The Every Day

a fifo wife {recipe: hestons exploding chocolate cake}

Posted on by debbie / 1 Comment

No I havent made this but I will…or I may get my favourite FIFO husband too… I saw it last Thursday on How to cook like Heston on SBS whilst snuggled with my favourite B1…at 6 years old he loves to watch cooking shows..there the best mum…and I love it too. Reads abit tricky but looked as simple as on the telly..lol. Im sure its something I could whip up for a Sunday night dessert.

We will see.

What you will need:

For the base

  • 150g all butter shortbread biscuits
  • 30g unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 tbsp white caster sugar
  • 25g neutral popping candy

For the chocolate ganache

  • 175g whipping cream
  • Pinch of salt
  • Pulp from 6 passion fruits
  • 50g fresh custard
  • 110g dark chocolate (minimum of 60% cocoa solids), broken into pieces
  • 50g milk chocolate, broken into pieces

For the flocking

  • 500g dark chocolate
  • 200g vegetable oil

How to:

  1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/gas mark 4. Place the shortbread biscuits on a baking tray and bake in the oven for 10 minutes until golden brown.
  2. Place the biscuits in a food processor and add the melted butter and sugar. Blitz until the mixture resembles fine sand in texture.
  3. Gently stir in the popping candy. Place the mixture inside a 15cm cake ring placed on a tray lined with baking paper. Flatten using the back of a spoon then put to one side to set.
  4. Add the cream, salt and passion fruit to a small saucepan and place over a medium heat until it almost comes to the boil. Remove from the heat and allow to stand for 5 minutes, then stir in the fresh custard.
  5. Put the dark and milk chocolate in a bowl. Place over a bain marie (a pan of gently simmering water) and allow to melt completely. Remove from the heat.
  6. Strain the infused cream and add to the bowl of melted chocolate a third at a time, making sure to incorporate the cream thoroughly after each addition. Allow the ganache to cool to room temperature.
  7. Once the tart base has set, use a pastry brush to spread some of the ganache on top of the base and around the edges then place in the freezer for 5 minutes. This will ensure that the ganache will not seep through.
  8. After 5 minutes, pour the remaining ganache into the ring and place the tart in the fridge to set for 2 hours. Place the tart in the freezer at least 4 hours before flocking.
  9. After the gateau is fully frozen, sit the gateau on a wide upturning glass or pot. Remove the metal ring by lightly warming with a blow torch. Remove by carefully sliding the ring downwards. Place back in the freezer.
  10. For the flocking, break the chocolate into chunks and place in a small bowl. Melt the chocolate by placing the bowl over a bain marie. Leave to cool slightly before stirring in the vegetable oil.
  11. Fill the base of a paint gun with the melted chocolate mixture and attach the nozzle. To avoid redecorating the kitchen in chocolate brown, set a large cardboard box on its side to provide a protective roof and walls to work in.
  12. Remove the gateau from the freezer and carefully lift it onto a plate. Place the gateau in the cardboard box then spray it with the chocolate, turning carefully as you go. Return it to the freezer until 20 minutes before serving.

Have a great Monday my friends the school rush is about to start and Im a little sad about it. For the first time ever I have enjoyed weekends and school hoildays…the dark clouds I think have finally dissappeared for good I think or is it because they are older as am I and we dont require as much work?

xx Deb

The Every Day

a fifo wife {fifo life: kids, dicipline and dad’s}

Posted on by debbie / 0 Comment

This morning I had a lovely lady email me with the following question…when dad comes home he expects to be head of the household and main discipliner the kids naturally get confused what to do?

It would be interesting to read your thoughts my lovelies but this is what I think on the ideas of who is responsible for the whole discipline thing.

Discipline, morals, ethics, and all things associated with wrangling kids FIFO husband and I are on the same page. Word for word. That first of all is essential. If you’re not it kind of makes bringing up kids a nightmare I think.  So when FIFO husband comes home from a swing from work there is no ‘top dog, head of the household or main discipliner’. We are equal.

Perhaps I’m fortunate that FIFO husband has never ever come back from work and tried to be top dog or head of the household. He never tries to be the main discipliner. He as I have always held the view that we both are responsible for parenting. This is OUR house and our rules. Raising the kids is like most things a constant discussion. Being one sided having one parent’s authority hold more weight than the other I don’t think works. It would confuse the kids no end or work to their advantage and then ultimately it affects the parent’s relationship. This again all goes back to our belief that our marriage is a partnership.

Should FIFO husband encounters a situation that requires discipline he handles it. If I encounter one I handle it. There is no let’s tell dad and let him deal with it. If its massive problem it’s dealt with both of us together. We have only had to tell our eldest boy B1 once to go away and await his punishment while FIFO husband and I discussed it. That was most likely the most nerve racking twenty minutes that boy will ever live.

If I think FIFO husband is handling it wrong I don’t step in and try to take over I think that’s wrong. It shows a divide between us and again if the kids are clever they will grasp on to it, use it to their advantage and all hell will break loose at some point.  So instead of defacing his opinion I’m supportive of him and his decisions. We bring a united front to the situation. Whilst not always agreeing with the outcome (sometimes even the parents are tired and irritable and not in the best mood to deal with things appropriately at the time) I wait until thing have cooled down and then express my concern of the way he had handle it and why. This of course all out of ear shot of the kids. If you aren’t on the same page in terms of discipline perhaps a list of rules and options could be created so at least it’s agreed on that some actions require consequences.

So my lovelies what do you think? Would love to hear..

Have a lovely Saturday,

xXDeb

The Every Day

a fifo wife {me: fashion faux pas}

Posted on by debbie / 0 Comment

So apparently I committed a HUGH fashion faux pas. No I didn’t wear fur, or leggings as jeans no I wore gumboots with my jeans to town today. The reaction I got was almost priceless…you look so um country today one friend said as she tried to scurry away from me in absoult horror. It was really rather disconcerting the reaction my gum boots brought today. As you know I’m a practical can do girl and its raining cats and dogs literally and every pair of flats I own would have been ruined (and yes I know husband that you brought me a ridiculous priced pair of boots last year for the very purpose of winter and its wet wintery days) BUT but as I have said these wet wintery day(s) are almost bordering on torrential so with that said I couldn’t and you wouldn’t very well like me to ruin such a highly priced pair of boots in such torrential weather.

So without further ado I have been pricing some very reasonable very fashionable gum boots after all the if the Brits can wear them as outer wear way cant I? This little old town I live in just better catch up..

Now Hunters are my preffered choice however even I cant justify $165.00 on some rubber I will though settle for these street wear boots over here..

hint hint

xxDeb

The Every Day

a fifo wife {me: I remember..}

Posted on by debbie / 1 Comment

I’m unconditionally head over heels in love with my husband. Its true. I remember almost every detail of the moment we met although he says the wording is out somewhat but that’s neither here nor there. I remember the night like it was yesterday and it still brings an immense smile to my face. I think about it all the time.

I remember the time. The way the night felt and I remember the way he looked. The clothes he wore and the way he his cheeks were flushed from the Darwin heat. I remember the way he smelt. The way I had to look up at him as I sat on the cool concrete step. I remember looking at his mate who had a definite drunken stance but looking back at him and then his shoes. He wore good shoes. I remember being me then I was young and cocky. I remember the way he walked away from me and I smiled.

Its on nights like these when its cold and just a little bit lonely that I remember how we got here.

xx Deb