Essentials: Mascarpone

500ml whipping cream, 36%

1 tbsp. lemon juice

Method

Create a double boiler with a pot and a metal boil. Fill the pot with enough water so that it doesn't touch the base of the bowl when you put the bowl over top of the pot.

Boil water and reduce to medium heat. Put the bowl on the pot and add whipping cream.

Stir occasionally until the cream reaches 190 degrees fahrenheit, or until it bubbles. It should take 10 to 15 minutes. Once it bubbles add lemon juice.

Gently stir in the lemon juice. Let it stand for a few minutes and whisk occasionally. Do this until it begins to thicken. This can take up to another 15 minutes.

Once its thick enough remove from heat. Pour mixture into a layer of 3 coffee filters and place in a colander overtop a pot. Place in the fridge overnight, and through the next day if necessary.

The result should be a dense, spreadable cream. In essence, mascarpone.

Cream Cheese Wheels

Large spinach tortillas, 1 package

Regular cream cheese, 2 x 250 ml

Dried cranberries

Blueberries, 1 cup

Cucumber, diced

1 banana

Method

Let cream cheese soften overnight, or heat in the microwave for 40 seconds.

Chop up the banana and blend with 1 package of cream cheese until smooth. Remove and keep in the fridge until ready to use.

Next, blend the blueberries with the other package of cream cheese until smooth. Set aside in the fridge.

Placed flat, spread the mixtures evenly onto their designated tortillas. The layer should be thick enough so that you cannot see the tortilla through the cream cheese. Leave about a half inch diameter around each tortilla.

Once evenly spread, sprinkle the cucumber over the blueberry cream cheese and the cranberries over the banana cream cheese.

Tightly roll each tortilla. Place the most pressure on the sides of the tortilla as you roll to ensure a tighter roll. Spread leftover cream cheese on the end of the roll to glue in place. Chill in the fridge for 10 – 15 minutes.

Once chilled, carefully cut ½ inch slices from each roll.

Brownies w} Pistachio Pudding

Brownie

1 1/3 cup flour
1 tsp. Baking powder
½ tsp. Salt
1 cup butter
1 cup cocoa
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 ½ tsp. Vanilla
1 cup pistachios, chopped

Method

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Set aside.

In a pan, heat butter until melted. Remove from heat and stir in cocoa until smooth.

Add cocoa mixture to dry ingredients. Add eggs, vanilla, and pistachios, mix until even.

Fill paper cups in the cupcake tray close to the rim. Bake for 30 minutes.

Pistachio Paste

1/3 cup pistachios
1/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp. Water

Method

Blend pistachios until powdered. If using unroasted pistachios it will turn into a paste.

Add sugar and water and blend until it creates a thick paste. Add more pistachios if it doesn’t thicken. Set aside.

Pistachio Pudding

1 ounce pistachio paste

½ cup sugar

1 tbsp. Cornstarch

1/8 tsp. Salt

2 cups milk

2 large egg yolks

2 tbsp. Butter

1 tsp. Vanilla

Method

In a large bowl mix all of the dry ingredients, set aside.

Take the 2 large eggs and separate the yolks, whisk and set aside.

Heat up the milk in a pot and slowly add the pistachio paste, whisk until it dissolves.

Add the dry mixture to the pot, constantly whisk it until it thickens and comes to a boil.

Temper the pudding by taking ½ a cup of the mixture and adding it to the bowl of egg yolks. Whisk it and immediately add it back into the pot.

Once combined whisk the mixture for 1 minute while it boils. Remove from heat and add the butter and vanilla, mix well.

Let it cool and add it to the top of the brownies, sprinkle with leftover pistachios.