Fig and Walnut

Corn Chowder

2012-03-01T12:07:00.000+11:00

This is one of those recipes my grandma used to make for me as a kid and I still love. Such simple flavours but they work so well together, and it's soo yummy! I was reminded of this when visiting Boudin on Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco.

But first up, I wanted to share possibly one of my most favourite things in the world with you - the Boudin Sourdough Animals! The bakers are on display in the window, creating all sorts of delicious animal masterpieces - which you can then purchase in the bakery.

Of course, being bread, you aren't always sure how it will rise, but I've got to say they are pretty good, although a little odd shaped at times. They only had the small animals available in the shop, but one of the bakers was glazing a huge alligator in the window. I've got to wonder - who is going to eat that much bread? And they are going to be the strangest shaped slices...

If you can see in the main picture, they have a loopy pole running around the ceiling - these hold baskets which carry freshly baked bread from the bakery to the restaurant and cafe. Ingenious!

Now on to the chowder. This is a quick, one pot, pull this together after work sort of meal. You can add paprika, chilli, shrimp, roast chicken, carrots - whatever you like. This is a great base for chowders, or to have as a simple meal on its own with some freshly baked bread. One day I'll make it in a sourdough bowl but I haven't allowed myself to yet, as I know I will eat the whole loaf! There is nothing like crusty bread that is warm and soggy on the inside from soaking up that wonderful soup... yum!!

Corn Chowder

Prep 10 minutes
Cook 10 minutes

Serves 4-6

1 large tin of creamed corn
2 cups of cooked, diced potato
3 cups of milk
2 sliced onions
1 garlic clove
2 tablespoons butter
Cornflour
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper

1. Fry the onions and potatoes in the butter in a heavy bottomed saucepan until onions are soft and both are lightly golden. Add garlic and stir until fragrant.

2. Add creamed corn and milk, simmer until heated through.

3. Using a small amount of cornflour at first (say 1 tablespoon to start) mix with a small amount of filtered water until you have a thin paste. Add into the chowder and continue to simmer until the soup starts to thicken.

4. Add more cornflour and water mixture if it is not thick enough for your taste - add in gradually and make sure you leave it time to simmer and thicken before adding more. Remember it has to simmer or boil before you will start to see the effects of the corn starch!

If you are adding in shrimp or meat, make sure it is pre cooked and add in at this stage while it is thickening. This will give it time to heat to the temperature of the chowder. Any vegetables or spices I would add in at the beginning with the potatoes and onions.

I have never tried this with chipotle but I think it would be amazing! I might give that a try soon :)

San Francisco's Tartine Bakery Brioche Pudding

2012-02-17T13:30:00.000+11:00

Mmmmmm..... Tartine.... they make some amazing pastries but as a Melbournite I was a little confused by the line spiralling around the block for breakfast. We have some amazing cafes and bakeries here that are easily on the same level - but when you have just under a quarter of the population of Melbourne in 1/72 of the space, I guess you should expect longer queues.

However we had their fresh fruit Brioche pudding and it was pretty spectacular. Well, I should actually say we had their grilled vegetable Croque Monsieur, a double chocolate croissant, an orange and cinnamon morning bun, a croissant jambon, a swiss chard quiche (made with creme fraiche - I'm going to have to try making that one) and a large bread pudding between the two of us.

They have a cookbook for sale, I didn't purchase it but found the bread pudding recipe online. I may just have to order the cookbook now, because this tasted identical to the in store version.

I am always a little suspicious of restaurant cookbooks. Why would they give you their recipes when you could just then replicate them at home and save the money? Or restaurants in competition with you could steal your recipes?

But I guess with success like Tartine has found, it would be beneficial to sell some of your customers a $50 cookbook, because odds are you won't be able to bake enough to satisfy your daily demand anyway. I heard their bread sells out within an hour of opening - yes, I will admit it was pretty good bread. Though we pay $6 a loaf for artisan bread here in Aus, I was shocked to learn they can get away with charging NINE DOLLARS per loaf. For America, where food is at least 2/3rds of the price of here, $9 is highway robbery.

But they continue selling out, so they continue making more - and I can only assume they also continue to put the price up. They know they will sell out anyway, so why not charge $9? I can only dream of charging that price here. Anyway, my point was that their cookbook recipes seem pretty true to the in store version - so I guess they haven't left something out of each recipe to prompt customers to return to the restaurant.

Anyway, enough discussion - more food!

Tartine Bakery's Brioche Pudding

*At the risk of being shunned by food bloggers everywhere, I have made a few adjustments... I know, I know. Tartine's Bread Pudding is known as the best anywhere, but I made a few tweaks due to personal taste. I have marked these and listed the original quantity in case you want to make it in its original state.

6 thick brioche slices
8 large eggs
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
4 cups whole milk
2 tablespoons vanilla (originally 1 1/2 tsp)
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp powdered cinnamon (no cinnamon in original recipe)

Preheat oven to 180ºC (350ºF). Place your brioche slices in a baking dish so that they completely cover the dish. Cut slices up if necessary to make sure that all gaps are filled.

Whisk all other ingredients together and pour over the bread. If there is too much custard, leave for 5 minutes and the custard will soak into the bread. Top up with the remaining custard and leave for minimum ten minutes in total for the bread to become thoroughly soaked.

Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour, checking the custard has set. If it is still a little runny, return to oven until no more liquid can be seen. 10 minutes before the pudding is due to finish, I like to push fresh slices of stone fruit into the pudding so that they can warm up. I have read that Tartine pushes these in with caramel sauce at the end, but I like to have them merge with the pudding a bit more. This is beautiful with fresh, plump apricots.

I like to leave the pudding on the bench for at least ten minutes before serving. This gives the bread time to settle, and also seems to set the pudding a little better if it cools slightly before serving.

Serve as you like - my favourite is as it is - but custard, caramel sauce, cream, ice cream will all go well with it!

Orange Spice Hot Chocolate

2012-02-14T16:22:00.001+11:00

Seattle: Home to Starbucks, the best Chowder in the Northwest, nationally renowned fish market, and a little known place called Theo's Chocolates. The only organic, fair trade certified chocolate maker in the USA, we were lucky enough to take a tour of their factory and try out some of their AMAZING chocolates.

Making Ganache

To be honest, I've never been that thrilled with American chocolate. I tend to try and find UK or Australian chocolate if I need a chocolate hit while I am in the states (or stick with good old Swiss chocolate). I am a big fan of See's candies but an interesting fact I learned on our tour was that See's don't make their chocolate... they purchase it in big blocks, from some of the same sources as Nestle and other manufacturers of fifty cent chocolate bars, and then melt it. To this they add whatever flavourings and fillings they require. As such, See's are melters, not makers. And as such? Their chocolate can in NO way live up to the exquisite chocolates Theo's produces.

We spent $80 in their retail store after the tour - EIGHTY! But for that we tried some of the most amazing ganaches I have had the pleasure of eating. Think Tequila-Lime, Dulce De Leche, Coconut Curry, Fig, Fennel and Almond, Scotch, Saffron-Honey, Ginger, Burnt Sugar.

But one of my favourite things was their Orange Spice Hot Chocolate. Basically a tin of chocolate coated in a orange spice powder. Melt a few tablespoons in some milk and you are drinking liquid heaven. I have never been a fan of Jaffa's or any other type of orange/chocolate combination, however this has won me over.

However - it comes at a price. $10 for a tin, and at their recommended 'dosage' of 3 tablespoons per cup of milk I think we will get through a tin in a few weeks. Back in Australia, I'm going to start craving it! So I've come up with a substitute - not as good as the original, but close enough. And for those of you that have never tasted the original, this version will be heaven!

Orange Spice Hot Chocolate

200grams (approx 1/4 pound) dark chocolate (best quality you can afford)
1/2 tablespoon grated orange zest
2 tablespoons white sugar
4 cups whole organic milk
1 cinnamon stick
1/16 teaspoon black pepper powder
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom

Combine all ingredients except chocolate in a saucepan on a very low heat, let simmer for ten minutes for spices to infuse. Add chocolate and continually stir until it has completely melted and mixed through the milk. Serve immediately!

Bananas Foster

2012-01-22T12:50:00.001+11:00

So, I am back in New Orleans and once again, am in absolute food heaven. Jazz Brunch at Court of the Two Sisters this morning, we spent a good 2 1/2 hours eating. It's odd eating at an establishment that's been around since the 1830's - good luck finding something that old in Australia. I've been here two days and I've already loaded up on Jambalaya, Chicken Andouille Gumbo, Shrimp Creole, Red Beans and Rice, shrimp po'boys, Cajun fries, Muffaletta sandwiches, grits and grillades, crawfish étouffée, Cafe Du Monde coffee and beignets, creole crab cakes, creamed spinach, crawfish Louise, cornbread, buttermilk biscuits, eggs Benedict, bread pudding with whisky sauce and last but not least - my favorite, Bananas Foster.

A Brennans original, this dish is usually flambed, however I usually just do it in a pan on the stove! I also cut out the rum in this recipe as I make it in class - an alcohol free zone!

Preparing Bananas Foster at Brennans, New Orleans

Bananas Foster

1/4 cup butter
2/3 cup dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 bananas sliced into chunks
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans

Melt the butter in a pan and add the sugar, vanilla and cinnamon. Stir until combined and sugar is melting, and then add the bananas and pecans. Fry in the caramelizing mixture for around 8-10 minutes, or until bananas start to look caramelized and are thoroughly covered in the sauce.

The original Bananas Foster

Serve over vanilla ice cream immediately. Yum!

Low Fat/Calorie/Sugar Banana Bread

2012-01-07T14:52:00.001+11:00

America makes me lazy. I have no excuse not to have written. We've done a fair bit of cooking, but I can't say we have been so busy that I didn't have time. We have done a lot of shopping, a lot of eating, and a lot of watching TV. As I said - I've been lazy.

After Christmas, I haven't particularly felt like eating but I have ended up eating way more than I normally do. I think something about Christmas resets my eating habits - and it's always tough to get back in my normal habits. That's why I thought I would make some healthy banana bread to stuff my face with when I was craving something to eat but didn't actually need anything.

This banana bread is sooo good straight out of the oven, if its a few days old, chuck it in the toaster just like real bread. It's an adaptation from a recipe that has been floating around my kitchen for a few years, not sure where it originally came from but the original wasn't particularly healthy. I made this one with basically no fat (the only fat is from the eggs, but that is negligible across the whole loaf), very little sugar as the sweetness mainly comes from the bananas and apple butter. It also has whole wheat flour so is high in fiber.

All around, this is a winner in the taste and health categories! I'm not perfect however, as my favourite way to eat this is warm, slathered with butter. But I guess it's okay as I would slather it with butter regardless of how much butter or fat was in the bread - this way I can justify the butter on top!

It's a really moist, yummy cakey bread - you won't miss the fat or sugar, I promise!

Banana Bread

1/3 cup white sugar
1/4 cup apple butter or applesauce
2 eggs
2 overripe mashed bananas
1/4 cup water
1 2/3 cups wholewheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

Preheat oven to 175 Cº (350ºF). Mix together apple butter, sugar, eggs, water and bananas until completely combined. Mix in dry ingredients. Pour into a greased, non stick cake or loaf pan and bake for around 60 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean from the middle of the loaf.

I often make this into loaves, but I was given a butterfly cake pan not too long ago, so I doubled the above batter, whipped up some cream cheese frosting (coloured pink!) and made a cute butterfly cake. The only thing wrong with that is how odd the pieces look when you cut the cake!

Roasted Tomato Spaghetti Sauce

2011-12-19T03:15:00.000+11:00

So, back in Phoenix! I'll be here until mid February, 2012 - so hopefully I'll steal some great southwest recipes from my Mum to share with you! We are planning our Christmas menu at the moment, and apart from what seemed like a thousand cookie trials I haven't done much cooking, hence my short silence. I meant to share this recipe with you a while ago but didn't get around to it. So here it is in the meantime, while you patiently wait for some southwest styled recipes!

This is one of those recipes that everyone has, and most people do it pretty much the same. I think I originally got mine from Martha Stewart to tell you the truth, but I can't remember/can't find it again. This is something that is so easily changed according to personal preference. This can be adapted to be many different sauces so easily, it is just such a great base sauce.

This also freezes for up to 12 months - it is great if you package it in small amounts and just defrost a meal at a time.

Ingredients

1 kg tomatoes
4 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon cracked pepper
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon basil
1/2 cup red wine
1/4 cup tomato paste

Directions

Preheat the oven to 180ºC (356ºF).
Halve the tomatoes, finely chop the basil and garlic and place all three in a large baking tray.
Pour the olive oil over the top and add the salt and pepper. Toss until the tomatoes are finely coated.
Roast in the oven for at least 2 hours.
Some people like to remove the skins at this point - its personal preference. I blend the sauce so smoothly that it doesn't matter if I leave the skins in, but if you are going to leave it even slightly chunky I recommend peeling them off at this stage (much easier to do after they are cooked).
Transfer to a food processor or blender and blend until it has the consistency of your preference.
Transfer to a saucepan and add 1/4 cup red wine and any more salt and pepper to taste. Simmer on medium until reduced. At this stage I like to add some vegetables or meat, depending upon what I want on my pasta!

Pumpkin Nutmeg Pasta Sauce

2011-12-07T23:04:00.001+11:00

No fuss and no pictures today - just a recipe!

1 butternut pumpkin
1 cup thickened cream (I use lite)
1/2 Nutmeg (grated)
50 grams grated Pecorino cheese (can use Parmesan instead)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 finely diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup vegetable stock

Chop the pumpkin, skin and all, into small pieces. Steam until the pumpkin is so soft it's falling apart. Place in the blender and blend to a purée.

Place the pumpkin in a saucepan, add the cup of stock and simmer for around half an hour, or until the purée has reduced a little.

Fry up the onion, garlic, and olive oil in a large saucepan for a few minutes until soft. Add the purée, cream, nutmeg and salt and simmer on the lowest heat for 10 minutes.

Stir through the grated cheese. Cook up some pasta (I recommend fettuccine!) as per instructions and toss the sauce through.

Note: if your sauce gets gluggy at all, add extra cream to thin it out.

Purple Carrots tossed with Puy Lentils, Semi-Dried Olives and Sage

2011-12-04T21:56:00.001+11:00

Here's my final recipe for the Thanksgiving 2011 series. This dish is loosely based on an excellent side we had at The Perfect Drop in Daylesford (which I highly, highly recommend by the way if you are ever in their neck of the woods).

Using French Green (Puy) Lentils that are a little more earthy and hold their shape better than their red counterparts, the nutritive powerhouses that are purple carrots, award winning Salute Oliva semi-dried olives, some excellent organic olive oil and bunches of fresh herbs from my balcony, there is something about this dish that is so rich yet mild, earthy and fresh, foreign yet familiar that it transports me to another time and place.

It sounds silly. I know it does.

But this dish now reminds me of chilly nights in the country in front of the fire, a rustic timber restaurant, excellent food, wine and friends. It reminds me of farms and that wonderful sudden drop in temperature and fresh air smell when you enter somewhere filled to the brim with living, growing plants. It reminds me of lavender, roasted red tomato soup, warm vanilla spiced chai and the smell of bread baking. I feel like this is a dish that has always existed, and I was just lucky enough for it to discover me.

I am known to get over the top about food but I can be in the middle of the city and make this dish, and I instantly feel close to nature. It feels homely. So tell me dear reader - is there a dish that elicits such a strong response in you?

There is one thing however, that I cannot stress enough before I move on to the recipe - use the BEST quality ingredients you can find. Track down those semi-dried olives (the ones NOT cured in vinegar) or else you miss out on their sweetness - try and find purple carrots rather than using plain old orange. It is worth it - this dish has few ingredients and it's the freshness and quality of the ingredients that make it something special.

Purple Carrots tossed with Puy Lentils, Semi-Dried Olives and Sage

500grams Purple Carrots
1 teaspoon diced garlic
1 cup Puy Lentils
1/4 cup semi-dried olives, pitted and torn
1/8 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
1/8 cup fresh chopped sage
1/8 cup fresh chopped flat leaf parsley
Cracked pepper and sea salt

Chop the tough roots off the ends of the carrots, and trim the tops if they still have all the leaves (leaves? they are leaves right?) on them.

Boil for 20-30 minutes (keep an eye on them as you don't want them to get mushy) and remove from the heat when they are cooked through but are still holding their shape.

Toss the lentils with the olive oil, olives and herbs, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Steam the purple carrots until tender then transfer to a frying pan with 1 teaspoon olive oil and garlic. Fry while turning the carrots for a few minutes and then arrange on a serving platter. Spoon the lentil mixture over the top and serve!

This dish was part of my Thanksgiving 2011 menu - check out the other dishes we made to go with this: Thanksgiving 2011 Menu

Broad Bean and Pea Pecorino Salad

2011-12-02T13:10:00.000+11:00

I love this side dish - it is served warm but it's so fresh I had to call it a salad rather than just a pea side dish. I could eat it by the bowlful!

Broad Bean and Pea Pecorino Salad

500 grams unpodded broad beans
500 grams podded fresh peas
4 large chunks of Chive Butter
50 grams grated pecorino
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Cracked pepper and sea salt to taste

Pod and peel the broad beans. When they come out of their pods, they should look like the picture below - but their tough bitter skins should be removed unless they are baby broad beans. It takes some time, but they are worth it! To peel their skins, dig your fingernail in a little and peel - you should see a slightly smaller bean inside.

Some people boil them a little to make their skins easier to peel but I can't be bothered - it takes a bit of time to peel but get someone to help you or do it while watching TV. Steam the broad beans for about 2-3 minutes until soft, and then steam the peas for 1-2 minutes until cooked. Place in a bowl with oil, sea salt and cracked pepper and toss. Place on a serving dish and scatter the pecorino over the top, place the chive butter rounds on top so they melt over the dish.

This dish was part of my Thanksgiving 2011 menu - check out the other dishes we made to go with this: Thanksgiving 2011 Menu

Corn Spoon Bread

2011-11-30T12:40:00.000+11:00

Very basic dish, so easy. I made it without eggs this time as one of our guests has an egg allergy - it turned out great anyway so that is something you can easily leave out if you wish.

Corn Spoon Bread

1 packet Jiffy Cornbread Mix
2 cans creamed corn
1 cup yoghurt
1/2 cup grated cheese
2 eggs (optional)

Mix all the above together except the cheese, and place in a baking dish. Scatter the cheese on top, put the lid on the dish (if there is no lid, cover with foil) and bake at 220ºC (430ºF) for approx 45 mins - remove the lid or foil and bake open for another 15 minutes. Spoon bread should be set at the edges but move a little in the middle when you shake the pan. Sit for around 10-15 minutes before serving, covered. This dish so versatile - it can go with anything - breakfast, lunch or dinner.

This dish was part of my Thanksgiving 2011 menu - check out the other dishes we made to go with this: Thanksgiving 2011 Menu

Sage and Onion Roast Chicken

2011-11-29T11:59:00.000+11:00

I'll start the Thanksgiving series with the main event - the roast. I decided for 6 people a turkey would have been overkill, so I stuck with an organic, free range chicken. We managed to polish off the entire bird between us (along with most of the other dishes), so I'm pretty sure it was the perfect amount.

One thing that I am terribly upset about is how grocery shops and fast food joints have ruined the roast chicken. Not long ago a roast chicken was something to look forward to on Sunday evening - home cooks would take great pride in preparing and serving the bird and it would be a real treat. The fact that you can just go and buy a fresh, warm roast chicken in the grocery store for pretty much the same price as an uncooked bird has almost completely killed the tradition. I love roast chicken (and I must confess, I also love the store roasted birds), but what I love about roasting your own is the same with all premade foods - you know exactly what has gone into it. Plus, I don't know anywhere that uses organic chicken. For Thanksgiving I used some of my pre-made herb butters to flavour the chicken, plus a packet of XO Sage and Onion Stuffing. I LOVE this stuffing - so easy to make and it is seriously good. I think you can only get it in specialty import stores in Australia - but if you do see it, grab some! Otherwise you can just use any generic stuffing recipe - or roast the bird without stuffing (it will take less time to cook so take this into consideration).

Our bird was 1.6 kilos (3.5 pounds) so it took just over an hour to roast at 220ºC (430ºF). I'll start with the basics of a roast - skip over the trussing steps if you are a seasoned (ha-ha!) roast-chef - otherwise here are some easy instructions on how to prepare a chicken to be roasted.

Sage and Onion Roast Chicken

Homemade Sage Butter

Organic, Free Range Chicken (around 1.6 kilos/3.5 pounds)

6 large sage leaves

Packet of XO Sage and Onion Stuffing

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 tablespoon minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon cracked pepper

Removing the wishbone makes it much easier to carve later on - lots of people don't bother but I find the bird is much easier to handle.

Pulling the skin up at the front of the bird, you should be able to feel the wishbone slightly under the surface. Using a sharp knife, carefully cut underneath and around the wishbone, detaching the meat from the bone.

Once you have detached enough meat from the bone, slide your finger underneath and pull the bone forwards. Snap out the wishbone and pull it from the bird.

Stuff the cavity with your XO stuffing made up per instructions on the box (I use a little less boiling water than they recommend, as the stuffing will then further expand with the chicken juices while cooking). You should have a little left over - scatter this on the bottom of your roasting pan to prevent your bird from sticking.

Now take some of your sage butter and slice some rounds off. I use about 2 rounds per breast, and one for each drumstick. Slide your fingers underneath the skin on the breast, and seperate the skin from the meat - all the way to the front of the bird, making sure you leave a thin part still connected at the front to prevent all the butter from just melting out as soon as you place it in the oven. You are basically creating pockets. Be careful not to tear a hole in the skin!

Poke a small hole in the skin on top of each of the drumsticks, using your finger to slowly pull the skin wide enough to slide in half of your butter rounds. Cut the rounds in half and push them underneath the skin. Do the same under the skin on the breast meat, pushing two rounds into each side. Push one all the way to the front of the bird, and the other further towards the opening.

Once you have completed stuffing and buttering the bird, it's time to truss him! It's incredibly difficult to describe what to do in text, and as I don't do my own videos as yet, I found you guys this great easy video on how to do it. The chef is a character - it's worth watching even if you already know how to do it.

Now your bird is trussed, stuffed and seasoned, place it on top of the stuffing in your roasting dish (breast side up) and mix together the oil, garlic and pepper. Brush the mix all over the chicken with a basting brush, and cover the breast meat with a piece of foil.

Roast in the oven for around 20 minutes and then remove the foil. Continue to roast for around another 40 minutes, and then check the colour of the juices. I stab a skewer into the skin between the thigh and breast. If your juices are clear, you should be set - be sure to check the meat while carving for any signs of pinkness - if there are, back in the oven and check again until it is cooked. Carve your bird and serve with any side dish you like - I served it with a number of sides on Thanksgiving 2011 - links to the side dish recipes can be found here.

Don't forget the chicken when you give thanks!

This dish was part of my Thanksgiving 2011 menu - check out the other dishes we made to go with this: Thanksgiving 2011 Menu

Flavoured Butters

2011-11-28T11:37:00.000+11:00

These are a must to have in the fridge - so easy to make roasts, top your toast, make garlic bread, pop on top of a steak, omelette, vegetables - the possibilities are endless. It is a fantastic way to preserve some of those herbs you have left over when you buy a bunch from the shop, or if you are coming into Autumn or Winter and your herb garden starts to die out. I've heard you can store them in the freezer for up to 12 months, just slicing off what you need and returning to the freezer - I haven't stored them that long but I don't see why you couldn't. I end up eating them way faster than that though - there is nothing better than butter in my books - and herbed butter? Ah-maze-ing.

For those of you still eating margarine, I suggest you read this on why BUTTER is BETTER. Yes, it's high in fat - but there are so many essential nutrients in butter that you just don't get from margarine. Not only is butter a natural food, unlike margarine, but this heart disease epidemic started many many years after we started eating butter - so why on earth did we cut good, wholesome butter out of our diet instead of some of the other terrible things we put in our bodies?

Like all fats, eat butter in moderation, but in moderation, butter is a perfectly fine part of the diet. I don't have cholesterol problems, and in that case I don't deny that olive oil spread etc have their benefits, but hydrogenated margarines are always a no-no in my books. What's Good for You did a test on whether margarine can help lower cholesterol - and the results showed that it could for people with a cholesterol problem - but it also showed that in combination with a healthy diet, those without cholesterol problems who consumed butter had no increase in their cholesterol. So hoorah! Back to my healthy consumption of butters...

Anyway - a little sidetracked, but on to the recipe!

Flavoured butters are extraordinarily easy to make. Simply take about 1/8-1/4 cup of any herbs per 125 grams of butter (organic, to avoid all the hormones and antibiotics that find their way into dairy products). Press the butter onto a chopping board or work surface with a cling wrap covered hand to soften if it has just come out of the fridge. Scoop it into a lump, and pile the herbs on top. Cut through the butter and herbs repetitively, when it spreads out scoop some of the sides up into the middle. Keep cutting until the herbs are in small pieces and thoroughly mixed through the butter.

Cut thick clumps and place on a long piece of baking paper. Line all the strips up to fill almost to the ends of the baking paper (leaving enough room to twist the ends of the paper) and making sure not to overfill (the paper needs to wrap all the way around easily).

Roll up the paper, long side first, so the butter log is completely covered. Twist the ends shut and roll the log like you would a rolling pin until the butter is required thickness and squished together into a log. Store in the fridge or freezer and cut off portions as you need them!

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-25T11:16:00.001+11:00

I know, I know - I am a bit late in my Thanksgiving post but I literally planned my menu in the morning when I was at Prahran Market, and then spent all afternoon cooking. I had no time to write! For those of you in the northern hemisphere who are still yet to have Thanksgiving dinner, have a great one. Perhaps you can try some of these recipes throughout the year and hopefully they might make it onto next years menu!

We had a wonderful night with a small group of friends, a ridiculously large menu and some great wine. We stuck with some American traditionals, but added some Aussie multicultural flair.

We started with some great cheeses and dips with Maggie Beer quince paste, and then had an amazing appetizer of Peking Duck from a place in North Melbourne, and then, already feeling a little full of snacks and champagne, moved onto the main meal. We had:

Candied Sweet Potato with Bacon
Corn Spoon Bread
Broad Bean and Pea Pecorino Salad with Chive Butter
Sage Butter Roast Chicken
Purple Carrots tossed with Semi-Dried Olives, Puy Lentils and Sage

and then to finish up we had Chocolate Mousse Cake, a serve of Gulab Jamun each (mini doughnut balls soaked in cardamom-rose sugar syrup) and some Arrogant Frog dessert wine. Suffice to say we were all absolutely stuffed - but it was a glorious Aussie-style Thanksgiving, helped along by a beautiful cool summer evening breeze and a lingering sunset so typical of this time of year. We all finally felt that 2011 is soon drawing to a close - a lovely reminder that Christmas is sneaking up on us! My favourite time of year :)

Recipes for the above dishes to roll out over the next few days, so keep an eye out! The salads are especially amazing this time of year - jump on those fresh broad beans while you still have the chance!

Thai Satay Noodle Salad

2011-11-21T21:12:00.000+11:00

This recipe was due to the failure of the internet - I had a great sounding recipe prepared for work tonight, and had put my list on Springpad, sent it to my iPhone as I normally do, and went to get the groceries just before I was about to go to the kitchen to set up for class. I walked into the grocery shop, took out my phone - and was greeted with a Springpad 'our server is down. Sorry for any inconvenience' message.

Not so good seeing as I was meant to start class in 45 minutes and still had to prep the kitchen, and didn't have the recipe on me. So I wandered around the grocery shop and tried to think of what was in there. Let's just say I think I have become too reliant on technology - my memory failed my miserably. I ended up with sweet chilli sauce instead of rice vinegar for example.. So I decided to improvise with what was in the cupboard - and it was pretty good!!! Once again, apologies for the horrible photograph, I did a quick snap at work on my phone after I realised it was good enough to post here!

You could easily substitute the chicken for tofu to make this vegetarian!

Thai Satay Noodle Salad

Satay Sauce

1 1/2 tablespoons Cantonese Stir-Fry Chicken Sauce (I use the Lee Kum Kee marinade sachets)
1/8 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1 chopped clove of garlic
3/4 tablespoon chopped ginger
3/4 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 - 1/2 cup chicken stock (I use Massell, this is a Vegetarian, all-natural chicken flavoured stock)

500 grams chicken (or tofu), cut into strips
1 chopped garlic clove
Remainder of sachet of Cantonese Stir-Fry Chicken Sauce (if you are not using the Lee Kum Kee packet, use approx 2 tablespoons of your chosen stir fry sauce)
1 carrot, grated
1 red pepper (capsicum), finely chopped
1/2 cup purple cabbage, finely chopped
1/2 head broccoli, florets chopped and blanched
3/4 packet spaghetti

Place all the sauce ingredients in a food processer, using only 1/8th of a cup of the chicken stock. Process until all ingredients are blended and you have a thick sauce. Add more of the chicken stock to make a fairly runny sauce. Use as much as you need to make your preferred consistency.

Cook the chicken with a little vegetable oil and the other garlic clove in a pan until cooked through. Halfway through, add the stir-fry sauce. Cook the pasta as per the directions on the packet, but until it is cooked through - they should resemble noodles so no 'al dente' here!

Toss the noodles, sauce, chicken and vegetables in a large bowl and serve!

Black Bean Salsa Salad

2011-11-20T11:15:00.000+11:00

I love me some black beans. However, something confusing I discovered is that the US and AUS both have black beans - but they are both something entirely different. While US black beans are really 'turtle beans', Aussie black beans are asian black beans - which are actually salted and fermented soybeans. So you don't want to get them confused!!!

I have to buy my black beans in the health food store, imported in a can from the US. Just check the ingredients listing: the ones you want should say turtle beans. Eden Foods doesn't use BPA in the lining of their cans so go for them if you can find them!

This is a great side, fantastic in burritos, awesome heaped into jacket potatoes with sour cream and cheese, or mixed with spinach or rocket is a super salad! Its so versatile, I generally make a huge batch and we just have it with everything.

Black Bean Salsa Salad

1 tomato, washed
1 avocado
1 can of black beans, rinsed
1 can of sweet corn kernels
1 cucumber, washed
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1/8 - 1/4 cup chopped coriander, loosely packed
1/8 cup loosely packed flat leaf parsley
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1 small red onion
Sea salt and cracked pepper to taste

Dice all the fruits and vegetables into very small cubes, toss with the corn and blackbeans. Add avocado last and toss gently so you don't mash it. Add the olive oil, coriander, parsley, lime juice, red wine vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Mix through and serve however you like! (my personal fave is in burritos with refried beans)

Malaysian Mango Chicken Curry

2011-11-18T10:43:00.001+11:00

No story today - just had some mangos that we needed using up and put together this recipe - it is very roughly based on a Malaysian recipe, but enough has been altered that it probably wouldn't be able to classify as Malaysian any longer. Regardless, it is yummy - a nice, fresh meat curry - very light and healthy. It was good enough that I couldn't be bothered photographing before eating this time - so please excuse the terrible iPhone picture!

Malaysian Mango Chicken Curry

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
500g skinless, boneless chicken breast, cubed
1 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 onion, diced
250grams cooked pumpkin, cubed
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 heaped tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
1 garlic clove
3 mangos, peeled and cubed
4 heaped tablespoons coconut powder (available at all Asia grocery stores)

Heat vegetable oil in a large pan and cook the chicken breast for about 5 minutes. Add in the onion and continue to cook until the onion is soft and the chicken no longer pink in the middle. Stir together the chicken stock, soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, curry powder, cumin, coriander and cornstarch. Set aside.

Stir in the vegetables (I used pumpkin, carrot and a little broccoli but add whatever you have on hand!) and cook for 2 minutes, then add the ginger and diced garlic and cook for another minute. Stir in the chicken stock mixture and cook until the sauce starts to thicken. Drop mango in and stir coconut powder in. Cook until mango is heated through and the coconut powder has all dissolved.

Serve over very long grain basmati with a lentil or vegetable curry! I will post a few veggie curry recipes in the next few days.

Disclaimer: I am fairly new to cooking my own curries, so while we think these taste great I don't promise them to be 'authentic'! If you are after any authentic curry recipes, try out my friends site: Simple Indian Food. She has some fantastic easy Indian recipes and she is a lot more experienced at curries that I am!

Beth's Orange Cookies

2011-11-15T09:47:00.000+11:00

I tried these the other day and our friend Husni came for dinner just as I finished icing these - his subsequent consumption of at least 15 of them laid testament to how good they are!
I won't lay claim to the recipe, it is a Beth Sigworth recipe that I found on AllRecipes, but I will share it with you. The only adjustments I made from the original was the substitution of freshly squeezed orange juice for frozen orange concentrate - we already need an orange for the zest so why not use the fresh stuff!

Beth's Orange Cookies

2 cups white sugar
1 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
2 tablespoons grated orange zest

Icing
1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

Cream white sugar and shortening; add eggs and stir. Add sour cream and 1 teaspoon vanilla; stir and set aside. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add little by little to the creamed mixture and stir well. Add orange juice, and 2 tablespoons orange zest. Drop onto greased cookie sheets by teaspoonfuls. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for about 10 minutes. Frost cookies when they are cool.
To Make Frosting: Mix together 1/2 teaspoon orange zest, 2 Tablespoons of the orange juice, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 4 tablespoons of melted butter, 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar or enough to make frosting of spreading consistency.

Orange and Ginger Salmon, Avocado and Asparagus Green Tea Soba Noodles

2011-11-14T11:36:00.000+11:00

While working on SBS's Immigration Nation last year as Production Coordinator, I met many interesting people in the food and wine industry. I was lucky enough to meet Leanne De Bortoli of De Bortoli wines, and to attend their family's annual 'Salami Day' - but that story is for another post.

One of my favourite people that I was lucky enough to be involved with was the beautiful Dur-e Dara of the Nudel Bar and Stephanie's fame. I spent quite a few afternoons there listening to her amazing stories, and she always sent me off with some amazing dishes to try.

My favourite by far was her Green Tea Noodles with Smoked Salmon. I won't pretend that mine is similar to hers in any way, but it certainly was a major influence!

It is a simple dish with no-fuss ingredients, but what makes this dish a star is the combination of flavours. I added my own recipe for Ginger and Orange Salmon instead of using smoked salmon as Dur-e does, and I have no idea what she uses for a sauce - so the presence of green tea noodles and salmon is where the similarities end.

Orange and Ginger Salmon, Avocado and Asparagus Green Tea Soba Noodles

Orange and Ginger Salmon

2 x fresh pieces of Salmon

Juice of 1 orange

1 1/2 tablespoons of grated ginger

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Mix orange juice, ginger together and pour over salmon in a shallow dish. Marinate in the fridge for at least a few hours. Press the top with sesame seeds, heat some butter in a pan and fry the salmon until it is golden brown on one side, turn, and fry on the other side. I like the skin as it goes very crispy in the butter but feel free to remove it before preparing if you prefer it that way.

Green Tea Soba Noodles

1 packet of Green Tea Soba Noodles
1 organic avocado
1 bunch of organic asparagus
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil

Cook 2 serves of the Green Tea noodles in boiling water for a few minutes until cooked. Drain.

Chop the tough ends off the asparagus, chop in half and steam until tender. You may need to peel the lower halves of the asparagus depending upon the toughness, most organic bunches I have bought are quite tough halfway down.

Place 1 tablespoon sesame oil and one tablespoon soy sauce in each of the bowl. Place half of the noodles in each bowl and stir to coat with the sauce. Place half a chopped avocado and half the asparagus on top of each one, and top with the salmon.

Raspberry-Chocolate Fairy Cakes

2011-11-12T08:18:00.000+11:00

These were an accident made while trying to use up all the leftover bits and bobs from Erics birthday party - we ate some on the day of putting them together and they were actually a bit so-so. I put them in the fridge and forgot about them until 2 days later - and they had become SO much better! The raspberry had seeped into the chocolate cake and created a rich, moist, blackforest cake type situation. I highly recommend that you make these at least a day or two in advance. They chilled well - the only part that may not last so well is the cream, but I have had leftover cream in the fridge for over a week now and it is still good, so I guess it depends on how fresh the cream is when you make them. I'd say with fresh cream these are safe in the fridge for at least a week.

These aren't quite cupcakes and aren't quite whoopie pies but they are sort of in the middle - hence the name Fairy Cakes. To be honest, they are rich chocolate cupcakes filled with raspberry cream and raspberry jam, topped with chocolate sour cream icing (much better than it sounds).

You will see from the photos that I had a bit of an icing bag disaster, after I filled the bag and started piping, a little hole formed in the side of the bag, meaning each cupcake had a little strand of icing over the top of my careful work! It looked fine though so I didn't bother scooping all the icing out into another bag!

Raspberry-Chocolate Fairy Cakes

Chocolate Cupcakes

1 cup white sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup boiling water
Raspberry Jam

Preheat the oven to 175 degrees celsius (350 fahrenheit). Grease two 12-hole muffin pans.

In a large bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla, mix well until all combined. Stir in the boiling water last. Batter will be thin. Pour evenly into the prepared pans.

Bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until the cake tests done with a toothpick. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Slice each cupcake in half through the middle to prepare for the filling. Spread a moderately thick layer of raspberry jam over one half of each cupcake.

Raspberry Cream

200mls thickened cream
1/4 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 teaspoon raspberry essence/flavouring (in the same aisle as the vanilla essence usually)

Whip the cream until peaks form - it needs to be thick enough to spread, make sure it doesn't separate. Add in vanilla and raspberry and mix. Add more to taste if necessary - remember the raspberry will be amplified by the jam so don't make that to strong. Spread a substantial amount of cream on top of the jam covered cupcake half, and replace the lid. Press down lightly to make sure the lid stays on but it doesn't squeeze the cream out.

Chocolate Sour Cream Icing

from Kwanster

170g bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
4 1/2 tablespoon (64g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
3 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp. sour cream

Melt the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl in the microwave, stopping every 15 seconds to prevent burning . Set aside to cool until just barely warm. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter on medium-high speed until pale.

Gradually mix in the confectioners’ sugar, cocoa powder and salt, beat until light and fluffy. Beat in the melted and cooled chocolate and then the sour cream. Continue beating until the mixture is smooth and well blended.

Chill the icing if it is a bit runny, if you chill it too long scrape it into the icing bag and massage with your hands to soften. Pipe onto tops of cakes in whatever fashion you like!

Easy Moroccan Vegetable Tagine

2011-11-10T22:55:00.001+11:00

I'll be honest with you - I did not make this tagine in a tagine... however it is so much more than just a stew, I had to give it the name that it deserves. If you try it with a tagine I am sure it will only increase in deliciousness - I'd like to hear about it if you do!

It's dishes like this that remind me why I wouldn't mind becoming a vegetarian permanently. But then it's the Cinnamon and Brown Sugar Duck I had at Perfect Drop in Daylesford last night that remind me why I just can't make the switch.... but that's another story.

We got back from Daylesford today to a vegetable crisper filled with zucchinis that were intending to soon shuffle off this mortal coil - I decided to aid them in their journey by combining them with whatever else I could find in the fridge that needed using up.

Settling on a Moroccan-style stew, I read a number of recipes online that failed to inspire. This one had great spices but failed on the vegetables front, while that one had great vegetables but didn't pass on the truly Moroccan feel... so I decided to mix up my own and by gosh, am I glad that I did.

Eric the Carnivore was unable to deal with another meat-free dish I think, so added a few Mr. Beans Salsa Sausages to his - mixing cuisines a little but he seemed to like it. I'll stick with the original I think...

I served this with wholemeal biodynamic couscous - a trick I use is don't make it in a saucepan as the packet says - place it in a ceramic or glass dish, cover in boiling water and cover the dish with a tea towel to prevent steam escaping. After 2 minutes remove the tea towel and fluff with a fork - return the tea towel to the top and leave for another 5-10 minutes, the longer the better. Voila! Fluffy couscous. The ratio of water (or vegetable stock) to couscous I use is 1 cup couscous/1 1/2 cups water. So 1/2 cup couscous, 3/4 cup water - 2 cups couscous/3 cups of water. Double, triple, halve as you please.

Anyway, on to the star of the show...

Moroccan Vegetable Tagine

6 small zucchinis, ends chopped off and cut into rounds
1 head of broccoli, stem peeled and diced, florets cut into bunches
2 large carrots, ends removed and cut into rounds
1 onion, cut into chunks
4 large garlic cloves, diced
1/4 cup olive oil
1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
250grams chickpeas (this is the yield of a 400gram can, drained, if you are using canned)
1/2 cup sultanas
1/8 cup flaked almonds
1 cup vegetable stock
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons Moroccan seasoning (if you don't have this, simply up the other spices a little bit to cover this)
2 tablespoons chopped coriander

Place all the vegetables in a large stock pot, pour in oil. Add all spices, and stir well so that all the vegetables are covered in the oil and spice mix. Add a little more oil if you need more to ensure even coating.

Turn the stovetop on to a medium heat, fry the vegetables, continuously stirring for around 10 minutes or until the vegetables start to soften a little. Add the chopped tomatoes, honey, sultanas, chickpeas and stock, stir to combine. Put the lid on the saucepan and leave to simmer for half an hour.

Add the flaked almonds and tomato paste, stir, and replace the lid. Leave to simmer for another 15-30 minutes, until the vegetables are all quite soft and the sauce has thickened a little.

Serve topped with chopped coriander, on top of couscous, with toast, on rice - as you like!

Orange Honey Baked Ricotta

2011-11-09T13:28:00.000+11:00

Photo by avlxyz @ http://goo.gl/DDTkT

There was a cafe in the Canberra Centre years ago that made my favourite sandwich in the world. Baked Ricotta, Roast Pumpkin, Spinach, Pesto, Grilled Capsicum and another ingredient which has continued to elude me.

Since returning to Canberra and discovering the sandwich shop has shut down last year, I have been doomed to making baked ricotta and trying to replicate that sandwich. I have almost everything now - but it isn't quite right. I even remember the name - they called it the Volvo - but that one remaining ingredient is so important to the overall taste I have almost resigned myself to the fact I may never taste that wonderful combination of ingredients again.

But anyway, I digress. Thinking about baked ricotta always leads me back to that sandwich. But I do love baked ricotta, in any form. Trying to cut down on desserts, this is an excellent, sweet, healthy and low fat option that manages to trick you into thinking you are eating something unhealthy.

Orange Honey Baked Ricotta

adapted from Capilano Honey's Lemon Ricotta recipe

1/2 cup honey
4 tablespoons of freshly squeezed orange juice
500 grams fresh ricotta (use packaged if you like, but fresh is much better)
250 grams greek yoghurt
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 190 degrees celsius. Lightly whisk eggs, and add orange, honey, ricotta cheese, yoghurt, cinnamon and beat mixture until smooth. Pour into individual souffle dishes or a loaf tin if you prefer to slice and serve. Bake for 45 minutes or until edges are golden brown and mixture looks set on top.

Cool on bench and then chill in the fridge.

I served with fresh strawberries but I felt they overpowered the delicate taste of the ricotta too much. Sliced banana might be better, or even serve on its own - perhaps with some orange juice drizzled over the top.

Stromboli

2011-11-07T13:06:00.000+11:00

So while we have made pizza a few times at work, I just really felt like something cheesy this week. You know, that weekly urge for something hot, greasy, and gooey and the only thing that satisfies is a good pile of melted cheese. Is this just me?

Anyway, I decided we would make some stromboli. For those of you who don't know, stromboli are similar to calzones, but instead of pizza in turnover fashion, its pizza in cinnamon scroll fashion.

To satisfy the cheese-lover in me, I settled for pesto-crusted pepperoni and mozzarella filled, and a mozzarella, grilled capsicum, mushroom and kalamata filled one. You could really fill with whatever your favourite pizza toppings are. For convenience in class I generally use store-bought pizza sauces, but it is so much better if you make your own.

Stromboli dough

Yield - 2 large strombolis

2 1/2 cups of water
2 teaspoons of salt
6 cups of plain flour
2 teaspoons dry milk powder
3 tablespoons white sugar
4 teaspoons active dry yeast

Add all the ingredients above in a breadmachine tin in that exact order. Set to dough setting and let the setting progress to the end of the kneading cycle.

Turn off the machine and remove the dough to a very large, lightly oiled bowl. Place the dough in the bowl and cover with oiled cling wrap. Leave in a warm place for 2 hours.

Dough will at least double in size. It will make two very large stromboli's - halve the dough if you want to produce less. I make it in this quantity to make a meat and a vegetarian one, and after baking you can freeze and reheat as you like.

To create the stromboli, halve the dough and roll out two large rectangles. Spread the top with pizza sauce and scatter your toppings over the dough evenly. Roll up from the long end until you have a long log. Place onto a large, well-greased baking tray and put to the side for 30 minutes to rise.

Bake in a preheated oven (180 degrees celsius) for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown. If you aren't sure the dough is cooked through, slice the stromboli in half and check the dough on the inside of the roll. There is nothing worse than raw pizza dough in the middle! Return to the oven for another 10 or so minutes until it is cooked through if needed.

Once it has baked through, remove from the oven and using tongs and a sharp knife, cut thick chunks of the pizza roll and serve piping hot!

Some filling recommendations:

Pizza sauce, mozzarella, store bought pesto-crusted pepperoni
Kalamata olive, mushroom, grilled capsicum, mozzarella and pizza sauce
Pesto, parmesan, cherry tomatoes and sliced roast chicken breast
Thick chunks of sliced ham, mozzarella, pizza sauce and pineapple chunks
Pear and nutella
Mascarpone cheese, honey, pear and almond

And anything else that may take your fancy!

Conversion Calculators

2011-11-06T19:29:00.002+11:00

Check out my new Kitchen Conversion Calculators powered by WolframAlpha, the computational knowledge system behind Siri, the iPhones new 'artificial intelligence' program. Find the link in the right sidebar at Fig and Walnut.

These are smart calculators that can decipher whatever you need - want to know how many grams are in an imperial teaspoon of melted chocolate? Or even how many grams per cubic centimetre of butter? Or even the basics - how many ounces of sugar do I need when your recipe lists it in grams? Fahrenheit to celsius conversions, ounces to grams, imperial to metric and vice versa.

If you have any cooking conversion needs that the calculator doesn't cater for, leave me a message and I'll do my best to build it for you.

Bookmark the page to come back to whenever you need cooking conversions!

Garlic Bread Crisps

2011-11-04T12:35:00.000+11:00

These are sooo addictive and easy, and as they are so thin you really don't realise how many you eat.

Garlic Crisps

1 packet of mountain bread
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
8 cloves garlic, finely diced
1 teaspoon dried parsley
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated

Cut the mountain bread into triangles and lay out in a single layer on a baking tray. Mix oil, garlic, parsley and a little salt and cracked pepper together, and using a pastry brush, saturate the mountain bread triangles. Make sure that the garlic also makes its way onto the bread, and doesn't just get leftover in the bowl.

Scatter parmesan over the top, and bake in a preheated 180 degree celsius oven for around 10 minutes or until the triangles have gone crispy.

Serve, and then try not to eat all of them yourselves!

How to Peel a Head of Garlic in Less than 10 Seconds

2011-11-03T12:25:00.000+11:00

Thank you Saveur.

What a wonderful trick - I just had to share it with you. As one mathematically-minded commenter stated;

"6.7 billion people on the planet. If they all spend one hour out of their lives peeling garlic, that's 764,840 years of humans peeling garlic.

If we all switch to this method, that reduces the time to only 1,874 years.
Think of all the miserable, garlic peeling human suffering that this video has prevented."