foodnutzz....by nature & nurture!

a Spanish new year's eve dinner

2011-12-31T18:31:00.001-08:00

This new year's eve Mr G, myself & Co decided to have a quieter night at home and enjoy the fireworks in Pyrmont. For many years we've endured NYE nights of overdressing, overpriced food and drinks, avoiding intoxicated fools and trying to walk the street in high heels (me not Mr G!) till the wee hours seeking a cab home.

As I sat there chilling out watching a few Mad about You episodes that morning I realised I still wanted create some indulgence for us as we said goodbye to 2011 and hello to 2012.

For any decent NYE celebrations you not only need some French bubbles but it's also a must to serve a delectable cocktail or few!

Being summer here our greengrocer's abound with beautiful sweet seedless watermelons ...... just add a little mint, fresh lime juice, a dash of pomegranate juice and a good lug of Belverdere vodka and you've got a smashing a start to the night.

Though when you decide to make cocktails probably a good idea to first check you have a cocktail shaker! Which Mr G's kitchen does not. With a little improvisation I used a coffee plunger It makes a perfect cocktail implement allowing me to create some cocktail wonder.

Thankfully Mr G's plunger is still in a box as he prefers a large cappuccino from his local cafe thank making plunger coffee however if using a well used plunger make sure it is well cleaned and dried to ensure no coffee flavours infiltrate your cocktail....unless your making espresso or chocolate martini's!

Though NYE can't just be a liquid only evening, I had to create New Year's dinner too.

So we could enjoy the Sydney firework's spectacular I decided to have our first course before the 9am fireworks and then follow up with the final course just before the final countdown to the midnight fireworks.

Being so close to the Sydney Fish Markets I had to include seafood so off I went to Claudio's to see what divine sea creatures abounded. What took my fancy were some deliciously sweet Crystal Bay King prawns, plump and creamy St Helen's Oysters, from Tasmania, and bountiful baby octopus.

With such superb fresh prawns and oysters it would be sacrilege to serve them any other way than au naturale....though perhaps with just a squeeze of fresh lemon!

Yet for the baby octopus I had other plans. I've been inspired with the flavours of Spain recently so I decided to infuse them with smoked paprika, cumin, coriander, saffron and a little kick of chilli and then toss with lemon vinaigrette, olives and parsley.

A good chargrilled steak is Mr G's favourite and so would have the centerpiece of the second course. As I wandered around the local market I came across the Spring Hill grass fed Angus beef sirloin steaks rich deep brown red with loads of marbling that deliver the most delectable, full flavoured and tender steak.

In keeping with my Mediterranean mood I headed to the Basque country for my inspiration aand marinated the steaks in fresh thyme, rosemary, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and pepper. With a little grilling on my Le Creuset chargrill plate the most divinely perfect steaks were created....well almost perfect .....Mr G's kitchen has a pretty useless rangehood so I kind of smoked the apartment out!!! (Note to self buy a Weber Baby Q for Mr G's birthday this year)

If doing steak then you need crisp potatoes and what better than quintessential Spanish style potatoes. Mr G and I have a favourite little Spanish tapas restaurant Miro in the Spanish Quater of Sydney who make a divine twist Patatas Mas Que Bravas ....crisp potatoes smothered in the most wicked spicy, smoky & garlicky tomato sauce. Playing with my food memory I aimed to recreate this with some good quality tomato passata, garlic, smoked paprika and dried chilli.

To add a little greenery to the meal I wanted a broad bean salad. The fresh broad bean season has now finished but frozen ones are a great substitute. Just remember to blanch them first and remove that tough outer skin otherwise its like eating tough old boots. Toss your bright green broad beans with some fennel, baby spinach, cos and a vinaigrette though if you wanted something hot pan fry them in some extra virgin olive oil, crushed garlic, marinated artichokes then crumble over some marinated goats cheese or cook them tossed with a little butter, lemon zest, pepper and freshly shaved machengo cheese!

Mmm so much for that quiet night in....but then Mr G & Co wouldn't have expected anything less from this little miss foodie!

Hope you enjoy the recipes and that you also had an amazing New Years Eve.

Happy New Year to you all. May 2012 bring you lots of cooking creations and culinary explorations!

watermelon, pomegranate & mint martinis
Makes 4
Prep: 10 minutes

1/4 ripe seedles watermelon, peeled, cut into 2cm pieces
2 tablespoons chilled simple sugar syrup*
2 tablespoons lime juice

1/4 cup chilled pomegranate juice
8 mint leaves, roughly torn
125 mls good quality vodka (and like a true Ukrainian this is always kept in my freezer!)
1/2 cup ice cubes

Place the watermelon in a blender and process until pureed. Strain through a fine mesh strainer, reserving juice. Discard pulp. Transfer juice to a clean dry bottle or jar and place in the fridge to chill.
Place the watermelon juice, sugar syrup, lime juice, pomegranate juice, mint leaves, vodka and ice cubes in large 12 cup coffee plunger. Plunge up and down for a 1-2 minutes until combined. Pour into martini glasses. Serve immediately.

* To make the sugar syrup combine 500g white sugar with 300mls water in a saucepan. Stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil, without stirring. Remove from heat. Set aside to cool slightly. Transfer to a heatproof jug or bowl. Set aside to cool slightly. Place in the fridge to cool completely.

Spanish spiced baby octopus with olives & parsley
Serves 4
Prep: 15 minutes (+ 30 minutes marinating time) Cooking: 10 minutes

750g cleaned baby octopus, heads and tentacles halved
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground coriander
¼ teaspoon ground chillies
large pinch saffron
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
150g mixed citrus & chilli marinated olives, pitted, quartered
½ cup continental parsley leaves

Combine octopus paprika, cumin, coriander, chilli and saffron in a large bowl. Pour over half the olive oil. Toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Cover with cling wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to marinate.
Heat a large non-stick frying pan over high heat. Add half the octopus mixture and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until seared all over and just cooked through. Transfer to a bowl. Repeat with remaining octopus.
Combine remaining olive oil, lemon juice, olives and parsley in a bowl. Pour over octopus. Toss to combine. Serve.

Basque style chargrilled rosemary & thyme sirloin
Serves 4
Prep: 10 minutes (+ 1 hour marinating time) Cooking: 10 minutes (+ 5 mins resting time)

4 (about 1 kg ) grass fed Angus beef sirloin steaks
1 tablespoon finely chopped thyme leaves
1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary leaves
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil

Combine steak, thyme, rosemary, garlic and olive oil in a large bowl. Season well with freshly ground black pepper. Place in the fridge and marinate for 1 hour. Remove and let steaks come back to room temperature. Season both sides of steak with sea salt.
Meanwhile heat a chargrill plate or barbecue over high heat. Place steak fat side down, cook for 2 minutes or until lightly charred. Place meat side down and cook for for 2-3 minutes each side for medium rare or until cooked to your liking. Transfer to a plate. Cover loosely with foil and set aside for 5- 10 minutes to rest.
Serve as whole steaks or thinly slice across the grain and serve on a plate sprinkled with chopped continental parsley and extra chopped fresh thyme and rosemary leaves.

patatas mas que bravas
Serves 4
Prep: 5 minutes Cooking: 25 minutes

700g baby chat or baby cream delight potatoes
1/3 cup olive oil
1 cup Lucia's Fine Foods Premium tomato passata
1 tbsp sherry or red wine vinegar
2 tsp dried chilli flakes
1 1 /2 tsp smoked paprika
2 cloves garlic, crushed

Place potatoes in a saucepan. Cover with cold water. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium. Season with salt. Cook for 8 minutes or until just tender. Drain. Rinse with cold water. Drain. Set aside for 5 minutes to cool slightly. Cut into half (if potatoes are a little large quarter them).
Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat. Add potatoes and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until crisp and golden. Transfer to a bowl. Cover to keep warm. Add passata , vinegar, garlic, chilli and paprika. Reduce heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Pour over potatoes. Gently toss to just combine.

broad bean & fennel salad
Serves 4
Prep: 10 minutes Cooking: 2 minutes

2 cups frozen broad beans
2 cups baby spinach leaves
2 cups torn cos leaves
2 baby fennel, cored, very thinly sliced
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Place broad beans in a saucepan of salted boiling water. Cook for 2 minutes. Drain. Rinse with cold water. Drain. Remove skins and discard. Place beans in a large bowl.
Add baby spinach, cos lettuce, and fennel to the broad beans.
Combine oil, vinegar and lemon juice in a jug. Season with salt and pepper. Pour over broad bean mixture. Toss to combine.

little frangelico christmas puddings

2011-12-23T16:14:00.000-08:00

Christmas came early for me and my family this year as my little sister, Mrs T, is about to have a baby.

So yesterday we gathered together to share the Christmas spirit and we each brought something to laden the table. The boys were in charge of drinks, Mrs T offered to make her sticky ginger glazed ham, Ms L a caramelised onion tart and salads and I was in charge of dessert.

Normally at this time in Australia its gloriously hot and sunny however this year we've been treated with rain and cool weather....which is perfect for an indulgence of Christmas pudding.

So with a little inspiration from my friend Michelle Southan's recipe in this month's Woolworth's Australian Good Taste I set out to make pudding.

For my little version I twisted the recipe by using raisins, dates, prunes and currants, a good slosh of Frangelico and a little dash of Kahlua and added a little Christmas spice. I also soaked the fruit the longer than Michelle's as I like to really infuse the flavours however if you haven't got time it will still taste delicious even if you just soak it for a few hours.

What resulted was a divine little dome of pudding with a rich buttery texture, sweet slightly nutty flavour and the warming spices of cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg giving me another dessert success. Everyone loved them ....so much so that I didn't even get time to take a proper picture as everyone had started to devour them already!

May you all have a delicious Christmas and a 'bubbly' New Year!

little frangelico christmas puddings
Makes 12
Prep Time: 30 minutes (+ 12 hours standing time)
Cooking Time: 45 minutes

560g raisins, chopped
200g dates, chopped
160g pitted prunes, chopped
100g currants
1 cup Frangelico liqueur
2 tablespoons Kahlua liqueur
melted butter, for greasing
250g butter, at room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
4 eggs
2 cups fresh sourdough breadcrumbs (made from day old bread)
1 cup plain flour
½ cup self raising flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon allspice
vanilla custard, to serve

Combine the raisins, dates, prunes and currants in a large bowl. Pour over the Frangelico and Kahlua. Stir to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a cool place for 12 hours.
Preheat the oven to 160C (140C fan forced). Grease twelve 2/3 cup ovenproof pudding dishes or dariole moulds with melted butter. Line the bases with non-stick baking paper.
Place the butter and brown sugar in the large bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium speed until pale and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Sift the plain flour, self raising flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice in a bowl. Stir in the breadcrumbs. Add to the butter mixture and stir until just combined. Add to the fruit mixture and stir until just combined. Divide the pudding mixture among the prepared dishes.
Cut twelve 13cm squares of non-stick baking paper and twelve 13cm squares of foil. Place each paper square on top of one of the foil squares and then fold to make a little pleat in the centre. Place each square, foil side up over the puddings. Tie a piece of kitchen string tightly around each pudding mould. Place the pudding moulds in a large roasting pan. Pour enough boiling water in the pan to come halfway up the sides of the pudding moulds.
Bake for 45 minutes or until when a skewer inserted in the centre in comes out clean. Remove foil and paper. Turn onto individual serving plates. Serve drizzled with custard.

cara o cruz - the new tapas @ terrigal

2011-10-04T04:09:00.000-07:00

It's a little cold for a spring holiday on the coast....so what better than explore where to eat, but we didn't want to head to the local RSL or pub, or endure fish and chips, Thai or Chinese .....Mr G and I needed something that would delight our foodie tastebuds yet also not break the bank. So after a little googling I came across Cara o Cruz a tapas restaurant in Terrigal.

Just off the main strip, behind the Crowne Plaza, this elegantly decorated restaurant is a delicious find a perfect new little addition to the Terrigal stable. The team are friendly and helpful with perfect smiles yet totally unpretentious.

Luke & his head chef Sean have created a brilliant menu that is a breath of fresh air in the world of tapas....the biggest challenge is deciding what to choose!

You could take the simple option and indulge in the Matador menu but Mr G and I decided to create our own tapas adventure.

Firstly a little appetizer of marinated olives - black and green olives marinated in rosemary and olive oil, perfect with the house bread.

From the tapas del mer (seafood tapas) we started with the scallop ceviche a. Tender sweet scallop marinated in a vinaigrette of lime juice, olive oil, fresh coriander and a smidge of red onion... it was soo delicious we even polished off the marinade!

Next up was the duo de calamares (squid two ways) which originally excited me....however was a little disappointed.

The salt and pepper calamari looked beautiful on the plate and was perfectly cooked with a lightly golden crispy coating encasing a tender calamari but the braised calamari let this dish down. I was expecting a rich complex tomato sauce with hints of saffron or smoked paprika....but this sauce was sweet with not much garlic and a little too gentle for my liking yet thankfully the squid was silky and divine.

We then ventured to the vegetarian side and although we have chosen something more exotic like the manchego croquettes or the empanadas with goats cheese and caramelised onions we wanted to try the patatas bravas a classic quintessentially tapas dish.

Very impressed. Crisp golden potatoes with a fluffy interior, rich tomato sauce and aioli with just the right amount of garlic.

Yet our adventure was nowhere near finished and soon arrived the almond chicken. Strips of chicken breast coated in an almond crumb fried until crisp and golden perfect with the tangy romesco sauce slightly smokey from the capsicum and paprika and a tangy hint of vinegar fantastically matched to cut through the richness of the fried chicken.

Our next delight was Cuenos de Toro or bull's horns. Crisp wafer cones filled with creamy mashed potato and topped with finely chopped chorizo braised in sweet apple cider vinegar with hints of smoked paprika and a slightly spicyness.....the perfect bite....I wish there were more of them!

And then an intriguing dish carne de tenera - peppered veal lightly seared to rare, thinly sliced and topped with a tuna mayonnaise reminiscent of Italy's tonnato sauce. The balance of the tender veal with creamy flavoursome mayonnaise and the crisp zucchini fries was heaven and perfect with a tempranillo shiraz.

By now I was getting a little full.....but who can leave without trying at least one dessert! Mr G and I shared the chocolate parfait. A cone of dark chocolate revealing a creamy semi-frozen milk chocolate mousse that was a decadently rich which is balanced by the slight tartness of the berries.

If you're ever on the Central Coast, NSW and want a try a place that will give you a new food adventure with friendly and unpretentious service head to Cara Cruz.

Venison Osso Bucco .... my goodbye to winter

2011-09-11T01:23:00.000-07:00

After a Saturday morning’s visit to the grower’s market with Mr G I came across the Mandagery Creek stand selling their divine farmed venison.

I adore venison with its rich gamey flavour. I found it hard to choose from their delectable selection of products including chorizo, merguez, tenderloin but what really caught my eye was the osso bucco.

I know some of you are saying....osso bucco....it’s just turned spring! But luckily for me the evenings at my place out in the hills are still a little cold to relish such a divine heartwarming dish.

So with a little fresh rosemary, thyme, oranges and parsley, a bottle of Nebbiolo and a little trip to Simon Johnson for some white pearl polenta I was set to create my dinner masterpiece.

Just coat your venison in flour.

Cook the onion, sweet potato, garlic, thyme and rosemary in a little olive oil until soft. I often use sweet potato in my mirepoix, instead of carrot, as it adds a wonderful sweetness to the final sauce, as well as a little thickening power.

Add the red wine and cook it until it reduces to concentrate the flavours then add the stock, tomatoes, bay leaf a little orange rind and ½ cinnamon stick and let it slowly simmer until the venison almost falls of the bone.

To make the gremolata just combine chopped parsley, finely chopped garlic, finely grated orange rind, a little olive oil and salt and pepper.

Place the creamy white polenta on plates, top with the osso bucco and plenty of sauce and sprinkle with the gremolata.

venison osso bucco with orange gremolata & creamy white polenta
Serves 4

1 kg venison osso buco

1/4 cup plain flour, seasoned with salt and pepper

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 red onion, finely chopped

300g sweet potato (kumara), peeled, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely sliced

500ml (2 cups) chicken stock

400g can diced Italian tomatoes

375ml (1 ½ cups) Nebbiolo red wine

4 fresh thyme sprigs

1 fresh rosemary sprig

2 thick strips orange rind

1 dried bay leaf

½ cinnamon stick

Orange gremolata
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley

2 tsp finely grated orange rind

1 garlic clove, crushed

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

Creamy white polenta

300g (2 cups) white polenta

750ml (3 cups) chicken stock

750ml (3 cups) milk

½ cup finely grated parmesan

2 tbs extra virgin olive oil

1 Place the flour in a resealable plastic bag. Add the venison and shake to coat. Shake off excess flour. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

2 Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large flameproof casserole dish over medium heat. Add onion, sweet potato, garlic, thyme and rosemary. Cook for 8 minutes or until golden and soft. Transfer to a bowl.

3 Heat the remaining oil in the same pan over medium high heat. Add osso bucco in a single layer. Cook for 5 minutes or until well browned on all sides. Transfer to a plate. Add vegetables and wine. Bring to the boil, scraping the base of the pan. Add stock, tomatoes, orange rind and bay leaf. Bring to the boil, Reduce heat to medium-low. Add venison. Simmer for 1 ½ - 2 hours or until venison is tender. Season with salt and pepper.

4 To make the gremolata, combine parsley, orange rind, garlic and oil in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

5 To make the polenta bring the stock and milk to a boil. Gradually add the polenta in a thin steady stream while stirring constantly. Cook, stirring constantly over medium heat for 10 minutes or until polenta thickens. Stir in the parmesan and olive oil. Divide among serving plates. Top with osso bucco and the gremolata.

one pan asparagus, pea & zucchini risoni with Campbell's Real Stock paste

2011-03-31T03:42:00.000-07:00

Tonight while grocery shopping I came across a new product: Campbell's Real Stock Pastes. Having been a long time fan of the Campbell's Real Stock liquids I was intrigued by their new offerings - concentrated Chicken, Vegetable or Beef stock pastes, in sachets or tubes. If they taste as good as they look these may be a great addition to my pantry. Although Campbell's Real Stock traditional cartons are more convenient than making your stock from scratch - they do have their limitations:

they take up a lot of valuable space in my pantry.
when I don't make dishes that use the whole carton I have to freeze the leftovers, or store it in the fridge and hope I don't forget to use it in a few days....otherwise it becomes bin fodder.
sometimes you just want to add a flavour boost without adding too much liquid.

Many of you might wonder why I don't just use stock cubes? I don't trust what's inside them. I mean what does "chicken style" mean anyway?

If I'm having to use a pre-made chicken stock I want it to be made with real chicken!

So to test these stock pastes out dinner I made one of my favourite quick and easy recipes - a one pan risoni dish.

Using risoni and stock as the base you can then add whatever you want be it chicken, beef or even prawns. This time I made a vegetarian version with the Campbell's vegetable stock paste sachets.

After pan frying some onion, garlic and swiss brown mushrooms, I add risoni and some water and then just squeezed in a sachet of the paste into the pan.

The vegetable stock paste has a much sweeter and rounded vegetable flavour than their traditional vegetable liquid stock and the seasoning level pretty good, not too salty or too weak. It delivered the perfect flavour balance to my dish:

one-pan asparagus, pea and zucchini risoni for 2

1 tbsp olive oil
1 brown onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
100g Swiss brown mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 cup dried risoni pasta
2 cups (500ml) water
1 sachet Campbell's Real Stock paste - Vegetable
1 bunch asparagus, cut into 2 cm lengths
1 cup frozen peas 1 zucchini, halved, thinly sliced
90g Persian feta

Heat olive oil in a large deep frying pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until soft. Add garlic and mushrooms and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.

Add pasta, water and stock paste. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes.

Add peas, asparagus and zucchini. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 minutes. Uncover and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until vegetables are tender and stock is absorbed. Divide among serving bowls and crumble over feta.

when life gives you basil...make basil & almond pesto!

2011-03-24T19:49:00.000-07:00

While shopping for the everyday basics I couldn't walk pass the beautiful bunches of basil in my greengrocers. Leaves brilliant green, large and sooo aromatic.

I just had to buy some.

And what do you make when you have lots of fresh basil.....pesto of course!

Traditionally pesto genovese is made pine nuts yet this time I thought I'd make a variation and try it with almonds. I also toast the nuts as it gives a wonderful nuttier flavour. Don't forget to cool them before you add to the rest of the ingredients, otherwise the heat will cook the basil and you'll loose that vibrant green colour in your pesto.

Making pesto is so easy and has the most divine flavour....you'll never go back to a jar of pre-packaged stuff again.

basil & almond pesto

1 large bunch of basil (about 2 cups firmly packed basil leaves)
2 garlic cloves, chopped

50g blanched almonds, toasted, cooled

80ml (1/3 cup) extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup firmly packed finely grated parmeggiano reggiano

More extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle

Place the basil, garlic, almonds in a food processor. Process until finely chopped.
While the motor is running. gradually add the oil and process until combined.
Add parmesan and process until just combined. Season to taste with salt.
Spoon into a sterilised glass jar. Drizzle with olive oil to cover. Seal with lid and place in the fridge until ready to use.

Cooks Note: As you use your pesto always cover it with a little more olive oil before returning back to the fridge to keep it from oxidising and allowing you to keep it for longer.

As most olive oils aren't 'winterised' this means the oil solidifies in cold temperatures. You will find once your pesto has been in the fridge the oil on top will harden and go cloudy. There is nothing wrong with this. Just push it to the side a little and get your pesto from underneath. If you leave the pesto out at room temp you'll find it will become liquid again.

Don't just save it to toss through hot cooked pasta - here's a few more ways to use it.

spread it on toasted sourdough topped with a little ricotta and or avocado.
mix it with a little lemon juice or white wine vinegar and olive oil as a salad dressing.
mix it with a little sour cream and toss through warm potatoes for a hot potato salad.
spread it over a pizza base then top with barbecued chicken, semi dried tomatoes and grated mozzarella.
stir through hot cooked peas or broad beans as a side for steak.
cook some thinly sliced mushrooms in a little oil, stir though pesto and cream and cook until heated then pour it over pan seared chicken breast.
spread it over some cooked veal schnitzel, top with sliced cherry tomatoes and bocconcini and grill until golden.

So tell me...... what do you do with pesto?

vanilla custard pavlova

2011-01-05T18:25:00.000-08:00

It's amazing what you can create when your stuck for ingredients.

I was all set to make a pavlova yet what I thought was cornflour in the pantry was actually rice flour.....aargh what was I going to do??

Then I remembered that custard powder is actually made from cornflour with just a little vanilla flavour, sugar, salt and colours added..... so a perfect replacement in my pavlova.

Using my trusty Stephanie Alexander recipe (from her book the Cooks Companion) as a base I created the pavlova with custard powder.

And wow it actually gave a luscious result. The pavlova becomes a slight buttery yellow colour yet with a divine creamy vanilla flavour. Perfect topped with strawberries, passionfruit and greek yoghurt cream.

vanilla custard pavlova
Serves 8

6 egg whites
pinch salt
375g caster sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla custard powder, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar
250g punnet strawberries, sliced
2 tablespoons caster sugar, extra
300mls thickened cream
1 cup greek style natural yoghurt
Pulp of 4 passionfruit

Pre-heat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced).

Place egg whites in a clean, stainless steel bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on high speed until soft peaks form.

Add sugar, a tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition. Fold in custard powder and vinegar until just combined

Draw a 24cm diameter circle on some non-stick baking paper. Place drawn side down onto an oven tray. Place egg white over circle forming a high circle.

Place in oven, reduce to 150°C (130°C fan-forced). Cook for 1 1/2 hours.

Turn off oven. Keep pavlova in oven, leaving door ajar, and allow to cool for 2 hours or until cooled. Transfer to a plate.

Meanwhile, place strawberries in a bowl. Sprinkle over half the extra sugar. Toss to combine. Stand for 10 minutes to allow the strawberries to soften slightly and absorb the sweetness of the sugar.

Place cream and remaining sugar in a bowl. Beat on high speed with an electric mixer until firm peaks form. Fold through yoghurt until combined. Spread over pavlova.Top with strawberries and passionfruit pulp.

it's christmas....time to talk turkey.

2010-12-22T04:45:00.000-08:00

Well for many of you Christmas will be happening in two days time yet with many of my family travelling over the December/January break Christmas came early two weeks earlier this year....and I promised to bring the turkey.

As my turkey defrosted in the fridge....my mind ticked away on what creation I could make. I wanted to do something different this year, yet sooo many turkey combinations I was suffering choice overload! My thoughts were answered when I after a food photography shoot I was presented with some left over preserved lemons. This was to be my 'mystery box' ingredient and inspired me to cook a turkey with Moroccan flavours.

After immersing myself in my cookbook and magazine collection I came across two recipes that delighted. One by Valli Little from an old delicious magazine and another from an old Cuisine magazine by Ray McVinnie.

I adapted the saffron butter from Ray's recipe and borrowed the green olive & preserved lemon stuffing idea & brushing with honey from Valli ...then added my own little inspirations to create a couscous stuffing.

The honey saffron butter delivers a moist fragrant tasting turkey with a delicate sweetness. yet also gives the turkey a rich golden hue to the skin. Using sicilian olives give the stuffing a gentle olive note and the lemons l add a delicious zestiness.

This recipe may sound exotic but it is worth the effort, and although I was a little worried that I may have overstepped the 'family friendly' recipe boundaries however when served up it was another resounding success....especially when we watched my 2 1/2 year old nephew Master M devour his stuffing then go around the table trying to steal everyone else's ! Have a delicious Christmas everyone xx

honey saffron turkey with preserved lemon & olive stuffing

1 tsp saffron threads
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp boiling water
150g unsalted butter, softened
1 x 5kg turkey
Salt and pepper, to taste
3 tbsp honey
2 tablespoons plain flour
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/3 cup white wine
1/3 cup quince paste

preserved lemon & olive stuffing
1 ½ cups chicken stock
1 ½ cups couscous
2 tbsp olive oil
4 French shallots, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 1 /2 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 preserved lemon quarters, flesh & pith removed, rind finely chopped
1 cup Sicilian olives, pitted, chopped
1/3 cup toasted pinenuts
1/3 cup finely chopped parsley

To make stuffing, place stock in a saucepan. Bring to boil. Remove. Stir in couscous. Cover. Stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Transfer to a bowl. Meanwhile heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add French shallots and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally or until golden and softened. Add garlic and thyme and cook for 1 minute. Remove. Allow to cool. Add to couscous with preserved lemon, olives, pine nuts and parsley. Mix until combined. Set aside to cool before stuffing turkey.
Combine saffron, sugar and water in a bowl. Stand 20 minutes.
Place butter into a small bowl. Using an electric beater beat butter with saffron and any saffron liquid until well combined.
Remove and discard giblets and neck from turkey. Rinse inside of turkey with cold water. Dry inside and out with kitchen towel.
Fill turkey cavity with stuffing. Truss turkey and secure with kitchen string.
Work fingers gently between breast meat and skin of turkey being careful not to tear skin. Rub half the saffron butter over breast meat. Rub remaining saffron butter over outside of turkey. Season with salt and pepper.
Cover turkey loosely with lightly greased foil. Place breast side up on a lightly greased rack in a roasting pan.
Cook in a moderate oven (180C) for about 3 hours. Remove from oven. Remove foil. Brush turkey with honey. Cook for a further 45 minutes or until cooked through.
Place turkey on a tray to rest. Cover loosely with lightly greased foil.
Meanwhile scape pan juices into a saucepan. Stir in flour. Cook, stirring, for about 1 minute or until thickened. Remove from heat. Gradually whisk in stock until combined. Stir in wine and quince paste. Bring to boil, stirring constantly. Cook for a further 2 -3 minutes or until thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with sliced turkey and stuffing.

it's been a hard day's night........

2010-11-19T17:58:00.001-08:00

After a long day cooking up a storm at work many would wonder how I manage to still have the energy to get back into the kitchen and cook dinner.

Well when food is your passion it's usually easy but sometimes it can be a struggle....today was one of those days!

After some early mornings and late work nights and cooking up a storm, I was feeling rather weary and almost cooked out. I was almost tempted to dial the local Thai place for dinner, however I resisted.

Using inspiration from one of Jamie Oliver's recipes that only uses one pan - Everyday Crispy Chicken with Sweet Tomatoes (from his book Jamie's Dinners) I made a few tweaks to add a few different flavours and lighten up the dish.

After a short time in the kitchen I made a deliciously healthy dinner with minimal washing up .....and was still able to take some time out, sitting down with a glass of wine and the news, before Mr G came home.

one-pan chicken with cherry tomatoes and olives Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 45 minutes Serves 4

8 chicken drumsticks

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 x 200g punnets cherry tomatoes, halved

8 cloves garlic, peeled

8 sprigs fresh marjoram

1/2 cup torn fresh basil leaves

1/2 teaspoon dried chilli flakes

1 x 280g jar Sandhurst Sicilian olives, drained

500g desiree potatoes, cut into 2cm pieces

Extra marjoram and basil, to garnish

Fresh crusty bread & mixed leaf salad, to serve

Pre-heat oven to 200°C (180°C fan-forced).

Remove the skin from the drumsticks by holding the meaty end of the bone with one hand and, using some kitchen towel paper, use the other hand to pull the skin down and away from the flesh.

Heat oil in flameproof roasting pan over high heat. Add chicken. Cook, turning occasionally, for 5 -8 minutes or until browned on all sides. Remove from heat.

Add tomatoes, garlic, marjoram, basil, chilli, olives and potatoes, spreading around the pan. Cook in pre-heated oven for 30 minutes.

Increase heat to 240C. Cook for a further 15 minutes or until potatoes are golden and chicken is cooked through. Serve with some fresh crusty bread and salad.

oh my goodness the dessert!

2010-11-14T01:40:00.000-08:00

You know when you’re invited to a dinner with friends and you kindly offer to bring dessert, then suddenly the day comes and you've totally forgotten you were bringing something until the last minute.....well that was my dilemma yesterday.

After a day running around doing errands it was 3.45pm when I got home....then I remembered the dessert! How was I going honour my commitment and still get ready and be at my friend’s house by 6 #$*)*%*#!

Being the foodie I am, my friends were never going to let me get away with buying something or just bringing fruit salad and ice cream. Surely I could whip up something.

Think Sonja think.

I then remembered I had some cream and mascarpone in the fridge and after a quick rummage through the rest of my kitchen I found a pack of Arnott’s Choc Ripple biscuits, some vanilla bean paste, some frozen raspberries and a little added kick from the cocktail cabinet. With a quick whip in the kitchen, it didn’t take long for me to create a simple twist on Tiramisu.

And what a delicious success. There’s no better recognition for your cooking then empty glasses, scraped clean, and a resounding ‘My god that was incredible....you have to give me the recipe’.

little choc raspberry tiramisu’s

Serves 4
Prep Time: 20 mins Chilli Time: at least 30 mins

300mls tub thickened cream
1 tsp Queen vanilla bean paste
250g tub mascarpone
1/3 cup Frangelico liqueur
14 Arnott’s Choc Ripple biscuits (about ½ a pack)
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries
extra Frangelico, to serve

Place cream and vanilla bean paste in the small bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on high speed until firm. Fold through mascarpone until well mixed.
Place a heaped teaspoonful of mascarpone mixture in the base of four 1 ½ cup capacity glasses.
Place Frangelico in a small bowl.
Dip a biscuits into Frangelico. Roughly crush over mascarpone in one of the glasses. Top with a few raspberries. Top with a heaped tablespoon of mascarpone mixture. Repeat twice to obtain two more layers. Repeat to make 3 more individual tiramisu desserts.
Crumble remaining biscuits over top.
Place in refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to chill or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with a shot of Frangelico, if desired.

Cook's Tips:

In place of raspberries use strawberries or pitted cherries.
Instead of Choc Ripple biscuits you could also use Premier Choc Chip, Granita or Butternut Snap cookies. For the butternut snap I’d omit the raspberries and use some chopped mango or chopped canned peaches or pears and use a dessert wine like Botrytis Semillon or Butterscotch Schnapps or Grand Marnier in place of the Frangelico.
For a non-alcoholic version use some orange, cranberry or apple juice in place of the liqueur.
You could also make this into a large dessert for 8. Double the ingredients and then layer in a 10 cup capacity dish.

getting your goat...kashmiri style goat shank curry

2010-11-07T00:09:00.001-07:00

What is it with the weather of late?

It’s the last month of spring when the sun should be shining .......yet it is raining buckets and cold enough that I am still wearing a scarf and my winter jacket!

Spending the day inside avoiding the rain, it was inevitable that I would head to the heart of my home....the kitchen. But what to cook??? Heading outside in the downpour was the last thing I wanted to do. I then remembered I had some goat shanks in the freezer, that I bought from the Ellesmera Meats stand during a visit to the Leura Markets a few weeks ago.

Goat is widely consumed around the world including Italy, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Middle East, North Africa, Central and South America, South East Asia, Polynesia and India.

With our growing ethnic diversity goat is starting to be consumed in Australia, however we should embrace it more often.

Goat meat is lean, and free range. As the goats feed freely on the grasses of the farm they are raised onm this gives the meat a delicious mild gamey flavour. Goat can be roasted, grilled, braised and even barbecued....perfect for whichever cuisine you want to travel to. Today I wanted to travel to India. So I created a fragrant, slow cooked curry where the goat meat just falls of the bone and my mouth tingles with a cornucopia of spices from my spice drawer. Next time you see goat at your local butcher, or farmers market, buy some and explore.

Kashmiri style Goat Shank Curry
Serves 4

3 tbsp mustard oil
8 goat shanks, french trimmed
2 onions, finely chopped
10 cloves garlic, crushed
5 cm piece ginger, peeled, finely grated
3 tsp cumin seeds
3 tsp fennel seeds
2 tsp coarse ground black peppercorns
8 whole cloves
6 cardamom pods
2 cinnamon sticks
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp turmeric
3 tomatoes, chopped
500ml (2 cups) Greek style yoghurt
435ml (1 3/4 cups) water
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander

Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium high heat. Cook shanks, in batches, until browned all over. Remove and set aside.
Reduce heat to medium low. Add onion and cook, stirring, for 10 - 15 minutes, or until golden brown.
Add garlic, ginger and cumin, fennel, pepper, cloves, cardamom and cinnamon. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.
Add tomatoes, ground coriander and chilli and cook for 3 minutes.
Add yoghurt, water, salt and brown sugar. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer, covered, for 2 hours, stirring occasionally, or until goat meat is tender.
Stir in lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Garnish with fresh coriander and serve with spiced basmati rice.

a horse is a horse of course unless......

2010-10-04T02:25:00.000-07:00

If you had asked me 6 months ago is there anything I wouldn’t eat... one of those would have been horse. However recently my gastronomic curiosity got the better of me and decided to overcame my initial fear and indulge my epicurious palate.

With a few other equally interested food media and food industry professionals, I signed up to the 'secret' Australian Association of Food Professionals 'Horse Whisperers' dinner to understand what all the fuss was about. Though why the secrecy?

Although Australia has been exporting horsemeat since the 70's with over 50,000 horse carcasses exported per year to countries like Central Asia, Japan, Switzerland, Belgium, France and Italy, Europe.......... not everyone is as appreciative of its gastronomic qualities. Since it was legally approved for sale here in June at Mondo de Carne it has caused considerable controversy and outraged animal liberationists. Mondo’s owner Vince Garreffa started to receive death threats.

Embrasse restaurant in Melbourne had to cancel the first ever horse tasting dinner, (which sold out in half a day) as the chef also received death threats and protesters outside the restaurant. So to prevent a frenzy and protect attendees the location of the event was held at a secret inner west Sydney location, the location only released just prior to the day, with the menu created by two of Sydney's leading Italian chefs (who shall still be kept a secret) showcasing the versatility of horsemeat.

On arrival we were introduced to Mortadella & salumi matched with a marsanne 'Wiggly Tail' from Piggs Peake wines. Although these smallgoods contained only 50% horsemeat and 50% pork, the addition of the horsemeat gave the mortadella a much deeper pink hue and the salami was darker red than your standard salami and seemed to greater depth and meatier flavour. Horsemeat is actually quite a purple red coloured meat due its high iron content so no wonder the colour of the smallgoods changed.

On that nutritional note Horsemeat is quite a healthy meat, not only due to its high iron but is also low in fat and cholesterol and high in Vitamin B12 and Omega 3. Although I was once a dietitian, tonight my desires were purely sensory.

Following our first introduction to horse, our next course was an assiette of horse served as tartare with beetroot & garlic tapenade and carpaccio with herbs and pecorino toscano. Eating horsemeat raw gave me the best indication of how delicate the texture and flavour horsemeat is. It seemed to melt in the mouth with a gentle, sweet meatiness less stronger in flavour than beef or veal.

Our next course orecchiette with 'ragu di cavallo' was made from hand cut horse chuck and served with grated salted ricotta. Although the meat tender I found this dish a little disappointing, the pasta was perfectly al dente but the flavour of the ragu was a little out of balance. The chef had added some pork lardons too add a little more fat to the dish as horsemeat is very lean, however for me it overpowered the subtlety of the horsemeat, leaving quite a rich and fatty pork taint. Thankfully the Piggs Peak 'Wolfie' Zinfandel tantalized my mouth. A rich deep coloured wine made from zinfandel and shiraz that had plenty of rich berry notes and also cut through the fattiness of the pork.

We were then treated to 'Tagliata di cavallo con polenta e aceto tradizionale' pan-seared horse rump steak on soft polenta with aged balsamic. The steak was quickly seared and served quite rare, topped with lardons and served with a sangiovese. The polenta was soft and creamy, however after my experience with the ragu I removed the lardons as I wanted to taste the horsemeat.

Traditionally I like my beef steak rare, however with horse eating it rare the texture was little too soft so the juxtaposition between the crustier outside and the rare meat wasn't quite to my liking. One of the attendees, a well respected food writer who shall remain nameless, asked the chef to cook the some of the rump a little longer to medium rare. This is how she remembered eating it in France and supposedly gives the best flavour and texture for steak. I have to agree. The meat was still tender however the flavour developed giving it more concentrated 'meatier' taste and deepened the caramelisation on the outside.

Of course the dinner wouldn't be quite right without dessert - chocolate salami with cantuccini matched with two of Piggs Peake's wines either the foritfied vin santo like wine 'Oui Oui Oui', which is made from barberra and riesling brandy, or my favourite, "The Suckling Pig" a dessert Zinfandel that was like rich berry jam with a delicious naughty kick!

So now I have satisfied my curiosity about horsemeat will I eat it again? Indeed.

Hopefully it won't be too long before a brave, yet ingenuitive, restaurant serves it up in Sydney or a butcher stocks it, then I can undertake a cavallo adventure in my own kitchen.

I feel like Tagine tonight!

2010-05-08T07:06:00.000-07:00

A cold evening and my mind is dreaming of slow cooked lamb with sensual sweet flavours of Morocco.....Lamb tagine.

The writer Edmond Amran el Maleh described Moroccan cuisine as "the perfumed soul of our culture", and he is so right.

My tagine would combine these Moroccan flavours with the richness of lamb. I imagined mixing the sweet delicate scents and flavours delivered by cinnamon, cardamom and saffron, balanced with pungency of ginger and garlic, the earthiness of cumin and coriander seeds, the sweetness of dates and honey all slowly simmered to deliver a combination of sweet and savoury ......that I don't belive any other cusine really delivers.

The challenge for this food dream to become realitky is that tonight I am at Mr G's, whose pantry is as limited as Mrs Hubbard's!

Normally that could spell disaster for a foodie, however thankfully there's a great IGA around the corner for me to source the ingredients to create my dish. Personally I'd have prefered to head to Herbie's , as he has the freshet and purest spices in Sydney, but unfortunately Ian's not open at 7.30pm on a Saturday and I don't think he'd appreciate a desperate call!!!

Another culinary challenge is Mr G's kitchen is also not well equipped. Normally I'd cook this dish in my Le Creuset, and although I have been slowly building Mr G's kitchenware collection alas the budget doesn't quite allow for me to buy another Le Creuset. So today I made this tagine in a typical non-descript everyday saucepan, that most of Australia would have in their homes, and it still delivered a sensational result.

Many tagine recipes add the dates right towards the end of cooking to allow them to still retain their shape, however I love it when they collapse down which not only adds more body and texture but gives a deliciously rich caramel sweetness to the whole dish. If you find this dish a little too sweet add some preserved lemon or a squeeze of lemon at the end, to balance the sweetness to your taste.

lamb tagine with dates and honey
Serves 4

2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 tbsp chopped ginger
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1kg diced lamb shoulder
3 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
2 cinnamon sticks, broken in half
large pinch saffron
seeds of 4 cardamom pods
600mls beef stock
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander leaves
1 cup pitted dates
1 tbsp honey
extra coriander leaves, to garnish
chopped pistachio kernels, to garnish

spinach and preserved lemon couscous
1 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups couscous
1 tsp finely chopped preserved lemon rind
1 cup baby spinach leaves

Heat oil in a large saucepan, or flameproof casserole dish over medium heat. Add onion, ginger and garlic and cook for 5 minutes until golden and soft.
Add lamb and spices and cook for 2 minutes. Add stock, tomato paste, coriander leaves. Bring to the boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally
Stir in dates and honey and cook for a futher 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with salt and pepper. If the tagine gets a little too thick during cooking, add a little more beef stock.
To make couscous, bring 1 1/2 cups water to the boil in a medium saucepan. Stir in olive oil and couscous. Cover, remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork, then stir in spinach.
Divide tagine and couscous among serving bowls. Sprinkle with coriander and pistachio kernels.

magnificant mussels

2010-04-12T06:52:00.000-07:00

Although I spend many of my work hours cooking up a storm developing and testing recipes, I still love to get into the kitchen when I get home.

Today I was lucky to take home some left over fresh mussels from work. Mussels are so easy to cook and there is something so tantalising about sitting down a bowl of hot piping mussels on a cool evening.

As I drove home in the evening traffic my mind turned over what I would create with my catch. Mussels cooked in a creamy, garlicky and spring onion sauce and tossed through linguini, or a mussel paella with peas, calasparra rice, smoked paprika and saffron , or a cooked with rice noodles in a rich yellow coconut curry, or just superbly steamed in a flavourful broth.

Or course it would all depend on what i would find on hand in the kitchen!

I surveyed the fridge and found baby fennel, ripe Roma tomatoes, continental parsley, a lemon, lots of garlic, a red onion, some baby capers , a bottle of Maggie Beer Verjuice and a jar of pickled jalapenos.

I could have used these to create a pasta but my last thought of steaming them in a flavoursome broth had tickled my taste buds and the above ingredients, with a some Campbell's Real Fish Stock that I had in the pantry, would make an amazing dinner for one.

The couscous is perfect to serve with this dish as it soaks up the broth leaving you with a sublime tomato & fennel couscous to enjoy, after you have devoured all the mussels. If you don't feel like serving with couscous this dish would also be great with some thick slices of toasted sourdough or ciabatta.

Just a little note when buying mussels make sure they are still alive. Their shells should be closed when you buy them, sometimes you might find that the shell will be slightly open however if you give the mussel shell a gentle squeeze it should close again, if it doesn’t then discard it. And if any of the mussels don’t open after cooking, then its best to discard these too.

steamed mussels in fennel & tomato broth
Serves 1

1 baby fennel
2 tsp oil
½ red onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp finely chopped jalapeno chillies
2 ripe Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 ½ cups Campbell's Real Stock -Fish
¼ cup Maggie Beer Verjuice
1 tsp baby capers
1 tbsp chopped continental parsley
finely grated zest and juice of ½ lemon
½ cup couscous
450g mussels, shells scrubbed and beards removed
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
extra continental parsley, to garnish

Cut fennel bulb in half, remove core, then slice bulb and stalks thinly. Roughly chop fennel fronds and reserve.
Heat oil in a wok, or large deep frying pan, over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 4 minutes, stirring often until softened. Add sliced fennel and fennel stalks and cook for 2 -3 minutes until just softened.
Increase heat to high, add 1 cup stock, verjuice, capers , parsley and lemon zest and juice and bring to the boil.
Meanwhile place remaining stock in a large microwave safe bowl and heat on HIGH power for 3 minutes or until has just come to the boil. Remove from microwave. Stir in couscous, cover with plastic wrap and let stand for 5 minutes.
Toss mussels and reserved chopped fennel fronds into the wok. Cover and cook for 3 - 4 minutes or until mussels have opened. Discard any mussels that haven’t opened during cooking. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Fluff couscous with a fork then spoon mussels and the fennel tomato broth over the couscous. Sprinkle over a little extra chopped parsley and serve immediately.

sideways deli cafe

2009-10-01T09:55:00.000-07:00

If you want a place to linger then suggest heading a little out of the way to Sideways Deli Cafe in Dulwich Hill.

Owned by sisters Jacqueline & Danielle, this neighbourhood cafe is a walk away from the cosmopolitan hustle of the centre of Dulwich Hill.

It has a sunny outlook and is certainly a favourite with the locals as at 1.30pm there was only 1 table left.

It’s not just a cafe but also stocks a range of foods from olive oils, fresh baked cakes, tarts and quiches, relishes, jams so something to take home or a little gift.

The menu is a varied temptation, and also a wide selection of specials so you can guarantee if you’re a local you can not only enjoy your favourite but also be tempted by a new creation.

Breakfast is available till 4pm on weekends, and the menu represents the suburb’s cosmopolitan links e.g. Green eggs – scrambled eggs with pesto, fetta, bacon, tomatoes on wood fired toast or a the mountain of corn fritters, topped with spinach, haloumi and tomato relish.

I indulged on one of the breakfast specials poached eggs with mushrooms, roasted tomatoes, fetta, pesto on garlic turkish. Oh and what a delight, my eggs perfectly soft and runny, the fetta adding some richness and a hint of saltiness with that little zing of garlic on the toast to truly add the Mediterranean touch.

Mr G went straight to lunch enjoying the housemade Lamb Moussaka, which is the ultimate in comfort food - rich lamb mince, gently cooked in a tomato and oregano sauce layered with chargrilled eggplant and topped with a tantalising creamy white sauce and a crisp, cheesy breadcrumb topping. Many a Greek mother would be proud!

Yet the menu continued to torment me, I couldn’t stop there and had to indulge in something sweet to balance it all out!

Don't expect not your typical dessert menu.....here’s not a sticky date or chocolate mud cake or cheesecake in sight.

Feast your sugar cravings with Middle Eastern orange cake, Persian Love Cake (a mix of ground almonds, freshly grated nutmeg, eggs, pistachio & greek yoghurt) , Viennese biscuits, or the less exotic but equally delicious, Lumberjack Cake with caramel drizzle.

For the more traditional enjoy a slice of Lemon Tart, Banana & Walnut, Carrot & Walnut or Apple & Date Cake, or a generous wedge of Warm Housemaid Apple pie or a Choc Chip Cookie.

I desperately wanted to try the Persian Love Cake, alas the early birds caught the worm and not even a crumb was left!

Though was not disappointed. I highly recommend the Greek Coconut Cake. It’s moist with a delicate coconut flavour and texture due and soaked in lemon syrup. It's sweetness perfect with a dollop of creamy Greek yoghurt.

Mr G enjoyed the Middle Eastern orange cake which is made by simmering whole oranges, then blending with almond meal, eggs and sugar. It's zesty, soft, and although probably not conventional across the seas....it’s great with ice cream.

All perfect with a shot of coffee or a T2 herbal tea, try the Marrakesh Mint, a great way to sooth and settle a long lunch, all served with a Tiny Teddy.

Sideways is a great place, service is friendly, unobtrusively attentive and children & dogs welcome, and not a merlot in sight!

Sideways Deli Cafe
37 Constitution Road, Dulwich Hill
Open 7 Days 8am – 5pm
(02) 9560 1425
http://www.sidewaysdelicafe.com.au/

muffin magic

2009-05-30T04:31:00.000-07:00

With such cold, rainy weather today it became a perfect time to bake up a storm in the kitchen.

Having recently bought Allan Campion & Michelle Curtis’s book "In the Kitchen" a few weeks ago, with over 1000 recipes, it is fast becoming a valued recipe resource. Almost as much as Stephanie Alexander's Cooks Companion....well almost.....I've had my Cook's Companion for over 10 years so they do have a little more to catch up to the beloved Steph!

Browsing the ‘Cake’ and ‘Desserts’ section my baking passions were being tempted by so many delights, yet it was the muffins that caught my eye as it had been some time since I'd whipped up a batch.

And with many muffins I could eat one now (okay who am I kidding a couple!) and freeze the rest for the future indulgences. . . . be it sharing with friends or for that little sweet moment with a cup of tea.

There are a cornucopia of muffin recipes in Campion & Curtis’ book that enticed me however I wasn't about to brave the elements and shop!

Using their basic muffin recipe as a guide I looked to my fridge and pantry for some inspirational ingredients and then, with a little culinary ingenuity, I created my own muffin magic.

Measure & chop, mix & bake.......Alakazam!

campion & curtis's basic muffin recipe

150g (1 cup) self-raising flour
pinch salt
110g (1/2 cup) caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
125ml (1/2 cup) milk
50g melted butter

Pre-heat oven to 180°C.
Line 6 x 1/2 cup capacity muffin pans with paper cases.
In a bowl mix the flour, salt and caster sugar together.
Add vanilla, egg, milk and butter and beat until smooth. Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin pans and bake for 15 - 20 minutes, or until risen and golden brown. Allow to cool.

mint slice muffin Bites
60g dark chocolate, chopped
60g butter, chopped
150g (1 cup) self-raising flour
40g ( 1/3 cup) cocoa
110g (½ cup) caster sugar
1 x 200g packet Arnott’s Mint Slice biscuits, chopped
1 egg
150ml milk
100g dark chocolate, extra

Preheat oven to 180°C.
Place dark chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl, then place over a saucepan over simmering water and stir until melted. Cool slightly.
In a large bowl sift plain flour and cocoa then stir in caster sugar and Mint Slice biscuits.
In a jug or bowl, combine egg and milk together. Pour over dry ingredients then add melted chocolate and mix until combined. Spoon into 36 silicone muffin pans*.
Bake for 10 -15 minutes or until when insert a skewer into the centre it comes out clean. Allow to cool on a wire rack.

*Alternatively line 36 standard mini muffin pans with paper cases. This recipe can also be used to make 8 x ½ cup capacity muffin pans. Follow directions except in the last step bake for 20-25 minutes.

strawberry, vanilla & mascarpone muffins
200g (1 1/3 cups) self-raising flour
150g (2/3 cup) caster sugar
60g butter, melted
125mls (1/2 cup) milk
125ml mascarpone plus 2 tbsp extra
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
150g strawberries, de-hulled, chopped

Pre-heat oven to 180°C. Lightly grease 12 x 1/2 cup capacity muffin pans.
Combine flour and sugar in a bowl.
Combine milk and mascarpone into a bowl, stir in egg and melted butter. Add to dry ingredients and lightly mix until just combined.
Fold in strawberries and extra mascarpone. Spoon into prepared muffin pans. Bake for 20 minutes until lightly golden or until when insert a skewer into the centre it comes out clean. Serve warm or cool.

a Christmas dilemma

2008-12-23T18:50:00.000-08:00

Christmas is the time when we fervently agonize over what we want to chop, peel, stir, stuff, marinate and cook for our delicious family feasts.

Will it be a traditional turkey, a seafood buffet, a desired family favourite or be inspired to try a totally new recipe creation ??? For me it was the age old dilemma - between cooking the family favourites or letting my creativity flow!

Since my first preparation of Nigella’s Coca Cola Ham eight years ago I was ordered to make it ever year since. Yet I finally put my foot down a few years ago, much to the disappointment of my family, and took it off the menu as I was tired, bored and screaming for time out!!!

This Christmas though I put an end to their whingeing. While out Christmas shopping I got ‘lost’ in the cookbook section where I came upon Nigella’s Christmas cookbook where I find ….Ginger Glazed Ham... a twist on her Coca Cola ham yet simmered in ginger ale and coated in glaze of ginger preserves, mustard, cloves and brown sugar.

I had found the answer that would satisfy both my creative desires and my family’s wishes!

Although inspired by Nigella, I have added my own embellishments. I use ginger beer (Bundaberg or Cascade) and add a little extra cardamom into the stock, as well as adding it to the glaze.

As for ginger preserves, Buderim make a wonderful ginger marmalade which was a perfect addition, and as my family prefers a more deeply caramelised glaze, than Nigella's, I also drizzled the ham with extra sweetness.... golden syrup.

My mind and soul abounded with inspiration, so I had to keep creating ....my next blank canvas was what to do for dessert.

In keeping with family favourites them I decided on an ice-cream pudding. Quite a simple thing to make, all you need is some good quality vanilla ice cream and then the let your creativity stir ...by adding in your favourite sweet ingredients. Sometimes I add chopped dates and Arnott's Ginger Nuts, or Chocolate with Raspberries or Blueberries and lemon.

Today however it was Cranberry, Cherry & Pistachio Nougat. Served with fresh Chirstmas cherries, so perfect at this time of the year, and a rich chocolate sauce. Though if you want a simply cripsy choc topping do what my niece and nephew did pour over some Choc Ice Magic and for an instantly set hard choc topping! May you enjoy the Christmas creations and all have a very delicious Christmas and a ‘bubbly’ New Year !

sticky ginger beer ham
Serves 14 (or 8 with ham for the next day’s feasting)

4.5 - 5kg half leg joint, or boneless, ham
7 Litres ginger beer (recommend Cascade or Bundaberg)
15 whole cardamom pods
1 cup ginger marmalade*
3 tsp mustard powder
3 tsp Dijon mustard
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
2 tbsp golden syrup
2 tbsp plain flour
Place ham into a large stockpot, then pour over ginger beer and add cardamom pods.
Bring to the boil, then reduce heat to low and cook, partially covered, for 3 hours. If ginger beer doesn't cover the top of the ham then reguarly ladle the ginger beer stock over the ham.
Carefully lift ham out of the pot. Reserve ginger beer stock. Remove skin and some of the fat so only leaving a thin layer of the fat on top of the ham.
Preheat oven to 220°C. ** In a bowl, combine ginger marmalade, mustard powder and Dijon mustard, cardamom and stir to mix. Spread over the top of the ham. Drizzle over golden syrup.
Place onto a rack, over a foil lined baking dish. Pour 2 cups ginger beer stock in the base. Bake for 20 minutes or until glaze is sticky and golden. Let stand for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile add pan juices to a deep frying pan. Blend flour with a cup of remaining ginger beer stock. Bring to the boil, stirring constantly then reduce heat and cook until thickened to a sauce consistency.
* If you cannot get hold of ginger marmalade, use orange or lime marmalade and add one teaspoon of ground ginger.
** If pre cooking ham then do steps 1 & 2 and reserve ginger beer stock. Cover ham top of ham with non stick baking paper and then wrap in foil and let cool slightly before placing in the refrigerator. On the day of glazing you will need to bring the ham back to room temperature before baking. Bake in preheated 180°C oven for about 20 minutes to ensure that ham is well heated through then increase oven temp to 220°C and bake for a further 10 minutes or until as glaze is golden.
cranberry, cherry & pistachio nougat ‘chilly’ puddings
Serves 8

2 Litres good quality vanilla ice cream, softened
½ cup dried sweetened cranberries, roughly chopped
½ cup dried cherries, roughly chopped
½ cup dark chocolate chips
150g vanilla pistachio nougat, chopped
fresh cherries and chocolate sauce, to serve
Lightly grease 8 x ½ cup capacity ramekins, or dariole moulds, then line with plastic wrap so it covers base and the well over sides.
In a large bowl combine ice cream, cranberries, dried cherries, chocolate and pistachio nougat and mix until combined. Spoon into lined ramekins, cover with plastic wrap. Place into freezer and freeze for 6 hours, or overnight.
Remove from freezer. Carefully run a knife around the plastic wrap surrounding the puddings then gently lift out. Serve on individual plates with fresh cherries and chocolate sauce, if desired.

oils ‘aint oils……

2008-12-21T22:36:00.000-08:00

Olive oil is an essential ingredient within many cuisines and treasured around the world.

We love to use it to cook with, dress salads, dip our bread into it at the table with a little bit of balsamic.

However have you ever just taken a sip and really got to know your olive oil 'au naturel' ?

My mission was to explore the sensory virtues of 3 extra virgin olive oils, from different parts of the globe. The “Rosto” an Australian blended olive oil, the highly rated Italian olive oil Colonna from Molise and Gaea fro Sita in Crete.

Like wine, terroir, varietal, processing method, age at picking all give their own unique stamp to the olive oil and have an effect on the colour and flavour of the oil.

As I poured each sample I could see the variation in hues of each oil. The Australian oil was golden yellow brown in colour, the Colonna oil a vibrant lime green, and the Crete oil was in between exhibiting a more yellowy green hue.

First step is to absorb yourself in the aroma, deeply breathing it in and let my nose and mind interpret the smells. Only then can you place the oil to your mouth, yet be warned tasting oil is certainly an art in itself!

Firstly you need to take a slurp the oil into your mouth and keep it there as you swirl the oil around your mouth while with an slightly open mouth simultaneously suck in air so it can flow over the oil and allow the flavours to not only coat the tastebuds but also tickle your ‘retronasal’ senses so you experience the full extent of the oil.

Then you can then swallow or spit thought personally I think you really need to experience it all as allowing the oil to slide down your throat and into your stomach which then allows you to see if there are any particular lingering flavours or aftertaste characteristics.

Now although this sounds similar to tasting wine it was much more challenging. Olive oil is a viscous, slippery and difficult to swirl around the mouth without swallowing it or having it ‘oh so elegantly’ spill out your mouth, and then when this happens its hard not to burst into laughter …making you spit it all out in the hilarity!

However as I was here to learn I continued to work on my technique and eventually got the hang of it without making too much of messy mockery of myself!

First sample on the block was the Rosso. I put the glass to my nose and breathed to get woody, grassy, oaten hay aromas. I could also smell hints of toasted almond, boiled green vegetables yet also got a hint of fruitiness almost like green banana. On tasting it was greasy, thick and cloying with a mild pungency, or spicyness, at the back of the throat. I found the fattiness of the oil unpleasant to taste in this raw state so wouldn’t use this on a salad however perhaps it would be fine to cook with perhaps tossing some onion, garlic and chilli to before making a tomato pasta sauce or perhaps spaghetti with alio & pepperoncino!

The Colonna sample had a strong fruity aroma of fresh green apple yet also noticed a floral note with hints of lemongrass. As I tasted the first slurp I got a floral fruitiness almost citrus taste but also some herbaceous and yeasty notes like pickled green olives. It was extremely pungent almost spicy, like chilli hitting the back of my throat. This was soo strong that it made me cough and splutter and my throat felt itchy for a little time after, it also had quite a bitter and astringent aftertaste. For some this is a prized oil and one of the best, and it certainly has a price tag, yet I found it unbalanced. Perhaps it may be better with a little bread or drizzled over salad as it was too overpowering and inequitable for me.

The Gaea oil from Crete had a pleasurable fruity green apple aroma with a slight grassy aroma like freshly cut grass or lush green lucerne. It exhibited a pleasing pungency or pepperiness that slightly tickled my throat just enough to give it some piquancy without making me cough and splutter. Interestingly I also noted a hint of smokiness like fermented dried black olives.

Out of all three this would be the one I’d be willing to have in my kitchen. It would be perfect for many things be it drizzled over some freshly sliced tomatoes and basil or in the pan with some delicate blue eye cod or marron or just to dip chunks of fresh crusty pane di casa.

So next time you pull out your olive oil put a little into a small glass and truly taste it.....you may be surprised what you learn!

pendolino – a tilting train or an Italian ristorante?

2008-12-07T03:49:00.000-08:00

I have arrived at the fashionista mecca - the historic Strand Arcade in George St, Sydney.

Yet I am not here to shop (though would be seriously tempted if they were open at this time!) but to sample the food of renowned Nino Zoccali and his team at Pendolino.

Nino has a delicious reputation from his days at Otto and Nove, however he has left the Terzini stable to begin his own Sydney venture.

Pendolino not only features a restaurant, yet it also functions during the day as a café, wine bar and an olive oil enoteca.

It is, however, not the easiest to find. If I had not known to head to the top floor, I would have needed some assistance beyond my navman.

After heading up the ancient Victorian lift I am greeted by a large, yet unattended, concierge desk. Although I could see the chefs creating behind the glass window, and waiters busily a wander inside, no one was there to see us arrive which was a little disconcerting as we were on time for our 9pm booking.

Eventually someone swept by, and although not too long, it was long enough.

Yet all discord disappeared as we were welcomed into the dining room.

Strolling through I noticed it abounded with the energy of people talking, eating and drinking with pleasure and enjoying their night. It was quite a bustle for a Monday, which was certainly pleasing.

Passing the intimate private dining room you see a large cellared wall of wines and olive oils and a wrought iron ‘curtain’ dividing the room. It is quite a graceful restaurant featuring exposed brick walls, wrought iron olive leaf shaded lights, dark timbers and carpets which are contrasted by the beautifully crisp white linens, romantic timber chairs and comfortable leather banquettes. A restaurant that signifies elegance yet also heartfelt Italian warmth that I hoped the food would match.

Our waiter, in his handsome designer Farage suit, produced our menus. We were mesmerised, not only by his fashionable attire, but also with his romantic Italian accent….he could have been reciting the alphabet and we would have still been enamoured!

A good wine list with mix of Australian and Italian wines, however unfamiliar with some of the Italian varieties we asked for some recommendations it was hard to go past our sommelier's innate passion for wines from the homeland. So we followed his heart and ordered the Tuscan blend of Sangiovese, Shiraz and Merlot

Then we carefully examined the menu ....so many choices tickled our desires. Twice our waiter asked for our choices yet still the crew and I weren’t undecided. A menu like this needs time to savour and ensure a good decision making process.

Although the Pappardelle con ragu di vitella ($19) tempted me I decided upon the Fegatini D’anartra con le amarene ($19). Duck liversperfectly seared and lightly browned on the outside yet still softly pink and tender on the inside and drizzled with a sour cherry jus. The first bite of each lobe oozed a meaty indulgence yet dissolved in the mouth almost like foie gras. Served on the side was white polenta which had been fashioned into a log then pan-seared to give it a golden, crusted top yet still retained an inner gentle creamy texture and some deliciously crisp pancettta.

My dining counterparts had fallen in love with the idea of the Proscuitto ‘bianco e rosso’ ($19) a divine blend of red and white pork served with crisp light rosemary infused grissini and Sardinian flat bread. The ‘rosso’ is prosciutto from San Daniele a mass of rich, deep pinky red curls of earthy cured pork meat. The ‘bianco’ is actually pork belly fat which has been cured in the style of Colonnata meaning that it has been traditionally cured in marble tanks. To me the ‘bianco’ was the enchanting part of the dish wafer thin slices of lard with a gentle smokiness and yeastiness that just melted on the tongue and although Rosemary Stanton may be horrified - trust me it is worth every wicked mouthful!

The Spaghettia chitarra ($23) or ‘guitar pasta’ named so as it is cut with a guitar like cutter, was certainly an exciting entrée. The house made saffron infused pasta added visual vibrancy to the dish which abounds with the flavourful robustness of garlic, chilli and capers blended with the stylish sweetness of barrumundi and prawns and good splashing of pinot grigio.

As for mains they were even harder to decide on! We had already ‘tested’ the kitchen’s pasta and so had to test their risotto skills, and thankfully were delighted. Risotto di asparagi e fave ($34) is an ample serve of tender, velvety risotto comprised of al dente carnaroli rice dotted with small cuts of fresh asparagus and crushed fava beans. Yet it still retains that traditionally desired slight brothiness in the dish. Though although my Italian counterpart adored this, I found it all a little intoxicating as was too heavily infused with parmigiano reggiano and truffled butter which overshadowed the delicate asparagus and natural creaminess of the rice.

Porchetta al finocchio ($37) paired slowly cooked Krobuta pork belly with a rosemary and fennel flavoured crust. Quite a pork lovers delight as the the pork belly sat atop slices of rich garlicky cotechino sausage which certainly charmed my inner carnivore. However it was let down by the rather dense bed of white bean and potato puree and tart salad of blood orange and fennel. The confusing flavours were further intensified by the blood orange oil which was a little overpowering. I felt the overall finish of the dish was a little too hectic for my palate and would have preferred enjoying the purity of just ‘fennelled’ rosemary pork with potato.

The Quaglia all griglia ($37) the quail although supposedly to be chargrilled tasted like it had only been waved over the grill and then steamed. Besides a few grill marks its skin was quite soft with a boiled like taste and texture. It left a heavy fatty taste in the mouth and the meat was a little on the pinker side. It was overloaded it even more by the slurps of olive oil on the plate the quail was unctuous enough yet exaggerated by the Piccardy Olive Oil from Permberton. I know that this is a feature of Nino’s menu highlighting the olive oil however on this occasion I felt he could have left it out. Thankfully the perfumed dried black olive sauce and perfectly cooked thyme & garlic potatoes with their crispy outer skin and creamy inner flesh saved the dish.

The Bistecca al Ferri ($39) was the piatto forte of the night. An impeccably chargrilled piece of tender, grass-fed beef sirloin resting upon a pillow of creamy, malty oxtail and pearl barley risotto with a dazzle of sweet baby pearl onions . This was more like it - a rustic italian dish became an elegant ‘affare’ as the quality ingredients cooked to perfection and their delicious simplicity glowed – belissimo Nino!

Now you would think that by this time the crew and I had come to our digestive limits yet we had to at least sample one dessert and our senses were delighted.Semifreddo di torrone alle mondorle ($15) is a creamy milky ice cream interspersed with almond nougat, sweet floral Ligurian honey and crispy caramelised dots of candied almond. Intensely sweet yet totally sensual - the perfect ending to dinner.

So like its name Pendolino takes you on a tilting journey between delizioso to confusione yet overall she settles to become a delight.

Pendolino
Shop 100 – 102, Level 2, The Strand Arcade, 412 -414 George St Sydney

Open Mon – Fri for lunch 12 -3 pm and dinner Mon – Sat 6-10pm.
Chef: Nino Zoccali
Owners: Nino Zoccali & SG Foodservice Pty Ltd
Entrees:$19 – 26
Mains: $29 -39
Desserts: $12 – 17
Wines: Selection of Australian and Italian wines with 21 available by the glass.

bak kuh teh - my 'souper' culinary exploration.

2008-12-07T03:41:00.000-08:00

After a long morning of shopping I was exceptionally hungry and although time is of the essence I knew I needed something more substantial than a quick grab ‘n’ go sandwich to satisfy my food fascinations.

I remembered that little Asian place in the Queen Victoria Building “Laksa House” that would surely have something to fulfil my stomach and my palate.

As I ventured en route evocative smells of garlic, ginger, chilli and lemongrass wafted towards me making my hunger intensify. The place was a bustle and although originally had thoughts of about enjoying a creamy, spicy laksa or perhaps some char kway teo or belachan beans however a special caught my eye…Bak Kuh Teh.

It was totally unfamiliar to me and yet there was no description, or photo, telling me what this was. Being an epicurious little girl I had to take myself on a culinary exploration and find out what this dish was.

Eagerly I waved for attention of the busy staff so someone could explain the special Bak Kuh Teh. Just a soup made with chicken and beef and a little soy. Sounded a little boring but my food life has always been about taking the road less travelled…so why stop now?

Yet what arrived was not ‘just a soup’ but a salacious dark, aromatic broth heaving with beef short ribs, chopped chicken thighs and wings and rustic chunks of shitake mushrooms. Served with a bowl of steamed rice and a bowl of what looked like soy and chopped chillies. Immediately the enchanting perfumed aromas of garlic, ginger, star anise and cinnamon hit my nose.

My mind, body and soul filled with anticipation for the first taste....and they were not disappointed. What a flavourful orgiastic satisfaction to the senses it was!

As the broth filled my mouth I tasted the strong roasted beef and chicken notes, the yeasty earthy flavours from the mushrooms and soy. Yet there was also a hint of sweetness and caramel. I wondered if they had added some sugar to balance the saltiness of the broth and richness of the meats. The meat from the beef ribs was so tender it fell of the bone and melted in the mouth. Having both chicken and beef gave a luscious, complex fattiness to the broth that would make a cardiologist shudder, yet, for gourmands like me, it delivered a warming inner smile!

My tastebuds danced and twirled with excitement as it experienced the aromatic flavours of garlic, ginger and black pepper, woody cinnamon, the fragrant star anise, but there were some other flavours and ingredients I couldn’t quite recognise there was strong licorice flavour more pungent, than what I’d normally expect from star anise and distinctive herby note.

There were some strange looking seeds and sticks in my soup….which I could smell and taste as spices but couldn’t put a name to them – what were these flavours and ingredients that I was experiencing? I had to take find out what was in this soup so took my culinary exploration a little further a field and ask for some ‘local’ insights.

I had noticed a woman dining nearby who had talked to some of the staff in a foreign tongue. I approached her to see if she could help me in my quest. Originally born in Malaysia, she was very familiar with Bak Kuh Teh and would gladly help. I showed her the spices and although I recognised the cinnamon, black pepper, clove and star anise the others spices were the woody outer bark of the cinnamon tree, some licorice seed, and the herby flavours I were tasting were from a collection of Chinese medicinal herbs, that are always included in this soup, however she was very apologetic as she couldn’t remember their names.

She also pointed out that although this one was made with beef and chicken, it is traditionally made with pork. It was originally eaten for breakfast, yet is now eaten throughout the day in Malaysia. It is available everywhere from small restaurants, on the street “hawker’ stalls however most commonly it is a family dish made at home.

She remembers her mother usually making it with pork ribs and sometimes lamb ribs, but whatever meat is used it must be made with meat that is on the bone.

I asked her about the sides served with the soup. Traditionally it is served with rice, as it was for me today, however sometimes with noodles or with what she called 'yau char kway' otherwise known as Chinese crullers which are strips of fried dough and are dunked into the soup. And the bowl of chilli/soy sauce is for dipping the meat as you work your way through the soup.

She also mentioned that often it is served with crispy shallots and strong black Chinese tea, which is supposed to help you digest the rich fattiness of the soup broth and meat.

I thanked her for her valuable insights and continued to explore.

With each mouthful I lingered, letting my mind and senses discover every flavour while making mental notes in my head. I wanted to memorise the individual flavours and the interplay of these herbs, spices, and ingredients.

In true Asian fashion I slurped the soup and savoured the essence of each spoon until there was not a single drop left. And as I finished I made a vow to search its origins, and a recipe so I could recreate it.

Bak Kut Teh literally translates to means ‘pork bone tea’ is a soup and introduced to Malaysia in the 19th century by Chinese workers who worked in the ports. They ate bak kut teh for energy and strength as they often ate quite a meagre diet and, due to the addition of medicinal herbs, it also acted as a tonic to boost their health.

It is now eaten throughout the day and popular in China, Malaysia, Singapore, Batam in Indonesia and Hat Yai in Thailand. It is traditionally cooked in a clay pot whereby the meaty pork bones, usually ribs, and dried mushrooms are cooked in a broth infused with herbs such as Dong Quai (Chinese angelica/female ginseng) and the spices, that I had tasted, cinnamon, star anise, garlic, cloves and licorice seed. It is also flavoured with dark or light soy sauce and sometimes a little salt and sugar.

The inclusion of other meats into this soup, such as chicken, beef and lamb originated with south East Asian Muslims wanting to adopt this soup into their repertoire but not being able to eat pork. However as it is such a common family staple you often find that these days the soup can be made with whatever meat is available, as long as its meat on the bone.

There are numerous variations of bak kut teh throughout Asia.

The most common variant is the Teochew style, which is lighter in color and more spicy as they make the soup with light soy and include a great proportion of pepper.
The Hokko style (or Hokkien) is more saltier and darker in colour as they use more soy sauce and traditionally dark soy.
The Cantonese style is a much stronger flavoured soup as contains more spices and medicinal herbs.

Bah Kut Teh is intensely flavourful and hearty and certainly my cup of tea. So why not take a tea break, of the pork kind, some time!

bak kut teh
Serves 4
600g pork back ribs or spareribs, chopped into pieces
5 cloves garlic, peeled
1 thumb-sized piece chinese angelica (dong quai)
2 ½ Litres boiling water
3 cinnamon sticks
5 whole star anise
1 tablespoon white peppercorns
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
2 tablespoons dark or light soy sauce, or to taste
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
2 tbsp crispy Thai shallot flakes
3 tbsp Sweet soy sauce
1 thinly sliced small red chillies
Place rib pieces into a large saucepan, and add enough cold water to cover them. Bring to the boil until a foamy scum rises to the surface. Remove foamy scum and discard. Drain ribs, rinse with cold water and return to saucepan.
Add garlic, Chinese angelica, star anise, peppercorns, boiling water, sugar, salt and soy sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 1 hour or until the meat is tender and shrinks from the bones. Skim any excess oil from the surface and discard.
Taste the soup and season soup to balance it , to taste, with a little extra salt, sugar and dark soy sauce.
Combine sweet soy sauce and chillies in small bowls as a dipping sauce for the ribs.
Serve soup in deep bowls with 3 to 4 rib pieces per serving then sprinkle shallot flakes over the top. Serve with a bowl of steamed rice on the side.

I see the light!

2008-09-03T01:44:00.000-07:00

It's been some time since the light brigade has been open, however I am glad its back.

The elegantly sophisticated art deco refurb is ‘tres’ chic. The upstairs lounge decorated in classically hip tones of red, black and white. The silver lights dangling in the dining room.

As I stood in the cocktail lounge perusing the décor, and the crowd, sipping my apple and lavender sling, I felt I should have been wearing an elegant silk dress with a mink stole and pearls.... not my jeans. But who am I kidding although I love an exotic cocktail and people watching I was really here to check out the food!

Knowing that James Privett was behind the stove I had been eagerly awaiting the sneak preview of their new menu, before the official opening on Saturday, as I am an avid admirer of James, having tasted his creations before at Bistro CBD and Lotus.

On arrival the licensee, & my sisters partner (thanks Dave!), also boasted that James has an even more impressive background than I was aware. Working in the kitchen with Damien at Bistro Moncur, and also at Bennelong, he would certainly have some solid French training and so was now even more on edge as I awaited in anticipation, and expectation, of the culinary delights ahead. And I was certainly impressed.

Eagerly I scoured the entrée’s and on my first read, amazingly, I instantly decided on the lambs brains, much to the horror of my vegetarian co-diner. Elegantly sautéed in a sage beurre noisette, yet still retaining its light crisp breadcrumb coating. They just melted in the mouth, so velvety and silky inside and perfect with a scattering of tender baby peas. For many, brains & butter may be too rich however with the addition of preserved artichokes the acidity balanced well with the extravagance unctuousness of the dish, although they were a little firmer than I felt they should be as fought a little with the other soft textures on the plate.

Now choosing a main was not so easy....oooh too many options for this foodie's eyes. Tantalised by the combination of duck breast with cavalo nero and brussel sprouts. Extremely intrigued by 'cauliflower couscous' served with the snapper and an anchovy beurre noisette my mind trying to envisage what it would look like, how it would would taste. The braised pork belly started calling to me, teasing me with its partners of smoked pork hock, celeriac & witlof salad.

To ease my decision making process I used repetition of flavour as my guide. Since I'd started at the head I felt should continue on my sheepish adventures and chose the crisp lamb shoulder, slowly braised, then carefully formed into a pressed log. Gracefully coated in a light crumb and perfectly cooked, giving it a crisp outer shell that still allowed me to experience the full experience of the inner centre - tender, melt in the mouth meat and the delicate creamy lemon aioli.

The side of confit lambs toungue was a little misplaced but then, when up against such a big bold main attraction, it was easily forgiven.

My dining partners’ ordered less complex dishes and thankfully let me share some of their delights. The sirloin so tenderly seared as per my sister's medium rare request served with crisp shoe string fries, which although to some very casual ‘pub’ food, it is the classic French match 'steak & pomme frites ' topped with maitre d'hotel butter. But one thing did let it down being quite thick my sister found it a struggle with a standard dinner knife. I think a 'set of steak knives' is needed in the cutlery canteen.

The atlantic salmon grilled to perfection, still soft and a little pink in the middle, set atop a warm potato salad. But the amazing thing on this plate was the smoked eel butter – an new unusual ingredient I haven’t experienced before – with its creamy texture and lightly smoked flavour and surprise combination with the salmon, as it married well when I had initially thought when reading the menu it would overpower. Bring on the smoked eel more often.

The vegetarian option was a little underwhelming, but then I am a little omnivore biased. The morel mushroom risotto was well crafted, creamy, still a little wet and the morels gave a great meaty flavour, but felt the radicchio overpowered the mushroom & delicate pea flavours. But then I'm not the vegetarian and she was pleasantly delighted with her dish & that is what counts.

Then just when I thought I had enough sampling Dave stole a chance to sit down with us and to my amazement with the pork belly. Even though I had finished my lamb, and already had an elegant sufficiency, I started to have meal envy again!! A millionaire pot of pork belly and hock that if I'd selected it would have given my cholesterol a workout but with my one mouthful that i 'endured' it was instantly worth the danger!

Now for me where there’s food there has to be wine and with a balanced list of local and international options the night was delightful. We started to share the Catalina Sounds Sav Blanc but for main I needed to get a red fix. And what a tempting array of fixes on the menu!

As my eyes meandered down the list my mind went into overdrive again. Should I explore the Italian Nebbiolo from Piedmont, dabble with a Barossa GSM or entertain one of my personal favourites a Margan Shiraz ... then I found my hit a 99 Henshcke Keyneton Estate Shiraz ! Although this hit would make the night a dangerous adventure for my credit card at $17 a glass, when I swirled the wine and breathed in the heady spice, oak and blackberry aromas I knew I had reached nirvana and this meal would be 'priceless'! After one glass of this fine textured wine I still craved more that I had to have another two hits. My sister, after one sip, also became hooked and decided to hang the expense and also enjoy a bottle. Needless to say the car was given a stay in Woollahra that night!

Just when you think I had exasperated my tastebuds....desert menu arrived. And of course I had to give the pastry team the same care and justice and sample their efforts. So it was good to see some sweet inspirations to tempt our fully loaded palates....so tempting we ordered one of each and the cheese!

The warm sugared brioche was delicately light and perfectly created. With the first bite I reminisced back to the Loire Valley where I was initially first tasted such a delight. The beautiful aromas hypnotising me into a daily trance as I lined up with the locals for fresh brioche at the local corner bakery in Tours. The accompanying Creme Fraiche ice cream was a little soft but a gentle sour partner to the buttery sweet brioche. Now the menu only mentioned 'orange' as the other accompaniment though I was pleasantly surprised to receive a seasonal blood orange salad with petite cubes of soothing ginger beer jelly. It is a great delight to discover this innovation rather than be spoon fed with every detail on the menu!

However I had to keep my menu travels going so again managed to steal some of my fellow companions' selections. The pineapple carpaccio with marshmallow and passionfruit sorbet was a little too tropical for me and although marshmallow seems to be a new resident on Sydney’s menu's I am not a fan – not sure if its the texture or the sweetness or maybe this dish just had too many flavours and overloaded my savoury devoted tastebuds.

But then the piece de resistance of desserts arrived….the caramelised banana split. I didn't chose it however I wish I had. Luckily my little tasting revealed the crisp, caramel snap which enveloped a buttery warming banana with notes of toffee and burnt sugar all topped with a soft cloud of white chocolate mousse. The result was sublime. Caramelised banana is also another trend on menus, yet I have never indulged ....until now and am soo glad I finally succumbed.

Dinner for me is not just about the food it’s also about sharing the pleasurable company of my dining companions, however you also need great service to make a restaurant, and your night. It was not until after our dinner that I found out this was a very new crew on the floor and they have to be applauded. For a pre-opening night I did expect there would be a few hiccups but for a new team amazing. Some staff weren’t 100% familiar with the exact details of the menu but thankfully they were open enough to ask the chef my probing questions and attentively reported back with answers. A couple were a little nervous in serving down the plates, and one almost gave me my sisters order, but they delivered them with care, friendliness and no pretension or attitude, which is refreshing in this part of town.

Team I applaud you all for your collective efforts and that you will be a perfectly tuned ‘brigade’ in the future. If you get the chance go towards 'the light' and indulge yourself.

my first post...meringue pie with a twist or two

2008-04-04T02:40:00.000-07:00

Well what better way to begin my food blog then with a creative twist of one of my family's favourite desserts.....lemon meringue pie.

I was sorting through my, continually expanding, food magazine collection, when I came across the March 07 Gourmet Traveller (GT). I had always adored the lemon meringue pie on the cover and remember thinking I wanted to make it one day. Yet, like most of us, I never quite got around to it.....until today.

The filling is also different this one’s made using a combination of the traditional cornflour thickened lemon custard and a lemon curd. Which I truly adore as it gives a richer, tart and more delectable citrus filling, though it is a little softer than the traditional filling.

This pie contains a piped Italian meringue top which gives it a more stable meringue & means you don't have to bake it. Just caramelise the meringue under the grill or for some fun, as I did use a kitchen or cook's blow torch, you can buy these relatively cheply from kitchen stores for around $30 - $50. (Check out http://www.cookshopplus.com.au/)

Of course I added my own twists to the GT recipe. I only had 2 lemons (the original recipe needed 3) however I had a lime and some passionfruit in the fridge which would make a beautiful addition as citrus and passionfruit are a match made in heaven!

I also made a richer sweet shortcrust pastry by upping the flour and adding an egg yolk. Not only because it gives a much shorter pastry but also to use the spare egg yolk. The meringue needed 4 egg whites yet the filling only used 3 egg yolks.

I don’t know about you, but I hate it when a recipe leaves you with a spare egg yolk that you have to ‘save & store’. How many times have you saved that left over egg yolk, placing it in a cup or bowl, covering with plastic wrap and placing it in the fridge with the thought "I’ll use it to add extra richness to scrambled eggs or an omelette or make mayonnaise"…. only to find that shrivelled, putrid egg yolk pushed down the back of the fridge weeks later!

So off I went creating. Italian meringue is certainly a new technique for me, have made meringue many times but this method which reguires you to 'boil sugar and water'. When reading the recipe it said to “heat until temperature reaches 115ºC on a sugar thermometer", which I don’t have, so using a little culinary judgement I boiled it to a firm ball stage, which worked.

However a sugar thermomemter isn't that the only thing I don't have in my little kitchen. Although I own a blow torch so I could ‘caramelise’ the meringue funnily I don’t have a piping bag to pipe it! Improvisation again took hold....it's amazing what you can achieve with two teaspoons….although not as delicate as the GT cover it still achieves that ‘wow’ factor.

I hope you get as much pleasure with this weekend lunch treat as my family, and our Japanese & Thai homestay students, did.

Happy Cooking,
foodnutzz

p.s.if you love ‘pie’, in the American sense that is, I recommend you rent the film Waitress with Keri Russell. Your senses will be stimulated, your mind will dream, and you'll want to start baking. To quote from the 20th century fox site “WAITRESS will surely do for pie making what SIDEWAYS did for Pinot Noir!”

citrus & passionfruit meringue pie

Filling
juice and finely grated rind of 2 lemons and 1 lime
pulp of 2 passionfruit
45g cornflour
2 tsp water
1 cup boiling water
3 egg yolks
150g caster sugar
80g salt reduced butter (you could also use unsalted but I already had this one in the fridge!)

Rich Sweet Shortcrust Pastry
1 ½ cups (255g) organic plain flour
¼ cup (55g) caster sugar
1 egg yolk
2 drops good quality vanilla extract
100g chilled salt reduced butter, diced

Meringue
330g caster sugar
¼ cup water
4 egg whites

To make pastry: Place flour and butter into a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Remember not to overwork the pastry as the heat from the processor can overheat the butter. Add sugar, egg yolk and vanilla n process until the mixture comes together. You may need to add 1 - 2 tbsp water to help this combine.Turn dough onto a lightly floured board and knead lightly to form into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill, in the refrigerator, for 20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 190ºC. Roll out dough onto a lightly floured board so it fits a 23cm flan tin (with a removable base). Using a rolling pin carefully lift off pastry and transfer into the tin. You need to be careful as the mixture is a little softer than normal pastry. Press pastry firmly into pan, being careful not to stretch the pasty, otherwise it will shrink when baked. Trim excess and lightly prick the base with a fork. Line with greaseproof or nonstick baking paper and fill with dried beans or uncooked rice. Blind bake for 20 minutes. Remove paper and beans* then bake for a for a further 5-10 minutes until golden. Let cool in pan.
To make filling: Combine lemon juice and rind in a heatproof bowl, then place over a saucepan of simmering water. In another bowl combine cornflour and water, then pour into lemon mixture and whisk until combined.. Add boiling water and whisk over simmer water until thick. Remove from heat. Whisk in egg yolks, sugar and butter until combined. Let cool, then place into the refrigerator until cold. Spoon mixture into the cooled pastry case and smooth the top.
To make meringue: Place sugar in a heavy based saucepan, add water and stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Turn heat to high and cook until it reaches the firmball stage (drop a little syrup into a glass of cold water and it should form a firm ball), then remove from heat.
Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites to soft peak stage. Then, with the motor still running, slowly add the sugar syrup and whisk for 5 minutes until becomes thick and glossy, then continue to beat on low speed for another 2 -3 minutes or until ready to use.

Form teaspoonfuls of meringue into 2 -3 cm peaks (GT said to do this with a piping bag with a 2cm plain nozzle but when you don’t have one teaspoons work just as well but need a little more care). Using a blowtorch, or a hot grill, toast meringue until top is evenly golden.

*As a tip once you've done this step, let the rice/beans cool then store in a jar for the next time you need to bake blind. I have had a jar in my pantry for ages but make sure you label it otherwise some unsuspecting cook may try to cook them!)