44 Cookham Road

WE HAVE MOVED!

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew and Mel) — Sun, 02 Feb 2014 12:30:00 +0000

44 Cookham Road has relocated, please come and join us at our new space:

http://www.44cookhamroad.com/

LET'S GET FESTIVE!

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew and Mel) — Sun, 10 Nov 2013 01:29:00 +0000

I had high (and overly ambitious) hopes this year of publishing a 'special feature piece' on a monthly basis.

I found some snazzy software, taught myself how to use it, put in place a plan, wrote a few lists (of course) and ...managed three (see here, here and here) before popping out a baby. Goodbye schedule!

6 months down the line and we are getting into the swing of this parenting caper, but add into my (or should I say my son's) schedule a house renovation and training for a marathon on top of said son ... still no monthly feature piece appearing on my horizon any time soon.

Anyhow, in my overly ambitious planning the last one of the year was, obviously, going to be Christmas focused. With that being unlikely to see the light of day (this year anyway) I thought perhaps I could bring you some of the festive recipes I had set aside for that piece.

Can you believe we have turned our minds to Christmas already? I keep saying it, but seriously, where did this year go?

Roast baby carrot salad with pomegranate, mint and a balsamic glaze
This salad pairs perfectly with leftover roasted Christmas meats and is a good way to get rid of surplus roasting vegetables. The carrots can be prepared a day in advance and the salad assembled just prior to serving.
.

2 bunches of baby carrots, trimmed and carrots halved
2 tbs olive oil
Pinch of sea salt
2 tbs brown sugar
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
120g baby spinach
60g snow pea shoots
1/2 cup loosely packed mint leaves
1/2 cup pomegranate arils

Pre-heat your oven to 180°C. Line a shallow baking tray with baking paper. Toss the halved baby carrots in olive oil and sea salt, spread evenly in the baking tray and place in the oven to roast for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and coat in the combined brown sugar and balsamic vinegar.

Return to the oven for a further 20 minutes or until the carrots have softened and the glaze has become sticky but still has a runny consistency. Remove from the oven, transfer the carrots and juices to a plastic container and allow to cool completely before either refrigerating for use at a later date or before assembling to serve.

To assemble the salad take a large flat platter, cover with the spinach leaves, then the snow pea shoots. Sprinkle over the mint, lay the carrots on top and spoon over any remaining balsamic glaze. Finish by scattering the pomegranate arils over the top.

Pomegranate and white wine sangria
A bright, festive and very refreshing drink perfect for a hot Aussie Christmas!

50ml lemon juice
200ml pomegranate juice
250ml white wine (pinot gris or sauvignon blanc, my favourite is here)
60ml white rum
50ml sugar syrup
1/4 cup pomegranate arils (seeds)
1/2 lemon sliced into thin rounds (optional)
handful of whole mint leaves (optional)

Combine lemon juice, pomegranate juice, white wine, white rum and sugar syrup in a large jug, stir to combine and refrigerate for 2 hours. Just prior to serving add the pomegranate arils (lemon and mint leaves if you are using) and serve in chilled glasses filled with crushed ice.

Yield: 1 litre

Spiced pecan and pomegranate cake

160g light brown sugar
120ml sunflower or vegetable oil
60ml macadamia nut oil
3 eggs
224g of plain flour
1.5tsp baking powder
1tsp bi-carb soda
1tsp cinnamon
1tsp mixed spice blend
64g pecans, chopped
96g pomegranate arils
zest of one orange

Preheat your oven to 150°C. Lightly grease a 9 inch loaf tin and line the bottom with baking paper.

Cream the sugar and oil until light in colour and then add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition to ensure the cake has a good structure. Sift the flour, baking powder, bi-carb soda, cinnamon and mixed spice over the egg mixture. Add the pecans, pomegranate seeds and zest then mix until just combined.

Pour into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 55-60 minutes or, when tested with a skewer, it comes out clean. Run a knife around the sides of the cake and then allow to cool for 15 minutes in the tin before turning it out onto a wire rack.

Serve warm slices, as is, slathered in butter or allow to cool completely then top with cream cheese icing and sprinkle with pomegranate seeds.

SLIPPING BY ...

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew and Mel) — Mon, 28 Oct 2013 20:20:00 +0000

It is very nearly November, our renovations are steaming ahead and before too long I will be leaving this beautiful city to return home to days filled with 100% humidity.

The beautiful Brisbane river on my 5.30am run.

I certainly haven't wasted my time in Australia, I have jam packed it! But yet, I still feel like there hasn't been enough hours in each day. If only we didn't need to sleep! Feels like such a waste to spend so much time looking at the backs of our eyelids. All those 'happenings' we might miss.

Now I sound like my son. Well, what I suspect he would sound like if he could articulate his thoughts into words. He finds it most offensive to be put down to bed during the day and as soon as he wakes you can see his little mind start ticking over. "What did I miss?", "What can I get stuck into?" as he squirms and fidgets and launches himself into the next few hours of his day ... until Mummy ships him off for the next nap!

How do you find more time? How do you fit everything you want to into a day while at the same time making sure you take the time to smell the roses? I don't have the magic answer (unfortunately) but I did find this interesting article last week over on Forbes.com by way of this beautiful blog that I follow.

Smelling roses,well ... discovering grass!

I couldn't agree more with what Jennifer Cohen had to say! I can also hear my husband groaning from afar...

I don't know that I am a 'super successful' person as the article is titled, success is subjective anyhow, but I have never been one for a sleep in and I do love those early morning hours when the world (or your portion of it anyway) is slowly waking. Calm, peaceful and the space to breathe.

I do my sport in the morning, I love a good list and I am far more productive in the wee hours. I love the line "And look at it this way, your day will get progressively easier, not the other way around" - perfect! And as Sneh comments, it leaves your evenings free for yourself and your family.

So with that in mind, last week I got up at 5am to make and shoot a spring inspired sponge cake out of Donna Hay's current issue and I didn't feel like a crazy lady doing it. The cake was delicious, enjoyed by all and that to me is super success right there.

Spring has sprung - jacarandas in full bloom

So rise and shine lazy bones, there is a day to be had!

Donna Hay's Classic Sponge
A lovely version of a classic sponge, although I have to say that Andrew's Nanna's is far more fabulous. I will need to seek some special permission to share that one on here!

100g plain flour, sifted three times
1/2 tsp baking powder
4 eggs, room temperature
110g caster sugar
75g unsalted butter, melted and cooled completely

Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Lightly grease 2 x 20cm round cake tins and line the base with baking paper.

Beat the eggs and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer for 12-15 minutes or until thick, pale and tripled in volume. Place the 3 times sifted flour back into the sieve and sift it over the egg mixture. Gently fold through. Lastly, fold through the butter.

To ensure your sponge is light and airy, use a metal spoon to fold the flour and butter through the egg mixture with a gentle 'cut, lift and fold' action. Work quickly.

Pour half the mixture into each tin and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the cakes are springy to touch and come away from the sides of the tin. Remove immediately from the tins and cool on wire racks.

Fill with whipped cream and jam of your choice, top with fresh fruit and dust with icing sugar just prior to serving.

Yields: 8-10 slices

BEST. STREET FOOD. EVER.

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew and Mel) — Fri, 27 Sep 2013 10:09:00 +0000

"Stepping onto the streets of Hanoi is like stepping into one gigantic, bustling kitchen - everywhere, something is being rolled, boiled, steamed or fried." Tracey Lister - Vietnamese Street Food

and right she is!

Per usual, for those of us that man the mini-kitchen at 44, it has been a busy time. Among other happenings, we found the time to pop over to Hanoi, Vietnam at the beginning of August.

I found heaven! Well, a foodies version of it anyhow. Hanoi is a foodies nirvana, a place of perfect peace and happiness. Wandering those streets and inhaling the delicious aromas, devouring everything in sight, I am fairly certain I entered a state of enlightenment...

BEST. STREET FOOD. EVER.

I have been eating my way around Asia for quite a number of years now, from the best Har Gau in Hong Kong to the freshest Chilli Crab in Singapore and just about everything in-between. However, Hanoi without a doubt has been the tastiest city to date!

We spent the five days of our trip scouring the city for all of the must have delicacies we had read about. From Nem cua bể to Chả Cá we stuffed ourselves silly.

On our first morning we embarked on a 3 hour walking food tour with Tu, who writes this blog. It was a fantastic introduction to the lively and somewhat daunting street food scene in Hanoi. Tu armed us with the knowledge and confidence to carry on touring (eating!) for the next 4 days.

With the baby firmly strapped to my husband in the Bjorn we spent our time wandering the maze like alleys of the old quarter which are crammed with stalls and makeshift shop fronts serving up all manner of delicious goodness.

It is said that life in Vietnam occurs on the streets. From washing the dishes to washing their hair, it seems as though the Vietnamese certainly conduct their daily life on the sidewalks. This is especially true when it comes to eating.

Most stalls or shopfronts specialise in one, or a maximum of two dishes, which have been perfected over years, even decades, with secret recipes handed down from generation to generation. The quick turnover and the fact that families generally shop twice a day means the food is incredibly fresh.

I thoroughly enjoyed teetering on the edge of my child sized plastic stool with motorcycles whizzing past me as I slurped noodles from bowls of piping hot pork broth laden with chili at eight in the morning. All the while being mindful not to spill any on the baby's head!

Com Bui - Vietnamese for 'dust meals', alfresco dining at its best!

If you are ever lucky enough to find yourself in this history steeped, charming and extremely tasty city then get amongst the kerb-side diners. You will not be disappointed!

If I could eat nothing else for the rest of my life I choose Bún chả!

Hanoi - we will be back!

Asides

Meanwhile, I am very excited to announce that I have started doing some free-lance writing for these guys and these guys. You can check out the piece I wrote for them on Hanoi here.

I am currently reading this book, a collection of essays from Australia's best food writers...

and this is the current state of the mini-kitchen...

... the mini-kitchen will not be so mini anymore! Renovations are finally underway at 44 with the completion date set for November.

HAPPY (BELATED) BIRTHDAY TO US!

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew and Mel) — Sun, 14 Jul 2013 02:52:00 +0000

44 Cookham Road turned one...

...in May and I missed it! I was all consumed at that time, still am really, but I am starting to fit more into my day. A little bit of me time, usually spent in the mini-kitchen, in between caring for and playing with my gorgeous little boy.

The last 12 months since I started working on 44 have been quite the ride. Secret engagements and weddings, a baby on the way, THE baby arriving, resigning from a long held day job and replacing that with a much loved 24/7 job.

I did say in January that this year would largely be about change and new beginnings. When I look back over the last 12 months I think the wheels were probably already in motion long before. Who knew that happiness of this level could exist.

So cheers to the last 12 months, we shall raise a toast to it (slightly late) with some bubbles and a decadent cake!

My Jam Lamington

I have been searching for a 'grown-up' chocolate cake lately. It had to be super moist, not too sweet and have a real grown-up chocolate (no cocoa powder) flavour. This one-bowl beauty that I found over on this blog, which is originally a Donna Hay recipe, "took the cake" (sorry!).

I wanted a good chocolate cake base that I could load up with jam, ganache and top with flaked coconut. My version of the god 'ole Aussie Lamington. Decadent, over the top, extravagant and just because.

So here she is, My Jam Lamington.

The base (adapted from Donna Hay)
125g butter, chopped

375g good quality dark chocolate, chopped

175g brown sugar

32g plain (all purpose) flour

2 tbsp milk

120g almond meal

5 eggs

Preheat your oven to 160°C and grease a 22cm round spring form cake tin.

Place the butter and chocolate in a large bowl over a pot of simmering water to melt. Ensure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Once melted remove from the heat, add the sugar, flour, milk and almond meal, mixing to combine.

Then, add the eggs one at a time and mix well after each addition. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking tin and cover with a sheet of foil. Bake for 60 minutes or until the inside is set and not wobbling. For me, in my oven this took 90 minutes.

Remove the foil and cool in the tin.

Chocolate Butter Cream
150g butter, softened
260g icing sugar, sifted
170g dark chocolate, melted

Cream butter and icing sugar together until stiff and pale. Add the melted chocolate and beat for 2 minutes to combine. Set aside.

To assemble
Slice the cake through the center into two halves. Spread your favourite store bought raspberry jam over the base and then top that with 2 tablespoons of the butter cream. Place the lid of the cake on top and sandwich together.

Spread the remainder of the butter cream over the top and sides of the cake. Sprinkle with coconut flakes.

IT'S THE SIMPLE THINGS

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew and Mel) — Sat, 13 Jul 2013 09:21:00 +0000

I mentioned the other day that at 44 we have been venturing into this clean-eating caper.

I am not sold on it as yet. First there was the under-whelming soup with freekeh and then there was the so-so quinoa salad both of which didn't really encourage me to embrace clean eating. I am still reading and researching into it but am coming to the conclusion that perhaps middle ground is what we are more suited to as true clean-eating seems hardcore and dare I say - boring!

We are pretty healthy eaters over here as a rule. Most of the naughty goodies baked in this house get shipped off to Andrew's colleagues after we have a (small) taste test, but absolutely no treats at all would just make me sad!

We do eat a lot of grilled or BBQ'd meats teamed up with fabulous salads on account of the weather in Singapore. It doesn't really lend itself to hearty meals.

On Friday we enjoyed a simple night at home on the couch. It felt like "the old us" after the beautiful chaos we have enjoyed since William arrived. He went off to bed at 7pm and we indulged in a fabulous piece of BBQ'd New Zealand rib-eye, medium rare with a grilled zucchini salad, adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi's "Plenty" and a glass of THIS wine.

We feasted whilst watching the AFL, rugby, Ashes and Le Tour simultaneously on various electronic devices. How spoilt are we for sport right now.

C'arn the Aussies!

Simple Grilled Zucchini Salad

2 lge zucchinis, sliced thick on the diagonal
45g cup shelled hazelnuts
45g cup shelled pistachios
Sea salt
Olive oil
Large handful of baby spinach leaves
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
85g of good quality Parmesan

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C. Scatter the nuts on a baking tray lined with baking paper and roast for 12-15 minutes or until golden. Set aside to cool. I find roasting the nuts in the oven as opposed to the faster method of a stove top fry pan gives them a sweeter more subtle flavour.

Place the sliced zucchini, a generous pinch of sea salt and a good slug of olive oil into a bowl and toss to combine. Heat a ridged griddle pan on a high heat until extremely hot, should take around five minutes. Once hot, place the zucchini slices on the pan, 2 minutes each side. You want to get distinct char marks on each slice without cooking it through and making it sloppy. Set aside to cool.

To assemble the salad toss the zucchini slices, nuts and baby spinach leaves in a bowl to combine. Heap the mixture onto a platter, sprinkle over the balsamic vinegar and shave the Parmesan over the top.

Delicious, fresh, light and simple.

TIME GOES BY

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew and Mel) — Mon, 08 Jul 2013 06:49:00 +0000

Apologies for the silence. Time seems to get away from me these days. I could say I am not sure where my days go but that would be a lie. I know exactly what happens to them. I unashamedly spend hours of my life staring at this gorgeous little face...

Who wouldn't?

We recently took a trip back to Australia and as always I was inspired by the amazing fresh produce on offer.

The farmers markets and green grocers were chock full of lovely winter treats. Bunches of baby carrots with their green feathery tops still attached, giant bulbs of fennel and long, creamy white parsnips all sat next to bundles of dark red rhubarb and crisp, tart granny smith apples.

So we baked crumbles and roasted lamb racks, serving them with a winter salad of radish, fennel, baby carrots, young potatoes and watercress dressed in THIS dressing.

We also caught up with dear friends. This gorgeous young lady...
... will be one year old tomorrow. I was with her parents when she was born last year and have loved watching her grow and develop over the past 12 months. One very proud God-Mummy right here!

Since the trip back home, revitalised and invigorated, I have been trying to get back into the kitchen (between the bouts of staring) to pull together more than the quick slap up dinners I have been serving since William arrived. So far my efforts have yielded a very under-whelming Arabian freekeh soup and a so-so red quinoa salad. I am not sold on these so called 'super grains' or this clean eating caper.

I have, however, started making my own muesli and seriously why have I only just started? It is as simple as pulling together your favourite grains and dried fruits and tossing them together in a tub. Well my version of muesli is anyhow. "The Naked Muesli" - no toasting, no sweeteners, no artificial additives, just bare bones naked produce. Once I have pulled together the calorie count for my creation I will post the details, watch this space!

Lastly, 44 Cookham Road turned one and I missed it! I am saddened by the fact that the first anniversary slipped by at the end of May unnoticed and uncelebrated. I plan this weekend to make a "retrospect cake" and honor the occasion, better late then never!

Enjoy the week ahead!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I am currently loving cooking from 'Plenty' by Yotam Ottolenghi, the mango and coconut rice salad on page 244 is a party in your mouth.

Locally - you cant beat the coffee at 'Sarnies', these guys seriously know their stuff, and THIS bar that I went to on Saturday night has some fantastic left field concoctions which make for a very fun night.

Really enjoyed THIS post from Katie Quinn Davies showcasing the treasure trove that is the Barossa Valley in Adelaide.

... and obsessively listening to THIS new album from The National.

SEASON OF NEW BEGINNINGS

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew and Mel) — Sun, 12 May 2013 03:23:00 +0000

No Flash? Click here for the same experience in a different format!

Happy Mother's Day to all of the fabulous Mum's out there, especially the first timers!

I am one of those this year and for Mother's Day my gorgeous son and very kind, generous husband gave me some TIME. A new mother can ask for nothing better! They gave me some time to finally finish off this (last!) months feature piece.

The AUTUMN feature has delicious recipes inspired by produce that is at its best this time of year in Australia. Helping you to serve up everything that is warm and comforting from the start of the day to the end of the day.

I hope you enjoy!

If you would like to print the spread, click here for a high resolution version.

BAKING OF A DIFFERENT KIND

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew and Mel) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 00:52:00 +0000

As you all know we love to bake here at 44 Cookham Road and for the last 9 months, along with the yummy food we whip up in our mini-kitchen we have also been doing some baking of a different kind.

William Andrew Bujtor (named after his late great Grandfather) arrived into our world on 06th April 2013, weighing in at 3.3kg, 53cm long and show casing a decent set of lungs!

Needless to say we are smitten. He has so far been hours of entertainment and I like to call him "my little time waster" as I often find myself just sitting and staring in awe.

Anyhow, rest assured this blog is not about to become "baby central". William is mostly all mine. I say mostly because he also has a doting father as well as a large and beautiful extended family and group of ready made friends that I need to share him with!

However, the purpose of his introduction is my way of saying that things may be a little quiet in the 44 Cookham Road mini kitchen for a while and if they are you know I have a very good excuse!

Having said that I did manage to pop into the kitchen yesterday and whip up some ANZAC cookies in honor of the men and women who lost their lives fighting in wars for their country, my country, Australia.
I couldn't attend a dawn service this year as I was having a dawn service of a different kind here at home. It happens every morning at dawn when the little man wakes us up looking for his tucker!

So in the spirit of "Lest we Forget" I baked instead.

Stay tuned also for the Autumn special as I hope to put the finishing touches on that over the next few days. It has taken slightly longer to get it out to you than I expected, but you will have to speak to my little time waster about that!

Oaty ANZACS (Nanna's golden oldie)
(ANZAC Biscuits have been around since WW1, it is thought that the biscuits were sent by wives to soldiers abroad because the ingredients do not spoil easliy and the biscuits kept well during trasnportation)

1.5 cups rolled oats
1 cup plain flour
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 tbsp golden syrup
125g salted butter
1/2 tsp bi-carbonate soda (baking soda)
1 tbsp hot water

Preheat your oven to 160°C.

Place the oats, flour and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl. Place the golden syrup and butter in a small saucepan over a low heat until melted. Meanwhile mix the bi-carbonate soda with the hot water. Once the butter and syrup have melted together add the water mixture to the butter mixture and stir to combine.

Add the liquid to the dry ingredients and mix well. Place tablespoons of the mixture onto grease proof paper lined baking trays taking care to space well apart as the biscuits will spread while they are baking. Bake for 10 minutes or until they have turned golden.

Transfer to a wire rack and and allow to cool.

Yield: Makes 22 biscuits

CHOCOLATE, CHOCOLATE, CHOCOLATE!

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew and Mel) — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 11:34:00 +0000

If not at Easter time then when?

This month’s feature is CHOC-full of everything decadent, everything indulgent, everything CHOCOLATE! Inside you will find sweet treats to delight Easter egg hunters of all ages so gather together family and friends this Easter long weekend and treat your sweet tooth!

To launch the spread simply click on the above picture and to turn the pages use the red arrows at the bottom or hover your mouse over the edge of each page.

If you would like to print the spread, click here for the pdf version.

LAMB MAN-SANGAS

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew and Mel) — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 07:54:00 +0000

A few weeks back we had our Chinese New Year long weekend, and it was very food focused, as you would no doubt expect from us!

In the lead up, thinking about what I would make, I decided my very hard working, patient and supportive husband (living with a very pregnant wife is not always a picnic!) deserved his very own man meal and thus I bring you the "Lamb MAN-Sanga" complete with thick crusty bread, spicy beetroot relish, caramelised onions and yoghurt caper sauce.

Served with spice encrusted sweet potato wedges and a drop of his favourite ale (Hitachino Nest White Ale) it went down a treat and atoned for all of my hormonal pregnancy mood swings.

Treat your man today - The Lamb MAN-Sanga!

The Lamb MAN-Sanga

Bread:
Our favourite bread at home for sandwiches is the Sullivan Street Bakery (New York, Jim Lahey) "No Kneed" basic bread dough. You will need to start this process the day before as this bread has a long rise time but it is well worth the effort.

Beetroot Relish:
(make ahead and store for up to two weeks in the fridge in a sterile glass jar)
260g fresh raw beetroot, grated
1 tbs honey
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp yellow mustard seeds
1/4 tsp ground all spice
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground chili
3 fresh red chilis, sliced

Place all of the ingredients into a medium saucepan and add enough water so that the mixture is just covered, around 1 cup. Bring the ingredients to the boil and then lower the heat, gently simmering the mixture for one hour or until all of the liquid has evaporated.

Lamb:
(I used Dorper Lamb which is imported by Oh Deli here in Singapore)
400g lamb steaks, cut thin & at room temperature
2 garlic cloves, peeled & finely chopped
1 tbsp ground cumin
Juice of 1/2 a lemon

Place the lamb on a shallow plate in one layer and dust with the cumin, sprinkle over the chopped garlic and squeeze over the lemon. Turn a few times to ensure both sides are basted and set aside for 30 minutes to marinate.

BBQ the lamb on a medium heat for 2 minutes either side. Cook the lamb last so that it is still warm when you assemble the sandwiches.

Caramelised onions:
2 small red onions, sliced into small wedges
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp soft brown sugar

Add the onions to a small saucepan with the butter, sugar and vinegar. On a medium heat bring the mixture to a simmer and, stirring constantly, cook until the onions start to become translucent and the sauce reduces and thickens.

Caper and yoghurt dressing:
1/2 cup natural yoghurt, unsweetened
5 capers, chopped
2 tbsp lemon juice

Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix to combine.

Assembly:
Take 2 slices of your hopefully still warm bread and on one slice lay down some fresh argula leaves, top with a few generous spoonfuls of the beetroot relish, add your sizzling lamb steak topped with caramelised onions, sprinkle with fetta and drizzle over your yoghurt sauce. Close up the sandwich with your second piece of bread and then tuck in!

Spiced sweet potato wedges:
150g orange sweet potato, peeled and cut into wedges
1 tbs cumin seeds, toasted
1 tbs fennel seeds, toasted
1/2 tbs of paprika
4 dried red birds eye chilis
Sea salt, large pinch

Pre-heat your oven to 180°C. Mix all of the spices together and blend using a spice grinder or food processor. Lay the sweet potato in an oven proof baking dish, drizzle with a small amount of ground nut oil and sprinkle with the spices. Toss to combine and then place in the oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the sweet potato is soft.

TART!

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew and Mel) — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 11:29:00 +0000

We all love a bit of tart every now and then!

This easy to make chocolate tart is sure to impress at your next soiree, delightfully fooling your guests into thinking you have spent hours in the kitchen!

The salty, crunchy biscuit base is complimented perfectly by the sweetness of the blackberry compote and silky smooth chocolate ganache filling. Serve with double cream to take decadence to a whole new level!

Blackberry Compote Chocolate Tart

For the base:

120g digestive biscuits (granita)

120g mini pretzels, salted

180g salted butter, melted

For the compote:

1 cup fresh (or frozen) blackberries

1/4 cup sugar

For the chocolate ganache filling:

375g good quality milk (or dark) cooking chocolate, chopped

310ml single (pouring) cream

2tsp vanilla bean paste

Place the digestive biscuits and pretzels into a food processor and pulse a few times until they are crumbled, although not too fine. Turn the food processor onto it's lowest setting and pour the melted butter into the biscuits as it is going. Stop as soon as the butter has been incorporated into the biscuits as you don't want the crumb to be too fine, but rather retaining some crunch through a bigger crumb. Press into the base and sides of a 14 inch rectangular loose bottom flan tin. Refrigerate for at least one hour before filling.

To make the filling start with the compote. Place the berries and sugar into a small saucepan. If you are using frozen berries add 1 tbs of water to the bottom of the pan first. If you are using fresh berries add 1/4 cup of water. The frozen berries will release a lot of moisture as you cook them.

Stir constantly until the sugar has dissolved, bring to the boil and then reduce the heat allowing the berries to simmer gently for 15 minutes. Set aside.

Next prepare the chocolate ganache. Add all ingredients to a medium saucepan and place over a low heat stirring constantly until the chocolate has melted and all ingredients have incorporated. Set aside to cool for 15 minutes.

To fill the tart base scoop out the berries from the compote and scatter over the base. Drizzle a small amount of the compote liquid* over the berries, too much liquid will soften the base and carefully pour the chocolate ganache over the berries taking care not to disturb them. Gently shake the tin to create a smooth top on the ganache.

Refrigerate for at least 3 hours to set the ganache and serve slices with double cream.

*Freeze any leftover compote liquid in ice cube trays. The frozen cubes are a tasty addition to breakfast smoothies.

Yield: 10-12 slices

SIZZLING SUMMER SPICE...

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew and Mel) — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 13:19:00 +0000

Introducing SIZZLING SUMMER SPICE ...

... the first of 44 Cookham Road's feature pieces which we will be bringing to you on a monthly basis (hopefully) from here on in!

This month’s feature is all about my favourite Australian season – SUMMER, where long lazy days are spent beach side and balmy nights are spent outside by the BBQ. Inside you will find some of my favourite Asian inspired recipes to help you turn up the heat!

To launch the spread simply click on the above picture and to turn the pages use the red arrows at the bottom or hover your mouse over the edge of each page.

Hope you enjoy the recipes as much as we do!

If you would like to print the spread, click here for the pdf version.

PANCAKES!

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew and Mel) — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 02:11:00 +0000

A sweet treat to finish off what has been a great four day weekend!

In the spirit of Shrove Tuesday, not that I am religious but will take any excuse to make pancakes, and to celebrate the last day of what has been a fabulous, food filled Chinese New Year long weekend we whipped up these little beauties.

Fairly calorie un-friendly, (which was why we did a tough session at Ozfit Bootcamp prior to indulging-thanks Ness!), but simple to make and full of all the best flavours, vanilla bean, cinnamon, maple ... you can't go wrong!

In other news, keep an eye on the blog this week as we have been busy in the 44 Cookham Road mini kitchen these past four days. Super sized lamb man-sangas with homemade beetroot relish, an easy and versatile chocolate tart and spiced pear & walnut muffins all coming your way!

In addition I will be launching the first of my monthly feature pieces. An 8 page magazine style spread full of sizzling recipes to spice up your long lazy summer days and chilled-out balmy nights.

Vanilla bean burnt butter pancakes with warm spiced mixed berry compote

For the pancakes:
150g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
2 eggs, separated
1 tbsp caster sugar
280ml milk
1 tbs of vanilla bean paste
1 tsp of vegetable of sunflower oil

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl and make a well in the centre. In a second bowl add the egg yolks, caster sugar, milk, vanilla and oil, whisk together.

Pour the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth, don't over whisk. The mixture should be a nice buttery colour. If you like quite thick and high pancakes you can whisk the egg whites until they form strong peaks and then gently fold them into the batter at this stage.

Leave the mixture to stand in the fridge for 30 minutes and make your compote.

For the compote:
1 cup fresh or frozen blackberries
1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp mixed spice

Place all of the above ingredients in a saucepan on medium heat. If you are using frozen berries add 1 tbs of water to the bottom of the pan first, if you are using fresh berries add 1/4 cup of water. The frozen berries will release a lot of moisture as you cook them.

Stir constantly until the sugar has dissolved, bring to the boil and then reduce the heat allowing the berries to simmer gently for 15 minutes. Set aside.

To cook the pancakes:
Warm your oven and place a plate inside. Heat a heavy based frying pan or skillet on a medium heat, add a small knob of butter and leave to sizzle until it turns dark brown. Pour in enough batter to create your preferred size pancake and cook for two minutes or until the surface as been dotted with air bubbles and the underside is golden brown. Flip and cook for a further two minutes. The edges should be quite dark from the burnt butter in the pan.

Repeat for the remainder of the mixture.

Serve with the warm berry compote, lashings of maple syrup and immediately book your next bootcamp session!

REVIEW OF AN EXQUISITE BOOK: POLPO

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew and Mel) — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 10:36:00 +0000

“Polpo, A Venetian Cookbook (of sorts)”, brings to readers 140 recipes from the restaurant of the same name based in Soho, London. Russell Norman is the owner of Polpo and author of the book which was winner of the Waterstones Book of the Year award 2012.

I am book (and food for that matter) obsessed and I still can’t bear to switch to an iPad or kindle no matter how efficient these devices threaten to make aspects of my life. And I am usually all about the efficiency. But not when it comes to books. They need to be held in your hands so that you can feel the paper between your fingers as you turn the pages. It is all part of the experience that the author intended.

The words written inside the book are equally as important as the beauty of the paper it is printed on. How it is bound, the lure of the picture on the front cover that catches your eye and how the book smells. OH! the smell of a new book, I really do love it...

Polpo has it all! Beautifully and uniquely crafted with a bare spine and Japanese exposed stitching - it is the first cookbook, or rather book in general, I have owned that sits flat on a table when opened. Norman’s passion for back street Venetian bars, known as bacari (meeting places for locals, social hubs where you go for a drink or two and a gossip), developed over his many visits to the floating city starting back in the 1980s is evident in his voice that emanates from each page.

Jenny Zairins, the book’s photographer, has applied a striking yet simplistic and unfussy approach to each picture which perfectly captures the very foundation of the recipes themselves. To quote Norman, “We have a rule that a dish is ready to put on the menu only when we have taken out as many ingredients as possible”.

James Daunt, founder and managing director of the Waterstones book chain, described the book as a joyous creation “...for all the bytes and elinks in the world this book can only be fully appreciated in its printed form” and he is wholeheartedly right.

Each recipe is accompanied by a few notes from Norman explaining ingredients, techniques or why the recipe means something to him personally. I found the recipes very easy to follow and I delighted in those that had only 3 or 4 ingredients but which still delivered powerful taste and were aesthetically alluring. They fitted perfectly into my quest to take it back to basics this year!

I made recipes mostly from the "chiceti" section. Chiceti are "small snacks, usually prepared in advance, that sit in a glass cabinet on the bar counter" of the bacari. They are designed to be shared over a drink and a gossip which was precisely what my husband and I needed last weekend.

I have shared below the recipes I tested from the book, but treat yourself and purchase a copy! It is a beautiful experience and I can see myself using this book time and again.

Zucchini, Basil & Parmesan Salad

Page 200, for four to six:

Juice of 1/2 a lemon *

6 tbs of extra virgin olive oil

2 heaped tbs of finely grated Parmesan

Sea Salt & black pepper

2 large zucchinis

1 large handful of rocket leaves

1 small handful of basil leaves

First make the dressing by mixing the lemon juice with the olive oil, Parmesan and a little salt and pepper to taste.

Finely slice the zucchini on an angle (or use a mandolin if you have one) and put into a bowl. Mix this with the rocket, basil and enough of the dressing to coat. Taste, adjust seasoning as required and serve immediately.

*The recipe calls for juice of a whole lemon and I used that quantity the first time I made the salad but I found it too overpowering so have cut down to juice of 1/2 a lemon

Garlic and Chili Prawns

Page 115, for four:

20 large, shell on prawns

Extra virgin olive oil

3 hot red chili, finely sliced on an angle *

3 garlic cloves, finely sliced *

A small knob of salted butter *

Sea salt as required

Wash and peel the prawns but leave on the tail and head. This is for presentation and because they are easier to handle.

Heat a few glugs of olive oil in a very large, heavy based frying pan. Make sure the oil is very hot and then throw in the prawns. Shake the pan a few times. After 1 minute, throw in the chili and garlic, stir once or twice and remove from the heat. Prawns should not be overcooked, so 1-2 minutes, depending on size, is really all you need. Add the knob of butter.

Season with sea salt as required.

*The recipe calls for 1 chili, 1 clove of garlic and unsalted butter, but in this household we are all about BIG taste!

Prosciutto, Rocket & Parmesan Wrap

Page 55, for sixteen wraps:

1 large handful of washed and dried rocket leaves

Lemon juice

Extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt

150g of Parmesan, shaved

16 think slice of Prosciutto*

Lightly dress the rocket with the lemon juice, olive oil and salt. Add the Parmesan shavings and mix thoroughly. Roll the mixture up in slices of prosciutto and skewer with a toothpick.

* Bresaola is air-cured beef but we couldn't find any in Singapore so we used prosciutto instead.

Caprese Stack

Page 46:

Take a little piece of mozarella, a thick slice of roma tomato (the best quality you can find, ripe and at room temperature, please) and a leaf of basil. Spear them together with a wooden toothpick and sprinkle with salt flakes, a grinding of black pepper and a few drops of olive oil. If you prepare them in advance, leave the sprinkle of salt, pepper and drizzle of olive oil until just before you serve them. This sort of 're-activates' the stacks. Make sure they are not fridge-cold as this will mask the flavours.

Anchovy & Chickpea Crostini (my hands down favourite chiceti of the night!)

Page 26, for ten crostini:

1 x 400g tin of chickpeas

Fillets from 2 x 45g can of anchovies, plus some of their oil *

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 handful of flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped

1/2 tbs of tahini *

Ground black pepper

4 tbs of extra virgin olive oil

1/2 French stick (or other bread), sliced and lightly toasted *

Drain and rinse the chickpeas and roughly chop the anchovies. Mix together with the lemon juice, parsley and tahini. Add 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper. Pulse in a food processor, with a little of the anchovy oil from the tin and enough olive oil to create a chunky paste. Taste and adjust the seasoning as required. There is no need for salt given the anchovies.

You can use this straight away or put it in a covered container in the fridge for up to a week. Serve it at room temperature. To serve, place desert sized spoonfuls onto the toasted slices of bread.

* We really enjoy the taste of anchovies so I doubled the amount the recipe called for and I am not a huge fan of tahini so halved the amount the recipe called for. We found we had a fair amount of the mix itself leftover and used it during the week as a dip with carrot sticks for a snack at work - perfection!

FERRERO CAKE WITH SALTY CHOCOLATE GANACHE

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew and Mel) — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 09:19:00 +0000

It has been perfected!

After a few tweaks and tastings followed by a few more tweaks I bring you the Ferrero Cake with Salty Chocolate Ganache. This cake is not "post Christmas diet" friendly but what the hey, being good all the time is boring!

Ferrero Cake with Salty Chocolate Ganache

Batter
300g of dark couverture chocolate, chopped
250g of butter
5 eggs
64g caster sugar (superfine)
160g plain (all-purpose) flour
1¼ teaspoons baking powder

96g almond meal

2 tsps hazelnut essence
16 Ferrero Rocher chocolates, unwrapped

Ganache

80g butter, at room temperature
60g icing sugar
2 tbs nutella
½ teaspoon of hazelnut essence
2 tbsp of cocoa powder
1 tbsp of milk
Sea salt flakes to garnish

To make the cake start by pre-heating your oven to 150°C and lightly grease a 23cm (9 in) spring form cake tin.

Place the chocolate and butter in a saucepan over a low heat and stir until melted and combined, the mixture should be smooth. Stir through the hazelnut essence and set aside to cool slightly.

Using a stand mixer fitter with the paddle attachment beat the eggs and sugar together until pale and thick, this should take between 7 - 10 minutes. Sift the flour and baking powder over the egg mix and gently fold through with the almond meal and chocolate mixture.

Pour half of the mixture into your prepared tin and gently place the 16 Ferrero Rocher's on top. Carefully cover with the remaining cake mixture taking care not to disturb the chocolates. Bake for 50 minutes or when tested with a wooden skewer it comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 20 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the ganache combine all of your ingredients into a stand mixer fitted with the battle attachment and beat on low speed for 2 minutes. Once all of the ingredients are combined increase to a high speed and beat until the mixture is light and creamy.

When the cake has completely cooled ice it with the ganache and sprinkle a pinch of sea salt flakes across the top.

Yield: 12 slices

Christmas comes but once a year ...

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew and Mel) — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 05:56:00 +0000

...but we like to celebrate it for the whole month of December!

The first year Andrew and I were together we discovered a mutual love of all things Christmas...

From the ritual of buying the piney fresh Christmas tree at the start of December, to the giving of presents and celebrating with friends. But mostly the cooking and consuming of Christmas treats!

We spent our first Christmas together just the two of us here in Singapore. We each brought to the table (so to speak) our own long practiced family traditions. To that we added a bit of our own likes and personality and between the two of us we mashed together what would be the start of our own yearly traditions.

For Andrew and I, the day we decorate our tree marks the start of shortbread season! Throughout December we regularly bake Nanna's shortbread.

That first year we made batch after batch trying to perfect Nanna's infamous treat. By Christmas day we thought we had nailed it! We sat down in front of the tree with a plate of our best effort shortbread, some fruit mince pies (of course!) and our coffee's to unwrap the gifts our families had sent from home.

Andrew opened his gift from Nanna and low and behold it was a box of the real deal - Nanna's homemade shortbread! We dove right in and after the first bite looked at each other, our faces dropping. BOY did we have a long way to go before we even came close to perfecting the real deal!

Last year we spent Christmas in Australia and while there took the opportunity to have a lesson with Nanna herself on how to bake her shortbread. A special time both Andrew and I will always cherish. We learnt a lot that day!

So come the start of December this year we began the shortbread baking. Nanna's lesson stood us in good stead and I would say we have improved but still have a long way to go. We are very much looking forward to the real deal again in a few weeks time!

Wishing you and yours a safe and happy Christmas and a wonderful, surprise filled 2013!

Nanna's shortbread

Quantity is in ratio 2:4:6 (sugar:butter:flour), single serve

57g of caster or super fine sugar
113g of salted butter (cold)
142g of plain flour
28g of rice flour

Sift the flour (2 or 3 times) into a large mixing bowl and add the sugar. Add the butter and "rub" it into the flour using your fingers until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Press the dough together into a ball, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 150°C and line a flat baking tray with grease proof paper. Take the dough from the fridge and cut it in half.

Working with the first half push the dough down into a flat circle of approximately 0.75cm thick. Cut into equal triangles, pinch the edges of the circle with your fingers and prick the top of each piece with a fork.

Place the triangles onto the baking try and repeat with the exercise with the second half of the dough. You can shape the dough into rectangles (shortbread fingers) or use Christmas cookie cutters (stars, angels).

Bake in the oven for approximately 30 minutes. This largely depends (as we have discovered through much trial and error!) on your actual oven. The timing could be slightly longer or shorter so begin to monitor from around 25 minutes. The shortbread should feel firm and have darkened slightly in colour, although not browned.

Carefully turn onto a wire rack to cool.

Yield: 8 to 10 pieces per round, depending on how you large you cut each biscuit

Celebrating citrus ...

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew and Mel) — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 08:51:00 +0000

Living in Singapore I am smack in the middle, so I get to choose which hemisphere I want to reside in on any given day and consequently which season I wish to follow.

Well, in relation to seasonal trends that is, not in terms of actual climatic changes because those of you who know Singapore know we are a constant 29-31°C and 100% humidity all year round.

Today I have gone south to summer in Australia which this year seems to be all about the citrus!

Evident in fashion trends, home wares and appearing on restaurants new summer menu's. Here, here and here are a few of my favourites.

In celebration of all of this citrus-ness I bring you a tangy and versatile passionfruit curd that my Nanna used to make.

Slather it on your warm buttery toast in the morning, top Nanna's fresh baked scones with it or sandwich it between layers of lemon & almond cake topped with cream cheese frosting like I did ...

Or you could even make an extra large batch and bottle it up in sterilised jars to use as cute and thoughtful homemade Christmas treats - everyone loves a bit of homemade at Christmas time!

Passionfruit Curd

4 egg yolks
2/3 cup caster sugar
60g of unsalted butter
1tbs of grated lemon zest
100 ml of lemon juice
One passionfruit

Separate the yolks of the eggs from the whites* and place them into a heavy-based saucepan. Add the caster sugar and whisk until just combined.

Add the butter, lemon juice and lemon zest. Place over a medium-high heat on the stove and stir constantly until the butter has melted and the mixture begins to simmer.

Once bubbles have appeared remove from the heat, still stirring until the mixture stops simmering. Stir through the pulp of the passionfruit and allow to cool.

Yield: Enough to sandwich between one 3cm cake or to fill one 370g jar.

*Egg whites can be frozen for up to 6 months for later use. To thaw let stand in water.

I still call Australia ...

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew and Mel) — Sun, 04 Nov 2012 10:04:00 +0000

We recently spent a few weeks on the east coast of Australia. It was good to be home.
Wide open spaces, great coffee, family, friends, a beautiful wedding, the sand between your toes and the bluest of skies. This time it was hard to come back to Singapore, very hard.

It has been busy since we got back (too busy) and I haven't had a chance to get into the kitchen to bring you anything of substance. For now I will bring you a snapshot of our time away and a few of the things we cooked up while staying in 'Bonnydune' a gorgeous little beach house in Byron Bay on the northern NSW coast.

Heirloom tomato salad with buffalo mozzarella ...

Dry aged steaks on the bone, slow cooked ...

Smashed broad bean, garlic and pecorino tartines ...

Heirloom Tomato Salad
Adapted from Jamie Oliver

10 heirloom tomatoes (various shapes, sizes, colours)
3 large buffalo mozzarella balls
1 tbsp of fresh oregano leaves, chopped
4 large fresh basil leaves
1 clove of garlic, chopped
1 red chilli, chopped
Olive oil

Cut the tomatoes into varying shapes, sizes, chunks and slices. Put them into a colander and sit the colander on top of a pot or bowl. Sprinkle with a generous pinch of sea salt, mix, sprinkle again, mix again and leave to drain for 20 minutes. This will enable a concentrated tomato flavour as the salt extracts all of the water from the tomatoes.

Discard the tomato water and arrange the concentrated tomatoes onto a platter. Add the mozzarella to one side of the platter, drizzle both the cheese and the tomatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with the garlic, oregano and chilli. Top with the basil leaves.

A punchy and refreshing salad perfect for a hot summers day.

Yield: Making the salad using the above proportions will be enough for 4-6 people as a side dish to a meat main course

Smashed Broad Bean Tartine

2 cups of broad beans, cooked
1/2 cup of grated pecorino cheese
1 clove of garlic, peeled and left whole
4 slices of crusty bread (preferably sourdough)
8 thick asparagus spears
3 tbsp of a good quality olive oil
Sea salt
Cracked black pepper
Additional shaved pecorino to serve

Bring a pot of water to the boil and add the broad beans, cooking them until soft and tender. Drain the beans and while they are still warm roughly smash them up using a fork and stir through the pecorino cheese and 2 tbsp's of the olive oil. Set aside.

Cut the asparagus spears in half. Heat a small pan and gently fry the asparagus for 4-5 minutes, shaking the pan every minute, with 1 tbsp of olive oil, a sprinkling of sea salt and some cracked black pepper. Set aside.

Slice 4 pieces of sourdough and toast them, then rub one side of each slice with the peeled garlic clove. Top each slice with two heaped spoonfuls of the broad bean mix, 4 asparagus spears and shave over some additional pecorino. Serve with some cracked black pepper and your favourite sauvignon blanc!

Yield: 4 tartines

And as for the dry aged steaks ...
You will need to wait a week or two. Andrew is in Dubai for work and the slow cooked perfection of said steaks is his department, stay tuned!

Vietnam and the rice paper roll ...

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew and Mel) — Sun, 07 Oct 2012 09:25:00 +0000

It has been a while!

Things got a little hectic around here, but rest assured we have found the time to squeeze some food adventures in between eloping, honey-mooning in Thailand (where we spent a day on an incredible cooking course) and feverishly working on our apartment renovation plans.

More on all of that another day, today I bring you something I promised a while back. A quick, easy, interactive, flavor punching weekend lunch alternative from one of my favorite parts of the world – rice paper rolls.

I have traveled to Vietnam a few times since living in Asia and it remains my number one most loved destination. I love everything about the country from the fascinating history to the people, the sights, the sounds and the distinctly Asian smells.

Our last trip was to Ho Chi Minh. The organised hustling, bustling chaos of this high octane city makes for fantastic street photography opportunities …

.. and as on all of our holidays Andrew and I planned this trip around the food adventures we hoped to have and Ho Chi Minh did not disappoint.

On our first night we arrived very late and our lovely host at the quaint and intimate Ma Maison Boutique Hotel, reminiscent of something you would find in the French countryside nestled down some alleys in a suburban district of Vietnam, drew us the below map and pointed us in the direction of some late night road side vendors.

We had the choice of “big hunger” and “little hunger”.

We chose little hunger and followed the map to a road side stall where no one spoke English. We took a seat, held up two fingers and smiled. We received a heartfelt smile and a nod in return. Shortly after we were presented with two steaming bowls of pho. Rice noodles and slices of beef swimming in a tasty broth that we topped with a squeeze of lime, some bean sprouts and birds eye chillies. Mind blowing simplicity.

We ate traditional Vietnamese at Cuc Gach Quan, a restaurant inspired by the owners Grandmother and her countryside stall of Saigon past. Set in a French colonial house that has been stunningly renovated using recycled materials and much creativity the food served is reminiscent of countryside Vietnam, like Mama (or in this case Grand-mama!) used to make. I will never forgot as long as I live the homemade tofu fried with lemongrass and chilli.

Then there was the incredibly decadent French meal we ate at Trois Gourmands where we were served homemade cheeses, that would have rivalled what is produced in Burgundy, by a caricature French man who was rotund and heavily accented and finished off with a Salvador Dali handlebar moustache. Cliché!

However, more than all of this, our most important food adventure on this trip was our quest for the perfect rice paper roll. In the name of research and rice paper roll lovers the world over we sampled hundreds if not thousands to find perfection. That might be a slight exaggeration but you get the point and we did find perfection.

It was down some alley, off some street, near some park in one of the districts. That’s right, we cant remember for the life of us what the shop or the street was called or how we will ever find it again. We found it by accident and lost it the same way.

The only solution is to book a holiday and do your own research! It will be worth it we promise.

Rice Paper Rolls

Rice paper rounds (available at most good Asian food stores)

60g of vermicelli or rice noodles cooked

½ kg of cooked and peeled prawns

1 large or 2 small continental cucumbers julienned

Handful of coriander chopped

Handful of thai basil chopped

Handful of mint chopped

Small handful of sacred basil sprigs

Small bunch of garlic chives chopped in 10cm lengths

1 portion of “Taste of Asia”

Traditional Vietnamese dipping sauce

½ cup of fish sauce and add

2 red birds eye chillies chopped finely

Squeeze of lime juice

Everything that is required for this dish can be prepared up to a day in advance and refrigerated until you are ready to serve. You can even prepare the rice paper rolls themselves and store those in the fridge if you aren't aiming for an interactive meal.

Firstly, cook the rice noodles by placing them into boiling water, drain and rinse thoroughly with cold water for a few minutes until they have cooled. This will ensure you avoid the noodles becoming gluggy and sticking together. Place them in a bowl and refrigerate while you prepare the rest of your ingredients.

Place the prawns into a pot of boiling water and cook until they turn pink, drain and set aside to cool. Once they are cool peel them and place them in a serving bowl. Chop and prepare your vegetables placing each of them in a small serving bowl. Mix your “Taste of Asia Sauce” and your traditional Vietnamese dipping sauce.

Once you are ready to serve place all of the ingredients out on your dining area, along with a stack of rice paper rounds and a large bowl filled with boiling water. Take a rice paper round and carefully hold the very edges whilst dipping it into the bowl of hot water, taking care not to dunk your fingers in!

Once the round has become soft and pliable lay it down onto your plate and place in the centre of the round a small handful of rice noodles, a prawn or two and a handful of the herbs and some cucumber.

Fold in the sides and roll up the round, moving it away from you. Dip it into your sauce of choice and eat immediately!

Yield: 12-16 rolls depending on how much stuffing you place inside each one

Asides ...

Before my last visit to Ho Chi Minh I read the incredible and moving story of Phan Thi Kim Phuc titled “The Girl in the Picture”. The Pulitzer Prize winning photograph, taken by Nick Ut and arguably the most famous image of the period, shows Kim as a 9 year old severely burnt by napalm running from her blazing village in South Vietnam. The book chronicles her life and her story of survival from not only her burns but also from a repressive communist society. I recommend it as an inspiring read.

Happy birthday to Bujty ...

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew and Mel) — Sun, 26 Aug 2012 01:38:00 +0000

My Mum has a birthday rule in our family, it goes something like this "A birthday is not a birthday without a cake". Quite simple.

The cake preferably should be home made (with love) and involve something favourite of the birthday-ee.

When it comes to cake Andrew is quite specific about his loves, it is not to say he wont gladly devour all other kinds of cake in the interest of research of course, but he is firm in his favourites. Cheesecake ranks top of his list followed by chocolate mud cake. If any of his meals, dessert or otherwise, can involve peanut butter then even better!

So when thinking about what this years birthday cake might be I decided why not involve a little bit of everything!

This decadent cake has a layer of peanut butter cheese cake topped with a layer of bittersweet chocolate cheesecake and is baked giving it a dense "mud cake-esque" feel. All of this richness sits atop a crunchy Oreo base because lets face it, who doesn't love an Oreo!

A rich, heavy, decadent myriad of flavours that is not in anyway designed to be consumed if you are even "remotely" dieting! A delicious birthday treat - happy birthday Andrew!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheese (birthday) Cake

by Melissa Cowan

Base

4 cups of crushed Oreo cookies

1/2 cup of butter, melted

Place approximately 3 and 1/4 packets (the small individual silver packets inside the Oreo box) into a food processor and process until they are a fine crumb. Melt 1/2 cup of butter and poor over the crushed cookies and mix well until the crumbs are moist.

Take a loose bottom 23cm round flan tin with deep sides and poor in the cookie mixture. Press it into the base and sides of the tin to form the crust, set aside.

Filling - Peanut Butter

1 x 126g package of cream cheese, at room temperature

1 cup of crunchy peanut butter

1/4 cup of sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten

Preheat your oven to 150°C. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the cream cheese on medium speed until smooth. Add the peanut butter and sugar and beat for a further 3 minutes on medium speed until fully incorporated and smooth. Fold in the lightly beaten egg and set aside.

Filling - Chocolate
3 cups of good quality semi-sweet cooking chocolate chips
2 x 126g packages of cream cheese, cubed and at room temperature
4 tbs of milk
1 tsp of vanilla extract, (I use pure vanilla bean paste and favour Nielsen-Massey Vanillas, Inc)
2 eggs, lightly beaten

In a saucepan melt the chocolate over a low heat, stirring continuously with a silicon spatula/spoon. Remove from the heat and add the cream cheese, stirring vigorously until thoroughly combined. Stir in the milk and vanilla and then fold in the lightly beaten eggs.

Spread a 1/4 of the chocolate mixture into your prepared cake base so a thin layer just covers the bottom. Carefully spoon in and spread all of the peanut mixture and then top that with the remaining chocolate mixture.

Bake in the oven until the top is set when lightly shaken, this should take between one hour and one hour thirty minutes depending on your oven so start checking the cake at the one hour mark. The outer two inches of the top of the cake will be puffed and dry looking and the centre will look darker and wet.

Serve with double or clotted cream.

Yield: 12-15 slices, you don't need a large serve!

Bursting with crimson flavour ...

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew and Mel) — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 11:17:00 +0000

The berries have been amazing this year in Singapore, imported mostly from the USA - the crop has been bumper!

When I was in Perth two weeks ago I picked up the latest Donna Hay magazine and the feature on decadent desserts caught my attention, namely the upside down cake. Donna uses blackberries but I had a freezer full of raspberries so used them instead. Plus, red is my favourite colour!

This cake is scrumptious. It has a moist crumb, brought about through the use of almond meal and buttermilk, and is topped with a sticky, jammy berry topping which will be quite tart if you substitute raspberries for blackberries.

A lovely little afternoon tea cake, especially nice served with double cream of course!

Raspberry and Almond Upside Down Cake
Adapted from Donna Hay Issue 64 - The Entertaining Issue

5&1/2 cups (790g) of frozen raspberries, thawed and drained
1&3/4 cups (385g) of caster sugar
190g unsalted butter, softened
2 teaspoons of finely grated lemon zest
1 heaped teaspoon of vanilla extract (I use pure vanilla bean paste and favour Nielsen-Massey Vanillas, Inc)
3 eggs
2 cups (300g) plain flour, sifted
1&1/2 teaspoons baking powder, sifted
1/2 teaspoon bi-carbonate soda, sifted
1/2 cup (60g) almond meal
1 cup buttermilk

Preheat your oven to 180°C. Line the base and sides of a lightly greased 22cm round cake tin with baking paper. I am not normally a "liner", I usually wing it, but I decided to line the tin when making this cake as figured the sticky topping could be somewhat of a disaster on an un-lined tin!

Once lined, cover the bottom of the cake tin with the raspberries (or your berry of choice) and then sprinkle half a cup of the sugar over the top. Set aside while you make the batter.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat together the butter, remaining sugar, lemon zest and vanilla extract for 8-10 minutes or until pale and creamy. Scrape down the sides, then add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition to give the cake a good structure.

Sift the flour, baking powder and bi-carbonate soda over the butter/egg mixture and then add the almond meal and buttermilk. Beat on low speed until just combined then carefully spoon the mixture over the top of the raspberries in your cake tin. Smooth the top down with a palette knife and place the cake in the oven.

Bake for one hour, then cover the cake loosely with aluminium foil and bake for a further 25-30 minutes or, when tested with a skewer, it comes out clean.

Allow to cool in the tin at room temperature for 2 hours or until just warm, invert onto a serving platter or into a cake tin for storage.

Yield: 10-12 slices

Crazy as a ...

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew and Mel) — Sun, 29 Jul 2012 10:22:00 +0000

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend, we certainly did. This morning we took a long bike ride down to the new "Gardens by the Bay", Singapores newest botanic gardens behind Marina Bay Sands. The weather was glorious with a cloudless sky, light breeze and relatively low humidity.

We followed that up with breakfast at "Oh Deli", a gourmet small goods store and cafe that, conveniently for me, is at the end of my street! All those readers Singapore side if you haven't been to the store do yourself a favor and go.

Run by the oh so bubbly Oh Sisters, all passionate foodies themselves, the store brings to Singapore all the gourmet we miss from Australia and coffee that rivals what you might find somewhere on Little Bourke Street in Melbourne. They are now serving brekkie and I can attest to it being top notch!

Anyhow, I currently have some of Nanna's shortbread baking away in the oven (more on that to come next week) and a few idle minutes up my sleeve. What better way to spend it than to bring you this delicious cake.

I love "bounty" chocolate bars, they were my treat of choice when I went to the movies as a kid. The topping on this cake tastes like the insides of a bounty! Sold! A quick and easy way to jazz up a plain butter cake - enjoy!

Mel's ode to the bounty ...
created by Mel, inspired by her love of all things Bounty

Cake Base
125g of butter, softened
220g of caster sugar
2 eggs
40g desiccated coconut
225g plain flour
1tsp bi-carbonate soda
1tsp baking powder
300g sour cream
80ml milk

Set an oven rack in the lower one third of your oven and preheat the oven to 175°C. Grease a 23cm square or round cake tin.

Beat the butter and sugar in a bowl with a flat paddle until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for 30 seconds after each addition. Next, stir in the coconut, sifted flour, sour cream and milk in two separate batches. Stir only until just combined.

Transfer the batter to your prepared cake pan and bake for 40 minutes or until a thin skewer, when inserted, comes out clean. Leave sitting in the pan for 10 minutes and then remove from the pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

While the cake is cooling make the coconut topping ...

Coconut topping
320g icing sugar
100g desiccated coconut (don't use fresh coconut, it makes the topping too wet)
2 egg whites, beaten lightly

Sift the icing sugar into a medium sized bowl and then stir in the coconut and the egg white.

Once the cake has cooled top it with the coconut mixture, and to make it more like a bounty if you are feeling particularly naughty melt some milk chocolate and drizzle over the coconut, refrigerate to set!

Yields: 10-12 slices from a round cake pan and 12 small cubes from a square pan

Asides
Tomato plants - epic fail.

The Singapore weather has won over in the end and our poor little tomato plants have not survived ...

We laid them to rest today (down the rubbish shoot) and are currently priming the soil to start a second attempt on a different balcony in a few weeks time once the peak of the heat dies off a little.

Golden goodness ...

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew and Mel) — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 01:19:00 +0000

This cake, oooooh this cake. I challenge you to stop at just one slice. It gets better with age and day two and three will see the flavours intensified as the syrup has time to infuse properly with the crumb.

I like to eat one piece as soon as the cake is finished, when it is still slightly warm and then try very hard to wait for day two and three to eat anymore of it ... I mostly fail.

It is a super moist, fuss free cake with a flavour that will smack you in the face.

Golden Lemon Almond Cake
Adapted slightly from Rose's Heavenly Cakes by Rose Levy Beranbam

Batter
227g unsalted butter at room temperature
12g of finely grated lemon zest
3/4 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of bi-carb soda
11/4 teaspoon of baking powder
250g plain flour
2/3 teaspoon of lemon oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (I use pure vanilla bean paste and favour Nielsen-Massey Vanillas, Inc)
242g of sour cream
3 large eggs at room temperature
250g of soft light brown sugar
60g of almond meal

Set an oven rack in the lower one third of your oven and preheat the oven to 175°C. Grease a round bundt pan.

In a medium bowl whisk the eggs, 1/4 cup of the sour cream, the vanilla and lemon oil until just combined.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the flat beater attachment mix the ground almonds, sugar, flour, baking powder, bi-carb soda, salt and lemon zest on low speed for 30 seconds. Add the butter and the remaining sour cream mixing on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened then raise the speed to medium and beat for one and a half minutes, scraping down the sides as required.

With the mixer on medium speed, gradually add the egg mixture in two parts, beating on medium speed for 30 seconds after each addition. Rose says that this strengthens the structure of the cake. Using a spatula scrape the batter in to the prepared pan and bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until a wooden skewer, when inserted, comes out clean.

Shortly before the cake finishes baking start making the syrup ...

Syrup
100g of soft light brown sugar
1/4 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice

In a microwavable glass bowl (or a small saucepan over medium heat), heat the sugar and lemon juice, stirring often until the sugar is almost completely dissolved. Do not boil. It is ok to still have a few undissolved grains as they will form a sparkly, crackly crust on the cake. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap to prevent evapouration.

As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, place the pan on a wire rack and poke the cake's bottom all over with a thin skewer and then brush it with about 1/3 of the syrup mixture. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes then invert it onto a serving plate or some grease proof paper. Brush the top and sides of the cake with the remaining syrup.

Eat a piece while it is still warm!

Then either wrap tightly or seal in an air tight container and try, i mean TRY to leave it for 24 hours before serving!

We shared ...

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew and Mel) — Sun, 22 Jul 2012 05:46:00 +0000

This post is dedicated to my very dear friends Kat and Stefan and their newest family member, Baby Sophia.Thank you for inviting me to share in this wonderful milestone in your lives.

I was home. Well, I was in Australia and I think I am allowed to call anywhere in the vicinity of that big brown land home. I consider home to be where the heart is. Or where Andrew is really. But part of my heart is always in Australia, so I guess I call two places home at once. Is that allowed?

I was in Melbourne a few weekends back which is on the South East Coast of Australia. I came down to visit my very dear friends Kat and Stefan and to share in the biggest of occasions. The arrival of their first child, the beautiful Sophia. She came bursting into the world at 9am on Monday the 9^th of July.

Recently I listened to an amazing speech given by Neil Gaiman to the 2012 graduating class at Philadephia’s the “ University of the Arts” where the key message he delivered was to “Make Good Art”. If you haven’t heard his address I urge you to listen to it here. Motivational, inspirational and relevant on so many levels and to all walks of life – not just artists.

Make good art. It has become a bit of a resounding mantra for me, and art can be anything.

To think, Kat and Stefan made Sophia, made a beautiful and precious new life, how very clever ... I think this is the epitome of what Neil Gaiman was referencing, they "made good art".

She is perfection.

Now, for some history to tell the tale of how I ended up being invited to this wonderful occasion. Kat and I met in Singapore. Well, rather we like to say that I picked her up at the gym in Singapore! We lived in the same building when we all first arrived in Singapore at the end of 2007. I had been in town about a month and hadn’t started work yet, meaning I hadn’t made any friends either! I had woken that fateful morning and decided I was going to go out and find myself a friend that day. I had no idea where or how but that was what I was going to do!

I headed to the gym per my usual daily routine and low and behold there was Kat, she looked friendly enough so I thought to myself ‘she will do’ and promptly asked her out for a coffee. Actually, I had asked her if she wanted to join me for a walk around the Asian Civilization Museum first, then a coffee which she agreed to.

We arrived at the museum, quite a large one at that, and had completed the whole thing in under three minutes! I was to later learn that Kat doesn’t like museums and was only being polite. She had only really been interested in having a coffee.

You have old friends that you have developed over a life time and then sometimes you meet people and you instantly become old friends. It is like they have known you your whole life. For me this is Kat.

We had an amazing time together living in the very chic and ultra hip party building “The Icon” in Tanjong Pagar. We travelled together, supported each other and generally got on with life. My favourite thing about this period was Sunday night dinners. We would meet every Sunday for dinner, alternate the cooking responsibilities and settle down in front of the TV post dinner to watch episodes of Grey’s Anatomy and eat Ferrero Rocher. It was our thing.

Time went by and Kat and Stefan moved back to Melbourne. Our friendship remained intact, got stronger even, and here I find myself having just shared in an amazing weekend full of family, friends and food leading up to the arrival of Sophia yesterday morning. I was honoured to be invited to share in this time with them.

The bubbly and talented Ashwina arranged a beautiful baby shower for Kat and Stefan on the Saturday and we ate, we drank and were merry as we celebrated the pending arrival …

The weather was cold and crisp, the skies clear and blue …

I had coffee, real coffee, amazing Melbourne coffee, as much as I could get my hands on …

I caught up with family, because really, friends are the family you choose …

And I shared in one of the most beautiful and magical experiences, the arrival of a new life.

Then ... there was the food!

It is hard to pinpoint one particular dish or recipe from the weekend. Australian produce is amazing in its own right! So I have decided to share with you a food experience rather than a recipe.

Raclette.

A cheese yes, but also a Swiss dish. In it’s traditional sense the Swiss take the Raclette cheese round, heat it in front of a fire, or on a special machine, then scrape the melted cheese onto plates. The term raclette is derived from the French word racler, meaning to scrape. It is traditionally accompanied by small firm potatoes, gherkins, pickled onions and dried meat.

Our version consisted of a special portable Raclette grill that sat in the centre of the table. Under the grill portion you placed little pans filled with your chosen goodies be it mushrooms, onion, tomato, meats all topped with a slice of Raclette cheese. Once cooked you slid the contents onto your plate and tucked in. It reminded me of a little pizza without the carb-y base!

On top of the grill was a hot stone and hot plate ideal for crisping up small potatoes and cooking slices of good Aussie beef ...

It is simple food centred on a simple concept – sharing. It unites people around a table and you spend a long evening sharing stories, cooking, eating food, laughing, having moments and making a memory.

So we toasted to Stefan’s birthday and Baby Sophia’s up-coming arrival ...

We cooked ...

We ate ... and we shared.