Erika Rax | HIGH WALLS

February 20, 2014 In Contributor Posts, recipe

RECIPE | Salted Mango & Coconut Ice Cream

RECIPE | Salted Mango & Coconut Ice Cream by Erika Rax

Mangos seem to be extra abundant this summer and I have been leaving my local fruit store with the marked down mangos just about every visit. I love chopping them up and freezing to use later as they have so much more flavour when they’re really ripe. This ice cream has some really delicious tropical flavours, requires only a handful of ingredients and has just the right amount of kick due to the salt. Summer in every lick!

Ingredients:
2 cups Mango Puree (about 2 large extra ripe mangos whizzed up)
1 cup Coconut Milk
1/4 cup Maple Syrup
A generous sprinkle of Sea Salt Flakes
Toasted Coconut and some Waffle Cones to serve

Method:
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and give a good mix through. Cover in cling wrap and refrigerate for an hour. Transfer to the bowl of an ice cream maker and follow makers instructions until at an ice creamy consistency.

This ice cream is best served straight away, without further freezing. The lack of sugar means that it freezes really hard so if you do have some left over and want to freeze for later, make sure you leave it out for a good 20 minutes or so to thaw out.

RECIPE | Salted Mango & Coconut Ice Cream by Erika Rax

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January 23, 2014 In Contributor Posts, recipe

Recipe | Lavender Coconut Mini Cupcakes

Lavender Coconut Mini Cupcakes by Erika Rax (for www.highwallsblog.com)

After I impulse bought a massive bag of dried culinary lavender online a little while ago, I have been non-stop experimenting to find the perfect recipe to use it in. Let’s just say that there have been some hits and many misses. These guys are definitely a hit. The flavours are pretty subtle and match each other perfectly.

I would suggest enjoying these tiny cakes while wearing your most girliest frock and sipping tea from your daintiest cup.

Lavender Coconut Mini Cupcakes by Erika Rax (for www.highwallsblog.com)

Coconut cakes
2 eggs
1/3 cup coconut cream
splash of vanilla extract
3/4 cup caster sugar
3/4 self raising flour
1/4 cup shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Grease and line 2 mini patty pans.

Using an electric mixer, beat eggs and coconut cream for a minute then add vanilla and caster sugar. Beat for 3 minutes. Add coconut then sift in flour and fold through mixture.

Spoon into patty pans and bake for about 10-15 mins until golden and cakes spring back when lightly touched in the centre. Cool completely on a wire rack before icing.

Lavender Coconut Mini Cupcakes by Erika Rax (for www.highwallsblog.com)

Lavender Buttercream
1/2 cup Dried Culinary Lavender
1/2 cup Caster Sugar
1/2 cup Water
1 and 1/2 cups Icing Sugar
1/2 cup Butter
A drop of violet food colouring

In a saucepan over low to medium heat, add lavender, sugar and water stirring until sugar has dissolved completely. Simmer for another 8-10 minutes then strain and let cool completely. This is a simple syrup which you can use to flavour iced teas, cocktails or ice cream.

To make the buttercream, beat icing sugar and butter with an electric mixer until very light and fluffy. With the mixer still on low, slowly add 1 tbs of the lavender syrup followed by the food colouring.

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December 19, 2013 In Contributor Posts, recipe

Last Minute Edible Gifts

Eek! It’s crunch time friends! If you still haven’t gotten all your gifts sorted your options are either braving the crowds and getting something in-store or getting in your kitchen and throwing a couple of ingredients together. I can promise you that your foodie friends will be very happy if you choose the latter option. I can also promise that it will take no longer than 10 minutes to make all 3 of these. Everyone wins!

You Will Need:
Rose Salt
1 cup Sea Salt flakes
2 tbs Dried Rose Petals

Lavender Sugar
1 cup Caster Sugar
2 tbs Dried Lavender

Mexican Cocoa
1 cup Dutch Processed Cocoa
1 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1 tbs Ground Cinnamon

Directions:
Just combine all ingredients in a jar, seal and give a quick shake to mix it up.

All of these mixes can be substituted for regular salt/sugar/cocoa in recipes to take it up a notch.They are also very easy to make your own if you don’t have these particular ingredients in the pantry. Think vanilla, rosemary, dried citrus zest etc.

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November 21, 2013 In Contributor Posts, recipe

Recipe | Campfire Chocolate Pots

Recipe | Campfire Chocolate Pot by Erika Rax for www.highwallsblog.com

This time of year always remind me of all the summers spent camping as a kid. For me, there is nothing that compares to that bliss of sitting around a fire roasting marshmallows, telling silly stories and staring up at the twinkling stars for hours.

I wanted to bring a little bit of that campfire magic to our busy lives with these chocolate pots and think that if you close your eyes and imagine really hard they come pretty close to the real deal. If only for a minute.

Recipe | Campfire Chocolate Pot by Erika Rax for www.highwallsblog.com

What You Need:
6 Biscuits (I used Ginger nuts but use whatever you want)
250g Dark Chocolate
250g Cream
½ cup Sugar
½ tbs Powdered Gelatin
1/3 cup Water
1 tsp Vanilla Essence

What You Do:
1. Crush 1 biscuit into the bottom of each of 6 small pots, jars or ramekins and set aside.

2. Over low heat warm up cream until it just starts bubbling, then take off the heat and mix in chocolate until smooth. Divide chocolate between pots pouring over biscuits until about ¾ full. Put in the fridge for (at least) a couple of hours until set.

3. When chocolate is set you can start making your marshmallow. Combine sugar, gelatin and water in a saucepan over very low heat. Stir until the sugar has completely dissolved then increase heat to medium. Stop stirring and let simmer for 10 mins.

4. Take off the heat and let it sit for another 10 mins to settle. Transfer the syrup to your electric mixer bowl, add vanilla, and beat for another 10 mins until white, thick and shiny.

5. Spoon into your little pots over chocolate and wait a few minutes for the marshmallow to set.

6. Before serving, caramelise the marshmallow lightly with a blow torch.

Recipe | Campfire Chocolate Pot by Erika Rax for www.highwallsblog.com

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October 17, 2013 In Contributor Posts, recipe

Recipe | Choc Mint Drops

I am super excited to introduce to you our first new contributor here at High Walls!

Erika Rax is a lovely lady who I met last year when we attended Blogshop in Sydney. She is a crazy talented chef and photographer and I am so thrilled that she will be contributing a monthly recipe for you all to drool over. If you don’t believe me (or even if you do), pop over to her blog and instagram accounts to see her amazing photography and baking skills! Enjoy!
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Hi guys, I’m so happy to be joining Dani and the High Walls team! And because I want to fit right in, I have brought you all cookies. I hope you like chocolate and mint and pretty things! These little gems are a spin on the classic jam drop and is the perfect after dinner cookie. Or before dinner, or any other time really. No judgement.

What You Need:
115g Butter
150g Caster Sugar
1 Egg
150g Plain Flour
50g Cocoa
½ tsp Baking Powder
100g Dark Chocolate
A drop of Peppermint Essence
Fresh mint leaves (optional – *see note)

What You Do:
1. Beat butter and sugar for a couple of minutes until light then add egg and beat well.

2. Add sifted flour, cocoa and baking powder and mix into wet ingredients. Be careful not to over mix.

3. Cover in cling film and allow dough to rest in fridge for at least an hour.

4. Take dough out of the fridge and preheat oven to 175 degrees celcius.

5. Roll dough into balls the size of jawbreakers and press down with two fingers to flatten slightly. Make a small well in the middle of each cookie with your pinky finger.

6. Bake for 10-12 minutes then allow to cool on the tray before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

7. While your cookies are cooling, melt chocolate in the microwave or in a bain marie on the stove then stir in peppermint essence. Place a mint leaf into the well of each cookie then spoon a drop of chocolate to fill. Place cookies in a cool spot until chocolate has hardened.

*Only use fresh mint leaves if cookies are to be consumed the same day. Sadly the leaves will wilt if left for longer.

RECIPE | Choc Mint Drops By Erika Rax for www.highwallsblog.com (blog.erikarax.com/)

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