Table of contents for April 2018 in Taste.com.au

“I love a Chokito! Crispy bits, chewy caramel and chocolate all rolled into one! If you’re a fan, check out our slice on p98. Or Cherry Ripe – sweet coconut with little cherry chunks.” Michelle “My fave choc treat is pumpkin seeds coated in 70% dark chocolate – they’re delicious and are also a good source of essential fatty acids, iron, calcium and flavanols.” Chrissy “There’s nothing better than dipping deep-fried churros into a pot of warm melted dark chocolate. The combo of cinnamon sugar, crispy churro and melted choc is heaven.” Miranda…

1 Lightly oil the base of an upturned ceramic or glass cereal bowl and the inside of another bowl. Using your fingers, gently loosen 30g uncooked rice vermicelli noodles. Place in a large bowl. 2 Add 100g melted dark choc melts and use 2 forks to gently toss until the noodles are completely coated (try not to break the noodles). You can use your hands to toss noodles if easier. 3 Shape the noodles over the base of the greased bowl to form a nest. Place the remaining greased bowl over the top of the nest and press down to shape. Set aside for 20 minutes to set.…

My friends and I loved the Thai Meatball Lettuce Cups (November 2017, p117). The flavours were amazing and it was such an easy recipe to follow. I had invited friends over for drinks in the afternoon and while they enjoyed their first drink, I whipped up the meatballs – they were a big hit. A group of friends and I organise a ‘taste date’ every month. My friend Stevie made the Easy Vol-au-vents (November 2017, p84). It was hard to pick a favourite, but I enjoyed the mushroom ones the most! I made the Easy Lemon Ricotta Mousse (October 2017, p25). The image was very enticing and my daughter found the recipe and asked me at least twice a day to make it! What can I say – it was…

crispy vietnamese pancakes  makes 6 | prep 20 mins (+ 1 hour resting time) | cooking 15 mins 190g ( 1 /2 cup) rice flour 1 /2 tsp turmeric 1 /4 tsp sea salt 125ml ( 1 /2 cup) coconut milk 2 green shallots, thinly sliced Vegetable oil, to fry 300g shredded barbecued chicken 1 small carrot, peeled, cut into matchsticks 100g bean sprouts 1 cup fresh coriander sprigs, plus extra, to serve Fresh mint leaves, baby cos lettuce leaves and lime wedges, to serve nuoc cham dressing 60ml ( 1 /4 cup) fish sauce 60ml ( 1 /4 cup) white vinegar 55g ( 1 /4 cup) sugar 1 tbs fresh lime juice 1 long fresh red chilli, deseeded, finely chopped 1 garlic clove, finely chopped 1 Combine the rice…

INDULGE YOURSELF A LITTLE THIS EASTER WITH THE JOY OF BAKING FROM SCRATCH. NOTES OF FRAGRANT VANILLA, CINNAMON, FRUIT & CHOCOLATE WILL WAFT THROUGH YOUR HOME AS YOU BAKE THESE GORGEOUS RUSTIC HOT CROSS BUNS. THE SECRET INGREDIENT IS THE HINT OF BUN SPICE IN QUEEN CINNAMON BAKING PASTE. AVAILABLE IN SUPERMARKETS NOW. HOT CROSS BUNS WITH THE LOT BUNS 3 1/3 cups (500g) plain flour 20g dry yeast ½ cup (110g) caster sugar 3 tsp Queen Cinnamon Baking Paste ½ tsp ground nutmeg ½ tsp ground cloves Pinch of salt 50g butter, melted 2 large eggs 2 tsp Queen Celebrating 120 Years Pure Vanilla Extract 1 cup (250ml) milk 150g dark chocolate, roughly chopped 1 cup raisins or sultanas CROSSES ¼ cup (40g) plain flour 1-2 tsp water GLAZE…

10 secrets of beurre bosc pears 1 Beurre is French for ‘butter’ and relates to the pear’s smooth and buttery texture, unlike many other pear varieties that are somewhat gritty. Beurre bosc pears go from being a greenish-brown colour to golden brown when fully ripe. 2 They are picked when still hard so they are best left to ripen at room temperature for 3-5 days before eating. Store them in a bowl at room temperature. Avoid storing them in plastic bags or covered containers, as this will make them ripen too quickly and create a mealy texture. 3 You can slow the ripening process by placing them in the fridge. This is handy when you’re not quite ready to eat or cook them. 4 When ripe, they should yield slightly…

We love chocolate! That’s why, over the years, we’ve done almost everything you can possibly do with it. We’ve dripped, dipped, drizzled, even baked and fried it. We’ve made it crispy, curly, crunchy, creamy, oozy, fudgy and swirly. There was just one remaining frontier: we’d never truly splattered chocolate – you know, really made things messy. So we saved the best for our annual Big Chocolate Issue. In fact, making this Amazing Chocolate Speckled Cake (p18) might just be the most fun you’ll have in the kitchen this year. And the good news is, you can’t really go wrong – other than redecorating your entire kitchen in chocolate speckles. Get set for a beautiful mess! That’s what I love most about our cover recipe – the mixture of sophistication and…

new • broccoli• brussels sprouts• fuji apples• lemons• mandarins now • bananas• buk choy• cauliflower• chillies• kiwi fruit• mushrooms• passionfruit• pumpkin• spinach• strawberries• sweet potato be quick • figs• limes• papaya• plums• snake beans• williams pears kiwi fruit pops Cut 2 kiwi fruit into 1cm-thick rounds. Use your fingers to carefully remove peel. Insert a paddle pop stick into each slice. Place on a lined baking tray in the freezer for 2 hours. Dip the top half of each pop into melted dark chocolate, allowing excess to drip back into bowl. Return to the lined tray. Sprinkle with toasted buckwheat. Place in the freezer to set. plum & spinach salad Cut fresh plums into wedges. Toss baby spinach with plum, goat’s cheese and chopped candied walnuts in a large bowl.…

You’ll need a sheet of 20ml egg moulds and 5ml egg moulds. Cut the sheets into individual moulds. Wipe the moulds with well-oiled paper towel. Melt 75g white choc melts until smooth. Use a skewer to add a little Wilton Cornflour Blue and Teal Icing Color Pastes to the chocolate to tint. Working with two 20ml mould halves at a time, add 1 tsp melted chocolate to each, secure the halves together with bulldog clips and turn to fully coat the inside. Repeat with 5ml moulds, adding 1 /2 tsp chocolate to each. Set aside, turning often, for 10 minutes to set. Place in the fridge for 5 minutes. Repeat with remaining 75g choc melts (without tinting) to make more eggs. Remove eggs from moulds. Using reserved speckle mix and…

MAJOR PRIZE WINNER receives a KitchenAid Cook Processor RUNNER-UP receives a KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer TO ENTER our Cook the Cover comp this month, see p21 “These pavlovas really brought the wow factor to this dessert and captured all that fairy bread fun.”Mat t Preston COOK THE COVER JUDGE…

My potato & celeriac bake is extra-cheesy and tasty. What’s so special about this potato bake, you might ask? Well, if you like your bake to be really creamy, super-cheesy, extra-tasty and with a touch of smoky ham, you’ll agree that this is the ultimate combo. It really is the perfect dish for any occasion, because you can make it ahead of time, and it’s a total crowd-pleaser. Potato and celeriac are a classic pairing because the flavours go so well together. In case you’re not familiar with it, celeriac is the bulb of the celery plant and it has a subtle celery flavour, as well as a slight nuttiness. Make sure you thinly slice the potato and celeriac, so they layer neatly and cook evenly – I use a…

lentil & kale moussaka  serves 6 | prep 15 mins | cooking 1 hour 5 mins 2 tbs olive oil 1 brown onion, finely chopped 1 carrot, peeled, finely chopped 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped 2 whole cloves 400g can diced tomatoes 400g can brown lentils, rinsed, drained 1 /4 cup chopped fresh continental parsley 1 bunch kale, stalks removed, leaves torn Baked kale leaves, to serve (optional, see tip) white sauce 50g butter 40g ( 1 /4 cup) plain flour 625ml (2 1 /2 cups) milk 30g parmesan, finely grated 1 egg, lightly whisked 1 Heat 1 tbs oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot, garlic and cloves. Cook, stirring often, for 2-3 minutes, until vegies are soft. Stir in tomato, lentils, parsley and 125ml (…

 All my life I have been surrounded by great baking I’ve been in the industry for more than thirty years, and yet every day I learn something new. “Anyone can bake, and you can start at any age. If you can get a few core bakes right, you will enter a whole new world of enjoyment and save yourself money in the shops at the same time.” Paul Hollywood I grew up eating my mum’s bakes at home – her ginger biscuits are legendary – and I was always in and out of my dad’s bakeries. Following in his footsteps, I did an apprenticeship in high street bakeries, then began working in five star hotels. I moved to Cyprus in my late twenties, living and baking there for six years,…

I’m a huge fan of chocolate mousse, with its rich taste and light-as-air texture. It’s also proof you don’t need loads of ingredients to create something spectacular – just chocolate, butter, eggs, cream and vanilla.Michelle Southan “Our luscious, velvety mousse has got you covered for any occasion, from dinner parties to casual get-togethers or ‘just because’ indulgence. Serve with biscotti or fresh berries, if you like.” you’ll need… let’s go! classic chocolate mousse serves 6 | prep 20 mins (+ cooling & 3 hours setting time) | cooking 5 mins 200g dark cooking chocolate, finely chopped 25g butter 310ml (1 1 /4 cups) thickened cream 3 eggs, separated, at room temperature 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 Melt the chocolate, butter and 60ml (1 /4 cup) cream in a…

Michelle Q Can choc chips be melted for cooking? Choc chips, sold as baking chips or choc bits, only contain about 20% cocoa solids to ensure they stay whole during baking. This is perfect for choc chip cookies and other recipes where you want them to hold their shape. They can be melted, but won’t give the same rich flavour you’ll get from using dark cooking and eating chocolates that contain 50-70 per cent cocoa solids, or even more. Matt Q What’s the trick to cut chocolate-topped slices neatly? This is certainly a challenge, as when you apply pressure to the set chocolate you risk squidging out a softer caramel or other fillings beneath it. If you have a cheese wire, try warming it up and using that. A knife…

Matt Matt Preston and Michelle Southan’s revamped White Chocolate Tiramisu, p80, turns the classic Italian dessert upside down – literally! Using white chocolate makes it a little bit retro and totally delicious. A kick from spiced rum goes down a treat, too. Louise Louise Keats has made everyone’s favourite side dish – potato bake – better for you with her Sweet Potato Bake, p57. It’s still wonderfully creamy and cheesy, but there are lots of extra nutrients from using both orange and purple sweet potato. Michelle Sign up for success with Michelle Southan’s step-by-step guide to making Classic Chocolate Mousse, p109. And with only a handful of ingredients you probably already have in the cupboard, you could be eating it for dessert tonight! Marion Who says pancakes are just for…

We have two Como Platinum cookware sets, worth $934 each, to give away, thanks to The Chefs Toolbox. Each set includes a 28cm Sauté pan, 20cm and 30cm Frypan, 3.5L Brazier and 2L Saucepan. This fabulous new range is non-stick, ovenproof and suitable for any cooking surface (including induction). SEND IN YOUR ENTRIES BY 11 APRIL Terms and conditions: Entries open 00:01 (AEDT) 08/03/18 and close 23:59 (AEST) 11/04/18. Open to Australian residents only. Winners determined 14:00 (AEST) 16/04/18 at NewsLifeMedia Pty Ltd, 2 Holt Street, Surry Hills, NSW 2010. Winners’ names published in taste.com.au magazine June 2018. Total prize pool valued at $1,868. Full terms and conditions available at taste.com.au/cookthecovercomp two ways to enter email it: Send a photo of your creation, with your name, address and telephone…

These also make a delicious dessert served warm with a scoop of coconut ice-cream and extra raspberries. gluten-free choc-raspberry bites  makes 9 | prep 10 mins | cooking 20 mins 60g butter, chopped 100g 70% dark chocolate (GF), finely chopped 80g ( 2 /3 cup) almond meal (GF) 45g ( 1 /4 cup) CSR Coconut Sugar 2 eggs, lightly whisked 2 tsp vanilla extract 125g punnet raspberries 2 tsp pure icing sugar 2 tsp dark cocoa powder (GF) 1 Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan forced. Line 9 holes of an 80ml (1 /3 cup) muffin pan with paper cases. 2 Combine the butter and half the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on High, stirring often, for 1 minute or until melted and smooth. 3 Combine the almond meal,…

White chocolate is a sensitive subject for me. Nigella Lawson once laughed at me on the telly, implying my love for it was unsophisticated (aka common). So, let’s pull out the first barb... while its detractors claim it’s not really chocolate because it has minimal cocoa solids (using milk solids instead), both the EU regulators and the US FDA have decided that the significant presence of cocoa butter is enough to allow it to be called ‘chocolate’. White chocolate is often the gateway drug to milk chocolate, then the more sophisticated dark chocolate, but I still have that childhood appreciation of its taste. While it lacks the fruitiness and bitterness of the cocoa solids to balance its sweetness, their absence is good news to those allergic to the theobromines you’ll…

neapolitan kitkat layer cake  serves 10-12 | prep 45 mins (+ cooling & 30 mins chilling time) | cooking 35 mins 375g unsalted butter, at room temperature 485g (2 1 /4 cups) caster sugar 3 tsp vanilla extract 5 eggs, at room temperature 565g (3 3 /4 cups) self-raising flour, sifted 375ml (1 1 /2 cups) milk, plus 2 tbs, extra 200g ( 3 /4 cup) Greek-style yoghurt 1 /4 tsp Queen Raspberry Baking Paste Pink food colouring, to tint 50g ( 1 /2 cup) cocoa powder 100g dark cooking chocolate, chopped 60ml ( 1 /4 cup) thickened cream 170g pkt Raspberry Cheesecake Duo KitKat, to decorate 170g pkt KitKat, to decorate 100g ( 1 /2 cup) Neapolitan M&M’s vanilla buttercream 250g butter, at room temperature 2 tsp vanilla extract…

“At only 15 mins prep, this divine tart is your new best friend! You could also top it with fresh berries, such as raspberries and strawberries.”Michelle Southan no-bake chocolate tart serves 10-12 | prep 15 mins (+ 2 hours chilling time) 1 Grease a 3cm-deep, 23cm fluted tart tin. Process biscuits in a food processor until finely crushed. Add butter and process until combined. Press mixture into prepared tin. Place in the fridge while preparing filling. 2 Place the milk chocolate, dark chocolate and cream in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on High, stirring every 30 seconds, for 1-2 minutes or until melted. Add the coconut and stir to combine. 3 Pour the chocolate filling over the biscuit base and smooth the top. Place in the fridge for 2 hours or…

Stanton & Killeen Classic Rutherglen Muscat NV $35 Nothing goes better with Easter chocolate than a luscious muscat, and few make them better than this mother and daughter team. It has a coffee caramel flavour, with raisin, fig and orange zest. Serve at room temperature or over ice. Blue Pyrenees Midnight Cuvee 2014 $36 Easter’s date is determined by the moon, so it seems only right to sip on a drink deliberately harvested under the light of the moon. Made in the Champagne method, this is crisp and bright, with flavours of green apple and citrus. Calabria Three Bridges Durif 2016 $24.95 With flavours like blood plum, blackberry, cocoa, vanilla and coconut, this gutsy wine is almost a festive celebration in its own right. It’s a perfect match to a…

fruit chutney vs sweet mustard pickles Brands vary, but fruit chutney typically has more than double the calories of sweet mustard pickles, as well as more than twice the sugar. The chutney has more potassium and fibre, but the pickles are the overall winner. Both condiments tend to have added preservatives, colours and thickeners, so your best bet is to dig up Grandma’s recipe and make your own from scratch. winner: sweet mustard pickles brussels sprouts vs yellow squash Brussels sprouts have around 20 per cent more calories than yellow squash, but with those extra cals comes around eight times the fibre; three times the iron, folate and vitamin C; over twice the potassium and calcium; and more protein. Squash has more beta-carotene, but around 60 per cent more natural…

hot cross brownies makes 9 | prep 20 mins (+ 45 mins setting time) cooking 25 mins 125g unsalted butter, chopped 400g dark chocolate, chopped 155g ( 3 /4 cup) caster sugar 3 eggs 75g ( 1 /2 cup) plain flour, sifted 1 /4 tsp mixed spice 3 /4 tsp ground cinnamon 125g cream cheese, at room temperature 1 1  /2 tbs icing sugar 2 tsp Greek-style yoghurt 150g tub Dr Oetker Easy Choc White 1 Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan forced. Grease 9 holes of an 80ml ( 1 /3 cup) muffin pan. Line the bases with baking paper. 2 Place the butter and 200g chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on High, stirring every 30 seconds, until melted. Stir in the sugar until well combined. Add the…