thecattylife... for all things cattylicious...

recipe | apple & chestnut mini muffins

catty — Mon, 14 May 2012 01:44:22 +0000

When Chestnuts Australia Inc. first contacted me to offer me a sample of chestnuts, I was beside myself with excitement. I love chestnuts, and it conjured up memories of strolling through Milan in the middle of winter with snowflakes falling and keeping my hands warm around a cup of fragrant, fresh roasted chestnuts.

Romantic, no? Well, now that I know what is involved in the actual “dealing with the chestnut”, I can tell you it is not quite as romantic as what my mind recalled.

They are perfect looking, these chestnuts. Perfectly smooth shells and shaped like an adorable little chubby heart. What’s not to love? I’ll tell you what: preparing these bitches. Chestnuts can be prepared in a number of ways, and most websites I’d read suggested boiling them if you plan on chopping up or puréeing the flesh.

So boil ‘em I did.

What makes the preparation rather painful (figuratively and somewhat literally) is peeling the chestnuts. There are two layers to the shell. An outer shell (which comes off pretty easily) and an inner layer (which does not). And to make matter worse, all websites will tell you that you need to peel the chestnuts while they’re warm (read: hot) because as they cool, they get harder to peel. So effectively, I ended up with very raw, very burnt, very sore fingertips.

By the time I’d peeled the chestnuts I was cussing significantly more than usual and if it hadn’t been for the fact that I’d promised some scrumptious mini muffins for a birthday do, I would have totally given up. (That’s a lie, I never give up. Ever.) Luckily, the remaining steps to produce these adorable apple & chestnut mini muffins were fingertip-friendly and uber easy.

ps. these mini muffins were a hit at said birthday do. It made me want to prepare chestnuts all over again but don’t worry, that lapse in sanity didn’t last too long.

pps. maybe I’m was just peeling them wrong because it was my first time after all, but I am all for pre-packaged freshly peeled chestnuts which apparently is sold at good grocers around town

Apple & chestnut mini muffins
80 grams butter, room temperature 1/2 cup castor sugar 1 egg 1/2 cup milk 1 1/2 cup plain flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 cup chestnuts, chopped 1 medium apple, chopped (makes about 1 cup) topping: 1/3 cup chestnuts, chopped finely topping: 1/2 cup brown sugar
Pre-heat oven to 205°C/400°F. To prepare the topping, mix together chestnuts and brown sugar and set aside. In a bowl, beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add egg and beat, then add milk, flour and baking powder. Stir in chestnuts and apple and mix thoroughly. Scoop mixture into muffin tray and top with about 1/2 teaspoon of topping on each. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Remove from muffin tray and cool on a wire rack.
Makes 10-12 small muffins.

recipe | cereal milk ice cream

catty — Sun, 06 May 2012 23:40:22 +0000

I have been beside myself excited about sharing this super simple, super delicious recipe with you guys. Some of you might think I’m crazy but cereal milk, as simple as it is, is one of life’s greatest pleasures. Ever since I was a young’n, I’ve eaten all my cereal, just to get to the milk – whether it’s cornflakes or cocopops, the milk, people, is always gold.

And it’s not just me who knows this. Commercial businesses have gotten a whiff of the goodness of cereal milk, with restaurants like London’s Hawksmoor to Momofuku Milk Bar in NYC churning out their own version of cereal milk, and even better, cereal milk ice cream.

Well now, with all but four little ingredients, you too can make your own.

It took me a couple of attempts to get this right, and in the process I had to eat litres upon litres of not-quite-perfect cereal milk ice cream. Oh woe is me. I think I was actually over complicating the matter, but now I’ve dumbed the recipe right down and somehow it works and it works good.

The only scary thing about this recipe is adding that extra 1/2 cup sugar, even when the cereal milk is already so sweet. But believe me, the sugar gives this ice cream its perfect creamy, fluffy texture.

Enjoy!

Cereal milk ice cream
2 cups full cream milk 2 cups thickened cream 3 cups Crunchy Nut cornflakes 1/2 cup castor sugar
Pre-freeze your ice cream maker bowl for at least 24 hours. In a bowl, combine milk and cream and stir through to combine. Add the Crunchy Nut cornflakes and let soak for 20-30 mins. Place a fine sieve over another bowl and scoop spoonfuls of cereal mixture, pressing the mixture to squeeze all the milk into the bowl. Repeat until complete, you should have about 3 cups of cereal milk liquid. (You can compost the waste from the cereal.) Add sugar and beat lightly with an electric mixer until dissolved. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight. When you’re ready to churn the ice cream, place the frozen bowl on the ice cream machine, turn on. Slowly pour in the cream mixture and let churn for about 20 minutes. When ready, scoop into freezer proof container and store.
Makes 1.5L.

the Young Cheezy cheese burger at The Dip

catty — Thu, 03 May 2012 03:16:56 +0000

I’d heard plenty of weird and wonderful things about The Dip (like, er, deep fried coke balls?!) and read billions of reviews but for some bizarre reason, had never dragged my butt there. I think it’s probably because while it’s been eight months since we got back from London, Panu and I are still reeling from the lack of sunlight and try and do (eat) everything outdoors or at the very least, above ground.

The Dip is neither, but believe me, it sure doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go.

Hidden at the back of Good God bar and just in front of the Small Club, The Dip feels a little like you’re stuck in an American diner in Mexico, back in the Flintstones age. I just adored it!

What inspired me go this time was word of the Young Cheezy, a cheese burger they had on the specials menu, brought back permanently due to popular demand. How can I say no? So Saturday night before watching The Avengers (WHICH I LOVED OH MY GOD I CAN’T WAIT FOR THE SEQUEL) Panu and I had a Young Cheezy each, and a side of apple & cabbage slaw just for kicks.

The Young Cheezy was preeeeeeeetty darn tasty with a nice juicy pattie, cheese, pickle, onion, mustard and sauce. It reminded me so much of the Lotus Bistro burger (RIP) but what won it for me was the bun. I don’t really know anything about bread but I know what I like. This steamed fluffy bun was so soft, so airy, so fluffy it made my toes curl. For those of you who don’t get why I think Moo Burger buns are too hard, just try this and you will know exactly what I’m talkin’ about.

Considering I’d just had the Bedlam burger the previous week, I had to draw a comparison… and because I love beetroot, if you put a gun to my head I’d probably choose the Bedlam burger, but if you aren’t a fan of beetroot, give this burger a shot and see what you think.

For dessert we shared a peanut butter & jelly ice cream sandwich. I had high hopes for this because Spuntino’s ridiculously orgasmic version is still deeply etched into my brain. I mean, who needs bread? Spuntino uses the peanut butter ice cream as the bread, yo! Nothing’s gonna beat that any time soon. The Dip’s version was pretty good, but to me it was more like Bocca di Lupo’s ice cream brioche sandwich. Sorry for all the London references, but I guess that maybe means The Dip is actually ahead of the curve in Sydney?

Anyway, it’s all good. I’m going back for the pulled pork nachos YUM.

The Dip (at Good God)
55 Liverpool St
Sydney, NSW, 2000
(02) 9283 8792
website

recipe | sweet potato & almond butter power balls

catty — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 04:05:03 +0000

This morning, I ate ice cream for breakfast. I shit you not, I woke up all stressed about work and the only thing that could make me feel better was drowning my anxiety in a big bowl of cereal milk ice cream. Well, at least it was cereal milk, right? That’s practically healthy!

It’s a wonder I am not the size of an elephant. And I often get asked why I am not the size of an elephant. Well, dear people, it’s because as much as I want to lead you to believe it, I don’t actually indulge in ice cream and burgers all the time. In fact, I actually eat healthy I’d say 4-5 days a week, and then on the weekends… well.

On week days, I snack on fruit (fresh and dried), I eat quinoa salads (no dressing), I drink gallons of water and then I feel sorry for myself. Haha, no just kidding. I feel good actually, especially when I find snacks that are healthy and delicious.

Which brings me to these awesome sweet potato and almond butter power balls, courtesy of Maria, the healthiest person I know Note that I made these on the fly on Friday evening and used only the ingredients that I had in my pantry. I’ll include all the ingredients from Maria’s recipe below though. This is a fantastic snack option or even a healthy dessert which can literally be thrown together in under 30 minutes. Love!

Happy healthy eating!

ps. I can’t wait to share the cereal milk ice cream recipe with y’all! It’s SO good.

Sweet potato & almond butter power balls
450 grams sweet potato, boiled, mashed and cooled 2 heaped tablespoons of almond butter (I used store bought, but Maria has a recipe here) 1 tablespoon chia seeds (I used white chia seeds) 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger coconut oil, for rolling unsweetened, dessicated coconut for rolling Maria also used: 2 teaspoons raw, pure cacao powder 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom 1/4 teaspoon ground licorice
Combined mashed sweet potato, almond butter and chia seeds in a bowl. Mix together the remaining spices and add to the sweet potato bowl. Mix well until all combined. Oil your hands slightly with the coconut oil and create little balls with the mixture. Place on a plate and refrigerate for about 20 minutes. Then roll the balls in dessicated coconut to coat them and store refrigerated in an air tight container. This keeps for 2-3 days.
Makes about 20 truffle sized balls.

cattylicious on instagram

catty — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 05:04:54 +0000

breakfast wrap at Hoochie Mamma

I know, I know, I’m so slack at blogging but hey, I’m on instagram!

Hope everyone has an awesome weekend. I’m loving this cold, sunny weather!

peace out. Loving my new (not new any more) Mimco scarf

burger at The Burger Joint, Darlinghurst

the goodness of a simple egg tart

cookies and cream ice cream sandwiches! recipe here

this is on my desk. It makes me smile every day

as the weather gets colder… udon at Goen Japanese Restaurant

still loving my new faux snake skin bracelet

char kuay teow at Sassy’s Red

cinnamonny! Chai latte from Urban Bites

apple tart from Thomas Dux

and today’s lunch: shin ramyun with vegies and an egg

the Bedlam Burger: my new favourite!

catty — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 00:00:09 +0000

I have a confession to make. This “searching for Sydney’s best burger” thing? It’s a total sham. I mean, I am looking for Sydney’s most delicious burger but if I find it? Am I going to tell you? Well, NO, because then my search would be over, wouldn’t it? And where is the fun in that? So I’m just going to keep looking for Sydney’s best burger and in the mean time, for the sake of this project, I basically have to go eat burgers. All the time.

I’m taking one for the team.

But I will share with you all the burgers that I really really really like, because far be it for me to withhold awesomeness from all of you.

Last Friday night, Panu and I had the Bedlam burger at Bedlam Bar in Glebe. Totally cute little bar with a great outdoor area which I wish I’d discovered when the weather was actually warm. But nonetheless, inside or out, their burger is just about perfect.

So, the burger. Firstly, it’s a nice size. Not too big and not too small. The bun is soft, the pattie is juicy and it comes with gorgonzola cream and a heap of beetroot relish. Oh, so, if you don’t like beetroot, maybe this burger isn’t for you. But they also have a pulled pork burger with coleslaw! But if you do like beetroot, you’re going to love this burger, I almost guarantee it.

Both their burgers also come with a side of garlic & rosemary chips.

And the best thing? It’s all of $10 with a drink. Yes, the Asian in me is squealing in delight because we do love a bargain

Bedlam Bar
2-12 Glebe Point Rd
Glebe, NSW, 2037
(02) 9660 6999
website