eater

moving

2011-01-22T18:44:22+11:00

Hello - I've moved eater to a brand new blogger site http://eater2.blogspot.com/ . Unfortunately I haven't been able to figure out how to transfer the feed, so if you'd like to keep reading (even if it is sporadic) you will need to update feed details and bookmarks etc. Thanks!

chocolate swirl cheesecake slice

2010-04-30T13:13:44+10:00

I've recently discovered that cheesecake is popular at social gatherings but as it is hard to cut into lots of pieces, it can be difficult to serve. And besides, it is so rich that most people only want a taste. So cheesecake slice fills that little niche.

I wouldn't use cooking chocolate in this, it will be nicer with good quality eating chocolate. Doesn't have to be green and blacks, just whatever is on special that week.

Crust

2 x 250g packet of arnotts chocolate ripple biscuits (not plain brand)
250g of melted butter

I crush my biscuits inside a cloth bad with a rolling pin, but if you have a food processor, that would make it a whole lot easier. Just don't crush them too fine. Or your crust won't have texture. Stir in the melted butter. Line one or two slice tins with baking paper, letting the edges hang out. I use two tins, each about 23cm square but a larger slice tin would be fine. Pressed down the base should be about 2-3 cms. Place biscuit mixture into tin and press down with back of spoon, then cover with a sheet of baking paper and roll with a flat sided glass. This will make the base nice and firm. Place in fridge while you make the filling.

Filling

2 x 250g blocks of Philadelphia (or similar) cream cheese softened (back in the day when we had a microwave, I would cut it into chunks and zap briefly)
200ml pure cream
1 tablespoon of gelatine dissolved in 1/2 cup of boiling water and cooled
I cup caster sugar (I have used plain white sugar and it works fine, you just have to beat it for longer. Brown sugar would also work fine and taste lovely)
the juice of 1 orange, strained
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (the one from the supermarket is fine but get the extract not the essence)
1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder
100g dark chocolate
100g white chocolate

Beat the cream cheese in an electric beater until there are no lumps. Add the sugar and dissolved gelatine and beat until the sugar is dissolved. Add the cream and vanilla and mix gently. Beat the mixture on medium speed until very soft peaks form. Melt the white and dark chocolate over simmering water or in the microwave. Divide the cheesecake mixture and add the dark chocolate and cinnamon to one and the white chocolate and orange juice to the other. The white chocolate mix might need some more time in the beater to come together. Spoon big dollops of each mix onto the crust and then make swirling patterns with a knife or a skewer. Place in fridge to set for at least four hours. To serve, lift out of the tray by the baking paper and cut into squares with a heavy knife

can't be stuffed banana bread

2010-04-06T22:27:16+10:00

This has to be the easiest, and I mean really, really easy, easiest baked good I have ever made. Seriously the hardest bit is peeling the bananas (which I guess can be almost tricky if they are frozen or very black). I do believe Grace could make this recipe pretty much by herself if she was keen, except she told me she doesn't like it because it has too much banana in it. Everyone else has said it is very nice. This bread also keeps very well in the fridge (and would freeze well), so I tend to double the quantity and make two loaves. Perfect for using up very ripe bananas. It is quite sweet, so I reduced the sugar quite a bit from the original recipe and I think you could reduce the sugar even more depending on how sweet the bananas are.

Last time I made this, I included some vanilla, some fresh nutmeg, some cinnamon, sultanas and a few leftover walnuts we had floating around the cupboard. The time before I put the scant remains of a packet of chocolate chips in. Sultanas are always good. But the optional extras are entirely optional, the bread still tastes lovely without them.

Ingredients

2 bananas
2 tablespoons of golden syrup
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup self raising flour (I use wholemeal)
pinch salt

2x
4 bananas
tablespoons of golden syrup
1 cup of brown sugar
2 eggs
2 cups of self raising flour
pinch salt

possible optional extras

vanilla extract
nutmeg - best cut from a whole nutmeg with a sharp knife - a whole different taste experience
cinnamon
orange zest
chocolate chips
sultanas
chopped walnuts

To make

Line two small loaves with baking paper or grease well. Preheat oven to 180C.
Using a good size mixing bowl, mash the bananas.
Add golden syrup and sugar. Stir. Add egg, flour and pinch of salt. Mix well. Add in any optional extras. Mix well.
Pour into loaf pans and bake for about 30 minutes or until skewer tests clean.
Rest in tin before turning onto a rack to cool. Store in fridge wrapped in the baking paper and a plastic bag or tea towel.

How easy was that! The perfect snack as it is or with a touch of butter.

ps - it is called "can't be stuffed banana bread" because the weekend I first made it, G was suggesting (quite strongly) that I make something with the rotting bananas we had. They were so awful I thought it wouldn't work so I used the most basic recipe I could find. Because I really couldn't be stuffed. And lo it was good. A few adaptions and changes, and there we have it.

fig and almond tart, with orange and chocolate

2010-03-08T00:02:22+11:00

I used to make almond and fruit tarts regularly when we had the cafe and thought that this year I might make one with apricots or peaches, or berries even. But the fruit and the urge never seemed to combine and the almond meal sat in the back of the fridge mocking me. Then one day about three weeks ago, I knew I had to make a tart that weekend. So I made a big batch of pastry (enough for two tarts still in the freezer) and enough almond filling for two tarts (all gone). When I went to the shop to get some peaches, well .... they were as hard as rocks and I knew in my heart that they would disappoint. But there were some figs. Gooey white figs. Cheap. So I bought more than I thought I could possibly use and me and the tart, we were on.

As I started assembling the filling, I had two brainwaves. What about some chocolate? Just a little bit. As it happened there was 70g of Lindt 70% in the fridge. Only because someone had given it to Grace and therefore I wasn't allowed to eat it all. But Grace was happy with just a piece and said I could use the rest. Then I thought, oh I know, the almond filling really needs a citrus note. Lemon would be too sharp, but orange would be good. Having no oranges in the house and reluctant to go to the shop again, I looked wistfully out the laundry window at our neighbours laden orange tree. Oranges that just fall to the ground and rot. So, I went and knocked on the door. He seemed a bit embarrassed - perhaps he'd been napping in his underwear - and said that the oranges were sour but to help myself. So I did. And they were perfect.

Indeed I think I would say that the tart was pretty close to perfect. It finished cooking just before we went to dinner in the park. Later I dashed home and collected it. We ate it all.* The kids didn't even get a look in.**

You will need

A good plateful of ripe figs, peeled or not according to your preference. I peeled on this occasion.
1 tablespoon give or take of orange zest (no white bits) finely chopped
50g dark chocolate - 70% cocoa or more, finely chopped (eg Lindt or Black and Greens)
1 quantity of frangipane
1 quantity of biscuit crust

To make

Preheat oven to 180C and grease a 28cm tart tin.
Line tart tin with biscuit crust. No need to roll it out. Just press it in with your fingers. Try not to make it too thick anywhere. Trim.
Bake (absolutely no need to bake blind) until crust starts to colour and puff up a little.
While tart crust is baking, prepare the frangipane. If you are using some plain frangipane from the fridge or freezer, add the orange zest and mix well.
Peel figs. Or not. Try not to eat too many.
When tart crust is ready, remove from oven and press out any really puffy bits with the back of a spoon.
Scatter the chopped chocolate on the base of the tart.
Dollop spoonfuls of frangipane in the crust.
Place figs on top.
Bake until almond filling doesn't wobble very much in the middle. Or a bit longer if you would like the tart to be very firm. I quite like a bit of goo in the middle.
Allow to sit for at least 30 minutes before removing from tin.
Delicious warm with cream. Or cold the next day when to tart would have firmed up.

* This tart was shared between 16 adults, but really there are 8-12 good serves. Between 16 the slices were a bit measly.
** But I made the kids a chocolate beetroot cake this weekend which was received with a great deal of enthusiasm. Recipe is still under development.

frangipane

2010-03-07T23:58:13+11:00

This is a lovely filling to use in a fruit tart. Sometime I have ground the nuts myself which makes for a more textured filling with a lovely fresh taste. Most of the time though, I use ground almonds from Hassoons, which has them in the deli section. It's important to use fresh ground nuts, not ones that have been sitting around in a supermarket for ages. As for the sugar, well white sugar gives a paler colour and is good for delicate flavours but brown sugar is nice too.

I've given quantities for one for two tarts. As the mixture keeps for a few days in the fridge or you can be frozen, I tend to make the bigger mix. Which works better in the kenwood. And means I can make another tart with half the faffing.

You will need

1x
125g butter
150g caster or brown sugar
200g ground almonds
2 eggs
flavouring such as finely chopped orange or lemon rind, 3 tablespoons of brandy or some other liquor.

2x
250g butter
300g caster or brown sugar
400g ground almonds
4 eggs
flavouring such as finely chopped orange or lemon rind, 6 tablespoons of brandy or some other liquor.

To make

Cream the butter and sugar and add any flavourings
Beat in the eggs
Mix in the ground almonds
Tarts filled with frangipane should be baked at 180C until the top is golden and the centre feels cooked (or nearly cooked if you don't mind a slightly gooey tart).

carrot dip

2010-03-04T23:22:23+11:00

I started making this dip when we had lots and lots carrots in the vegie box. I think it's pretty nice with pide and olives. Others in the family are less enthusiastic.

You will need

2 or 3 large carrots grated (depending on the size of your fry pan)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons of ground coriander
2 or 3 large cloves of garlic, crushed or finely chopped.
1/2 cup thick European style yoghurt, although it works fine with normal plain yoghurt
olive oil to thinly coat the pan
black pepper

To make

Gently cook the grated carrot in the fry pan on a low to medium heat with the olive oil and a pinch of salt until the carrots wilt and change colour.
Add the garlic, cumin and coriander and cook for a little longer.
Allow to cool (or the yoghurt will curdle in the next step).
Add the yoghurt and some black pepper.
Blend the cooled mixture with a blender or bamix.
Refrigerate for an hour or two before eating to let the flavours develop.

tofu burgers

2009-09-18T22:15:10+10:00

We first tasted these tofu burgers at Emily and Eamon's one night and I was totally surprised at how delicious they are. Since we have taken over Mim and Tom's place in the neighborhood tofu collective for a while, we've had to get a bit more imaginative with using tofu. I'll be honest, I'm not a huge fan of tofu but these are great. Especially made with beautiful fresh tofu. The recipe comes from an article in the epicure section of The Age a while back.

I've made a few changes, just using things that are more common in our household and reduced the quantity. I also think that they hold together a bit better if you put an egg in them, but they are totally fine without an egg. As Gerard says, they really don't need an egg nutritionally. Serve with bread, salad and sweet chilli sauce. Or with greens, grilled eggplant and mushrooms. They are very filling. And pretty nice the next day, cold for lunch too.

Ingredients

about 350g of firm tofu, patted dry
1 egg (very optional)
1 sheet of nori, shredded finely with scissors
a small onion, diced
1/2 a cup of breadcrumbs
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
2 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp neutral oil for frying (we use grapeseed)

To make

Put half the tofu, the shredded nori, the diced onion, egg (if using), sesame seeds, tamari or soy sauce and sesame oil into a blender or bamix container and process until the tofu is fairly smooth.
Crumble the rest of the tofu into a bowl and mix with the breadcrumbs and processed mixture.
Shape into nice flat burger shapes with your hands.
Allow to sit for about ten minutes before cooking so they firm up a bit.
Fry in a little bit of oil and turn when they have a crisp outer. It's best not to crowd them as they can be a bit delicate while cooking, especially if you don't use the egg. They can also be barbecued.

pumpkin pizza with rosemary scented slow cooked onions, mushrooms and olives

2009-08-09T22:34:36+10:00

I think we've finally found a good pumpkin dinner. And it uses a big onion. Excellent when the vegie box sends a surfeit of onions and pumpkin.

Ingredients

a 12 cm wedge of Jap pumpkin
a big brown onion
a sachet of tomato paste
2 heaped soup spoons of roast garlic paste
3 or 4 mushrooms
some pitted olives
some grated mozzarella cheese
some dried or fresh rosemary
a serve of ready made pizza dough (when I make pizza dough I make enough for 3 pizza dinners and freeze it)

To make

In advance

Get the pizza dough out of the freezer sometime before lunch to allow it to defrost (unless you have a microwave, in which case you can defrost it that way).
Peel and cut the pumpkin into slices about 1a nd a 1/2 cm thick. Place on a oiled tray and bake in medium hot oven until soft all the way through and starting to loose a little moisture.
Slice the onion into rings and place in a heavy frypan on a low heat with a smidge of olive oil, some fresh or dried rosemary and a sprinkling of salt. Cover and cook on a low heat. Stir occasionally. The onion should collapse and turn a kind of golden colour without burning. When it's nearly done, cook for a short while without a lid to allow some of the moisture to cook off.
Pit the olives and slice the mushrooms.

To assemble

Oil the pizza trays.
Roll and press out dough.
Splodge some tomato paste and roast garlic paste onto each pizza. Mix together and coat pizza bases with the back of a spoon.
Arrange pumpkin slices, mushrooms, olives, onion and rosemary mixture on each pizza. Cover thinly with mozzarella cheese.
Bake in a hot oven, rotating at the half way mark. About five minutes before they are ready, slip the pizzas off their pans (I use a flat baking sheet to handle the pizzas when doing this) and bake directly on the oven rack to crisp up the bases.
Remove from oven, slice and serve.

roast garlic paste

2009-08-09T22:28:06+10:00

This was a staple when we had the cafe. I'd like to say it was my idea, or my creation, but it wasn't. One of our cooks suggested this and once we tasted it, we never stopped making it. It can be used in so many ways. We used to add about a teaspoon to each stir fry, it's nice on dry biscuits and toast if you like garlic, you can add it soups. But perhaps my favourite use is on pizza bases. Which was what got me thinking about making it the other week. I was making a potato and rosemary pizza with mushrooms and olives and found myself thinking, now if I just had some parmesan cheese and roast garlic paste....

So anyway, I was at Hassoons where I buy a few vegies that don't come in the box and they had some lovely purple garlic. Big pungent cloves. It was from Mexico and so not local, but it was a lot nicer than the wimpy garlic from China which is very tedious to make garlic paste from.

Ingredients

at least 4 heads of garlic
lemon juice
fresh chili
olive oil

To make

Cut the tops of the garlic heads (don't worry if some cloves are exposed and some aren't) and place the heads in a roasting tray. Sprinkle with salt. Roast at about 170C - 180C until the garlic is soft and brown carmelly bits are emerging from the garlic cloves. Allow to cool. Peel each clove and place in a bucket or food processor. This bit can either be very sticky and fiddly or quite easy depending on the garlic. Sticky is more annoying but you will have a better product in the end. Resist the temptation to just squish the garlic out, you will only get half as much paste that way.

Once you have all the garlic, add some chopped chili, a squeeze of lemon and a small slosh of olive oil (for four big heads of garlic I would probably use about half a hot chili and half a lemon). Blend to a paste with a bamix or in a food processor. Scrape into a container and refrigerate. Keeps for a good while, not sure how long - we've never had it around long enough to go off.

sweet potato (or pumpkin) cake

2009-07-28T21:03:03+10:00

After getting far too much pumpkin in the vegie box one week, I started casting around for other ways to get the family to eat it. So I made this cake and it was pretty good. Then we had an even bigger excess of sweet potatoes and this cake, made with sweet potato, is really, really good. On the day it's made, this cake has a fluffiness from the sweet potato that's just gorgeous. However, it also keeps for days in the fridge, which is just as well because it is a filling the cracks kind of cake. But the texture does become more solid. Still good, but solid and sturdy.

Ingredients

125g of butter
1 cup of brown sugar, or fine raw sugar for a more orange colour
1 to 1 and 1/2 cup of cooked but not too watery mashed sweet potato or pumpkin (I cook it in not too much water until soft and then drain well. Microwaving would also work well here.)
1/2 teaspoon each of cinnamon, freshly grated nutmeg, allspice and powdered ginger
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
1/2 cup of yoghurt
1/2 cup of chopped walnuts
1/2 cup of sultanas
2 cups of self raising flour
2 eggs

juice of one lemon
icing sugar
a little butter

To make

Preheat oven to 180C. Grease and line a 22cm (or 24cm) springform cake tin.
Cream butter and sugar until well combined (no need to worry about it being pale and frothy).
Add the eggs and beat some more. Add the yoghurt and sweet potato and beat some more.
Add the flour, spices and vanilla and beat some more.
Stir in the sultanas and walnuts.
The mixture will be quite solid for a cake, but don't worry about that. Spoon into cake tin, smooth the top and bake for about an hour.
Remove from oven when cake tests clean or springs back to the touch. Sit in tin for about five minutes and then de-tin, remove paper and place on a cake rack. This is very important for this cake otherwise it develops an unpleasant pudding like texture.
Make a lemon icing with the juice of the lemon, about a teaspoon on melted butter and enough icing sugar to make an easily spreadable icing. Apply the icing while the cake is still a little warm for the dripping down the edges effect. A thin chocolate icing is also nice, but the lemon is better.