As food lovers and makers of tableware, we wanted to work collaboratively with foodies, chefs and patissiers, to share delicious recipes styled on our handmade ceramics. Each month we will be introducing a new recipe, and the person behind it, so you can try these at home.
Sophia Purvis is a baker and photographer based in Melbourne, Australia. Her family memories around food while growing up in New Zealand founded her passion towards baking and sharing the love through food.
Today we have the pleasure to introduce you to the work of Sophia by sharing our latest recipe collaboration.
We met Sophia through her business Little Box Brownie located in Coburg, Victoria. There was plenty of talk around the neighbourhood about her homemade pastries, cakes and sweet tarts, so we decided to go try ourselves. The place is small and intimate, with a simple yet beautiful vintage set up. The menu offers a variety of bagels, cakes, hot and cold drinks. We had a great chat with Sophia, who’s always there behind the counter, and tried a delicious coffee and vanilla slice.
Sophia started this pastry shop on Bell St just before Covid-19 started, so she had plenty of time to set it up while in lockdown. Little Box Brownie has been open for about a year now, attracting locals (and not so locals) who appreciate the goodness of freshly made bakes.
But before opening the shop Sophia started with a vintage caravan which she’d take to events and markets, offering her daily baked specials. ‘Miss Daisy’ (as she’s named the caravan) has been running for about 9 years, and is fitted with a commercial coffee machine and a stunning coffee cart, as well as all the cakes and baked delights made by Sophia.
Her first published book ‘A Piece Of Cake’ (2014), which won the Best Pastry Book in New Zealand and The Third Best Pastry Cookbook in the World at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards, is the perfect start to trying Sophia’s recipes. You can buy the book here.
Sophia has collaborated with Daisy Cooper Ceramics to present a delicious Vanilla Panna Cotta styled on one of our ‘Blue Skies’ dessert bowls.
Find the recipe below, admire the wonderful photographs that Sophia captured, and don’t forget to follow Little Box Brownie’s instagram for more.
Vanilla Panna Cotta
Ingredients
Crumb
100g unsalted butter
1 cup flour
pinch salt
2 teaspoons vanilla essence
Panna Cotta
1 1/2 gelatin leaves
1 vanilla bean
300mls thicken Cream
300ml Full cream milk
1/2 cup caster sugar
Topping
1 cup frozen blueberries
½ cup sugar
To make the crumb
Cube the butter and place in a food processor along with the flour, icing sugar and salt and pulse until light breadcrumbs form, add vanilla and pulse until the mixture starts to form a dough. Add a touch of water if the mixture is too dry
Remove and place on the bench and roll out till about 3mm thick.
Pre heat the oven to 160C
Place the dough in the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool then crush up.
Place the gelatin leaves in a bowl of cold water to soften.
Split the vanilla bean lengthways and place in a saucepan with the cream, milk and sugar on a medium heat. Stir occasionally until the cream just starts to simmer then remove from the heat and take the vanilla bean out.
Take the gelatin leaves out and squeeze the excess water out of them in your hand. Place into the cream and stir until dissolved.
Take 6 small Panna cotta ramekins and spray with oil. Pour the cream mixture into the ramekins and leave in the refrigerator for 4 hours to set.
To make the topping place the blueberries and sugar into a saucepan and heat until the sugar has melted and the blueberries softened, remove from the heat and let cool
To serve, place the crumb in the bowl then place the Panna cotta on top and spoon over the blueberries.
1 comment
What if the
topping
on it is replaced with boba?