62SWEET STREETGrowing up, I used to snack on fruit wraps, which were thin sheets of fruit paste on plastic paper rolled up into a tube. Now I use them for my creations. SERVES 6250 g (9 oz) strawberries, hulled and roughly chopped25 g (1 oz) caster (superfine) sugar Preheat the oven to 100°C (210°F). Line a 20 x 30 cm (8 x 12 inch) baking tray with a silicone baking mat or an acetate sheet. Put the strawberries and sugar into a blender and process until smooth.Pour the purée onto the mat and spread evenly using a palette knife. Bake for 1–1½ hours until the centre is set. Immediately peel the fruit off the baking mat and lay the shiny side on freezer film. Roll firmly into a log. Cut the log into 5 cm (2 inch) wide sections. Store in an airtight container for 1–2 weeks.COOL TWISTIt’s easy to do this with other fruit such as mango and other berries. Dry it out a little more in the oven so it becomes crisp and you can use it as a garnish for a dessert.FRUIT WRAPSKids, here is your fruit for the day! Just fruit purée and a little sugar ... 2 easy. 62SWEET STREETGrowing up, I used to snack on fruit wraps, which were thin sheets of fruit paste on plastic paper rolled up into a tube. Now I use them for my creations. SERVES 6250 g (9 oz) strawberries, hulled and roughly chopped25 g (1 oz) caster (superfine) sugar Preheat the oven to 100°C (210°F). Line a 20 x 30 cm (8 x 12 inch) baking tray with a silicone baking mat or an acetate sheet. Put the strawberries and sugar into a blender and process until smooth.Pour the purée onto the mat and spread evenly using a palette knife. Bake for 1–1½ hours until the centre is set. Immediately peel the fruit off the baking mat and lay the shiny side on freezer film. Roll firmly into a log. Cut the log into 5 cm (2 inch) wide sections. Store in an airtight container for 1–2 weeks.COOL TWISTIt’s easy to do this with other fruit such as mango and other berries. Dry it out a little more in the oven so it becomes crisp and you can use it as a garnish for a dessert.FRUIT WRAPSKids, here is your fruit for the day! Just fruit purée and a little sugar ... 2 easy. 9796SWEET STREETIT’S ALL GREEKWe would always eat loukoumades at Greek festivals, where there would be giagiás (‘ya-yas’) making them. The old ladies would be like machines squeezing them between their hands and just popping out perfect round balls that would fry light and crispy and soak up all the sugar syrup and chopped walnuts. This recipe is my version: I still dunk them into honey syrup, but I add caramel popcorn and choc-hazelnut dipping sauce. SERVES 6250 ml (9 floz/1 cup) warm water 5 g (1/8 oz) fresh yeast250 g (9 oz/12/3 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour 1 tablespoon caster (superfine) sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla paste canola oil, for deep-frying and for oiling your hands caramel popcorn, to serveHONEY SYRUP110 g (3¾ oz/½ cup) caster (superfine) sugar200 ml (7 floz) honey1 cinnamon stick 5 whole cloves1 vanilla bean, seeds scrapedjuice of 1 lemonCHOCOLATE DIPPING SAUCE80 g (2¾ oz) choc-hazelnut spread, such as Nutella100 g (3½ oz) milk chocolate, chopped or buttons300 ml (10½ floz) pure (whipping) creamTo make the honey syrup, put all of the ingredients into a medium saucepan with 250 ml (9 floz/1 cup) of water. Bring to the boil over medium heat and boil for 3–4 minutes, until slightly reduced and syrupy. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate until needed. Put the warm water and yeast into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whisk on medium speed with a quarter of the flour. Once combined, remove from the mixer, cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place for 30 minutes to froth up.Return the bowl to the mixer and fit the paddle attachment, then beat on medium speed as you gradually add the remaining flour, sugar and vanilla paste. Beat until well combined, smooth and with no lumps.Cover the bowl with plastic wrap again and set aside in a warm area for 1–1½ hours until the dough has doubled in size. Meanwhile, make the chocolate dipping sauce. Put the chocolate spread and milk chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set aside.In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the cream to the boil, then pour it over the chocolate in the bowl. Stir until melted and completely combined. Reserve until needed — it can be served hot or cold.Preheat the oil in a deep-fryer to 180°C (350°F) or in a deep-sided saucepan until a cube of bread dropped into the oil turns golden brown in 15 seconds.Lightly grease hands with some cooking oil to prevent the dough sticking. Take a handful of dough and squeeze your hand into a fist to push out the dough out. Use a dessertspoon to scoop off a ball of dough and put it in the oil.Deep-fry in batches, stirring in a circular motion for 2–3 minutes until the dough has puffed and has a nice golden colour.Remove the loukoumades from the oil using a slotted spoon, and toss gently in the cold honey syrup. Serve with the popcorn and chocolate dipping sauce in separate bowls. MUM’S TWISTHonestly I would recommend spending a session with a Greek giagiá to learn the technique of squeezing the dough, because it’s a skill of its own. LOUKOU-MY-ANNASAs a child I would buy yoyos from a pastry shop and sit and eat them with my godmother Angela, my second mum. MAKES 25–306 eggs, separated140 g (5 oz) caster (superfine) sugar 125 g (4½ oz) plain (all-purpose) flour, sifted50 g (1¾ oz) cornflour (cornstarch), sifted300 g (10½ oz) dark chocolate (53%), chopped or buttonsVANILLA SYRUP200 g (7 oz) caster (superfine) sugar 1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped1 tablespoon lemon juice VANILLA CUSTARD FILLING1 litre (35 floz/4 cups) milk100 g (31/2 oz) unsalted butter1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped12 egg yolks200 g (7 oz) caster (superfine) sugar100 g (31/2 oz) custard powderTo make the syrup, combine all of the ingredients with 200 ml (7 floz) of water in a small saucepan and stir. Bring to the boil over medium heat. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool completely before using.To make the custard filling, combine the milk, butter and the vanilla bean and seeds in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring the mixture to the boil. Meanwhile, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar and custard powder. Pour half the boiling milk mixture into the egg mixture and stir well. Return the mixture to the pan with the remaining milk mixture. Return to medium heat, whisking until the custard becomes quite thick. Make sure it does not catch on the bottom of the saucepan.Pour the custard into a heatproof bowl and discard the vanilla bean. Cover the surface with plastic wrap and transfer to the refrigerator to cool completely before using.Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Line one large or two small baking trays with baking paper.In an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the egg yolks with 90 g (3¼ oz) of the caster sugar on high speed until pale and thick. Transfer to a bowl. Using a clean dry bowl and whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites starting on low speed and gradually increasing to high speed, to soft peaks.Reduce the speed to low and slowly add the remaining sugar, then increase the speed to high and whisk to firm peaks. Fold half of the egg white mixture into the yolk mixture. The fold through the flour and cornflour. Fold in the remaining egg white mixture; make sure not to over mix the sponge.Put the mixture into a piping (icing) bag fitted with a plain size 13 nozzle. Pipe 5 cm (2 inch) discs onto the prepared trays, making sure there is plenty of space between each one. Bake in the oven for 10–12 minutes until golden. Allow to cool on the tray. The mixture should make 50–60 sponge discs.To assemble, match the sponge cookies up into pairs. Turn one of each pair over so that the flat side faces up. Brush the flat side with the sugar syrup.Take the custard filling out of the refrigerator and beat with a spatula until smooth. Fill a piping (icing) bag fitted with a plain size 15 nozzle with the custard filling and pipe it on to the cookie just inside the edge.Turn the other discs over and brush the flat side with the sugar syrup. Place the matching cookie on top of the custard so that the flat side coated with sugar syrup is touching the custard. Gently squeeze together, so that the custard cream reaches the edge of the cookie.Put the chocolate into a microwave-proof bowl and melt in 40-second bursts, stirring between each burst, until two-thirds of the chocolate is melted. Stir the chocolate until it’s completely melted and then temper down to 30°C (86°F) — see page 232.Dip the top of a Kok into the chocolate and allow the excess chocolate to run off. Place the Kok back onto the tray with the chocolate side up and allow to set completely. Repeat for the remaining Kok. Fill a paper piping (icing) bag with the remaining chocolate and pipe a spiral on top of each Kok. YOYOS (kok)LOUKOU-MY-ANNAS PAGE 97229Lamington gets a facelift, the sponge replaced with sable biscuit to add crunch. These go out like hot cakes… for events, gifts and that perfectly naughty sweet treat! MAKES 15 100 g (3½ oz) raspberry jam200 g (7 oz) dark chocolate20 g (¾ oz) cocoa butter (optional)150 g (5½ oz) shredded (desiccated) coconut SABLE BISCUIT75 g (2¼ oz) unsalted butter50 g (1¾ oz) icing (confectioners’) sugar1 egg100 g (31/2 oz/2/3 cup) plain (all-purpose) flour, sifted 50 g (1¾ oz) cocoa powder (unsweetened)½ vanilla bean, seeds scraped MARSHMALLOW 160 g (5¾ oz) caster (superfine) sugar½ vanilla bean, seeds scraped6 sheets titanium-strength gelatine, softened in cold water2 tablespoons glucose syrupTo make the sable, preheat the oven to 160°C (315°F). Line a baking tray with baking paper.Put the butter and icing sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Starting on low speed, then increasing to medium speed, beat until pale and creamy.Continue beating as you add the egg. Gradually add the flour, cocoa and the vanilla seeds and mix until a smooth dough forms. Gather the dough into a ball, shape into a flat rectangle, then wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.On a floured surface, roll the chilled dough out to 5 mm (¼ inch) thickness. Use a 5 cm (1½ inch) diameter cookie cutter to cut the dough into 30 discs.Lay the discs on the prepared baking tray and bake for 15–20 minutes until golden. Cool on the tray then set aside in an airtight container until ready to use.To make the marshmallow, combine 100 ml (3½ floz) of water in a saucepan with the sugar and vanilla seeds. Bring to the boil.Meanwhile, put the softened gelatine and the glucose syrup in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Turn the mixer onto medium speed and pour the boiling liquid into the mixing bowl with the gelatine mixture. Increase to high speed for about 3–5 minutes until the marshmallow has cooled (make sure it’s still slightly warm when you work with it, once it sets it will be hard to push into shape).Lay 15 of the sable discs on a tray lined with baking paper and place a 1 cm (3/8 inch) dollop of raspberry jam in the centre of each disc. Put the marshmallow into a piping (icing) bag fitted with a size 10 nozzle. Pipe the marshmallow into the middle of each sable disc in a dollop about 2 cm (¾ inch) high.Place the remaining sable discs on top of the marshmallow and carefully press down so that the marshmallow reaches the edge of the sable. Transfer to the refrigerator until the marshmallow has set.Put the milk chocolate and cocoa butter, if using, in a small microwave-proof bowl and melt in the microwave until two-thirds of the chocolate is melted. Stir the chocolate until completely smooth and cooled down to 29°C (84°F).Use a fork to dip the marshmallow biscuits into the melted chocolate, making sure the entire surface is covered. Allow excess chocolate to drip off, then place on a tray lined with baking paper or acetate.Cover one side of the Wag-Annas with shredded coconut and transfer to the refrigerator to set.3SOME TWISTThe shelf life of the Wag-Annas, once dipped into chocolate, is about one day before the chocolate starts cracking and the biscuit starts to soften: you really need to be eating it with a crunch.LAMINGTON WAG-ANNA3SOME229Lamington gets a facelift, the sponge replaced with sable biscuit to add crunch. These go out like hot cakes… for events, gifts and that perfectly naughty sweet treat! MAKES 15 100 g (3½ oz) raspberry jam200 g (7 oz) dark chocolate20 g (¾ oz) cocoa butter (optional)150 g (5½ oz) shredded (desiccated) coconut SABLE BISCUIT75 g (2¼ oz) unsalted butter50 g (1¾ oz) icing (confectioners’) sugar1 egg100 g (31/2 oz/2/3 cup) plain (all-purpose) flour, sifted 50 g (1¾ oz) cocoa powder (unsweetened)½ vanilla bean, seeds scraped MARSHMALLOW 160 g (5¾ oz) caster (superfine) sugar½ vanilla bean, seeds scraped6 sheets titanium-strength gelatine, softened in cold water2 tablespoons glucose syrupTo make the sable, preheat the oven to 160°C (315°F). Line a baking tray with baking paper.Put the butter and icing sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Starting on low speed, then increasing to medium speed, beat until pale and creamy.Continue beating as you add the egg. Gradually add the flour, cocoa and the vanilla seeds and mix until a smooth dough forms. Gather the dough into a ball, shape into a flat rectangle, then wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.On a floured surface, roll the chilled dough out to 5 mm (¼ inch) thickness. Use a 5 cm (1½ inch) diameter cookie cutter to cut the dough into 30 discs.Lay the discs on the prepared baking tray and bake for 15–20 minutes until golden. Cool on the tray then set aside in an airtight container until ready to use.To make the marshmallow, combine 100 ml (3½ floz) of water in a saucepan with the sugar and vanilla seeds. Bring to the boil.Meanwhile, put the softened gelatine and the glucose syrup in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Turn the mixer onto medium speed and pour the boiling liquid into the mixing bowl with the gelatine mixture. Increase to high speed for about 3–5 minutes until the marshmallow has cooled (make sure it’s still slightly warm when you work with it, once it sets it will be hard to push into shape).Lay 15 of the sable discs on a tray lined with baking paper and place a 1 cm (3/8 inch) dollop of raspberry jam in the centre of each disc. Put the marshmallow into a piping (icing) bag fitted with a size 10 nozzle. Pipe the marshmallow into the middle of each sable disc in a dollop about 2 cm (¾ inch) high.Place the remaining sable discs on top of the marshmallow and carefully press down so that the marshmallow reaches the edge of the sable. Transfer to the refrigerator until the marshmallow has set.Put the milk chocolate and cocoa butter, if using, in a small microwave-proof bowl and melt in the microwave until two-thirds of the chocolate is melted. Stir the chocolate until completely smooth and cooled down to 29°C (84°F).Use a fork to dip the marshmallow biscuits into the melted chocolate, making sure the entire surface is covered. Allow excess chocolate to drip off, then place on a tray lined with baking paper or acetate.Cover one side of the Wag-Annas with shredded coconut and transfer to the refrigerator to set.3SOME TWISTThe shelf life of the Wag-Annas, once dipped into chocolate, is about one day before the chocolate starts cracking and the biscuit starts to soften: you really need to be eating it with a crunch.LAMINGTON WAG-ANNA3SOMEWe hope youenjoyed this EYB Book PreviewThe complete book is available from all major booksellers. Or use the "Buy Book" button and help support EYB.Next >