A Cupcake or Two

Xinjiang Lamb Kebabs for Australia Day

2012-01-17T23:08:00.003+11:00

First of all I just wanted to say Happy New Year to everyone. I can’t believe we are now in 2012. Time sure does fly when you are having fun.

For my first post, I wanted to share a fantastic recipe, for Xinjiang Lamb Kebabs, which I will be making for an Australia Day picnic. These lamb kebabs are just one of the delicious dishes that Uighur cuisine has to offer. (The Uighur people are from Central Asia between Mongolia and Kazakhstan).

My friend Anna introduced me to these skewers years ago, in a Uighur restaurant near Sydney’s Chinatown. When she came back from Amsterdam for a visit last Christmas, she told me that she found a recipe for them. I was thrilled and couldn’t wait to make them myself.

Xinjiang Lamb Kebabs (recipe from Food Buzz)

Ingredients

1 kilo lamb leg (cut into 3cm cubes)

4 tablespoons peanut oil

2 tablespoons ground cumin

1 tablespoon chili flakes

1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon chilli powder

1 teaspoon ground Sichuan peppercorns

2 teaspoons ground ginger powder

4 garlic cloves (very finely chopped)

2 teaspoons sea salt

10 to 15 bamboo BBQ sticks that have been soaked in water

Method

1. In a large tray, mix the spices together and add the oil. Add the lamb pieces and stir to coat. Set aside in the fridge to marinade. I left mine for 24 hours but a minimum of 5 hours is ok.

2. Once the lamb is marinated, thread 4 to 5 pieces onto each BBQ stick. BBQ the lamb skewers until they are slightly pink in the middle. There is nothing worse that over cooked lamb leg. Don’t be tempted to overcook them.

3. Serve with a green salad and some Tzatziki.

These lamb skewers are delicious hot or cold. It’s simple to prepare and only takes minutes to cook. It’s the perfect dish to kick-start your Australia Day celebrations. Our Lambassador Sam Kekovich would be proud.

Happy Australia Day to all my Aussie readers. I hope you all have a safe and fun filled day… If you haven't already seen it, make sure you watch Sama Kekovich in the hilarious video below.

Butterscotch Madeleines and a New Hand Mixer

2011-12-19T22:32:00.000+11:00

How often do you replace kitchen appliances?? In the Eugenio household, we tend to buy new gadgets but use the old ones until they stop working. A great example is our hand mixer. My mum bought our hand mixer back in 1988. It was one of the first things she bought when we moved into our house.

Thanks to Kitchenware Direct, I had an opportunity to review one of their new products. I chose the Red Kitchenaid Hand Mixer. It was time for the old mixer to retire and for the new one to make it’s debut. What better way than with these simple Butterscotch Madeleines from Bill Granger’s book Bill’s Basics.

Butterscotch Madeleines

Ingredients

100 grams unsalted butter

2 tablespoons golden syrup

2 eggs

60 grams caster sugar

75 grams plain flour sifted

1 teaspoon baking powder

pinch of salt

icing sugar for dusting

Method

1. Pre-heat the over to 170C. Grease a madeleine tray and dust with flour, shaking of the excess.

2. Melt the butter in a small pan. Remove from the heat, stir in the syrup and leave to cool.

3. Using a hand mixer, whisk the eggs, sugar and a pinch of salt, until pale and fluffy. Add the flour, baking powder and syrup mixture. Fold everything together until well combined.

4. Spoon the mixture into the madeleine tray and bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack and dust with icing sugar before serving.

The Madeleines are delicious on it's own or served with lightly whipped cream . They are also a fantastic idea for a homemade Christmas present. The recipe makes close to 20 madeleines.

The Kitchenaid Mixer is a delight to use. It has 7 speeds and the attachments are extremely easy to clean. Although stand mixers are all the rage, this hand mixer is ideal for people who don't have the room for a massive stand mixer. If you are looking for an affordable and attractive looking hand mixer, then the Artisan mixer is perfect.

For the best prices on a range of fantastic Kitchenware Essentials, make sure to check out Kitchenware Direct. They currently have some fantastic offers such as free shipping, cash-backs and bonus gifts with selected items...

Japanese Cooking At Kei’s Kitchen

2011-11-27T23:07:00.001+11:00

This would be my third class at Kei’s Kitchen. The class we are doing is a Large Platter Class, which Kei and Masako normally do at the end of the year. The dishes you make at this class are normally dishes you would see at big parties. They are all designed to feed 10 or more people.

On the menu is Ocean Trout Kenchin Style (Stuffed with Tofu), Chicken Rolls with Smoked Salmon, Asparagus with a Tomato and Egg Jelly, Beef Shabu Shabu Salad and two types of Sushi Rolls.

The first thing that Kei teaches the class is how to make the Dashi. She always says at the beginning of every class “No Dashi, No Japanese Food”. After the Dashi is made, we begin by de-boning the 2.5 kilo Ocean Trout which we will later stuff with a Tofu mix.

Kei shows us how to carefully de-bone without damaging too much of the flesh. What took 15 minutes will probably take me an hour to do. She cuts across the back bone without damaging the outer skin and proceeds to take the bones of almost in one piece. One of the students made a comment that its almost as precise as a surgeon.

The fish was later stuffed with a tofu mixture and sewn back together to be baked in the oven. Masako points out that we should always use black thread so its easier to take it off the fish once cooked.

I was assigned to cook the beef for the Shabu Shabu Salad. The meat was thinly sliced Wagyu Beef which I quickly dipped in hot Dashi. This was then served on a bed of salad greens, blueberries, kiwi fruit, radish sprouts, cucumber, oranges and witloof. I have never thought of putting fruit in a salad but it certainly worked and took away from the richness of the thinly sliced meat.

When you think of Japanese food, you don't really think of Chicken Rolls stuffed with Smoked Salmon and Asparagus. I certainly changed my mind after my first bite. The chicken was lean and full of flavour from the smoked salmon and asparagus. The panko crumbs added crunch and even though we fried this dish it was light.

The Chicken Roll was served with a Tomato and Egg Jelly which was made by using Agar Agar. I must admit this was a challenge for me to eat. I found the texture odd but the flavours were amazing.

Each of us had to make a Sushi Roll. We made two Sushi Rolls. A Tuna, Sprout and Wasabi Mayo Roll and a Prawn and Avocado Uramaki. The sushi rice was carefully weighed and we were each shown the proper way of rolling.

After all the preparation, we set the table, ready to eat what we have all made. It was certainly a massive spread, that was beautifully presented. There was so much food that the whole class managed to fill containers with food to take home.

It was a fantastic day, I learnt so much. Kei and Masako have certainly taught me a lot about Japanese Cuisine and I cant wait to go to another class in 2012.

If you are interested in learning about the art of Japanese Food, make sure you check Kei's Kitchen for their 2012 class schedule.

Halloween and The House That Boo Built

2011-10-16T18:48:00.001+11:00

Mwahahahahaha… It’s not long till Halloween. I never used to be one to make a big deal of it, until my nephew and niece were old enough to go trick or treating.. It’s so much fun celebrating with the kids. Who knew that carving a pumpkin could be so therapeutic.

“What’s New Cupcake?” is one of my favourite books. It’s by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson. The book is full of fun ways to decorate cupcakes. For Halloween, I decided to make my version of “The House That Boo Built”.

The House That Boo Built

What you need..

1 black cake stand

2 edible sugar eyes (I got mine from Kitchenware Direct)

3 large pre made chocolate cupcakes iced

3 medium pre made chocolate cupcakes iced

1 chocolate ice cream cone

7 - 8 pieces of pineapple lumps

4 dark chocolate trees made with dark chocolate and orange sprinkles (instructions for trees in Step 1)

candy pumpkins, fake spiders and skulls (optional)

Instructions

Step 1 - Making the Chocolate Trees

Melt 1/2 cup of dark chocolate in a microwave safe bowl for approximately 2 minutes. Put the melted chocolate in a small squeeze bottle. Put some wax paper down on a flat surface and start drawing some trees. There is a pattern in the book that you can use as a guide. Make sure the trees are thick so they do not break when you put them into the cupcakes. Add the orange sprinkles to the trees before they set. Repeat the process until you have made 4 trees. Cool in the fridge for at least an hour before using.

Step 2 - Assembling the Haunted House

- Put 1 large cupcake in the middle of the cake stand, put another large cupcake on top. Get the ice cream cone and carefully place on the top cupcake. Add the edible sugar eyes. Put 2 pineapple lumps on the bottom cupcake. These are the headstones. I was suppose to write RIP on the headstones but my dog Gizmo ran off with the white icing pen that I bought.

- Take another large cupcake and place it in front of the cupcake tower. Add two or 3 more pineapple lumps, some skulls, bones and pumpkin candy. Repeat this with the remaining cupcakes, but place the 4 chocolate trees on the cupcakes too. Put them at the back to make it look like a forest.

This is such a simple way of making Halloween fun. You can use different size cake stands, assorted decorations. It's really up to you. This is also a fun way to get the kids involved. Feel free to be as creative as you want.

Here's to another fabulous goulishly fun Halloween.. Make sure you have plenty of lollies for the Trick or Treaters...... There is nothing worse than being tricked on Halloween.. Mwahahahahahaha..

Red Curry Prawn Dumplings

2011-09-28T23:11:00.000+10:00

Working in the city, means that I have to travel 45 to 50 minutes each way on the train every single day. My Ipad is pretty much my best buddy on these long trips. One of my favourite Aps is the Martha Stewarts Everyday Food Magazine. The magazine is full of articles, chef bios, handy craft tips and most importantly simple delicious recipes.

These Red Curry Prawn Dumplings are from October’s issue. To make them look pretty I julienned the wonton wrappers instead of wrapping each dumpling. I also steamed them instead of the fry steam method on the recipe.

This dish took me 10 minutes to prepare, 8 minutes to cook and 2 minutes to eat. Not bad eh….

Red Curry Prawn Dumplings

(From Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food Magazine)

Ingredients

400 grams raw green prawns (peeled and deveined)

3 tablespoon grated ginger

2 shallots thinly sliced

4 teaspoons red curry paste

1 teaspoon fish sauce

1 packet wonton wrappers (this recipe makes approx 24 dumplings)

Method

1. In a small frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil, over medium heat. Fry the ginger and shallots until the shallots are slightly soft.

2. In a food processor, add the peeled prawns, fish sauce and red curry paste. Put the mixture into a bowl and add the cooked shallot and ginger. Stir until combined. Cover with glad wrap and set aside for about 15 minutes to let the flavours combined.

3. Separate the wonton wrappers and julienne small portions at a time, making small strips. Put the wonton strips in a large deep bowl.

4. Using a melon baller or a measuring spoon, drop small amount of the mixture into the wonton strips. Put each dumpling into a steamer lined with wax paper.

5. Steam the dumplings for 8 to 10 minutes. The dumplings are cooked when they are firm to touch and the wonton strips are translucent.

6. Serve the dumplings with a dipping sauce made with 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of grated ginger and 1 teaspoon of sesame oil.

These dumpling are just delicious. The red curry is a fantastic addition and doesn't take away from the flavour of the prawns. Make sure you add your own flavours to the mixture such as bamboo shoots or water chestnuts for crunch. Frying them would also give you a different texture and flavour.

A Perfect Sunday Afternoon..

2011-09-11T20:32:00.001+10:00

What's a perfect Sunday Afternoon for you? For me it's all about the weather. Spring is here. Although we had a few cold days, the sun seems to come out on the weekends, which is when it really counts.

This weekend was the perfect time to give my new Bodum Picnic Grill a bit of a whirl. I have always wanted a picnic grill and this one is light, cute and comes in an amazing array of colours.

I made some Spiced Steak Kebabs and for dessert, BBQ Pineapple Chunks with Cinnamon Sugar.

Spiced Steak Kebabs (Martha Stewarts Everyday Living September Issue)

Ingredients

12 – 15 pieces sirloin steak chunks (cut into 1½ inches each)

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 medium green capsicum (cut into 1½ inch chunks)

1 medium red onion (cut into 1 inch pieces)

salt and pepper

Method

1. In a small bowl, combine the oil, cumin, coriander, salt and pepper together.

2. Thread the steak, onion and capsicum onto your skewers. I only used 4 chunks of steaks per skewer.

3. Brush the skewers with the oil mixture making sure that it is well coated. Set aside in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

4. BBQ the skewers, turning frequently to avoid burning. It’s best to take it off the heat when the meat is slightly pink. The skewers will continue to cook off the heat. Let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.

I first tasted these Pineapple Chunks at a Brazilian BBQ Restaurant. The sweet pineapple is perfect with the cinnamon sugar. Such a simple but delicious dessert.

BBQ Pineapple Chunks with Cinnamon Sugar

Ingredients

1 Pineapple (skin off and cut into thick chunks)

2 tablespoons cinnamon

4 tablespoons castor sugar

BBQ skewers (wooden skewers should be soaked in water to prevent burning)

Method

1. Mix the cinnamon and the sugar together and put it on a plate.

2. Coat each pineapple chunk in the cinnamon sugar mixture before putting onto the BBQ Skewers.

3. BBQ for 6 minutes each side. The outside should start to caramelise.

4. Let it cool slightly before serving.

You can add a little more cinnamon sugar after it has cooked. Don’t add too much as it will take away from the charcoal flavour. This is perfect served with coconut ice cream or fresh cream.

Thank you to Kitchenware Direct for sending me the Cool Bodum Picnic Grill to review. For more information on the Bodum range just go to Kitchenware Direct.

Popcorn Cake Pops

2011-07-31T19:34:00.001+10:00

Cake Pops, they are slowly popping up everywhere. They are so simple to make and you can let your creativity run wild.

Kitchenware Direct were kind enough to send me some cool moulds, candy dips and a book to get my creative juices flowing. The book called Pops, Sweets on a Stick, gives you tonnes of different ideas on how to make all sorts of different cake pops.

One that caught my eye was the Popcorn Cake Pop. It looked like so much fun to make and all I really needed was some marshmallows to turn a simple cake pop into Popcorn.

Popcorn Cake Pops

Makes 13 -15 Cake Pops

Ingredients

150g Packet Oreos

2 tablespoons Light Philadelphia Cream Cheese

1 Packet White Mini Marshmallows

1 Wilton Pops Candy Dips in White

Yellow chocolate food colouring (powder form)

You will also need:

13 – 15 Paper Lollipop Sticks (15cm in length)

Styrofoam block

1. Using a food processor, blitz the Oreos until they resemble fine cookie crumbs.

2. In a medium bowl, add the Oreo cookie crumbs with the 2 tablespoons of cream cheese. With a spatula, combine the cookie crumbs and the cream cheese until it holds its shape.

3. Roll a teaspoon of the mixture into a ball and gently indent a side. This will make the Popcorn shape. Once you finish rolling all of the mixture into cake balls, set them aside in the fridge to cool for 5 minutes.

4. Microwave the Candy Dips for 2 minutes or until completely melted. Add about half a teaspoon of yellow food colouring and stir until combined.

5. Remove the cooled cake balls from the fridge. Dip about half a centimetre of the lollipop stick into the chocolate and insert into each cake ball.

6. Take a cake pop and stick marshmallows all around the bottom, using the chocolate as the glue, making sure to squash and pinch each marshmallow to make it look like popcorn. Put the cake pops into the freezing for a minute to set.

7. Remove the cake pops out of the freezer and dip each one in the chocolate to coat. Gently tap the excess of the Popcorn Pops and put it on the Styrofoam block to set.

If you are interested in making your own Cake Pops, make sure to check out the Cake Pops section at Kitchenware Direct. You will find everything you need to make your very own Cake Pops to impress.

Mini Goat's Cheese Tarts

2011-07-17T14:50:00.000+10:00

As I walk from the station to work every morning, I always make time to stop at the Gourmet Supermarket at Greenwod Plaza. They have rows of homemade pates, local jams, sauce and goats cheese.

Goat’s cheese is one of my favourite cheeses. Its soft and tangy, it also goes with just about anything. These Goat’s cheese tarts are simple and moreish.

Mini Goat’s Cheese Tarts

Makes 4 mini tarts

Ingredients

1 sheet of puff pastry

2 large free-range eggs
150ml thickened cream

¼ cup of goat’s cheese

1 teaspoon of dried oregano or parsley

salt & pepper to taste

Optional: caramelised onions and more goats cheese for topping

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 170°C (338°F).

2. Cut the puff pastry into 4 squares and line 4 mini tart pans with the pastry. Gently dart the pastry with a fork. Line with wax paper and weigh it down with some pie weights. Blind bake for 10 minutes or until they are slightly golden brown. Set aside while you make the filling.

3. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with the cream, oregano or parsley. Crumble the goats cheese into the mixture and fold in. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Pour an even amount of the mixture into the 4 blind baked pastry shells.

5. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when you insert it through the middle of the tart.

6. Serve the tart topped with caramelised onions and more crumbled goats cheese.

Tips: Make sure to use free-range eggs. Fresh farm eggs work best. They are a lot tastier and the colour is more vibrant.

Chocolate Cake with Fresh Cream and Mixed Berry Sauce

2011-07-04T23:53:00.000+10:00

Ok so I admit it, I use pre packaged cake mix. I love to make my own cakes but sometimes time gets the better of me and when I need to make something quickly I resort to good ol cake mixes. I honestly don’t see anything wrong with it. There are some delicious mixes out there. You just have to look for it.

At the Good Food & Wine Show in Sydney, I found just that, I saw a crowd at the La Cour Patisserie Stand and headed over there. I met Natalie, who has developed a range of sweet cafe treats for people to make at home. Her products are preservative free and have no artificial flavours. That instantly won me over, and I ended up going home with 3 cafe style treats to make at home.

So here is my version of a quick Chocolate Cake, this took me all of 10 minutes to prepare.

Chocolate Cake with Fresh Cream and Mixed Berry Sauce

Ingredients

1 x Double Layer Chocolate Cake Baking Kit

1 cup of frozen mixed berries

¼ caster sugar

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 cup thickened cream

Method

1. Make the cake as per the instructions on the box. Allow the cake to cool completely before decorating

2. In a saucepan, add the caster sugar, berries and lemon juice over medium heat. Stir the mixture until the sugar has dissolved and the berries start to burst. Try not to over cook the sauce. You want the berries to retain their shape.

3. Whip the cream until stiff peaks and set aside.

Assembling the Cake

1. Take the 2 chocolate cakes and trim the tops to make them even.

2. Fold the whipped cream with half of the berry sauce. Put the cream on top of the first chocolate cake.

3. Put the second chocolate cake on top of the cream. Gently press the cake down.

4. Ice the top layer with the Chocolate Icing and serve on a pretty cake stand.

This cake is deliciously decadent and addictive. I recommend it to anyone looking to impress friends and family with a dessert that looks like it took hours to make.

If you want more information on Natalie's delicious range of sweet treats or if you would like to order just go to her website La Cour Patisserie

Dani’s Son-In-Law Eggs from the MasteChef Magazine

2011-06-26T13:17:00.000+10:00

The first time I had Son-In-Law eggs was at a friend’s house back when I was in high school. My friend’s dad made it for us and served it with some steaming hot rice as an afternoon treat. I remember thinking, how on earth am I going to eat this. I hate runny eggs.

A number of years later, my palette has certainly changed. I now love runny yolks and never eat eggs that are overcooked and rubbery. When I saw the recipe on the MasterChef magazine, I knew I had to try to make the dish myself.

I made this dish using Quail eggs instead of your standard chicken eggs. Soft boiled quail eggs have a delicious flavour and I prefer to use them for this dish.

Dani’s Son-In-Law Eggs

Ingredients

12 quail eggs (room temperature)

2 tablespoons of tamarind puree’

1/4 cup of caster sugar

1/3 cup of water

Zest and juice of 1 lime

2 long red chillies (we only had the small super hot chilli. I used half of that)

Vegetable oil for frying

Salt or fish sauce to taste

1. To soft boil the quail eggs, put the eggs in a saucepan of cold water. Bring to the boil, carefully swirling the eggs so that the yolk stays in the middle. As soon as it boils, turn the heat off and run cold water on the eggs to stop the cooking process. Carefully peel the eggs and set aside.

2. In a small saucepan, add the tamarind puree, sugar, water, zest and lime juice. Stir until combined and bring to a boil until the mixture is thick and syrupy. Season with salt to taste, I used a few drops of fish sauce instead as tamarind and fish sauce are a great flavour combination.

3. Fill a saucepan with vegetable oil. Bring the heat up to around 180. You can drop a small piece of bread into oil to check if it’s ready. If the bread starts to sizzle, then the oil is ready for frying.

4. Fry the eggs until they are golden brown. Let them drain on some paper towel. Serve the eggs on top of some salad leaves or steaming hot rice. Top with the sauce and some thin slices of chilli.

I found that the quail eggs cooked a little more during the frying stage. I would suggest draining the eggs from the boiling water as soon as it comes to the boil, put the eggs in some icy water to cool it down quickly. Peeling the eggs can be very time consuming so be patient.

Kulinarya Cooking Club - June Theme "White Food"

2011-06-20T23:11:00.000+10:00

Thanks to Adora from Adora’s Box and Diona from Tita Flips for this months Kulinarya Theme “White Food".

I must admit, it's been a few months since I have had the chance to do a Kulinarya Dish. It was so good to be back in the Kitchen with Mama Eugenio.

I love learning new desserts and dishes from her. This Cassava Cake recipe is one of my favourite desserts. The best part of this dessert is the topping. When I read my email and saw the theme, I knew that this was the dessert to make.

Cassava Cake With Lanka (Jackfruit)

Cake

Ingredients

2 packets of grated cassava (454 grams per pack)

4 cups coconut milk
1 cup of caster sugar
50 grams butter (melted)

1 can of jackfruit in syrup

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 200C.

2. In a bowl, add the grated cassava, coconut milk and caster sugar. Stir until the mixture is combined. Make sure to break down all the cassava, as it tends to be a little lumpy.

2. Drain the jackfruit from the syrup and slice into thin strips. Add half of the drained jackfruit to the cassava mixture. Add the melted butter and stir.

3. Pour the cassava mix into a wide pyrex dish. Bake in the oven at 200C until the top starts to set (approximately 30 minutes).

Topping

Ingredients

2 eggs

1 and half cans of condensed milk

Method

1. Beat the eggs using an electric mixer. Slowly add the condensed milk until combined.

2. Pour the topping over the top of the cassava cake and bake for a further 15 minutes or until the topping is a golden brown.

This is a delicious dessert perfect for a party. You can use the jackfruit syrup instead of the sugar for taste. This dessert is also delicious with buko (young coconut) instead of jackfruit.

Kulinarya Cooking Club was started by a group of Filipino foodies living in Sydney, who are passionate about the Filipino culture and its colourful cuisine.

Each month we will showcase a new dish along with their family recipes. By sharing these recipes, we hope you find the same passion and love for Filipino Food as we do.

If you’re interested in joining our Kulinarya Cooking Club, please feel free to drop by our foodblogs and leave a comment – we would love to hear from you!

To access the list of members and their blogs just go to Kulinarya Club

Tapas - Dinner Party

2011-05-17T12:25:00.000+10:00

I am finally back. It’s been pretty busy at Camp A Cupcake or Two. Travelling, moving offices and work in general kind of took over my life for a while there.

I did a post on my blog last year, about a class that I did at Kei’s Kitchen. Kei and her daughter Masako do a range of Japanese cooking classes from Kaiseki to everyday Japanese food. I learnt how to make some fantastic dishes in the class, but I also met some new friends.

Tony from my class decided to host a dinner party. We had to plan this early as one of our classmates actually lives in Japan with his wife and daughter. Thats Tony below, proudly wearing his Junior MasterChef Apron and Chef Hat :)

We decided to do a Tapas theme. Trinh brought along some marinated quail and beef tongue. Both were cooked on the BBQ at the last minute. The quail was delicious and sweet and the tongue was so full of flavour. This was actually the first time I had tongue prepared this way.

Thanks to Bianca from PEPR, I was able to bring along some Chorizo from Manolete. The Chorizo has a very subtle flavour and best grilled in thick slices or in a Paella. You can purchase the Chorizo from Harris Farm, Quattro Formaggi or Encasa Restaurant.

I also brought along some Sangria. So dangerously GOOD..

My cousins Queenie made some Garlic Prawns which were quickly marinated in some smoked paprika. The prawns were so sweet and succulent and the paprika added a real bite to this simple dish.

Diana made some Marinated Baby Octopus that she marinated over 3 days. It was packed with flavour and the pieces of baby octopus melted in your mouth. This was served on a bed of Salad and some eaten accompanied by some freshly baked sour dough.

Justin prepared a very simple dish that showcased the flavours of Heirloom Tomatoes. He simply put them on a bed of rock salt and baked them in the oven. The rock salt drew the sweetness of the tomatoes out and made it such a pleasant dish to eat.

Our host Tony made some Stuffed Chicken Wings. He deboned the wings and filled them with some Vietnamese sausage. He put the in the oven after coating them with some chilli oil. This was the perfect fusion of Asian and Spanish flavours.

The dinner party was loads of fun. So many stories shared and lots of alcohol makes for an extremely happy bunch of people. I am a big believer in the saying "Food Brings People Together". It has certainly brought this small group together.

I would like to say a big Thank You to Tony and his wife Jasmine for hosting...

Below is the recipe for Diana's Marinated Baby Octopus. It is a really simple dish to make. The process takes a few days but is well worth it.

Marinated Baby Octopus

Ingredients

1 kilo baby octopus
Handful of parsley finely chopped
Half a bulb of garlic crushed
1 tablespoon vegeta (stock powder)
1/2 teaspoon of cracked black pepper
200 grams of green olives
1 cup of good olive oil
1 cup balsamic vinegar

To Serve
A mixture of salad leaves

Method

1. Boil the octopus until it is cooked. It normally takes about 20 minutes. Cut the cooked octopus into halves.
2. Add all the other ingredients together and stir until combined. Put the octopus into an airtight container and store it in the fridge for 3 days. Stir the mixture, once a day.
3 After the 3rd day, serve the marinated baby octopus on a bed of salad greens.

Enjoy....

Spice It Up - Buffalo Wings with a Blue Cheese Dressing

2011-02-05T16:40:00.000+11:00

I must admit I am a sucker for LOVE. The romance, looking into each others eyes and the random I Love You's makes me all giddy inside. Since Valentine's Day is just around the corner I thought I would change my outlook on LOVE. Instead of making something sweet, I decided on something Spicy. These Buffalo Wings with a delicious Blue Cheese Dressing will WOO any Man. Its spicy and delicious. It'll probably put a spring in his step.. Now to find myself a man to WOO ahahahaha..

Blue Cheese Dressing
Adapted from The Barefoot Contessa

120 grams blue cheese (I used Danish Blue)

1 cup whole egg mayonnaise

½ cup light sour cream

1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce

salt and pepper to taste

½ teaspoon cider vinegar

1. In a food processor, add all the ingredients and pulse until well combined.

2. Set the blue cheese dressing aside in the fridge until you are ready to use it.

I am a big fan of blue cheese so I normally make sure that the dressing is a little chunky. If you want a smooth dressing just blitz in the food processor until all the chunks of blue cheese have disappeared. This dressing tends to get a little too thick. Add about a teaspoon of skim milk to loosen the dressing before serving with the Buffalo Wings.

Tip: If you are not a fan of Blue Cheese, why not try making it with an Ash Brie or even Goats Cheese works.

Buffalo Wings

12 chicken wings

½ cup flour

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoon tabasco (use 1 tablespoon if you don't want them too hot)

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

125 grams butter

1 teaspoon tomato sauce (for colour)

1 teaspoon red chilli flakes (optional)
1 teaspoon salt

oil for deep-frying

1. With a sharp knife, cut the wing tips of the chicken. Cut through the chicken from the elbow joint. This should give you a mini drumstick and a wing. You should now have 24 pieces of chicken. Dry the chicken with some paper towels.

2. In a large zip lock bag, add the garlic powder, pepper and flour. Seal and shake to mix the ingredients together. Take the chicken and add it to the seasoned flour.

3. Heat some oil in your deep fryer. Cook the chicken in batches until they are golden brown. Set aside in the oven, set to low to keep them warm.

4. In a small saucepan, add the butter, salt, cayenne pepper, tabasco and tomato sauce together. Heat until the butter is melted, whisking constantly on a medium heat. Don’t let the sauce boil.

5. Put the warm chicken wings in a deep heatproof bowl. Add the sauce to the wings and gently mix using a pair of tongs. Set aside to cool slightly. This will allow the hot sauce to be absorbed into the chicken wings.

Serve the wings with some celery sticks and blue cheese dressing.

These wings are delicious. Perfect for a loved one or just for a party. You can make them a little less naughty by putting them in the oven instead of deep frying... Enjoy..

Strawberry and White Chocolate Cupcakes

2011-01-17T19:44:00.002+11:00

Happy New Year everyone. I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas and a fun filled New Year. I still can't believe it's 2011. Time flies so fast.

Strawberries are really sweet at the moment, they are smaller in size but each punnet of strawberries that I have bought have been so sweet and juicy. What better way for me to do my first post on these delicious cupcakes. I found this recipe from www.taste.com.au, I tweaked it a little based on what ingredients I had at home.

These cupcakes are not only easy to make but really delicious too. They addition of almond meal gives it texture and keeps the cupcakes moist.

Strawberry and White Chocolate Cupcakes

(adapted from www.taste.com.au)

Ingredients

125g butter, at room temperature

155g (3/4 cup) caster sugar

2 eggs

150g (1 cup) self-raising flour

90g white chocolate, melted

80g (2/3 cup) almond meal

185ml (3/4 cup) skim milk

1 x 250g punnet strawberries, washed, hulled

300g (2 cups) icing sugar mixture, sifted

2-4 teaspoons milk

1. Preheat oven to 180C. Line twelve 80ml (1/3-cup) capacity muffin pans.

2. Use an electric beater to beat the butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Gently fold the flour into the egg mixture. Fold in the chocolate, hazelnut meal and buttermilk until smooth.

3. Divide among the prepared pans and smooth the surfaces. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centres comes out clean. Set aside in the pans for 5 minutes to cool before turning onto a wire rack to cool completely.

4. Roughly chop 4 strawberries and place in a medium bowl. Use a fork to crush them slightly. Stir in the icing sugar. Gradually add milk until the icing is spreadable.

5. Spread icing over the cakes. Halve remaining strawberries arrange on top of each cupcake.

When making the icing, I would suggest leaving the strawberries coarsely crushed. It will break down the sweetness of the icing and the specks of crushed strawberries look great on top of the cupcakes.

I cant end this post without encouraging everyone to donate to the QLD Flood Relief. This has really affected me because its so close to home. I feel for the thousands of people that have lost everything. I don't go a day without thinking of all the people that have lost their lives and all those helpless animals that have struggled to survive.

Every dollar counts. So please dig deep and donate.

Red Cross

RSPCA

Christmas Eve with a batch of Trissa's World’s Best Pistachio Cookies

2010-12-24T17:26:00.000+11:00

When I read Trissa’s post about what she thought was the Worlds Best Pistachio Cookies, I immediately knew I had to taste them. Will they meet my expectations?? I love pistachios, but every time I have a cookie with pistachios I would always feel like there wasn’t enough in them.

After dinner with Trissa one night, we went to get the ingredients to make the cookies. With just 5 ingredients, I was about to create what would become a new family favourite.

It took me 5 minutes to make the mixture and after 15 minutes I had a batch of the Worlds Best Pistachio Cookies out of the oven. Did it meet my expectations?? It certainly did and then some. It was chewy, sweet with tonnes of roasted pistachio pieces.

I was asked by Mama Eugenio to make some for Christmas gifts and my dad looks for them all the time. Trissa thank you for sharing such a great recipe. It’s now a Eugenio Family Favourite, which I am sure to last decades.

Worlds Best Pistachio Cookies or Italian Pistachio Cookies

By Trissalicious

90 grams PLUS 100 grams Pistachios (raw, shelled)

100 grams almond meal

120 grams caster sugar

50 grams eggwhites (from around 1 to 2 eggs)

Green food colouring (optional)

1. Lightly toast the pistachios for around 10 minutes in a preheated oven at 160c. 2. Chop the first 90 grams of pistachio finely (you can use a food processor for this) and the other 100 grams of pistachios roughly.

3. In a bowl place the finely chopped 90 grams of pistachios, almond meal, sugar and egg whites. Mix well (you can add a few drops of food colouring now if you wish) until you form a paste.

4. Scoop the cookie batter and form into little balls, (at this point, if you find the batter too sticky add a little bit more almond meal to the paste) then roll them in the remaining 100 grams of pistachios.

5. Place then in a baking sheet, around 2 cm apart and bake for around 13 minutes at 170c (fan forced).

6. Dust with icing sugar when cool.

Have a very Merry Christmas Everyone. I hope your day is filled with lots of love, hugs, happy little kids opening presents and delicious good. Cheers to a fantastic 2011...

Kulinarya Theme December - Homemade Gifts

2010-12-21T22:16:00.002+11:00

Thanks to Joy and Maribel, Decembers Kulinarya theme is Homemade Food Gifts. There is nothing like a gift that comes from the heart. Food is the perfect gift. You know you are special, when you receive something homemade. All that time and effort to make it look good and taste even better.

Ube Halaya is very special to me. Its one of many desserts that remind me of my Lola (grandma). She used to make it for me when I would visit on weekends. Ube is also something my mum makes a lot for summer. We eat it by the spoonful or put it in Halo Halo. The more you make, the more you can put on your Halo Halo.

Since Ube is like a jam, I didn’t know how I would present it as a gift. While walking through the supermarket, I found some mini shortcrust pastry shells. Hmmmm ok so I kind of cheated. I just didn’t have time to make my own pastry shells. I call these Ube Halaya Tarts. They look so cute and taste even better.

This simple dessert only requires a few ingredients and some elbow grease. So below is Mama Eugenio's version of Ube Halaya.

Ube Halaya (Purple Jam)

1 packet of grated purple yam
1 can of condensed milk

500ml coconut milk

1 tablespoon of butter

1. Grease a pie pan or pyrex baking dish with some butter.

2. Put the condensed milk, purple yam and coconut milk in a pot on medium heat. Using a whisk mix the ingredients until well combined. Make sure you try to get all the lumps out.

3. Continuously stir the mixture with a wooden spoon until it becomes thick. This could take around 10 minutes.

4. When the mixture is thick, take it off the heat and add the butter. Stir through before pouring the mixture into your prepared baking dish.

5. Set aside to cool. When the Ube is cool enough, use a piping bag with a star tip to put the ube into the mini shortcrust pastry shells. Cover the rest of the ube with cling wrap and put it in the fridge. These tarts are best piped before serving.

The mini shortcrust pastry shells are available at Woolworths or any major supermarket. If you have time, I would suggest making your own pastry shells.

I just wanted to say a big THANK YOU to all the Kulinarya Cooking Club members for all their contributions this year. It has been fantastic and I have learnt so much from you all. Have a safe Christmas everyone. Cheers to what is ahead for 2011...

Kulinarya Cooking Club was started by a group of Filipino foodies living in Sydney, who are passionate about the Filipino culture and its colourful cuisine.

Each month we will showcase a new dish along with their family recipes. By sharing these recipes, we hope you find the same passion and love for Filipino Food as we do.

If you’re interested in joining our Kulinarya Cooking Club, please feel free to drop by our foodblogs and leave a comment – we would love to hear from you!

Olive – http://www.latestrecipes.net/

Caroline – http://whenadobometfeijoada.blogspot.com/

Ninette – http://bigboldbeautifulfood.blogspot.com/

Peach- http://www.thepeachkitchen.com/

Althea- http://www.busogsarap.com/

Asha – http://forkspoonnknife.blogspot.com/

Malou – http://www.skiptomalou.net/

Cherrie – http://www.sweetcherriepie.com

Acdee – http://acdee.blogspot.com/

Valerie – http://www.acanadianfoodie.com/

Sheryl – http://crispywaffle.com/

Divina – http://www.sense-serendipity.com/

Anna – http://www.anniesfoodjournal.blogspot.com/

Dahlia – http://www.energychef.blogspot.com/

Joy – http://joyjoycreativeoutlet.blogspot.com/

Maribel – http://www.foodgeek.webs.com/

Tressa

Jen – http://www.jen-at-work.blogspot.com/

Pia – http://bisayajudkaayo.blogspot.com/

Malaka – http://thegrandinternational.com

Mimi – http://lapinchecocinera.blogspot.com

Erika – http://ivoryhut.com/

Kat – http://twitter.com/alanokat

Lala – http://thislittlepiggywenttothemarket.blogspot.com/

Selfie – http://eats.sefiebee.com/

Connie Veneracion frm http://homecookingrocks.com/

Oggi from http://oggi-icandothat.blogspot.com/

Katrina Kostik from http://lardonmyfrench.blogspot.com/

Rochelle Ryan from http://www.whydiss.blogspot.com/

Marica – http://cuppycreme.blogspot.com

Diona – http://titaflips.blogspot.com/

Rowena - http://saraplicious.blogspot.com

Theodore – http://chefbyday.wordpress.com/

Gianna – http://the-empty-fridge.blogspot.com/

Mireille – http://dirtyicecreaminyourlunchbox.blogspot.com/

Marishka – http://rishka.multiply.com/

Annapet – http://moonglowgardens.wordpress.com/

Boyet – http://reelandgrill.blogspot.com/

Adora – http://www.adorasbox.net

Marvin – www.eatmarvin.com

And ofcourse Trisha from Sugarlace and Trissa from Trissalicious

MasterChef Live - A Snapshot

2010-12-12T23:29:00.000+11:00

Thanks to Ashley and Helen from Stellar Concepts, I along with Gianna from The Empty Fridge and my Aunt had the opportunity to go as a VIP to MasterChef Live. Being a huge MasterChef fan and also working on Junior MasterChef, I was extremely excited. So below is the snapshot of my favourite parts of MasterChef Live.

Before the first show the judges along with some of the past contestants to officially open the event. So many shutter bugs, this was the only photo I was able to get. Wow now I know how hard it would be to be paparazzi.

We were seated in the front row along with some fabulous food bloggers, Not Quite Nigella, The Empty Fridge, Citrus and Candy and Simons Food Favourites. The stage was a replica of the MasterChef Kitchen. The crowd went wild as the judges started the show.

MasterChef 2 winner Adam and finalist Marion were also at the show to help out. Adam mentioned that his book will be out in 2011 and he is also planning to open up a restaurant in Surry Hills next year. Marion is now living in Palm Beach and has a few projects coming up in 2011.

Gary and George continued the show by doing a pressure test with a few audience members. (Hmmm speaking of audience members, we were a little shocked to find out that, one of the ones picked was actually Staff at the event.) Read all about it here. They all had to cook a quail dish that would later be judged. The show was funny, and really got the crowd going.

After the show we headed back to the Food Hall, which was a very similar set up to the Good Food and Wine Show. One of the stands that stood out was Wild Sugar. Skye Craig from the second series of MasterChef has started a Dessert business with a difference. Her aim is to produce desserts that are made from natural ingredients such as Agave Nectar and Honey. Guilt free but delicious.

Gianna and I tasted the Japanese Green Tea Ice Cream, Chocolate and Avocado Mousse with a Raspberry Cream, Chocolate Ice Cream with Hazelnuts and the Lime Mousse with Fresh Finger Lime. They were all deliciously rich and tasty. You would never think that these desserts would actually be good for you. I wish Skye all the best with her Dessert business. I know I will certainly be looking out for them. They are just divine.

Apart from the Food Hall, there was the out outdoor area. This is where we decided to buy some food to re-fuel. It was extremely hot and muggy. My Aunt and I bought some pork dumplings from Din Tai Fung, a Chilli Dog and Wagyu Burger from Charlie and Co.

The Outdoor Area was also where Grill The Chef was. I made it just in time for Kylie Kwong's session. Kylie was sharing some tips and tricks regarding Chinese cooking. She was also answering questions from foodies around the table.

The SAXA Salt Professionals Theatre inside the Food Hall had an array of Chefs such as Neil Perry, Christine Mansfield, Peter Doyle and Frank Camora showcasing various dishes from their restaurants. We caught Frank Camora's session. He showed us how to make 3 Tapas Dishes which are easy enough to replicate at home.

MasterChef Live was a great event that really gave the fans the chance to meet the judges and the contestants from the show. I hope to see it back, bigger and better in 2011. For more great post about MasterChef Live go to Simon, Sara or Gianna's blog.

Cibo E Vino - Castle Hill

2010-12-04T18:21:00.001+11:00

I did a post about Cibo last year, since then this little restaurant has been a regular dining place for my friends and I. Cibo prides themselves in serving dishes made from local produce, and the menu changes depending on what is in season.

Heirloom Tomato Bruchetta $4.50 per person. The bruschetta had big chunks of sweet heirloom tomatoes. The bread was crunchy with a slight garlic flavour. This was topped with warm olive oil.

The ladies and I start with the Shoe String Fries with Herbs, Chilli, Parmesan and Garlic $9.00. We love this side dish so much that we decide to order two bowls. This was Mel’s first time at Cibo and this certainly won her over.

House Made Gnocchi with Tomato, Pecorino and Sage $21.00. The gnocchi was so smooth. The pecorino added a perfect amount of bite to this dish.

Ocean Trout with Kipfler Potatoes, Asparagus, Green Beans, Broad Beans, Peas and Cured Lemon Butter $30.00. Leah chose this as her main. Although I didn't get to taste it, she was very pleased with her choice.

House Made Gnocchi, with Sage, Goats Curd, Chicken Stock and Olive Crumbs $23.00. This was the second Gnocchi dish on the menu. Mel picked a winner. I actually had food envy. The goats curd was the perfect match with the olive crumbs. The chicken stock added lightness to this very rich dish.

I chose the Roast Lamb Rump with Mashed Potatoes, Broccolini and Green Olive Dressing $30.00. I had this main the last time I was at Cibo. The lamb always comes out perfectly cooked. The mash potato is always so perfect with no lumps and the olive dressing is just divine. This is by far my favourite main.

Chris chose the entrée size House Made Fettucine with Braised Free Range Pork, Tomato, Red Wine and Parmesan $15.00. Unfortunately I didn’t get to taste this but it did look delicious with big chunks of braised pork and a big pile of parmesan on top.

No matter how full, I always leave a tiny little bit of room for dessert. Chef Paul Toogood makes the best ice cream in the west. Leah and Chris got the Fresh Mango Sorbet $9.00. It was so light and refreshing. It had just the right amount of sweetness and really cleansed the pallet.

Mel and I got the Trio of Ice Creams. In the trio there was Vanilla made with fresh vanilla beans, Orange and Nougat and an Almond ice cream which had a generous amount of almond praline.

Cibo E Vino truly is a hidden gem. If you are ever in the hills area, make sure you book dinner at Cibo. The staff are fantastic, the food is delicious and it is affordable.

For more information go to

http://www.ciboevino.com.au/

Cibo E Vino

Shop 2, 299 Old Northern Road

Castle Hill NSW 2145

Telephone: 02 80020912

Cibo have some Cooking For Christmas classes coming up. The classes are on the 6th and 13th of December. Make sure you ring and book to secure a spot.

Milk Chocolate and Hazelnut Petits Fours

2010-11-23T23:09:00.000+11:00

With Christmas coming up, MasterChef Magazine has released a double issue. One of the things that I always get excited about in Christmas issues is their simple gift ideas.

One of Matt’s Tops 6 this month is Peter Gilmore’s Milk Chocolate and Hazelnut Petits Fours. These small morsels of delicious chocolate and hazelnut are the perfect gift for friends and family with a sweet tooth.

Milk Chocolate and Hazelnut Petits Fours

Ganache

300 grams milk chocolate finely chopped (I used Haighs)

125ml pouring cream

30 grams cold unsalted butter chopped

1. To make the ganache, place the milk chocolate in a large heatproof bowl. Place the cream in a saucepan and bring to almost boiling point. Pour the cream into the chocolate and mix until the chocolate has melted. Whisk the butter into the ganache until it is melted and the ganache is glossy. Cool in the fridge for at least a few hours.

Caramelised Hazelnuts

75 grams caster sugar
1 tablespoon pouring cream
60 grams roasted peeled hazelnuts
2 tablespoons water

You will need a sugar thermometer for the caramel.

1. Line a tray with baking paper. Place sugar and 2 tablespoons of water in a saucepan. Swirl until all the sugar is dissolved. Simmer until the caramel reaches 160c on a sugar thermometer. Stir in cream until well combined. Cook it for 30 seconds, make sure you watch this closely as it can split.

2. Remove the pan from the heat and add the hazelnuts. Make sure to stir until all the hazelnuts are coated with the caramel. Transfer the mixture onto the tray and allow to cool.

3. Working quickly using a fork and damp hands, pull apart the hazelnuts one at a time. Roll each nut between your fingers to form a ball of smooth caramel. Set aside until use.

White Chocolate Crumbs

100 grams white chocolate (I used Haighs)
100 grams organic palm sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 170c. Line an oven tray with baking paper and add the chopped chocolate to the tray. Bake for 12 minutes or until the chocolate is golden. Allow to cool.

2. Process the roasted white chocolate in the food processor. I wanted my white chocolate crumbs to be chunky so I used a toy hammer. I put the cooled chocolate into a zip lock bag and went to town. It’s a great way to take your anger out J. Put the white chocolate crumbs into a bowl and rub the palm sugar in until its all combined. Set aside to cool ion the fridge.

Assembling Petits Fours

1. Line a large tray with baking paper. Scoop teaspoons of ganache onto the tray. You should be able to get around 60. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours .

2. To assemble, push a caramel hazelnut into each ganache centre and form a ball. When you do all 60, put them back into the fridge to cool for a minute or 2.

3. Put the white chocolate crumbs into a deep bowl. Take the ganache out of the fridge and immediately coat each one into the chocolate crumbs. Cool the Petits Fours in the fridge until you are ready to serve.

These Petits Fours are a little time consuming but extremely worth it at the end. If you want to mix things up, try adding crushed chocolate covered coffee beans with the chocolate crumbs instead of the palm sugar. It gives it texture and a completely different flavour.

Kei's Kitchen

2010-11-17T13:16:00.001+11:00

I first read about Kei’s Kitchen on Grab Your Fork. Kei along with her daughter Masako were also featured on Food Safari.

Last weekend, I finally got the chance to do a cooking class at Kei’s Kitchen. My cousin Queenie and I managed to secure a spot in her Party Menu Class, which was her second last class for 2010.

Our Party Menu included a Snapper Cooked in a Salt Oven, Wagyu Tataki, Herbed Cured Ocean Trout and Barazushi.

The Snapper Cooked in a Salt Oven was delicious. We put hard boiled eggs in the stomach to keep its shape while it cooks in the salt crust. This dish is very quick to prepare and would be a great addition to a Christmas menu for a big family.

The Wagyu Tataki was so simple to make. This was served on top of some Shiso leaves (Japanese Basil). Kei also told us that this is an antibiotic that is very good for you. This is always served with Sushi in Japan.

The Herbed Cured Ocean Trout was served with light dressing and some spring roll wrapper that have been sliced into ribbons and deep fried. The crunchy spring roll wrappers added some texture to this dish.

The Barazushi was delicious. It was basically a big bowl of sushi rice topped with egg threads, eel, prawns, snapper and garnished with beautiful shiso buds and kinome sprigs which smell beautiful.

We also prepared a medley of small dishes, which include Deep Fried Marinated Octopus, Seafood in Kimizu and Spinach Dressed in Sesame.

The next 4 hours were filled with making marinades, chopping, and preparing parts of dishes for their presentation. At the end of the class we all gathered around the table and enjoyed a meal together.

Kei and Masako taught us all about presentation and how important it is for the Japanese to prepare food that is only available at certain times of the year. I learnt a lot from Kei's class and I am already planning to book a class in 2011. If you would like more information about Kei's Kitchen you can visit their website www.keiskitchen.com.au

The Party Menu Class was $150.00 which is well worth it. This is a perfect Christmas gift for a foodie or someone who loves Japanese food.

The New Look A Cupcake Or Two and a Giveaway

2010-11-03T11:49:00.002+11:00

Thanks to Lindsay Nicole Design Studio, A Cupcake Or Two has had a makeover. I have been planning to do this for so long and a few weeks of holiday time has given me the opportunity to sit down and think about what I really wanted to do with my blog. So I hope you all like it.

To celebrate the new look, my first year of blogging and my passed 100^th post I am doing a giveaway.

Thanks to Ross from Rice Cube, 8 A Cupcake Or Two readers have the opportunity to win their very own Rice Cube.

The Rice Cube is a great little gadget that helps foodies with their presentation skills. It will certainly impress a big crowd. Its easy to use and a great present for this Christmas.

To be in the running for 1 of 8 Rice Cubes, all you need to do is leave a comment to tell me what you would make with your very own Rice Cube. Please include your email address with your entry.

You can enter once a day, however only 1 prize per person will be awarded. The winners will be chosen based on the best/original answer.

Prize

1 of 8 Rice Cubes valued at $39.95 each inc GST

The competition is opened to all A Cupcake Or Two readers. This competition starts on the 3^rd of November 12:00pm (AEST) and ends midnight on the 27^th of November 2010 (AEST).

Good Luck Everyone....

THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED. WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED SHORTLY

A Halloween Treat - Buko Pandan

2010-10-27T15:34:00.004+11:00

Bwahahahhahaha. It’s Halloween once again and below is my idea of a goolishly delicious treat. It’s actually called (Buko Pandan) or as Trish called it Green Grass Jelly & Young Coconut Cream Salad.

This dessert is popular at all Filipino gatherings and like all Filipino desserts, it is really rich and sweet.

So here is Mama Eugenio’s version of Buko Pandan

Buko Pandan

Ingredients

2 cans of green grass jelly

2 cans of coconut gel (Nata De Coco)

1 can of sugar palm seed (Kaong)

600ml thickened cream
1 can of condensed milk

2 bags of frozen young coconut meat

1 teaspoon of pandan flavouring

Method

1. Drain the coconut gel, sugar palm seeds and coconut.

2. Slice the grass jelly into small cubes and put it into a large deep serving bowl.

3. Add the coconut gel, sugar palm seed and coconut to the grass jelly.

4. Stir in the thickened cream, condensed milk and pandan flavouring.

5. Set aside in the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Tips:

- - Once the Buko Pandan chills the flavour changes so buy 2 cans of condensed milk as you may need to add a little bit more. It really depends on how sweet you want it.

- - If you cant find grass jelly, you can just make pandan flavoured jelly using agar agar, sugar and some pandan flavouring

- - All the ingredients are available at all good Asian supermarkets.

Happy Halloween Everyone, I hope you all have a devilishly good time. Mwahahahahahha…

Kulinarya - Suman

2010-10-18T22:36:00.003+11:00

Thanks to Sheryl from Crispy Waffle and Divina from Sense & Serendipity the theme for October’s Kulinarya Cooking Club is Suman. This was a really challenging dessert for me to make. I remember watching my grandmother making it but never thought that I would one day make it myself.

I rang my Aunty Dulce and asked her to help me with this months challenge. We decided to make Suman sa Lihiya. So with my Grandmothers recipe in hand, we started the long process of making this delicious dessert.

Suman Sa Lihiya with Latik

1 kilo of Glutinous Rice
1 teaspoon of Lye Water
1 kilo of Banana Leaves

1 roll o kitchen twine

(You can find the Lye Water and the Banana Leaves at any Filipino Food Store)

The first thing that needs to be done is to prepare the banana leaves. Take the leaves and cut them into approximately 30cmx 30cm pieces. Wash the banana leaves and allow them to drain. Make sure they are still slightly damp. Turn on the stove top and pass the leaves on both sides. They will change colour from a light green to a dark green. This is done so that the leaves are more pliable. It ensures that you can wrap the suman mixture without the leaves falling apart.

1. Wash the glutinous rice a few times to get rid of the grit. Put the rice in a large bowl and add the lye water. Mix well.

2. Take one big spoon of the rice mixture and put it in the middle of the banana leaf. Take both ends of the leaf and bring it up. Fold both ends down and tuck the sides to form a small parcel.

3. Take 2 of the small parcels and put them on top of each other. Get some kitchen twine and wrap it around and tie a small knot on the side to secure.

4. Once all the suman is wrapped, put it all in a deep pot and cover with water. Boil the suman for two hours. After 2 hours take the suman off the heat and drain.

5. Set aside while you make the latik.

Latik Sauce

2 cans of coconut cream

1 to 1½ cups of brown sugar firmly packed

1. In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and the coconut cream together.

2. Stir over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Let the mixture reduce until it is a thick consistency. Make sure to stir the mixture constantly to avoid sticking to the bottom of the saucepan.

To serve – Peel the banana leaves of 2 suman and serve with lots of latik on top.

Kulinarya Cooking Club was started by a group of Filipino foodies living in Sydney, who are passionate about the Filipino culture and its colourful cuisine.

Each month we will showcase a new dish along with their family recipes. By sharing these recipes, we hope you find the same passion and love for Filipino Food as we do.

If you’re interested in joining our Kulinarya Cooking Club, please feel free to drop by our foodblogs and leave a comment – we would love to hear from you!

Say hello to the other members of the Kulinarya Cooking Club!

Olive - http://www.latestrecipes.net/

Caroline - http://whenadobometfeijoada.blogspot.com/

Ninette - http://bigboldbeautifulfood.blogspot.com/

Peach- http://www.thepeachkitchen.com/

Althea- http://www.busogsarap.com/

Asha - http://forkspoonnknife.blogspot.com/

Malou - http://www.impromptudiva.com/

Cherrie - http://sweetcherriepie.blogspot.com/

Acdee - http://acdee.blogspot.com/

Valerie - http://www.acanadianfoodie.com/

Sheryl - http://crispywaffle.com/

Divina - http://www.sense-serendipity.com/

Anna - http://www.anniesfoodjournal.blogspot.com/

Dahlia - http://www.energychef.blogspot.com/

Joy - http://joyjoycreativeoutlet.blogspot.com/

Maribel - http://www.foodgeek.webs.com/

Tressa

Jen - http://www.jen-at-work.blogspot.com/

Pia - http://bisayajudkaayo.blogspot.com/

Malaka - http://thegrandinternational.com

Mimi - http://lapinchecocinera.blogspot.com

Erika - http://ivoryhut.com/

Kat - http://twitter.com/alanokat

Lala - http://thislittlepiggywenttothemarket.blogspot.com/

Selfie - http://eats.sefiebee.com/

Connie Veneracion frm http://homecookingrocks.com/

Oggi from http://oggi-icandothat.blogspot.com/

Katrina Kostik from http://lardonmyfrench.blogspot.com/

Rochelle Ryan from http://www.whydiss.blogspot.com/

And of course… Trish from Sugarlace and Trissa of Trissalicious!

Rice Cube

2010-09-28T23:05:00.007+10:00

Kitchen gadgets are great. They make cooking and baking more fun. I first saw the Rice Cube at a tradeshow in Melbourne. Ross who is the brains behind the Rice Cube, invented it to help him present his signature dishes.

I watched Ross demonstrate and I instantly wanted my own. At first glance it looks like 2 pieces from my nephews Lego collection, but once you see how it works, it’s incredible.

I decided to make some California Maki and instead of rolling it with the nori, I used the Rice Cube and made 4 different versions. I found it so easy to use. Its a great little gadget and I would recommend it to anyone that wants to improve their presentation skills.

For more information about the Rice Cube, you can go to http://ricecube.net It retails for $34.95. It's the perfect gift for any foodie.

Below is a video of how to use this cool little gadget.

Kulinarya - Spanish/Filipino Dishes and Desserts

2010-09-21T22:54:00.001+10:00

Thanks to AC from Acdee and Ziggy from My Filipino Kitchen, this months Kulinarya theme is Filipino/Spanish dishes or desserts.

I decided to make Pastillas De Leche. This is normally made with Water Buffalo milk and cooked until the mixture is thick. It is then cooled and rolled in sugar. I couldn’t find any Water Buffalo milk, so I decided to use a recipe that my mum often makes for her friends. It’s simple and doesn’t require any cooking.

Pastilles De Leche

Ingredients
2 cups of powdered milk
1 can of condensed milk
1 tablespoon of melted unsalted butter (optional)
½ cup of caster sugar

Method

1. Sift the powdered milk into a bowl.
2. Combine the melted butter and the condensed milk into another bowl.

3. Add the sifted powdered milk into the condensed milk mixture and stir until well combined. It should be a thick and sticky consistency.

4. Grab spoonfuls of the mixture and roll into small cylinders. Coat in the caster sugar and wrap individual cylinders in tissue paper or cellophane.

This Spanish/Filipino inspired sweet is sure to please. It's a breeze to make and incredibly delicious.

Kulinarya Cooking Club was started by a group of Filipino foodies living in Sydney, who are passionate about the Filipino culture and its colourful cuisine.

Each month we will showcase a new dish along with their family recipes. By sharing these recipes, we hope you find the same passion and love for Filipino Food as we do.

If you’re interested in joining our Kulinarya Cooking Club, please feel free to drop by our foodblogs and leave a comment – we would love to hear from you!

Say hello to the other members of the Kulinarya Cooking Club!

Olive – http://www.latestrecipes.net/

Caroline – http://whenadobometfeijoada.blogspot.com/

Ninette – http://bigboldbeautifulfood.blogspot.com/

Peach- http://www.thepeachkitchen.com/

Althea- http://www.busogsarap.com/

Asha - http://forkspoonnknife.blogspot.com/

Malou - http://www.impromptudiva.com/

Cherrie – http://sweetcherriepie.blogspot.com/

Acdee - http://acdee.blogspot.com/
Ziggy - http://www.myfilipinokitchen.com/

Valerie – http://www.acanadianfoodie.com/

Sheryl – http://crispywaffle.com/