P O T I C A
Potica, or, poppy seed sweet bread, is a national dish of Slovenia. Naturally, I had to try it. I decided sunday was the best day for this because, well, it took about four hours. The bread is simple enough, it just takes time to prove, the filling however contains apricot jam, milk, eggs, poppy seeds, sugar, butter, vanilla extract, panko breadcrumbs and lemon zest. Very, very odd indeed. The bread, however odd it may have been, was delicious! My rolling of the loaf was questionable, but nothing that couldn't be fixed next time around, and it made enough for my family and my second family, which is even better.
BYRON FOOD
If I could cook all holiday long I would. From greek salads to Kylie Kwong's red braised lamb to Hamish's birthday cake, I was in the kitchen as often as I could be. With no modern comforts such as microwaves, food processors and cake tins I was left having to alter my ways. Not that I minded, I had all the time in the world, it would just have been nice to not have clumps of date in Donna Hay's date and rum cake. The Kylie Kwong 'Red Braised Lamb with Roast Garlic and Tamari Dressing' was the biggest success of all. The sauce tasted de-e-licious and was completely gone in close to five minutes. Her potato salad recipe was just as divine, with mint and greek yoghurt the main stars. Food in town, particularly asia joe's and kinoko, left me wanting to bring franchises to Melbourne so I can eat it more frequently, and perhaps steal food vans from the market...
CHICKEN BURGERS FOR BABIES (OR A PARTY)
Possibly the cutest thing I have ever invented are my Mini Spicy Chicken Burgers with Paprika-Lime Mayo. I used a favourite chicken burger recipe from an old delicious magazine, and turned the burgers into miniature size. The burgers are simply ginger, garlic and chili blitzed in a food processor prior to adding chicken breast, an egg yolk and curry powder. Easy as pie! Well perhaps even easier... I found these adorable 'mini panini' rolls at Woolworths, which needed to be warmed up for 6 minutes, to use as burger bun. To add heaps of flavour to the burgers I mixed the juice and zest of a lime with half a teaspoon of paprika and about a third of a big jar of mayonnaise (the yummy full-fat creamy one). For a bit of green I added some cos lettuce and secured the whole thing with a baby toothpick.
GWAILOU DUMPLINGS
CHOCOLATE AND BUTTERSCOTCH LAYER CAKE
To make up for not being able to buy Grace a 15th birthday present due to my increasingly bad sickness, I decided to bake a chocolate and butterscotch layer cake. No easy feat for someone with all their brain function, let alone me with psycho-lady mood swings, irritability, dizziness and a headache. The cake its self was a very easy recipe and baked perfectly and as I only had one pan, I had plenty of time to make the ganache and cream filling while the cakes baked. On second thought, the cake was quite easy, transporting it was the hard part... I had put all the cream between each layer nicely and drizzled only about half of the chocolate on top. The candied hazelnuts weren't supposed to form a mountainous peak, however in order for one to stand up, this was crucial. I found when making the hazelnuts I had to wait longer than I thought for the toffee to thicken a little, but regardless, I'm getting off track. You see, making a magnificent layer cake like this is great when you are serving it immediately at your house or have access to a fridge but when you try to take it to someone's house it all turns sour.. Every turn pushes the cream out to one side, every halt causes it to lean over until all the cream has been quashed out of the bottom layer and you have been reduced to a sniveling, whimpering mess.
(After all that though, the cake was very decadent.)
EASTER
God told the Jewish to eat lamb annually each Passover to remember their deliverance from death and slavery into freedom. I must admit though I told my family to eat my lamb shank dish to remember how I am actually able to cook a good dish from time to time. So the whole lamb thing on Easter was a major coincidence, but if there is a God, maybe now I have a shot at getting into heaven. MY lamb shanks. Not Nigella's, Not Kylie Kwong's, Not Karen Martini's but my own invention. It's not particularly hard to invent a good slow cooked lamb shank recipe, but it's a step forward from my only other invention, my baked eggs. Regardless the recipe is as follows...
4 lamb shanks
3 crushed garlic cloves
2 diced onions
1 cup of red wine
2 tbs white wine vinegar
2 cans of diced tomatoes
1 good sprinkling of oregano
1 litre of beef stock
PREHEAT oven to 180 degrees celsius
1. Sear each lamb shank in a big cast iron saucepan and transfer to a plate.
2. Cook garlic and onions stirring over a medium heat until the onion is translucent.
3. When pan is nice and hot add wine and vinegar so it sizzles, letting the alcohol cook out and the liquid reduce a little.
4. Add the diced tomatoes and season with the oregano, salt and pepper and stir.
5. Place the shanks in the tomato mixture so they are of even heights.
6. Cover the lamb shanks with beef stock and bring to the boil before clamping on a lid and placing in the oven for about
three hours or until the lamb is very deliciously tender and making you salivate a little. Stir through half way along if you
feel like you want a sneak peak at the lamb or just want your kitchen to smell really really nice.
7. Take the saucepan out of the oven and transfer shanks to a large dish, covering with foil.
8. Place the saucepan on the stovetop over a high heat and letting the cooking liquid reduce as much as you
please so you have a more intense sauce for the tender lamb, stir constantly so nothing burns on the bottom of the pan if
you are paranoid about that kind of thing like I am.
It's a simple recipe but a good one, unlike cake pops which are a RIDICULOUSLY complicated recipe but a good one...
4 lamb shanks
3 crushed garlic cloves
2 diced onions
1 cup of red wine
2 tbs white wine vinegar
2 cans of diced tomatoes
1 good sprinkling of oregano
1 litre of beef stock
PREHEAT oven to 180 degrees celsius
1. Sear each lamb shank in a big cast iron saucepan and transfer to a plate.
2. Cook garlic and onions stirring over a medium heat until the onion is translucent.
3. When pan is nice and hot add wine and vinegar so it sizzles, letting the alcohol cook out and the liquid reduce a little.
4. Add the diced tomatoes and season with the oregano, salt and pepper and stir.
5. Place the shanks in the tomato mixture so they are of even heights.
6. Cover the lamb shanks with beef stock and bring to the boil before clamping on a lid and placing in the oven for about
three hours or until the lamb is very deliciously tender and making you salivate a little. Stir through half way along if you
feel like you want a sneak peak at the lamb or just want your kitchen to smell really really nice.
7. Take the saucepan out of the oven and transfer shanks to a large dish, covering with foil.
8. Place the saucepan on the stovetop over a high heat and letting the cooking liquid reduce as much as you
please so you have a more intense sauce for the tender lamb, stir constantly so nothing burns on the bottom of the pan if
you are paranoid about that kind of thing like I am.
It's a simple recipe but a good one, unlike cake pops which are a RIDICULOUSLY complicated recipe but a good one...
Cake Pops... The new sweet fad to take over from the whoopie pies, who stole the lime light from good old cupcakes and brownies. The only thing is, they're way to fiddly and time consuming to be created in a kitchen swarming with children, or eager boyfriends. No, cake pops are a one woman mission. That is, if you are stubborn like me and need each creation to look exactly as you want it to, even if that condemns you to the kitchen for two hours just to cover them in white chocolate and sprinkles...
The start is easy, make a cake the day before, let it cool overnight, blitz it a day later. Add a concoction of icing sugar and cream cheese to the cake and mix together into a scrumptiously fudgy mixture ready to roll into 30gm balls. Once the balls have set the 'fun' begins. Dipping the skewers into white chocolate and placing into the cake ball to set is easy peasy, however covering the ball in white chocolate presents a challenge. All the chocolate wants to do is conform to gravity's rules and drip to the bench so it is important to simple let lots of it drip off, constantly turn the cake pop to coat it evenly and blow cold air on the cake pop for about seven minutes. Great. I realised that if you let the chocolate cool a bit this is much easier to achieve, however too much cooling and it looks lumpy. You also need to dip the cake pop into the sprinkles when it is in its kind of dry stage (when it's dry enough to place the skewer into the holder so it wont drip down, but so you haven't waited fifteen minutes). They are hard to make, they are time consuming, they are fiddly but damn they are yummy. I loved the taste and so did my family, fudgy, sweet and creamy all at once. No doubt I will be making them again, but at least I know what I'm in for!
The start is easy, make a cake the day before, let it cool overnight, blitz it a day later. Add a concoction of icing sugar and cream cheese to the cake and mix together into a scrumptiously fudgy mixture ready to roll into 30gm balls. Once the balls have set the 'fun' begins. Dipping the skewers into white chocolate and placing into the cake ball to set is easy peasy, however covering the ball in white chocolate presents a challenge. All the chocolate wants to do is conform to gravity's rules and drip to the bench so it is important to simple let lots of it drip off, constantly turn the cake pop to coat it evenly and blow cold air on the cake pop for about seven minutes. Great. I realised that if you let the chocolate cool a bit this is much easier to achieve, however too much cooling and it looks lumpy. You also need to dip the cake pop into the sprinkles when it is in its kind of dry stage (when it's dry enough to place the skewer into the holder so it wont drip down, but so you haven't waited fifteen minutes). They are hard to make, they are time consuming, they are fiddly but damn they are yummy. I loved the taste and so did my family, fudgy, sweet and creamy all at once. No doubt I will be making them again, but at least I know what I'm in for!
The Iced Vovo Cake
24/03/2012
My cake didn't start its life on a great foot. First of all, my cake tin was too wide, leading me to only be able to cut it into two layers instead of four... Regardless, I pressed on, my strawberry mousse turning out beautiful. Or so I thought. Mum kindly pointed out that it was supposed to be a raspberry and strawberry mousse, nonetheless a lovely strawberry mousse it was. So next came the icing, and finally a success, even though I was skeptical, and so were my arms after hand whisking water, sugar, cream of tartar and an egg white for ten minutes. After adding the marshmallows though and transferring to an electric mixer the icing turned out beautifully. The resulting cake, decorated in its coconutty goodness, impressed and pleased my family, which is all I could ask. Would I make the cake again though? Probably not.
How To Spend A Rainy Day
When you organise a day at the aquarium and it begins to rain you have a tough choice on your hands. You can go visit the fish and sharks and starfish, travelling via the rickety trains and drenched streets, or you can snuggle up at home with a blanket, on the couch and bake warm treats. It’s no surprise the latter was chosen. Yes, I did feel guilty leaving the spectacular swimming sea creatures to the eyes of only bustling school children, however a chance to cook is as exciting for me as a trip to the park is for a dog. So I measured and stirred and baked until my heart was content. As the Weir’s kitchen became enveloped in the aroma of sweet raspberries, blueberries and silky white chocolate, I forgot about those eerie stingrays altogether. I was hoping to recreate the raspberry an white chocolate muffins from my local brunch spot World Of Food but with a twist, and with the all important verdict from my brother delivered, I was quite satisfied I had achieved that. All in all, I believe baking blueberry and raspberry cupcakes are an excellent way to spend a rainy day.
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Taking on HONEYCOMB
Probably not the finest honeycomb to ever grace the earth, in fact I much rather my violet crumble filling without chunks of bi carb dotted throughout... Yep, one thing I learnt from this was to thoroughly stir the mixture regardless of the foam, the fizzles and the fear of ruining all the gorgeous bubbles appearing. Nonetheless, it tasted like honeycomb, looked like honeycomb and smelt like it. It was a little stickier though as I probably didn't react enough of the bicarb and maybe it didn't reach 154 degrees Celsius even though the thermometer said it did.
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Coco-Loco Coconut Crab Rice
Sophie Dahl. The epitome of poetic literacy, gorgeous looks and oh-so-delicious recipes. It would be an understatement to say I was ecstatic when mum brought me her cookbook written around the seasons and what to eat for each meal. After being unimpressed by the stroganoff I made (probably by my own faults) I tried the coconut crab rice with coriander and lime. I was now more than impressed, it was an absolutely delicious meal, one that I intend to make at least once a week. I still haven't figured out the art of cooking rice in a saucepan without it burning on the bottom a little, but I hope one day I will accomplish this seemingly impossible task. The rice was zingy, fresh, a little spicy and definitely satisfying, I can't wait to cook it one night for a dinner party.
Lots'a Laksa
When the latest delicious magazine arrived in the mail a few weeks ago I dog-earred Belinda Jeffery's Malay Prawn Laksa as soon as I saw the bowl of vivid soul-warming goodness. After I managed to cut off the prawns heads without my afternoon tea making a reappearance, I was able to begin simmering the stock (I called in reinforcements from mum to peel the rest of them). The dish is like most other asian dishes, simple to cook, time consuming in preparation however delightful in the end! Perhaps I let the laksa get too cold before I served it, added too much cucumber and didn't have the balance of flavours perfect, however it still tasted quite divine for a first attempt. I'm just glad I now have a reason to go round trying several laskas so I know what the final product is supposed to be!
Fish and Chips
Salmon on a bed of potato topped with lemon rind, fennel seeds and frongs, pepper, salt and fennel wrapped in a parcel and baked in a lovingly hot oven for just shy of twenty minutes. When unwrapped the fresh salmon is begging for a teaspoon or two of sharp pesto and to be accompanied by a simple salad of cos lettuce dressed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Definitely good enough to cause mum to do the dishes.
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THE Strawberry Jam and Cheese Sandwich (don't pull that face)
TRUST ME on this one, sharp cheddar or vintage cheese, market fresh strawberry jam and delicate white bread is an incredible combination. Especially on a picnic. Make sure the ratio is right though, you need a good amount of jam to cut through the cheese if it is strong, and a good amount of bread for seconds or thirds...
Be Mine
13/02/2012
After much deliberation I decided a heart-shaped Red Velvet Cake would optimize none other than St Valentines Day. I'm not even going to try and lie, it's a packet mix, but so what? If Nigella is allowed to take shortcuts in the kitchen so am I and so if every other time challenged girl. (Plus i think you'll find that a lot of the time guys just like to eat. They are happy a proudly decorated cake is sitting, waiting to be devoured by them, the taste is sometimes a fleeting after thought.) So Happy Valentines Day Robert, I hope you enjoy this cake, and I hope you don't check my blog tonight, or you'll ruin the surprise...
My Baked Eggs
My first kind-of self invented recipe which I have hopefully perfected over a couple of rearrangements.
The recipe is as follows to serve two hungry people;
1 chorizo (spanish sausage) sliced
4 small garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 brown onion diced or sliced thinly
400g can of cannelini beans, rinsed and drained
4 fresh red tomatoes chopped
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1 pinch garram masala
4 free-range eggs
Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius
1. Place chorizo in a hot pan and cook on each side for about three minutes over a medium heat, until slightly crispy. Transfer
to a paper towel to absorb oil.
2. Heat oil in a large pan and cook garlic and brown onion until onion softens over a medium heat, stir frequently.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients (except chorizo and eggs) and cook for ten to fifteen minutes or until the mixture
resembles a rustic version of baked beans.
4. Place baked bean mixture in a shallow oven proof dish and push chorizo into the mixture in an organized-chaos sort of
way.
5. Make four slight indentations and crack eggs into each.
6. Bake in oven for about ten minutes or until eggs are cooked enough for your liking!
The recipe is as follows to serve two hungry people;
1 chorizo (spanish sausage) sliced
4 small garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 brown onion diced or sliced thinly
400g can of cannelini beans, rinsed and drained
4 fresh red tomatoes chopped
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1 pinch garram masala
4 free-range eggs
Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius
1. Place chorizo in a hot pan and cook on each side for about three minutes over a medium heat, until slightly crispy. Transfer
to a paper towel to absorb oil.
2. Heat oil in a large pan and cook garlic and brown onion until onion softens over a medium heat, stir frequently.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients (except chorizo and eggs) and cook for ten to fifteen minutes or until the mixture
resembles a rustic version of baked beans.
4. Place baked bean mixture in a shallow oven proof dish and push chorizo into the mixture in an organized-chaos sort of
way.
5. Make four slight indentations and crack eggs into each.
6. Bake in oven for about ten minutes or until eggs are cooked enough for your liking!
Oishi Sushi
13/02/2012
Sushi Time!!! With the western world obsession with California Rolls I decided to make my own. With help from mum we decided on tuna with cucumber and deliciously sweet prawns with mayonnaise and cucumber. It was much easier using my hands than it was to roll the sushi the whole way with the mat, I need to watch closer next time I visit the sushi train place in Byron. The sushi rice also doesn't expand as much as I thought It would, I needed about two and a half cups uncooked rice to make sushi for myself, dad and mum.