April 21st, 2012 § § permalink
Last week I bought a slow cooker. Actually it’s my second slow cooker - I bought my first about 3 years ago. Back then I chose the biggest I could find and tried and tried to create a tasty meal… epic failure as the kids would say. Everything seemed to taste the same…. casserole this, casserole that.
Recently I have been learning about many new things about nutrition from wonderful (and inspiringly beautiful) Naturopath, Anthia Koullouros. Anthia says one important factor to retain a foods nutritional goodness is by cooking at low temperatures – ie 120 degrees and lower…
Given how busy this year has been my family certainly needs easy, simple and nutritionally sound dinners. SO off to try another slow cooker….. (can’t even remember what I did with the huge one – perhaps hiding in the back of a cupboard?). This time I chose a smaller one by Breville that has a removable inner dish that can go on the stove top for browning meats or reducing sauces. Perfect. Anthia gave me lots of slow cooking tips – so far so good! The most important seems to be to use many more dried herbs than you would in normal oven cooking. With this recipe I used close on 4 times the amount of dried tarragon than I normally would – I thought I was probably over doing it but it was perfect.
So if you haven’t had much luck with tasty slow cooker dinners try Anthia’s tips and give this super simple recipe a go – you could also add garlic, onions or mushrooms (towards the end of cooking time) but i didnt have any on hand and I didnt miss them! This is basic cooking at its best.
……keep an eye out for more slow cooker recipes – they are on the way! Perfect timing with this weather for those of you in Sydney at least.
Tarragon Chicken
- 1 organic chicken
- 5-6 tablespoons of best quality dried tarragon (I know, I know it sounds excessive)
- 1/2 bunch of celery, chopped
- 4-6 carrots, chopped
- 250ml best quality chicken stock
- Salt and pepper
- 200ml pure organic cream
Rinse and dry the chicken in fresh water and pop into the slow cooker. Add the celery and carrots and tarragon and pour over the stock. Cook according to your cookers instructions. Just before serving remove all of the bones and gently prise the meat appart with forks and stir through the cream. Serve on its own or with blanched spinach and broccoli as we did or with a starch like brown rice, steamed potatoes. Nutritionally sound, simple and comforting. Freezes well.
April 16th, 2012 § § permalink
We were elbow deep in Lindt chocolate yet again in our last class for these holidays…. the girls did such a wonderful job, as you know working with chocolate is very hard! Here are some quick phone snaps of the results. So no more chocolate….til next year. Although the girls were so very good I keep finding chocolate everywhere – so if you are instore soon and find chocolate in an odd place, please forgive, we had so much fun!
I have some real recipe good food posts coming soon – promise.
April 11th, 2012 § § permalink
This weeks cooking classes – lots of fun last night and this morning….
Last night – Homestyle Japanese! Here are some quick on the run phone snaps….. The kids made: Osunomono Salad, Gyudon, Oyako Donburi. These are great recipes… I will post them at some stage because they certainly tick all the family food boxes oh so well!
And then……
things got very Easter silly this morning: Chocolate Easter Egg Nests!
kilos of Callebaut and Lindt chocolate ready on the bain-marie
eggs and pretty lollies ready to go….
and chickens awaiting their nests….
we were ready to go!
i love these little shiny foiled eggs!
Nests ready to be boxed - perhaps they went a little over the top – especially after Easter? But who can say no to this much fun…
have you ever played with edible glitter – so much fun!
the final dusting of glitter topped of the sillyness – of course!!!!
April 1st, 2012 § § permalink
It was one of those mornings last week. There was no milk. There was no bread. There were no eggs. There were no oats…..All i could find were 2 under-ripe pears and some yogurt. Not so satisfying on a coolish Autumn morning. Then I remembered a packet of organic quinoa hiding in the cupboard that I’d bought a few weeks earlier for a salad (which I will get around to posting one day).
SO i peeled and slice the pears and dropped them into a pan with a little water and a vanilla bean to poach. Then cooked the quinoa as per the packet – except I dropped a vanilla bean in as well. Then to serve I piled spoonfuls of quinoa into bowls with the steaming poached vanilla pears and topped with a big dollop of organic yogurt – and for the kids – a sprinkle of coconut sugar (this is something you must try not just for the flavour but for a whole host of health reasons). I left off the sugar because the pears and vanilla offer enough sweetness in my books…
I’m guessing this is probably not the breakfast for everyone. I know my husband would flatly refuse. But it is good in so many ways so give it a go and maybe you and your folk will enjoy it as much as we did (except for the husband of course).
Ps I am so looking forward to the end of daylight saving more so than other years…. the dark dark mornings were getting me down… not to mention playing havoc with lighting for quick snaps like these!
March 25th, 2012 § § permalink
I posted a meatball recipe a while back now but recently came across this idea from an ancient Donna Hay magazine in pile that was all dusty, outdated and heading for the recycling. I figure this is exactly why I keep so many magazines… you never know what you will find.
I’m afraid we were all so hungry I completely forgot to take any photos of the finished dish – oh well, lets face it meatballs are not pretty – lucky they taste sooooooo good.
These meatballs are based on pork mince. Buying pork mince kind of creeps me out – I don’t exactly know why…..so I bought a shoulder of Berkshire Pork and asked the butcher to mince it for me. Perfect…. except for the fact as a result I owned 4.5kg of pork mince… scarey! My solution was to times the recipe by 4 so that now I have all 4 lots of meatball mix all ready to roll and bake in the freezer. I froze the rest of the mince plain… with thoughts of a san choy bow at some point maybe…..
The recipe quantites below will serve 4 but I doubled it for great lunches the next day – served smashed on sandwiches for the kids and with salad for me. I felt so organised – dinner, lunches and freezer ready to go. Phew.
TIP: cut the onions very fine… nothing worse than under cooked onion
Pork Apple and Thyme Meatballs.
- 1 piece of white bread (Im going flour-free at the moment so I used almond meal instead and it was fabulous)
- 1/4 cup milk
- 500g pork mince
- 1 apple, peeled and grated
- 1 red onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan
- 1/2 bunch thyme, leaves only
- 1 egg
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, sliced
- 750ml tomato quality passata (i buy an amazing one from the beautiful Italian gardener I buy my veges from in Terry Hills otherwise 2 cans of chopped tomatoes will suffice)
- 1/2 bunch thyme
- more parmesan for serving
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Place a large baking tray in the oven to heat up. Place the milk or the almond meal in a big bowl. Let it sit for a few minutes to soften. Add the egg and beat lightly. Season well with salt and pepper. Add the mince, apple, onion, garlic, parmesan and thyme and mix all together – the best way is to do this with your hands. Then roll into small balls. Get the hot tray from the oven and generously oil with grapeseed oil. Place the meatballs onto the tray as quickly and carefully as possible and place back into the oven. Bake for 8 minutes or so then turn them over to brown on the other side. Meanwhile in a large heavy frypan (I use my large Le Chasseur dish for this) gently cook the garlic in olive oil til soft then add the passata and thyme. Then drop the meatballs directly into the sauce to finish cooking – make sure any of the lovely pan juices go in as well. Let simmer gently until you are ready to eat but no longer than 1/2 hour. Sometimes if I sense a busy night coming up I will get everything ready up to this final stage so that when I get home it just needs the final 30-40 minutes on the stove top (but that is an exceptional morning to achieve that of course!).
Serve your favourite way whether it be with steamed greens, pasta, cous cous or salad – don’t forget the extra parmesan on top. Deeee-lish.
FREEZING TIPS:
Here is the mince plain and meatball mix ready for the freezer. Freeze them in flat round disks so they defrost quicker…
February 26th, 2012 § § permalink
A few weeks ago I was thumbing through my recipe journal and came across this one I had pulled from SMH Good Living (Oct 19 2011). Our rhubarb has struggled to reach its full growth (or any growth really) – in fact it seemed to stop at only 5 stalks – so this recipe offered a good way of respectfully giving up!! I figure it was also a good way to bid strawberry season good bye! I will most definitely use this pastry recipe again – it’s fabulous. I used another pastry recipe for a Secret Mens Business cooking school this week for individual peach and nectarine crostatas but wished we had used this one…. way better…..
Rhubarb and Strawberry Crostata.
Ingredients:
- 200g chilled butter chopped
- 250g plain flour
- 125ml sour cream
- 6 rhubarb stalks, sliced into 2cm-3cm pieces
- 500g strawberries,hulled
- ¾ cup castor sugar
- 2 tbsp custard powder (use cornflour if you don’t have any)
- Grated zest of 2 lemons
- 450g mascarpone
- 1 tbsp icing sugar
- 1 egg yolk
Method
To make the pastry, pulse butter and flour in a food processor until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add sour cream and pulse until the dough just forms a ball. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes – or longer. Bring out of the fridge 15 mins before your are ready to roll it.
Meanwhile, mix rhubarb, strawberries, castor sugar, custard powder and half the lemon zest in a large bowl and toss well. In a separate bowl, mix mascarpone, remaining lemon zest and icing sugar.
Preheat oven to 200C. On a floured surface, roll the pastry out to a rough circle about five millimetres thick and 35 centimetres wide. Place on a tray lined with baking paper. Pile the filling into the centre of the pastry and spread it out, leaving about a five-centimetre edge. Turn the edges over the filling and brush them with the egg yolk. I sprinkled the crust with some extra sugar but it didnt need it – it seemed to make the crust look scruffy!
Bake the crostata in the oven until the pastry is golden, about 45-60 minutes. Serve topped with the sweet mascarpone. Mmmmmm – this was the perfect recipe to end on for me as I attempt to address a slight (eh-um) sugar and carb addiction I have developed and thoroughly enjoyed for way too long….
February 19th, 2012 § § permalink
Ingredients:
- 1 tbs peanut oil
- 1kg gravy beef, cut into 3cm pieces
- 2 tbs tomato paste
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 5cm-piece fresh ginger, peeled, thinly sliced
- 2 stems lemon grass, pale section only, finely chopped
- 2 tsp Chinese five spice
- 3 whole star anise
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1L (4 cups) chicken stock
- 1 tbs fish sauce
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- 6 eschallots, peeled
To serve :
Thai basil leaves, Vietnamese mint, lemon wedges and bean shoots to serve and steamed green beans, to serve
- Heat half the oil in a large heavy-based saucepan over medium-high heat. Add half the beef (or less if you are doing a double batch) and cook, turning occasionally, for 3-4 minutes or until browned. Transfer to a bowl. Repeat with remaining oil and beef, reheating the pan between batches.
- Reduce heat to medium. Add tomato paste and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 1minute. Return beef to pan. Add ginger, lemon grass, five spice, star anise and cinnamon. Stir to combine. Stir in the stock, fish sauce and sugar. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for around 1 1/2 hours till meat is very tender
- Add the eschallots and cook for another 15 minutes or so – it is actually very nice for the eschallots to have a little crunch to them – a good texture to contrast the soft meat.
- Top with basil, beanshoots and serve with beans, herbs and lemon.
PS I bought all of these lovely herbs from an organic producers market so they cost me a pretty packet so mindful of waste I pick every left over leaf and made a pesto with an Asian slant to serve with lamb the following night… that recipe will pop up at some point….
February 10th, 2012 § § permalink
So what happens when you need to make yourself a lovely lunchbox?
I have just gone back to school myself and it is a real privilege – feels like play all day! The kids think it’s a bit funny teasing me about ‘homework’ but are really keen to see what I’ve been doing each day – and since they are such kind critics, I don’t mind showing them!
How long it will last before the wheels fall off I don’t know but meanwhile I have been making some fabulous healthy super quick lunches for myself. Must buy a decent cooler bag though – quite embarrassing getting out one of the kids grubby old hot pink rejects!! Here is my first day lunch… so quick, so yummy.
Left Over Roast Chicken and Celery Salad with Goats Cheese.
No need for a recipe here of course…. just shred some left over roast chicken with some finely sliced celery. Then mix through a small amount of marinated goats cheese from Meredith.
We have some amazing new greens in store – delicate and beautiful seasonal baby herbs that are grown not too far from the store so they are super fresh.
This element made the salad really….. I put them off to the side so they would hold up till lunch and then gently tossed it all together….tiny bit of pepper was all that was needed. When you can smell the junk at the cafeteria wafting down the hill, a salad like this feels like heaven.
Yesterday I raided the coolroom on the way to school for a tiny piece of the Tuna our chefs preserve and did pretty much the same thing but with a dollop of freshly made mayo and added a small handful of dill…. (sorry dan – i only stole a little bit – promise!!)
I have also been sticking in a little cloth napkin (yup part of the set I still have to finish) so I really feel like I’m on a picnic…..it doesn’t matter where I go, it always ends up being about the food!!!!
February 3rd, 2012 § § permalink
Pencil cases are done and school is in…. and that means lunches….Make this bread over the weekend and save yourself hours next week doing lunch boxes! The recipe makes enough for two breads so you can even do two different ones for variety or to suit fussy eaters. Kids love making this recipe too so get them busy in the kitchen with you – messy but fun.
Basic Bread Mix:
- 21g dried yeast
- 1 kg bread flour [i use organic wholewheat or 1/2 organic plain for lighter bread],
- extra flour, for dusting.
- 625mls tepid water
- 2 level tablespoons sea salt
- 30gr sugar
Mix together the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast in a bowl.
Gradually add the water, small amounts at a time, mixing with your hand or a wooden spoon.
Add more water or flour – only small amounts – as needed till the dough makes a ball.
Turn out onto a floured surface and knead the dough for 4 or 5 minutes until you have a silky and elastic dough.
Flour the top of your dough. Put it in a bowl, cover with cling film, and allow it to prove for about half an hour until doubled in size – ideally in a warm, moist, draught-free place.
Turn on the oven to 200 degrees and once the dough has doubled in size, knock the air out for 30 seconds by banging it on the table it and squashing it. Divide the dough in half. Put 1 half back into the bowl and cover with the plastic wrap. Roll the other half out on a floured surface into a long rectangle shape - about 1 centimeter thick 1/2 metre long.
Lay your stuffing ingredients (see list below for suggestions) evenly over the dough. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Roll the dough over the filling so it forms what looks like a big sausage roll shape. Bring one end round to the other so that they join up. Pinch and pat the two ends together firmly to form a doughnut shaped bread. Brush on olive oil and sprinkle the loaf with a little sea salt and maybe some herbs that match your filling.
Carefully transfer to a baking tray dusted with flour and allow to rest (prove) for 15 minutes. Drizzle with olive oil.
Place in the preheated and cook till the bread is golden brown and sounds a little hollow when tapped. Cooking time will depend on how thin you rolled your dough, how many and what type of ingredients you used – but allow around 30-40mins.
Let cool and slice into pieces – big pieces or small depending on your kids. When completely cool wrap well in cling film and freeze. Put them into lunch boxes frozen and they will thaw by lunch.
… Savory Stuffed Bread Suggestions:
- Ham and cheese (mozzarella, cheddar, parmesan or combo) with mustard or passata or tomato
- Boiled eggs with tuna, cheese, fresh basil
- Goats cheese, tomato and proscuitto
- Mushrooms, cheese and chicken (or any left over meats)
- Salami, mozzarella, olives , basil and tomato
- Cooked sausage with tomato, cheese and basil
January 28th, 2012 § § permalink
Whilst my very small vegetable, salad and herb garden is looking rather tragic, the garden is glowing with these beautiful Kahili Gingers – at least something obviously loving this weather – even if we are not. The house is surrounded by them and their aroma is beautiful… little like a soft, gentle tuberose perfume. However my proud gardening moment was dashed when I looked them up online to find out their real name – turns out this ginger, native to Nepal, is now considered a total pest! A weed no less….. aww. I don’t care I love my weeds!
January 26th, 2012 § § 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.
January 26th, 2012 § § 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.
January 23rd, 2012 § § 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
January 14th, 2012 § § 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!!
January 13th, 2012 § § 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!
December 18th, 2011 § § 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!
November 26th, 2011 § § 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…
October 29th, 2011 § § 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?
October 28th, 2011 § § 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!!!
October 21st, 2011 § § 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.
September 17th, 2011 § § 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
September 12th, 2011 § § 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!!
August 31st, 2011 § § 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.
July 23rd, 2011 § § 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……
July 19th, 2011 § § 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!
July 15th, 2011 § § 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!
July 12th, 2011 § § 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….
June 28th, 2011 § § 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.
June 15th, 2011 § § 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.
June 9th, 2011 § § 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!
June 5th, 2011 § § 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
May 28th, 2011 § § 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.
May 26th, 2011 § § 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
May 23rd, 2011 § § 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!
May 15th, 2011 § § 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.
May 11th, 2011 § § 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…
April 30th, 2011 § § 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
April 26th, 2011 § § 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.
April 24th, 2011 § § 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…
April 21st, 2011 § § 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!!
April 19th, 2011 § § 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 ….
April 14th, 2011 § § 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.
March 26th, 2011 § § 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.
March 25th, 2011 § § 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…
March 23rd, 2011 § § 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:
- Roast the pumpkin rather than boiling it. Season it well.
- 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.
- 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.
- Serve something special on top … see suggestions below
- 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!
March 12th, 2011 § § 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
March 2nd, 2011 § § 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!
February 26th, 2011 § § 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…
February 23rd, 2011 § § 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….
This weird weather is making dinner decisions rather difficult. The other night was so cool I actually felt like a braise…. not something I would normally crave in Summer of course. I couldn’t face anything too heavy or rich so it made sense to turn to a hot country to find a suitable braise – full of flavour but still a tad lighter than a classic winter braise. Of course this freezes well so make a double batch for super quick mid-week after sport-after work-after- after school dinner!!
