Happy Monday everyone.  Sorry I have been a little on the quiet side, but those of you that follow me on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook, all know I haven’t been too well.  Those that don’t follow me, I really suggest you do, because WOW, you are missing out on some golden gossip!!  Was a nice little trip to emergency, followed by a short stay in hospital, because they really really liked me and didn’t want to see me go.  Home now and slowly recovering.

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The Salt Book, what a fascinating read.  The book covers every aspect of salt you could imagine.  How to salt, when to salt, which salt, why salt, salt trends, salt facts, salt recipes, salt techniques, chefs on salt, salt at the table.  It goes through explanations of types of salts ie, pink salt, fleur de sel, smoked salt.  It even explains how you can make your own salt.

No stone left unturned when it comes to the subject of salt.  The pictures throughout the book are gorgeous as well.  It is much more than a recipe book, a true education in salt.  Authors Fritz Gubler & David Glynn with Dr Russell Keast, have come up with the where, why and how guide to salt.

So many interesting recipes caught my attention, but where to start?  With strawberries as luscious and tasty as they were and passionfruit in abundance, I decide to try the meringue recipe and whip up an Eaton mess.

2.5 from 2 reviews

Meringues

 

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Due to using brown sugar in the recipe these meringues turn out a little darker than usual, with a nice chewy centre.

Author: The Salt Book

Recipe type: Dessert

Ingredients

• 80g light brown sugar
• 4 egg whites
• 100g caster sugar
• fine sea salt

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 120?C. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper. Sift the brown sugar into a bowl with a good pinch of sea salt. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Then add the caster sugar in three equal portions, beating until the whites are glossy and stiff. White still beating, gently sift the brown sugar from the bowl on to the egg whites, ceasing as soon as it is incorporated.
2. Use a tablespoon to place dollops of meringue on the baking tray, leaving plenty of space between.
3. Bake for 50 minutes then turn off the oven and, leaving the door slightly ajar, let the meringues cool before removing.

1.2.4

To make Eaton mess is very easy.  Just make the meringues as above.  Once they have cooled and you are ready for dessert, break up your meringue, add strawberries and passionfruit pulp.  Mix through some cream and bingo, Eaton mess.

There are a few recipes that I want to try in the book.  A while back I bought myself a Himalayan salt block which I have been itching to try.  There are two great recipes in the book that use a salt block, Scallops with vanilla salt and scallop carpaccio.  Did you know that beside heating a salt block you can also freeze it giving great results.

If you would like to purchase your own copy it is available from Arbon Publishing.

Sara xxx

Belly Rumbles received a copy of The Salt Book, with much thanks, from Felicity of Arbon Publishing.

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The August 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Elissa of 17 and Baking. For the first time, The Daring Bakers partnered with Sugar High Fridays for a co-event and Elissa was the gracious hostess of both. Using the theme of beurre noisette, or browned butter, Elissa chose to challenge Daring Bakers to make a pound cake to be used in either a Baked Alaska or in Ice Cream Petit Fours. The sources for Elissa’s challenge were Gourmet magazine and David Lebovitz’s “The Perfect Scoop”.


Thanks for the challenge Elissa!  This was a fun one and a couple of firsts for me.

Every since I received my ice cream makers from Mum & Dad for Christmas a few years back, Mac has asked me to make chocolate ice cream.  Sadly slack me has made all types of ice cream but not chocolate, always seemed a dull option when I could play with savoury sorbets and funky flavours like hot cross bun.  The decision was an easy one for the ice cream in the baked Alaska, rich decadent chocolate ice cream.  Oh how good did it turn out!!!  Ohhhhh My God why haven’t I made it before?

I was excited about using beurre noisette.  One of the first recipes I made in home economics at school was burnt butter biscuits.  I love using it with fish with lemon and pine nuts or sage, but I have never made a pound cake using it.

The whole process was quite fun, browning the butter and then letting it solidify again in order to cream it with the sugar.  You ended up with a rich, nutty, dense pound cake, I will be making this again just to have with a cup of tea.

I am no stranger to the good ol baked Alaska, I have made them numerous times and sadly with more success than what I had with these ones.

I am use to baking them not using a blow torch to brown the outside of the meringue.  I love having that crispy meringue shell to crack through to reach the still solid ice cream inside.  Actually as a child my mother amazed me at this wonderful delight, how can you put ice cream in the oven and it stays cold and solid?  Was something I introduced to junior at an early age as well.

Brown Butter Pound Cake


275g butter
2c plain flour
1t powder
1/2t salt
1/2c packed light brown sugar
1/3c caster sugar
4 large eggs
1/2t pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 325°F/160°C and put a rack in the centre. Butter and flour a 9”x9” (23cmx23cm) square pan.

Place the butter in a 10” (25cm) skillet over medium heat. Brown the butter until the milk solids are a dark chocolate brown and the butter smells nutty. (Don’t take your eyes off the butter in case it burns.) Pour into a shallow bowl and chill in the freezer until just congealed, 15-30 minutes (I left it overnight).


Whisk together cake flour, baking powder, and salt.

Beat the brown butter, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar in an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well, and then the vanilla extract.

Stir in the flour mixture at low speed until just combined.

Scrape the batter into the greased and floured 9”x9” (23cmx23cm) square pan. Smooth the top with a rubber spatula and rap the pan on the counter. Bake until golden brown on top and when a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean, about 25 minutes.

Cool in the pan 10 minutes. Run a knife along the edge and invert right-side-up onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

I didn’t use Elissa’s ice cream recipe (looks delicious though),the vanilla ice cream recipe is available here.

Ultra Rich Chocolate Ice Cream


1 1/2c cream
1/2c milk
1/4c sugar
100g dark chocolate, chopped
3 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1/2t vanilla essence

Place cream, milk, sugar and chocolate in to the top of a double boiler or a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water.  Stir over medium heat until chocolate has melted and sugar dissolved.

Cool slightly and then whisk in egg yolks and essence.

Cool the custard mixture completely.  I tend to make it the day before and place it in the fridge so it is completely chilled.

Pour custard in to your ice cream maker and allow to churn until done.

Once churned place in a container in the freeze until needed.

Sara’s notes: As I was making individual square baked Alaskas I placed the ice cream in to a rectangular container, lined with cling wrap, to freeze.  This was then unmoulded and cut to the desired shapes.

Cake was cut the same size as the ice cream squares.  Ice cream placed on top and then covered with meringue.

I went to use my normal method of baking, but the meringue started to fall from the corners of one.  I whipped them out of the oven and finished them via the blow torch.  The meringue had crisped while it was in the oven so not all was lost.

These baked Alaskas were very very rich but completely delicious.

Sara xxx

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