Wild Sugar Desserts

" Wild Sugar Desserts is a celebration of the emotional connection so many of us have with sweets, which is influenced by circumstances, emotions, family, history and the company you share" ( Wild Sugar Desserts)

Wild Sugar Desserts by Skye Craig ( ex Masterchef ) & Lyndel Miller is the newest must-have dessert cookbook here in Australia. Filled with gorgeous recipes and photos, it will delight and inspire dessert enthusiasts. It has a real vintage feel which I absolutely love and is jam packed full of beautiful recipes and beautiful people. Visually enticing, this cookbook clearly comes from a place of love - it's a true delight.

Wild Sugar Desserts is divided into 11 gorgeous chapters which range from Building Blocks, Traditional with a Twist, Kids' Party, Tough Times Can Be Sweet to Health Nut and Bling. Recipes are cleverly coded at the top of each page with a blue lace doily symbol for Skye's recipes and a pink one for Lyndel's. Love it!

Being a food blogger, I was absolutely mesmerised by the stunning photography and props used in each of the photographs throughout the book. I discussed these with Lyndel during our recent interview (see below). Lyndel has a background in naturopathy and is now living her dream working as a food, prop and interior stylist.

My favourites in this book are many and include: Strawberry Yoghurt Cheesecake, Lime Dumplings w/ Mango, Mint Chocolate Tart, Hazelnut Praline Butter, Mulled Wine, Syke's Chocolate Avocado Tarts, Coconut Sago w/Chilli Mango Sorbet, and Apricot Baklava!! There are also handy tips and recipes to make, these include tuiles, sugared rose petals, spun sugar (glass ball) as well as many different frostings and flavoured creams. How does Maple Honey Frosting or Orange Thyme Cream sound? Yes please!

My Interview with Lyndel Miller - 

Co-Author of Wild Sugar Desserts

The gorgeous Lyndel Miller!

TFM: Hi Lyndel, tell us how you first met Skye and what led you collaborate on this book? 

Lyndel: Skye and I first met on my property in Currumbin Valley. We were both Currumbin girls. We had engaged Skye as our graphic designer for an advertising job for our development company at the time. We hit it off ! I set up a white country style lounge in the garden and we enjoyed morning tea in nature.When Skye returned home after MasterChef she contacted me to work on styling her gourmet ice cream range. It was a great success, we loved working together and one thing led to another and Skye asked me to co-author the book with her. It was such a gift !! We signed on the dotted line and spend a good 9 months on the book. It is so wonderful to see in finally in print .

TFM: Which is your favourite chapter in Wild Sugar Desserts and why?

Lyndel: Gosh , I love all the chapters but to pick one, I would have to say" From the Heart' as I truly resonate with this philosophy every day. 'From the Heart' is all about making desserts for others. They are the type of dessert you offer over garden fences, to a new neighbour ( I like to think people still do this ) for someone in need of cheering up..and so it goes. Desserts are my gift of choice. 

TFM: As a Mother of two, tell us which desserts your kids often request?

Lyndel: My Kiddlywinks love my Strawberry Yoghurt Cheesecake. It is an adaption of my mothers recipe from her health cafe that started back in the 70's. It is a winner and on the healthy side.That's in the book! I never tire of it because it is so versatile, like most of the recipes. We want others to feel inspired to create their own magic as well.

TFM: Best styling tip?

Lyndel: Attention to detail !!

TFM: What is your favourite kitchen gadget or item to work with?Lyndel: I like to keep it very simple. In fact , I am not a gadget gal. I use an old Kenwood mixer (though I would love the new Kitchenmaid, which mine is modelled on ) .. I bought it at a market. It is precious but my favourite and most used item is my handheld blender.. It doesn't have the charisma but it is fabulous ! :) 

TFM: If you had to pick your absolute favourite dessert from this book, which would you choose and why?

Lyndel: I love my trifle on the front cover. It is a Blackberry, Elderflower and Lemon Mousse Trifle.I grew up in a quintessential 70's household on Sydney's northern beaches and a trifle always graced our family table on special occasions. My mum cried when she saw the book. It conquers up such wonderful memories. 

TFM: For all the aspiring food stylists and bloggers out there - Please tell us where you sourced some of the gorgeous props we see in Wild Sugar Desserts?

Lyndel:Well, I would have had several hundred props on hand. The majority of the props are mine, I also bought a lot of props with specific desserts in mind ( as you do ) and I also hired some props. I found the most amazing prop houses also.. Fancy Tea, Rebecca has the most outstanding quality collection I have ever had the pleasure of viewing. Little Gray Station, Judy is a darling and has some wonderful boxes and surfaces for me to choose from. Grit and Glamour and also Archer and Archer are also fabulous sources.You can find these peeps on my Facebook page; www.facebook.com/lyndelmillerstylist I love to support fellow creatives in my industry.

TFM: What are your 3 favourite ingredients to work with?

Lyndel:In regards to Desserts : Fresh produce is paramount. Dairy and I love nutmeg!!

TFM: What inspires you?

Lyndel: As a cook, with food in particular: People .. I love hearing their food stories, what they love.As a photo stylist- the everyday! I see beauty in all things.i am inspired by beauty. 

Is there anything else you would like to share with us today?

Lyndel: I am writing a new cookbook also, so stay tuned. Feel free to connect with me on Facebook or Twitter, whether you are a foodie, budding stylist or photographer. I love to connect with others and share :)

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To help celebrate Autumn, Lyndel has kindly shared this recipe from her book - It's divine!

Baked Hazelnut Custard with Lime Sugar

From Wild Sugar Desserts

Serves 8

Photo: Courtesy of Lyndel Miller

I love this recipe. It is silky smooth, indulgent, full of flavor  and so, so easy. You can get creative here too and adjust this recipe to suit your palette. Why not substitute frangelico, for sambucca ,  limoncello or orange liqueur, substitute lime sugar for other citrus or spice….. let  your  imagination run wild, dare to experiment.

Custards:

500g  ( 2 cups / 15 oz ) sour cream

395g can of  condensed  milk

80ml  ( 1/3 cup / 2 ½ fl oz ) of frangelico or your choice of liqueur

Lime sugar:

 50g ( 1 ¾ oz ) of  caster sugar

Zest of 1 lime 

Preheat oven 180C ( 350F/ Gas Mark 4 )

Custards:

Whisk all ingredients well and place in a jug to suit. Pour evenly into 8 x 125ml ( 4 oz ) ramekins ( or use smaller vessels to increase your serving number). Then place the ramekins in a baking dish with water ¾ way up the sides of the ramekins.

Bake in oven for 20 minutes. Remove and allow to cool, to room temperature or you can also  refrigerate until ready to serve. Both are enjoyable, and why sweat the small stuff, if your time management  is a little dodgy in the kitchen, go for the later..I wouldn’t mind..

Prepare lime sugar for topping. 

Lime sugar:

Remove the zest of the lime , in thin strips using a vegetable peeler. Make sure to remove any of the bitter white pith.

Chop the zest and then with sugar , grind in a mortar and pestle or food processor until the mixture turns a lime green , leaving a few bits of zest

Sprinkle over each custard and serve.

If you have no lime, opt for a few crushed hazelnuts…yummo!

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Wild Sugar Desserts

You can purchase Wild Sugar Desserts through Borders here or via Amazon here .

Enjoy x

The Food Mentalist reviewed Wild Sugar Desserts courtesy of Lyndel Miller.