Chocolate, Cheese and the Kirribilli Markets

Hello there! As I've mentioned on my previous post (here) I would like to show you some of the best chocolates you can find in Sydney to make the perfect chocolate dessert.

First stop was Simon Johnson, the purveyor of quality foods with stores at Woollahra, Pyrmont, Alexandria and Castlecrag now there really is no excuse to not pay this shop a visit. I was like a kid in a candy store looking for that perfect bar of chocolate...

So I got a little sidetracked...

I was in cheese lovers heaven...there were sooo many types of cheeses.

 

 Lucky enough, we had complimentary cheese tasting.

 

 

My weakness...soft and creamy cheeses.

 

Some beautiful French chocolates from Mazet.

 

We've bagged ourselves a selection of Valrhona chocolates and a lil bag of salt.

 

Limited edition Valrhona Chocolate according to Frenchie.

I fell in love with this copper cookware - they provide the best thermal conductivity for even heating.

My little adventure continues, next stop Kirribilli...

It was a pleasant and fun ride crossing the Harbour Bridge.

The view was absolutely breathtaking.

Luna Park just below us.

Kirribilli Markets on a beautiful Sunday morning.

These all natural handmade soaps look and smell amazing.

My fav. was this custom made lamp. The seashells were collected from the south coast beaches.

These handmade chocolates inspired by Brazilian desserts were phenomenal! Love the leopard prints.

 

To Die For. Enough said!

Freshly baked goods. Pretty sure the almond tart was screaming out to us "EAT ME!!!"

Organic strawberries in little blue pots.

Barbecue beef on the grill with a generous serve of mashed potatoes. A must try!!!

My first Quesadilla (Mexican-style stuffed pancake) but certainly not my last!

Our last stop was at Coco Chocolate

Shop 12, 3a-9b Broughton St (Cnr with Bligh St), Kirribilli, 2061

This quaint lil shop is worth a visit, it's packed with chocolate goodness!

 

And lil gifts too..they are so cute!

We settled for organic salted caramel w pine nuts. So naughty...so worth it! ;D

  

Unsure how to spend the rest of your weekend?

You can always go to your local market...it's always a fun place to poke your head around ;)

The Puurfect Hazelnut Brownies

Frenchie and moi have a major weakness for brownies, so I’ll have to warn you that I’ll come across as overly excited about this subject. 

I'm gonna simply say that these are...

The Best Brownies In The World!!! :) :) :)

They are crunchy on the outside, gooey, soft and almost batter like on the inside, just the way we like it!

These brownies would be ideal for any upcoming bake sales and would certainly be ideal to make for your family or friends.

Or yourself.

Just sayin'

I hope you try em! ;)

 Some of the best chocolates you can find in Syd - more details on my next post (stay tuned!)

Best served with a generous scoop of vanilla bean ice cream (didn't have any in the freezer!! Oh well, guess I'll have to make em again ;P)

 

Makes 

10 brownies

 
Ingredients 

250g butter

200g chocolate

50g hazelnuts (chopped)

4 eggs

80g cocoa powder

70g flour

1 tsp baking powder

350g caster sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Line tin with baking paper.

2. Melt chocolate and butter on stove and mix in hazelnuts.

3. Beat melted chocolate batter with eggs, cocoa powder, flour, baking powder and caster sugar.

4. Bake for 25 minutes (upper & lower). Remove from oven and leave to cool. 

5. Cut brownies into rectangular pieces and serve warm with cold milk or ice cream. YUMMO!

Do you have a favourite brownie recipe that you'll like to share? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Easy Crusty Bread

 

Made these awhile ago but forgot to post...bad bad blogger! I know! This is possibly the easiest bread recipe out there. All you need is a cast iron cookware (or mini ones like mine from Le Creuset) and 4 ingredients only. No joke!

 

Bonne Maman mini preserves - special thnx to frenchie's lil bro

Makes 

10 bread rolls

 
Ingredients

3 cups plain flour 

1/2 tsp dried yeast

1 3/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups water

Instructions

1. Mix flour, yeast, salt and water in a mixing bowl.

2. Cover bowl with cling wrap and set aside for minimum 12 hours or leave overnight.

3. Preheat oven to 230°C and place cast iron pots in the oven for 30 minutes. 

4. Place dough on a heavily floured surface and shape into a ball or 10 mini balls depending on size of cookware.

5. Remove pots from oven and drop in the dough.

6. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove lid and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes.

Once it has cooled down a little, cut it open and smother with your favourite jam and butter! :) Best to enjoy them while they are fresh out from the oven to be certain the bread is soft inside and crusty on the outside.