Use these candied pear slices as cake toppers, or dip in chocolate and wrap it up for a nice gift.  

Candied pear & edible flower decorations 

Makes 12-16 

Ingredients

2 cups (500ml) water
2 cups (400g) sugar
2 pears, thinly sliced
Handful edible flowers (we used pansies) 

Method

1. Add water and sugar to a pot over high heat, stirring to dissolve.
2. Add pears to the boiling sugar syrup, simmer for 12-15 minutes until glossy.
3. Remove from heat and leave the pear slices to sit in the syrup for 30 minutes until translucent.
4. Preheat oven to 120°C.
5. Arrange pear slices on a tray lined with baking paper.
6. Decorate the pear slices by gently pressing a few edible flowers on each slice.
7. Using a brush, paint over the flowers with extra sugar syrup to seal.
8. Bake the decorated pear slices for 1 hour, then flip over, reduce heat to the lowest setting and bake for another 30 minutes. Remove and allow to cool.
9. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place for up to 1 week.

Words by: Sjaan Van Der Ploeg
Photographs: Getty Images, Fresh Living Magazine 

The post Candied pear & edible flower decorations with just 4 ingredients  appeared first on MyKitchen.

Top of your winter bowls of comfort with our irresistible candied jalapeño chillies preserve. It’s perfect on burgers, nachos, or just by themselves!

MAKES 3 cups // COOK TIME 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS
3 cups sugar
1 ½ cups apple cider vinegar
6 tsp mustard seeds
30 jalapeño peppers, sliced
3 cloves garlic, sliced

METHOD
1. Place the sugar, vinegar and mustard seeds in a pot over medium heat.
2. Boil for 5 minutes, then add the jalapeños and garlic.
3. Boil for a further 5 minutes, then remove the jalapeños and garlic with a slotted spoon and divide evenly between sterilised jars.
4. Continue boiling the syrup for another 5–7 minutes then pour over the jalapeños and seal the jars.

Tip: Wash your hands with hot soapy water immediately after chopping the chillis to avoid rubbing your eyes, nose or skin with spicy fingers.

Recipe & styling: Kate Turner
Photography: Samantha Pinto

Try our candied jalapeño chillies preserve on our wholewheat tortilla pizzas with ham and mushroom.

The post Candied jalapeño chillies appeared first on MyKitchen.

With some traditional flavours and a touch of modern spice, these marmalade glazed carrots drizzled with candied pecans are sure to be a hit at the Easter lunch table!

SERVES 6 // COOKING TIME 40 min

INGREDIENTS
For the candied pecans
60 ml sugar
50 ml water
100 g pecans
For the carrots
4 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp marmalade
400 g baby rainbow carrots
¾ cup orange juice
2 tbsp brown sugar
Salt and black pepper

METHOD
For the candied pecans
1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. Place the sugar and water in a pot over high heat and simmer until the sugar has dissolved, 5–10 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
3. Add the pecans to the syrup. Let them soak for 5 minutes, then remove and spread out on the baking tray. Roast for 8 minutes.
4. Remove the nuts from the oven and allow to cool; they should turn crispy as they do so.
For the carrots
1. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Stir in the marmalade, then add carrots, orange juice, sugar, and salt and pepper.
2. Bring the marmalade mixture to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until carrots are almost tender, about 15 minutes. Remove the carrots from the pan.
3. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook the liquid for 8–10 minutes, until reduced to a glaze.
4. Place the carrots on a serving platter, drizzle with the marmalade glaze and sprinkle with the candied pecans.

Recipe & styling: Diane Heierli
Photography: Christoph Heierli

The post Marmalade glazed carrots drizzled with candied pecans appeared first on MyKitchen.

We all saw it on a particularly gripping episode of MasterChef Australia. Soon after, food bloggers caught on to the unlikely dessert trend. Now, top chefs are introducing unlikely ingredients to their dessert menus, such as sugary vegetables. We take a closer look at this quirky foodie craze.

Chickpea blondies

 You may be hesitant to mix a legume with chocolate, but it’s said to deliver a drool-worthy, moist and fudgy treat. Why not make a batch yourself?

Brinjal tarte Tatin with black pepper and caramel

 Brinjals have a lovely neutral flavour, making them the perfect ingredient to take on the sweet and rich flavour of home-made caramel. This recipe serves this unlikely pairing on a bed of flaky, buttery pastry – need we say more?

Candied tomatoes

 It should come as no surprise that tomatoes make for wonderful pops of sweetness in dessert (they are a fruit after all!). This recipe pairs these sugary treats with a mouth-watering cornmeal cake.

Cucumber ice cream

 This chilled-out fruit gets even cooler when sweetened with condensed milk and churned into a frozen delight.

Crystalised fennel

 The best way to add a fragrant twist to pancakes, waffles or panna cotta is to top the dish off with some candied fennel bits. You can even use the fronds and bulb!

Photography: veggieinspiredjourney.com; gourmet.com; howsweeteats.com; tastingtable.com; localkitchenblog.com

The post The new deliciously unlikely dessert trend appeared first on MyKitchen.