now, if only we could hire babysitters for the next one ;-)

Five-Spice Infused Chocolate Ganache Tarts


I have shared this recipe as I think the idea of infusing five-spice is really special for desserts. It adds an Asian feel to the dish and creates a subtle but different flavour combination. I originally got this idea from a gorgeous honey and five spice panna cotta I made from my Thai cook-book, but I think the idea can be used very creatively across a few different areas.

PASTRY CASES
1 and 3/4 cups (260g) plain flour
1/4 cup (40g) icing sugar
185g cold butter, chopped coarsely
1 egg yolk
2 tsp iced water (approximately)

FILLING
400 mls double cream
2 cinnamon sticks
3 star anise
4 cardamom pods
3 cloves
1/2 teaspoon szechuan pepper
150-200gms good quality dark chocolate (Lindt or similar) depending on how chocolatey you want it (you can always start with 150gms then add more to taste)

PASTRY CASES
Step 1: Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees celsius.
Step 2: Process flour, sugar and butter until crumbly. With motor operating, add egg yolk and enough of the water to make ingredients come together.
Step 3: Turn dough onto floured surface and knead gently until smooth. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate 30 mins.
Step 4: Grease a 24 hole mini-muffin pan. Roll out half the pastry (to ensure it doesn't become too warm to handle) between sheets of baking paper until about 3mm thick. Use a medium scone cutter to cut rounds to fit in muffin holes. Press into holes and price bases well with a fork. Repeat with remaining pastry.
Step 5: Bake cases for about 8-12 minutes depending on your oven. Remove when golden brown and cooked through. Stand cases 5 mins before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

FILLING
Step 1: Dry roast spices over low heat until fragrant. Bruise with rolling pin or in mortar and pestle to release flavour.
Step 2: Heat cream with roasted spices over low heat for 10 minutes without letting it come to the boil. Remove from heat, cover and allow to infuse for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator (preferably overnight).
Step 3: Bring infused cream to the boil slowly then pour over chopped chocolate. Whisk until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth and creamy.
Step 4: Pour into pastry cases and refrigerate at least 2 hours. Serve topped with some whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon.