Caramelised Onion and Anchovy Tart

I looooove caramelised onion. I love the sweetness with the strong onion flavour. On burgers. On toast. And in a tart.

I also love going to a BBQ, so I have an excuse to make lots of yummy food to share. Like tarts and cakes.

This is a beautiful and simply recipe. Cook onions sloooooowly over a medium high heat. Add Sherry Vinegar (I used Malt as I didn't have any Sherry). Add brown sugar. Cook a little more. Half a sheet of Puff Pastry and score an outline around the edge before popping the mixture into the middle. Top with anchovies, olives and thyme. Brush with beaten egg yolk then bake till golden.

So yum. Love the sweetness of the onion clashing with the salty anchovies. Or melding together. I never know, it just tastes good.

So easy and so going to be making this one again.

Please excuse the dodgy iPhone photo, I forgot to take a decent one...

Honey Cream Sponge Cake

Ok, so another thing that I can't cook apparently is Sponge Cake.

I followed the recipe. Sifted the (gluten free - maybe that made a difference??) flour over and over and over again. Then again into the beaten egg and sugar mixture.

Then folded the flour in. I think that maybe my folding wasn't gentle enough and too much air got out of those lovely beaten eggs. I noticed that it was a lot thinner then I expected when pouring it into the cake tins to cook.

I loved the honey and vanilla syrup poured over the top of the cooked sponge though. As it dried it set a little hard and gave the cake some extra texture.

The cake along with the lashings and lashings of cream just marry together perfectly. It would've been better if the sponge rose more and was a lighter cake, but it still went down well just the same.

Berry Cupcakes

Who doesn't like a cupcake? You could be a massive hard-ass grown bull of a man, and I'd bet you'd still like a cupcake.

Especially these ones.

The batter I found to be a bit plain, but a great base for flavour. The berries mixed in (I used frozen berries even though the recipe calls for fresh berries to be pushed into the top. Not spending $8 on a punnet of raspberries out here!) made the world of difference. As mine were frozen, I found I had to cook it for a little longer, but still got a great end result.

The best part about these cupcakes was the icing on the cake - or so to speak. Thick cream mixed with crushed berries (I used fresh blueberries) and meringue just worked so so well. The sweetness of the berry complimented by the smooth cream and the crunch of the meringue.

So perfect I gave some to our neighbor who'd told me our dogs had escaped earlier that day. After a mad rush around I found them safe, thankfully!

Steak Sandwich

Every time I go out for lunch with my Mum, without fail she'll order a Steak Sandwich. I was thinking of her lots as Hubby chose this one to try out last week.

It's a lovely simple dish, with a chive and garlic butter smeared on toasted baguette, peppery baby spinnach and a well cooked steak. The recipe calls for a veal steak, but as Hubby and and I aren't all that partial to veal, we had beef instead.

I cooked it for dinner and it was a great light dinner with the hot and humid days we've been having lately. Very tasty, easy and would be a great dish with BBQ'd steak and friends over.

Yoghurt and Passionfruit Syrup Cake

The thing I really liked about this cake was that it's made from things I generally already have in the kitchen. I love yoghurt in baking and how light it makes the final product, so was eager to try this cake out.

Loved it. And I really like that it can act as a base for a lot of different flavours. Like the passionfruit syrup.

In all honesty, I'm not a big fan of passionfruit (don't shoot me!). It makes my eyes cringe and my face squint up like I'm sucking on a lemon. I did make the syrup and was pleased with how the sweetness removed the cringe-factor from the fruit, but it made me think of other possibilities for this cake. A strawberry or raspberry syrup, even a mango one would work well.

Or if you're going to be completely indulgent, a chocolate syrup. With a little hazelnut liquor. Mmmm....

Sorry, no photo. I was too slack that week.

Frozen Yoghurt and Strawberry Milk

It's the middle of summer and so damn hot lately, so these turned out to be a fantastic afternoon cool-me-down. Even if we were in the air-con. Something sweet and cold and somewhat healthy for you, this drink went down perfectly.

I've always loved Strawberry Coulis as you don't get as many pips and seeds like you do with other berries. Plus they already have their own sweetness, so not as much sugar is needed. I've since made the coulis from this recipe again as my son loves having a spoonful in some milk as a milkshake. And I know it's nice and fresh and not full of additives.

I used natural yoghurt instead of Vanilla and froze it in my Ikea heart shaped molds. Add the strawberry coulis and pour over milk. Don't forget to give a little stir or the berry syrup will just sit on the bottom of the glass.

Enjoy!!

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!