top of page

CRANBERRY PISTACHIO SHORTBREAD COOKIES



    These super easy to make shortbread cookies are a burst of flavour and colour. A perfect contrast of green and red colour from cranberries and pistachios gives you the festive vibe and are also very inviting to munch with a cuppa.


    These light and buttery shortbreads give the right balance of sweetness and crunch from the fruit and nut used in the cookies. I try to keep a batch ready at the back of my freezer handy to make them for a lunch box snack at times.


    You can also add some dark chocolate chips to add to the crunch and sweetness.


    Make it during festive times and it can be a perfect little gift treat for Christmas, wrapped up in a bag and tagged with fancy ribbon.

    YIELDS: 25-30 cookies

    PREP TIME: 20 minutes

    BAKING TIME: 12-15 minutes

    PASSIVE TIME: 1 hour



    INGREDIENTS

    • 3 cups all purpose flour

    • 1 cup caster sugar

    • 1 1/4cup unsalted butter, cut into cubes

    • 1/2 tsp salt

    • 1/2 tsp almond extract

    • 1 tsp vanilla extract

    • 2 tsp baking powder

    • 1 egg, room temperature

    • 1/2 cup dried cranberries, coarsely chopped

    • 1/2 cup unsalted shelled pistachios, coarsely chopped



    METHOD

    1. In a stand mixer bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy and pale in colour. Add the extracts and egg, and blend for 2 minutes until the egg is well combined.

    2. In a large bowl, sift flour, salt and baking powder. Add cranberries and pistachios to dry mix.

    3. Drop 1/3 of the dry ingredients to the butter mix and blend for 2 minutes until combined.

    4. Add the remaining dry flour mix in two batches to the butter mixture and blend until it is well combined.

    5. Turn out the dough onto a floured surface. Knead lightly to make it smooth. Divide the dough in 2 batches. Shape one batch of the dough into a thick log, about 2 inch thick in diameter. Place the log on large sheet of cling film and wrap it tightly. Twist and knot the sides of the plastic wrap to secure from the ends. Freeze it for 1 hour.

    6. Repeat step 5 for the other batch.

    7. Preheat oven to 160°C fan-forced. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

    8. Remove the cookie dough out from the freezer, unwrap the cling film and cut the log into 1/4 inch thick discs. Place them on cookie sheet 1.5 inch apart and bake for 12-15 minutes until slightly golden brown around the edges.

    9. Transfer on to the cooling rack and cool completely before storing in an airtight jar.



    COOK'S NOTES:

    • These logs can be prepared days ahead and stored in freezer.

    • The wrapped dough logs will stay in freezer for up to 2-3 months. Discard the plastic and cut and bake as per the recipe.

    • If preserving the cookie dough in freezer for later use, make sure these logs are wrapped tightly in the plastic wraps to avoid freeze burning.

    • Baked cookies store well up to a week in an airtight jar.

    • Don't over bake the cookies else your shortbreads will be slightly hard.



    SPICED CARROT AND ORANGE CAKE



      Had some friends coming over last week for tea and that’s enough reason for you to whip up something so decadent and delicious. Made Spiced Orange and Carrot Walnut Cake with zesty cream cheese frosting... I make this often as carrot cake is a family favorite. Its zesty fluffy dreamy cream cheese frosting pairs just right to cut through the sweetness of carrot cake.


      It certainly is a crowd pleaser dessert which goes so well whether you serve it for tea or as a dessert...it’s super delicious!! I topped it up with basil shoot and leaves which are blooming beautifully in my garden.


      The cake plate I used is a mystery...I must admit, I bought it few years back, but somehow I wasn’t very convinced with my purchase and it was hiding behind in my crockery cupboard, pulled it out and thought of using it the other day...and to my surprise it just looked an absolute stunner. So so happy that I chose this to present my cake...what do you say??

      SERVES: 16-20 servings

      PREP TIME: 20 minutes

      BAKING TIME: 30 minutes



      INGREDIENTS

      • 175g unsalted butter, room temperature

      • 1 cup soft brown sugar, firmly packed

      • 3 eggs

      • 1 naval orange, zested and juiced (1/3 cup)

      • 2 medium carrots, washed peeled and grated

      • 2 cups self-raising flour

      • 1/2 tsp baking soda

      • 1/2 tsp baking powder

      • 1/2 tsp salt

      • 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder

      • 1/4 tsp nutmeg, freshly grated

      • 1 cup walnuts, chopped

      Cream Cheese Frosting:

      • 4 oz/125g cream cheese (full fat), room temperature

      • 95g butter salted, room temperature

      • 1/2 cup icing sugar

      • 1/2 tsp vanilla essence

      • Zest of 1 orange

      For Garnish:

      • 6-8 Dehydrated orange circles

      • 6-8 walnut halves

      • 5-6 Fresh basil leaves



      MET

      1. Preheat oven to 180°C, grease and prepare the 9” ring pan with butter.

      2. In an electric mixer bowl, beat butter, sugar and zest together with paddle attachment until it’s light and creamy in texture, add eggs one at a time and beat them for 2 minutes.

      3. Add orange juice and mix for another minute, don’t worry if the mixture curdles.

      4. Remove bowl from machine.In a separate bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon powder and nutmeg; now add these dry ingredients to the butter mixture in two batches and fold with spatula to combine well and make lump-free batter.

      5. Fold carrots and walnuts in batter until well combined, and take care not to over mix it.

      6. Pour the batter in greased and prepared pan, bake it in pre-heated oven for 25-30 minutes or until the the skewer comes out clean. Leave it in pan for 10 minutes, remove on cooling rack to cool cpmpletely.

      To Make Frosting:

      1. In an electric mixer bowl, whisk the cream cheese for a minute till it’s smooth and creamy; add butter and whisk for 2-3 minutes until the butter and cream cheese are smooth and fluffy in texture.

      2. Add sugar, vanilla and zest, blend for another 1-2 minutes until well combined and has thick spreadable consistency.

      3. Spread the frosting on the cooled cake and decorate with extra chopped walnuts, dried orange slices and basil leaves.

      4. Let it set in the fridge for 20-30 minutes and serve.


      COOK'S NOTES:

      • Remove the cake out of the mould or baking pan after leaving it to cool for 10 minutes in the pan. If you remove immediately, it will break and if you leave it too long in pan, the cake will sweat and will have a soggy crust.

      • The cake should be completely cooled before frosting it.


      TOMATO AND WALNUT PESTO TART



        Make every day gourmet with this flavourful tomato tart that’s sure to satisfy your senses with the beautiful combination of Italian flavours from basil pesto and ricotta cheese filling.


        This tart was entirely made from home grown organic produce. Almost everyday I’m plucking these beautiful tomatoes from my backyard and try to make use of them in all different recipes...whether it’s in soups, curries, pastas, chutneys, jams, sandwiches, wraps or in salads, pretty much in everything you wanna add that kick of tomatoes.


        This exotic looking rich crust tart is filled with ricotta and Parmigiano Reggiano layered with walnut basil pesto, which is again made from fresh basil growing in my backyard. To play with the summer’s bounty, I added all different colours and sizes of tomatoes and it looked sooo pretty, and tasted divine. A subtle hint of thyme in the crust adds a different dimension of flavours to the tart.


        Either make it as big tart for sharing, or just individual ones, they surely will grab the attention when served at your tea or dinner party.

        SERVES: 6-8

        PREP TIME: 30 minutes

        BAKING TIME: 55 minutes to 1 hour

        PASSIVE TIME: 30 minutes



        INGREDIENTS


        For Pastry:

        • 250g/2 cups of plain flour

        • 175g unsalted butter, cold and diced

        • 1/2 tsp salt

        • 1/4 tsp dried thyme

        • 2-3 tbsp cold water

        For Pesto:

        • 2 cups loosely packed basil leaves

        • 75g Parmigiano Reggiano, chopped

        • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

        • 2-3 cloves garlic

        • 1/8 tsp salt

        For Ricotta Filling:

        • 1/2 cup ricotta cheese

        • 3 tbsp low fat creamy feta cheese

        • 1/4 cup Parmigiano Regianno, grated

        • Pinch of salt

        • Freshly cracked black pepper

        For Tomato Layer:

        • 8-10 mixed colour and different sized firm tomatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick

        • 2-3 tsp Balsamic vinegar

        • 1/2 tsp kosher salt

        • 1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground

        • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

        • Few basil leaves for garnish



        METHOD

        1. In a stand mixer bowl, sift flour, add salt, thyme and butter, blend them together with paddle attachment until it resembles breadcrumbs.

        2. Add water and blend for few seconds until the dough combines and form a ball. Do not over work the dough.

        3. Remove the dough on a floured surface, gently knead to bring everything together, take care not to over work the dough. Wrap it in a cling wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

        4. Preheat the oven to 190°C.

        5. Take the pastry out from the fridge, remove cling wrap and place it on a floured surface.

        6. Roll the dough in a 7 x 16 inch rectangle. Lift and wrap the pastry gently from longer end around the rolling pin and transfer by unwrapping on the loose based rectangular tart pan. Press the pastry into the pan and trim any excess around the edges.

        7. Line the pastry with parchment paper, spread baking beans on top and blind bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove the beans and parchment paper and bake further 5 minutes until the pastry is crisp. Remove to cool slightly.

        8. As the pastry is baking in oven, make pesto sauce by blending all ingredients together in a bender and keep aside.

        9. Make the ricotta filling by mixing all the ingredients in a bowl. Keep aside.

        10. Take 5 tbsp of pesto sauce and spread on the cooked pastry. Pour and spread ricotta cheese filling on top. Arrange tomato slice, overlapping slightly on each other. Season it with kosher salt and pepper and drizzle balsamic vinegar and olive oil on top.

        11. Bake for about 30-35 minutes, cool in pan for 5 minutes. Remove from pan, garnish with basil leaves, cut into slices and serve warm.


        COOK'S NOTES:

        • I made this tart with plain flour but you can certainly make it gluten-free by replacing the plain flour with gluten-free flour.

        • Balsamic vinegar gives a slight sweet note to balance the tartness of the tomatoes. If you don’t have balsamic vinegar handy, drizzle little honey instead.


        bottom of page