Couple's Kitchen

Provencal Lamb Ragu

2011-11-20T07:35:00.000+10:00

I'm currently on the Body Trim diet which is a high protein diet and I love it! In six days I've lost 3.5kg and I already feel so much better. And the food is so easy! Steak, salad, vegetables! You're even allowed bread and cereal in the morning if you like AND you get a day off once a week. This is my dream diet!

So last night I decided to use a recipe from my Body Trim manual and it was delicious! I really caramelised the meat when I browned it and I think that made it this incredible rich, deep, glossy brown colour and because it's slow cooked the meat just shred in your mouth. The zucchini, eggplant and capsicum don't go in until close to the end so they hold their shape and flavour and it's such a good way of doing it - the rich ragu is perfectly balanced by the sweet vegetables.

This recipe made plenty also so we're having the left overs tonight. It was amazing that Jared and I both had two big bowls of it and because it is virtually carbohydrate free neither of us felt even slightly bloated afterwards. Jared said he felt hungry so reached for a packet of chips.... I on the other hand continued to marvel at the 3.5kg I've lost in under a week!

600g Diced Lamb
400ml Red Wine
2 Onions
3 Cloves Garlic
400g Tin of Chopped Tomatoes
1 Eggplant
2 Zucchini
1 Red Capsicum
1 Yellow Capsicum
1 Green Capsicum
4 Sprigs of Thyme
1 Sprig of Rosemary
5 tbsp Warrick Grove Olive Oil
Salt & Freshly Ground Pepper

Chop the Onions and garlic. Heat 3 tbsp of the oil in a large saute pan and brown the meat all over until caramelised. Add the Onion and the Garlic and fry briefly before adding the Red Wine. Add the Tomatoes and Herbs, cover and cook for 1.5 hours.

Heat the rest of the oil in a separate pan. Sweat the Eggplant and Zucchini for ten minutes and then add the Capsicum and fry all together for 10 minutes.

Mix the Vegetables with the Meat and cook for a few minutes – season with Salt and freshlt Cracked Pepper.

E.

Asparagus, Leek, Potato & Blue Vein Cheese Soup

2011-09-18T14:43:00.000+10:00

We're back up in Clare for the weekend as Jared has another assignment due and needs the tranquility of mum and dad's study. It also keeps me from bothering him out of boredom because I have mum, dad and nana to catch up with.

I had a few bunches of asparagus to use and Jared suggested I turn it into soup. Immediately I started trawling through google looking for different asparagus soup recipes and Jared kept saying to me; "Just put asparagus, potato, leek, lots of garlic, white wine, stock and some blue vein cheese in it! You don't need a recipe!" I decided to go against all my cooking fears (I'm a stickler for a recipe) and do as I was told. And it was so delicious and creamy and bursting with flavour. I was very proud of my non recipe efforts!

25g butter
1 tbsp Warrick Grove Olive Oil
2 bunches asparagus, ends trimmed
1 leek, roughly sliced
3 potatoes, peeled and quartered
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 cup white wine
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups boiling water with 2 heaped teaspoons vegeta chicken stock dissolved
100g blue vein cheese
Pepper

Melt the butter in a large saucepan with the oil. When it begins bubbling add the leek and garlic over a low to medium heat. Fry off gently for 5 minutes and add the asparagus. Turn the heat up to medium and add the asparagus. Fry off for another 5 minutes and add the white wine. Cook the booze off and add the stock and boiling vegeta water. Add the potatoes and some pepper and cover. Simmer for an hour. When ready to serve crumble the blue vein into the soup and stir to mix once it melts. Blitz the soup with a bamix to a creamy cosistency. Serve with sour cream and parsley. (Although Jared says it absolutely does not need the sour cream.

E.

Nigella Lawson Forever Summer Chocolate Peanut Bars

2011-08-29T13:28:00.001+10:00

Jared and I spent the weekend at Mum & Dad's with Nana because the folks have gone to the Gold Coast for a week. Jared was in the study for 10 hours both days working on a uni assignment so that left Nana and I to amuse ourselves. And we did - we shopped and baked and read and snoozed.

This was our baking feat - Nigella Lawson Chocolate Peanut Slice. I love that in her pre recipe blurb she says she was laying in bed one night with a fist full of peanuts and a bowl full of chocolate and she thought to herself, 'surely we can combine this heavenly combination?' and she did. I'm a big salt fan and a huge caramel fan so the combination made me very happy, and still is... They are delicious and moreish. I fell asleep with the box of slices next to the bed (as you do) and woke up to the heavenly smell of chocolate. And some smeared all over the sheets and my brand new PJs.... whoops!

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup unsalted butter
14 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 can sweetened condensed milk
4 tablespoons maple syrup
250g Salted roasted peanuts
250 bittersweet chocolate
75g milk chocolate

Heat oven to 160C. Line 23cm baking pan.
Shortbread: In food processor, process flour, sugar and butter until mixture looks sandy and begins to
clump. Turn into pan; press over bottom. Prick all over with fork.
Bake in the oven at 160C for 5 minutes. Lower heat to 150C and bake for 30 to 40 minute until crust is pale and golden.  Let it cool in the pan on wire rack.

Over medium heat melt the butter, add the condensed milk and maple syrup and stir into a gorgeous caramel. Let it begin to bubble slowly and keep stirring for two to three more minutes and add the peanuts and whisk until all combined well.  Pour it into shortbread pan and ensure it is even and let it cool.

Over a water bath melt the chocolate and mix well.  Spread chocolate over peanut filling. Let cool. Once
chocolate is set, with sharp knife, cut into 24 bars.

Ravinder Bhogal's Lamb Stew with Turnips, Pearl Barley & a Garlic Bread Crust

2011-08-14T18:01:00.001+10:00

I wanted to cook something slowly and make a kind of casserole but I'm sick of the same old same old red wine/rosemary/bay leaves/carrots/celery & onion style of casserole. So this recipe was exactly what I was looking for. It has leeks, chilli, pearl barley, turnips and a garlic bread crust! Totally different from your stock standard winter stew.

It smelt amazing as I caramelised the leeks, turnips and celery. I've never used pearl barley before and it was really simple and a great addition to the meal - it fills you up though, I think I need a nap.

Jared loved it and finished off the pot which serves six! Including the ten slices of garlic bread on top. He described it as 'great bush tucker'. I'm so happy with this dish.

1tbsp olive oil
500g diced boneless lamb shoulder
2tbsp plain flour
1 knob of unsalted butter
3 celery sticks, chopped into large chunks
1 leek, trimmed and chopped into thick rounds
300g small turnips, quartered
½ tsp chilli flakes
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs of rosemary
100g pearl barley
500ml hot chicken or lamb stock
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the crust:
1 medium French baguette
3 garlic cloves, chopped
½ tsp sea salt
1tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
25g (1oz) soft unsalted butter

Heat the olive oil in a casserole. Dust the chunks of lamb with the flour, dust off any excess flour and then brown the lamb in the casserole on all sides. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and leave to rest on a plate.

Melt the butter in the same pan. Sauté the celery, leek and turnips for 10-15 mins until they have caught some colour and caramelised slightly.

Return the sealed lamb to the pan, add the chilli flakes, bay leaves and rosemary and fry again for 1 min. Pour in the pearl barley and hot stock and season well. Cover and leave to simmer on a low heat for 1 hr, topping it up with water if needed.

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Cut the French baguette into slices on the diagonal. Make the garlic butter by pounding together the garlic, salt and parsley, then stir in the softened butter. Butter one side of each slice.

Take the casserole off the heat and arrange the sliced bread over the surface. Bake it in the oven for 20 mins or until the bread is golden and crisp. Serve piping hot.

E.

Red Wine & Bacon Shepherd's Pie with Colcannon

2011-07-10T13:29:00.001+10:00

I found this recipe in Masterchef Magazine in a section all about British Pub Fare. Every recipe looked delicious, especially this one. Being a cold, wet and windy winter in Adelaide I was dying to try it out.

The acutal mince part of this pie is to die for. It is so rich which I believe comes from the 4g of porcini mushrooms. I loved it, especially the deep sexy colour it went. I will use the mince recipe any time I'm making a shepherd's pie in the future. The Colcannon was also fantastic and I loved the flavour of the cabbage through the creamy, buttery mash - but there was just far too much. There is no need for 2kg of potato and cabbage for the topping. Next time I make this, and there definitely will be a next time - I'll be halving, if not quartering, the amount of colcannon.

As usual, I had loads left over so I sent a serve to my favourite food critic Richard - here's what he said:

Wow, dish after dish never fails to impress. The onion, bacon, potato, everything was just right on the money. It was the perfect meal for a cold and wet winter’s day. Such a large serve lets me live it all again tomorrow. Thankyou, thankyou, thankyou.

4g packet dried porcini mushrooms, crumbled
1 tbs olive oil
4 rashers rindless bacon, finely chopped
2 onions, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
700g minced lamb
2 tbs plain flour
400g can Italian chopped tomatoes
2 tbs tomato paste
250ml (1 cup) red wine
2 tbs Worcestershire sauce

Colcannon

100g butter, chopped
500g (about 1/2 small) savoy
cabbage, cored, cut into 1cm pieces
3 spring onions, trimmed, thinly sliced
1.4kg sebago potatoes, peeled
250ml (1 cup) pouring cream
50g grated parmesan

Soak mushrooms in 125ml (1/2 cup) hot water, then drain. Heat oil in a large casserole over medium heat. Add bacon and stir for 5 minutes or until starting to brown. Add onions, carrots and 1 1/2 tsp salt, and stir occasionally for 8 minutes or until carrots are almost soft. Add garlic and mushrooms, and stir for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add mince and break up with a wooden spoon for 3 minutes or until browned. Stir in flour, tomatoes, tomato paste, wine and Worcestershire sauce. Cover partially with a lid and simmer gently over low–medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes or until sauce is thick. Season with pepper.

Meanwhile, to make colcannon, heat 40g butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Add cabbage and onions, and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until cabbage is soft. Season with salt and pepper, and set aside.

Place potatoes in a large saucepan of cold water, then boil for 35 minutes or until tender. Drain. Add remaining butter, cream and parmesan to the pan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Using a potato ricer, press the potatoes into the pan. (Alternatively, mash potatoes using a potato masher.) Stir in cabbage mixture until combined. Season colcannon with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 200C. Spoon mince mixture into 6 x 500ml (2-cup) ovenproof dishes or a 3L (12-cup) ovenproof dish. Cover with colcannon and bake for 30 minutes or until the top is golden.

E.

Warm Chocolate Cakes with Toasted Marshmallow Meringue

2011-06-05T09:34:00.001+10:00

Last weekend Sathya and I held our first dinner party together and it was a raging success. We decided to go with a Movida inspired theme so everything was very spanish. I was expecting it to be a really stressful affair as we made loads of tapas, a main with two sides and then dessert. Everything ran perfectly smoothly and we all had a great night - especially enjoying all the bubbles, whites, reds and dessert wines that went with each dish.

Below is what we had for dessert. I loved it! The cake was really moist and rich and the meringue was so marshmallowy. In my drunken state I did place it too high under the grill and gave the meringue a little too much toasting, but they still tasted great. Unfortunatley none of us finished dessert because we were so full of rich foods - all of which I will post over the coming weeks. I thought this dessert was really impressive and I'll be making it again for sure. Even if it is just to lick the bowl of meringue clean the next morning!

Chocolate Cakes
1 cup butter, plus more to butter the molds

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
4 eggs
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
8 teaspoons flour
unsweetened cocoa powder, for dusting

Set a heat-proof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (You just need a couple of inches of water - do not let the bowl touch the water). Add the butter and chocolate and heat them gently together until the chocolate is almost completely melted. Remove from the heat and whisk until chocolate is smooth.

While that's heating, beat together the eggs, yolks, and sugar with a whisk or electric beater until light and thick, several minutes.

Pour in the egg mixture into the chocolate/butter mixture and then quickly beat in the flour, just until combined.

Butter and lightly dust with some of the cocoa powder eight 4-ounce molds, custard cups, or ramekins. Divide the batter among the molds. (At this point you can refrigerate the desserts until you are ready to eat, for up to several hours; bring them back to room temperature before baking.)

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Bake the molds on a tray for 10 minutes; the center will still be quite soft, but the sides will be set. Remove from oven. Set the oven to "broil".

Pipe the Marshmallow Meringue on the top of each cake. (If you don't have a pastry bag and tip, just use a gallon size zip lock with a corner cut off). Return to oven and broil just until tops are toasted - watch carefully so they don't burn.

Optional: Skip the marshmallow and invert each mold onto a plate and let sit for about 10 seconds. Unmold by lifting up one corner of the mold; the cake will fall out onto the plate. Serve immediately.

Marshmallow Meringue
(You will need a cooking thermometer for this recipe)
4 egg whites
1 cup sugar
a large pinch of cream of tartar

Combine egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar in a heat-proof mixer bowl. Place bowl over a pot of simmering water and whisk until sugar is dissolved and whites are warmed to 145 degrees F. about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and place bowl on electric mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Beat starting on low speed and then increasing to high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 10 minutes. Use immediately.

Lamb Shank Pie

2011-05-29T14:15:00.000+10:00

I made this on Australia Day and haven't posted it because I'm lazy really! I've attempted to post it a few times by searching for the recipe online (its a Jamie Oliver) and just cutting and pasting it into the blog. The recipe is quite long and I can't be bothered retyping it you see. But I've discovered that if you post any of Jamie Olivers recipes online you will shortly receive an email from his solicitors advising you to remove the recipe or face legal action! Yikes!

So basically - if you want the recipe for this - shoot me an email or drop a comment at the bottom of this post and I'll scan it into a computer and email it to you.

Although the recipe is long to type - its not hard to make. We loved it and felt very aussie having it on Australia Day. It was also my first attempt at a pie of any sort - I've never used much pastry except for puff. And it worked a treat. Did exactly what it was supposed to do.

Slow cooked lamb shank pie is a winner!

Anzac Biscuits

2011-04-25T15:39:00.001+10:00

And so we are married! 23 days ago we were married in a small catholic chapel in Blackwood followed by a beautiful reception at the Belair Park Country Club. Everything went to plan and every guest had an amazing time. It was by far the most full on day of my life. I did my best to take it all in. The only time I felt completely relaxed was when Jared was next to me or talking to me, dancing with me or smiling at me. He made it the most wonderful day of my life.

Four days after the wedding Jared flew off to the USA and Canada for a two week work conference trip. I really missed him but it was almost nice to have some time to myself to decompress and sleep. The busyness of the time leading up to the wedding had wiped me out. Plus we plan a proper honeymoon to Cairns in July.

He's home now and we've had 7 days off work together and it has been really lovely. We've been to Meadows for an Easter Fair, McLaren Vale for some camping, spent time in the garden, had a big bush walk, snuggled watching dvds in bed and cooked some fancy meals together over stunning bottles of wine. Life is good! Fantastic in fact!

And today is Anzac Day - so what better thing to cook but Anzac Biscuits. I cooked them using a recipe that won First Prize for Caitlin Fulton in a bake off in Penola. As it's a public holiday I couldnt go to the shops for extra ingredients so I cooked using Ghee instead of butter and I used dark brown sugar instead of plain brown sugar. The result - rich, moist, gooey anzac biscuits with loads of crunch around the edge. Perfection. Anzac Biscuits always remind me of my nana and I think most Australian kids would say the same.

1 cup rolled oats
1 cup plain flour
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup shredded coconut
125g Ghee
2 tablespoons golden syrup
1 tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

Preheat oven to 160 degrees or 140 if fan forced. Grease oven trays, line with baking paper.

Combine oats, sifted flour, sugar and coconut in a large bowl. Combine butter, syrup and water in a small saucepan, stir over low heat until smooth; stir in soda. Stir into dry ingredients.

Roll level teaspoons of mixture into balls; place about 5cm apart on trays. Flatten slightly. Bake for 20 minutes, cool on trays. Makes 25 biscuits.

E.

Weight Watchers Quiche

2011-04-10T16:07:00.001+10:00

So its now 24 days until I become Mrs Jared Simes - so needless to say the diet is very much underway! I'm actually doing Weight Watchers At Work which is fantastic because the meetings and weigh ins are during our lunch hour and in our building! Perfect.

I bought one of the Weight Watchers cookbooks called Simple - and this recipe really is just that and is so delicious! I've already made it twice and have been asked for the recipe by three people. Its a real winner! I was slightly worried it would be a bit bland initially (I generally find (healthy) quiches to be very boring and eggy) so I added a few extras to liven it up. Even with the extras this quiche is still so low in points. The entire thing is 28 points and with the new ProPoints Weight Watchers system you get 36 points a day! So you could eat the entire thing and still be under your points.

Do yourself a favour and cook this little beauty! I will be making it for years to come -whether I'm dieting or not!

8 sheets filo pastry
1 bunch english spinach, trimmed
1 bucnh asparagus, trimmed thinly sliced
100g lean leg ham, fat trimmed, chopped
75g reduced fat feta cheese, crumbled
125g cherry tomatoes, halved
1 bunch spring onions, white part chopped
60g tasty cheese, grated
1 teaspoon masterfoods moroccan spice
5 eggs
1/2 cup low fat milk

Preheat oven to 190 degrees or 170 degrees if fan forced. Lightly spray 23cm round flutted tart tin with oil. Lightly spray each sheet of filor with oil and fold in half crossways. Layer pastry in tin, lightly spraying with oil between layers. Place tin on baking tray.

Lightly fry off the ham and spring onions in a fry pan with a light spray of olive oil. Place spinach in a large heatproof bowl. Cover with boiling water and set aside for 30 seconds or until wilted. Dran and rinse under cold water. Drain well, squeezing out excess liquid. Finely chop.

Arrange spinache, asparagus, ham, spring onion and feta over pastry base. Top with tomatoes, cut side up. Whisk eggs and milk in a large jug. Season with moroccan spice, salt and pepper. Pour egg mixture over filling in tin.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until pastry is golden and filling is set. Remove from oven and sit for 5 minutes. Serve with rocket salad.

E.

Happy Valentines Day!

2011-02-13T12:00:00.000+10:00

Jared and I spent this weekend in Clare with my nana. It was so lovely to sit and relax for two days. The past few months have been go go go - non stop plans and socialising so it was great to get away and recharge. We watched loads of movies, drank red wine and relaxed. At the bottom of this post is an incredible photo of the sunset from the loungeroom in Clare. I haven't been able to stop looking at it.

When I'm in Clare with nana I always try to fit in some baking. It was nana who taught me everything I know about baking and still to this day she gives me tips on how to get it to work better. As it's Valentines Day this week I thought it was a perfect opportunity to bake love heart buttercream biscuits. This recipe made loads of them so I'll be taking them into work tomorrow to share with our colleagues. As usual my favourite part is the icing - I believe you need to really layer it on thick. The biscuits are really yummy - not too short and just sweet enough. I think they'll be a big hit tomorrow!

2 cups butter (no substitutes), softened

2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
6 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder

Preheat your oven to 180.
Cream together the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl. Then add the eggs and vanilla, mixing well. Combine the flour and baking powder and gradually add this to the egg mixture; mix well. Use a heart-shape cookie press to shape these cookies. Place them on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are light brown. Cool and ice with buttercream frosting.

Frosting
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups icing sugar
2 tablespoons milk
Rose coloured food colouring
Pink sprinkles

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, shortening, and vanilla. Blend in the sugar, one cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the milk, and continue mixing until light and fluffy. Keep icing covered until ready to decorate.

E.

Stephanie Alexander Potato Salad

2011-01-23T16:36:00.000+10:00

Well, the summer holidays are over but summer certainly isn't. We've just had a month off and it was incredible. We ate, BBQ'd, napped, socialized, swam and generally relaxed all day, every day. I've never had that much time off and it was just what the doctor ordered. I also planned the wedding in that time. Pretty much everything is done! I even have two wedding dresses because I went off the first one. All that needs to be done now is shoes for the bridesmaids, shoes for me and a big diet!

So this post isn't overly diet friendly but yummy none the less. It's 33 degrees and Jared and I are lazing by the pool. We've decided to have a BBQ for dinner and I've made potato salad from my Stephanie Alexander cookbook. From preliminary taste tests, its a winner! The vinegar gives it a lovely zing but the mustards and sour cream make it smooth and moreish. And then the crispy bacon - oh yum! There's a good chance this will become my go to potato salad recipe. Very easy!

500g waxy potatoes

125g bacon, diced
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons seed mustard
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Pinch salt and black pepper
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives

Peel and boil potatoes until tender, then chop into cubes. Fry bacon until crisp, and retain bacon fat. Combine sour cream, mustards, vinegar and salt, then tip into bacon pan. Mix, and pour over potatoes. Mix in, scatter with chives and season with cracked black pepper.

E.

Cheeslaw!

2011-01-01T14:37:00.001+10:00

It's been quite a while since I posted on here and a lot has happend in that time! Sadly Jared's dear Pop passed away on the 10th of December which has been very hard for everyone but we were lucky enough to share our engagement with him before he passed away. Jared actually proposed to me in the hospital room the evening before Pop died, which was so special and shows the kind of man I'm marrying.

So wedding plans are well underway as we've decided to have a shotgun wedding as we want to start having kids straight away. April 2nd 2011 is the big day so it's lucky we've both got a month off work to get most of the planning happening. I have the church, the priest, the reception, the cars, the bridesmaids and groomsmen and the DJ all booked! I've also chosen the invitations and its now just a matter of finalising the guest list - which is incredibly hard!

So with all of this we've also had Christmas and New Years obviously. We had my family stay for three days over Christmas and we had a lovely lunch with Jared's whole family as well. We also decided to have a small gathering for New Years Eve which turned into a huge night! There was skinny dipping at 6am and some guests were still drinking at 8am! I don't know how they do it!

Which leads me to today's blog - Cheeslaw! Jared taught this to me when we first got together and went to a BBQ. It is nothing short of incredible. I honestly could live on it. And every single time I make it for a BBQ, someone asks for the recipe. My mum phoned yesterday in the middle of making it to get some directions and about 15 minutes ago Jared's mum text him asking what the ingredients were. So I thought I should just post it on the blog - that way I can direct everyone who asks here to have a look. It really is an amazing salad.

6 carrots peeled
750g tasty cheese
spring onions
1 jar Heinz Salad Cream
Mayo (if needed)

Grate the cheese and carrot in a food processor and mix together. Slice the spring onion and stir that through. Mix in one jar of Heinz Salad Cream. If it isnt creamy enough, add some extra mayo to get it to a nice creamy consistency. Eat!

E.

Chocolate Cupcakes

2010-11-07T16:09:00.001+10:00

Recently a friend at work brought me a huge chocolate cupcake that his wife had made. It was so delicious and it made me realise that I've never made chocolate cupcakes. Since then, that fact has kept nagging at me so today I made some! I searched online for ages to find the perfect recipe and I found one over at Joy of Baking. Stephanie's description of the cupcakes and the icing really caught my eye!

I'm really happy with the way they turned out although I never seem to be able to bake BIG cupcakes. Even when I almost fill the entire patty pan up, they always end up minute or spilling over the edge. The icing is the magic with these cupcakes. It is so buttery and soft and whippy. Jared was well pleased to see them sitting on the rack when he got home from golf and pretty much swallowed one whole. I couldn't quite make out what he was saying as he had his gob filled with chocolate but I think it was positive! The best way I can describe them is that they actually taste like a block of chocolate. They dont taste like cake that has been flavoured with chocolate - they taste like proper chocolate - and right now my whole house smells like chocolate. So I'll be taking them all to work tomorrow to get rid of these little balls of chocolatey calories!

Chocolate Cupcakes:

1/2 cup (50 grams) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 cup (240 ml) boiling hot water
1 1/3 cups (175 grams) all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Chocolate Fudge Frosting:
(120 grams) unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
2/3 cup (150 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/3 cups (160 grams) confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 190 degrees C. Lightly butter, or line 16 muffin cups with paper liners.

In a small bowl stir until smooth the boiling hot water and the cocoa powder. Let cool to room temperature.

In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Then in the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat only until incorporated. Then add the cooled cocoa mixture and stir until smooth.

Fill each muffin cup about two-thirds full with batter and bake for about 16-20 minutes or until risen, springy to the touch, and a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, frost with icing. You can either spread the frosting on the cupcakes with a small spatula or if piping, use a large Wilton 1M open star tip to make lovely swirls.

Chocolate Frosting: Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until smooth and creamy (about 1 minute). Add the sugar and beat until it is light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the chocolate and beat on low speed until incorporated. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until frosting is smooth and glossy (about 2 -3 minutes).

Makes about 16 cupcakes

E.

Apple and Coconut Friands

2010-09-19T16:15:00.002+10:00

It's been six weeks since we moved into our new amazing home and the excitement ha died down at all. We spend so much time talking about all the things we love about our new home and things that we discover and what we'd like to add to it and ways to decorate. Jared has found a new passion for gardening and has spent most weekends out the front planting native trees or at the nursery buying big pots and fertilizers.
I, on the other hand, love being inside; and I've headed back to the kitchen in a big way.

We've had guests non stop since we moved in as everyone has wanted to check out the new pad, but now we've fallen back into our homely weekend routine and Jared has gone back to playing golf every Sunday. So today I baked Apple and Coconut Friands and I'm in the middle of preparing meatballs for dinner.

The friands were so easy to make. I've always loved apple in cakes. I used to have a recipe when I was in early highschool for an apple cake where I'd put tinned apple through the centre of a basic cake mix, then the icing was a simple mixture of milk and icing sugar. I lost the recipe unfortunatley but these friands bring back those memories in a big way. The flavour is so simple and delicate but so lovely and comforting. I'll be taking them all to work to give away however, as I'm going to Sydney for a weeding next weekend and I must fit into my dress. I'll definitely be making these again!

Post Script - Since baking these and delivering them to work and to my regular food critic Richard - I now have the below review to post:

Wow, I forget what those cakes things are called, but I'm not going to forget how they taste. Best of all I'm eating guilt free today because I've been to the gym. How many of them did Jared eat after the meatballs? They are deceptively small, but could stack up very quickly if you didn't have your wits about you. The coconut cake flavour was a great follow up to the meatballs. I'm now officially ready for a sleep.

125g butter, softened
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 cup plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons milk
3/4 cup moist flaked coconut
1 granny smith apple, peeled, cored, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups icing sugar mixture, sifted

Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Grease a 12-hole, 1/2 cup-capacity oval friand pan.

Using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Sift flour and baking powder over mixture. Add milk and 1/2 cup coconut. Stir to combine. Fold through apple.

Spoon mixture into friand holes until half full. Smooth tops. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre of 1 cake comes out clean. Stand in pan for 10 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool.

Meanwhile, place icing sugar and remaining vanilla in a bowl. Add 2 tablespoons hot water. Stir until smooth. Spoon over cakes. Top with remaining coconut. Set aside until set. Serve.

E.

The Pie Floater!

2010-09-17T21:24:00.000+10:00

It's AFL grand final time in Australia and I had a house full of boys tonight to watch to footy. I asked Jared what he wanted for dinner (hoping he'd say home made cheeseburgers) and he said he wanted a Pie Floater! Many people around the world won't know what a Pie Floater is. I think it might be a purely South Australian cuisine. A Pie Floater is a bowl of hot pea soup with a meat pie upside down in the middle. And according to Jared, with vinegar sprinkled over the soup and tomato sauce on the pie.

So I set about trying to find a recipe for pea soup that was quick and easy. It is Friday night afterall and I really don't want to spend hours in the kitchen. I nearly gave up after finding countless recipes that involved pushing the mushy peas through a seive and blending garlic and other spices in a blitzer. But in the dying seconds of Jared's dream meal becoming a reality Nigella Lawson came through for me. I found her recipe for Quick and Easy Pea Soup. And it certainly was. I really enjoyed it, and so did the boys. The whole dish was quick, easy and cheap. I bought the pies from the Central Markets from a gourmet baker. It was delicious. I didn't add the olive oil or the parmesan cheese to the pea soup as I was dumping a great big pie in the middle, but I will use this pea recipe again and use those last tasty additives.

2 cups vegetable stock

3 cups frozen peas
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
Parmesan cheese

Warm the stock over medium to low heat in a saucepan. Add the peas; cook until tender
Transfer peas and stock to a blender, and process until smooth, adding the balsamic vinegar toward the end.

Pour in a bowl, season with salt and pepper, and pour a little bit of olive oil on top. Grate or sprinkle some Parmesan cheese over.

E.

Cookies & Cream Slice

2010-09-14T14:54:00.001+10:00

I was searching online for inspiration for something to bake on the weekend and as usual found it at Taste. I find that anything that is Cookies and Cream flavoured is generally a winner in my book so I started reading this recipe. Underneath the recipe were 36 comments from other baking enthusiasts who said this slice is nothing short of amazing. Everyone said it was rich, but also that it's a complete winner. So I just had to make it. The slice is very simple to make and turned out perfectly.

As the comments had said it is a very rich slice. One piece is more than enough. If you don't stop at one piece then you will start to feel sick; but having said that - I couldn't help but eat three slices in one sitting. I brought the lot to work so my co-workers could try it and everyone was amazed at how beautiful the slice was. They didn't last long at all.

I gave six slices to my Personal Food Critic, Richard. He sent me an email asking if the slice should be eaten with a cup of tea or a hot chocolate. I told him I prefer a big glass of ice cold milk. He then sent back this below FABULOUS review which I think says it all....

In hindsight there was no need to ask what drink would be most relevant. I picked it up and never put it down. Two men saw the slice and asked to try some. I took the liberty of cutting the pieces in half so I only lost a total of one piece (I'd done this before they asked). After eating the slice one man offered to marry me, and the other, in a more manly way, asked me who he had to kill to get the recipe (not much more manly I grant you).

As you predicted it is clearly the type of slice you could continue to eat until it made you feel unwell. It has taken all the will power at my disposal, and the common sense to make a contract with myself prior to starting it, to limit my consumption.

My immediate response was of the seven deadly sins, and in-particular gluttony, but not only. One of the men has been back to my office three times since I started this (make that four). He refuses to accept it was a slice and insists on calling it a cheese cake. I'll direct him to the web site.

Back to my write up. 'Rich and naughty, with the bonus of leaving you not caring about the guilt. If this slice doesn't excite you then get therapy!' Simply stunning. 'It's tough to be consistently brilliant, however you seem to find a way.' The rest of the week is looking good from where I sit, although it would be better if I had a clear view to the fridge, just to keep an eye on things.

E.

450g Oreo biscuits

150g unsalted butter, melted
2 tsp powdered gelatine
400g cream cheese
300ml thickened cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup (110g) caster sugar
200g white chocolate, melted, cooled slightly
Melted dark chocolate, to drizzle

Line a 4cm-deep, 18 x 25cm lamington pan with baking paper.

Place 350g of the biscuits in a food processor and process into fine crumbs. Add the butter, process to combine, then press the mixture into the base of the pan. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Sprinkle the gelatine over 1/4 cup (60ml) cold water in a heatproof cup. Place the cup in a pan of gently simmering water and stir the gelatine to dissolve.

Place the cream cheese, cream, vanilla and caster sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer, and beat until smooth. Stir in the gelatine mixture and melted white chocolate.

Roughly chop the remaining biscuits and stir through, then pour the cream cheese mixture over the chilled base.

Cover with plastic wrap and return to the fridge to set overnight.

Drizzle with the melted dark chocolate just before serving, then slice in the pan.

Chilli Con Carne

2010-08-29T17:09:00.003+10:00

I've posted a Chilli Con Carne once before but this one is quite different. I don't mind trying new things so I decided to give Jamie Oliver's Ministry of Food Chilli a go. Its really good! And it's so much better for you because it's packed with veg and uses less mince than I use in my original chilli. So these days I'm a "veggies in my chilli" kind of girl! The only chnage I made is that I added a lot more spices because I really love a lot of flavour. The below recipe is what I did...

2 medium onions
2 cloves garlic
2 medium carrots
2 sticks celery
2 capsicums
Olive Oil
1 heaped teaspoon chilli powder
1 heaped teaspoon ground cumin
1 heaped teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 heaped teaspoons paprika
2 heaped teaspoons cajun spices
1 heaped teaspoon cayenne pepper
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 x 400g chick peas
1 x 400g tin 4 bean mix
2 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
500g good quality minceds beef
1 small bunch fresh coriander
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
400g basmati rice
1 x 500g tub sour cream

Peel and finely chop the onions, garlic, carrots and celery. Halve the capsicums, remove the stalks and seeds and roughly chop. Place your largest casserole type pan on a medium high heat. Add two lugs of olive oil and all your chopped vegetables. Add all the spices with a good pinch of salt and pepper. Stir every thirty seconds for around 7 minutes until softened and lightly coloured. Add the drained chick peas, four bean mix and the tinned tomatoes. Add the minced beef, breaking up any larger chunks with a fork. Fill one of the empty tomato tins with water and pour into the pan. Pick the coriander leaves and place them in the fridge. Finely chop the stalks and stir in. Add the balsamic vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil and turn the heat down to a simmer with a lid slightly askew for an hour, stiring now and then to stop it catching.

This is fantastic served with fluffy rice. Just divide the rice into big bowls, serve the chilli on top, add some sour cream on top and sprinkle with coriander leaves.

E.

Sticky Date, Hazelnut & Maple Slice

2010-08-17T14:16:00.001+10:00

I have not blogged for over three months!!! I have missed it so much. My computer got a virus in early May, then we sold our unit and bought a beautiful big house in the hills - so the packing began. The computer was thrown away and a new one was purchased but there was no point setting it up only to pack it up again for the big move. We have been in the new house for 11 days and we are so happy.

We've gone from a 2 bedroom upstairs unit to a four bedroom home with two bathrooms, a heated pool, a spa, a billiard room with open fire and a huge darkwood bar! The custom made pool table gets delivered in 2 days and the dart board has gone up. This house was built for entertaining! But my favourite part is the laundry room, the spice cupboard that I have alphabetised, the gas cookers, the double sink and the DISHWASHER!! I am in heaven. I honestly pinch myself every morning when I wake up. I cannot see myself getting sick of this place. Ever!

And so back to the blogging which I have been pining for! I baked this slice months ago and kept the photos, eagerly waiting to have my new computer set up so I can post them. This slice was fantastic!!! It was a real pleasure to make and with every ingredient I added I could tell it was going to be divine.

My number one critic Richard emailed me the following review and I think he describes the slice perfectly:

Delectable and delicious without being decadent. A masterpiece of cuisine posing as a humble piece of slice. Yum. The human palate can not afford for you to continue to work in an office.

Kindest regards
Richard Hilton

I think this slice looks really impressive and the taste is even better! Its so good to be back!!

240g unsalted butter, chopped
plus 40g butter melted, cooled
1/2 cup (110g) caster sugar
2 cups (300g) plain flour

1 1/2 firmly packed cups (300g) brown sugar

2/3 cup (160ml) pure maple syrup

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/2 cups (240g) pitted dates, thinly sliced

1 cup (125g) finely chopped roasted hazelnuts

2 tbs thinly sliced glace ginger

Melted dark chocolate to drizzle

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Line a 20cm x 30cm lamington pan with baking paper, leaving 4cm overhanging on all sides.

Whiz chopped butter and caster sugar in a processor for 30 seconds until light and fluffy. Add flour and pulse to form medium crumbs (don't let it form a ball). Spread in pan, then press firmly into base. Chill for 10 minutes. Bake for 20-25 minutes until lightly brown. Cool for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk melted butter, brown sugar, syrup, vanilla and egg to combine and then pour over the base. Scatter over dates, nuts and ginger. Bake for 25 minutes or until set. Cool completely in pan, then drizzle with chocolate. Chill for 1 hour until firm.

Use paper to lift slice out of the pan, then cut into squares and serve. Store in an airtight container between layers of baking paper, in fridge for up to 1 week.

E.

Jamie's Ministry Of Food Lasagne

2010-05-08T18:39:00.002+10:00

It's Mothers Day in Adelaide tomorrow so Jared and I invited his Gran and Pop around for lunch. I decided on lasagne as the dish. I have cooked my favourite lasagne recipe for years; (here is the recipe) but I had heard great things about this Jamie Oliver version and I was keen to try something new.

Jared and I hit the town last night and crawled into bed in the wee small hours. I lost my mobile phone while having shooters of Jam Donuts! Thankfully the bar text my dad today to let him know they have my phone. Phew! Isn't it so funny how we never learn that the next day will be pure torture!? We just wouldn't stop, put the drink down and GO TO BED! So needless to say this morning we were very rough. At 10am our realestate agent came over to value the unit so we can put it on the market next week so there was a lot of last minute running around and tidying up before he walked in. By the time he left and I got the lasagne on - I was very pressed for time. The guests arrived before I had even assembled the lasagne. But it was all fine. Gran and Pop happily and patiently waited for it to cook.

The end result was great. And the fact that I didn't have to make a bechamel sauce made my day! Dolloping and spreading creme fraiche was so easy. And I loved the flavour it produced in the end. It really helped cut through the richness of the lasagne. I loved it even more, hours later, when I crawled up on the couch in front of Sex and the City with my uggies on and had another piece.

Happy Mothers Day Mum & Nana xx

6 slices of pancetta, sliced into strips
2 medium onions
2 cloves of garlic
3 carrots
3 sticks of celery
Olive Oil
2 heaped teaspoons dried oregano
400g good quality minced beef,
300g good quality pork mince,
2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
a small bunch of fresh basil
50g Parmesan cheese
250g fresh lasagne sheets
1 x 500ml tub of creme fraiche
100g Parmesan cheese
1 large ripe tomato

Finely slice your pancetta.
Peel & finely chop the onions, garlic, carrots and celery - don't worry about technique; just chop away.
Place a large casserole-type pan on a medium to high heat, add 2 lugs of olive oil, your sliced bacon and the oregano and cook and stir until the bacon is lightly golden.

Add the veg to the pan and stir every 30 seconds for around 7 minutes or until softened and lightly coloured.
Stir in the minced meat and the tinned tomatoes. Fill half of the empty tins with water and add to the pan Stir in a good pinch of salt and pepper.

Pick the basil leaves and place in the fridge for later. Finely chop the basil stalks and stir into the pan.
Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down and simmer with a lid on for 45 minutes, stirring every now and again to stop it catching.

Preheat the oven to 190C. Remove the Bolognese sauce from the heat. Finely grate the Parmesan and stir a quarter of this into the sauce.

Tear and stir in any larger basil leaves, keeping the smaller ones aside for later. Have a taste of the sauce, and season with a little more salt and pepper if you think it needs it.

Spoon a third of your Bolognese sauce into the bottom of an earthenware ovenproof dish. Follow with a layer of lasagne sheets. Dollop over a third of your creme fraiche and smooth it out to cover the lasagne sheets. Sprinkle with a good pinch of salt and pepper and another quarter of your grated Parmesan. Add another layer of lasagne, and repeat the layers twice more, finishing with a layer of creme fraiche and the remaining Parmesan.

Top with some slices of tomato, scatter over the small basil leaves and drizzle with olive oil.
Please in the oven for 35 minutes until the lasagne is bubbling and golden.
Serve on the table with a fresh green salad and let everyone help themselves.

E.

Creamy Pea, Mint & Leek Soup

2010-05-02T17:55:00.003+10:00

I am a fan of pea soup but I never had any idea how many flavoursome ingredients actually go into it! I was doing the usual Sunday morning trawl through my cook books to find something special to cook for dinner tonight (we had already decided on soup) and I came across this Valli Little recipe from her cookbook Faking It. It tastes so divine. Very creamy and so much flavour. What with mint, leek, celery, peas and cream how can you go wrong? I love it, and it doesn't take long to cook at all and is extra delicious with my home made croutons and some extra crusty bread and butter on the side. Perfect Sunday night comfort food.

Jared described this dish as "spot on" and "restaurant quality". It doesn't get much better than that!!

1 tbs Olive oil
20g unsalted butter
1 onion, chopped
2 celery sticks, chopped
1 leek (pale part only), thinly sliced
1 potato, peeled & chopped
1 bouquet garni
2 cups chicken stock
1 cups frozen peas (not baby)
1/2 cup pure (thin) cream
1/2 cup mint leaves, chopped
S&P
Snow pea sprouts to garnish

Heat oil and butter in a pan over medium heat. Add onion, celery and leek and cook, stirring for 5 minutes or until vegetables are soft but not browned. Add potato, bouquet garni & stock and simmer for 10 minutes until potato is soft. Add peas, cream and mint and simmer for a further 3 minutes, then remove 2-3 tablespoons peas with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Puree using a stick blender (or puree in batches in a blender) until smooth. return the reserved peas to the pan and reheat soup gently over low heat. Serve soup in bowls with croutons and garnish with snow pea sprouts.

Easy Carrot Cakes & Sausage Rolls

2010-04-26T09:18:00.002+10:00

Jared has been working on a huge project at work for three years. Project Harry. Our business is getting in a new computer program and Jared has worked as the consultant who has told the computer designers what we need the program to do and then test it to make sure they've done the right thing. It has been full on! So many hours, so many disasters, many stressful sleepless nights; plus so much discipline and dedication has been required from Jared - but he has handled it so gracefully. I am so proud of him. As far as I am concerned, he is Superman! So tomorrow is "Go Live". The new program is turned on for the 400 staff and we jump in at the deep end.

Today is a public holiday in Adelaide but Jared and his team are working all day and into the night to test the system. It's such beautiful morning right now - I know he'd give anything to be on the golf course. So yesterday I baked a big batch of carrot cake cup cakes to send in to work to keep everyones spirits up while they work on a public holiday. I was a little concerned at how these cakes would taste as they require 2/3 cup of olive oil. My parents have their own Olive Oil company and the oil is phenomenal but I thought perhaps not the best flavoured oil for baking sweets. It has a real grassy after taste and when I tasted the batter all I could taste was grass! But after being cooked there was no trace of grassiness. Just fluffy carrot and walnut. I'm very pleased with the flavour -although I broke nana's number one rule - don't open the oven door when baking because everything will deflate. And deflate they did. The oven has no light!!! I needed to see how they were going. So that was disappointing but the creamy icing certainly made up for it!

I also made sausage rolls. Loads of them!!! Normally I do a really fancy method with all sorts of gourmet sauces and spices. This time I did stock standard sausage rolls and I actually think they are the best I've ever done.

Carrot Cakes
125 g self-raising flour

3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2/3 cup Olive Oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups finely grated carrot
60 g roughly chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 180. Roughly chop the walnuts.Grate the carrots in a whizzer.
In a bowl, add the flour, sugar and the spices. Add the oil and the eggs and then beat them up with an electric mixer for about 1 minute.Now stir in carrot and walnuts. Pour into approx 20 patty pans. Bake until golden brown, approx 20 minutes. Let them cool.

Icing
Mix about 120g of Philadelphia cream cheese, with 60g melted butter and 250g icing sugar.
Spread over the cakes.

Sausage Rolls

1 teaspoon Olive Oil
1 onion, finely chopped
500g sausage mince
1 cup breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons tomato sauce
1 egg, lightly beaten
S&P
1 teaspoon chicken salt
1 teaspoon tabasco
5 sheets frozen, ready rolled puff pastry, thawed
egg to glaze
sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 200 degrees celcious. Lightly grease a baking tray. Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the onion over low heat until soft and transparent. Transfer to a bowl and mix with teh mince, breadcrumbs, tomato sauce and egg.

Lay the pastry sheets on a lightly floured board and cut each sheet into two strips. Divide the filling into equal portions and spoon across the long edge of the pastry. Roll up to make a long sausage shape. Brush lightly with the egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Cut the rolls into 4cm lengths and place on the tray, seam side down.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until rolls are golden. Serve with tomato sauce.

NOTE: Sausage rolls can be frozen for up to 2 weeks after baking. Thaw and reheat in a preheated moderate oven 180 degrees celcious for 30 minutes.

E.

Vegetable Soup with Bacon Bones - AND A NEW KITCHEN!!!

2010-04-17T12:00:00.001+10:00

The Kitchen is complete!! It took a while and quite a bit of stuffing around, a replacement bench top because the one they originally installed was cracked, and the tiler having to come back several times but it is done! The walls need a bit of paint and there's a hole where the old exhaust fan was but one of Jared's mates is doing that for us next week. I've never loved being in the kitchen so much. It's all mine!

Below are the before and after pictures.

So it has been a very boozy few weeks. We have had birthdays and bucks shows and farewells, we went to Tasmania for four days over Easter to visit Jared's dad; and today we have a wedding. So last weekend I decided to make a huge pot of vegetable soup so Jared and Jay could fill up on nutrients before heading off to a bucks show and a fourth evening of drinking. Jared taught me that the secret to a great vegetable soup is to use bacon bones. You just drop two of them in, cook it all for a few hours and at the end the meat shreds off the bone and you leave it in the soup. It creates such a comforting, smoky flavour. Pure bliss. We polished this soup off over a few days with crusty bread and butter.

All veg diced finely:

2 potatoes

1 sweet potato

2 carrots

3 sticks celery

1 onion

1 clove garlic

1 turnip

2 parsnips

1/2 cabbage

1 zucchini

1 head brocolli

1 tbsp Olive Oil

1 large container vegetable stock

1 large container chicken consomme

2 bacon bones

S&P

Fry the onion and garlic off in some olive oil. Once soft, add the rest of the vegetables. Fry off until they begin to collapse and soften. Add the stocks and 2 bacon bones. Cover with a lid and simmer on low for at least four hours. Season to taste and serve with crusty bread.

Traditional Beef Daube with Aligot Mash

2010-04-06T20:14:00.003+10:00

Jared's best mate Jay has moved back to Australia after living in Bristol for 6 years. He is staying with us until he can find a job, a home and get back on his feet. It must be so surreal for him to be back in Adelaide after being away for so long, so I'm thoroughly enjoying feeding and pampering him and making him feel cosy. So for his first Sunday night back I decided to cook something extra special. I have made this dish once before but I remember getting rather intoxicated with my friend Frances while we made it and I never took photos. I do remember it tasting amazing and Jared, who was sober - assures me that it was. I was always so disappointed I didn't get to post it on the blog and Jay's arrival home was the perfect excuse to make it again!

I had my first fight with my new oven when I made this Beef Daube! I was so hungry and so eager to feed the boys that I put it on nice and early so we could eat at around 6pm. After over 2 hours of slow cooking I took it out to have a look. To my absolute horror the pot was barely warm. I had set the oven on DEFROST rather than fan forced. I had to get the manual out before I could figure out what I had done wrong. So in it went again, for another 3 hours... By the time I served it I think the boys were very grateful. They loved it. Jay was very impressed and I was chuffed. I didn't eat any of mine. By the time I served it Laura had come over with a bottle of wine and I was more interested in that.

The next night, Jared and I arrived home from work and we were starving. I whacked my serve of Beef Daube in the microwave and we both sat eating out of the same bowl with two forks while swapping stories about our day's. It was very romantic actually.

P.S. The Aligot Mash is amazing. So French and creamy and moreish. It really does compliment the dish and I'd very much recommend doing it!

1 each onion, carrot & celery, chopped
2 tsp quatre epices (see note) (a mix of pepper, cloves, nutmeg and ginger)
2 garlic cloves, bruised
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup (60ml) brandy
1.5L (6 cups) dry red wine
1kg lean braising beef, such as chuck steak, cut into 3cm cubes
1/4 cup (60ml) Olive Oil
60g unsalted butter
1 1/2 tbs tomato paste
2 tbs plain flour
400ml beef stock
12 eschalots
2 tsp sugar
250g thickly sliced pancetta or speck, cut into strips
150g button mushrooms

Place chopped onion, carrot, celery, spice, garlic, bay leaves, brandy, wine and beef in a bowl. Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
Preheat the oven to 170°C. Strain beef mixture, reserving marinade, beef and vegetable mixture separately. Bring the marinade to the boil in a pan over medium-high heat. Cook for 5-6 minutes, skimming surface.

Heat half each of the oil and butter in a large flameproof casserole over medium-high heat. Brown beef in batches, then set aside. Add reserved vegetables and cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes. Add tomato paste and stir for 1 minute, then stir in the flour. Return the meat to the pan with marinade and stock. Bring to the boil, then cover and cook in the oven for at least 2.5 hours.

Meanwhile, place eschalots, sugar and enough water to cover in a saucepan and bring to the boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 8-10 minutes until onions are tender. Set aside until needed.

Heat remaining butter and oil in a frypan over medium heat. Cook pancetta or speck, stirring, for 2-3 minutes until it starts to crisp, then remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add mushrooms to the pan, then cook for 2-3 minutes until softened. Set aside with pancetta.

Skim any fat from the surface of the beef pan. Strain, returning the liquid to the pan and setting beef and vegetables aside in a bowl. Return pan to medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes to reduce and thicken sauce. Return beef to the sauce with eschalots, pancetta and mushrooms. Simmer for 5 minutes to heat through.

Aligot Mash
80g unsalted butter
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1kg floury potatoes, peeled
1 cup (250ml) milk
200g gruyere cheese, grated

Melt butter with garlic in a pan over very low heat. Set aside. Cook potato in boiling salted water for 20 minutes until tender. Drain, return to pan and cover with a tea towel for 5 minutes to absorb steam. Pass through a potato ricer or mash with a masher, then add garlic butter, milk and cheese and beat with electric beaters or a whisk until smooth. Serve with the beef.

E.

Osso Bucco Pasta

2010-03-28T16:15:00.005+10:00

I have actually posted this dish before a few years ago when my blogging days first began - but I have removed the original post and I'm posting it again because the way I cook it has changed, and I got a much better photograph this time. The original recipe involved a lot of fiddly work and separating the meat and the sauce and adding a teaspoon of sauce for every 100g of meat in the oven... blah blah... wank wank! I've cooked this meal about 5 times now and my confidence has grown and I feel very comfortable just throwing it all in one pot and cooking it for 3 hours.

The thing I love the most about this meal is that it is a very rich dish, but by adding the lemon and parsley at the end it gives it a bit of a zing which stops the richness taking over and it becomes quite zesty - which means you eat several serves because you don't get overpowered by the rich flavour. I also love the fact that it is served with pasta. It could easily be a dish on its own but the pasta gives it that extra bit of comfort.

I've decided to enter this dish at Pasta Presto Nights because I think its a worthy candidate. Ruth has some fantastic, delicious entries each month and I'd like to see how this pasta fares!

This was the last ever dish I cooked in our OLD kitchen! Thats right - the NEW kitchen is in. And it is beautiful. The tiles still need to go up so I won't post any photos yet. The new kitchen has so much more benchspace and the cupboards are so much deeper. I haven't stopped cooking in it. And my brand new fan foced oven and cook top is my pride and joy.

5 cloves garlic, sliced
1/2 bunch oregano leaves, chopped
2 bay leaves, chopped
sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
4 veal osso buco
3 tablespoons Olive Oil
100g pancetta, cut into strips
1 large onion, chopped finely
2 celery stalks, finely sliced
1 carrot, finely sliced in rounds
2 pinches saffron threads
2 tbsp tomato paste
3 sprigs thyme
200 ml white wine
700ml good-quality beef stock
500g large shell pasta
2 handfuls flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 lemon, finely zested and juiced
80g butter
70g grated parmesan to serve

Place garlic, oregano, bay leaves and a little salt in a mortar and pestle and crush to a paste.
I would suggest cutting 4 slits in the "corners" of the osso bucco to stop it curling.
Rub paste over veal pieces.

Heat olive oil in a large heavy-based pan over medium heat.
Cook pancetta for 6 minutes.
Move the panchetta to the side and add veal and cook without stirring for 2 minutes, then turn veal until evenly browned.

Season.

Remove veal from pan and set aside.

Add onions, celery and carrot topan and stir. Add saffron and cook for 5 minutes or until vegetables are soft. Add the stock. Return veal to pan, turning over a few times, then stir in tomato paste and boil for 3 minutes. Place the veal back in the pot and cook in the oven at 170 degrees for at least 3 hours.

Once the osso bucco in the oven has begun to fall off the bone and shred, return it to the top of the oven to reduce the liquid.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in lightly salted boiling water until al dente. Remove veal from pan and add pasta, parsley, lemon zest and juice and butter. Season, then return veal to pan.Serve with a sprinkle of parmesan on top.

E.

White Chocolate Fairy Cakes

2010-03-20T10:05:00.004+10:00

There's a chick at work called Carly who is a PA in Jared's department. Carly requested something made with white chocolate as she had missed out on all the treats I'd sent Jared to work with as she cannot eat normal chocolate. I was more than happy to oblige. I've never been a fan of white chocolate - I find it way too rich or sweet or something that I can't quite put my finger on. But I did really enjoy these cupcakes.

I hand delivered four of them in a little box to my personal food critic Richard's workplace. Two security guards at the front desk took them and made the obvious jokes about how they were going to eat them and that Richard would be lucky to see them but THEY DID EAT THEM!!! At least we think so. Richard has done a lot of investigating and these two security guards (who are actual COPS by the way) originally said that "someone" had collected them on Richard's behalf but they couldnt remember who. But Richard kept pressing them and their story changed to "someone stole them from the reception counter while we weren't looking". Unbelievable. Poor Richard missed out and I didnt get my review.

The actual recipe asks for fairy floss neatly piled on top of each cake. All video stores, supermarkets and party shops had sold out of fairy floss last Saturday so I opted for the pink sprinkles instead! They were great.

180g butter, at room temperature
155g (3/4 cup) caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
225g (1 1/2 cups) plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
95g (1/2 cup) white choc bits
Bought pink fairy floss, to decorate

Frosting
240g white chocolate, coarsely chopped
125ml (1/2 cup) thickened cream
60g butter

Preheat oven to 160°C. Line twelve 80ml (1/3-cup) capacity muffin pans with paper cases.

Use an electric beater to beat the butter, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl until pale and creamy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition until just combined.

Sift in the flour and baking powder over the mixture. Add the choc bits and gently fold to combine. Divide among the lined muffin pans and smooth the surface. Bake in oven for 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centres comes out clean. Turn onto a wire rack and set aside to cool completely.

Meanwhile, to make the frosting, place the chocolate, cream and butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat and stir with a metal spoon until the chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth. Transfer to a bowl. Place in the fridge for 1 hour to chill. Use an electric beater to beat the chocolate mixture until pale and creamy.

Spread frosting over the cupcakes and decorate with fairy floss.

E.

Moderator's Slice

2010-03-11T18:37:00.001+10:00

I have no idea why this slice is called Moderator's Slice. It came from my favourite baking cookbook The Blue Ribbon Cookbook which contains all of the Blue Ribbon winners around South Australia for various baking feats. This recipe comes from Valmai Roeby from Quorn which is an amazing country town in the Flinders Ranges where I did a lot of my growing up as a kid; hence the reason I've been wanting to make this slice. That, and the fact that it looked deeeeeelish!

By looking at the recipe I couldn't figure out what this slice would taste like, but now I can describe it perfectly. It tastes like a chocolate crackle with gooey, thick caramel through the middle. TO DIE FOR! It was so good, and so naughty that I had to send most of it to work with Jared so he could give it away. If it stayed in our fridge I was going to devour it and put on about 25kg. Jared gave a slice to my usual food critic Richard who emailed me this feedback:

OMG I've just started to eat it. You are going to kill Jared with this food. I'm guessing the last thing he will be doing before he dies is eating and feeling very happy about it. Having eaten it, it is indeed remarkable that it ever found its way to me.

I wasn't at work when Jared handed out the slice as I've been off studying, furthering my computer knowledge - when I went back to work today and wandered through Jared's floor I received several compliments on my fabulous slice. I can see why this won the blue ribbon!

Base
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 cup icing sugar
1 cup desiccated coconut
4 cups cornflakes
250g copha, melted

Filling
200ml sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons golden syrup
60g butter
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Grease and line a 19 x 29cm slice pan.

To make the base, combine the cocoa, icing sugar, coconut and cornflakes in a large bowl. Pour over the melted copha and mix well. Press half the mixture into the prepared pan and place in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling.

To make the filling, place the condensed milk, sugar, golden syrup, butter and vanilla essence in a saucepan and bring gently to the boil, stirring continuously. Keep stirring the mixture while it simmers for 3 minutes. Cool the filling and then pour over the base. (I didn't cool mine, I just poured).

To finish the slice, top it with the remaining base mixtuire and put it in the refrigerator to set. Cut the slice into squares when firm and store in the refrigerator.

Simple Paella

2010-03-08T12:18:00.001+10:00

It's a long weekend in Adelaide and the weather is fairly miserable. As sad as it is to see summer go, I'm quite welcoming of a bit of cold and wet and getting my trackies back on; I'm even tempted to pull out the ugg boots... I was so excited about this long weekend because we made no plans. The entire weekend was all ours to do with as we please - and for me that meant spending some time in our kitchen - which has exactly 15 days left until it gets replaced completely. I am so excited!!

So on Sunday while Jared played golf I pulled out all my cookbooks and started searching for something to cook for dinner. Absolutely nothing was jumping out at me except risotto, and even that wasn't inspiring me too much. After searching for risotto recipes I found a paella recipe that I thought seemed really yummy. It's a bit of a faux paella recipe. I don't have the special pan or the special rice, and I don't eat prawns so I ommited them too...

I found this recipe on an Australian cooking website called Taste. I love this website because it is so easy to use and I generally find what I'm looking for. Plus, many people write reviews of the recipes which really helps when you decide to make it too. For example, for this paella recipe one reviewer said to use medium grain rice as it absorbs the flavour better than long grain, another said to use more stock, another suggested saffron and chilli is a great addition. I took on all of this advice and my paella was perfect. I even got the crust on the bottom! Jared said it's the best Paella he's had outside of Spain. Isn't he a sweety!? I assume he hasn't ever eaten Paella except when in Spain but I will definitely be making this again. The whole meal took about 45 minutes to prepare, cook and have it on the table! And the colours were magnificent. I was very impressed!

also, HAPPY BIRTHDAY MUM!!! xx

250g chorizo sausage, sliced
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
500g chicken thigh fillets, trimmed, cut into 5cm pieces
1 large brown onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 red capsicum, finely diced
2 teaspoon turmeric
3 teaspoons ground cumin
1 pinch saffron
3 small hot red chillis
1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice
400g can chopped Italian tomatoes
3 cups chicken stock
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped

Heat a large heavy-based frying pan over medium-high heat. Add sausage. Cook for 4 minutes, turning, or until browned. Remove to a plate.

Reduce heat to medium. Add oil and chicken to frying pan. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes each side or until golden. Add onion, garlic, chilli and capsicum. Cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes or until soft.

Add turmeric, cumin, rice, saffron, and tomatoes and stock to frying pan. Stir until well combined. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until rice is tender.

Remove lid. Stir through peas and sausage. Cook for a further 1 to 2 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve.

Slow Cooked Tandoori Chicken

2010-03-03T20:58:00.001+10:00

I wasn't even sure what meal I was creating when I marinated some chicken thighs in Tandoori paste and yoghurt. Every other time I've made Tandoori Chicken I've cooked it on a baking tray in the oven and although I would enjoy the tandoori flavour, the meat always dried out. So then it occured to me to use the slow cooker!! Everything that goes in the slow cooker always turns out juicy and luscious and as an added bonus, dinner is ready when I walk in the door after work - which was great tonight as there were a few sore heads at our place after the ACDC concert last night!

So as I walked home from work today I was thinking about what I could serve the chicken with and I decided to make a raita and serve it with pita bread. The rice was a last minute addition by Jared who was craving carbs - we don't usually eat any rice, bread or pasta, so I thought we'd have a treat and I made some.

The great thing about this dish is that the chicken cooks all day and becomes so juicy and tender, it just shreds as you put your fork into it, and the raita can be made the night before. This means that if you are having guests over after work then this meal is a great idea because the rice is all that you really need to cook, and heat up the pita. I think this may become one of our favourites... Tandoori chicken in the slow cooker is definitely a winner! I also throw a cube of chicken stock in with the cooking rice and sprinkle fresh coriander over the chicken. I heated the pita bread in the oven for about 5 minutes.

This dish is most satisfying because you pile the rice, chicken, raita and coriander onto a piece of warm pita and devour it like a taco! So divine!

Chicken
800g chicken thighs, diced
1 jar Pataks Tandoori Paste
3 tablespoons greek yoghurt

Marinate the chicken for as long as you can (I marinated overnight) and then place in a slow cooker in the morning. When you arrive home from work the house will be filled with the aroma of indian...

Raita
1 cucumber, peeled, halved lengthways, seeds removed, diced
1 tomato, seeds removed, chopped
1 small red chili, seeds removed, finely chopped
1 tbs chopped fresh coriander
1 tbs chopped fresh mint
215ml natural yoghurt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Pinch of paprika

To make the raita, place all of the ingredients in a bowl and mixing until well combined. Set raita aside until required.

Chocolate Hazelnut Celebration Cake

2010-02-17T19:11:00.000+10:00

Today is Jared's 35th Birthday!! Happy Birthday honey!! Unfortunately we both had to work, so I decided to bake a special cake for him to take to the office. Jared and I work together but in different departments. I enjoy cooking for his area as they are all great people who give fantastic feedback - or maybe they'll just say anything to be fed??!!?

Anyway, I started flicking through my Donna Hay cookbook and came across this recipe. It was the picture that sold me and that it looked like such a great birthday cake and everyone loves chocolate. So I baked the cake on Monday night and put more love into it than I've ever put into anything I've baked (my nana taught me to have all ingredients at room temperature when baking) and I made sure I had the best quality for every ingredient. I made the icing on Monday night as well as it has to cool down afterwards before you really work your magic. So Tuesday night I came home and whipped the icing into the delectable, velvety treat that it turned out to be.

The cake was a hit. I received nothing but great feedback. About thirty people had a slice, including the CEO! Eep! Here is some of the feedback I received via email:

I was lucky enough to get a slice of Jared’s birthday cake – and must congratulate you on it’s total awesomeness! You are the best cake baker ever!!!! It is really really good. I told Jared he must marry you immediately as he is way lucky to have someone spoil him like you do!

OH. MY. LORDY LORD. Best chocolate cake I’ve had in forever.

THANK YOU!

I refuse to take credit for the above comments as the cake itself wasn't difficult to bake at all and the icing was relatively easy. I think we have Donna Hay to thank for this one. I apologise for the shitty photograph of a slice of cake taken at my desk with the crappy plastic spoon! I was in a bit of a hurry and the lighting wasnt great - but you get the idea!

Happy Birthday Pinky. I love you. x

300g butter, chopped
3 cups brown sugar
4 eggs
1 cup hazelnut meal
1 cup milk
2 cups plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup cocoa powder
fresh berries to serve (I didnt do this)

Chocolate Icing
2 cups pouring cream
1 cup cocoa powder
800g good quality dark chocolate, chopped
300g butter

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees celcius. Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until light and creamy. Add the eggs and beat well. Add the hazelnut meal and milk, sift over the flour, baking powder and cocoa and mix until combined. Spoon the mixture into 2 x 20cm round greased adn lined cake tins and bake for 55 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer. Allow cakes to cool.

To make icing, place the cream and extra cocoa in a saucepan over low heat and stir until smooth. Place the mixture in a bowl and refrigerate until cold. Beat the icing with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Spread teh icing over eth tops of both cakes and place one cake on top of the other. Ice all around the edges. Keep cool until ready to serve. Serve with berries.

Summer Tomato Pasta

2010-02-14T18:48:00.000+10:00

This dish was one of the first savoury dishes I ever made. (Garlic chicken was my actual first). I would have made it at least three times a week for the first few months after I discovered it. I would try to make it for every person that I knew because I wanted them to know how yummy it was, and in hindsight I now realise I had discovered my love for cooking - not just baking. I remember, back in those early days, that I would follow the recipe to the letter. I've learned a lot since then and confidently cook using guestimations these days, especially with this dish.

So why is this dish so good? Because it's easy, quick, refreshing and fantastic in summer because it isn't heavy at all. I haven't met anyone yet who didn't like it. The marrying up of all the different italian flavours creates this zingy, strong flavour that leaves you wanting more and more. I made way too much tonight so our neighbours Leslie and Steve kindly took the leftovers off my hands. It would have been such a shame to throw what was left in the bin. And this isn't the type of dish you can have as leftovers as the tomatoes end up slushy.

6 ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 bunch of basil, finely chopped (I blitz mine)
1 large clove of garlic, finely chopped
Juice of one lemon
3 tablespoons Olive Oil
150g parmesan cheese, finely grated
salt & pepper
200g bacon, chopped into small cubes
1 packet wholemeal spaghetti

Mix the tomatoes, basil, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper together in a large bowl. Put the pasta on to cook. Fry the bacon until it is crispy.

Once the pasta is cooked, drain it and add the parmesan and the tomato mix. Mix together well and serve in large pasta bowls. Sprinkle the bacon over the top and add a little extra parmesan. Serve.

E.

Chilli Con Carne

2010-02-08T20:04:00.000+10:00

The first time I cooked Chilli Con Carne was about 5 years ago. It was a Jamie Oliver recipe and it involved blitzing the onions in a food processor; then blitzing sundried tomatoes and fresh chilli to make a paste; there were cinammon sticks, bay leaves and HP sauce. There was even a ritual of placing greaseproof paper over the top for an hour or so. I admit that this Jamie Oliver recipe is OH SO GOOD but it involves such a lot of work that it isnt something I'd cook on a Monday night after work. And because of that fact, I thought my days of eating home made chilli were all but over.... Until I met Jared!

Jared made this for me within the first week that we were dating and it blew me away! Especially the fact that he roasted his own capsicums and stuffed them with the chilli! That totally takes away the naughty corn chip side of chilli con carne which I was always a sucker for! The capsicum smells amazing and sweet as it turns black and bubbles. Jared also used to put a three bean mix in about 5 minutes before serving. I've never done this as I don't see the benefit. I don't dislike it but I don't think the dish gets any better because of it. Its up to you! It is so simple, so quick, so cheap and yet so very very tasty and rich and moreish. He taught me how to make it straight away so now he lays on the couch while I make it - but that's ok because it is really so easy. Plus Jared and I are always looking for healthy, low fat, low carb meals to eat during the week and needless to say, we eat this A LOT!

There are some photos below of our shitty oven and I am so very pleased to say that its days are numbered! Four hours ago a Kitchen Man came to our place to measure us up for a whole new kitchen and oven!!! The oven we currently use still measures in farenheit! And it's this retro blue glass which is smashed and you can see all the cords behind it! Our kitchen is quite embarassing - but I still love to cook in it. I guess you get used to what you have and learn how to make it work. Unfortunately I wont get to use the new kitchen for long as we'll be putting this place on the market straight away so we can buy a new house. It is so much fun looking for a house. I always go straight to the photos of the kitchen, then I check out the decking/backyard/pool area where we'll be doing most of our eating and entertaining. Oh the excitement!

But anyways - please please do yourself a favour and try cooking this chilli. I guarentee you won't be disappointed!

1 tablespoon Olive Oil
1 onion chopped
800g premium mince
3 tablespoons paprika
3 tablespoons cajun spice
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons dry chilli
1/2 teaspoon tabasco sauce
Salt & Pepper
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tins tomato
2 capsicums
low fat sour cream
coriander - chopped
Sweet paprika

Over medium heat fry the onion in olive oil in a deep fry pan. When they are transparent, add the mince and brown. Add the paprika, cajun spices, cayenne pepper, chilli and tabasco and stir. Add the tomato sauce and paste and salt and pepper to your liking. Simmer over medium heat for about an hour, if it begins to dry out cover it almost completely with a lid.

While the chilli is cooking cut the capsicums in half and remove all the seeds and the stem. Roast on both sides under a grill until the outer skin bubbles and turns black. Chop up the coriander.

Place the capsicum on the plate so it creates a bowl for the chilli. Place the chilli in the middle. Add a big dollop of sour cream on top. Sprinkle with a little sweet paprika and coriander. Serve.

Yummy Pork Stir Fry

2010-02-01T19:37:00.000+10:00

I've never been confident with stir frys. I've always strictly followed a recipe which always called for several different types of sauce and marinades which I never had in the cupboard so I'd end up spending a fortune on the meal. But then I met Jared. He taught me to relax and just throw flavours together. He also taught me about timing and heat; so the meal was cooked perfectly. So now we enjoy a stir fry often and I make it myself from scratch with no help from Jared. Yay me!

Today's stir fry is pork but we often use chicken or beef or even kangaroo. As Jared taught me, its just a matter of adding whatever sauces and marinades you like until you are happy with the flavour. We use our mini blitzing machine on pulse to mix it all together, but don't over blitz it or it froths.

Sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons BBQ sauce
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons asian style marinade   (I used Kikkoman Sweet Chilli Ginger & Soy Marinade)
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon garlic
1 teaspoon chilli

2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 carrots, peeled and cut into batons
1 handful of snow peas
1 onion sliced
1 bunch coriander chopped
1 bunch broccolini
300g pork (or meat of your choice)

Blitz together all the sauce ingredients, but only on pulse so it doesn't turn to a frothy mess.   Marinate the meat in it for as long as you can. I normally only have about half an hour once I get home from work, so it isnt that important.

Add 2 tablespoons sesame oil to a hot wok and brown the meat. Do not pour the sauce in, just the meat. Keep the left over sauce set aside. Once the meat has browned, then set aside.   Add all the veg and keep it moving and cooking. Once the veg is close to being cooked, add the meat and the left over sauce. At the last second add the chopped coriander and mix through. Sprinkle some on top also. Serve with rice or noodles. (We prefer neither as we're always trying to avoid carbs).

E.

Spaghetti Bolognese

2010-01-17T21:22:00.000+10:00

I feel a bit silly posting about Spaghetti Bolognese because it is one of the easiest meals to cook. But Jared taught me something about spag bog which has changed the way I prepare it and makes the end result so much more satisfying. Jared blitz's the onion, carrot, celery and garlic in a food processor after sweating it off in a pan of olive oil. For this recipe I've also added basil and a chilli. The end result is that the bolognese sauce sticks to the spaghetti rather than slipping off as you raise it to your mouth. We also use wholemeal spaghetti because of its nutty flavour and its just a tad more healthy. But I do cover it in loads of kraft parmesan. I'm a big fan of using real parmesan wherever possible but for spag bog - I believe it is sacreligious to not use Kraft Parmesan.

I cooked this for dinner tonight after an afternoon of house hunting. Jared and I are selling his unit and buying a house in the Adelaide Hills. It's very exciting! So this bolognese didn't cook for the standard 3 to 4 hours that I would prefer, but still was absolutely yummy and really comforting on a tired Sunday evening. And shouts out to Leslie my neighbour who just delivered me Triple Chocolate Chip icecream! Thank you.

2 cloves garlic
1 onion
1 carrot
2 sticks celery
1 large red chilli
1 handfull basil
1 big glug of Olive Oil
600g beef mince
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tin's tomato
Bolognese Herbs
salt & pepper
Wholemeal spaghetti
Mountains of bogan parmesan

Sweat off the garlic, onion, carrot, celery, chilli and basil in a fry pan with some olive oil. Then Blitz it in a food processor til it is fine. Add the mince and stir until all browned. Add the tomato paste and tinned tomatoes. Add salt and pepper and bolognese herbs. Stir and then simmer for as long as you can with the lid partially on, cover it if it is cooking down too much.

Cook your wholemeal spaghetti and then serve with mountains of bolognese sauce and parmesan on top.

Lamb Tagine with Apricots and Pistachio

2010-01-03T18:55:00.000+10:00

Once again I cooked and forgot a major ingredient! This time it was chicken stock. Thankfully I realised about 40 minutes before I was due to serve so I quickly got it in there. I was hoping to cook a "Slow Cooked Lamb Chop Stew" that was in the June 2008 edition of Delicious. magazine but I've lost the magazine and no matter how hard I googled, it couldnt find it. (If you have that edition PUH-LEASE email me the recipe??) So as a substitute I cooked this for dinner.

This dish has awesome flavour but I prefer tagines to have loads of veg. This dish was only meat and a few apricots. (I left out the raisons as I'm not a fan of them in cooking). I also didn't feel like i was actually cooking anything. All you have to do is mix some spices together and dump it in the oven. There is no joy in that; so to compensate I made honey roasted carrots and moroccan zuchini. (Slice two whole zuchini's lengthways, score in a criss cross manner across the length of the zuchinis, drizzle with olive oil, sea salt and moroccan spices and roast in the oven for an hour).

I found this meal to be really yummy but it didn't blow my mind. Jared on the other hand said it was amazing. He said that if he had cooked it himself he would think it was the best thing he'd ever made. I'm very confused by this as he has cooked me many dishes that impressed me way more than this one. Maybe I was just over it by the time I served it.

2 teaspoons sweet paprika
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon allspice
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
grated rind and juice of 2 lemons
1.2kg diced lamb
1 cup chicken stock
3/4 cup dried apricots
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup thick, Greek-style yoghurt
1/2 cup pistachio kernels, roughly chopped
couscous, to serve

Method
Combine spices and salt in a large bowl. Add oil, rind and half the juice and stir to form a paste. Add lamb and stir until well-coated in paste. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours if time permits.

Preheat oven to 180°C. Put lamb mixture into a casserole dish with a tight-fitting lid. Add stock and remaining lemon juice. Stir until well-combined.

Cover and cook for 1 hour. Stir in dried apricot and raisins. Cook, covered for a further 40 minutes or until lamb is tender. Serve immediately with a dollop of yoghurt, sprinkling of pistachio kernels and couscous on the side.

Passionfruit Layer Cake

2010-01-02T17:23:00.000+10:00

I was coming on here to rant and rave about how much I hate recipes that lead you up the garden path and the end creation is nothing like the photo or as the recipe says it should be. I've been cursing for 3 days about how my cake turned out nothing like the picture. But just as I have logged on here to begin my bitch, I've had another read of the recipe and I've made the frosting completely incorrectly!! I've used sour cream, passionfruit pulp and icing sugar!! The recipe asks for cream cheese, sour cream and icing sugar!! Where on earth did I get a cup of passionfruit pulp from and just neglected to add any cream cheese?? No wonder it was so runny and wouldn't stay on the cake! The icing that I incorrectly made is thankfully really yummy so we didn't have to throw the cake away. Jared and I have been living on about three slices a day since New Years Eve.
Hopefully by now you've worked out the cake in the picture above is not my cake!!

But having said that:

1. Although I forgot to add 250g of cream cheese, it still wouldn't have come close to covering this cake plus three layers through the centre - I strongly suggest doubling the icing mixture. Several reviews of the recipe at Taste suggested the same.

2. The syrup also creates far too little to be spread over three layers. I would strongly suggest trippling it.

Overall though - this cake is actually really yummy and my own version of the icing is also really refreshing and not too sweet. I'm not happy at all with how mine looks but clearly that was my fault by forgetting a very important ingredient which would have made all the difference.

It has been really hot in Adelaide these past few days and I made the cake for New Years Eve which was 40 degrees Celcius. I thought passionfruit would be more refreshing than chocolate, and it is really light and zingy and I will most definitely be making it again but will remember the cream cheese next time! A picture of my cake is below.

Cake

Melted butter, to grease
250g butter, at room temperature
430g (2 cups) caster sugar
6 eggs
150g (1 cup) plain flour
75g (1/2 cup) self-raising flour
85g (1 cup) desiccated coconut
160ml (2/3 cup) coconut milk
Fresh coconut, shaved, to serve

Passionfruit syrup
125ml (1/2 cup) fresh passionfruit pulp
2 tbs caster sugar
1 tsp finely grated lemon rind

Frosting
1 x 250g pkt cream cheese, at room temperature
125g (1/2 cup) sour cream
80g (1/2 cup) icing sugar mixture

Method
Preheat oven to 180°C. Brush 2 round 20cm (base measurement) cake pans with melted butter to grease. Line bases and sides with non-stick baking paper.

Use an electric beater to beat together butter and sugar in a bowl until pale and creamy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, until combined. Stir in the combined flours and coconut. Stir in coconut milk. Spoon the mixture among the lined pans and smooth surfaces. Bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted in centres comes out clean. Set aside for 30 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool.

Meanwhile, to make the syrup, combine passionfruit, sugar and lemon rind in a saucepan over high heat. Bring to the boil. Cook, stirring, for 3-5 minutes or until syrup thickens. Set aside to cool.

To make the frosting, use an electric beater to beat the cream cheese, sour cream and icing sugar mixture in a bowl.

Use a large serrated knife to remove the top of each cake. Use the knife to split each cake in half crossways. Place 1 layer of cake on a cake stand. Spread over one-sixth of the cream cheese mixture and spoon over one-third of the passionfruit syrup. Continue layering with the remaining cake layers, half the cream cheese mixture and the remaining syrup. Spread the remaining cream cheese mixture over the top and side of the cake. Arrange the coconut over the top and side of the cake and serve.

Malaysia & Thailand

2009-12-29T10:01:00.000+10:00

Jared and I just returned from 11 glorious days in Malaysia and Thailand. It was amazing. Even more amazing than I expected it to be - and I had pretty high expectations. We stayed at The Club in Malaysia and at The Katathani in Phuket. Both were so fancy. We were waited on hand and foot and it wasnt busy at all so it felt like our own private paradise. The food was also to die for. I loved the smells and there was so much choice! They even offered fabulous western food which I also had my fair share of. I have come home about 5kg heavier!!!! Unfortunately, Jared got food poisoning somewhere in Phuket. We're thinking the muscles he ate on day 2 were the culprit and they kept us in the hotel room for 3 days. But that is when I discovered room service!! In the end when I would call for MORE room service, the guy on the end of the phone said "wow - you order more!????" And they needed to ask me to start putting my used room service trays outside the hotel door so they could collect them. Obviously they were running out because I had them stacked to the ceiling in our room.

Here are a few photos of our amazing food experience:

Lamb & Red Wine Stew

2009-11-29T19:32:00.001+10:00

This recipe comes from Jamie Oliver's Ministry Of Food. I'm a big Jamie fan. I have 6 of his cookbooks, BUT - I do find that when I cook his recipes, and follow them TO THE LETTER - they rarely turn out looking like his. But that day changed when I won his latest book in a competition. Ministry Of Food is for those of us who have never cooked or have very limited cooking skills. All the recipes are very basic but of the 3 or 4 I've cooked so far, they have all turned out perfectly and so full of flavour! This is the third time I've cooked his Lamb and Red Wine Stew and it is definitely not the last. It is so full of flavour, rich and comforting. I prepared it tonight on a wet and windy night with roast potatoes; and between Jared and I, there were no left overs! And the best thing about this recipe is that all the ingredients are in the cupboard - there's no need to head to the store.

2 sticks of celery
2 medium onions
2 carrots
Warrick Grove Olive Oil
1 heaped tablespoon plain flour
1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
sea salt & freshly ground pepper
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
500g diced stewing lamb
500ml red wine

Trim the ends off your celery and roughly chop the sticks. Peel and roughly chop the onions. Peel the carrots, slice lengthways and roughly chop. Put a pot on medium heat. Put all the vegetables rosemary into the pot with 2 lugs of oil and fry for ten minutes. Add the lamb and flour. Pour in the wine and tinned tomatoes. Give it a good stir then season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil. Put the lid on and simmer slowly for two and a half hours. Remove the lid for the final half hour of simmering. When done, your meat should be tender and delicous. Remember to remove the rosemary stalks before serving and taste to see if it needs more salt and pepper. Serve with roast potato or mash potato or your favourite vegetable.

E.

Garam Masala Chicken

2009-11-23T19:09:00.000+10:00

There are two parts to this post. Firstly let me introduce you to our new cooking machine. It's the Cookwell Convection Oven. Jared's Gran and Pop gave it to us as an early Christmas present. We've been meaning to use it for weeks and Sunday was the day. I must admit that at first I was sceptical. I have an oven. A crappy, old, slow oven that still measures in Farenheit, but a working oven none the less - so I didn't really see the point in pulling out this huge machine and all its gadgets. Jared believes I'm scared of change. Like an old person being sat in front of the internet for the first time, I've had the same reaction to the Cookwell Convection Oven. And I think he was right because now that I've used it I think it is fantastic! The meat cooked perfectly, was so moist and tender inside while crisp and crunchy on the outside. Because it sits on the bench and has a really bright light - we could watch our food go from completley raw to mouth watering brown and crisp. And it CLEANS ITSELF!!!! I'm sold!

So the dish we decided to make was Garam Masala Chicken. I saw it in Delicious Magazine and had been meaning to make it for about six weeks. I found it so simple and really enjoyable to roast all the spices then reduce them to a fine powder with my mortar and pestle. The raita was delicious and I'll definitely be making it my standard raita recipe from here on in. Plus, it's quite a healthy dish. At worst the naan bread isn't great for you carbswise and maybe the chicken skin - but I'm pretty happy with its "healthiness".

Garam Masala Chicken
Serves 6

16 cardamom pods, bruised, husks discarded, seeds reserved
2 bay leaves, broken into small pieces
2 tsp black peppercorns
4 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp coriander seeds
2 cinnamon quills
5 cloves
6 free range chicken marylands
45ml Warrick Grove Olive Oil
Warmed naan bread to serve

Raita
1 cucumber, peeled, halved lengthways, seeds removed, diced
1 tomato, seeds removed, chopped
1 small red chili, seeds removed, finely chopped
1 tbs chopped fresh coriander
1 tbs chopped fresh mint
215ml natural yoghurt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Pinch of paprika

Place the cardamom seeds, bay leaves, peppercorns, cumin, coriander, cinnamon and cloves in a non-stick fry pan. Dry roast over medium heat for about 2 mins until fragrant, then allow to cool.

Place all the roasted spices into a spice grinder or mortar and pestle and grind into a fine powder. If using marylands, cut the chicken thighs and drumsticks away from each other. Rub with the olive oil.

Coat the chicken pieces in the garam masala spice mix and marinate, covered, for 2-3 hours in the refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Place the chicken on a rack set inside a roasting pan and roast for 45 minutes to one hour.

Meanwhile, make the raita by placing all of the ingredients and 1/2 a teaspoon freshly ground black pepper in a bowl and mixing until well combined. Set raita aside until required.

Serve the chicken with warm naan bread and raita on the side.

Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

2009-11-21T09:33:00.000+10:00

Jared and I were invited to a BBQ last Sunday. We were asked to bring a salad. I spent the morning browsing through my cookbooks and nothing was jumping out at me. Plus I wanted something simple as I had had a few too many drinks the night before and my brain wasn't capable of anything fancy. But at the same time I wanted to impress.... Then I remembered seeing a recipe on Sathya's Kitchen Adventures that had caught my eye - Buttermilk Ranch Dressing! I'm a big big fan of Ranch dressing. I always go for it at the Hogs Breath Cafe, Subway and at Billy Baxters. Ranch Dressing is absolutely my favourite dressing and this recipe seemed simple! So I made it and it was fantastic. So delicious and creamy and all it needed was a green leafy salad - nothing fancy but the dressing was so full of flavour.

The huge bowl of green leafy salad with the Buttermilk Ranch Dressing was a massive hit at the BBQ and the bowl was empty when I went to collect it. Plus, the recipe makes plenty so we had it on our salads for the next two evenings. This recipe is a winner!

1 cup full fat mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
buttermilk (to desired consistency)

1 clove garlic
1/4 cup italian flat leaf parsley
2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
salt
lots of ground black pepper
dash of tabasco

Mince the garlic with a knife and then sprinkle about 1/4 teaspoon salt into the garlic and with a fork, mash the garlic and salt into a paste.

In a bowl, combine all the ingredients except the buttermilk. Stir. Add buttermilk until you have the desired consistency. Taste and season. Chill for a few hours. Serve on a green leafy salad.

E.

Gourmet Curried Egg Sandwiches

2009-11-15T11:59:00.000+10:00

I've always been a fan of curried egg. I'll happily make a huge bowl of it and eat it for lunch. Then my auntie Chia introduced our family to her Gourmet Curried Egg Sandwiches. They are to die for and so moreish and satisfying. The photo really doesn't do this sandwich justice but I took it first thing in the morning before rushing off to work.

Jared loves them and I often make them for him to take for lunch at the office. His co-workers have noticed how great they look so I've started sending Jared to work with 3 gourmet curried egg sandwiches. One for himself, one for his boss and one for his co-worker and best friend, Richard. I love feeding Richard because he always emails me through a review of what he's just tasted. This is the curried egg sandwich review:

Subject: Lunch
OMG. It’s tough for something to actually taste better than you remember as well as better than it looks, but that nailed it. The subject title of lunch doesn’t encapsulate the culinary experience that is eating that sandwich. Happy for you to paraphrase that in the intro of your book. Remember it’s the execution of a dish and not the origin that’s important. Maybe the book could be called. “Nail that dish”.

5 hard boiled eggs
3 tablespoons keens mustard powder
1/2 cup greek yoghurt
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 cup dessicated coconut, lightly toasted
1 tablespoon spring onion sliced
salt and pepper
3/4 cup baby spinach leaves
Thick slice wholemeal bread

Lightly toast the coconut. Boil the eggs, let them cool then mash them up in a bowl and add all the other ingredients. You can add more or less of anything - do it to your preferred taste. Serve on baby spinach in gourmet bread.

E.

Bollywood

2009-11-02T18:24:00.000+10:00

My best mate and fellow blogger Sathya hosted a Bollywood Party on Saturday night to celebrate her 31st birthday and her new home. The party was fantastic. It was on a balmy night and it was so relaxed and the food was TO DIE FOR. She made this for sweets and at the end of the night I decided F**K it and ate about 400 of them! Sathya has received a few abusive messages letting her know how evil those little balls are!

Besides the sweets, the curries were also amazing, and the pakoras and samosas! And the Punch! Wow! My contribution to the party was 2kg of Raita and a big bowl of mint chutney. When I was making this chutney, which I'd never made before, I was very nervous. Sathya knows a lot about Indian cuisine so I didn't want to let her down. I had visions of the lonely chutney sitting on the side of the table and no one going near it; but in actual fact everyone was forced to try it as plates and plates of pakoras and samosas circled the party with my mint chutney in the middle. And thank the Lord - I received compliments!! So here is the recipe.

Mint Chutney
1 cup packed mint leaves
4 spring onions, chopped
1 small green chilli, with seeds
1 large garlic clove
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon yoghurt
2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon salt.

Blitz the heck out of it in a blitzer. And thats it! Apparently it goes brown overnight so you'd want to make it fresh for the occasion.

Pink Ribbon Day

2009-10-31T08:59:00.000+10:00

It was Pink Ribbon Day on Monday to raise money for breast cancer research. My work held a huge morning tea with a pink theme. I made these cupcakes. Everyone did a fantastic job and we raised well over $1000.00.

Gourmet Steak Sandwiches

2009-10-25T13:45:00.001+10:00

I was recently buying meat at our local butcher and they had recipe cards on the counter. This recipe was one of them. I had it stuck on the fridge for quite a few months before I decided to make it. I served it with home made hot chips and it was a hit with Jared and our neighbour Steve on a Saturday afternoon. I made them again yesterday and we're about to have the leftovers again today!

I changed the aioli quite a bit. The recipe asks for 6 cloves of garlic and 1.5 cups of olive oil. I found it was way too much of both. So the recipe below is what I did:

4 pieces rump steak, malleted flat
600g brown onions, sliced
2 tablespoons butter
1 heaped tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
8 thick slices of bread
Rocket

Aioli
2 egg yolks
2 cloves crushed garlic

1/4 cup Warrick Grove Olive Oil
Juice 1/2 lemon

Slice the onions thinly and cook slowly in butter for 20 minutes. Add the brown sugar and continue cooking for another ten minutes until they are a rich brown colour. Turn up the heat and add the balsamic vinegar. Cook for a few minutes until the vinegar has evaporated. Set aside.

Season the rump steak with salt and pepper and sear on both sides on high heat. Spread the aioli generously on both sides of the bread. Then on one slice, place some rocket, then the steak and lastly the onions. Top with the other side of the bread. Cut in half and serve.

Aioli
Beat the egg yolks with the crushed garlic until the yolks are pale and thick (about 5 minutes). Gradually add the olive oil, beating well after each addition. At the end, add the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.

E.

Maud's Ginger Apricot Crunch

2009-10-17T06:50:00.000+10:00

This is another recipe from my new favourite cookbook The Blue Ribbon Cookbook by Liz Harfull. She kindly sent me a signed copy and I am now an avid follower of her blog The Blue Ribbon Cookbook

This slice was made by Gwen Smart of Maitland and is named after her mother Maud. There wasn't a photo of the slice so I wasn't sure what to expect. I absolutely loved the flavour but I wasn't too sure about the texture. It was very biscuity and almost crunchy, but then would have the chewy texture of the chopped apricots. I think next time I'd cut the apricots even finer. But the ginger flavour was delicious. Ginger Nut biscuits remind me of my nana and they are the best for dunking in a cup of tea. (Next to Yo-Yo Biscuits).

125g butter
1/2 cup (125ml) sweetened condensed milk
1 tablespoon golden syrup
375g ginger nut biscuits, crushed finely
60g pecan nuts or walnuts, chopped finely
16 dried apricots, chopped finely

Grease a 24cm square pan with cooking spray and line with baking paper or alfoil.

Place the butter, condensed milk and golden syrup in a small saucepan and cook over a medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture is smooth. Bring teh mixture to the boil and then reduce the heat and simmer for 3 or 4 minutes, until the mixture thickens slightly.

Place the biscuits, nuts and apricots in a bowl. Pour over the condensed milk mixture and stir until well combined. Place the mixture into the prepared pan. Refrigerate until set. Cut into squares with a sharp knife.

Broccoli & Cauliflower Bake

2009-10-12T06:59:00.000+10:00

I don't like cauliflower at all. It's probably my least favourite vegetable; but I had it in the fridge becuase I got it into my head that I was going to do some "3 day, lose 5kg diet". The diet lasted all of about 12 hours and the cauliflower was still in the fridge waiting to be used. The only way I've ever eaten cauliflower and half enjoyed it was in a bake, covered in cheese and crumbs and broccoli and anything else that can disguise its boring taste! So I did just that - Broccoli and Cauliflower Bake. And it was actually really yum. I totally overcooked the veg, so I'll know for next time to chill out on boiling it for 10 minutes. But I think cauliflower will become a regular visitor in our fridge!

4 cups broccoli florets
3 cups cauliflower florets
1 medium onion chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1 tin condensed cream of chicken soup
80g grated cheese
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon dry basil, thyme or marjoram, crushed
3/4 cup soft bread crumbs

In a large saucepan cook broccoli and cauliflower, covered, in a small amount of boiling lightly salted water for 6 to 8 minutes or until vegetables are almost crisp-tender. Drain well. Remove brocolli and cauliflower from pan, set aside.

In the same saucepan cook one onion in 1 tablespoon melted butter over medium heat until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in the soup, cheese, milk and herbs. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until bubbly and cheese melts. Stir in cooked broccoli and cauliflower. Transfer mixture to a small casserole dish. Toss together the bread crumbs with 1 tablespoon melted butter. Sprinkle over vegetable mixture.

Bake uncovered in a 180 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until heated through.

E.

Ritzy Chicken Nuggets

2009-10-05T10:04:00.000+10:00

Jared first made these nuggets on Christmas Day last year when we had lots of friends over at the end of the day. They were gone within minutes. He made them again soon after but tried to recreate them as chicken shnitzels for dinner. They weren't as good. So we've been saying every since then that we must make the nuggets again. And yesterday that time came.

There was a plan for a few of Jared's mates to come over after golf for some drinks. I didn't think it would happen as we'd all been out the night before and none of us were very tidy. But just in case, I made them. I didn't get to marinate the chicken for two days, I only did 4 hours, and to my delight it made no difference. In the end everyone bailed on coming for drinks so Jared and I were lucky enough to eat them all to ourselves. They really are unreal and really easy and an absolute hit.

2 chicken breasts cut into small pieces
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup oil
1 3/4 cups Ritz cracker crumbs

In small lots, place the chicken breast pieces into a freezer bag. Bash with a rolling pin until the chicken is quite thin, and then take it out and slice into about 6 to 8 slices. Repeat with the other chicken breast. This is easiest done with scissors.

Put the slices into a freezer bag with the buttermilk and leave in the refrigerator to marinade for up to 2 days.

When you are ready to cook them, heat the oil in a large frying pan.

Tip the cracker crumbs into a wide shallow bowl, and then shake off the excess buttermilk from the nuggets and dip them in the crumbs. Coat them well before lying gently in the hot oil, and cooking for about 2 minutes or so a side until they are golden brown. Transfer to a kitchen towel on a plate to blot the excess oil.

Alternatively, you can lay the crumb-coated chicken nuggets on a lined baking sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. They can also be frozen once marinated and crumbed. If cooking from frozen, add 5 minutes to the oven cooking time.

E.

Chocolate Maple Slice

2009-09-29T19:52:00.000+10:00

I was up in Clare spending the weekend with my nana recently (check out the view from the lounge room) and I decided to do some baking. I've always been a fan of the chocolate caramel slice but I've never bothered to make it because you can buy it anywhere and one caramel slice tastes just like the next. That is why I chose to make this Chocolate Caramel Slice because it has something different. Maple Syrup and Scotch Finger Biscuits.

They were pretty damn tasty. My only point would be to make sure you don't eat them straight out of the fridge. Let them get to room temperature before devouring them. So much more flavour and so much more enjoyable. I brought a whole batch home to give to the neighbours but I think Jared and I scoffed them all to ourselves over a few days.

Here's what I did:

2 x 250g packets Scotch Finger biscuits
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup brown sugar
250g butter, chopped
2 x 395g cans sweetened condensed milk
300g dark cooking chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup pouring cream

Method
Grease a 5cm-deep, 20cm x 30cm (base) roasting dish or slab pan. Line base and sides with baking paper, allowing a 2cm overhang at both long ends.

Place biscuits, in a single layer, in pan to cover base (break to fit, if necessary). Process remaining biscuits to fine crumbs.

Combine maple syrup, sugar, butter and condensed milk in a heavy-based, non-stick saucepan. Cook, stirring occasionally, over low heat for 5 to 10 minutes or until butter melts. Increase heat to medium. Cook, stirring, for 4 to 5 minutes or until mixture comes to the boil. Boil, stirring, for 6 to 8 minutes or until mixture thickens. Stir in crushed biscuits.

Pour mixture over biscuit base. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until just set.

Place chocolate and cream in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave, uncovered, on medium (50%) for 1 1/2 minutes or until almost melted. Stir until smooth. Spread chocolate mixture over chilled slice. Refrigerate until firm. Cut into fingers. Serve.

E.

Olive Oil Anyone?

2009-09-15T14:58:00.001+10:00

This oil belongs to my parents who live in Clare. And I'm not being biased when I say it is the greatest olive oil I've ever tasted! Here is their website. Warrick Grove

Anyone is welcome to purchase this oil, either through me or from my parents website. You won't regret it!

Our New Blog

2009-09-15T12:28:00.001+10:00

You may know me from http://www.thebakerandthecurrymaker.blogspot.com/

Sathya and I have decided to spread the love and have two separate blogs. You can find Sathya at http://www.sathyaskitchenadventures.blogspot.com/

And I have decided to team up with the love of my life, Jared - who is a sensational cook - so I figured why not post both of our cooking feats.

Enjoy. x

E.

Thai Pork Balls

2009-09-13T08:12:00.000+10:00

These little beauties are delicious. It's one of Jared's recipes that he just pulled out of nowhere. He didn't have a recipe, he just threw different flavours together, which is a skill I'm slowly learning. I'm always a stickler for wanting a recipe to follow. We made these on a Saturday afternoon when I had a huge craving for McDonald's and the last thing I wanted was a healthy Asian dish. But in the end I ate nine balls!! And the next day we flattened down the 3 that were left over and turned them into hamburgers with a big crusty roll, some rocket and the dipping sauce. We gave my mum the recipe to try and its now one of her regular dishes.

The dipping sauce can be made up of your favourite Asian style sauces but we are completely addicted to the sauces made by the Lloyd Brothers and always try to use them. Here's their website: www.lloydbrothers.com.au

Pork Balls
1kg pork mince
Spring Onion chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 chilis, chopped
zest & juice of one lemon (lime if you have it)
1.5 teaspoons minced lemongrass
2 tablespoons Thai green curry paste
1 egg
1 bunch of coriander chopped
1 cup bread crumbs
S&P

Dipping Sauce
1/4 cup peanut oil
1/2 cup Wild Lime Chili & Ginger Sauce
1/4 cup Spicy BBQ Sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce

Mix all the above ingredients together and roll into balls (or hamburgers). Cover with glad wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Cook over medium heat until golden brown. Sprinkle with some left over coriander. Serve with the dipping sauce and some rice on the side. If you have made them into hamburgers, serve with your favourite roll, fresh rocket and some dipping sauce.

E.

Peppermint Slice

2009-08-23T17:20:00.000+10:00

Jared and I went to Clare to stay with my parents for the weekend. Mum had a cookbook of Blue Ribbon Winning recipes! The prize winner from every country town in South Australia had featured. I chose the Blue Ribbon Peppermint Slice to recreate. And it tastes sensational. I can see why it received first place. I gave Jared a piece on the drive home from Clare and he said, "in all seriousness, this is quite possibly the best slice I've ever eaten!" I cant help but agree.

Since making the slice and deciding to buy the cookbook I found it in I have discovered the author has her own blog! The Blue Ribbon Cookbook. Check it out!

I also brought the slice to work and fed it to a friend of Jared's and this is the feedback I received: "have just eaten the slice. However the word eaten really doesn’t sum it up. It was more of a whole cuisine experience or a culinary journey. For god sake don’t ever make it again as Jared can’t possibly exercise more than he already does and he will make Jabba the hut look like a supermodel after 6 months of that. Of course I’ll be running again soon and could probably get away with a piece that size every 3rd day. Thanks".

I had to double the filling and I also used 75g more chocolate than in the recipe. The recipe below is what I did.

Base
125g butter
200ml sweetened condensed milk
250g milk biscuits
1 rounded tablespoon cocoa powder
1/4 cup desiccated coconut

Filling
2 cups icing sugar mixture
80g butter melted
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon peppermint essence
3 drops green food colouring (optional)

Topping
200g dark cooking chocolate
30g copha

To make the base, melt the butter and condensed milk in a saucepan. Crush the biscuits and mix with the cocoa and coconut. Pour over the butter and condensed milk mixture and mix well. Press the mixture into a slice pan (about 20 x 30cm) lined with baking paper. Place in the fridge and chill well for an hour.

To make the filling mix together the icing sugar, butter, milk, peppermint and food colouring. Spread evenly over the chilled biscuits mixture and put it back into the fridge to set.

To make the topping, melt together the chocolate and copha. Spread the chocolate evenly over the filling and allow it to set before cutting the slice into squares.

E.

Tunesy Morns

2009-07-30T21:11:00.000+10:00

I never ate seafood growing up. Even now I only eat whiting. But I ALWAYS ate Tunesy Morns. Our family lived for it. I always stared through the oven door at the golden crust on the top asking mum "is it ready yet? Is it ready yet?". I love my tunesy morns.

When Jared and I first started dating I cooked it for him one night and he hadn't eaten it since his mum made it for him as a boy. He was well excited - and to top things off, he says my Tunesy Morns is the best he's ever had!! I've never shown him how to make it because that way he'll never leave me!

I have however, shared it with both of our neighbours and we all enjoy tunesy morns evenings regularly.

70g butter
3 heaped dessert spoons plain flour
1 litre milk
2 x 400g cans corn kernels
2 x 425g cans tuna in brine/springwater
Breadcrumbs
Grated cheddar
Freshly grated parmesan
S&P
Lemon

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Once it starts to sizzle, add the flour and using a whisk, stir it around and let it sizzle for at least three minutes.
Take the pan off the heat and pour in half the milk. Whisk quickly to remove lumps. Add the rest of the milk and return to the hotplate. Bring the milk to the boil, stirring occasionally.

Once the sauce begins to bubble add the drained corn and tuna. Stir well and add S&P to taste. Wait until it begins to bubble again and pour into a ceramic dish. Cover the top with the grated cheese and parmesan. Sprinkle bread crumbs over the top of the cheese.

Cook in the oven for at least half an hour, or until it is brown to your liking. Serve with a squeeze of lemon.

E.

Chocolate Brownies

2009-07-19T18:13:00.000+10:00

This is a Jamie Oliver recipe for brownies that are on the dessert menu at Fifteen. They look amazing in his cook book so I baked them on a cold Sunday afternoon as dessert after a Roast Lamb lunch.

When they first came out I thought they were a failure because I'd taken them out too early. The entire centre was still really runny. It was more like a runny pudding when we ate it. I was so disappointed, although the flavour was UNREAL. I left them out over night and in the morning it had set! Exactly the way it was supposed to. I had perfect chocolate brownies. The entire tray was eaten within hours. I'll absolutely be baking these again. Such a decadent, moreish treat. And the orange zested creme fraiche was a sensational addition and created such a good balance between the rich chocolate and zesty sour tasting cream.

250g unsalted butter
200g best-quality dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids) broken up
150g chopped nuts (I used hazelnuts)
80g coco powder
65g plain flour sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
350g caster sugar
4 large eggs
zest of one orange
250ml creme fraiche

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Line a 30cm rectangular baking tin with greaseproof paper.

In a large bowl over some simmering water, melt the butter and the chocolate and mix until smooth. Add the nuts. In a separate bowl, mix together the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder and sugar, then add this to the chocolate and nut mixture. Stir together well. Beat the eggs and mix in until you have a silky consistency.

Pour your brownie mix into the baking tray; and place in the oven for around 25 minutes. You don't want to overcook them so, you don't want a skewer to come out clean. The brownies should be slightly springy on the outside but still gooey in the middle. Allow to cool in the tray, then carefully transfer to a large chopping board and cut into chunky squares. Serve with a dollop of creme fraiche mixed with some orange zest.

E.

Chicken Korma

2009-07-12T13:00:00.000+10:00

I won a copy of Jamie Oliver's Ministry Of Food cookbook. It really does have some fantastic recipes in it and they're never difficult because they were designed for those of us who have never really cooked.

I've heard many people say that Jamie Oliver's Chicken Korma recipe is bland and not that great - but after some investigating and reading a few forums I think it's actually his original, fancy recipe that people dislike; because this Ministry of Food Chicken Korma is DELICIOUS. Jared and I have cooked it and recooked it several times and it never lets us down.

800g skinless and boneless chicken thighs
2 medium onions
1 fresh red chili
1 thumb sized piece of fresh root ginger
1 small bunch of fresh coriander
olive oil
a knob of butter
290g jar of Patak's korma curry paste
1 x 400ml tin of coconut milk
1 x 400g tin chickpeas
2 heaped tablespoons desiccated coconut
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
500g natural yogurt
1 lemon

Cut the chicken into approximately 3cm pieces. Peel, half and chop your onions. Halved and finely slice the chili. Peel and finely chop the ginger. Pick the coriander leaves and finely chop the stalks. Drain the chickpeas.

Put a large casserole type pan on a high heat and add a couple of glugs of oil. Put the chicken thighs into the pan and brown lightly on all sides for five minutes. Push the chicken to one side of the pan. Stir in the onions, chili, ginger and coriander stalks with the butter. Keep stirring it enough so it doesn't catch and burn but turns lovely golden. Cook for around ten minutes. Add the korma curry paste, coconut milk, the drained chickpeas and dessicated coconut. Half fill the empty tin with water, pour into the pan and stir again. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for 45 mitues with the lid on. Check the curry regularly to make sure it isn't drying out. Add a little extra water if necessary. Remove the lid and cook down at a simmering heat for another 25 mins. Season with Salt and Pepper.

Serve with rice. Add a few spoonfuls of natural yoghurt and scattered coriander leaves. Service with lemon wedges for spooning over.

E.

All Day Breakfast

2009-05-31T09:46:00.000+10:00

Jared is golf obsessed. He plays several times a week and really is exceptionally good at it! I like to feed him a big hearty breakfast Sunday mornings before he heads off to the golfcourse for his day of comp golf.

Laura taught me this recipe. I once slept at her place and woke up to this for breakfast! I think I probably had too many wines the evening before so this would have put the fire out for sure!

I've been making it ever since and Jared is a massive fan of it!

8 rashers of short cut bacon chopped
2 tomatoes, deseeded and chopped
3 tablespoons chopped spring onion
5 eggs
1 dessertspoon butter
S&P
50ml milk
1/2 cup parsley finely chopped
Worchestershire sauce (or your fav breakfast sauce)
Toast

Chop the bacon into small squares and fry in a frypan. Meanwhile chop up the tomato and spring onion.

Whisk together the egg, milk, butter and half the parsley to prepare to scramble the eggs. Season to taste.

Add the tomato and spring onion to the bacon once the bacon is crisping up. Scramble the eggs.

Make the toast. Spread with butter. Arrange the scrambled eggs on the toast and top with the bacon, tomato and onion mix. Sprinkle with left over parsley. Season with salt and pepper and as much Worchestershire as you like.

Serves 2

E.

I'm Back! With Spinach & Ricotta Dip

2009-05-30T14:30:00.000+10:00

It has been 20 long months since I posted on the Baker & the Curry Maker and a lot has happened in that time! I have a perfect new man, a funky new home, a new exciting job and a brave new hairstyle plus a few new gorgeous friends. I've been itching to get back into the blogging lately. I almost made it back last weekend with a lemon slice but I was staying at my parents place in Clare and didn't have my camera. And so this is my returning recipe.... Spinach and Ricotta Dip.

I've had this at morning teas at work a few times and I actually get frustrated when staff bring it along. I want to pick it up and take it back to my desk where I can devour it all myself. This week another pesky staff member brought it in and I decided to make one all of my own today so I can sit in the comfort of my lounge room and inhale it. I so badly didn't want to share with my boyfriend that I made him one all of his own also!

It's simple and always a hit!

300g Ricotta
500g Frozen chopped spinach
100g Danish Feta
300g Sour Cream
1/3 cup chopped chives
30g Spring Vegetable Soup Mix
Freshly Ground Pepper
Cob bread

Squeeze and discard all liquid from thawed spinach. Place into a large bowl. Add ricotta, feta and sour cream. Stir until well combined and smooth. Add chives and dried soup. Season with freshly ground black pepper. Mix until well combined.

Using a serrated knife, slice a 3 to 4cm-thick slice off top of loaf. Set aside. Remove soft white bread from centre of loaf to form a bread 'bowl' and use this to scoop out the dip. Spoon spinach and ricotta mixture into loaf. Serve immediately.

E.

Potato Bake

2008-01-05T11:09:00.000+10:00

For Xmas this year Andy and I were kindly invited to share the day with the Bradley Family. We were xmas orphans as my family had headed up to Queensland for the festivities with my brother and his wife. Laura's fabulous idea for xmas lunch was for everyone to bring a different dish. We were treated to so many different flavours. Marinated lamb, chicken curry, Moroccan beef Tagine, Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni, and fabulous seasonal veg and salad. We sat outside in the sun under a big gum tree and ate until we were moaning in pain! We then retired to our homes for a nap and returned for trifle, cheesecake and a cheese platter! It really was a fabulous day.

And so, the point of my story... as well as preparing half of the cheese platter I decided to do a potato bake to accompany the mains. I had never cooked a potato bake and so I consulted with Sathya, mum, Laura and many many cookbooks and websites as I wanted to make an unforgettable bake!

In the end I chose a Stephanie Alexander Potato Bake. It sounded very simple and had very few ingredients, but Stephanie Alexander has not let me down yet and so I decided to put myself in her hands..

I did a trial run 2 days before Xmas and it was delicious! I served it up for lunch for Andy and me. He agreed it was a complete success. I then ate the ENTIRE bake myself in about 10 minutes flat. I could have eaten more! It was such a flavoursome, crispy yet soft, melt in your mouth, nutty flavoured delicious treat! I think it will become my signature side dish!

And on Xmas day it also received quite a few comments and was eaten in its entirety. Even Laura's mum said she'd never tasted one so good! I was very pleased and I highly recommend it to all..... Merry Xmas!

9 waxy potatoes

freshly ground pepper

freshly ground salt

nutmeg

2 cloves garlic, finely sliced

200ml cream

400ml boiling milk

1 teaspoon plain flour

50g butter

Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius. Using 20g of the butter, grease a ceramic or glass dish. Slice potatoes thinly, about half a centimetre thick. Layer them overlapping in the baking dish. Sprinkle a layer of salt, pepper, nutmeg and some of the garlic. Do another layer of potato and the seasonings, then a final third layer.

Add the teaspoon of flour to the cream and mix well. Pour a small amount of the boiling milk into the cream and stir. The add the rest of the milk and stir really well. Pour over the potato making sure not to disturb the layers or move them about. Add another layer of salt, pepper, nutmeg and garlic. Place the rest of the butter over the top in small knobs. Bake in the oven for about an hour to an hour and a half until golden and crispy on top. Serve.

Fettucini with Sweet Tomato Sauce & Baked Ricotta

2007-12-22T11:26:00.000+10:00

IM BACK!! I have not posted for 2 months! And it has been very frustrating! Over the last two months I've had a lot of changes in my life. I lost my job as my employer developed terminal cancer and closed down the practice. When I finished up there in late October I took two weeks off and went to Queensland to visit my brother and his wife who are expecting their first baby in April. Then I started a new job which has much much longer hours than my previous job! And on top of that Andy started a new job as a truck driver, travelling all over Australia - so I'm home alone a lot more - thus no one to cook for! :-( But I'm on Xmas holidays now, and so is Andy - so I finally finally was able to cook last night. And so this was the choice. Andy requested pasta, and I'd had my eye on this Jamie Oliver recipe for some time...

It was really really simple. I feared it would be a bit bland once I actually started putting the ingredients together. But it was delicious. Really filling, yet very light. Andy described it as refreshing. Didn't take long. Incredibly simple. And really yum served with hot crusty garlic bread..

450 gram piece of ricotta cheese

extra virgin olive oil

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 flat teaspoon of dried oregano
1 flat teaspoon of chilli flakes
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
a knob of butter
2 x 400g tins of good quality plum tomatoes
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
455g fettucini
a handful of fresh basil leaves, torn
2 handfuls of freshly grated parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celcius. Rub the ricotta all over with the olive oil, salt, pepper, chilli and oregano. Place on a baking tray and cook in the oven for 20 minutes until golden and firm. In a pan, slowly fry the onion and garlic in the butter and a good drizzle of olive oil. Cook for four minutes until sweet and softened. Add the tomatoes, simmer gently for about 15 minutes, then break the tomatoes up with a spoon. Add the balsamic vinegar and the sugar and stir until you have a fine tomato sauce.

Meanwhie, bring a large pan of salted water to teh boil and cook teh fetuccini according to the packet instructions. When cooked, drain and reserve some of the cooking water. Toss the pasta with teh tomato sauce and add a little of the reserved water to loosen if necessary. Correct the seasoning carefully to taste, and then, working quickly, add most of the basil and parmesan cheese. Place into a warmed bowl, rip over some extra basil and grate over a little extra parmesan. Either crumble the baked ricotta over the pasta, or serve it at the table with a spoon in it and let everyone crumble some over their plates...

E.

Risotto Relay Rundown

2007-10-21T17:19:00.000+10:00

Well, its time to judge our very first blogging event - The Risotto Relay, and boy was it tough for the 2 of us to agree on one winner.

We had 14 entries and I reckon I could sit down at the dinner table and enjoy them all. I tell ya, looking at all this risotto means I am craving it and we're having it for dinner here in Sydney on this sunny Sunday.

There is probably more than 14 ways to say yummy but I can't think of them right now, instead take a look for yourself...

So the 1st entry we received was from Brilynn Jumboempanadas with her Prawn/Shrimp & Pea Risotto http://jumboempanadas.blogspot.com/2007/09/defying-logic.html

2nd was Simona from PBJonrye with Pumpkin Risotto http://www.pbjonrye.com/ but we didn't get a copy of a photo and I am unable to get a link to take you directly there, its worth a look though. (Augustina, please email us a photo if you see this and we'll amend it).

3rd was Augustina from Briciole with an idea for leftovers, Risotto-al-salt http://briciole.typepad.com/blog/2007/09/risotto-al-salt.html

4th was Chez Denise from Chezdeniseetlaudalino with Abalone Mushroom Risotto
http://chezdeniseetlaudalino.blogspot.com/2007/09/risotto-relay.html

Number 5 was Gretchen from Canelaycomino with Mushroom Barley Risotto
http://canelaycomino.blogspot.com/2007/10/risotto-relay.html

Number 6 was Lizann from Bitsnbites, Saffron & Prawn Risotto
http://bitsnbites.wordpress.com/2007/10/09/keeping-the-cooking-fires-going/

7th was Lisa from Chefmomcooks made Breakfast Risotto http://chefmomcooks.blogspot.com/2007/10/bacon-egg-risotto.html

Number 8 was Zuzana from Burntmouth made Mushroom & Wine Risotto
http://www.burntmouth.com/2007/10/mushroom-wine-risotto.html

Number 9 , Annemarie from Divineambrosia had 2 entries, one was Annemarie, Squid Paella & Pumpkin & Sage http://divineambrosia.blogspot.com/2007/09/squid-paella.html

and her second entry was, http://divineambrosia.blogspot.com/2007/10/pumpkin-and-sage-risotto.html

Next to arrive was Kevin from Closetcooking with Pear & Gorgonzola Risotto
http://closetcooking.blogspot.com/2007/10/pear-and-gorgonzola-risotto.html

12th was Dhivya, Veggie-Lover Risotto
http://culinarybazaar.blogspot.com/2007/10/veggie-lover-risotto-and-new-poll.html

The last entry to land in our inbox was the sweet Steph, from Whisk & a Spoon
http://awhiskandaspoon.wordpress.com/2007/10/20/risotto-relay-baked-risotto/

And now for the winner, Deborah from Workingwomanfood! This was Deborah's 1st time with a risotto Liz and I were both amazed at how good it looked for a first timer. Well done Deb - we love you! Expect some famous Aussie Tim Tams in the mail soon. Deb made Chicken, Mushroom & Cashew Risotto which you can see here -
http://workingwomanfood.blogspot.com/2007/10/chicken-mushroom-and-cashew-risotto.html

Creamy Sundried Tomato Pasta

2007-10-16T10:58:00.000+10:00

A few months ago I was on the Atkins Diet and was not allowed to eat carbs. Dave and Monique, our dear in laws, cooked this pasta dish for me and Andy. Being on Atkins I was not permitted to eat it, but it looked so good that I had a serve of the sauce, without the pasta. I nearly died - it tasted so good! You know how now and then you taste something that is just phenomenal? Bursting with flavour? You can actually feel your tastebuds dancing?? Well this is one of those dishes!

I decided to recreate it last night. Dave and Mon had shared the list of ingredients with me, but I hadn't asked measurements. I put it together with guesstimations and I think it turned out pretty close to perfect. I ate two bowls worth! And I cannot wait to get home tonight to have a third! I added quite a bit of chilli as I like my meals very hot. But you can, of course, add as much or as little as you like. mmm.

I really felt that no matter how many photographs I took, it did not do justice to this magnificent meal. So you'll just have to try making it yourselves!

500g penne pasta

Olive oil

175g bacon, chopped into small squares

1 bunch of spring onion, finely sliced

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon paprika

4 mushrooms, sliced

3 teaspoons fresh chilli, chopped

1 jar Leggo's Sundried Tomato & Roasted Garlic Stir Thru Sauce

400ml cream

Fry off the bacon until crispy and to your liking. Set aside draining on paper towel.

Boil pasta as per directions on the pack.

In a large fry pan, fry off spring onion and garlic until soft in a small amount of olive oil. Add the mushrooms and continue to fry for a minute or two. Add the sundried tomato stir thru sauce. Add the paprika and chilli. Allow to heat until it begins to simmer. Add the cream and stir. Allow to simmer for fifteen minutes, stirring occasionally, allowing to thicken.

Drain the pasta and place back in the pot. Pour the sauce over the pasta and stir through. Add the bacon. Serve.

The Woman's Got Taste...

2007-10-10T11:48:00.000+10:00

Jamie Oliver called this gorgeous recipe "Jool's Favourite Beef Stew" and by golly does Jool's have taste. It is so delicious. As soon as you put it all together in the pot the aroma fills the kitchen. The unfortunate thing is that you have to wait at least three hours to taste it!!

The recipe makes loads so Andy and I have been enjoying it for three days now! We had it with hot crusty bread and it was so moreish and flavoursome and warming! You've got to try it!

Olive oil

a knob of butter

1 onion, peeled and chopped

a handfull of fresh sage leaves

800g stewing steak (I used gravy steak)

sea salt and fresh ground black pepper

flour to dust

3 parsnips, peeled and quartered

4 carrots, peeled and halved

1/2 a butternut pumpkin, seeded and roughly diced

500g small potatoes, roughly diced

2 tablespoons tomato puree

1/2 a bottle red wine

285ml beef stock

zest of 1 lemon

a handfull of rosemary leaves, picked

1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees. Put a little oil and your knob of butter into an appropriately sized pot or casserole dish. Add your onion and all the sage leaves and fry for 3 or 4 mins. Toss the meat in a little seasoned flour, then add it to the pan with the vegetables, the tomato puree, wine and stock, and gently stir together. Season generously with freshly ground black pepper and sea salt. Bring to the boil, place a lid on top then cook in the preheated oven until the meat is tender. Sometimes this takes three hours, sometimes four - it depends on what cut of meat you're using and how fresh it is. Once it's cooked, you can turn the oven down to about 110 degrees and just hold it there until you're ready to eat it.

The best way to serve this is by ladling big spoonfulls into bowls and some really fresh, warmed bread. Mix the lemon zest, chipped rosemary and garlic together and sprinkle over the stew before eating. Just the smallest amount will make a world of difference - as soon as it hits the hot stew it will release an amazing fragrance.

Jelly Cakes

2007-10-07T16:45:00.000+10:00

Jelly cakes have always been on the top of my list of favourite treats, and I discovered this weekend, while staying at my parents house, that they are my mum's number one favourite treat! So she was very excited I was making them!

I decided I would make them for a Daring Bakers Challenge being hosted by http://www.apronstringsandsimmeringthings.blogspot.com/ called the Boobie Bake Off. We had to make something Pink! So jelly cakes were perfect! They are so easy and so delicious! I've always bought mine from a bakery in Adelaide called Villi's, which is incredibly popular, and these jelly cakes taste exactly the same.

I would suggest doubling the mixture though as the recipe below only made ten. Thus, they lasted about two minutes...

60g butter, softened
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup self-raising flour
2/3 cup milk
85g packet raspberry jelly crystals
1 cup boiling water
1 cup cold water
3 cups desiccated coconut
1/2 cup double thick cream

Using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg, a little at a time, beating until well combined. Using a large metal spoon, gently fold in half the flour and half the milk. Repeat with remaining flour and milk.

Spoon mixture into patty pan. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool cakes on a wire rack.

Stir jelly and boiling water together in a bowl until crystals are dissolved. Stir in cold water. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until cold and slightly thick.

Place coconut into a large bowl. Cut each cake in half horizontally. Sandwich halves back together using 1 teaspoon of whipped cream. Using a slotted spoon lower cakes, 1 cake at a time, into jelly. Drain excess jelly. Toss cakes in coconut until well coated. Place onto a lined tray and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until set.

The Best Chicken Sandwiches

2007-10-07T16:36:00.000+10:00

These chicken sandwiches are in my Donna Hay cookbook which my wonderful parents gave me for my birthday recently. As soon as I saw the sandwiches I thought, I've got to make these! And as Donna Hay says, "they aren't just chicken sandwiches, they are the best chicken sandwiches!"

Then I saw a challenge on the daring bakers being hosted by http://www.ayearatoakcottage.blogspot.com/ called Show Us Your Sarnie and thought it was the perfect excuse to make these delicious sandwiches.

I was a little worried that they may be a bit girly and herby for the hard working men I was feeding them to, but I made seven sandwiches to feed four men, and they all went. Every last bite. Words the men used to describe them included "delicious" and "refreshing". I tried them and was delighted with the flavour. I'll absolutely be making them again!

12 slices white bread
Butter for spreading
2 cooked chicken breasts, skinned and chopped
6floz/170ml mayonnaise, plus extra for spreading
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp chopped basil leaves
2 tbsp shredded mint leaves
Salt and pepper
6 tbsp finely chopped chives

Spread butter on one side of the bread.

Combine the chicken, mayonnaise, lemon juice, basil and mint, and season with salt and pepper.

Divide between half the bread slices and top with the remaining bread. Cut into small triangles and spread one edge with the remaining mayonnaise.

Press one side into the chives and serve.

Banana & Walnut Cake

2007-10-07T16:10:00.000+10:00

I spent Friday and Saturday night at my parents Olive Grove again this weekend. Andy came too which was lovely. I'm sure he regretted it once he reaslied dad and his mate Don were paving the entire perimeter of the house - the house being 38 metres long!

And so while the boys worked hard I spent the day in the kitchen. Mum had some old bananas so we decided to use them and bake a cake. We used two bananas instead of one and made two cakes.

As you can see from the photos the sun was just setting as I finished icing them. It was a beautiful day in the Clare Valley. An entire cake was eaten after our roast pork dinner. The icing was delicious!

90 g butter

1/3 cup sugar

1egg

1 large banana

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 ¼ cups self raising flour

pinch salt

1/3 cup plain yoghurt

2 tablespoons finely chopped walnuts

Icing

125g philli cheese

2 cups icing sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Beat butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add lightly beaten egg, beat well. Stir in combined peeled, mashed banana and lemon juice. Fold in sifted dry ingredients alternately with yoghurt. Stir in half the chopped walnuts, mix until smooth. Spoon mixture into greased and greased paper lined 25 cm x 8 cm (10in x 3 in) bar tin, sprinkle with remaining walnuts.
Bake in moderate oven 40 minutes or until cooked when tested. Allow cake to cool 5 minutes in tin, turn out and cool on wire rack.

To make the icing. Beat the three ingredients together until smooth and delicious. If it is too runny, add more icing until it is at the consistency you require. E.

Lamb Curry

2007-10-05T12:12:00.000+10:00

I had been trying to make this curry for weeks! But everything was working against me as things kept coming up, people kept cancelling or time did not permit! But I'd seen the photo in my Marie Claire cookbook and knew I had to make it! It just looked so tasty! And so last night was the night! I bought all the ingredients, and prepared the kitchen - and then read the method and realised the meat needed to marinate for three hours!! By this stage it was 4pm! I wanted it on the table before midnight!! So I opted to marinate for an hour and a half and it was still so lovely. The recipe also asks for 2 teaspoons of garam masala but I added about a tablespoon. Two teaspoons just didnt seem enought to me....

In the end it was absolutely lovely. And I think my photo turned out looking very similar to the one in the cookbook - without all the arty farty talent that their photographer obviously had! Andy said it was the best curry I've ever made! (I've only made 5 mind you...) But still, a compliment. Very quick and easy to get it all in the pot and mixed together (once the 3 hours of marinating is over that is), and the result is very much worth it!

1kg Lamb shoulder, trimmed and cut into cubes

3 tablespoons olive oil

juice of 2 lemons

1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger

2 teaspoons garam masala

2 onions, finely chopped

400g chopped tomatoes

2 tablespoons tomato paste

3 green chillis, seeded and cut into strips

250ml beef stock

10 mint leaves, finely chopped

300g plain yoghurt

steamed basmati to serve

Put the lamb cubes into a large ceramic dish and add 2 tablespoons of the oil, the lemon juice, ginger and garam masala. Massage teh ingredients into the lamb to ensure it is well coated. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to marinate for 3 hours in the refrigerator.

Heat the remaining oil in a large heavy based saucepan and add the onion. Cook for a few minutes until the onion is soft then add the lamb - depending on the size of your pan you may need to cook the lamb in two separate batches. Cook for several minutes until browned. Add teh tomato, tomato paste, chilli and stock and return the rest of the lamb to the pan if necessary. Allow to simmer, stirring occasionally over a low heat for 1 1/2 hours, or until the liquid has reduced and the lamb is coated in a rick, thick sauce.

Meanwhile, stir the mint leaves into the yoghurt. Serve the lamb spooned over steamed rice with a dollop of minty yoghurt. Serves 4

Farfalle with Carbonara and Spring Peas

2007-10-02T11:30:00.000+10:00

Yesterday was a public holiday here in Adelaide. Andy was playing computer games on my mobile so I couldn't get any conversation out of him at all. Eventually, after talking to myself for an hour, I started thinking about food and what I should cook for dinner. The decision was made to do a pasta, and Andy pulled himself away from his game long enough to say he wanted Carbonara. Carbonara is something I have never cooked before, although my sister in law Catherine has cooked it for me on a few occasions and it has always been perfect and delicious. But I have always been told to mix it up and serve it quick or it will be like scrambled eggs. I think for that reason, I have always avoided cooking it. I found a few basic recipes for Carbonara, but decided to go with a Jamie Oliver version which was a little different. It was really yummy and so simple. The flavours are so subtle and the peas really do burst in your mouth. I'm already looking forward to having the left overs this afternoon.

455g farfalle

1 egg

100ml double cream

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

12 rashes of pancetta or smoked streaky bacon, rouchly sliced

3 handfuls of fresh podded or frozen peas

2 sprigs of fresh mint, leaves picked

2 handfulls of freshly grated parmesan cheese

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Add the farfalle and cook according to the packet instructions. Whisk the egg in a bowl with the cream, salt and pepper. Put your panchetta or bacon into a second pan and cook until crispy and golden.

When the farfalle is nearly cooked, add the peas for the last minute and a half. This way they will burst in your mouth and be lovely and sweet. When cooked, drain in a colander, saving a little of the cooking water. Add the pasta to the pancetta and stri in most of the mint, finely sliced - if the pan isn't big enough, mix it all together in a warmed bowl.

Now you need to add the egg and cream mix to the pasta. What's important here is that you add it while the pasta is steaming hot. This way the residual heat from the pasta will cook the egg, but make sure they do not resemble scrambled eggs. The egg will actually cook enough to give you a silk smooth sauce. Toss together and loosen with a little of the reserved cooking water if necessary. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with parmesan and the rest of the mint leaves and serve as soon as possible.

Summertime Pavlova

2007-09-26T12:05:00.000+10:00

Pavlova is another dessert that is very big in my family. Mum used to make them all the time when I was a little girl; and decorate them to look amazing. I always assumed they would be very difficult to make, but as it turns out they are so simple. I wish I knew as they are one of my favourite desserts and I'd have been making a lot more if I knew how easy they are!

The pavlova does sink when it is finished cooking, but I was let in on a little secret. If your oven is electric then do open the door slightly as it cools. But if your oven is gas, leave the door closed and let it cool inside the oven.

I was very happy with my first attempt at Pav. It was crunchy outside and chewy inside. And it all disappeared in five miuntes flat!

3 egg whites

4 tablespoons caster sugar

1/2 teaspoon white wine vinegar

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon cornflour

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

whipped cream, to serve

2 passionfruit to decorate

Preheat the oven to 150 degrees. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Beat teh egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar, then the vinegar, cream or tartar, cornflour and vanilla extract and continue to beat until soft peaks form.

Spoon the meringue onto the centre of the tray then spread it out to form a 20cm circle. Put into preheated oven for 15 mins, then reduce the heat to 120 degrees and cook for a furter hour.

Turn the heat off and leave the door slightly ajar and allow the meringue to completely cool in the oven.

Serve topped with whipped cream and passionfruit.

Slow Cooked Lamb Shanks

2007-09-25T09:37:00.000+10:00

I went back to my parents fabulous olive grove in the Clare Valley... again, on the weekend. Had a wonderful, relaxing, rather drunk time. I was on cooking duty on Friday night and dad and I decided Lamb Shanks would be the go. I had taken all my cookbooks with me and we went through them and searched for the lamb shank recipe we fancied the most! In the end dad won out as he wanted the shanks with the most spice and flavour. Mum wanted veg and I wanted sauce! In the end I think we all got what we wanted.

The smell, flavour and texture of these shanks is unbeatable. Mum has decided to cook the same meal for all of her friends who are coming over for a dinner party this weekend; and I bought a few extra shanks when I was purchasing these, so Andy will be having shanks for dinner tomorrow night. And I truly can't wait!

4 lamb shanks

sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

2 teaspoons dried chilli

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon flour

2 tablespoon olive oil

1 clove of garlic, finely chopped

2 large carrot, quartered & finely sliced

5 sticks of celery, quartered & finely sliced

2 medium onions, quartered & finely chopped

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

170ml dry white wine

6 anchovy fillets

2 x 400g tins of plum tomatoes

1 handful of fresh flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped

Season the lamb with salt & pepper. Smash up the coriander seeds & dried chilli & mix with rosemary & dried oregano in a mortar and pestle. Roll the lamb in this mixture, pressing it well. Dust the lamb with the flour.

Heat a thick bottomed casserole pan, add the oil, brown the meat on all sides & then remove from the pan. Add the garlic, carrot, celery, onions & a pinch of salt and sweat until softened. Add the vinegar & allow it to reduce to a syrup. Pour in the wine & allow to simmer for 2 minutes. Add the anchovies & tinned tomatoes, kept whole. Shake the pan & return the lamb to it. Bring to the boil, put on a lid & simmer in the oven at 180 degrees for 2 hours. Remove lid & cook for a further half an hour. Season to taste & stir in the fresh parsley.

Golden Syrup Dumplings

2007-09-21T14:10:00.000+10:00

You cant get much more Australian than Golden Syrup Dumplings! They are so delicious and so naughty! In our family they were only served as a very very special treat, generally on our birthdays. It was the one day of the year that we could request whatever we wanted for dinner! So nine times out of ten it would be KFC for dinner and Golden Syrup Dumplings for dessert. They are most definitely in my top five favourite sweets!

And so last night was the first time I have ever made them. I've come up to Clare for a few days to stay with my parents and nana. So under mum and nana's guidance I made my first Golden Syrup Dumplings. I always believed, as did my sister, brother and father, that mum and nana never made enough syrup. You can never ever have enough syrup. So I tripled the syrup. The recipe below is the triple syrup version, and by far the best.

Dumplings

1 1/2 cups self raising flour

1 1/2 tablespoons butter

1 egg yolk

3/4 cup milk approx

Syrup

3 tablespoons butter

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

4 tablespoons golden syrup

2 cups water

Rub butter and flour together with your fingertips until it resembles bread crumbs. Add the egg yolk and mix. Add dashes of milk until it forms a dough. Roll balls with the dough mix. About half the size of a golf ball.
a
Mix the syrup ingredients together and heat over medium/high heat until bubbles form around the edge then turn down to medium and add the dumplings. Let them cook themselves, no need to turn them or poke them. After about fifteen minutes when they have doubled in size and are golden brown, serve with cream.

Gingerbread Men

2007-09-21T10:15:00.000+10:00

It's my nephew Louie's 6th birthday today! And so there is a big birthday party at his house this Saturday. I was placed on gingerbread man duty which I was very pleased about! I hadn't made gingerbread men since I was a little girl with my nana. I did drink a bottle of wine, and then some as i made them, so the icing is a little skewif! But I'm sure Louie and his friends will devour them! I was lazy (and drunk) so instead of making up my own icing I used the colourful, premade icing in the tubes. It did make it a lot quicker and easier. However, the premade icing tastes like musk. I believe a true gingerbread man should have home made icing. But overall they were really fantastic! I was very proud!

Melted butter, to grease
125g butter, at room temperature
100g (1/2 cup, firmly packed) brown sugar
125ml (1/2 cup) golden syrup
1 egg, separated
375g (21/2 cups) plain flour
1 tbs ground ginger
1 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
Plain flour, to dust
Icing, to decorate
Smarties, to decorate

Preheat oven to 180°C. Brush 2 baking trays with melted butter to lightly grease.
Use an electric beater to beat the butter and sugar in a bowl until pale and creamy. Add the golden syrup and egg yolk and beat until combined. Stir in the flour, ginger, mixed spice and bicarbonate of soda. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Press dough into a disc. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest.

Place the dough between 2 sheets of baking paper and roll out until about 4mm thick. Use a 9cm gingerbread man cutter to cut out shapes. Place on trays about 3cm apart. Repeat with any excess dough.

Bake in oven for 10 minutes or until brown. Remove from oven. Transfer to a rack to cool.
Pipe icing over gingerbread men to decorate. Finish with Smarties.

E.

The Risotto Relay!!

2007-09-18T16:07:00.000+10:00

Sathya & Liz would like to invite all fellow bloggers to be part of our Risotto Relay! We luurve a good risotto and we want to accumulate as many fantastic recipes as possible! So put on your aprons and get chopping, stirring and garnishing!

Email us your name, blog name, link to your risotto and a photo, with the subject Risotto Relay, at bakercurrymaker@gmail.com . Mention the Risotto Relay in your post with a link to our site by the 20th of October and we will choose the winner for the most tantilising risotto of all!

As we are Australians, we would like to present the winner with a delicious packet of Tim Tams! Australia's most famous and delicious chocolate biscuits! So get cooking and let Australia see your talent...

Tomato & Prosciutto Risotto

2007-09-16T21:23:00.000+10:00

Risottos are one of my favourite dishes. However, when it comes to cooking them I always have a phobia of the "constant stirring" part; that I will somehow burn it and ruin it. Thus, the only risottos I have ever made have been the "bake in the oven" type. I decided it was time I moved past this fear, as it surely couldn't be that hard! And it wasnt!

It was the prosciutto that drew me into this one. It asked for four slices, but being the greedy guts I am, when it comes to prosciutto, I bought 8 slices. In the end though, it didn't need it. The flavour of the risotto is so lovely that too much prosciutto makes it a bit sickly. So I do recommend sticking with the recipe and not being a glutton like me!

It was very easy, only a few ingredients, but fantastic subtle flavours. I'll definitely be doing this one again... and again.

1 litre chicken stock

4 large slices of prosciutto, cut in half crossways

2 tablespoons butter

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 large leek, finely sliced

1 1/2 cups risotto rice

3 ripe roma tomatoes, diced

2 tablespoons dry sherry

4 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

extra virgin olive oil, to serve

rocket, to serve

Bring the stock to the boil in a saucepan, then reduce to a low simmer.

Heat a large saucepan over medium heat and add the prosciutto. Cook on both sides until golden and crisp. Remove and drain on paper towels. Add the butter, garlic and leek to the saucepan and saute for 4-5 mins, or until the leek is soft and transparent. Add the rice and stir for a minute until the rice is well coated and the grains are glossy.

Ladle 250ml of stock into the pan and simmer, stirring until it is completely absorbed. Add another 250ml of stock and the chopped tomato. Cook, stirring, for a further few minutes until the stock is completely absorbed, then add another 250ml of stock. Cook until all the liquid has been absorbed, then test the rice to see if it is al dente. If it needs more cooking, add the remaining stock. Splash in the sherry and add half the parmesan, then lightly fold it through the risotto.

Spoon into four warmed pasta bowls and sprinkle with the remaining parmesan. Crumble the prosciutto into smaller pieces and scatter over the risotto. Drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil and serve with a rocket salad. Serves 4.
E.

Passionfruit Shortbread Biscuits

2007-09-16T21:12:00.000+10:00

This is another recipe from the Stephanie Alexander book. My nana gave me a good quality piping bag for my birthday so I wanted a recipe for which I could use it. These biscuits were very easy and ready to eat in no time. They taste like a summers day. I love shortbread but sometimes it can be a bit much, but these are light and quite refreshing...

According to the recipe they store really well and taste better if freshly iced. So they suggest only icing them as you need them and storing the rest in an airtight container.

180g softened unsalted butter

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

2/3 cup pure icing sugar

pulp of three passionfruit

100g cornflour, sifted

180g self raising flour, sifted

ICING

50g unsalted butter

1 cup pure icing sugar

pulp of 2 passionfruit

Briefly cream butter, zest and icing sugar in a food processor (be careful not to over process). Mix in passionfruit pulp, cornflour and flour. Scrape mixture into a bowl and chill for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 220 degrees. Pipe rounds or fingers of batter onto baking trays lined with baking paper and bake until golden brown, 5-8 minutes. Cool on a wire rack before icing.

To make the icing, melt butter in a bowl over simmering water. Add passionfruit pulp to butter and then stir in icing sugar. Beat hard for 1-2 minutes until the icing is really shiny. Dip each biscuit into icing and place on a wire rack with baking paper underneath to catch the drips.

Orange Cake

2007-09-12T22:20:00.000+10:00

It was my birthday last Friday and I was absolutely spoiled!! Everyone gave me cooking foody stuff which was fantastic!! Best birthday for presents EVER I reckon!! And one of the presents I received from Andy was the Stephanie Alexander cookbook which I have had my eye on for a very long time. He also gave me a deep fryer (like my thighs need it!)

This Stephanie Alexander book is amazing. It is an encyclopedia for any cook, especially Australians!! It is divided into chapters based on the ingredient! So if you are looking to cook with limes for example, then head to 'L' for lime and it will give you a complete background on limes, how to store them, how to cook them, how to peel them, ideas and tips and information one would never reaslise about limes; plus a whole bunch of fantastic recipes which main ingredient is lime!

It has an amazing range of recipes for all the standard ingredients like beef, chocolate, cheese, olives etc; but also goes as far as kangaroo, pheasant, yabbies and rabbit, to chesnuts, tarragons, pommegranates and figs! I am going to have a fantastic time making my way through this book, all 1,126 pages!!!

So tonight I decided I would bake a cake! Also because Andrew's brother Dave and his fiance Monique gave me a gorgeous cake tin for my birthday. And so the orange cake seemed like the best choice...

It is delicious! The icing is like the glaze on Krispy Kremes! It has just enough orange flavour to not be overpowering. I couldn't wait to cut myself a slice!

250g softened unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups castor sugar

4 eggs, lightly beaten

100mg orange juice

250g self raising flour

ICING

1 cup pure icing sugar

1 tablespoon Grand Marnier

1 tablespoon orange juice

40g butter, melted

Preheat oven to 180 degrees and greace a 22cm spring form tin or round cake tin with a little butter.

Blend butter, sugar, eggs and orange juice in a food processor for about 1 minute. (I used an electric mixer). Add flour and mix again until smooth and creamy, about another minute. Spoon into tin and bake for 50 minutes or until skewer inserted into the middle tests clean. Transfer tin to a wire rack for 5 minutes, then turn cake out. Cool completely before icing.

To make the icing, combine all ingredients into a bowl and warm over a saucepan of hot water. Pour icing over cake, allowing it to run down the sides.

Lime Curd Cupcakes

2007-09-08T16:19:00.000+10:00

It has been over a month since I have added anything to the Baker Curry Maker and I have missed it so much! But the diet is finally over and I am ready and rearing to get back into the cooking! Sathya pointed out this new monthly cup cake event and I thought it was a perfect way to get back into the baking! And what a fantastic ingredient to be using, lime!!

It was my 28th birthday this weekend and so Andrew and I decided to spend it at my parent's olive grove in the Clare Valley. Clare is one of South Australia's most well known and beautiful wine regions. One of my many wonderful gifts was a Donna Hay cookbook, which is where I found this recipe which I have adapted to make two delicious cupcakes using the key ingredient, Lime!

125g butter, softened
1/2 cup castor sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 cup plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup milk
icing sugar for dusting

Lime Curd
1/2 cup lime juice (approx 3 limes)
125g butter
1 cup castor sugar
3 eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

To make the lime curd, place the lemon juice, butter, sugar and eggs in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of rapidly simmering water for 6-8 minutes, or until the mixture has thickened. Refrigerate until cool.

Place the butter, sugar and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until light and creamy. Gradually add the eggs and beat well after each addition. Add the flour, baking powder and milk and beat well.

Spoon the mixture into twelve patty cases and bake for 15 mins or until cooked when tested with a skewer. Set aside to cool.

Cut a circle out of each cupcake and fill with the lime curd. Top with the cupcake circle and dust with the icing sugar.

Fluffy Lime Cupcakes

Make the cupcakes as above but instead of cutting a circle out of the top, ice them generously with lime vienna icing!

1/2 cup icing sugar
2 tablespoons lime juice
3 drops vanilla essence
90g butter

Mix the above ingredients together and ice the cupcakes. Sprinkle lime rind over the top.

E.

Aromatic Vietnamese Beef Stir Fry

2007-08-09T09:50:00.000+10:00

My darling mother gave me her electric wok. It's in perfect condition so I am ever so grateful! One of the things that always puts me off doing a stir fry is managing a wok... I'm about as good at that as I am managing chop sticks! But with an electric wok all my problems are solved!

I was cooking a belated birthday dinner for Andy and Laura. Laura is trying to eat low carbs and I'm still on this no carb diet so I thought this recipe would suit us just fine! Unfortunately I forgot to buy fish sauce so I added lots of salt instead... It tasted fantastic. There wasn't a scrap of food left at the end. But I assume it would be even more delicious if I wasnt such a bimbo and forgot the fish sauce. I know there will definately be a next time for this dish though! It took ten minutes and was a breeze!

2 tablespoons peanut oil

800g beef strips

1 medium onion, chopped finely

1 long red chilli, chopped finely

10cm stick lemongrass, chopped finely

3 medium bulbs garlic, crushed

4 cardimom pods, bruised

1 quill of cinnamon

1 star anaise

2 tablespoons Hoisin sauce

1 tablespoon fish sauce

350g snake beans, cut in 4cm lengths

1/4 cup sliced almonds, roasted

1/2 cup fresh corriander, chopped

Add 1 tablespoon peanut oil to the wok and brown meat. Set the meat aside but cover with alfoil to keep it warm. Add the remaining tablespoon of peanut oil. Fry the onions until soft. Add the garlic, chilli, lemongrass, cardimom, cinnamon, star anaise and the beans. Fry until the beans are soft. Remove the cardimom pods, cinnamon quil and the star ainaise.

Drain the meat and return it to the wok. Stir fry for another few minutes and serve into a bowl. Sprinkle the almonds and corriander over the top. Serve.

Walnut Brownie Bites

2007-07-30T20:26:00.000+10:00

I read this recipe and thought that it sounded right up my alley! I made these little brownies in no time and they smelt so good! According to the boy (yes I'm still on this diet) they are biscuity and crunchy outside and gooey and chewy inside, with a nice hit of caramel and walnuts! He and his workmates loved them! Thats what I like to hear!!

I think the ingredient that got me sucked in was the Rolos! Each brownie has a rolo in the middle of it! Melted and oozing! Can't really beat that...

1/4 cup walnuts, toasted, chopped finely

80g butter

150g dark eating chocolate, chopped

1 egg, beaten lightly

1/3 cup plain flour

1/4 sour cream

3 x 50g packets Rolos

Preheat oven to moderate. Lighly greast two non stick 12 hole mini muffin trays, divide walnuts between holes.

Melt butter and chocolate in a medium saucepan, stir over low heat, without boiling until mixture is smooth. Cool to just warm.

Stir sugar and egg into mixture, then the sifted flour and cream; spoon mixture into prepared pan. Press one Rolo into the centre of each quantity of mixture. Spread mixture so that the Rolo is completely enclosed.

Bake in a moderate oven for about fifteen minutes. Using a sharp pointed knife, loosen the sides of the brownies from pan, stand for ten minutes. Remove brownies gently from pan.

Makes 24. These treats are best served while warm!

Stuffed Chicken

2007-07-30T20:04:00.000+10:00

Due to this low carb diet I am on, I am very limited in what i can eat. But I really felt like something yummy for dinner. Marika suggested stuffing a chicken breast with some goodies. After much deliberation it was decided that I would stuff it with Camembert and Pesto! And then wrap it in Prosciutto! Three of my favourite things! God Bless This Diet!

The prosciutto works well at keeping the cheese and pesto inside the chicken. I was very ameteur at my cutting technique as I slit right thru to the bottom of the chicken breast so all the pesto was oozing out, but the prosciutto saved the day and kept it all inside. It was a delicious meal that was relatively simple!

2 chicken breasts

2 tbsp good quality pesto

4 slices (1cm wide) good quality camembert

10 slices thin prosciutto

Knob of butter

Tablespoon olive oil

(Serves 2)

Preheat oven to 200C.

Slice the chicken breast through the centre horizontally. Not completely end to end. Leave about an inch uncut at either end. Marika taught me the trick that if you put the chicken breasts in the freezer for about half an hour before preparing, it is easier to cut and get it right.

Place the pesto and the camembert inside the pocket. Push closed as tighly as you can and wrap 5 strips of prosciutto around each chicken breast, making sure all gaps where cheese or pesto my dribble out are covered.

Melt olive oil and butter in a frying pan. Sear each side of the chicken breast until browned and then place in an oven at 200C for approximately 45 mins. Serve with your favourite vegetables.
E.

First Daring Baker’s Challenge – The Strawberry Mirror Cake

2007-07-30T08:41:00.000+10:00

My major motivation to start this blog was because I saw all these wonderful posts of the Dark Chocolate Crepe Cake. I eventually worked out that this was because of a group called the Daring Bakers.

As mentioned in our first post, I talked Liz into creating and adding to BakerCurryMaker when she was visiting me in Sydney recently.

And so we were invited to join the Daring Bakers, and were given our first challenge, the July challenge of The Strawberry Mirror Cake.

Leading up to receiving the challenge, I was terrified. I am not an expert baker and often mess up the easiest recipes.

When we first received the challenge, I thought it wasn’t too bad. However, once I read the recipe I was worried again. I think I read the recipe 10 times with about a 20 questions and assurance from my whizz of a baking partner Liz, and I started to feel a little better.

I went through the recipe meticulously working out what ingredients and equipment I would need. I had to buy several additions to my kitchen, but hey, it’s all in the name of … Um whatever this is all in the name of!

And so, I started one Saturday morning on the arduous task of making the most complicated cake I have ever made.

Ingredients:

Strawberry Mirror Cake

3 eggs

3 egg yolks

¾ cup (170 grams) sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 egg whites

1/8 tsp cream of tartar

2 tbsp sugar

1/3 cup sifted flour

½ cup water

1/3 cups sugar

2 tbsp kirsch or strawberry liqueur

Strawberry Bavarian Cream
2 ½ tbsp unflavoured gelatine

1 ½ cups strained strawberry puree (500 grams)

5 egg yolks

2/3 cup sugar

1 ½ cups milk

1 tbsp lemon juice

several drops of red food colouring

1 ¾ cups whipping cream

Strawberry Mirror

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tbsp kirsch

1 tbsp water

1 tbsp unflavoured gelatine

Few drops of red food colouring

Strawberry Juice

1 ½ pints of strawberries (500 grams)

¾ cup sugar

¾ cup water

Preheat oven to 230C.

Butter and flour the sides of an 11-by-17 rimmed baking sheet. Line bottom of pan with a sheet of baking paper cut to fit bottom pan exactly.

Beat eggs, egg yolks and ¾ cup sugar together in a medium bowl until thick and light. Beat in the vanilla.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy, add cream of tartar and beat until whites begin to form peaks. Add the 2 tbsp sugar and beat until the whites hold stiff, glossy peaks (do not over beat).
Sift flour over the egg yolk mixture and fold in. Stir in one fourth of the whites. Then carefully fold in the remaining whites. Spread batter evenly in pan.

Now at this stage, I’m feeling good, I might actually say I’m feeling a little cocky. I had bought a new jelly roll tin with the exact measurements and I was bopping along to Amy Winehouse when the bubble was burst. The damn tray didn’t fit into my oven, as it had fancy handles. Those damn handles ruined me. But, I took a deep breath and transferred my beautifully fluffy mixture to another tray (defeated the whole purpose of folding things together etc, but it turned out ok).

Bake until light brown and springy to touch - approximately 7 to 10 minutes and cool in pan 5 minutes. Run a knife along edge to loosen. Invert cake tin to cut out 8 ¼ inch circles of cake.

Next, make the soaking syrup. Combine water and the 1/3 cup sugar in saucepan; bring to a boil to dissolve sugar. Cool to room temperature; flavour with liqueur. Set aside until ready to use.

Next came the Bavarian cream.

Puree the strawberries and strain.

Sprinkle the gelatine over the strawberry puree in a small bowl and set aside until spongy.

Combine egg yolks and sugar in a bowl beat until light. Bring milk to a boil in sauce pan. Pour hot milk into yolk mixture and stir with a wooden spoon. Return this mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until your finger leaves a clear trail in sauce when drawn across the back of the spoon. (Do not boil or mixture will curdle.) Immediately remove from heat and stir in softened gelatine mixture.

Pour into a stainless steel bowl places over a bowl of ice water. Stir in lemon juice and a few drops of red food colouring. Cool over ice water, stirring occasionally, until mixture thickens to the consistency of softly whipped cream.
While gelatine mixture is cooling, whip the whipping cream until it holds soft peaks. When the gelatine mixture resembles softly whipped cream, fold the whipped cream into the gelatine mixture.

This is where I think I messed up. I forgot about the cream. I was watching the gelatine mixture so carefully I forgot to whip the cream. Unfortunately in the time it took to whip the cream, I think the gelatine set too much, as the mixture was lumpy.

My spirits were down. I knew I’d mess it up. Liz was lovely via text message (who knows what the poor girl was doing with her Saturday morning, but her phone would have been beeping like mad!) and I tried to convince myself it’d be ok.

And so, I started to assemble the cake. After searching high and low for cardboard and making the correct size circles I continued. Brush the sides of 10-inch spring form pan lightly with flavourless salad oil or almond oil. Cut out a cardboard circle that is exactly the same size as the bottom inside of the pan; cover cardboard with aluminium foil and fit into bottom of pan. Centre one layer of the cake bottom of pan. Brush the cake with some of the soaking syrup to just moisten (not drench) the cake; set aside.

Pour about half of the Bavarian Cream over the first layer of cake in the pan. Set the next layer of cake on top of the cream. Pour remaining Bavarian Cream over cake and smooth top of the cream with spatula. Refrigerate until the cream sets (1 to 2 hours).

I had friends over for dinner so here is where the photos really slowed down. My confidence was low and I went on and made everything else for dinner (roast chicken with all the trimmings – ye, I don’t know what I was thinking either).

Next, came the strawberry juice.

Coarsely chop the strawberries and place in saucepan; crush to start juices flowing. Place over low heat; add sugar and water; simmer slowly 10 minutes. Pour juice and pulp through damp jelly bag or cheesecloth-lined colander and drain into a bowl for 15 minutes (Do not press down on fruit).
And finally for the mirror. This part went smoothly (and looked great on mine). I know a few others had difficulty, so I am sorry to say, but I am glad one part went smoothly for me. (Maybe it was the wine)?

Place lemon juice, kirsch, and water in a small bowl. Sprinkle gelatine over this mixture; set aside until spongy and soft.

Measure 1 ½ cups Strawberry juice into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer; pour over gelatine mixture and stir to dissolve gelatine. Tint to desired colour with red food colouring.

Place bowl over bowl of ice water and stir occasionally until the mixture is syrupy and just beings to thicken (do not let jell); remove from ice water.

When mixture is syrupy, pour a 1/16-inch layer over the top of cake.

Refrigerate until set.

(To serve: Wrap a hot towel around the outside of spring form pan for a few minutes. Run a small sharp knife tip around the edge of the Strawberry Mirror to separate it form the sides of pan. Mirror will tear when sides are unlatched if it is stuck at ANY point. Slowly unlatch the pan and slide it off the cake.)

Slice cake in wedges and serve in upright slices.

Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies

2007-07-26T19:41:00.000+10:00

Another recipe taken from a fellow blog. I saw the name and I was sold. I decided to use large chunks of chocolate. You can buy Plastowie chocolate in a box that is already broken up. The pieces are quite large. The recipe I took this from appeared to use small chocolate chips but I thought, why not go the whole hog and make it really ooze and drip with chocolate... and my word they do!

Once again I am unable to say what they taste like due to this diet. Dang! But the boyf ate 4 in a row if thats anything to go by. Ive also sent a batch with him to his brother's house and I think I can safely assume the plate will come home licked clean...

I think these and a huge glass of cold milk would be slice of heaven...

1 cup butter, soft
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup (unsweetened) cocoa powder
2 cups dark or semisweet chocolate chunks

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla and mix until smooth.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder. Working with the mixer on a low speed, gradually incorporate flour mixture into butter mixture until well combined and no streaks of flour remain.

Stir in chocolate chunks. Drop rounded tablespoons of dough (approx 1″ balls) onto trays lined with baking paper. Bake for 11 minutes at 180C, until set and just firm at the edges. Cookies should still appear moist. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 4-5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

E.

Mrs Sigg's Snickerdoodles

2007-07-26T19:14:00.000+10:00

I found this recipe on a fellow bloggers page, described as Quite Possibly the Best Cookies I Have Ever Made! and so they had me from hello...

I had never heard of Snickerdoodles, but since browsing other blogs, everyone seems to be making them! They must be very American..

So I made these lovely cookies and I found that they needed much longer than the 8-10 mins instructed in the recipe... Mine were still goop after 10 mins, so in the end they were in for almost half an hour.... Please enlighten me as to what I have done wrong if anyone can...

In the end they turned out fine.... I think..... They dont look anything like the Snickerdoodles on anyone elses blog, mine seem more rounded, less cracked and definately a darker colour cinnamon... And as I'm on this darn low carb diet, I am unable to try them. So I asked my boyfriend, my boss and my best mate in Queensland (sent her a little surprise package express post!). And the reviews were fantastic. Catherine used the word PERFECT! So I guess I'll be doing them again when I'm off this diet and seeing for myself...

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 200 degrees C).

Cream together butter, shortening, 1 1/2 cups sugar, the eggs and the vanilla. Blend in the flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt. Shape dough by rounded spoonfuls into balls.

Mix the 2 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon. Roll balls of dough in mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until set but not too hard. Remove immediately from baking sheets.

Salmon & Chive Mini Quiche

2007-07-21T18:30:00.000+10:00

I also made these little nuggets for my mum's do. She lives for salmon so I though'd I'd make these salmon ones for her. And with the chives and lemon and dill, mmmm! She is very happy with her plates of food she is taking along! And in the end she decided to take my Matchsticks too!

1 tbs chopped dill
2 tbs lemon juice

1 cup chopped chives

125g chopped smoked salmon

4 eggs

1 cup cream

1 cup grated mild cheese

Preheat oven to 180C and grease well your mini muffin tray.

Whisk the eggs, cream, cheese and lemon juice together and add the rest of the ingredients.

Place in mini muffin trays and bake in the oven for around 10 minutes until they are golden.

Mini Quiche Lorraine

2007-07-21T15:36:00.000+10:00

I arrived at my mum and dads to do some packing as I'm finally moving out of the nest, and instead of boxes waiting for me, I had a cook book thrust at me... "I'm going to a function at some footy club tonight and everyone has to bring a plate. Please will you cook me something...?"

So I sat and went through mum's cook book and found these little dynamites! Now, I'm currently on a diet where I can't eat carbs or sugar and it is quite hard to find a recipe that I can eat! But I can eat these by the bucket load! They are so yummy and a breeze to prepare!

4 eggs
1 cup cream
sea salt and cracked pepper
1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
250g diced bacon
2 medium onions, chopped
sliced cherry tomatoes to decorate

Preheat oven to 180C.

Fry off the onion on a pan until cooked. Fry off bacon until cooked to your liking.

Place the eggs, cream, salt, pepper and parmesan in a bowl and whisk to combine. Stri through the bacon and onion. Pour the mixture into a mini muffin tray that has been well greased.

Bake for ten minutes or until puffed and golden. Makes 24. E.

Matchsticks

2007-07-21T14:34:00.000+10:00

Marika, who I work with, is often asked to please please please make these for fellow workers and their families! And so I am often blessed that I get to try one or two of them! I have always loved Matchsticks. Balfours have always done my favourite ones. So I decided to make these today. I made them at my parent's house and they were all too pleased to take them off my hands! Mum, who will always buy a Matchstick if she comes across one, said these are the best Matchsticks she has ever had!!! Very light and fluffy. Melt in your mouth!

2 sheets frozen puff pastry, slightly thawed
1 jar good quality strawberry jam
1 tub cream, whipped
2 tbsp icing sugar to add to whipped cream
1 tbsp icing sugar to decorate

Preheat the oven to 200C and line a few baking trays with baking paper.

Cut the puff pastry into small rectangles and place in the oven until puffy and golden.

Remove from the oven and cut in half horizontally.

Spoon strawberry jam onto the bottom of each pastry.

Whip the cream with the icing sugar and pipe a line down each pastry on top of the jam.

Replace the lids and dust with icing sugar.E.

Malteser Slice

2007-07-21T14:18:00.000+10:00

I found this recipe online and so many different sites featured it and HIGHLY reccommended it! The thing I love about a slice is that it can take as little as two minutes to make, but they create so much happiness! I havent had one of these as I'm currently on a diet :-( but I was told they are "delectable" by my boyfriend...

225g Maltesers
225g Digestives, finely crushed
3 tablespoons Golden Syrup
100g butter
200g good quality cooking milk chocolate

Line the base of a tray and preheat the oven to 180C.

Melt the butter, golden syrup and chocolate together. (In the microwave will do, 3 minutes on medium, stirring every minute). Stir it together well and quickly add the maltesers and the biscuits. Place in fridge until set. Cut into squares.

Peanut Butter Slice

2007-07-18T21:39:00.000+10:00

You'll always get my attention if you mention peanut butter! I love it on toast with lashings of butter and an icy cold glass of milk; and I love it even more in a cake, slice, friand, muffin, ball, truffle..... you get the idea!

So when I found this recipe online I couldn't resist making it! The top layer of peanut butter, condensed milk and golden syrup tasted almost too good to put on a slice! All I needed was a big spoon and about ten minutes and I'd be happier than a pig in... well, peanut butter!

The top pastry layer ends up very biscuity and crunchy while the inside is pure bliss...

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 egg

375g jar Crunchy Peanut Butter

2 cups plain flour

2 Tbsp golden syrup

200g softened butter

1 cup sugar

1 can sweetened condensed milk

Beat the butter and sugar together until the mixture is pale in colour and light in texture.

Add the egg and beat well.

Sift in the flour and baking powder and mix to form a soft dough.

Press 3/4's of the dough onto the base of a baking paper-lined 20cm x 30cm slice tin.

In a saucepan warm the condensed milk and golden syrup. Stir in the Peanut Butter. Spread evenly over the base of the slice.

Dot the remaining dough over the top of the peanut layer.

Bake at 180C for 30-35 minutes until the slice is golden.

Cool in the tin before cutting into slices to serve. Keep in an airtight container.

Blue Vein Agnolotti

2007-07-18T21:14:00.000+10:00

This is another fabulous dish Sathya kindly bought home with her when she moved back to Australia, after many years living in the UK. I am a huge, to say the least, fan of blue vein cheese. Blue vein is one of the main foods I crave. So when Sathya presented me with this dish, I could have kissed her! It is so simple, but so full of flavour! Perfect for a winters night at home, snuggling on the couch in front of the telly.

1 tbs olive oil

1 onion, chopped

3 tins chopped tomato

1 packet Agnolotti pasta, (I use spinach & ricotta) or your favourite pasta

175g blue vein cheese

175g bacon, chopped and fried

Parmesan to top

In a saucepan, fry off onion until transparent. Add the tinned tomatoes and simmer for a good forty minutes to cook away the main liquid and leave you with a chunky tomato sauce.

When the sauce is almost ready, cook the pasta. Meanwhile, chop and fry the bacon in a fry pan. Chop the blue vein cheese into 1cm blocks.

Once pasta is cooked, drain and return to the pot. Add the tomato sauce and the blue vein cheese. Mix and allow the blue vein to begin to melt through the pasta.

Serve and top with the bacon and parmesan cheese.

I'm placing this pasta on a fellow bloggers page, for THE PRESTO PASTA NIGHT ROUNDUPS.

Once Upon A Feast is one of my personal favourite blogs and she has wisely begun collating fabulous pasta dishes, and I believe this one is a great contendor!

You can see it all for yourself at http://www.onceuponafeast.blogspot.com/ and find many other delightful recipes! Pasta and otherwise...