Happy Australia Day!

January 26th, 2012 § 0 comments § permalink

Well! The sun came out at last – or at least the rain stopped – and the cicadas are busy loudly reminding us that it is actually summer….

We gave up on heading out earlier in the day so C decided she wanted to make lamingtons. I’ve never made them before because I tasted them once as a child and didn’t like them and have never revisted the experience. Seeing the scary plastic sponge versions in the supermarket over the years certainly sealed my disinterest! But how could I deny a bored 10 year old to experience a lamington for herself!

SO which recipe..? There are millions out there and they vary so much. In the end it was an easy decision  - Margaret Fulton of course! An Aussie icon herself.

I can’t say we did her proud…. Our Genoise sponge was heavy but nothing a load of chocolate and coconut couldn’t fix. They were delicious….Still not really my thing but nonetheless I think we will enjoy them while we watch the tennis tonight…. a very Australian thing to do!

Margaret Fultons Basic Genoise Cake (Encyclopedia of Food and Cookery. )

If you don’t have this book yet – buy it. It will be on your shelf forever

  • 4 eggs
  • 1/2 cup caster sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup flour
  • 60g butter, melted and cooled
Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Line a small lamington tray with baking paper.
Put eggs, sugar and vanilla in a heatproof bowl on a pan of water over a gentle heat. Whisk until pale lemon-coloured, thick and doubled in bulk – around 7 minutes. Remove bowl from heat and beat for a further 3-4 minutes or until cool and very thick (I think this is where we went wrong and may have beaten for too long). Fold in flour, then butter and turn as lightly and gently as possible. Pour batter into the lined tin. Cook for 20-30 minutes but check every 10 mins. The cake is cooked when when it springs back when pressed gently. Cool completely on a wire rack.
The Lamington Part….
2 cups dessicated coconut (although we used shredded)
3 cups icing sugar (wow…. i guess it is a special day)
1/3 cup best quality cocoa
1/2 cup boiling water
teaspoon vanilla
Scatter the coconut onto a piece of baking paper. Sift the icing sugar and cocoa into a heat proof bowl and add the boiling water and vanilla. At this stage Margaret got a bit complicated putting the icing over a double boiler but we just skipped that step and mixed it well until smooth and went straight to the dipping and rolling in the coconut stage – the most fun of course! Place the lamingtons onto a wire rack to let the icing set a little. Oh the mess…..
Margaret says the recipe makes 24…. sorry Margaret, but we only managed to make 10 very thin lamingtons – so thin we sandwiched them together with the chocolate.

 

an australia day breakfast…? hmm well sort of!

January 26th, 2012 § 0 comments § permalink

Given it is Australia Day I should really be featuring a very different sort of breakfast recipe – maybe something with icy cold mangoes on the back deck! But since this weather is so  so very Un-Australian and dreary, this flavour packed dish is just the thing.

Think we will spend the day labelling new pencils and baking freezer friendly goodies for school next week …..

Actually if you have the ingredients on hand this breakfast would be a perfect back-to-school protein hit to help them [and you]  get through the exhausting first week. Just throw in the oven and run off to find the socks, bags, hair ties etc! It will be ready when they are dressed and at the table! Or even put a big wedge in the lunch box or cook it up for a delicious simple mid-week dinner…..oh and please excuse the super quick snap shot… the hungry beasts were descending.

One Pan Baked Eggs and Chorizo with Mushrooms and Tomatoes.

  • organic eggs 1-2 per person and 1 for the pan
  • sliced handmade chorizo: 1/2 sausage per person
  • finely sliced mushrooms: handful per person
  • tomatoes, sliced: 1 per person
  • 1/2 bunch fresh basil
  • Cooks Larder tomato relish to serve….
  • Rocket
Preheat Oven to 200 degrees.
In the bottom of greased heavy oven proof frypan or enamel dish, spread the finely sliced mushrooms evenly then top with the tomatoes. Drizzle with a little olive oil. Then make a little space among the tomatoes and mushroom for  the eggs to sit in. Top with the sliced chorizo. Season with salt and pepper. Bake till egg whites are firm. Cooking time depends entirely on the size. Serve with torn basil and rocket and a spoonful of tomato relish – and maybe some toasted sourdough if so inclined…..
Tips to speed it along a little….
While you are slicing the mushrooms, chorizo, herbs and tomatoes, place the dish/pan you intend to use into the oven to heat up- this will help get things baking away quicker. Room temperature eggs will also help.
Use ramekins to make individual baked eggs – quicker.
If you don’t have time in the morning to pull it together maybe prep it all the night before….then pop into the oven when you wake up.

 

 

Carrot Salad

January 23rd, 2012 § 0 comments § permalink

Over summer I certainly eat loads of salads but sometimes I feel not enough vegetables. Luckily I have a friend who always has a good recipe up her sleeve and I love to steal them and this dish satisfies the need for salad and vegetables! Her area of expertise is most certainly ‘clean’ food and this salad is no exception. I served it with a home made tzataki and a bbq’d steak. Good food.

Carrot Salad – Tastier than you’d Imagine!

Ingredients:

Amounts are only a guide, depending of course on the amount of carrot so just add to taste…..and then mix all together. I remember my friend saying the recipe she used for this salad said to leave it sit for a while with enormous amounts of olive oil… be generous but neither of us felt enormous amounts were needed.

  • small pinch dried mint
  • pinch dried chilli
  • teaspoon cumin
  • teaspoon coriander ground
  • coriander fresh – one bunch chopped, stems and all
  • pinch galangal, ground (no problem if you don’t have any – i just happened to find some in the cupboard)
  • ginger, ground – tiny amound. Fresh would be great also
  • carrots – grated. They can be finely grated via a food processor (super quick if you are making a big batch) or by hand with the trusty old fashioned grater. Use best quality organic carrots as they are the star of this dish!
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil – more than you think!
  • 2 or more lemons – juiced and a little zest too.
  • salt and pepper

I imagine roasted almonds or cashews would be delish in this salad too…..a perfect filling lunch

…and there was one little tomato, hanging on the vine

January 14th, 2012 § 2 comments § permalink

This time last year I had soooo many tomatoes…. this year I have only managed to grow about a dozen of these tiny little guys. The heat, the rain, the storms…. ahh the trials of trying to grow at least some of your own vege!! Never mind I sliced them up and popped them in a salad and they were delicious little delicacies!!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year – belated!!

January 13th, 2012 § 2 comments § permalink

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I have been a little absent lately –  certainly blogging a little less frequently than this time last year. Every new blogger sets off at such a mad pace, flush with a million ideas. But I’m here for the long run and have tempered my enthusiasm to a more reasonable pace….

We had an wonderful Christmas Day with as much food as usual BUT at least this year we shared our special day with good friends – and there was still mountains of left-overs. Never mind there was no need to cook for days – fine by me since the weather was so good eating left overs meant we could stay later at the beach!

This year’s tree was voted the most beautiful tree  - ever! So beautiful we didn’t want to decorate it! We would have liked to plant it literally in the middle of the loungeroom! But we pushed it back into the corner so it didn’t block the traffic flow in our tiny house and filled it with decorations a few days later. I had a few extras of the recycle paper ornaments that I made for the store so this became our theme. Normally we throw absolutely everything on the tree with complete disregard for style – but this year we showed restraint and respect for its natural beauty…

I actually love the run up to Christmas – seeing the lights go up around the streets and cars on the road with trees on the roof. It is exhausting, especially when combined with a huge workload at the store. But I’m always a little sad when it is all over. The part I can’t stand is the pack up – rolling up the lights, packing up the decorations and horrors of horrors – tossing the once adored tree over the balcony (because  if saw our steps you’d understand it is easier than carrying out).

New Years was spent on the beach just like last year – a big bowl of prawns, Bollinger and more good friends. Doesn’t get any better!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year too.  Below are a few snaps of our day.. not many – i was too busy chatting. The menu is quite similar to last year – as Christmas approached my brain went dead! I figure Christmas is the one meal you can repeat and get away with calling it a tradition…

I know 2012 is going to be a good year… I can feel it in my bones! See you soon with loads of new recipes…..

This decoration made it onto the tree this year...8 years old now! I don't think I will ever forget the mess after dipping the hands of a two year old and 4 year old into gold paint.

 

Nothing beats present time. Even Gus is right into it. His presents hung for two weeks above his bed in a stocking than Camryn made last year for him - decorated with bones of course!

First present unwrapped - a justin beaver toy - just what he always wanted!

 

unwrapping is clearly hard work... such a worry!

A Christmas bear... both of these toys are no longer with us... the garden is full of stuffing and justin beaver is a meer shell of his former self. Christmas bear has not been seen for days.

The Christmas tree might have been a little more reserved than usual but the Ginger bread house got the full treatment.

There was lots of icing... so we had to bake more gingerbread - of course!

summer raspberries

December 18th, 2011 § 7 comments § permalink

I have been wanting to share this recipe with you forever but the weird onset of winterish weather in summer made it seem out of season! But despite the up and down weather raspberries are making very regular appearances in the markets and at good prices too! So tuck this recipe somewhere safe till you can find some perfect little berries and the weather to match….perfect light sweetness…

Raspberry Marshmallows

(a recipe adapted from James Martin – Desserts)

Make them with or without raspberries or even dipped in chocolate. Add a few drops of food colouring if you want to…hmm imagine delicate rainbow coloured marshmallows! And as James says, “once you make marshmallows for the first time you will never buy them again.” It is worth investing a the small amount in a good sugar thermometer if you dont have one…You will also need a 20×30 shallow baking tray and a metal jug – dont risk glass – the last thing you need is shattered glass with hot sugar syrup  - nasty! You will be asked to make marshmallows over and over so these 3 items are a worthwhile  purchase…all 3 can be found at Chefs Warehouse if you are in Sydney.

Makes 450g

  • 455g caster sugar
  • 1 tablespoon liquid glucose
  • 9 sheets gelatine (we sell silver grade at the store and this works perfectly)
  • 2 egg whites
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla
  • spray oil for greasing
  • 125 fresh raspberries
  • icing sugar for dusting
  • cornflour for dusting

Soak the gelatine sheets in 140ml cold water. Beat the egg whites in an electric mixer till stiff.

Place sugar, glucose and 200ml water in a heavy saucepan. Bring to boil and continue cooking until it reaches 127C on the thermometre. Watch this the whole time – this is not the time for distractions! When the syrup reaches temperature, carefully slide in the gelatine sheets and their soaking water. The syrup will bubble up so take care not to burn yourself! Then pour the syrup into a metal jug.

Continue beating egg whites while pouring in the syrup from the jug. The mixture will become shiny and thicker. Add the vanilla and continue whisking for  5-10 minutes until stiff and thick enough to hold is shape on the whisk.

Lightly spray oil the shallow 30-20cm baking tray. Dust it generously with an equal mix of icing sugar and cornflour. Gently spoon over 1/2 of the mix and smooth with a wet palette knife or back of a large spoon.

Scatter the raspberries over the marshmallow the top with the remaining mix. Smooth again and let set in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

 

Dust a clean work bench or very large wooden board with more of the cornflour and icing sugar mix. Using a knife loosen the edges of the marshmallow away from the tray then turn out on the dusted surface. Cut into squares and roll each edge in the sugar/cornflour. Leave to dry on a rack for a little while before packing into an air tight container – if they make it that far!

 

Tis the season…..to get crafty

November 26th, 2011 § 0 comments § permalink

The shelves are full of chocolates, puddings and the turkey orders are flowing in. But what I really love is an excuse to get crafty and of course Christmas is just the most perfect excuse to get excited with paper and glue and make decorations for the store. Last year I hung hundreds of paper snowflake cut outs from the roof and this year the paper theme continues with these little folded paper decorations big and small – recycled paper was the best eco and reccession appropriate material! Lucky for me the lovely Helene dropped by with her mum so I had extra folding hands! With pots of peppermint tea it was crafty way to spend a wet day. The decorating Christmas elves will be in store over the next day or so pop in soon to see the full effect…

Mulberry Memories

October 29th, 2011 § 0 comments § permalink

I have the best memories of picking mulberries as a kid… climbing on wide branches up into the cool leafy canopy with friends … picking berries till our fingers and mouths turned purple. These simple memories are entwined with those of  long summer days running around the streets until dark – as kids were expected to do back then!

On their way home from school the other day my kids found their own mulberry tree … or at least some branches hanging over the fence so fair game! Though it is shame they can’t climb it….

There are so many ways to cook and serve mulberries – a classic crumble is probably at the top of my list…although nothing beats mulberries straight from the tree, warmed by the sun! Do you have summer mulberry memories or an amazing mulberry recipe?

 

What a Night!

October 28th, 2011 § 3 comments § permalink

Those of us at The Cooks Larder last night for the Land of Milk and Honey Those of us at The Cooks Larder last night for the Land of Milk and Honey
Dinner shared a very special event.

When you combine the passions of two incredible producers like Tim (Malfroys Gold) and Justin (Bangalow Cheese) you know you are in for some amazing stories and some spectacular produce. And when you give produce like to this a talented chef you know you are in for an amazing meal. Cooks Larder Head Chef, Dan Bell really made the produce shine – the food was sublime – happy folk all round…

We started with good old bread and butter – cultured butter from Bangalow Cheese Co and Brasserie’s New York Rye

Under the banner of green and sustainable Tim blew our minds with stories about the life of bee’s, honey production and ethical honey collection… This man knows his stuff and can present highly technical information in the most entertaining facscinating way. Justin inspired us with stories of lush northern pastures and the small herd cows that produce amazing milk for his cheeses. For such a young cheese company Justin has got sooo much right – a testiment to his dedication and skill. Both producers spoke of the difficulties of making quality produce in a sustainable way – balancing environmental and economical concerns.

Here is the menu Dan created for the evening…..

Tea smoked, honey glazed trout with new season asparagus and watercress with creme fraiche (Dan used Malfroy’s Gold stringy bark honey and Bangalow Creme Fraiche)

Buttermilk braised Berkshire pork shoulder with fresh thyme gnocchi (Dan braised the pork for 6 hours in Bangalow’s real buttermilk then made a reduction sauce with the braising liquid. He also used Bangalow’s delicious St Helena cheese in the gnocchi – a perfect alternative for parmesan)

Salad leaves with crisp pear and honey viniagrette (Malfroy’s Gold of course)

 

 

The cheese boards included Bangalow’s Byron Blue; Tintenbar triple cream and Nashua Wash rind. The cheeses were served with new season figs, spoonfuls of luscious soft set honey and wild fresh honeycomb (Tim had plucked the first frame from his Warre hives on the way down the mountain – I doubt that anyone has ever tasted honeycomb like this – so delicate and full of honey it literally exploded then melted in your mouth!)


For dessert Dan created the most delicate Lavender icecream with rhubarb and strawberry jelly and Yellow Man toffee – which is much like honeycomb only made with real honey – Malfroy of course! On each plate sat a few pretty flowers grown by June at Petite Bouche (the new bigger and even better version June’s Salad Farm).

Am I gushing – oh yeah, I most certainly am…. no appologies! We are lucky to have people like Justin and Tim who put all the challenges aside to produce such high quality food with such enormous passion and of course lucky to have chefs like Dan Bell who know just what to do with it. When we support these small producers we not only support sustainability and ethical food production, we also support passionate people to continue doing what they do so well….

I only wish I’d had the time to take more images rather than snaps on the run I missed so many amazing things like the honeycomb frame and the pretty dessert … nevermind – we will do it all again!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Land of Milk and Honey…International Food Festival Dinner

October 21st, 2011 § 0 comments § permalink

 

Calm before the store!

Its been almost a year since our last Meet the Producer dinner! Remember it here….I was so tempted to run for the hills and become a beekeeper …

This year we are so pleased have our favourite bee keeper ,Tim from Malfroys Gold returning. He will be joined by cheesemaker, Justin Telfor from the Bangalow Cheese Company. You will get to meet and hear the stories from 2 amazing award winning young producers. You will experience a wonderful 4 course menu showcasing their incredible produce, learn all about the fascinating world of honey and cheese making and hear how these inspiring small businesses maintain sustainable practices in a challenging environment. View the menu  here …$110 Thursday 27th October. 6.30pm. A shared table byo event.To book, phone the store 99734370  or send an email with your details: mail@thecookslarder.com.au.

caramel love

September 17th, 2011 § 0 comments § permalink

Miss C. had a great idea for fathers day this year – she want to make her Dad a jar of caramels and write a note on each one. Sweeeet idea! So as usual whenever we need a sweet treat we head to David Lebovitz. This recipe was perfect. We used some beautiful hand churned salted butter so we didn’t need to add any extra salt. The silicon mould was the best thing to use – sprayed lightly with canola oil we had no sticking issues at all. A good investment. As is a good quality candy thermometer – we got both from Chefs Warehouse. Nanna has ordered a batch of caramels for her birthday next month….

Salted Caramels by David Lebovitz

Visit David’s site here to view the full recipe with photos of the whole process

  • 3/4 cup (180 ml) heavy cream
  • 1 vanilla bean
  • 1/2 teaspoon + 1/4 teaspoon flaky sea salt, preferably fleur de sel
  • 1/2 cup (160 g)  golden syrup (such as Lyle’s)
  • 1 cup (200 g) sugar
  • 4 tablespoons (60 g), total, salted butter, cubed, at room temperature

1. Line a 9-inch (23 cm) loaf pan with foil and spray the inside with cooking spray.

2. Heat the cream with 2 tablespoons of the butter in a small saucepan with the vanilla pod  (split and seeds scraped) and 1/2 teaspoon sea salt until the mixture begins to boil. Remove from heat, cover, and keep warm while you cook the syrup.

3. In a medium, heavy duty saucepan  (4l), fitted with a candy thermometer, heat the  golden syrup with the sugar, and cook, stirring gently, to make sure the sugar melts smoothly. Once the mixture is melted together and the sugar is evenly moistened, only stir is as necessary to keep it from getting any hot spots.

4. Cook until the syrup reaches 155ºC. To get an accurate reading while the syrup is cooking, tilt the saucepan to make sure the bulb of the thermometer is fully submerged in the syrup, tilting the pan if necessary.

5. Turn off the heat and stir in the warm cream mixture, until smooth.

6. Turn the heat back on and cook the mixture to 127C.

7. Remove the pan from the heat, lift out the thermometer, and stir in the cubes of butter, until it’s melted and the mixture smooth.

8. Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf pan and wait ten minutes, then sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon of the sea salt over the top. Set on a cool rack and let cool completely. Once cool, lift out the foil with the caramel, peel away the foil, and slice the bar of caramel with a long, sharp knife into squares or rectangles. Storage: These caramels can be individually-wrapped in cellophane or waxed paper. Once cut, they may stick together if not wrapped.

David says that stored in an air-tight container they’ll keep for about one month…. ha! Not in our house! Visit David’s site here to view the full recipe with photos of the whole process

Spring Fete!

September 12th, 2011 § 2 comments § permalink

It was a perfect Spring day on Sunday for the Avalon Public School Fete and the crowds came out to celebrate!

The Cooks Larder was very happy to sponsor the baking competition (after all we do love cake) and we were definitely happy to be part of the judging panel. What a good job! We tasted and tasted till all the prizes were awarded for the three age groups (infants, primary and open) in the 4 categories (best chocolate cake, best slice, best decorated and best cake). With all of the icing, glitter and sprinkles the sugar high certainly kicked in after half an hour or so!

The puppies waited patiently….

Not a fete without fairy floss!

Some of the Best Decorated entrants

Even the boxes were amazing

Some of the Best Slice entrants

Some of the Best Cake entries….

And of course no cake competition would be complete without a Best Tasting Chocolate category (psst – just dont mention the allegedly likely tow win totally amazing chocolate cake that ended up on the ‘for sale’ table – and sold – before being judged! Still every competition needs an upset, drama or controversy!)

This one from a young entrant was renamed a chocolate pancake! Thats the spirit and the best thing was it tasted great!

Let the judging begin…

A great day!!

Shanks For Your Patience!

August 31st, 2011 § 1 comment § permalink

I have been cooking and my family have been eating – I promise. Ever since I went away for 5 days into the outback a few weeks back, with no phones and no internet, I have rarely been on the computer…  even my digital camera has been feeling negelected.

It was an amazing few days… absolutely awesome inspiring and I felt as if I had been gone for months. I was with a very small group of extremely talented film photographers for a special workshop. We stayed in the old shearers quarters on Carisbrooke Station about 80kms south west of Winton (or about 700kms west of Townsville). Dry. Red. Hot. Dusty. Incredible. I learnt so much but in truth, I learned even more about how much I don’t know. And so I have been studying since the moment I returned. My brain is challenged and I’m loving it!!

Meanwhile here is one dish I worked on for our recent Shank and Shoulder Class at The Cooks Larder. This was a follow up class to our Belly and Hock Pork masterclass. It’s been a great series. Such good food.

Lamb is rich and this light braise makes a refreshing change from the classic heavy spiced, tomato, red wine based braises – especially as Spring approaches. Make double of this mix because once the meat has fallen from the bone it makes a fantastic pie!

White Wine and Fennel Braised Lamb Shanks.

You can use lamb shoulder for this recipe with equally good results – just different presentation. You will need around 1.8 kg of shoulder and dice into 4-5 pieces or even leave whole as it will fall apart and melt in your mouth when it is cooked!

Serves 8 (or 4 with plenty left over for pies!)

  • 8 lamb shanks
  • 2.5 cups verjuice (or use white wine  as it is much cheaper. Also consider vermouth, verjuice or a combination)
  • 4 brown onions
  • ¾ bunch of celery
  • 4 medium sized fennel (or equivalent), tops reserved
  • 6 cloves garlic
  • Light chicken stock – around 500ml
  • Zest of 2 lemons, juice of one
  • 4 fresh bay leaves (make an effort to get fresh ones the flavour is so much more fragrant)
  • 1 cup flour very well seasoned with salt and pepper
  • Olive oil

Preheat oven to 200 degrees

Dust the lamb shanks in the seasoned flour (omit this step if there is a wheat or gluten allergy in the family).

Finely chop the onion and the celery. Finely slice the garlic. Trim the fennel tops and cut into quarters.

In a large heavy stove top and oven proof dish heat a good splosh of olive oil.

Saute the garlic, onion and celery till it has softened. Remove from the dish and set aside.

Add a little more oil and brown the lamb shanks on all sides. Do this in batches. Once all the shanks are done return them all to the dish with the onions, celery, garlic, the lemon zest and bay leaves. Tuck the quartered fennel around the lamb and pour over the wine. Then add enough stock to cover everything in the pot.

Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Cover with baking paper then the lid and bake in the oven for 2-3 hours (depends on the size of your shanks). The meat needs to be very tender but still on the bone – though only just – for presentation. During the last 40 mins of cooking remove the lid and jiggle the shanks to the top of the pot so they can brown some more.

Serve with the delicious rice pilaf below and some finely chopped fennel fronds.

Rice Pilaf

This is a very simple recipe from Neil Perry. You can add herbs or saute onion in the butter till soft if you want more flavour. As it is, this pilaf is pure comfort food…. butter and carbs! Get a spoon and bowl and head for the sofa beforethe weather gets warm.

Ingredients for 4

  • 400g basmati rice
  • 50g unsalted butter
  • 750ml stock

Wash the rice till the water runs clear.  Drain well. Heat butter in a heavy-based saucepan and add the rice. Stir over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the stock and sea salt to taste, stirring occasionally until it comes to the boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 10minutes. The rice should be firm to the bite but still tender. Turn off the heat. Cover the saucepan with a clean teatowel then the lid. Let sit for 10 minutes to allow the rice to absorb all of the stock. Check for seasoning. Spoon onto warmed plates.

Mum’s Orange Butterscotch Pudding

July 23rd, 2011 § 1 comment § permalink

Although we always had hot cooked breakfasts, home made lunches and dinners made from scratch – not to mention an Esky full of roast chicken for long days at the beach – my mum was never really into cooking. Her recipes were always quick, simple and made from basic ingredients – this self saucing pudding is certainly that!

This recipe has lovely childhood memories… it was my favourite dessert. Mum usually cooked this pudding with a roast dinner and although eating a pudding after a roast makes for a big meal, the sweet zestiness somehow makes it okay. And there is no doubt that the horrid weather in Sydney at the moment must be an excuse to make puddings, surely?!

I rarely cook dessert so I can’t tell you how happy the kids were watching this go in the oven… not to mention sweet tooth husband. This pudding only takes 40 minutes to cook, so do as mum always did, put it into the oven just as you sit for dinner. Then by the time dinner is done and cleared away the pudding will be ready. Perfect.

I have tweeked mum’s recipe a little… using real vanilla beans in my golden caster sugar, hand churned Australian butter, organic flour, freshly squeezed orange juice and loads more zest they she ever did.

I also doubled mum’s quantity of sauce because as a kid I always remember needing more. I reserve approx. 1/2 of the doubled batch and reduce over a low heat to a light syrup while the pudding is baking which I then drizzle over each serving – as you can see I will never not have enough sauce! Mum probably wouldn’t agree, but isn’t that the best thing about growing up – you can have things just the way you like it!

Mum’s Orange Butterscotch Pudding

My old old book where I scribble recipes....

Batter:

  • 1.5 cups organic self raising flour
  • 1/2 cup vanilla sugar (or plain caster sugar and 1 vanilla bean scraped)
  • 3/4 cup organic milk
  • Zest of two oranges
  • 90 grams butter, melted

Sauce (my doubled version):

  • 6 tablespoons golden syrup
  • 3 cups water
  • 1/2 cup orange juice (approx 2-3 oranges)
  • 90 grams butter
  • Zest of 2 oranges

Make the sauce… Combine all of the ingredients in a small sauce pan and simmer over a medium heat for around 10 minutes. Set aside.

Make the batter… Mix flour and sugar in a bowl add the melted butter, zest and milk. Fold gently until combine and spoon in to a well greased oven proof dish. Pour over the hot sauce over the pudding, remembering to reserve 1/2 to reduce further into a light syrup. Bake pudding for 40-45 minutes. Serve with icecream or lightly whipped cream and the syrup……

Morning Tea – Tick!

July 19th, 2011 § 4 comments § permalink

Tuck a big piece of this gooey cake in their lunchbox! It is perhaps a touch too luxe for everyday morning teas but it should make the transition from lazy days to school days a teeny weeny little bit easier….

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

  • 2  1/4 cups plain flour
  • 1/2 cup best quality dark unsweetened cocoa powder (we used Calleabaut)
  • 1  3/4 cups caster sugar
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup butter at room temperature
  • 2 teaspoon Real vanilla extract
  • 2 cups finely grated zucchini
  • 1 cup dark chocolate chips (we roughly chopped a big piece of Callebaut chocolate)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 big pinch sea salt
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk or natural yogurt

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Cream the butter, sugar and oil until paler and well combined. Add the eggs one at a time and combine well. Sift the cocoa, flour and baking powder into a bowl and add the salt. Fold the flour to the butter sugar mix in 3 batches, alternating with the butter milk. Gently mix through the chocolate chips and the zucchini and spoon the batter into a lined loaf tin. Bake for around 40mins – start checking at the 30 minute mark but don’t be surprised if it isn’t ready for up to 50-60minutes. Test with a skewer – when it comes out clean, the cake is ready.

and save the beaters for yourself!

Family Dinner #17: Comfort food and craft

July 15th, 2011 § 2 comments § permalink

When the school holidays coincide with cold and rainy weather you need comfort food…along with some cool indoor things to do. I bought this book from Bookoccino for Miss C’s 10th Birthday… her nick name has always been Miss Snippy because ever since the day she managed to master scissors she loved to snip and make things from cardboard and paper. Sometimes she just snipped for the sake of snipping.

I thought this book was just the thing…We had a great day hanging out in our pjammies snipping and cooking. Unlike many such books the craft ideas are actually very pleasing, simple and quirky and it should get us through the winter holidays…

Craft By Miss C... image taken with her new Ipad...of course...old school meets new

So onto the comfort food….

This is a classic dish many of us grew up with … especially those who had culinary uninspired mothers (but my mum can sew beautifully so you can’t have it all. More about Mum’s recipes in the next post). I haven’t even bothered giving this recipe a tweak or twist because it is what it is….Tuna Pasta Bake. But by using the best quality ingredients you can turn an average tasting dish into an wonderful meal. Sure it won’t challenge the palate or feature on a magazine cover but it will taste fabulous when you are snuggled up on the sofa under a blanket with your family.

I used the freshly herb infused preserved tuna we make and jar at The Cooks Larder, along with quality Italian pasta, parsley from my garden and the classic white sauce I learnt to make at school when I was 12. Loaded with best quality parmesan and cheddar you can see why a simple dish can hit the spot! I should have served with it a big green salad but that was too difficult to serve and eat on the sofa. This confused the kids – what no greens?? I should also mention that they were a little underwhelmed by this dish…. Miss 10 ran back to the kitchen for more parmesan and requests for basil while Mr 12 headed back for chilli… hmmmm clearly their palates are not appreciative of  nursery food… I will have to work on that!!!

A Simple Tuna Pasta Bake Dinner

  • 300g dry pasta (smaller shapes work best: penne, macaroni etc)1/2 bunch of parsley (or more –  I tend load it up on the plates and hope that counts as
  • vegetable matter)
  • 1 small onion chopped as fine as possible
  • 1 bay leave
  • 8 black pepper corns
  • 3 cups milk
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 450g drained tinned tuna or freshly preserved tuna if you can get some (Try the Cooks Larder or try any Simon Johnson – I think they offer an imported one – or have a go at making your own, see this Gourmet Farmer link for a video how to….)
  • 1 cup grated best quality cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated best quality parmesan

Cook your pasta in a large pot until just al dente, drain and tip into a well greased oven proof dish.

On medium heat, add the milk, peppercorns, bay leaves into a small sauce pan and bring it to the boil. Remove from the stove and set aside with a lid on for about 5 minutes or so. Strain the milk into a bowl and toss out the spices.

In another medium sauce pan melt the butter. Add the onion and cook over a gentle heat until soft. Then add the flour to a large pot on a medium heat and with a wooden spoon mix into a thick paste. Cook this paste, stirring constantly for a few minutes but don’t allow it to brown. Add the milk mix you have just made gradually, whisking constantly. Keep whisking until the flour is completely dissolved and the mixture begins to boil and thicken.

Remove from heat, add the tuna and stir through half of each of the cheeses. Check for seasoning – add salt or pepper as required. Pour over the pasta and mix well.

Scatter the rest of the cheese over the top and bake in a 180 Celsius oven for 25 to 30 minutes until the top is browned.

Serve with loads of chopped parsley, grab a spoon, a blanket and head for the sofa!

Same But Different

July 12th, 2011 § 1 comment § permalink

Sometimes it is great to try cooking something a different way … I found this recipe on a crumpled torn out page from a very old Delicious magazine the other day when I was spring cleaning – in the middle of winter as you do. Our 3.2 metre long book shelf was stuffed with all of the magazines I have collected over the years, mainly food, some fashion and lots of style and photography magazines. I literally tossed them all over the balcony (we live on a steep block and I wasn’t about to start trudging up and down 40 stairs with them). With many of these magazines dating back to the 1990′s and some back into the 80′s it was time for such action…. it hurt a little but every time  I dropped a bundle I felt better. In a week or so when I have tossed everything else around the house I can lift (watch out cheeky kids) I will order a skip bin and wave good bye to all the junk, especially the magazines that have inspired, evoked and helped to create thousands of things from dinners to storage, paint colours, shopping trips, crafty episodes and holidays etc. Thanks to each and every dusty one of you. I almost considered adding up the value of these magazines… but thought it best not to go there…. SO back to the lamb.

Generally I like to sear my leg of lamb in a very hot pan before baking. But this recipe asked for the opposite. I loved it – only if it entertains my need to clear out old things this week! You will need to start this dish very early because of the long cooking time….

  • 1 leg lamb 2.5 – 3kg (or in spring time get a 1/2 a baby lamb if your oven permits)
  • dozen cloves of garlic, peeled and halved
  • 1/2 bunch rosemary
  • 1 litre wine
  • 1 litre water
  • salt, pepper
  • olive oil

Take the lamb out of the fridge at least one or two hours before cooking – it needs to be room temperature. Preheat oven to 160 degrees. Make small cuts all over the lamb and insert the garlic and some rosemary. Place lamb on a rack in a roasting pan. Pour over the water and wine. Drizzle with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Cover tightly with foil. Bake for 3-4 hours or until the meat is falling off the bone. Now you have plenty of time to go to the nearest messy junk spot and sort it out!

Remove the foil and cook for another 30 minutes ( the recipe didn’t say so but I cranked up the oven to 220 for this last 30mins to really get it crisp). Rest for 20 minutes. Pour the pan juices into a jug for serving or reduce them a little in a saucepan. Test for seasoning. Thicken with a little cornflour if you prefer a gravy over the jus.

serve with roasted potatoes of course….

Family Dinner #16: Briam

June 28th, 2011 § 1 comment § permalink

We have used this oven baked Greek vegetable dish many many times in our cooking classes simply because it is as delicious as it is versatile. It can be eaten cold in summer, room temperature in spring and piping hot in winter. It works on it’s own as a nourishing main or as I have served it here with some grilled lamb cutlets. Best of all it is very easy and you can prepare and make it ahead of time! This version is based on a recipe by Rick Stein from his wonderful book, Mediterranean Escape. Seasoning is the key to making this simple dish shine… you will use perhaps a little more salt than you feel comfortable but it is needed. Lighten up on the salt tomorrow if it is an issue for you…

Briam Ingredients:

Don’t leave any of the ingredients out, at least the first time you make this dish…even your fussiest non-vegetable eaters might just tuck in because there is something about this dish! I think it is the dill – it seems to pull all the flavours together. Enjoy any left over for lunch the next day.

Serves 6-8

  • 150ml extra virgin olive oil
  • 500g waxy potatoes, such as Desiree, peeled and cut in ½ cm slices
  • 6 large cloves garlic, sliced
  • 350g zucchini, sliced
  • 1 large eggplant, cut into 1cm slices
  • 1 large green capsicum, seeded and cut into chunks
  • 1 large red capsicum, seeded and cut into chunks
  • 1 large Spanish onion, halved and thickly sliced
  • 1 bunch dill picked with a handful sprigs reserved for serving (even if you think you don’t like dill, don’t leave it out.. this dish will change your mind!)
  • 1/2 bunch flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
  • 2 large ripe tomatoes, cored and thickly sliced
  • 200ml passatta
  • Sea salt flakes, 3-4 tablespoons
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 190C.  In a large 26 x 36cm well-oiled roasting dish (preferably a heavy enamel cast iron dish like Le Creuset), spread the potatoes out in a single layer.  Season very well with salt and pepper, the scatter over the garlic and zucchini.

Season with salt again then add a layer of eggplant followed by the capsicums and then onions.  Season well between each layer.  Scatter over half of the dill and parsley.

Cover with tomato slices and then the remaining herbs and more salt and pepper.  Pour passatta over everything followed by olive oil.

Cover the dish tightly with foil and/or lid and bake for 1 ½ hours.  Remove lid and cool slightly before serving.

Serving Ideas:

Add some lentils, goats cheese or grilled haloumi for a fabulous vegetarian main. Otherwise Briam is delicious with roast beef, chicken and fish, hot, cold or at room temperature.

Simple Lunchbox Apple Cake

June 15th, 2011 § 1 comment § permalink

This is a simple rustic cake perfect for lunch boxes or for morning tea. It is quick enough to pull together and bake while you are cleaning up after dinner, and as is the standard for my lunchbox recipes, it freezes well or holds for a week in the fridge!

Ingredients:

  • 2 large or 3 small apples, peeled, cored and chopped roughly into 8 equal chunks
  • 1 apple, halved and slice 5mm thick
  • 50g caster sugar
  • 30g unsalted butter
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 eggs
  • 200g brown sugar
  • 250g self raising flour
  • 125g melted butter
  • 1 tablespoon demerara (or raw) sugar – optional but yummy

Line a loaf tin with baking paper and pre heat oven to 150-170 degrees celsius.

In a small frypan over a medium heat melt the 30g of butter. Add the sliced apples, cinnamon, caster sugar. Stir until all apple chunks coated. Cook until they have soften but not cooked right through – don’t let them get mushy. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a medium bowl add all the dry ingredients and gently fold through the melted butter and cooked apples till combined. Place cake mix into the tin and bake for 40 minutes. Remove the cake and top with the sliced uncooked apples and sprinkle with the demerara/raw sugar. Bake for another 20mins or until springy.

Quick Idea: Add a Super Food Tonight!

June 9th, 2011 § 0 comments § permalink

If you feel like avoiding carbs try finely shredding and sauteing wombok (chinese cabbage) next time you have a curry or Asian dish. It is totally satisfying and soaks up all the lovely sauces as any noodle or rice would do! And if just tasting good isn’t enough for you, remember that cabbage, being a member of the brassica family (along with broccoli, kale, brussel sprouts) is incredibly good for you…low in fat, cholesterol, calories and sodium; but rich in potassium, fibre, folic acid, beta-carotene and vitamins C and K and the highest level of disease-fighting substances per serving…. google it yourself to find  millions of words written about this super food!


A Variation on a good thing: fast slow cooked chook

June 5th, 2011 § 0 comments § permalink

Some time ago I posted a recipe for Mat Moran's Slow Cooked Chook  after listening to him speak on ABC Conversation Hour... it has been a such a popular recipe I thought you might like to see some of the variations I have making since this post. Using the same method I have been submerging the chicken in standard vegetable stock base rather than a Chinese masterstock. This has freed up the chicken to be used with lots of other flavours including these two soups:

Simple Chicken, Garlic and Cavolo Nero Soup

and this heartier Chicken Vegetable Soup with Herb and Parmesan Dumplings.

Here's how...

Chicken Poaching Stock Base

  • 3 carrots, washed and unpeeled, roughly chopped
  • 1/4 bunch celery, washed and roughly chopped - don't trim
  • 3 onions, skins on roughly chopped
  • 1/2 head garlic, skins on roughly chopped
  • Leek trimmings, the tops and tails you would normally throw away
  • 3 bay leaf, fresh if possible
  • 5 whole pepper corns
  • 1 whole free range or organic chicken, any excess fat trimmed and discarded.

Throw all of the above ingredients into a pot large enough to hold everything including the whole chicken. Cover with 4 cups of water and bring to the boil. Let simmer for 30 minutes. Add the chicken and ensure that it is covered by the water. Bring back to the boil cook for another 20 minutes. Turn of the heat and secure the pot with a well fitting lid and ignore and let sit for at least 90 minutes (but it can sit for up to 3 hours).

Gently remove the chicken - the meat will be falling from the bone but try to keep intact as much as possible at this stage. Set aside. Strain the stock to remove all of the vegetables and put back on the stove to reduce by 1/3 or so until it becomes flavoursome enough for the soup base.

To make the Cavalo Nero Soup:

In a heavy pot saute loads of garlic and finely sliced leek in a little olive oil. Finely slice the cavolo nero and cook in the same pot for just a moment. Add enough of the stock for your soup. Add lots of the chicken meat pulled from the bones. Let simmer for around 15 minutes and serve.

To make the hearty Chicken Vegetable Soup with Herb and Parmesan Dumplings.

Finely chop any combination of hard vegetables you like: carrots, leek, onion, cabbage, celery, celeriac and saute in a heavy pot with garlic and olive oil. Meanwhile make the dumplings (see below). Once the vegetables are soft, add any other softer vegetables such as peas, zucchini, silverbeet, brocoli florets etc and cover with enough stock to feed your family. Bring back to the boil and add the dumplings with plenty of the chicken meat. Simmer for another 5-10 minutes until the dumplings are bopping around on the surface serve with warm crusty sourdough.

To make the dumplings:

1 cup of flour

1/4 cup finely grated parmesan
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons very cold butter
1/2 cup of milk
1/3 cup chopped herbs


Guest Blogger – Miss 9 Introduces her favourite easy peasy dessert!

May 28th, 2011 § 2 comments § permalink

halloo I am Miss 9 but I am almost 10. I am always bored of mum and dad saying ‘Fruit and yoghurt’ for dessert. Then I came across an article on fresh frozen yoghurt with berries but I have changed the recipe a bit. This recipe is so heathy and delicious that mum and dad always say yes as long as we don’t make too much mess. It is a quick and terribly easy. Also I I like this recipe after watching Jamie’s Oliver’s Food Revolution because of the ingredients they put in ice-cream. It is shocking what they put in it.

WHIZZ WHIZZ BERRY YOGHURT

I recomend frozen berries but if  you have fresh ones you can use them but freeze them first so the yoghurt is cold like ice-cream.

METHOD

Get the berries and put them in the blender with the yoghurt. Put the same amount of yoghurt as the berries. Then if you have maple syrup or honey put a little in. Whizz and whizz it up and serve.

PS. My favourite combination is plain raspberries but my brother like blackberries and cherries. I  think mangoes would work really well or bananas too.

And the Winner is….

May 26th, 2011 § 0 comments § permalink

You might remember a post from last year about a magnificant dinner I enjoyed with Quintin Quider from Wild Earth Wines?  Quintin is an award winning winemaker from NZ who has developed a unique cooking method using a French oak barrel. At this dinner I suggested (with crossed fingers) that Quintin come and do a special event with us at The Cooks Larder… lucky for us he found the time to set a date amid all of his hunting, fishing, wine making, catering and travelling to and from NZ!

We enjoyed five courses of fine food and wine (see below for the menu details). Quintin offered very generous case prices for his wine and also offered the chance to go into a draw to win a dinner at home provided by Quintin. SO ….. drum roll….the winner of the night with Quintin is ….N. Lorentzen. You will be in for a great evening! Quintin be in touch to set a date to arrive with his barrel on your doorstop with enough food and wine for you, your family and some friends..Lucky lucky you!

Quintin will hopefully be back to The Cooks Larder in summer with a new menu… he has hinted the barrel might be filled with Spanish Mackerel, Coral trout, Hervey bay scalllops, Morton Bay bugs. Stay tuned for more details later in the year…Meanwhile if you are ever in NZ stop into Wild Earth Wines and say hello!

The Menu Details:

Panfried NZ abalone marinated in garlic, wholegrain mustard, salt , olive oil, thyme with a butter, caper sauce, Shallots, capers, butter, Pinot Gris lemons, served with Brassiere organic sourdough.
Served with Wild Earth Pinot Gris 2010
Sauted Kina (sea urchin roe) with handmade spaghettini finished with Riesling, cherry tomatoes, green grapes, lime, shaved parmesan and rocket.
Served with Wild Earth Riesling 2009
Barrel smoked Tasmanian Salmon marinated with Manuka salt, brown sugar, kelp, sesame seeds, Pinot noir, thyme, zest, chili
Served with Wild Earth Deep Cove Pinot Noir 2009
Barrel Smoked Duck breasts with smoked cauliflower mash, cherry salsa and salad leaves.
Served with Wild Earth Pinot Noir 2008
Barrel smoked pears with honey mascapone cream
Served with Chelsea Riesling

Family Dinner #15… thanks to the humble onion

May 23rd, 2011 § 0 comments § permalink

The humble onion is one of my most favourite ingredients – it is so versatile and can eaten every way possible…  From raw in salads to cooked right down to into a sweet and sticky marmalade. They are even cheap, have a great shelf life and are available all year round  - bless!

Onions are often used as an invisible base, but in this dish onions get the front row seat – and deservedly so!  French Onion soup is a favourite in our house as soon as the weather gets chilly. With a just few simple ingredients on hand you have a great dinner. Although if you have it handy, Brandy or Cognac make this soup really shine and some sourdough with gruyere finishes the dish beautifully… best of all the house smells amazing as it cooks…

French Onion Soup

I don’t use a recipe when I make this soup (you won’t either after making it once because it is very simple). So I have based the recipe below more or less on one from the Cook and the Chef. A great series and a great website full of fabulous recipes. The soup base freezes very well so make a double batch.

Feeds 4-6

  • 80g butter
  • 6 brown onions cut in half then sliced finely
  • 50ml Cognac (I use brandy because I usually have it in the cupboard)
  • 150ml white wine (I omit this if i don’t happen to have any on hand)
  • 1/4 bunch fresh thyme, leaves pick from stems
  • 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
  • 750ml veal stock (or a little more if you are not using the wine)
  • 5 Bayleaf (fresh if possible)
  • 4-6 pieces of sourdough, sliced thickly (stale bread is perfect)
  • 1.5 cups gruyere cheese, grated

Melt the butter and cook the onions over a medium heat. They shouldn’t brown but just cook down until soft. Adding a couple of pinches of salt and brown sugar will help them caramelise. Add the wine and brandy and cook for a few moments. Then add the thyme and bay leaves. When the onions are very soft add the stock and cook till hot.

Meanwhile top the sourdough generously with the gruyere and cook under a hot grill till melted.

Spoon the soup into serving bowls and top each with some of cheesy toasts. Let sit for a moment before serving so it can soak up some of the soup. Delicious!

Micro Holiday Part 3: Vegetable trolley Soup

May 15th, 2011 § 1 comment § permalink

Our final stop before heading home from out big day out was at Thirlmere to pick up some farm produce. The owners here are trying something new by opening a little store in town rather than on the farm. The lovely owner showed through her store pointing out exactly what particular produce had come from her farm and that’s what we bought. Although there was a tempting range of high quality foodstore products from small producers….

It was so satisfying to fill a trolley with real farm fresh produce.

After our rich meal the night before of Pine Mushroom Risotto and Cedar Creek Apple crumble…a simple nourishing vegetable soup was definitely in order…..

Simple Vegetable Soup

I love vegetable soup because it is one meal that leaves you feeling holier than thou! Your body is definitely a temple after a meal like this. It also makes up for those mid week dinners that might have been lacking in vegetable matter….It happens. There are a million recipes for vegetable soup out there so I won’t bore you with detailed ingredients and quantities. I will offer some basic tips that will ensure your vegetable soup is a hit:

  • Start with the best stock you can. Home made is always best. See this earlier post if you need some stock tips. Otherwise seek a good quality one from your local deli. Supermarket stocks can be overly salted… this cannot be recticfied and can ruin an otherwise perfect soup. Check your labels – store bought stocks can be full of nasties like msg. Because there are no vegetarians in our family I tend to use chicken stock for its richer flavour.
  • Make sure you have a decent sized pot- there is no point making a small batch of soup. It freezes well for an emergency dinner or makes for a healthy lunch.
  • Saute all of your vegetables with garlic till they are soft before adding the stock (except for the soft fragile veges like zucchini). This enhances their flavour and ensures that they are cooked enough. There is nothing worse than uncooked onion in a soup!
  • Think colour and texture. I love to add shredded cavalo nero or silverbeet for colour and big flavour. I love chopped celeriac for its creaminess and always carrots for their sweetness. Celery is also a must. Leave out potato though – it doesnt freeze well
  • Serve your soup with something delicious (there goes the temple element!). It might be as simple as a big spoonful of fresh pesto or parmesan. At the store we love making herb or pesto scones. At home my kids love grilled cheese toasties or grilled garlic sourdough.
  • If you want to add meat consider some crispy pancetta or bacon. At the store we sometimes make polpette (little meat balls – sometimes pork , sometimes chicken) but you could also try a good quality pork and fennel sausage – panfried then sliced (its much quicker than making meatballs!)
  • Finish your soup with a drizzle of the best olive oil in your pantry.

Read more about Mowbray Park Produce, Thirlmere here.

Micro Holiday Part 2: Cedar Creek Apple Crumble

May 11th, 2011 § 3 comments § permalink

This is Part 2 of our recent one-day-get-away. In this part of the day we met Ron from Cedar Creek Apple Orchard, watched apples being crushed into juice and picked apples from the tree. We enjoyed making THE best ever apple crumble from the apples we had picked. What a meal after the pine mushroom risotto from part 1. It was a perfect end to a great day and and of course the best way to welcome Autumn.

Cedar Creek Orchard is a 45ha property nestled in the hills just outside the town of Picton.  In 1937 Ron’s father, Hugo Silman, an Estonian immigrant bought the land and planted the first apple trees 3 years later.  By 1980 Ron took charge of the business and then later Ron’s own sons joined the family orchard. The farm is still run by Ron and his sons. I love a family business – there is definitely heart and soul in the apples at Cedar Creek.

The main business since around 1960′s at Cedar Creek is their lovely apple juice – now 15,000 litres a week. This business was born from disaster after a hail storm marked the crops. These days Ron brings in additional apples from surrounding farms to meet demands. They use all of the apples big supermarkets reject… the ones with any mark or scuff…. It is great to see these apples enjoyed and there is no waste as Ron trucks the left over pulp to local farmers which is then added to live stock feed.

Despite the imperfections these apple were probably the freshest tastiest apples we’ve ever eaten.  We bought a big bag full and gave these rejects a good home, saving them from the big crusher!  Although it was great to watch the juice being made much as it was back in the 60′s – the air was sticky sweet!


crated and ready to go

Up to the crusher

Waiting to go

I  had such a good time poking around the sheds… the old equipment, apple pickers bags, the machinery – all quiet on this day since the apples were picked. I find all of the equipment so beautiful! It’s no secret I love old stuff! And of course a lovely long chat with Ron was the best thing of all.

As we headed off we saw an patch of trees still full of apples and figured Ron wouldn’t mind if we picked a few since picking apples was the main purpose for our whole trip!

The Apple Crumble.

My mum (being a pomme) made us really really good apple crumbles. She always got the crumble right. This means it was never too fine, too chunky or too buttery. And very important she always piled on just the right amount of crumble: piled high but not too high over the fruit – it’s important that the juices can seep through in some places to caramelise into sweet chewy little puddles. When I left home I stole Mum’s old glass baking dish, the one she always used for crumbles. When it was broken only a year or so ago an era had ended. It was only an ugly glass baking dish, probably just pyrex, but it was just right. I  tried over the years to write our crumble recipe down for cooking schools but at the end of the day, like many recipes, you have to rely on touch. If it feels right it will be right. Oh and you have to do it by hand – a food processor never gets it quite right. One tip – make the effort to make a really big crumble mix, 3-4 times bigger than you need and then put it in the freezer. That way you will have a great crumble in no time. And sore fingers only once, at least for a while.

This is the most basic recipe…for one crumble… In summer use over ripened peaches with passionfruit for a seasonal change. Pears in winter are also delicious. Over the years I have fiddled with the crumble mix, adding oats, crushed roasted hazelnuts and so on. I have had success making gluten free versions made on almond meal (although the result is more cakey, than crumbly). Still this basic old recipe satisfies me the most….

  • 8 peeled and cored apples.
  • 210g demarara sugar (or raw sugar)
  • 150g plain flour
  • 130g cold butter cut into cubed

Pre heat oven to 180 degrees. Place the butter sugar and flour in a bowl. Rub the butter through the flour and sugar until it resembles a very coarse crumb. Its okay if it isn’t even. I like the texture to be rough. The one we made here is a little too even for my liking…Cut the apples into 1/8ths and place into a buttered 24 cm deep oven proof dish. If your apples are not as sweet as Ron’s you may want to scatter over the apples a little caster sugar. Then pile on the crumble mix – not to thin, not too thick. Bake for around 40-50 or until the apple juices start to bubble through. I love it served with lightly whipped cream but the rest of the family prefer vanilla ice cream.

oh and Ron also grows persimmons… and peaches in summer…

Micro Holiday Part 1: Roadside Mushroom Risotto

April 30th, 2011 § 1 comment § permalink

It is rare for us to get away for any length of time but over the last few months I think we might have perfected the micro family holiday… all it takes is a little map planning before heading off early for a long, one day adventure – usually some place we haven’t been. We have managed to create some really wonderful days – simple but special times when everything goes well. Bliss! These long days out leave us all happy and tired (in a good way) with a sense of making the best of whatever time we have. More often than not we arrive back home with a boot full of lovely produce…I guess it isn’t surprising that discovering good food is a key element to our adventures! Meeting interesting people [like Barry, the dairy farmer] along the way is definitely another.

Our last micro holiday day began with a simple plan to pick apples but ended up so jammed packed with good things I will spread it over 3 posts…

Part 1: Off to Pick Apples…But first we stop at the pine trees:

Travelling to Picton along the picturesque Barkers Lodge Road I noticed a lady on the roadside under the magnificant pine trees. Sensing something interesting we decided to stop.

It turned out the lovely Babi, once from Russia – now from Bondi, was picking pine mushrooms. Babi’s daughter and grandson, who join her for this annual ritual, were picking further down the road. Together they had collected several bags full of the vibrant orange mushrooms.

Babi shared with us the best way to pick them and in no time the kids had collected armfuls.

Always seeking recipe inspiration (and maybe privileged access to a family recipe) I asked Babi what she intended to do her abundant pile of mushrooms. She told me that she marinates them (a process that takes around 2 months) which means they eat pine mushrooms all year round. Sonya, Babi’s daughter said they are absolutley delicious. This recipe was too slow for me so I asked for the simplest way she serves them. “Put them in a frypan with lots and lots of salt then cover with a lid and cook them to ‘let their water come out’ then fry them in oil till brown and eat them with potatoes”. This sounded much more do-able but instead of potatoes I decided I add them to a perfect Autumn mushroom risotto.

What a good thing it is to pick the produce for your dinner that night. What a good thing it is to happen by chance meet someone like Babi and her family. Later that night Sonya emailed me a photo of Babi in her kitchen with the mushrooms. Treasure.

Roadside Mushroom Risotto

Don’t worry if you haven’t foraged for your own mushrooms. At this time of year there are plenty of fabulous types of mushrooms to buy in good produce stores, producers markets – even the local fruit and vege shop should at least a few special varieties. Any type of mushrooms will do. Currently on the menu at The Cooks Larder is an Autumn Mushroom risotto and the chefs use a variety of mushrooms in each dish (whatever is best at the market) to give amazing flavour, colour and texture.

Serves 6

  • 3 generous sized handfuls of mushrooms – any variety or a selection – cleaned (brushed or wiped with cloth/soft brush) and sliced
  • 1.5 litres home made or quality bought chicken stock (or vegetable if you want to keep this dinner vegetarian)
  • 100ml white wine
  • 100ml sherry (or just use another 100ml  white wine if you don’t have sherry)
  • 120g butter
  • Olive oil
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cups risotto rice: Vialone Nano (which was the one we used for this recipe), Aborio or Carnaroli
  • 1 -2 cloves garlic, finely sliced
  • salt pepper
  • 1/4 bunch parsley, flat leaf, chopped
  • Parmesan
  • 2 tablespoons butter

Cooked the sliced mushrooms in a little butter, olive oil, salt and pepper till almost done. Leave in the pan and set aside.

Heat the stock and wine in a saucepan. In a heavy deep frying pan (I love using my Le Creuset) melt 1 tablespoon of the butter and a little olive oil over a medium. Fry the onion and garlic. Cook until soft. Add the rice and stir until well coated with the butter and oil. Increase the heat and add a cup of the hot stock. Keep at a simmer temperature and continue to stir. When the cup of stock is absorbed tip just the juices only from the mushroom pan into the rice. Stir to combine and continue to add the hot stock making sure the rice is always wet with stock  - don’t let it dry out. Cook until the rice is al dente (ie a slight bite remains – never soggy). Stir through the mushrooms and any remaining mushroom juices. Taste for salt and pepper. Stir through the remaining butter and a generous grating of parmesan and let the risotto rest for 3-5 minutes. Serve the risotto in warm bowls with the chopped parsley and more parmesan. Serve immediately.

Part II: Meet Ron from Cedar Creek Apple Orchard….and make the best ever apple crumble….coming soon

Baking Challenge – Macarons!

April 26th, 2011 § 2 comments § permalink

If you are in Sydney at the moment in this rather horrid weather a baking challenge might just be a good way to spend the day! This week when Miss 9 decided she wanted to make macarons I figured I’d look up Adriano Zumbo’s recipe from Masterchef… but it was a little too complex for us with several difficult to get ingredients. We then attempted a recipe from a book by a favourite lovely local Sydney chef… but they were not great at all…Next stop was dependable all-things sweet expert David Lebovitz. I love his blog, full of life in Paris and fabulous recipes - they are always well researched/tested/photographed making it one of the best places to turn to for inspiration and good results. His macaron recipe was definitely worth a go – and we had success at last! We were all very surprised with our excellent result!

Read his full recipe and tips galore here or follow our version below. We made a basic dark chocolate ganache to sandwich together our crisp-on-the-outside-chewy-in-the-middle disks …it was a little too rich but the tartness of a fresh raspberry hidden in the middle balanced the flavours perfectly…

David’s recipe makes about 30 disks for fifteen Macarons

Macaron Batter
:

  • 100g sifted icing sugar
  • 50g ground almonds (almond meal)
  • 25g unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
  • 2 large egg whites, must be at room temperature
  • 65g caster sugar

Preheat oven to 160 degrees celcius.

Line two baking sheets with baking paper and have a pastry bag with a plain tip (about, 2 cm) ready to go.

Mix together the icing sugar with the almond meal and cocoa so there are no lumps; use a blender or food processor since almond meal that you buy usually isn’t quite fine enough.

In the bowl of a standing electric mixer, beat the egg whites until they begin to rise and hold their shape. While whisking, beat in the caster sugar until the egg whites become very stiff and firm, about 2 minutes.

Carefully fold the dry ingredients, in two batches, into the beaten egg whites by hand with a spatula. It is essential that the mix is not over worked.

When the mixture is just smooth and there are no streaks of egg white, scrape the batter into the pastry bag.

Pipe the batter on the lined baking sheets in 3 cm circles (about 1 tablespoon each of batter), evenly spaced 3 cm apart.

Bang the baking sheet a few times firmly on the bench to flatten the macarons, and let sit for around 2 hours. What? 2 hours….Yup. Why? Letting them sit before baking allows the macaron to form a dryer skin on the top. If you look at a macaron from the side it has a smooth top sitting upon a rougher base – known as a foot which occurs when it has risen successfully provding the crisp smooth top and light chewy inside.

Bake them for 15 minutes but keep an eye on them – our bottom tray completely burnt on the bottom… unusual for my oven. Let cool completely then remove from baking sheet.

A favourite hangout….

April 24th, 2011 § 0 comments § permalink

I love all sorts of shops… book shops, vintage stores even hardware stores… but it is Chefs Warehouse that really lets me kid myself about all the things I need at home or the store… not! If you haven’t been here before expect a warehouse style store full of shiny gleaming stuff  from the practical to the professional dreamy equipment no home cook really needs but are lovely to look at anyway.

People always ask me at The Cooks Larder where we buy the good quality sauce pans or fry pans or metal bowls etc like the ones we use in the kitchen and in the cooking school. I always refer them to Chefs Warehouse because everything on offer is good quality, sturdy and built to last. There are no chef-of-the-moment names plastered over gimicky utensils you’ll never use. Just the basics that every professional kitchen has, most of which are great for home use too. Of course you may want to over look the mega dollar food processors, copper bowls, massive pasta machines and stock pots big enough to cook a small child in  (then again it is getting towards the end of school holidays). But you will, at the very least, want to shout yourself a new beautiful french wooden spoon, a whisk that works, a decent knife, a new cake tin or two or a cook book…

Chefs Warehouse is also a great place for standard white crockery and glassware perfect to replace the chipped mis-matched pieces lingering in your pantry. Oh and why not grab yourself a real chefs apron too…

Owner Chris Hazell is clearly passionate about the industry and what he does, in fact everyone at Chefs Warehouse is helpful and knows their stuff so don’t be afraid ask a question across the wide long counter. There is certainly no need here to ever feel intimidated shopping shoulder to shoulder with chefs…

Look for the huge whisk and the bright red door on Albion St, Surry Hills or have a look at their basic website for more contact details. Unfortunately I didn’t have my real camera last time I was there because, although it is a warehouse, the displays look fabulous. Never mind, I had lots of fun with the i-phone and a tilt-shift app…

Easy Easter Fun – Chocolate Nests

April 21st, 2011 § 2 comments § permalink

We had a Easter Chocolate Class yesterday at The Cooks Larder. Soooo much fun but whoo-hoo the mess! Lucky Easter comes just once a year… it took longer to clean up as it did to create all sorts crazy fabulous delicious goodies. But still there is nothing quite like being elbow deep in chocolate to make kids happy. Ear to ear grins!

I was going to take lots of shots but we were way too busy melting, dipping, rolling, drizzling and baking.. we made Muddy Bunny Gingerbread (bunny shaped gingerbread dipped in chocolate with a snowy bunny version for those dipped in white chocolate), Triple chocolate hot cross muffins, Rich chocolate truffles and these nests…. Such an oldie but a goodie and kids of any age can play. So turn off your inner stylist (and your nutritional common sense) and let them build these chocolate nests just the way they like…Perfect for gifts or even good way to use up any extra easter eggs.

How: Just gently melt chocolate –  milk or dark on the stove in a bowl over a sauce pan hot water.  We used Callebaut and Lindt of course! When smooth mix through the ready to serve crunchy noodles until they are totally coated in chocolate. (find them in the Asian section of from the supermarket). Then form into nest shapes on a tray lined with baking paper. Decorate with mini jelly beans and little Easter eggs – with or without the foil. Then let them set in the fridge. Some of the more creative kids drizzled their nests with white chocolate, the glamorous kids sprinkled theirs with tiny silver cachous. The serious choco-holics simply stuffed as many eggs in the nests as possible and good on them!!

Ginger Chicken Love

April 19th, 2011 § 4 comments § permalink

Sometimes dinner has a big responsiblity… not only to feed a basic hunger but sometimes to nurture the soul a little. When it comes to nuturing comfort food, ginger and chicken are my 2 top ingredients. So if you need a bowl full of soul food try this quick throw-it-together recipe I made last night and get ready to feel the love.

Oh and try eating it with a spoon…in my house when you really need comfort, dinner must be eaten with a spoon. I have no idea why or where this comes from….probably something to do with being spoonfed as a child. Who knows… it is what it is and it works.

Ginger Braised Chicken.

Serves 4 with lots of left overs. Freezes well.

This is a very wet braise – almost soupy… that’s the way i like it.

  • 1 whole organic chook
  • tablespoon of peanut oil
  • 1 big piece of ginger – as fresh as you can get ( fresh ginger has soft delicate skin, not tough and rough but use what you can get)
  • 1.5 cups light soy sauce
  • 1.5 cups chinese cooking wine
  • .5 cups mirin
  • aprox 2 cups chicken stock (depends on the size of your dish)
  • 1 bag bean shoots (300g), rinse in fresh cool water
  • 3 sticks of celery
  • dash of sesame oil
  • 1 bunch shallots, finely sliced
  • to serve – approx 1/2 cup jasmine rice per person and your favourite Asian greens

Preheat oven to 200 degrees celcius. Finely slice the ginger and celery and fry in the peanut oil in a heavy stove top / oven proof dish (ie le creuset or similar). Choose a dish that snuggly fits the chicken.

Rinse and dry the chicken inside and out. Place in with the ginger and pour over the soy, mirin, cooking wine. Pour over enough stock to almost cover the chicken. Bring back to the boil on the stove then cover tightly and bake in the oven.

Remove from the oven when the meat begins to fall from the bones – around 1 hour.

Take the chicken out of the broth and place on a board. Drop the bean shoots into the stock and stir to combine. Meanwhile use two forks to pull the meat from the bones and shred roughly. Return the chicken to the broth as you go. Add the dash of sesame oil. Stir to combine.

Place a spoonful of the cooked jasmine rice into warmed bowls and top with the chicken and bean shoots. Use a ladel to spoon out lots of the broth. Serve with steamed Asian greens or finely sliced shallots (or both). Snuggle on the sofa with your family and slurp away…..

If you feel like getting fancy you could fry some finely shredded ginger in hot oil till crispy ….

It’s up to us….Moo!

April 14th, 2011 § 1 comment § permalink

Yesterday we headed down the south coast. Normally we go north. North feels natural to us. But the pull of Berry Woodfire Sourdough Bakery and Cafe and a big push from the kids for a school holiday trip to Jamberoo had us setting south for a long day. The cafe was everything we hoped for. Packed and buzzing with energy and a simple but spot on menu. Great quality not often found. Great way to start the day. We bought plenty of supplies. Perhaps one of everything by the time baking obsessed husband had finished “just doing some research.” No food images due to fast consumption  - oh i mean research.


On the way back up the highway to Jamberoo we pulled off the main road because the country side looked so gorgeous.

Plus we love cows and had spotted a whole bunch of black and white milkers on a far hill. So while we stopped for a roadside thru-the-fence-moo chat, farmer Barry buzzed up on his motorbike to say g’day to us. “Don’t get to chat to many people” said Barry. Well it was his lucky day because… well …I love to chat. I especially love a chance meeting like this.

Barry generously opened up the gates and invited us up to a high point on his property. Beautiful views. There is nothing like rolling hills near the ocean.

We talked cows and milk and business. Of course the conversation turned to milk prices. Much of our milk is exported – according to Barry this is really the only thing holding the industry together. The pressure from the Australian market is making dairy farmers like Barry very uncertain about the future of the industry. The $2 milk specials don’t do anything for the industry. Barry summed it up …” Cheap milk doesn’t make people buy more milk. People only buy so much milk so now they just buy it cheap. It can’t last.”

An Acre in the morning, an acre in the afternoon. Good food for cows...makes for good milk

So next time you buy milk think a little broader about being part of a network that supports our farmers. And don’t forget to stop and say hi to some beautiful big brown eyed milky moo-ers… and maybe you’ll meet a lovely dairy farmer too!

We took the slow road home… following the tourist drive along the coast. We stopped at tiny Sharky Beach at Coledale and enjoyed suprisingly good mushroom pizza at dusk watching the locals catch the last light and the last waves, wishing we had our boards too. I love family day trips.

Baking Bourke Street Gingerbread

March 26th, 2011 § 0 comments § permalink

The combination of a rainy day and no surf  this morning seemed to a bring on a baking day in our house. So…before long we had sourdough that Dugal had been working on for a few days in the oven and Miss 9 decided she would like to make gingerbread men. Perfect for a yucky day. At Christmas she loved the Bourke Street Bakery gingerbread so we grabbed our copy of their fabulous book to have a go at making them ourselves…and they were perfect – crisp and full of flavour. A great recipe. If you love baking, this book is a must. It covers everything from bread, pastry to biscuits and brownies and cakes. You could always of course head to one of their bakeries… but we had a load of fun making and decorating them…and before we knew it the weather had improved enough for a walk along Pittwater with the dog…

A couple of tips for this recipe:

  • The dough is soft which makes it a little fiddly to work with – so once you have pressed in the gingerbread man cutter over your rolled out dough, peel away the remaining dough around the shapes rather than trying to lift the gingerbread men off the paper. Then slide the gingerbread, still on the paper, onto a board or tray and put in the freezer for around 15 minutes. You will then be able to easily lift them onto the tray without decapitating or dismembering any of them!
  • I might try replacing the sweetness of the honey with treacle next time we bake them… though I suspect the kids are very happy with this sweetness.


farewell stone fruits

March 25th, 2011 § 0 comments § permalink

I walked by these nectarine blossoms late last year… very beautiful. I wonder if any of the fruit I enjoyed this season come from this farm? For now though it is time to say farewell to all our stone fruits …for a while…I love how stone fruit herald the beginning of summer and a new year… I am already wondering what 2012 will bring…

Welcome to Autumn… and a rather boring dinner

March 23rd, 2011 § 2 comments § permalink

I am sure somewhere in blog-land there is a rule about posting such a boring recipe  but  even something with very few ingredients can be satisfying if it is made well…

More importantly though is that these super easy-peasy dinners allow space for relaxing. Last night, my version of what is possibly the worlds most boring dinner   – Pumpkin soup –  left enough time for us all to head to the beach to enjoy  the most stunning early Autumn evening at Nth Av…The surf was pumping and I love the atmosphere as everyone ditches their usual routine to catch some magnificent waves or to simply hang around watching the action. You always know the surf is running when the car park is still full at 8pm on a school night! I’m glad I turned the oven off before I left so there was no pressure to head home…Blessed we are to live here.

My Version of simple A Dump-and-Run-To-The-Beach  Dinner –  Roasted Pumpkin Soup

My tips for a tasty pumpkin soup:

  1. Roast the pumpkin rather than boiling it. Season it well.
  2. Use lots of garlic but try roasting half with the pumpkin for its smooth rich flavour and saute the other half with the onions for a punchier garlic hit.
  3. Use the best quality chicken stock you can afford or make your own – unless you need it to be vegetarian of course, then use vego stock.
  4. Serve something special on top … see  suggestions below
  5. Make it nice and thick and do not puree it unless you are serving it to a baby! At most I use an old-fashioned potato masher in the pot to crush any big pieces of pumpkin.

Ingredients:

[Serves 4 with left overs for lunch or freezer]

  • 1 whole pumpkin (I tend to use anything but butternut)
  • 2 large brown onions
  • 10 cloves of garlic (yes 10)
  • 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • salt, pepper
  • Olive oil
  • 1 litre best quality chicken stock

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Wash the pumpkin and cut into medium sized chunks – leave the skin on. Toss into a roasting tin with the rosemary, a drizzle of olive oil, generous salt and pepper plus half of the garlic (whole cloves, unpeeled, uncut). Bake till tender but not mushy. Now is the time to slow it down if you need to [go for a swim or to pick small fry up from soccer etc). If I am going to be longer than an hour I just turn off the oven and let it sit. You can even do this much earlier in the day if you need to.

Meanwhile finely dice the onions and remaining garlic. Cook with a splosh of olive oil and a large pinch of salt in a large sauce pan over a medium heat. Try to cook gently so as to soften but not to colour. Little brown bits never look good….

When the pumpkin is ready, scoop the flesh from the skins and add to the onion and garlic. Squeeze the roasted garlic from their skins into the pumpkin. Stir to combine then add the stock. Simmer till all the ingredients come together. Serve it with grilled sourdough

Try Adding:

  • Crispy pancetta, prosciutto or bacon
  • Goats Cheese or Fetta
  • Loads of fresh herbs
  • Thai, Indian, Middle Eastern spices or chilli
  • Serve with cheese toasts – simple cheddars or rich bries on toast
  • Crushed walnuts or toasted pinenuts

Chasing waves together

watching the last of the sun hitting the big sets

tired happy wet mut…

Sun’s almost gone, time to go home for soup……all though we did sit up in the car park for another 45mins watching some beautiful big sets rolling in off the point and enjoyed the crowd cheering on any good surfing or major mishaps!

super quick slow cooked chook

March 12th, 2011 § 20 comments § permalink

This was a lovely healthy and simple dinner we enjoyed the other night. I only had time to grab a quick iphone shot before all was devoured so please excuse the poor quality image….We were way too hungry to wait!

It was inspired by a quick recipe given by chef Matt Moran on my favourite radio program: Conversations with Richard Fidler ABC702. This fabulous programme supplies me with endless hours of amazing interviews with incredible yet often ordinary people  - just the thing for long office days, long road trips or when you’d rather not read. Even the kids love it. I really think Richard Fidler is the best interviewer in the world! Everyone he interviews seems to genuinely enjoy talking with him. Always compelling listening even if you have no real interest in the topic. But back to dinner….

In his interview, Matt Moran was discussing some of the simple food he enjoys at home and this poached whole chook in chinese master stock was one of them…

Start with the best quality chicken you can get and if you just happen to have a good Asian masterstock on hand then you are well ahead… my version of this recipe assumes you won’t (for some good information about about masterstocks read this article/recipe and do consider making one).

Enjoy this recipe for  a perfect mid week dinner or low effort weekend cooking. Throw it together as soon as you walk in the door. Then you have ages to chill out (or do the sport drop offs/pick ups, home work, gardening etc etc etc)  as it does not need any attention. This recipe is quick because it only takes seconds to prepare but slow because it poaches for minimum of 90mins – although it can be left for as long as you need. It is also just as good in winter as it is in summer.

Whole Poached Chicken.

Stock Ingredients:

  • 4 Star anise
  • 1 cinnamon quill
  • 2 cups soy sauce
  • 1 chilli (optional)
  • 1 carrot, roughly chopped
  • 2 whole onions, roughly chopped
  • 1 whole bunch coriander. Pick leaves, reserve them for later to serve with the meal. Wash the roots well and roughly chop.
  • 4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
  • large knob of ginger, roughly chopped

Put 3 cups of water into a pot large (big enough to submerge the whole chicken). Then add all of the ingredients above (except for the coriander leaves). Bring to the boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for around 15 minutes – longer if you have or even shorter if you don’t!

Then carefully drop in the whole chicken. If the stock does not cover the chicken, top up with more water. Bring back to the boil, let simmer for 15mins. Turn of the heat and cover the pan securely and leave it – it no longer needs any attention. The chicken will be cooked in around 90mins but can be left on the stove for up to 3 hours – this method is gentle enough to not over cook the chicken regardless of how long you ignore it. Carefully lift out the chicken when you need it. Remove the skin and discard. Chop the chicken chinese style or pull the meat from the bones.

We served the moist meat with a salad made of Thai basil, wombok, bean shoots, chilli, pickled cucumbers (see earlier post), roasted peanuts, garlic chives, shredded carrot with a black vinegar, oyster sauce and sesame oil dressing….. Delicious. Here are some other ideas for the poached chicken:

  • an asian soup (reduce the stock down for a fabulous soup base)
  • stir fry
  • on baguettes with fresh mint, lime aioli and roasted peanuts
  • steamed rice with chilli sauce and steamed asian greens

keep it real …cereal

March 2nd, 2011 § 3 comments § permalink

The supermarket aisle that generally makes me the most unhappiest is the cereal aisle. It is soooo unsatisfying. It presents everything from scarey-sugar-loaded-weird-shaped-not-really-edible-ridiculously-over-packaged cereals to what can be only described as shredded brown cardboard wrapped in plastic… Making a delicious healthy cereal only takes 5 minutes and it is definitely worth putting on your table for both flavour and nutrition… plus it will satisfy all the way till lunch despite being very light –  perfect when you don’t feel up to a heavy granola style breakfast.

We started making our own cereal mixes at home after our last horse camp when we were inspired by the mix made by fellow clever campers. On camp, Miss 9 enjoyed it with quinoa topped with tinned apricots and milk. Yogurt and fresh fruit like strawberries, grated apple etc are also great.

Quality cereal like these make yummy healthy snacks even sans milk… super yummy with just a little drizzle of honey – much better for you than salty chips or sugary biscuits.

Having a decent cereal in the pantry is a very handy thing because it has enough nutrients on board to get you or the kids through a missed meal or an extra hungry moment. I still remember as a child how extra good the late night bowl of cereal tasted after late sports training or school events…and that was just boring old cornflakes!

In this particular batch we included puffed corn, rolled spelt, rolled oats, organic sultanas, puffed brown rice and natural wholegrain flakes – I would have liked  roasted almonds and maybe some more sultanas but I left the kids in charge of putting the mix together.

So just mix up all the things you like, to the proportions you like and store into an airtight container… easy peasy!

grow something. it feels good.

February 28th, 2011 § 2 comments § permalink

Busy mothers best friend – the freezer.

February 26th, 2011 § 3 comments § permalink

You probably won’t get it if you don’t have school age children. But if you do – you’ll understand how horrid it is when you finally sit down after a long day only to realise that you have forgotten to make school lunches.  Blah big Blah! Then you realise you don’t have any fresh bread or ham etc. This happens all the time in our family despite owning a food store….

see more photos from this series: “First Day of High School” here

Making lunches is boring, repetative and often your efforts come home half eaten. Competing for attention at lunch time is a huge task for any lunch box – especially if it is owned by an active boy or girl who’d prefer to run around with friends than give full attention and respect to a well prepared, nutritionally balanced lunch box complete with love notes from mum – who’d have guessed!

This year I took the advice of a clever friend who makes full use of her freezer by freezing an assortment of sandwiches. She is right. I whisper thanks to her at least 4-5 times a week now that I have managed to organise myself to do the same. I guess I have really been hanging onto making the lunches fresh. But given I was making them the night before anyway this wasn’t truly the case. And something has to give when you work full time – especially this term as we are dealing with high school for the first time – we are all a bit overwhelmed and the wheels are definitely threatening to fall off….

SO for the last few weeks I have been making enough to freeze enough for the week. It really really works. I make sure I have everything on hand and blast through a weeks worth of sandwiches in the same time it was taking me to do them each night. It is a bonus getting organised just once with fresh bread and sliced meats etc  instead of chasing my tail all week. I also make and freeze a cake. Keep your eye out for Miss 9′s favour Chocolate Zucchini cake which I will post soonish. This lemon loaf posted a while back freezes beautifully. As does a batch of scones or muffins. So between left-overs [which we use a lot for school lunches] and frozen sandwiches there are no more late night grumbles about lunch boxes. Yay…. a peaceful house… well not quite but it is an improvement.

Frozen sandwiches do miss the important salad content so I throw in cherry tomatoes and chopped up veges, olives and dip to compensate if I have them… other wise an extra vege at dinner will do the job. Though I think Mr 12 would die of social embarrassment if I ever put chopped up veges and little pots of dip in his bag… his food needs to be easy and fast to consume on the run. Gone are the kindy days where there was a fridge to keep things nice and plenty of time to sit at the table and mosey through a picnic…

So the point to this post is to share some of my two’s favourite freeze ahead sandwiches with you. But I am really really hoping that you will send through some of yours – so mothers united – may we never have to think about what to put in the lunch box again!

Freeze Well Sandwiches:

  • Goats Cheese and Proscuitto (Miss 9′s favourite – spread the goats cheese like you would cream cheese to keep it moist)
  • Cheddar and ham with tomato relish
  • Chopped up left over chicken mixed with chilli and mayo (Mr 12) or herbs and mayo (Miss 9)
  • Smoked Wagyu beef with mustard and/or cheddar (Miss 9 likes it with manchego but even if you own a food store at $80/kg this is a special treat)
  • Handmade salami with provolone cheese or cheddar (buy the good stuff as it is only every marginally more costly – sometimes even cheaper – than over-packaged-full-of-chemical-supermarket-salalmi)
  • Vegemite – yup it makes the list. As does Promite in my house
  • Tuna salad  (tuna mixed with mayo, cornichons, herbs, sometimes grated carrot etc – this used to be a real favourite but no so much now…fickle creatures)
  • Diced ham or chicken with chopped pineapple and mayo
  • Turkey breast with with cheese and cranberry
  • Smoked chicken (or left over chicken) chopped with mayo and cucumber
  • Roast beef with hommus, drained semidried cherry tomatoes & lettuce
  • Peanut butter and raisins or grated carrot ( though remember peanut but is rarely allowed in schools)
  • Grated cheddar cheese with chutney
  • Hommus and grated carrot
  • Pesto mixed through mayo with chicken or beef
  • Pesto mixed through finely chopped egg and mayo

NB……Please keep in mind that we do own a foodstore so we have access to the best imported and local food and cheeses…so don’t scare your kids by suddenly putting goats cheese on their sandwiches – although we do sell a lovely gentle one that many kids love. Nor do you need to break the bank for Italian Prosciutto that might just get flung to the bottom of a school bag. I guess if we were musicians my kids would have access to amazing instruments or paints if we were artists and so on – so for my guys it’s access to great food – even in the lunch boxes…

home grown pickles…

February 23rd, 2011 § 0 comments § permalink

a cucumber  bud…

A teeny weeny oh so cute baby

My cucumber vine finally came good with lots of cucumbers…. They are not the most delicate of things – their skins are actually quite thick – but a least they were tough enough to survive the heat wave. But what to do with them? Given I am the only one in the house who really eats them I decided to make pickles. This seemed the best way to make full use of them. It is interesting when you grow something yourself – you feel compelled to use the produce completely, with respect and no waste. I suppose this is because you truly understand the effort and time it takes to grow anything…

I spent a lot time looking for a good pickling recipe…but had trouble deciding. Classic pickles like bread and butter cucumbers are always delicious but eventually after discussing the matter with our clever new Sous Chef, John  I decided on a punchy ginger chilli Asian style pickle. John spent years working in Martin Boetz Longrain kitchen – so he certainly knows a thing or two…

In the end I didn’t follow a recipe but just poured  a selection of vinegars from the pantry: Malt vinegar, rice wine vinegar, Black chinese vinegar [chinkiang] into a saucepan with enough caster sugar to balance the flavour. Then I loaded it with fresh ginger and a little chilli. I brought it to the boil and let it simmer for a while to let the flavours infuse. Then I let it cool a little before pouring it over the sliced cucumbers waiting in sterilised jars. I wonder if it will work? Perhaps I should have looked at a recipe again? Never mind …fingers crossed. I’m dreaming of eating them with poached chicken, Asian style cabbage salads or BBQ’d fish…

From the garden to the jar….

early morning gathering

February 17th, 2011 § 0 comments § permalink

More home grown tomatoes, blemishes and all. It’s lovely to watch them in change colour on the window sill. So many differing shapes and sizes… all from the same plant…

Later in the morning, after I had gone to the store, my daughter emailed me from her dad’s iphone:

Dear Mum,

My breakfast from the garden with delicious Iggy’s bread.

Love Miss 9

Hmmm …she is nearly always the one who grouches at me for delaying meals to grab some photographs. But this little email looks suspiciously like a blog post…… nevermind it was sweet and reassuring to know she was having a good breakfast…. though I believe the bacon is lovely free range bacon brought home from the store since since we don’t keep pigs at home in the garden….don’t worry friends, that is one project I won’t be taking on – although…

a husband obssessed…

February 16th, 2011 § 2 comments § permalink

the first loaf

It could be worse, of  course. I know there are worse things to obsess about. But my husband has it really bad. He reads about it day and night. He travels far for it. Pays anything for it. Big, small, dark, soft, pale, chewy, crunchy, long, thin, fat…. Bread of any shape – he wants it or more importantly wants to know how it was made. I sort of wish he’d obsessed about exercise, maybe then we could be a little more svelte? Never mind as I said –  there are worse things. And secretly, if I am really honest, good bread wins over exercise any day…

Dugal’s Christmas stocking this year of course included a copy of Tartine Bread (in fact he recevied 2 copies – one from me and the other from Cooks Larder Head Chef, Dan. This means he can leave one at the store and the other at home. Never without a copy. Perfect). After baking his way through Tartine’s first fabulous book (literally, the book is almost in pieces) their next book all about bread making was keenly anticipated. And rightly so – it is a beautiful book. When I can prise it from his hands, I can enjoy the photography alone. This week after much planning Dugal entered the lounge with a small bucket of gloop and announced the beginning of his new career. Hmmmm …obsessions will do this to a man. Meanwhile I see a good blog opportunity and some pretty pics, all B&W as a homage to Tartine. Have a look at their web and the videos. These guys are serious talented, seriously cool and make seriously amazing bread. Maybe there is hope for the husband yet…. Next time you grab a sour dough, consider the time it has taken someone… tending to the starter, feeding and resting over several days… it is possible good bread may have been something you have been taking for granted…

research…. reading, reading reading!

Chad Robertson, talks on his website

The book …

It all starts with something so simple, flour – good flour of course….

The ‘starter’ … it needs careful tender care as it matures. The right temperature, humidity and so on for around 3 days as it develops the essential cultures needed to be a sourdough when it grows up – even when it gets a smelly as an old piece of cheese, crusty and starts to bubble…At this stage there were complaints grumbling around the house – no one ventured near the pantry for a while until I moved it onto the bench – fresh air helped the development and gave us all aromatic relief

Then it needs more of your tender loving care – around 80 percent of the original starter is removed. The remainder needs feeding (more flour and water) and more rest… a little like a new born.

Mixing in the first feed…

Chad says this mixing should be done your hands because you need to feel the consistency is right and more interestingly ,to add to the mix some of the microbe bacteria we all carry on our hands which is essential for the development of the cultures…

then its back for more resting… waiting to see if the bubbles come indicating it is ‘alive’

then it is feeding time again – reducing the mix then adding more flour and water.

hmm more gloopy mixes

a ball of the starter is dropped into a bowl of water…. if it floats, the mix is ready for the next stage…

salt is so important

Chad’s method creates a really wet dough but so smooth and elastic

More resting (ahh the life of bread : feeding, resting, feeding, resting…)

at last …6 days later: a sourdough. Not bad for a first attempt!

But it was Friday…

February 11th, 2011 § 1 comment § permalink

For some it is a glass [or two] of wine on a Friday… Clearly I’m just not that sophisticated…a late night iced mocha does it for me. It’s a very rare treat and it is Friday – that’s okay isn’t it?

Chilling out on the back deck… a post-Christmas thank you dinner

February 11th, 2011 § 4 comments § permalink

Every year I cook one big special dinner… it’s big thank you night for Cooks Larder chefs and key staff. Usually we wait until after the big build up to Christmas has settled – none of us have time to even think of relaxing during that chaos! A few years back I got a bit caught up doing fiddly things that I thought would impress – cooking for talented chefs and foodies can do that to anyone!

These days I relish the simple – big platters, good wine and the chance for everyone to kick their shoes off and chill out on the back deck. I spend ages scanning all my favourite magazines and books to pull together a menu that is all about the produce which Dugal gets straight from the markets. Of course it still involves a full day of cooking (not to mention the cleaning you feel obliged to do when a crowd is coming especially if you tend to be on the messy side). But it does feel a treat to focus on nothing but cooking for people who deserve a good meal, along with some super late Christmas presents (Le Chassuer and knives for the boys, beautiful body wash from Grown and flowers for the girls) and a load of appreciation after a long year. We get everyone picked up then delivered home safely by local limo driver, David, so they can enjoy the night. You may have to excuse some of the images below – they were certainly done on the run – even more than usual!

Miss 9 and I made tealight candle lanterns from jars and wire, hanging them above the table and lining the stairs.

The Menu:

  • Rather Boozy White Rum, Brown Sugar, Fresh Pineapple and Mint Frappes
  • Mumm Champagne and an amazing French Riesling brought by head chef, Dan
  • Fresh Pasta with mint pesto, grilled zucchini and sauted prawns
  • Roman Style Lamb with Artichokes and whole garlic
  • Bisteca with chilli tomato salsa
  • Balsamic onion, garlic and potatoes
  • Iceberg, radicchio, watercress Salad with Redwine Vinegar
  • Slow roasted Tomatoes with Asparagus and Buffalo Mozzarella
  • Delice de Bourgogne with Charcol Crackers and fresh Figs
  • Passionfruit Semi Freddo with fresh Raspberries

Oh and while I was cooking away we played this very loud… it distracted us from the heat….I had downloaded the album to play while we were eating… but totally forgot. I suspect the boys from the kitchen, especially Head Chef (Mr Metallica), would probably be very relieved that I did forget…

The produce…

Fresh Mint, ready for the frappes and the entree

The fresh pasta sheets with mint pesto, grilled zucchini and prawns

The tomatoes with asparagus, buffalo mozzarella and basil and chives from my herb garden

Iceberg, Radicchio, Watercress salad with spanish onions pickled in Forvm cabernet vinegar

The balsamic potatoes with garlic – rosemary from my garden – ready for the oven. Allow well over an hour to let this dish cook!

Leg of Mirool Creek lamb falling off the bone with baked artichokes and whole garlic cloves

The whopping 1.5kg bisteca steaks – ie  big T-Bones on the BBQ. Unfortunately I couldn’t get any of the authentic Maremmana or Chianina beef but made do with quality beef from our providore.

It should be served very rare…like this. The salsa is based on tomatoes, basil, garlic and a little biodynamic fetta – and chilli on the side – it was so hot my fingers burned for hours! Never experienced anything like it!

Delice d’Bourgogne with fresh figs

Passionfruit semi freddo with fresh raspberries

Fresh summer lotus flowers and…

tuberoses for the girls, wrapped in brown paper with thick 1930′s vintage satin ribbon.

diary of a homegrown tomato…one year, one tomato!

February 5th, 2011 § 2 comments § permalink

I am almost as proud as a new mother…  This was a loooooong process. More than a year ago I gathered seeds from the most incredible tomatoes I have ever eaten – a gift from an amazing Italian home gardener.

I dried them and stored them in a jar in a dark cupboard till Spring. I planted the seeds in an organic seedling mix till they had a little height then ‘hardened’ them in their pots where they were to be planted in the garden. After being planted, I waited and waited.  Flowers came and went, dying too quickly. But eventually there was succcess. The day we saw out first little tomato bud was a happy one – the kids were soooo excited! Who would have thought a tomato could create such passion. They have been watched like babies. We even built a cage to keep out the possums…..No chemicals whatsoever… just lovely worm tea.

Yesterday we got to taste the first one… growing your own food is so rewarding. Not necessarily bountiful but always rewarding! I think next week I will be picking my first cucumber! If they survive this heat!!! Whoa Sydney… hang in there a change is coming!

seedlings after only a week or 2 after popping out of the soil seedlings

Lovely lanky seedlings

Yay -A tiny tomato!

More tiny tomatoes

growing....

Growing...

at last some colour

a few days rest on the window sill

Perfect!!

This is what it is all about... delicious. There was no point getting fancy with a single tomato so we just decided to slice it and enjoy with a touch of salt and some fresh pepper...perfect

the old boards come out to play… a visual feast

January 30th, 2011 § 0 comments § permalink

Yesterday I was lucky enough to catch a great event [purely by accident on the way for my usual early swim]. The Nth Avalon Retro Board Comp is only held only every 4 years. Since this post really has nothing to do with food  head here if you’d like to enjoy a few more classic Aussie surf images.

always have a bag of frozen peas in your freezer…

January 29th, 2011 § 1 comment § permalink

Another pasta dish – but this one is a super quick one because last night was one of those nights… the one when you get home from work and realise you haven’t even thought about dinner. When you own a foodstore this is quite silly really – given the whole day is about food… You’d think that would make life easier. Of course sometimes it does but maybe it’s a little like the plumber with the leaky pipes at home, the painter whose house needs painting etc etc. Nevermind, as you know I quite like these last minute challenges – often the best meals come as a result! You might like to read the Busy Family Pantry List post from a while back – especially since next week is back to school week –eeek!  Meanwhile… this is what tonight’s rummage through the fridge, freezer and pantry resulted in….

Stellette Pasta with Crispy Bacon, Peas, Lemon and Parmesan

Put a large pot of salty water on to boil. Steam around 400g frozen peas till just done. This can be done stove top or in the microwave. Saute 1 large finely chopped onion and one clove of finely chopped garlic  in a little olive oil in a fry pan over a medium heat till very soft. Try to do this without colouring them – a pinch of salt helps. Stir through the rest of the peas, a good squeeze of lemon juice, salt and pepper. Chop bacon into small pieces and fry till crispy. Drain fat on paper towel.

Place the onions, a little freshly grated parmesan and half of the peas into a small food processor or use a stick blender to quickly …

…blitz them into a very rough paste. Mix through the rest of the whole peas, a good squeeze of lemon, salt, pepper and some freshly grated parmesan. A little finely chopped mint would be good if you have any…

Cook pasta till al dente. [See notes below about the particular pasta we used ] Drain – but don’t  rinse – the starchiness adds flavour. Immediately stir the pea mix through the hot pasta. Check for seasoning or more lemon juice.

Spoon into warmed bowls. Generously grate over more fresh parmesan and top with the crispy bacon.

NOTE: What is Stellette Pasta???

Miss 9 loves to buy different shaped pasta. After exhausting the Cooks Larder for new things she loves the pasta selections found on the top floor at Fratelli Fresh to explore for different shapes. A welcome distraction while waiting for a table at Sopra! Last time we were there she chose this one: Stellette – and what girl wouldn’t love these teeny tiny flowers! I’m sure this pasta should technically be used in a soup but I treated as I would risoni (ie small rice shaped pasta) and it worked just fine!

As any curious mind would ask: “Maaaumm how many flowers do you think there are in this packed?” Hmmm good question. I never like to miss a opportunity for a maths problem  [cooking provides plenty - another great reason to cook regularly with your kids]. SO we set out to find a good way to guess-timate the number. No way could we count them all without getting really really hungry! We came up with the idea of counting the number of flowers that weigh a total of 5 grams. Knowing the total packet size being 500 grams it was a fairly simple equation to guess-timate. If I remember correctly there were around 40,000 little flowers in the packet.  Phew, bet you are glad you found that out huh!?

Orecchiette and Pesto

January 22nd, 2011 § 1 comment § permalink


Last week I held a private class with a favourite group of Cooking School kids – this bunch of gorgeous cousins, brothers and sisters have so much enthusiasm for cooking it is a real pleasure to teach them…

Together we made fresh pasta from scratch – pappardelle, spaghetti and fettucini. We also made a Puglian type of pasta: orecchiette. I love the chewy heavy, almost dumpling qualties of orecchiette. It’s the semolina that gives it this texture – very different to the silky soft texture of the egg based pastas we made. Orecchiette is made totally by hand without a machine. It is rolled into shapes roughly like small ears – hence it’s name : orecchio – ear, orecchiette – little ears…

This is a great pasta to make with kids as it is quick and easy. It is also quite forgiving – once cooked all of the imperfections (ie different sizes and shapes) tend to disappear. I’m sure the Italian experts would disapprove but it is fun… and practice, eventually… makes perfect.

Often after a busy week I end up cooking the same dishes I have been cooking in class… the brain gets a bit stuck! My kids love to make pasta too so we decided to make a simple but special dinner completely from scratch – the pasta and the pesto. The basil was proudly picked from our very own herb garden! We made the pesto by hand because pounding in a mortar and pestle brings out more flavour than whizzing it in a blender. Give it a try next time you have the extra time. Slower, but very satisfying indeed…and delicious. We packed dinner up and ate it picnic style at the beach. Perfect.

Orecchiette Pasta

Serves 3-4

  • 200g OO flour
  • 100g fine semolina
  • water
  • teaspoon sea salt

Add enough water, small amounts at time, to form a heavy dough.  The roll into the ‘little ears’ … see below.

Combine the flour, salt and semolina in a mixing bowl.

Add enough water – always in small amounts at time until it forms into a dough.Bring together into a ball. Knead for a short period till the dough is smooth and elastic. If your dough is very hard or tough give it a little rest in a plastic bag for a 5 minutes or so before adding any more water. If it is still tough to work with add water by wetting your hands and kneading again.

Divide the balls into small pieces

then roll into thin logs… bit like making playdoh snakes at kindy!

Then cut small pieces of each log and roll by pushing it away from you so it curls into itself. Most people prefer to do this with either a thumb or pointer finger…

But some people prefer to use a knife. I am sure, given there is a name for just about every possible shape of pasta, that when shaped with a knife it is no longer orecchiette – never mind it all tastes the same!

This is roughly what the shape looks like if you use a finger…and you are 9 and have only made orecchiette a few times… (ie not an expert)

And this is what the shape looks like when you shape with a knife…

Gather your pesto ingredients: basil, garlic, salt, parmesan (grana is fine), olive oil and lightly toasted pine nuts….Start pounding a very decent pinch of salt with the garlic (1 or 2 cloves)

Oh.. put on a big pot of very salty water to boil. Always use your very biggest pot so the boiling water has space to roll the pasta around with plenty of room

Then keep pounding, pounding, pounding adding the picked basil leaves and pinenuts alternatively until you have a thick paste. Then pound in some parmesan and loads of your best olive oil. Check for salt or pepper.

Drain your pasta

And tip back into the pot to stir through spoonfuls of your pesto. Serve immediately. Or… packed it up and head to the beach with some Coronas… the pasta is good cold… and so are the beers!

Ps….Hand pounded pesto has a chunkier texture and I love i!

my dear brisbane friends….

January 20th, 2011 § 0 comments § permalink

thinking of you all …wishing you could smell this beautiful tuberose and that I could pop in for tea…

xxxxx

Bread Love

January 16th, 2011 § 1 comment § permalink

Breakfast yesterday…. a special treat….Iggys bread and Cooks Larder homemade Old Fashioned Strawberry jam, made with fresh strawberries of course! Did I mention lashings of organic butter? No … ah the guilt ….but it was a special treat after all…

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