Dairy-free and egg-free madeleines
A key to getting the bump in these dainty little cakes is to chill the batter for 20 minutes in the freezer before piping it into the madeleine shell moulds. This allows the gluten to relax, the centre of the dough to remain cold and for a proud baby bump to rise at the end of a quick bake in a hot oven. You also need to reduce the temperature after one to two minutes.
Makes 12 madeleines
100g plain flour
70g caster sugar
2.5g baking powder (½ tsp)
Pinch of ground cinnamon
80g plant-based milk
10g golden (or agave) syrup
4g vanilla bean paste (1 tsp)
35g extra-virgin olive oil
In a large bowl, add the flour, sugar, baking powder and cinnamon and whisk together to just combine.
Add the milk, golden syrup, vanilla paste and olive oil to the flour mixture and mix until smooth.
Spoon the batter into a piping bag. Cut a 1cm hole at the end (or use a 1cm plain piping tube), then place it on a flat baking sheet in the freezer for 20 to 30 minutes to quickly chill the dough.
Preheat the oven to 230C (no fan).
In a 12-hole madeleine mould cake pan, pipe the batter into each mould almost all the way to the top, then bake for one minute. Reduce the oven temperature to 180C and bake for another six to eight minutes until the batter in the bump is baked through and the edges are golden. The batter in the top of the bump is the last to bake through – to test if it’s done, a gentle press of the bump should spring back.
Leave to cool in the moulds on a wire rack for five minutes, then push them out of the moulds and allow to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days.
Tip: For extra decadence, toss the warm madeleines in flavoured sugars. Grind a dried vanilla bean with sugar, or mix a cup of sugar with a teaspoon of cinnamon, or white sugar rubbed with citrus zest. You can also dip them in water icing made with water (or lemon juice) and vanilla paste, allowing the excess to drip off the wire wrack and leaving the icing to set for over an hour.
Eggless creme brulee
The dessert that needs no introduction. For this recipe, the custard is essentially the same as creme caramel, served in the ramekin with a blowtorched sugar top.
Serves 6
750g oat or soy milk (1)
280g caster sugar
1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped
80g oat or soy milk (2)
60g cornflour
30g custard powder
75g coconut oil (deodorised)
For the brulee
90-100g caster or demerara sugar
In a large saucepan, stir the 750g milk (1), sugar, vanilla seeds and scraped pod over a low heat until it comes to a simmer. Remove the pod.
In a medium bowl, mix the 80g milk (2), cornflour and custard powder until the cornflour has completely dissolved.
Add the cornflour mix to the hot milk over the lowest heat possible, while stirring constantly with a silicone spatula and scraping the base of the pan. The mixture will thicken on the base of the pan first so continue stirring and scraping so it doesn’t catch.
Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning
Add the coconut oil and stir with a silicone spatula, gently at first, then swiftly to incorporate the oil. It will look separated at first but it will eventually come together. Keep mixing until it adheres to the sides of the saucepan. The mixture will be smooth and glossy, with no oily streaks.
after newsletter promotion
Pour the custard into a shallow dish, with clingfilm or a silicone mat pressed to the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until set, then scrape into a bowl, and whisk until smooth and there are no lumps.
Pour or pipe the chilled custard into six ramekins, about 8cm in diameter and 4cm deep, until they are almost full. Leave to chill in the refrigerator. These can be stored un-bruleed in the refrigerator for up to two days in advance.
To finish or brulee the set custard, sprinkle one heaped tablespoon of sugar on to the top of the custard, and rotate the ramekin in your hands to evenly distribute a thin layer of sugar. Use a kitchen blowtorch to very gently melt and caramelise the sugar, slowly starting around the edges in a spiral, working your way inwards. Repeat with the remaining custards and serve. (The creme brulee should be served within 30 minutes of being blowtorched or the caramel will start to soften and dissolve.)
Banana bread
Banana is the only ingredient in this recipe that is non-negotiable (I lie – so is the baking powder). For the best flavour, use browning or black bananas. You can speed up their ripening by placing them in a paper bag with apples. I have tried many other methods and I’m sad to say they don’t work – they make the bananas brown and soft but do nothing for the flavour. This recipe is very flexible – use any sugar, any oil and plain flour or gluten-free flour, and you can load it up with any extras you like.
Makes a 400g loaf
300g overripe bananas, mashed
100g sugar (any type)
60g oil (any type) plus extra for drizzling
170g plain flour (or gluten-free plain flour) 8g baking powder (2 tsp)
Optional
50g walnuts, pecans or hazelnuts, chopped
50g dark chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 170C fan and line a 450g loaf tin with baking paper.
In a large bowl, mash the bananas very well with a fork. Add the sugar and mix well, followed by the oil and nuts and chocolate chips (if using).
In another large bowl, add the flour and baking powder, then use a whisk to gently combine until the mixture is smooth and there are no lumps of flour. Add the mashed banana mixture and combine well.
Pour the batter into the lined tin and use the back of a spoon to draw an indent down the middle of the batter, lengthways. Drizzle one tablespoon of oil down the centre – this will make a nice clean crack down the loaf.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. The centre of the crack is the last part of the batter that will bake, so when it looks baked-through or dry, it is done. (Or insert a skewer through a crack into the middle of the loaf – if it’s done, the skewer should come out clean.) Use the paper to lift the bread out of the tin and leave to cool on a wire rack. Leave the paper still attached to the bread until it cools completely. Wrap well and store in the refrigerator for up to five days.
This is an edited extract from A New Way to Bake by Philip Khoury, photography by Matt Russell. Available now through Hardie Grant Books, $55
