White Chocolate, Blueberry and Macadamia Nut Tart

This weekend we had a lot of guests coming over for a BBQ, so I set about planning the menu and of course needed a good pudding to end it all so I decided I really wanted to make a tart of some sort, after much thinking I went for a white chocolate and macadamia nut tart but decided to add blueberries into it some how...due to the fact I had loads of them left over :)) I traweled through the Internet and couldn't find anything like it which I was pretty pleased about and the morning of the BBQ I set about recipe developing...I know a bit silly really :(! I made the tart case, and the blueberry compote to go in the bottom and then made the filling and put it all together and popped it in the oven for 35 minutes! Well when it came it it was still very jiggly...not exactly what I was hoping for so I allowed it to cool and popped it into the freezer to set while I panicked and made another pudding just incase the white chocolate, blueberry and macadamia nut tart didn't set! But a miracle happened....it set and not only that, it was amazing! I mean this tart was absolutely fantastic, all my guests loved it and there wasn't a crumb left after most had seconds. I must say I was pretty relieved and we still had a lovely second pudding to tuck into as well which I will also share with you...orange and cardamon polenta cake :)

White Chocolate, Blueberry and Macadamia Nut Tart

1 1/4 cup plain flour

150g butter

1/4 icing sugar

1/2 cup macadamia nuts (toasted)

2 egg yolks

2 tbsp milk

Blueberry compote

100g blueberries

1 tbsp caster sugar

1/2 tsp lemon juice

Filling

250g white chocolate

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups double cream

1/4 cup caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup macadamia nuts (toasted)

Pre heat the oven to 170/160c fan

In a food processor, add your flour, sugar, toasted macadamia nuts and blitz until the nuts are finely chopped.

Add the butter and pulse until you get fine bread crumbs. 

Add the egg yolks one at a time and blitz, then add the milk until the the dough comes together and wrap in cling film and pop in the fridge for at least an hour, don't overwork the dough as it will result in tough pastry) 

Roll out the pastry between two pieces of baking paper and gently place into your 23cm tart tin. Don't worry if it breaks, any leftover dough can be used to patch up any bits. Try not to handle the dough too much as this can make it tough. Prick the bottom of the tart with a fork.

Scrunch up some baking paper and pop into the pastry case and fill with baking beans.

Place in the pre heated oven for 15 minutes and the remove from the oven and take out the baking paper and baking beans and pop back in the oven for another 5-8 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool

Blueberry compote-

In a small bowl add the blueberries, sugar and lemon juice and gently heat until the blueberries start to break down, continue to simmer for a further 3-4 minutes.

Filling-

Melt the white chocolate either in a microwave or in a bowl over a pan of water, and then allow to cool.

Add the toasted macadamia nuts to a food processor and blitz until finely chopped. (Resembles breadcrumbs)

In a bowl pour in the cream and whisk with a hand mixer until you get stiff peaks.

In another bowl add the caster sugar and eggs and whisk until light and fluffy, add the vanilla extract, macadamia nuts and the melted chocolate and mix together.

Pour the double cream into the sugar mixture and fold in gently.

Pour the blueberry compote into the pastry case and spread around the bottom.

Pour the chocolate/cream mixture into the pastry case

Pop into the pre heated oven (170/160c) for 35 minutes

It will still be wobbly when it comes out, so allow to cool and pop into the fridge over night or in a freezer for around 2 hours to set

Sprinkle with some icing sugar and decorate with a few blueberries and enjoy this wonderful dessert

White Chocolate and Macadamia Nut Spread with homemade Digestive Biscuits

This week I worked on a couple of new recipes....one being my alternative version of a classic and the other being my own version of a classic...both came out fantastic so I'm sharing them with you...

As like most people I enjoy Nutella although I never buy it as I probably would smoother it on everything haha, but I kept thinking whether it can be done with a different variety of nut as I'm sure your all aware...I love nuts hehe :)) Macadamia Nuts and white chocolate go so well together and it makes this spread very irresistible and its so easy to make :)

White Chocolate and Macadamia Nut Spread

150g Macadamia Nuts
100g white chocolate (melted)
1/4 cup icing sugar
1 tbsp cornflour
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Pre heat the oven to 180/170c
Place the macadamia nuts on a baking tray and place in the oven for about 8-10 minutes until toasted

Remove from the oven and allow to cool

Place the cooled macadamia nuts in a food processor and blitz until it resembles a paste (this is due to the oil in the macadamia nuts)

Add the melted chocolate, icing sugar, cornflour and vanilla extract and blitz until incorporated and smooth

Pour into a sterilised jar or tub and place in the fridge for a couple of hours to harden slightly (I placed mine in the freezer for about 45 minutes just to speed it up as I was so impatient hahaha) leave at room temperature to soften slightly.

Now it's ready to spread on a nice bit of bread :)) or on a homemade digestive

It will probably be impossible to recreate the digestive biscuit exactly, but my version is pretty similar and great for kids to help with :))

Digestive biscuits

100g wholemeal flour
40g plain flour
4 tbsp oats
1/2 tsp baking powder
120g butter, softened
100g soft light brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 190/170c
Line a baking sheets with baking paper
Mix the flours, baking powder and oats together in a bowl.
Cream the butter and sugar together and then add the vanilla extract and mix in.
Add the flour to the butter mixture and mix together, I always find its easier with my hands!
Put the dough onto a lightly floured worktop (wholemeal flour) and knead lightly until you have a nice smooth ball. Roll out to a thickness of about 1/4 inch and cut out using a shape like a circle or a foot cutter which my son chose :) didnt really work with a dinosaur :/ (and you need them fairly thick so as not to be too crisp)
Carefully lift onto the baking tray.
Place in the oven for about 15 minutes.
Allow to cool for a couple of minutes and cool on a wire rack and enjoy with a cup of tea :)

A perfect breakfast :)

This morning we yet again woke up to snow...it's the 24th March, how can this be? I must say I'm getting pretty sick of the cold weather now and really craving some sunshine especially as I have some spring clothes that desperately need to be worn haha!
Anyway we all decided that a yummy warming breakfast was in order so I made my boys some banana and macadamia nut pancakes and they were wonderful...a lovely alternative to your normal pancakes and I'm guessing with the bananas and nuts in them, they must be slightly good for you ;))
(sorry about the picture I only managed to get a very grainy pic from hubby's phone before they got devoured haha)

Banana and Macadamia Nut Pancakes

225g bananas (well ripened)
225g milk
2 eggs
55g butter melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
225g self raising flour
2 tbsp caster sugar
2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
50g toasted macadamia nuts

Mash the bananas and add to a bowl with the milk, eggs, melted butter and vanilla extract, whisk until thoroughly combined.

Add the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt and whisk until everything is mixed and combined.

The mixture is thicker than your normal pancake mixture due to the addition of the bananas but this is fine.

Heat a very small amount of oil in a pan.

Pour spoonfuls of the mixture in to the pan and add the macadamia nuts on the top straight away.

Turn over once cooked underneath and starting to firm up on the top. Cook the other side and place on a plate stacked up

Serve with maple syrup or if like me...nice and plain :)) but if your doing these for a pudding, they would be great with a big dollop of mascarpone cream or ice cream :)

This does make a large batch but perfect for a family :)

Recipe from "desserts for breakfast"