Hudson cooks

Sangria, adapted from America's Test Kitchen

2019-12-15T08:59:00.002+11:00

This makes enough for 12 servings, and is an easy and delicious way to feed a crowd.

This recipe doubles easily. You could add other fruit to make it more festive. If the orange and lemon slices are left in too long their rinds add bitterness which can be unpleasant. Some people like to add soda water to give a bit of fizz. Adjust the recipe to suit - more of less syrup, fruit, juice. Some people also add brandy for added complexity. America's Test Kitchen only uses 60g sugar, but I prefer it sweeter. Leftovers can be frozen as ice blocks on sticks for an adult treat.

Ingredients
100g sugar - 8 tablespoons
100 mls water
1.5 litres Merlot, or other fruity red wine
120 mls triple sec or Cointreau
3 oranges
2 lemons

Method
Heat sugar and water together until sugar is dissolved. This is called Simple Syrup.
Slice 2 oranges thinly, and juice the other.
Slice both lemons thinly.
Combine all ingredients in a pitcher and chill at least 2 hours for the flavours to meld.
Serve in chilled wine glasses half filled with ice.

Lime Coconut Chicken

2018-03-25T09:18:00.000+11:00

This is a basic recipe. You could also add at the beginning ginger, garlic, lemongrass or chilli. At the end you could add kaffir lime leaves, coriander or mint.

500g chicken thighs, diced preferably, but also whole
2 tablespoons coconut oil
Juice 1-2 limes
Coconut cream – enough to make it the consistency you want
1 tspn sugar or honey
½ tspn salt

Melt coconut oil, add juice of ½ lime and fry chicken, cooking until it is thoroughly cooked, 10-20 mins.
Remove chicken to a plate and increase heat. Evaporate chicken stock until it is tan in colour.
Remove the excess fat.
Add coconut cream, a little at a time, until it’s a consistency you like. If serving over rice you may want it runny. If serving by itself you may want it a little thicker. You may need to use a whisk to incorporate the caramelised stock and coconut cream.
Add chicken, remaining lime juice and salt to taste. Also add any precooked vegetables you like. (I like broccoli diced tomatoes and capsicum)
Taste for seasoning adding extra salt, sugar or lime juice as you prefer, then serve.

The easiest 'poached' eggs you'll ever make

2017-08-10T10:19:00.000+10:00

'Poaching' eggs in the shell removes all the problems of poaching in water and makes delicious 62 degree style eggs. This is not a recipe so much as a method. It works with 4 eggs only, not 3, not 5. And yes, you do have to measure the water.

4 large refrigerated eggs. At least 50g each, or 600g for the dozen.

1 litre water

200 mls water from the cold tap

Method

Measure out 1 litre of water, place in a covered saucepan, and bring it to the boil. Remove from the heat

Gently add 4 large eggs.

Add 200 mls cold tap water and replace lid.

Set the timer for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, remove eggs and crack into serving plate.

Notes:

1. The time and/or amount of boiling water can be adjusted for winter or summer, and according to how well done you like your eggs.

2. The loose white remains a little watery and I sometimes like to strain it out with a slotted spoon.

3. Left over eggs can be refrigerated and reheated by pouring over boiling water and leaving for a few moments.

Mum’s Beef Curry

2017-04-12T09:21:00.000+10:00

1 diced onion

2 garlic cloves, diced

2cm piece ginger, minced

pinch of chilli flakes

1kg diced beef

Spice Mixture I like cardamom, cloves and cinnamon. Either use ground spices or grind your own. Or use this combination. 1 cinnamon stick, 6 cloves, 3 Tb garam masala, 2 teaspoons ground coriander. It really is up to you. Most recipes use turmeric and cumin, but I don’t like them so I leave them out. I grind whole spices, but you can easily use pre ground ones.

(optional - 400g tin crushed tomatoes)
400ml can coconut milk

Juice half a lemon

Remaining spice mix

Accompaniments

Rice

Pappadums

Banana

Tomatoes

Cucumber

Apple

Yoghurt

Green coriander

Grated coconut

Chutney

1. Heat oven to 150C. Heat a large fry pan or saucepan which preferably can go in the oven over medium high heat. This uses only 1 pan for the whole recipe.

2. Dice and fry the onion in a little oil – plain or coconut. When it is brown add chilli, garlic and ginger. Heat for 1 minute, then remove from pan.

3. Turn heat to high, add a little more oil and add half of the beef to the pan. Leave without turning so it browns on one side. Stir and remove when it starts to get liquid in the bottom of the pan. Repeat with the remaining beef. This step is optional, but it gives the curry a deeper beefier flavour.

4. Add a little more oil to the pan and gently fry most of your spice mix. Reserve a teaspoon to add just before serving for a fresher spice flavour.

5. Add beef and onion mix to the pan with a little water (or crushed tomatoes) to come half way up the beef mixture. Bring back to the boil and place in the oven for 1-2 hours, depending on the cut of beef used. (It can also be kept on the top of the stove, but the heat is harsher and you will need to stir it to make sure it cooks evenly. Try to stop it from actually boiling, instead have a few little bubbles come up every few seconds.)

6. Add coconut cream and reheat. If it is too liquid, remove the meat and turn the heat high to evaporate the excess liquid.

7. Add lemon juice and remaining spice mix. Stir in well.

8. To serve I like to place the rice around the outside of the plate and place the meat and sauce in the middle. I surround the rice with the accompaniments.

Oven Frittata

2017-02-09T12:05:00.002+11:00

Oven baked frittata

2 potatoes

2 sweet potatoes or equivalent pumpkin

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 bunch chives

9 eggs

½ cup liquid – cream, milk or water

Salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat oven to 220.

Peel and dice potatoes and/or pumpkin into 1cm dice.

Toss in olive oil and salt.

Spread on baking paper on an oven tray.

Roast, turning occasionally, until brown, about 45 minutes.

Allow to cool a little and reduce oven heat to 160.

Beat eggs, liquid, salt and pepper together.

Add vegetables and chives and toss together well.

Heat another tablespoon of olive oil in a non stick oven proof fry pan.

Add egg mixture and allow to heat for 2-3 minutes.

Place in the oven. Cook until it is just wobbly in the centre – about 10 minutes. If it’s not cooked after 10, keep checking every few minutes. How long it takes depends on the temperature of the egg mixture when you put it into the oven, the actual temperature of the oven and the size of the fry pan. Not cooked enough and it will be liquidy, over cooked and it will be separated into egg and eggy water. It’s better to undercook it though because you can always put it back in the oven.

Remove and cool in the pan before turning out. It will continue to cook a little after you take it out of the oven. This is called ‘carry over cooking’.

Serve warm or chilled.

Apple Crumble Cheesecake Slice

2016-08-14T07:46:00.003+10:00

250g plain or gingernut biscuits

125g butter, melted

500g philly cheese, softened

2/3 cup caster sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs, lightly beaten

¾ cup cream

1 teaspoon mixed spice

5 (500g) apples, 3 peeled and finely chopped, 2 sliced

1 cup rolled oats

¼ cup plain flour

¼ cup brown sugar

50g butter, chilled, chopped

Line base of 30 x 20cm pan with baking paper. This makes the cheesecake easy to remove.

Process biscuits until coarse crumbs, add melted butter, and process again until finer. Press into the base of lined pan.

Beat the Philly, caster sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer until just smooth.

Beat in the eggs then stir through the cream and mixed spice.

Fold through the chopped apple then pour onto the prepared base. Arrange sliced apple over the top.

Place oats, flour, and sugar in a bowl. Rub in butter until combined. Sprinkle over filling.

Bake at 180 for 30 to 40 minutes or until just set (cheesecake will wobble a little

in centre). Turn off oven. Cool cheesecake in oven for 3 hours with door ajar. Refrigerate thoroughly.
Cut into squares and sprinkle with icing sugar if desired.

Velveting Chicken - Keeping chicken breast juicy

2016-02-25T07:10:00.002+11:00

"Velveting" is a Chinese technique used with lean dry chicken breast to make it more succulent and juicy. Although Chinese, you can adjust the flavours to whatever cuisine you're cooking. I like to use chicken treated this way in pastas and salads. You can double triple or quadruple the recipe easily. Just be sure to use a lot more boiling water.

2 tablespoons cornflour
1 tablespoon liquid - this could be soy sauce, Chinese rice wine, white wine, brandy
1 tablespoon oil - this could be a neutral oil, olive oil, sesame oil.
Pinch each of salt and (optional) sugar. No salt if you've used soy.
2 chicken breasts diced into small, even cubes. The size doesn't really matter, but having them all the same size does, so they're all cooked at the same time.

1.) Toss the first 4 ingredients together and mix well to combine. Add chicken pieces, mix well and place in fridge for at least 30 mins, and up to 24 hours.
2.) Bring at least 2 litres of water to the boil. When it's boiling give the chicken a big stir to break up the coating. Turn the heat off and move the pot to one side. 3.) Then add the chicken and stir gently to ensure water surrounds each piece.
Leave in the water until cooked. This will depend on the size of the pieces of chicken. Test one to see. Try not to overcook them because they can become dry and stringy, and that's exactly what you're trying to avoid. I think slightly undercooked chicken breast is better than overcooked.
If you're cooking them to add to a stir fry undercook slightly because the chicken will receive it's final cook in the wok.
4.) Drain the water away. This can be done immediately before you use it, or prepared hours ahead.

Explanation

The salt and sugar act as a brine and migrate into the flesh of the chicken, changing the structure of the proteins so they retain more liquid. The cornflour mixture acts as a coat to protect the chicken from loosing moisture and the outside of the pieces from the harsh heat of the water. Magic!

Chicken, Zucchini and Lime Balls

2016-02-14T22:08:00.005+11:00

500g minced chicken
2c grated zucchini, from 2 or 3 zucchini
3 Tbsp oil

Seasonings

2-3 green onions finely sliced
3-4 tbsp mint
1 clove garlic
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp pepper
1 tsp gelatine (this helps keep the meatballs juicy)

Juice from 2 limes

Mix seasonings thoroughly together in a large bowl.

Toss through grated zucchini.

Add chicken mince and mix thoroughly.

Heat olive oil in a non stick pan over medium heat.

Use a small scoop or a heaped tablespoon to scoop meatballs into the pan. Cook for about 7 or 8 minutes on the first side. Flip and cook an additional 4-5 minutes, or until golden brown and the centers are cooked through. You may need to do this in 2 batches.

Remove meatballs from the pan.

Raise heat and reduce the liquid in the pan until it is browned.

Pour off the extra oil.

Add meatballs back to pan and toss to coat.

Serve immediately or serve chilled.

Beetroot Red Velvet Cupcakes - sugar, dairy, gluten and grain free

2016-02-14T21:37:00.001+11:00

Beetroot Red Velvet Cupcakes

2 large beetroot, washed and grated raw.
3 eggs.
1 teaspoon vanilla
Pinch of salt.
1 1/2 cup almond meal.
4 tablespoons cocoa powder
3 tablespoons coconut oil.
1/4 cup stevia
1 teaspoon baking powder.

Syrup
2 teaspoons cocoa
1 teaspoon stevia
1/3 cup water

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 170 C and line a cupcake tin with 12 cupcake cases.

2. Blend all ingredients (in a blender or with a stick blender) until it’s a smooth batter, then divide between the 12 cases.

3. Cook for 40 minutes.

4. Combine syrup ingredients and mix with stab blender. Heat 1 minute in microwave.

5. Pour syrup over cupcakes after they come out of the oven.

Servings: 12

Preperation: 15 mins

Cooking: 40 mins

Pine Lime Pork with Coconut

2016-01-27T21:48:00.000+11:00

Actually, this sauce is delicious with pork, chicken, fish or tofu. Pan fry the protein, and serve this over the top.

2 tblspn coconut oil

2 thick slices fresh pineapple, cut into 1cm pieces

½ white onion cut into 6 wedges

1cm ginger, julienned

1 small cucumber, cut into 1cm pieces

Juice 1 lime

1-2 tblspns sugar

1/3 cup coconut cream

4 kaffir lime leaves, very finely shredded.

½ cup mint and/or coriander, coarsley chopped.

Heat oil over medium heat and fry pineapple until it looks cooked.

Sprinkle with salt and sugar, raise heat and fry, stirring occasionally, until pineapple is caramelised.

Remove pineapple, leaving remaining oil.

Add onion with ½ cup water and a pinch of salt. Continue to cook over high heat until water is evaporated and onion is nearly cooked. Add ginger and continue to cook until onion is finished cooking.

Continue cooking on high heat, add coconut cream and kaffir lime leaves. Simmer a minute or two until thickened slightly.

Add pineapple, cucumber, mint and coriander. Heat briefly.

Pour over pan fried chicken, pork, fish or tofu.

Foccacia

2015-12-20T17:12:00.000+11:00

These instructions will give a loaf to serve around lunchtime. If you'd like to serve it for dinner, make the poolish in the evening, mix the main dough in the morning and pour into the baking tin. Place it in the fridge for at least 10 hours, and then cook.

Poolish

2 cups bread flour

500mls water

Pinch of yeast

Main dough

2 cups bread flour

150mls warm water

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon yeast

The night before mix the poolish ingredients together in a large plastic container with a lid. You may need to use your hand (washed, of course) to mix the poolish well. When finished scrape the dough off your hand back into the container.

Place the lid on, leaving a small opening at one corner. Leave out of the fridge overnight.

The next morning add the main dough ingredients to the poolish. Again, you’ll probably need to use your hand to do this. It can take up to 5 mins to get it mixed in properly. The dough will be lumpy at this point, and very slack, but all the flour should be well moistened. It will be too wet to knead.

Let the dough rest for 10 mins. Then wet one hand (this stops the dough sticking to your hand) and slide it half way under the dough. Lift the dough up until you feel resistance, then fold this part of the dough back over itself. Turn the container 90 degrees, wet your hand again and repeat. Do this a total of 4 times, almost forming a square. (Though the dough will not look square. It will be round.)

Let the dough rest another 10 minutes and repeat. And then rest another 10 mins and repeat. So you do the stretch and fold proceedure a total of 3 times. This aligns the gluten strands and you will see the dough become smoother the more times you do it. This all sounds way more complicated to describe than to do. It’s actually quite simple. You just make a square with the dough 3 times.

Line a shallow baking tray with silicone paper.

Allow the dough to rest a few more minutes, then plop it onto the baking tray. Wet your hands for a final time and push and smooth the dough to reach the ends of the baking tray. If the dough seems reluctant to stretch, let it rest a little longer. Press your fingers deep into the dough, touching right to the bottom of the pan. Do this about 10 times to make 40 dimples. This is what gives foccacia it’s charachteristic lumpy appearance.

Set aside to rise for anything from an hour to five hours. If you want to leave it longer than that you could refrigerate it for part of the time. No need to cover it.

An hour before you want to bake it, preheat the oven to 250 degrees.

Drizzle 3-6 tablespoons of olive oil over the top of the dough, being careful not to actually touch and therefore deflate the dough. I like to sprinkle it with rosemary too, but this isn’t necessary

Bake for 25-35 mins, until golden brown on the top. Check it after 20 mins - you may need to rotate the pan if it’s cooking unevenly.

Coffee Toffee adapted from Smitten Kitten (in metric)

2015-10-27T10:53:00.001+11:00

I think it might be nice to try 1 cup slivered almonds stirred into the toffee just after it's reached it's maximum temperature.
250g butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons molasses (can swap corn syrup or honey)
1/4 teaspoon salt (or a heaping 1/4 teaspoon flaky sea salt)
1 1/2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
170g or 1 cup dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts (toasted, skinned and cooled) or another nut of your choice

Line a small baking sheet (mine are 9×13, to fit in my puny oven) with parchment paper or a silicon mat and set aside.
Melt butter, brown sugar, white sugar, molasses, salt and espresso together. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally with a whisk (one that reaches into the corners is especially helpful here) until the temperature approaches 120C at which point you should stir constantly until it reaches 148C.
Pour immediately into the prepared baking sheet — you can spread it more evenly with a offset or silicon spatula but don’t worry if you have neither.
Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the toffee and let them sit for a minute until soft, then spread the chocolate evenly over the candy base.
Sprinkle the chocolate with chopped hazelnuts and then, if you’re as impatient as we are, you can slide the sheet onto a cooling rack in the freezer until the toffee is set.
Break into pieces and store in an airtight container. If you’re kitchen is warm, you might prefer to keep it in the fridge so the chocolate doesn’t get soft.

Sauce base from America's Test Kitchen

2015-10-27T10:02:00.000+11:00

1 small onion, roughly, chopped
1 small carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
250g mushrooms, halved
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
250g minced beef
1 tablespoon tomato paste
500mls red wine
1 litre beef broth
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons black peppercorns
2 packages unflavored powdered gelatin (5 teaspoons)
Method
Process onion, carrot, mushrooms, and garlic in food processor into 1/8-inch pieces, 10 to 12 one-second pulses, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until simmering; add beef and tomato paste and cook, stirring frequently, until beef is well browned, 8 to 10 minutes.
Add vegetable mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until any released moisture has evaporated, about 8 minutes.
Add wine and bring to simmer, scraping bottom of pan with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits.
Add beef broth, thyme, bay leaves, and peppercorns; bring to boil.
Reduce heat and gently boil, occasionally scraping bottom and sides of pot, skimming fat from surface, until reduced to 2 cups, 20 to 25 minutes.
Strain mixture through fine-mesh strainer set over small saucepan, pressing on solids with rubber spatula to extra as much liquid as possible (you should have about 1 cup stock).
Sprinkle gelatin over stock and stir to dissolve.
Place saucepan over medium-high heat and bring stock to boil. Gently boil, stirring occasionally, until reduced to 1/2 cup, 5 to 7 minutes.
Remove from heat and cover to keep warm. (Leftovers can be frozen for up to a month.)

Naomi's Favourite BBQ Sauce

2015-09-09T06:09:00.001+10:00

1 onion finely chopped and fried with

2 cloves garlic

1/2 cup passata

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup rice malt syrup

2tbsp vinegar

1tbsp smoked paprika

2 tsp Dijon mustard

Finely chop onion and fry until softened, about 5 mins

Add 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped and fry until fragrant, 1 minute

Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 10-15 minutes

Meatballs with Pomegranate, Yogurt and Tahini

2015-08-17T16:27:00.000+10:00

This recipe includes two tricks to keep the meatballs moist - a ‘panade’ made of breadcrumbs and milk, and adding gelatine. And as you mix the seasonings into the meat you knead the meat, causing the proteins stick together and create a cohesive texture.

1kg mince

2 slices bread

1 teaspoon gelatine

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

2 teaspoons each ground cinnamon and allspice

1 bunch flat leaf parsley, stalks removed

½ bunch mint, leaves only

100 mls milk or water
Pomegranate molasses (optional)

Tahini Yogurt Sauce

1 cup Greek yogurt

2 tablespoons tahini

1 clove garlic, crushed

Lemon juice and salt to taste

Mix all ingredients together using a whisk or a fork,

Method

Using the cutting blade on a food processor, process the bread until it forms crumbs.

Add garlic and dry ingredients and process again.

Add parsley and mint and process until finely chopped.

Add milk and process until it achieves a thick paste.

Remove this from the processor and in a large bowl combine the bread mixture with 1/3 of the mince until it is thoroughly incorporated.

Add half the remaining mixture and mix again. Then repeat with the last third of the mince. Mixing the seasonings into the meat takes a while.

Roll into balls. I find this makes about 70 small balls that are just right for a single bite. Alternatively, form into sausage shapes or make larger hamburger style patties.

Place on oven tray lined with baking paper and brush with pomegranate molasses.

Bake in the oven at 120C for 10 mins, or until just cooked depending on size. If you see juice coming out of them, they are already overcooked.

Alternatively you could cook them on the bbq or in a frypan.

To serve, place meatballs on a plate and dot the yogurt sauce over. Then sprinkle with a combination of whatever is available - pomegranate seeds, ground sumac, parsley or pistachios.

Drizzle with a little more pomegranate molasses.
Spear each meatball with a toothpick and serve.

Granny's Date and Ginger slice

2015-08-06T09:20:00.001+10:00

Ingredients

1½ cups self-raising flour
1 cup chopped dates
¾ cup chopped walnuts
185g butter, melted
1¼ cups brown sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon ground ginger
¼ cup chopped crystallised ginger
Icing sugar for dusting

Instructions

Preheat oven to moderate, 180°C. Lightly grease a 20 x 30cm slice pan and line it with baking paper.
In a large bowl, combine flour, dates and walnuts. Stir in butter, sugar, egg and ginger.
Spoon into prepared pan, smoothing the top.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until cooked when tested. Let cool in the pan. Dust with icing sugar and cut into squares.

Ricotta and Rosemary Bread Pudding

2015-07-22T16:05:00.003+10:00

400g loaf white sourdough
200g ricotta
90g parmesan, or vegetarian substitute, grated
1½ tsp chopped rosemary leaves
20g chives, finely chopped
800ml milk
250ml cream
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ tsp nutmeg
8 medium eggs
Olive oil, to finish
Place bread in 80C oven for 1 hour.
Combine ricotta, parmesan, chives and rosemary.
Spread cheese mixture onto bread.
Combine milk, cream, eggs, garlic, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
Prepare a 22cm x 29cm ovenproof dish by buttering and flouring, or lining with baking paper.
Place the bread cheese side up in the dish, overlapping and standing them up to fit.
Pour the egg mixture over until it just reaches the top. Allow to stand at least and hour. The bread will soak up the liquid, so top it up before you cook it. But don't cover the top of the bread. Part of the charm of this dish is a crunchy top.
Bake at 180C for 30 mins, or until the top is crusty. Be careful not to overcook because the egg mixture will separate.

Cream of Lettuce and Pea Soup

2015-07-22T15:49:00.000+10:00

It sounds odd with cooked iceberg lettuce, but is actually one of my favourite soups of all time. Serve either hot or cold. Adapted from Gretta Anna Teplitzky

250g frozen baby peas

1 large potato, peeled and sliced

1 onion, sliced

1 iceberg lettuce, cut into 8 pieces

750mls chicken stock

Juice ½ lemon

300mls cream

2 tablespoons chives

Mint from 4 sprigs

Place stock, onion, potato and lemon juice into a saucepan and simmer for 15 mins, or until potato is tender.

Add peas and lettuce and simmer just until the lettuce is soft.

Puree in a blender, then pass through a seive.

Add cream and serve hot or chilled.

Cheese and Chive Bouikos

2015-05-23T19:41:00.002+10:00

Makes 12 small or 24 tiny cheesy buns. I like the tiny ones because you get more crispy crust. These come with a serious addiction warning. This recipe is easily doubled or even tripled.
Best straight from the oven.

50g cold butter, cut into small cubes a little larger than a pea

40g mature Cheddar cheese, grated

40g feta, crumbled

100g cake flour

Pinch of salt

2 tbs chopped chives or 2 spring onions chopped

100g sour cream

Milk to glaze (optional)

Method

Preheat the oven to 220C.

Combine all ingredients except sour cream. Don’t allow it to warm in your hands too much.

Add sour cream and mix gently with your hands until dough just comes together. Don’t overwork the dough or you will warm the butter and toughen the gluten.

Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and pat it down to a rough rectangle (ie one side longer than the other) about one centimetres thick (roughly the height of a fingernail). Cut the long side into 4, and the short side into 3 to give 12 squares. Cut these squares diagonally to give 24 triangles. Of course you can make any shape or size you like - squares or circles.

Brush the tops with milk if you want them to be shiny, but this isn’t necessary. Place onto baking tray and into the oven for 10 mins.

Turn front to back, reduce oven temp to 200C and bake another 6 mins or until golden.

Adapted from Honey & Co.

Chocolate Hazelnut Friands

2015-03-08T18:21:00.000+11:00

6 egg whites
1 cup (125g) ground hazelnuts, toasted
150g melted butter, cooled
50g plain flour
25g cocoa powder
1½ cups (240g) icing sugar, sifted
Choc chips to taste

METHOD

Preheat oven to 180°C or 160°C fan-forced. Lightly grease 12 friand molds.
Lightly beat egg whites. Stir in ground hazelnuts and melted butter. Sift the flour, cocoa powder and icing sugar into the mixture. Stir through choc chips if using.
Divide mixture among prepared pans (approx ¼ cup mixture into each one).
Bake in preheated oven 25 minutes until cooked through (when a skewer is inserted into centre, it should come out clean).

Romesco - Tomato and Capsicum Puree

2015-03-03T17:46:00.000+11:00

This recipe is greater than the sum of it's part. Magnificent flavour and easy preparation make it a favourite. Use it as a dip for bread or a condiment for meat or vegetables. It's especially good in late summer when tomatoes and red capsicums are at their peak.

Ingredients
- 2 red onions
- 2 capsicums
- 4 tomatoes
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 40g ground almonds, hazelnuts or even cashews (toasted optional)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 slices sandwich bread
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
Instructions
1. Peel onions and cut in half.
2. Cut core out of tomato and cut in half.
3. Place onions, tomatoes and whole capsicums onto baking tray lined with baking paper.
4. Put into oven at 250 C for 30 mins, or until cooked and charred.
5. Lift skins off tomatoes, remove cores from capsicum and peel.
6. Place all ingredients in food processor and process.
7. Check seasoning for salt and vinegar. Add more if necessary.
8. Serve as a sauce for meats, or as a dip.

Lemon Butter from Val

2015-03-03T11:48:00.002+11:00

5 eggs
3/4 cup caster sugar
3/4 cup lemon juice
2 teaspoons lemon rind
125g butter, chopped into small pieces

Add all ingredients to a saucepan. Beat together.
Stir constantly over high heat until thickened, about 6-7 mins.
Pour into sterilised jars if you intend to keep it for longer than about a week.

Chinese Braised Potatoes

2015-02-08T20:24:00.003+11:00

450g potatoes, peeled and sliced into ½ cm or ¼ inch slices

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tbsp vegetable oil

3 cloves chopped garlic

2 tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger

2 tbsp sugar

3 tbsp dry sherry

(Optional: 4 tablespoons sliced spring onions and/or 3 Lap Cheong.)

Stack the potato slices and cut them into matchsticks. Soak them in a bowl of cold water with a teaspoon of salt for 5-10 minutes, then drain thoroughly and blot them dry with kitchen paper.

Heat a wok or large frying pan over medium heat and gently fry garlic and ginger.

Add potatoes and stir fry for 1 minute, until coated with oil and seasonings.

Add sherry, salt, sugar and Lap Cheong if using. Stir and cover. Cook over medium heat until water is evaporated. Check potatoes for doneness. If undercooked add a little more water, cover and cook until tender but not falling apart

Drizzle with sesame oil and spring onions if using. Serve.

, Adapted from Ken Hom

Glazed Ham

2014-12-22T14:34:00.001+11:00

The finished product. You can see where I patched it up.

Around 10kg ham

2 cups orange marmalade

1/2 cup cider vinegar

4 teaspoons dry English mustard

1 teaspoon ground cloves

Whole cloves

1 cup orange juice

Ham Glaze

3 tablespoons St Dalfour cherry jam

3 tablespoons brown sugar

Ham stock

Remaining basting mixture

Preheat oven to 250 degrees C.

Opps. I took too much fat off, but patched it up.

Cut the skin around the shank of the ham and ease the skin from the fat. To do this, slide your hand between the skin and the fat. Be careful not to slide it between the meat and fat as I have done here. :(

Remove the skin completely, and reserve.

Trim excess fat, leaving at least 2 cm of fat all over.

Score the fat in diagonal patterns. Place a clove in the centre of each diamond.

Combine marmalade, vinegar, mustard and cloves together, whisking to combine.

Pour half a cup of water in the bottom of the pan. Place ham in baking dish. If the shank end hangs outside the pan cover it with foil, making sure the juices from the shank will drain back into the pan to keep the oven clean.

Spread some of the marmalade mixture over the ham ensuring the ham is fully surrounded with this mix, and place in the oven.

Bake for 10 mins, remove and baste with marmalade mixture. Continue to bake and baste until the ham is golden, 30-40 mins.

Remove from the oven and cool in the tin. Transfer to a serving platter and place in the fridge. Cover with an old clean tea towel or pillowslip. (You will need to replace this daily)

Ham skin simmering on stove

While the ham is in the oven make ham stock. Cut skin into squares, around 15cm each. Place in a saucepan with trimmings, cover with water and simmer for an hour. Remove the skin and trimmings from the saucepan and turn the heat to high. Boil rapidly until around 1 cup stock remains.

To make Glaze Condiment

Combine ham stock, juices from the bottom of the pan you cooked the ham in, basting mixture, brown sugar and cherry jam.

Taste for seasoning and adjust to your taste. It may need more sugar or jam. Or it may be too salty, in which case add a little water. You may prefer to add extra cider vinegar or mustard. Or you may like to add a little orange juice. This is very much up to the cook.
I prefer to puree it with the stab blender but you could leave it chunky.

Chill and serve with the ham.

Orange and saffron potatoes

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1 onion, diced finely

2 tablespoons olive oil

100 mls sherry

½ teaspoon saffron threads

1 teaspoon sugar

Salt to taste

3-4 oranges, juiced

½ teaspoon sherry vinegar, or more to taste

Fry onion in olive oil and salt until softened. Cover with ½ cup water, and cook on high until water is evaporated. This is a quick way to fry onions.

Add sherry and cook on high until nearly evaporated.

Meanwhile grind saffron, salt and sugar in spice grinder. Alternatively, mix them together with a little boiling water.

Add to pan with orange juice, cover and simmer until cooked.

Check seasonings, and add more salt, sugar and vinegar to taste.

Serve warm or cold as a salad.