Monday, December 10, 2012

Scallops!!

One of the things I love about Summer and living in Queensland is the abundance of seafood. Even living two hours inland we're able to buy our weekly fill of fish and other desirable seafood. Including Scallops.

I love scallops. I love their lightness, their subtle flavour and how they'll soak up rich garlic and lemon sauces, or just a few herbs and a light grill and they're ready to eat. And quick! I've been looking forward to trying these recipes as I haven't cooked scallops before and have heard about how easy it is to overcook them, but I'm quietly proud of myself for how well I did.


With the lime, the scallops are cooked in a garlic and butter sauce then a light Wasabi and lime dressing is poured over them, topped with some chopped spring onion. I was quite apprehensive about tasting the Wasabi ones as I don't have a palate for heat in food but they were really nice and not hot at all.

The lemon scallops were cooked in a similar butter and garlic sauce, that some thyme had been pulled into. Once the scallops were cooked (both recipes read 30 sec each side but I found with my not-gas stove top it took a little longer) they were removed from the pan. Some lemon juice and chives were then added to the butter sauce and poured over the cooked scallops. These were awesome. Melt in the mouth.

Love that I've finally cooked these delicacies and can't wait to get my hands on more!


Friday, November 30, 2012

Mixed Berry Layered Pavlova

I'm part of a photography group for my town and the prompt last week was 'Chocolate' so I had to get two birds with one stone and make something from my Donna Hay book....then cover it with Chocolate.

Which is what I did.

No, there was originally no chocolate in this dish, but there were Raspberries and I couldn't buy fresh ones for less then $9 a punnet so I substituted the berries for chocolate. Good exchange, hey?

Also, I suck at making meringue. Of any kind. It never ever ever ever works for me. Like, ever. So I was already skeptical about making it, but wanted to give it a crack just the same. I figured that if it didn't work, like normal, I'd just crush up whatever did cook and make an Eton Mess out of it instead.

It was just egg whites and icing sugar - where I usually use caster sugar - so it mixed in really well. I used my mixmaster and just turned it on and walked away. I don't think I usually give eggwhites enough time to expand before I bake.

But by some divine intervention (must have been the full moon) my meringue worked!! I don't know how, I didn't do anything different from the other times I made them, but something clicked and they both worked so well, I had a very proud moment. :)

With the warmer weather, I took this to a BBQ for dessert and it was a hit. It was lovely and light and sat just right after a meal of sausages, chicken skewers and salad.



I may have ammended the original recipe a little, but it was so good just the same.



Monday, October 29, 2012

Tomato Salad with Garlic and Anchovy Dressing

Do you have something you don't eat, but don't know why? It's just one of those things then when offered, you automatically turn your nose up at and 'no thanks, I don't eat them' even though you've probably never tried it. I do. I have a few actually. Oysters. Sorry, but they just look like a pile of snot sitting in a shell. How appetizing. Mussels. Brains. And Anchovies.

When I decided to start this challenge I told myself that I would try new food. Probably not everything I cook I'll eat, but I'm hoping to be brave enough to try most of it. This is the first 'new' food thing I have cooked so I was a bit apprehensive.

It was an easy dish to make. It'd be even easier if I had've kept an eye on the oil and garlic cooking the first time, rather then burn it and have to start the dressing again. The ingredients are naturally contemplative of each other. Tomatoes, beans and basil. Oil, garlic, anchovy and sherry vinegar. I didn't have any sherry vinegar so I substituted with Balsamic. Yes, I know it has a different taste but I wasn't going to go out and buy a whole bottle for a few tablespoons. And trust me, balsamic worked. 

Cut up tomatoes and beans and set aside. Heat oil, garlic and anchovy in a pan and cook till the garlic is golden. Now, you know when you're watching a cooking show and the chef puts in anchovy and they always say 'they dissapear, you'll never know they're there, it's just for flavour.' Well, I never believed them. How could it dissapear? Seriously?

I looked. It dissapeared. So sue me.

I think the best part of this dish is what I learnt. Once the garlic is cooked, remove it from the heat and carefully pour in the vinegar. The pan and oil is still so hot that it starts cooking the sugars in the vinegar and the whole dressing becomes this lovely sweet, sticky, garlicy liquid that I could've savored for days. I mean, it was awesome. Once the dressing is ready, pour over the tomatoes and let marinate for half an hour. Add some basil, shavings of pecorino (again, I didn't have this and substituted for Parmesan) and voila! 

As with the last salad it's missing the 'you'll need a big chunk of bread to soak up the remainder of the dressing or you'll end up licking the plate clean' bit at the end of the recipe. Yes, I can see how it's healthy without it, but I think the bread would round it up nicely.


Seriously good food.


Thursday, October 25, 2012

Caprese Salad

I love salad.

I don't think this is a new revelation for me, but I'm just confirming it. With all these salads. Yes, I love salad. I love being able to eat a whole plate laden with food and not feel like I need to undo a button somewhere. I love how easy and incredibly tasteful salads are. And I love learning new salads.

Caprese Salad. Four main ingredients. A simple, simple dressing. 

I'm in heavan.

Bake a beautiful vine-ripened tomato that's been lovingly wrapped in prosciutto and seasoned in the oven till the prosciutto is nice and crispy. 

Arrange the Bocconcini (in place of Buffalo Mozzarella that isn't available here) and Basil leaves on the plate.

Dress with Olive Oil, White Wine vinegar and good 'ol S&P.

Tease everyone on Facebook with your lunch.


  

Add the now cooked Tomato. 

Photograph. Then dive in. 

The only criticism I have with this recipe is that it fails to state at the end 'you'll need a great big piece of toasted sourdough to soak up all the juices left from the tomato. They'll taste awesome. You might lick the plate clean.'

Seriously. Plate-lickable. I think I just made a new food term....



Thursday, October 18, 2012

Orange and Almond Fingers

The other afternoon I found that the kids and I had some time spare before the bath/dinner/bed routine and I've been craving sweets. I was lucky enough to have most of the ingredients (Hubby had to grab some eggs on his way home!) on hand so decided to make these and if they turned out, take them to Playgroup the next day.

For some reason I expected this recipe to have more of a biscuit texture but they're really cake-like. Which isn't a bad thing at all, just from the photos I thought they'd be a biscuit. The orange took quite a bit longer then 20 min boiling to become soft enough for me to put through the processor. I also substituted the flour for gluten free flour, but that doesn't make a difference to the end product.

I really enjoyed these fingers. They were great to cut up small and keep in the fridge for a sweet snack with a cuppa tea in the afternoon. In-fact, I had to quickly photograph them before I gobbled them all up!!



Sunday, October 14, 2012

Greek Salad and Baked Haloumi

I love the warmer weather and the light salads it brings. A friend over for lunch so I decided to make Donna's Greek Salad and the Baked Haloumi wrapped in Vine Leaves (that I pinched from my last house before we moved!)

I loved the Greek salad but was a little concerned about how the Feta would go, as the recipe states for it to be fried.

It didn't fry. It just melted.

In hindsight, a lower heat for a longer time would probably work better. But, melted or not, it still tasted great. Especially teamed with the simple dressing, red wine vinegar and extra-virign olive oil.

 As I had the vine leaves hanging out in my fridge, I decided to make the Haloumi dish as well.

I love Haloumi. I love love love Hamoumi. Now, especially when it's been smothered in oil, garlic and oregano, wrapped in a vine leaf and baked. The richness of the garlic and oregano permeated the cheese and just made it heavenly. Yummmmm...



Go try it yourself. :)

Sunday, September 30, 2012

Watch this Space!

Sssh! I know it's been a while!

If you aren't following my other blog, The Strands of Me, you might not know that in the past two months we've been holidaying to Melbourne, Moving House, Visiting Family and settling into a new town.

I was lucky enough to pull out my Donna Hay book last week and cook up two delicious dishes that I'll share with you real soon. In the next few days, in fact. So keep an eye out.

Hope you've been cooking up a storm while I've been busy! There will be a TON of new posts coming up here because I'm going to go on a cooking frenzy! Lots of Spring Salads and I can't wait to try them all out!

Watch this space!

Friday, August 10, 2012

Pumpkin Pies

This is the first recipe out of this book that I ever cooked, before it was even in this book! I made it straight from the Donna Hay magazine as I've always wanted to try it, so I thought the best way to try something is to make it.

It took me aaaaaages. I had barely worked with pastry before and was very fiddly with it, trying to finesse the edging and make it as smooth as possible. I like the instructions to 'place on a baking tray THEN pour in the pumpkin mixture' before baking. Best instructions ever, as I couldn't imagine trying to handle it when ready to be cooked. Just my luck I'd trip.

I loved the taste, the natural sweetness from the butternut pumpkin accentuated by the maple syrup. It's no wonder it's such a popular pie, in America. It should be more popular here. Just so I can eat more of it.


Excuse the dodgy photo, it was take quite a few years ago....

Also, I clearly remember taking some over to my family and them asking me, Do you eat it for dinner, or dessert? Maybe I should have told them it was a Pumpkin Tart or something a bit more sweet sounding. 


Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Apple and Date Strudel

Hubby informs me, after I'd started making this dessert, that he's never had strudel before. I'm pretty sure that's a crime somewhere. If not, it should be. My Dad loves strudel and I've had it countless times growing up. Usually the frozen ones from the supermarket, but honestly, there's nothing wrong with them. Nice and warm with some cold ice-cream, they hit the spot on a cold winters night.

Well guess what. It's been cold at night. So I made strudel.

One thing I love about cooking is the repetitiveness of tasks. Peel, core and chop 6 Apples. Ok. May take me some time with two rat-bags hanging off me, but I get it done. And buttering the filo pastry layers. Mundane, but I like to do it. I think next time I try this I'd like to use the recipe from the recent Masterchef series where Apple Strudel was made in a Masterclass. They included the pastry and all, and I think as someone learning how to cook, that's what I'd like to learn. Filo is a good and quick alternative, but when I have time (hahahaha!!!!) I'd like to learn more.

This recipe uses almond meal in lieu of breadcrumbs, to soak up the excess moisture from the apples during cooking. Hubby didn't like it all that much. I loved it. I love the soft bite of the apple mixed with the crunchy filo layers. It was topped with slivered almonds, but without something to bind them there, they all just fell off and were a bit useless.

No photo. It wasn't the prettiest of desserts and I was too busy eating it each night to take a snap. Sorry, you'll just have to go make one for yourself.

Monday, August 6, 2012

Maple Pear Tarte Tatin

What comes with living in a small town in Central Queensland, I couldn't get any maple syrup. So I used what I had and made it with Golden Syrup instead. Still just as good, in my humble opinion.

The only tarte tatin I've made previously was a savoury one so I've been looking forward to trying out this popular dessert. Pears are so beautiful at the moment, so I'm trying to make all the lovely pear dishes throughout the book. I'm pretty sure I've only got one left to go...

After making the simple sugar and syrup glaze, I added my sliced pear and let them cook for a little while in the sauce pan. I don't have a few small pans that go from stove top to oven, so when the pear was done I transferred them to two small pie dishes. I couldn't get a block of puff pastry to roll out, instead I made it thick by using two layers of already rolled puff on the top of the pastry, finally brushing them in some leftover egg yolk that I had from a previous recipe.

Bake until golden.


It was so good and so so simple, I think these might become a staple in this house. Keeping my eye out for Maple Syrup too....


Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Mini Hot Cakes with Cinnamon Butter

This morning a friend and her daughter came over for a play date, and because kids love cooking, I thought it'd be fun to make hot cakes (piklets).

 Fun for who? The kids? They ended up running a muck then coming in and demanding piklets when the mixture wasn't yet finished! But it was fun getting them to have a mix and feeding them full.

I love how light these cakes were. I didn't have any buttermilk but quickly found I could make some with some ordinary milk and lemon juice, so that I did. The acidity of it reacts with the baking powder 'to lighten the texture of the hot cakes' to quote the recipe. I think the lightness also comes from the beaten egg whites that are mixed into the batter.

I didn't notice until after I had started cooking that there isn't any sugar in the batter at all. That has been replaced by honey, but they're not overly sweet at all. The lemon zest is a nice subtle flavour that sits well with the honey.

I love the cinnamon butter. As there is no cinnamon in the piklets, it compliments them so well. And is a nice little treat to spread over the top.


Monday, July 23, 2012

Cauliflower Gratin & Ricotta and Pancetta Cabbage Rolls

The photos for these two recipes mirror each other in the book and as they were quite simple, I thought I'd make them both for dinner one night.

Twice a week my Hubby coaches at the local boxing club. He doesn't eat cauliflower or pumpkin or a load of yummy food, so I tend to make things I know he won't eat on those nights. And somehow, in between feeding the kids and wrangling them into bed, I'm able to.

I really enjoyed the Cabbage roll more than what I thought I would. I'm not a big pork person and the Pancetta was soft within the roll. If it was my recipe (or if IGA didn't have any Pancetta), I'd've chosen Prusciutto instead, but thought that since I can get it, I might as well use it. I think the pleasant surprise was the beautiful cheese mixture within the roll. The lemon zest really brought it up and pulled it together. There was a little saltiness from the feta but the ricotta cut through that and made it all quite smooth.

The only think I didn't like was that the broth was just chicken stock. Yes, stock can taste nice, but it just seemed to lack. And a tip for anyone who tries it, don't eat it in the stock. The beautiful filling just spills out everywhere.

I'm glad that I made the gratin the same night. The crunchiness from the gratin complimented the smooth texture of the rolls really well. We don't eat a lot of cauliflower in my house, so it was a nice change of accompaniment. I had to use ordinary breadcrumbs instead of fresh sourdough (good luck getting fresh sourdough out here) and probably added a bit more Parmesan to the dish than the measurement, but I love Parmesan, so who cares really?










Friday, July 20, 2012

Coffee Cake with Mixed Toffee Nuts

As you can see, I'm trying to plow through this book at the moment. I realise that I need to pull my finger out and get cooking. The only problem is that there ends up being a lot of food and only Hubby and I to eat it.

So what do I do? Take it to Mothers Group.

I've been eye'ing off this cake for a little while. I love cake and I'll say that freely. Love. Cake. And Toffee. And sugar. And nuts that have been mixed in toffee.

Maybe I just love food...

My cake didn't end up as high as the one in the photo.  My tin is 2cm bigger than the one in the recipe, but I didn't think that'd make that much of a difference. Besides, I don't have an 18cm pan.

Also, I substituted instant coffee for an espresso shot. Because, really, instant is horrible. And I just so happen to able to make an espresso shot. Much better flavour.






My toffee didn't go as dark as I would have liked. The sugar syrup was turning golden but in hindsight I think I could have left it for a few moments more to deepen in colour and flavour. I've honestly never made toffee before and I was pleased with the end result.

Tasted pretty awesome. And thankfully the lovely Child Health Nurse, Robyn at Mother Group agreed. So I left her a decent quarter of the cake to take home. Hey, Hubby doesn't like coffee and I don't need to eat it all on my own...


Pear and Almond Tart.

One morning I had a friend coming over so the afternoon before, Noah and I made this easy-peasy tart.

The almond mixture is made in the food processor and it's nearly a matter of pop'ing all the ingredients in and processing until combined. The butter and brown sugar is done first, than everything else. Empty into a fluted tart tin and press some beautiful ripe pears that have been tossed in brown sugar into the top then bake.

Easy. Peasy.

And so yummy that I didn't get the chance to take a photo. It was gobbled up way to quick.

Definitely a nice quick recipe if visitors are coming over. No pastry required and all you have to wash is the food processor.

I love this kind of food.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Couscous Tabouli

This I was supposed to make when I made the Falafel a few months ago. I had intended on making them all at once and feasting on home-made veggo kebabs. I couldn't then because Coles didn't have any parsley. So I bought a plant and grew my own instead.

I love couscous and we eat it regularly, so the tabouli was a nice variation. It was very plain and simple, so I toasted a few pinenuts and added them in. Just because.


I still had my kebabs. I made another batch of the pea and herb falafel's (without the pea's cos I forgot) and devoured. Yum!

Monday, July 16, 2012

Grilled Cheesy Leek Toasts

Do you remember a few weeks ago on Masterchef they had the 'Dude-Food' challenge? This is definitely 'Dude-Food'. Leeks. Bread. Cheese. Worcestershire Sauce. Stout (which I left out because on a Sunday arvo I wasn't going to go out and buy a whole can for 1/4 cup of it). I'm sure my ass was growing as I was eating it. It was just carbs and fat.

And tasted awesome.

I love leeks and the sweetness they have that onions don't. They're a beautiful substitute and are the best option for a dish like this. They marry so beautifully with the bechamel-like sauce that's flavoured with the sauce, mustard and copious amounts of cheese (and stout). Then grilled till golden.

Definitely a 'sometimes' food.



Yes, I know they're not the most appealing photos. They're dodgy rushed iPhone pics because the camera battery was flat.

But you get the idea.

Friday, July 13, 2012

Coffee and Chocolate Self Saucing Pudding

I was so looking forward to this dish and for some reason it didn't work. *Big Frown Face Here*

I think I stuffed up. Where it says 'place all this stuff in a 15cm non-stick ovenproof frying pan ... blah, blah, blah.... Bake in the oven'. You see, I don't have a 15cm non-stick ovenproof frying pan. So I did the stove top stuff then pop'd it into a pie dish and did the rest. Which stuffed it up.

It wasn't a total write-off. The cake part still tasted awesome but the sauce was just so watery. It hadn't thickened at all.


Looked good though. Brownie points for that?

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Caramel Pear Pie

Pie? To me a pie has a top. And is usually filled with meat. To me, this is a tart. A Caramel Pear Tart, not Pie. But it's titled 'Pie' so a pie it shall be called.

I love the Basic Vanilla Pastry. I am not a baker. At all. Don't get me wrong, I love baking. But I also suck at it. A lot. I love this pastry because it works for me every time. I haven't managed to stuff it up yet. I follow the recipe to a tee, so that might have something to do with it. I also love that this recipe uses home made pastry rather than bought shortcrust pastry.

There's something to be said about making your own pastry. Therapeutic, it can be. If your nearly three year old isn't standing at your feet demanding to eat it raw.

Oh well. Can't hurt him.

Making this dish made me want to cook poached pears. I love the smell of cooking pear. To me it's so fresh and beautiful. I cored the pears and poached them in a little water till they were just soft. Then arranged them in my pastry lined pie dish and poured the golden syrup caramel mixture around them.

Letting this set after cooking is a big thing. Don't be too eager to cut into it. Although it smells DEVINE, resist temptation!!

And luckily, I did. It was set so beautifully when we ate it.


With the lovely crumbly pastry. So good.

Monday, July 9, 2012

Barbecued Bacon, Tomato and Scrambled Egg Sandwich

I know the title says it's BBQ'd, but I didn't. Cos it's cold and we were inside and the BBQ's outside and because I'm a woman I'm not allowed to cook with the BBQ. So as the footnote suggests I cooked it inside. I can see how it would be a great and easy BBQ meal though.

I made this for Hubby one day as it's such a simple recipe and I thought it'd be a nice lunch. After he ate it he asked what the difference between a Donna Hay sandwich and a normal Bacon and Egg sandwich is? I think it's that the egg is scrambled lightly rather than fried. It add lightness to the dish and lifts it a bit from the heavy usual B&E sandwich he'd be used to.


Nice and simple.

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Coconut Cake

Last month both Hubby and I celebrate our birthdays, with Hubby's coming first. Instead of the usual chocolate cake, I thought I'd do something different and made this coconut cake instead. I called out for a Bundt tin on the local Buy, Swap & Sell and was lucky enough someone had one in their camping gear that they no longer wanted!

I love the cake. Nice and fragrant with coconut, but not overpowering. It was a little lighter than I expected, but I substituted the milk for the leftover buttermilk I had in the fridge, so that might be why. I also used wholemeal self-raising flour instead of white flour, supposed to be healthier. Hey, I won't argue...



We light the candles a few times so Noah can have a go at blowing them out as well. He wants candles on every cake we have at home! Sometimes it's cute, sometimes it's exasperating.




 A lovely change for a Birthday cake!

Monday, June 4, 2012

Minted Lamb Leg

Sorry, no photos for this one. It was eaten too quick on empty stomachs, and I completely forgot about photos.

This one is in the 'Spring' section of the Seasons book, but now that the weather is cooler I'm leaning more toward roasts as having the oven on warms the house so nicely. The heat radiates through the tiled floors and take the chill out of the evening air. Then the lovely warm food sits well in the our cool bellies. Perfect cool weather food.

I loved the addition of malt vinegar to base the meat. It left a beautiful sweet layer on crust and just worked so well.

Neither of us eat asparagus, so instead I served it with a small salad. Now that it's cooler, some mash potato might be called for.

:)

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Crispy Southern Fried Chicken

Living out in the middle of nowhere, there's not a lot of option to get take-away food.

Next best option? Make it yourself!

Taking these out of the oven after they'd finished cooking, if you closed your eyes it smelled like KFC. Without the greasy aftertaste. Yes, they are initially fried to get the crispy texture to the coating, but then completely cooked in the oven.

I loved using buttermilk with them and think it made a big difference to how light they tasted. If I'd just used regular milk, I can understand that they'd feel a lot 'heavier'. I've never used Onion or Celery Salt in cooking before either. Might have to start experimenting....

I made burgers from this meal and they were awesome! Just with toasted bread, a little salad, mayo and the coated chicken = win!


Monday, May 7, 2012

Bitter Chocolate Meringue Tart

Oh. My. Gosh.

So. Much. Chocolate.....

Can you guess I liked this tart?

I made it to take to a friends for a coffee afternoon with girlfriends. In hindsight, I should have made it the night before as it wasn't completely set when I got there and I had to pop it in the fridge for a while, but if I've done that I know it would've gotten there in once piece (Hubby likes chocolate even more than I do). 

It was a simple dish to make and if I made it again I'd use regular milk chocolate instead of dark as the dark chocolate made it intensely rich. I was ecstatic that the meringue top worked!! I'm so good at making meringue flops that when it worked and was all nice and light and fluffy, I thought that was the best part! And it made the dense chocolate tart less full on, adding that little bit of lightness to it.


It was supposed to be made in a round tin, but I don't have one. I didn't have to adjust the measurements for my rectangle tin though.

Decadence....



Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Little Custard Pies

Now, I have a bee in my bonnet from all these custard baked things.

I don't like them. They don't work for me and it's rather annoying!!

I really liked this recipe and that I had to make my own pastry. I've never really made a lot of pastry before so was excited to try it again and quite happily surprised at the result when rolling it out and cutting it.

Then the recipe says to cut it to size, pop it in the tin and blind bake. Ok....for how long? I knew blind baking involved weighing the pastry down and baking it so the liquid filling doesn't make the pastry all soggy. So I loaded my pastries up with some lentils and baked for 10min. It wasn't until after they were filled with custard and back in the oven that I was able to further inspect the book and find blind baking instructions in the glossary. A reference to that within the recipe would have been helpful...

The custard is a basic egg custard that's made on the stove but finished before it's custard-like-thick. After blind baking you add the top embellishments, pour in the custard mixture then bake till set.

I think this is where it goes all wrong. Just like my Creme Brulee, the custard part looks like its turned into scrambled eggs when you bite into it. The flavor is there and its not as watery (maybe the pastry absorbed it) as the brulee, but it's not smooth and creamy as a custard tart should be.

I was so disappointed and have no idea why all my baked custards are doing this! If anyone out there knows, please help!! I'm now thinking I need to get an oven thermometer and check how hot its actually getting. Or maybe I'm making the custard wrong initially? But its smooth and yummy before its baked? I'm so puzzled.....

So, I have leftover pastry and might just have to make them again and see how I go.  


Either way, they still tasted good!


Thursday, April 19, 2012

Fig, Haloumi and Pomegranate Salad

I was all set to make this salad without the Pomegranate as I thought there'd be no way I could find any around here at all. How surprised I was when we got to Coles last week and they had a whole crate of them!!! Score!!

Oh, and I'm officially in love with Haloumi. I made this salad for lunch one day and had to make it again for dinner. The Haloumi....ohmigod. I'm addicted. It's amazing. Like...A-MA-ZING!!! Love it!

The beautiful subtle sweetness to the fig married wonderfully with the crispiness of the fried cheese. The red wine vinegar and juice from the pomegranate added just enough sharpness and complimented the peppery rocket. This is definitely on the regular cards for me. I might just buy a whole crate of Haloumi while I'm at it....



Working on my photography...what do you think? It tasted even better than it looks!!

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Pumpkin, Spinach and Goats Cheese Pie

I've been looking forward to making this pie for a while now. I love all of these flavor combinations together and wrapped in pastry is a nice crunch heaven compared to the softness of the roast pumpkin and smooth cheese. 

The main vegetables are roasted first then piled onto some good store-bought puff before being topped with spinach and goats cheese. Good luck buying goats cheese in Dysart. I used a good Feta instead. 

Tasting the vegetables after roasting them they tasted awesome. It's amazing what oil and seasoning can do to some pumpkin. But something seemed to go wrong between that roasting and when the pie was finished... The cut pie slice tasted...bland. There was no sweetness from the pumpkin or tang from the feta. I thought about the pumpkin I used and wonder how old the vegetable was in the first place, and now I wonder if that impacted on the end result? Knowing the vegetables we get out here have mostly been frozen and are mostly in poor condition, I don't know how much that impacts on the flavor at the end of baking when half way through it tasted so good.

Or it could be the quantity? Not enough pumpkin maybe? Or a stronger tasting one might have been better? Either way, its a nice simple dish and definitely one I'm going to try again. I already know these flavors work well together, I just need to tweak it a bit...




Thursday, April 12, 2012

Nectarine Tart with Orange Syrup

I had to go out and buy a tart tin for a few recipes in this book, as I didn't have one, so when going to a friends for an early Easter dinner, I thought I might test it out with this dish.

Really simple, it mimics the blistered plums in the previous dessert dish with a frangipane-like tart filling. I found it odd that it specifies the filling be made in a food processor, rather than a mixmaster, but it worked, so who am I to question it?

I was worried for a little bit about my orange syrup. It didn't thicken as quickly as the sugar syrup I'd previously made and I thought it might not work for me, but it eventually did. I didn't add the dash of orange liquor to the syrup, but I don't think that detracted from the dish much.


I went really well with my morning coffee for the next few days. Nice and light. The orange syrup gave it that 'fresh' taste, and wasn't too heavy.

A lovely tart.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Vanilla Mascarpone Tart with Blistered Plums

I love a good tart.

I also love fruit and sugar and cheese. And this dish marries them all together in a wonderful sugary syrup, so I was just destined to love it.

So so so so easy. A good bit of puff, blister sugar coated plums, sweeten the mascarpone and make the syrup. I have to confess though, the recipe called for brandy to be put into the syrup and I don't have any. And I wasn't going to go and buy a whole bottle just for a few spoonfuls into a syrup, so it was a brandy-less sugar syrup instead.


I sat for about an hour after finishing the tart, just admiring the syrup. Oh. My. God. Just sugar, water and vanilla make this nectar? Why haven't I learned this earlier.....?






And how AMAZING would it taste with Brandy in it!!

I expected the tart to be heavy, being laden with the mascarpone, but the puff seemed to offset it and lighten the texture. The plums were the perfect sweetness, but I suppose almost any fruit could be used if plums were out of season.

And smothered in syrup, anything would taste amazing.

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Mozerella, Prosciutto and Rocket Pesto Bruschetta

I love a simple dish.

Simple in flavors. Clean. Not over powering. A nice easy lunch. 

Oh, I also love pesto. And how I can smear it on everything. Dollop it into my pasta and hide it in a toasted sandwich. 

I haven't made rocket pesto before and assumed it would taste really strong and peppery but this pesto surprisingly doesn't. It's nice and light and compliments the torn bocconcini and salty prosciutto. The toasted bread hummed lightly with the rubbed garlic. I believe if you forgot the garlic in this recipe, it would be ruined. It just seems to bring it all together.



Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Steak and Chips

A while ago I asked Hubby if he'd mind flicking through my Seasons cookbook and telling me recipes he'd like to try soon.

Big mistake.

I quote "Waldorf Salad? That looks like crap!"

Me: "Seriously?!? It's a classic salad!"

Hubby: "Why don't they just keep it simple? Why do people have to make food all....fancy (said with waving fingers and all)? Fish and fennell? Just have fish and chips. Simple"

I want to cook all these wonderful yummy things and my husbands taste buds are permanently set on 'Bland'. Urgh.

So when I found this recipe, I knew I'd hit the jackpot.

Steak and Chips. Deep fried chips, even. None of the healthy fancy oven baked sweet potato chips. No. Full fat, starchy Sebago potatos cut up and deep fried. Apparently, the way it's meant to be.

You could not get an easier, simple recipe. Cut up potato and fry. Keep warm in the oven. Check

Cook steak (rib eye fillet, from memory) on a griddle pan, or a Gorge Foreman grill in my case as that's what I've got, till Medium. Check.

Tuck in. Check.

Even Noah loved the chips!


Sunday, April 1, 2012

Pea and Herb Felafel

You know what my son thought of my Felafels....?


"Noah don't like those!"

He hadn't even tried one! Oh well. More for me then.


They were nice and light and crisp from deep frying. Could have been more herby I think, but maybe I didn't put enough in....

I wonder if they'll cook in the oven. A healthier version for next time, rather than frying. Might have to try that.


Had them in a wrap for dinner with some lettuce, tomatoes, carrots and sour cream. Yum! Would've made the Tabouli that's on the same page, but in two towns, I couldn't find fresh parsley anywhere. 

Oh well, another time.

Friday, March 30, 2012

Creme Brulee

I have to admit, I've never made Creme Brulee before. It's one of those 'classic' desserts and always intimidated me a little. But I'm going to have to make it again, because my creme brulee was a complete and utter FAIL.

Yes, I've now made it. So technically I can tick it off my list. But I'm not happy Jan and will one day give it another go.

The custard worked really well but in hindsight, I wonder if it wasn't complete set when I baked it. Or maybe it hadn't been in the fridge long enough? I've no idea. The sugar crust top worked ok, considering I was crusting it under the grill in the oven. I would've liked a small hand held blow torch, but alas, IGA doesn't sell one.

It looked okay, but after cracking into it Hubby and I discovered the custard underneath was not smooth and delicious. It was like sweet watery scrambled eggs. Which confused me as the initial custard worked really well. Maybe it re-cooked being under the grill? I've no idea. I'm just not happy with it.

And will one day try again.

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Apple and Mint Lamb with Crunchy Salad

I LOVED this dish. For a few reasons. But honestly, absolutely loved it!!

Now, good luck trying to find Lamb Cutlets in Dysart. Or finding them at a decent place any where near here. So instead I bought a rack of lamb, which I found to be cheaper, and sliced them into cutlets. Oh, and radishes. Good luck again. But, I wasn't too phased by that, as I don't like radishes, so I just replaced them with beans to keep the crunch in the salad.

The best part about this dish is the apple and mint sauce. Oh. My. God. It was B-E-A-UTIFUL, and complimented the Lamb so well. Not too minty, not too much apple and just perfect cooked in the pan juices from the lamb.


If you're ever going to buy a book for just once recipe, make it this one.

Oh and the second reason I love this dish:

 My son ate it!!





Monday, March 26, 2012

Pumpkin and Feta Loaf

I'm not a bread maker. I think I've made bread a few times in total, so I'm not that good at it. But I am good at following a recipe...

My yeast was past its 'use by' date, so I wasn't sure if this loaf would actually work. To my pleasant surprise, it did! I really liked the way the onion and rosemary were processed with the wet ingredients, I found the mild onion taste through the bread really complimented the sweetness of the pumpkin. But a warning, buy cheap feta, and the feta will be...well....cheap. The local iga does sell better feta (say that out loud!) but for an extortionate price out here. I didn't expect the cheaper version to be so bad, but it was. Rubbery and quite tasteless. But I did enjoy the bread, so if I made it again, I'd splurge and buy the good quality stuff.

The only down side was cutting it the next day it became quite crumbly. Probably cos of my old yeast. Or my average cooking schools. But, even in crumbs, it still tasted nice.


Sunday, March 25, 2012

Cherry Tomato Tarte Tatin

Normally Tarte Tatin is made as a dessert by stewing fruit in a caramel of sugar and butter before topping with pastry and setting in the oven. I guess it's still authentic as tomatoes are fruit, but this is definitely not a dessert dish.

It's actually supposed to be made with yellow cherry tomatoes too, but be stuffed if I could find any yellow cherry tomatoes anywhere around here. I know I'm growing some, but the play is about an inch tall, so won't be getting any fruit from it for a little while yet.

I haven't made a tarte tatin before, so was a bit apprehensive about how it would turn out. I also don't have a small oven proof frypan, so had to improvise.

Once the tomatoes were cooked in the vinegar and sugar mixture, I transferred them to a pie dish and topped with puff before popping them into an oven for the pastry to rise and become golden and crisp.

  

Still, I'm quite please with how it tasted. The vinegar naturalized the acidity of the tomatoes beautifully. The puff didn't completely puff, but I used a cheap brand, so I can't really complain all that much. The crispy bits contrasted really well with the soft gooey twice cooked tomatoes. 

Would make a fantastic entree course.


Saturday, March 24, 2012

Raspberry Ripple Semifreddo

I have never ever made any kind of ice-cream dessert before, and with the humid days we've been experiencing lately, this dish practically leaped of the page at me.

Semifreddo I already know means 'semi-frozen' so I don't think it's technically an ice-cream. According to wikipedia it 'has the texture of frozen mousse because it is usually produced by uniting two equal parts of ice cream and whipped cream.'

The ice-cream portion of making this dessert was to create the custard by whisking the egg yolk, vanilla and sugar over a bain-marie so that the eggs start to cook. Doing this will give the eggs air and make them all nice and light and fluffy. Once that's cooled fold it into some freshly whipped cream and into a freezable container, leaving a portion out for the raspberry puree. Mix the puree with the rest of the custard, ripple through the container and freeze for a few hours, preferably overnight.

I made sure we had an alternative dessert on the day I made this as I knew it wouldn't be ready and hubby would still want to eat it.

It was divine. And still is, as I'm going to finish it off within minutes of publishing this post. I did unfortunately over whip the cream, but only by a little (didn't turn it into butter of anything silly like that) so it didn't completely incorporate with the custard and there are little chunks of cream dotted throughout the semifreddo. But actually, I like it. Ideally, they wouldn't be there, but they don't ruin the dish either.

It's good to now know how easy it is to make semifreddo, and how damn cheap it is! Especially since we always have an abundance of eggs. I think it might just replace Bulla in this house. I later froze the leftover egg whites and intend on using them to make one of the meringue based desserts from this book as well.

Waste not, want not.

Here, porn for your taste buds....


Seriously, go make some yourself. :)

Monday, March 19, 2012

Progress so far....

So today while menu planning for the week I decided to check my progress with my challenge.

I went through and added up all the recipes I've already cooked out of the book. To date I've made 30 recipes!

Sounds great, right?

But I noticed that a lot of recipes didn't have my tick next to them. And I mean, a lot.

In total there are.....195 recipes in the book!!!!! And I've only done 30!!

Thinking I'd better pull my finger out! I gave myself till October next year (I think that's when my 1001 days expire) to cook them all and I've only done 30!

Hubby, all that healthy eating you've been planning on doing...sorry. I'll go out the window. Just start running...

Anyone want to come over for dinner?

The only thing that holds me back on some of the dishes is the fact I live here. I mean, where am I supposed to get vine leaves in Dysart?!? There are a few ingredients that I'll need to source and get delivered I think. Probably by my parents. Good thing they like to visit.

So today I've included 4 recipes in this weeks menu and if I get off my butt in the next half hour I'll make another one for my lunch.

Hope you're ready for the food onslaught!!!


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Thursday, March 8, 2012

Chicken and Haloumi Skewers

This recipe is actually titled 'Chicken, Haloumi and Preserved Lemon skewers', but good luck finding preserved lemon in Dysart!

I love the dishes you can start preparing earlier than dinner time. Makes life a little easier with two kids. I started marinating the chicken and Haloumi in the lemon juice and oil mixture about an hour before cooking time, then off to bath the ratbag.

I only recently discovered Haloumi when I attended a cooking workshop held here by the winners of the first series of My Kitchen Rules. They cooked these awesome Lamb and Haloumi skewers. Then you couldn't buy Haloumi here for the next month with all the people trying it out for themselves. I saw it in IGA last week so was excited to try cooking a cheese that won't melt for myself.

Hubby started eating the dinner that night and was wondering why the chicken was squeaky before I explained it was actually cheese he was eating!

The skewers were really nice. The chicken made tender from its lemon juice bath. We ate them with quinoa for a nice healthy dinner. They were easy to prepare and will probably be made again for our next BBQ.

No photo, sorry. Completely forgot. How about you go buy the book and make some for yourself. :)



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