BLACK RASPBERRY PASTRY CAKE

This rich dessert lies somewhere between a pastry and a sweet .

CRUMB TOPPING
Place 108 gms of firmly packed light brown sugar with 2 tbs of plain flour , 1 tbs of butter / marg , now using 2 butter knives cut in until the mixture is crumbly .
Add 14gms of finely chopped dark chocolate .
Mix well.
Set aside until ready to use .

THE CAKE
Preheat your oven to 180 deg C .
Spray 20cm spring form pan with baking spray.
In a small bowl add 1 lightly beaten egg and whisk in 1/3 cup of buttermilk , 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract with 1/3 cup of melted and cooled butter /marg .
In a medium sized bowl sift together 135gm of plain flour , 1/2 tsp of baking powder , 1/4 tsp of baking soda , 1/4 tsp of salt .
Add 160gm of castor sugar .
Now pour the liquid mixture into the flour mixture , stir until just smooth .
Spread the batter evenly over the prepared pan .
Scatter 1 and 1/4 cups of fresh black raspberries over the batter .
Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the berries .
Bake until browned , 40 - 45 minutes .
Serve warm cut into wedges .
This cake freezes well  ,.....

CITRIC ACID

Citric acid in some cases is mistakingly known as sour salt .Citric acid is an acid and not a salt , they belong to two different classes of chemicals .
Citric acid has an extremely sour flavour and is added for tartness to prepared  foods , jams , soft drinks and frozen foods .
Citric acid is obtained from citrus fruits or fermented molasses and is used in Middle Eastern and Middle Eurpoean dishes .
You can find citric acid in larger supermarkets , it is sold as sour salt in Kosher markets or as lemon salt in Middle Eastern markets .
I use  citric acid as a descaler for my electric kettle and coffee machine .
It is such an economical cleaner and refresher for my dishwasher .
You can also substitute citric acid for lemon juice 1/4 tsp of citric acid = 1 tbs of lemon juice .
Adds extra  flavour to syrups and beverages .
An essential ingredient in jam making .

LEMON CURD REVISTED

I have 10 beautiful egg yolks left over from the poached meringue , so here is another version of lemon curd .( great way to utilise egg yolks )
Place 10 egg yolks in the bowl of your electric mixer with 1 cup of castor sugar .
Beat until pale in colour , thick and creamy .
Add 2/3  cup of lemon juice and the zest of 2 lemons finely chopped .
A pinch of salt .
Now transfer to a medium pot and over a low heat stirring continuously add 1/2 cup of butter / marg ... until thickened .
Pour into clean jars , place  a piece of baking of baking paper over top and screw on lid .
Store in refrigerator .

 

PUDIM MOLOKOV......POACHED PORTUGEUSE MERINGUE .

What you just looked at is a most delicious cake , no flour , just egg whites a scant amount of cream of tartar and castor sugar .

Pudim Molokov .......Poached Portuguese Meringue

First preheat your oven to 160 deg C

Remove all racks , leaving one rack on the lowest position .

Bring a pot of water to boil .

Lightly spray a bundt pan and sprinkle with 2 tbs of castor sugar  , tilt to cover all areas of the pan .

Beat 10 egg whites and 1/2 tsp of cream of tartar on medium  speed till foamy .

Then beat in 1 cup of castor sugar , 1 tbs at a time , continue to beat till soft peaks form .

Beat in 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract  and 1/4 tsp of almond essence .

Transfer the mix to a bundt pan .

Now cut through the mixture with a butter knife , to release air bubbles .

Place the bundt pan inside a roasting tray and pour boiling water into the roasting tray to the depth of 1"

Place tray in the preheated oven and bake until meringue is set and the top is golden brown and pulling away from the sides of the pan . ( about 45 mins )

Remove from the oven , you may need to loosen the edges with a spatula .

Invert straight onto a plate .

Fill the middle with fresh berries or fruit in season with a syrup , I topped my pudim molokov with chia seeds , coconut flakes and almond slivers .

This is a delicacy ...imagine biting into a cloud or swallowing a gently flavoured puff of air .

It`s exquisite..

Thank you Einstein ..

OVEN ROASTED MARROW

1. Fresh from my neighbour`s  vegetable garden.......

2.Trim ends of marrow and slice in half length ways and remove seeds.

3. I  then stuffed one cavity generously with a black bean ,tomato , fennel and kumara  ( sweet potato ) mix that had been marinated in white wine vinegar ( 24 hours ) .

4. Sprinkled ground cumin over the remaining half of the marrow and then securely place over the filled half  and prick surface with skewer.

5. Placed the marrow in a baking dish and cover with foil and place in a preheated oven ( 180  deg C ) for 90 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the marrow goes in and comes out easily .

6.Remove from oven and allow to cool , then place in refrigerator until ready use , at which point return covered marrow to oven to heat through 45mins in a preheated oven on 160deg C.
Remove from oven , uncover and slice as required .


 

FENNEL , TOMATO AND BLACK BEAN HOTPOT

Using a large ovenproof dish combine .......
5 tomatoes , peeled and chopped
2 leeks , washed and sliced
1 dsp of minced garlic
1 large fennel bulb , washed halved . cored and sliced
3 tbs of rice bran oil
2 tbs of fenugreek seeds
2 fresh bay leaves
5 sprigs of thyme
Salt and pepper .
Now cover the dish and allow to sit for 2 hours to allow flavours to develop .
Preheat your oven to 180 deg C
Now that you are ready to cook , cover the baking dish with a lid or foil and bake for 30 minutes ....oh the aromas !
Remove from the oven .
Add 500 gm of sweet potato
 (washed and cut into large chunks )
400gm of canned black beans   ( rinsed and drained )
250 ml of  white wine vinegar
1 cup of vegetable stock
Mix well and cover .

Bake for 40 minutes or until the potatoes are tender .
Remove and discard bay leaves and thyme .
Serve in warmed bowls with a spoonful of natural yoghurt .

WRINKLED POTATOES WITH MOJO SAUCE

Preheat your oven to 200 deg C.
Place 18 baby ( new potatoes )in a single layer in a baking dish .
Pour 2 tbs  of rice bran oil over and shake to distribute evenly .
Sprinkle over 1 dsp of salt .
Bake for 25 minutes or until the potatoes are golden brown and slightly wrinkled .
(shake the dish a couple of times during cooking .)

MOJO SAUCE
Place 1 dsp of minced garlic in the bowl of your processor
Add1 tsp of ground cumin
1 tsp of ground sweet paprika
Start to process and slowly add in a thin stream 80 ml of olive oil .
Now slowly add 2 tbs of white wine vinegar
1 tbs of hot water
Continue to blend for 1 minute .
Serve the hot wrinkled potatoes with a spoonful of the mojo sauce .

GREEN VEGETABLE CURRY WITH SWEET POTATO AND EGGPLANT (AUBERGINE)

Heat 2 tbs of peanut oil in a large fry pan or wok .
Add 1 medium onion ( peeled and chopped )
2 tbs of green curry paste
Stir for 3 minutes over a medium heat .
Add 1 can ( 400ml ) coconut milk and 250ml of water , bring this to the boil , reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes .
Now it is time to add 1 med /large sweet potato  ( washed and cut into medium sized cubes ), cook for 6 minutes .
Quarter and slice 1 medium  eggplant adding them to the pan along with 6 kaffir lime leaves that have been chopped finely.
Cook for 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender , stirring occasionally .
Finally add 2 tbs of fish sauce
2 tbs of lime juice
1 dsp of lime zest ( finely chopped )
1 dsp of brown sugar .
Stir through to combine .
Sprinkle with coriander leaves
Garnish with lime and curry leaves .( optional )

 

THAI CURRY PASTE

There are many recipes that call for a red or green curry paste .
Red and green curry pastes are flavour bases for Thai curries and soups , fried rice , pasta and scrambled eggs .
Red curry paste uses fresh red chillies as its base while green curry paste uses fresh green chillies .
There is a large selection of curry pastes available in jars from the supermarkets .
You can use this recipe to make your own and it will keep for up to 3 weeks in an airtight container in your refrigerator .
Place the following ingredients into a medium bowl
1 tbs of ground coriander
1 dsp of ground cumin
1 tsp of cracked black pepper
1 tsp of ground nutmeg
6 small red chillies or 12 large red peppers ( cored and chopped )
4 stems of lemon grass ( white part only , finely chopped )
2 tbs of sesame oil
4 tbs of minced garlic
2 tbs of fresh coriander stems ( chopped )
2tbs of fresh coriander roots ( chopped )
6 Kaffir leaves chopped
1 dsp of finely chopped lime zest
1 dsp of salt .
Process everything together till smooth .
 

SPARKLING SHIRAZ JELLY

This is a recipe that was created by Californian chef  Lindsey Shere .....
The flavour and bubbles can be captured in this delicate dessert ...this jelly should literally melt in your mouth .
Using a medium saucepan , add 1 cup of cold water and sprinkle over  3 and 1/4 tsp of gelatine powder , let soften for about 5 minutes .
Place the saucepan over a low heat and stir with a non metallic spoon until the gelatine has JUST  dissolved .
 Stir in 3/4 cup of castor sugar and remove from the heat source .
Stir until the sugar has COMPLETELY dissolved .
Now stir in 750ml of sparkling shiraz .

Pour this mixture into a shallow container ( I used a large aluminium tray .)
Cover and refrigerate for 10 hours ......
AT THE TIME OF SERVING ....
Your job is not complete ...you need to toss 300gm of seedless red grapes in 1 tbs of castor sugar .
With a fork jumble the jelly into small chunks .
Spoon a few tbs of sparkling shiraz jelly into parfait or stemmed glasses , add a few grapes and repeat the layering until all the jelly and berries are used , ending with grapes .
Refrigerate until ready to serve .

 

CUPPA ANYONE ? FRESH MINT TISANE

I have an acceptable selection of tea bags in the pantry , but not all contain tea .
There is only one plant whose leaves can be steeped in  boiling water to make real tea and that is Camellia sinensis .
Real tea comes in three types ,( depending on how the leaves are processed )
1. Unfermented ...Green
2. Semi fermented ....( Oolong )
3. Fermented .....(Black , which includes Assam , Ceylon , Darjeeling , Earl grey , English Breakfast , Keemun, and Souchong )
 Other tea bags for example , chamomile do not contain tea , but are known as herbal tea .
Herbal teas  contain a variety of leaves , herbs , flowers and flavourings that can be steeped in boiling water to make an infusion that is properly called a tisane ....

FRESH MINT TISANE
Wash a handful of freshly picked mint
Place in a warm glass teapot with an infuser
Add enough boiling water to more than cover the leaves .
Allow 5 minutes to steep
Pour into tea cups and sweeten to taste ( optional )
Inhale deeply before sipping ....ahhh !

 

MOCHA SOY PUDDING

This is a an easy fix, almost instant , no cook pudding that uses soy in the form of tofu with a double hit of caffeine using chocolate and coffee...
Place in the bowl of your processor 448gm of drained , firm tofu , 1/4 cup of soy milk or full cream milk, 2 tbs of coffee and chickory essence , 1 tsp of vanilla extract and a pinch of salt .
Blend for 30 seconds .
Now melt 168 gm of dark chocolate chips and add to the processor with the motor running .
Blend until smooth and creamy  , this can take a little time .
Chill for 1 hour or until ready to serve .
Serves 4

HELPFUL TIP
Silken tofu can be substituted for firm tofu .

HAPPY 60TH BIRTHDAY CAROL CRADDOCK

You requested 2 cakes , a Dutch butter cake and a goodness cake .
Party theme .....Hippy dance party .
Happy birthday Carol , dance your night away.......

 

CHINESE NEW YEAR ...THE YEAR OF THE DOG

So there were simple seafood dumplings with chilli  and zucchini noodles for tea .

HAPPY NEW YEAR .....

 The year of the dog .........obedience , loyality and patience ...all the gifts of a dog .

PUMPKIN PIE

You will need 1 x butternut pumpkin weighing approximately 750gm , which needs to be peeled and then grated on the coarse blade of the grater to make 4 cups .
Place the grated pumpkin in a bowl along with 1 large onion peeled and grated .
1 dsp minced garlic
1 tsp of ground allspice
1dsp of ground cumin
1 and 1/2tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of ground black pepper .
Mix thoroughly , cover with cling wrap and allow to stand for 2 and 1/2 hours  ( stirring occasionally).
Next add 3 lightly beaten eggs to the pumpkin mix along with 2 cups of grated tasty cheese ( cover and set aside )
Preheat oven to 160 deg C
To make the pie pastry ,mix together 2 cups of plain flour  with 1 cup of whole meal plain flour and 1/4tsp of salt .
Now pour in 3/4 cup of rice bran oil and use your fingertips to mix through .
Add 1/2 cup of cold water and 1 dsp of  lemon juice , mix to a soft dough .
Knead a few times on a lightly floured bench , divide into 2 and shape each piece into a ball.
Roll out one piece of pastry and line a greased and breadcrumb sprinkled shallow 25 x 30 cm baking dish .
Moisten the edges of the pastry and spread pumpkin filling over
Roll out the other piece of pastry to make a lid and press firmly into place .
Trim excess pastry and dock the top of pie with a fork to allow steam to escape during cooking .
Brush pastry with milk .
Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes or until the pastry is browned .
Allow ocool for 10minutes before cutting into squares .
Can  be served hot or cold .

SAVOURY CHEESECAKE

BASE

Crush 125gm of plain savoury crackers in the processor and  add 125gm of softened marg /butter .
Mix well .
Press this mixture over the base and sides of a greased 23cm springform pan , that has been sprinkled with polenta or fine breadcrumbs .
Chill in refrigerator while you make the filling .

Preheat your oven to 160 deg C

FILLING

Beat 500gm of ricotta cheese using an electric mixer for  30 seconds .
Lightly beat 3 eggs together in a small bowl and gradually add the eggs to the ricotta cheese , beating well after each addition .
Stir in 1 can of evaporated milk  ( 375 gm )
1 tbs of lemon juice
1 dsp of minced garlic
1 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp - 1 tsp of cayenne pepper
1/2sp of ground nutmeg .
Now fold in 125gm of finely  chopped ham off the bone , bacon pieces or shaved ham .
4 spring onions finely sliced .
Spoon into biscuit crumb pastry .
Bake in a well preheated oven for 50 minutes .
Then turn off the heat and leave the savoury cheesecake in the oven without opening the oven door  for 30 minutes .
Remove from oven , cool  on wire rack in the pan and then place in refrigerator till completely set and carefully remove from pan .
Serve with a salad or pasta .
Great for lunches ..

CHOCOLATE APPLE PIE

 

PASTRY

Mix 1 cup of plain flour with 2 tbs of icing sugar .

Rub 100gm of margarine /butter in the flour .

Add 1 egg yolk and work together into a dough .

Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate .

 

Preheat your oven to 160 deg C

 

FILLING

Peel and core 6 apples and slice very thinly .

Using your electric beater beat together 75gm  marg/butter with 1/2 cup of castor sugar until smooth .

Add 1/2 cup of almond meal .

Lightly beat together 2 egg yolks and add these slowly to the mix.

In a small bowl , mix 1 tbs of plain flour and the grated peel of 1 orange together and add to the batter .

Now remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll out to cover the base and sides of a 23cm springform pan , that has been sprayed with cooking oil and sprinkled with polenta or fine  breadcrumbs .

Melt 125gm of dark chocolate ( I used Lindt Excellence Dark Chilli .) and allow to cool slightly,

Stir the melted and cooled chocolate into the batter .
In a separate bowl beat the 2 egg whites until stiff peaks form.
Fold them gently into the batter .
Spread a little of the batter over the bottom of the pie crust
Layer 1/2 the sliced apples ( overlapping ) over the batter .
Spread 1/2 of the remaining batter over the apples and the rest of the apple slices on top .
Finish off with the remaining chocolate batter .
Bake in the middle of the oven for 60 minutes .

 

 

 

CHOW MEIN

CHOW MEIN

1 large onion peeled and finely sliced placed in a large pan with 3 tbs of ghee and cook till the onion is tender .
Add 550gm of chicken or beef mince with 1 tbs of garlic .
Finely slice 1/2 cabbage and add to the pan , continue to cook till tender .
Then add 2 cups of grated carrot
1 dsp of fish sauce
1 tbs of oyster sauce
1 dsp of curry powder .
Mix ingredients to combine  .
Now add 1 cup of beef or chicken stock .( depending on the mince you use ).
Cover and continue to gently simmer for 20 minutes .
Serve with steamed zucchini pasta or a mix of wild rice and quinoa .

.
 

POKEMON BIRTHDAY CAKE

Happy 13th  Birthday  Samuel Grigoleit .......

A chocolate chip panettone (pannetone ), a tall yeast raised cake made with butter .
Sliced in 3 and spread with a choc nut spread .
The top was spread with a choc butter icing and topped with a deck of pokemon cards .
On the serving tray I placed squares of caramel slice around the base of the cake and at the corners of the tray and used these as a stand for the excess pokemon cards from the pack .
The carmel slice squares were topped with monster faces .
The cards have a non toxic coating and icing can be easily wiped off , so not only does the birthday boy get a cake to share but a pack of pokemon cards to collect .

 

BOTERKOEK ............. DUTCH BUTTERCAKE

Dutch buttercake is a dense cake that should be soft on the inside and firm on the outside but not too hard !
Preheat your oven to 160 deg C
Grease a loose bottom flan pan or pie plate
In a medium bowl , mix together
340gm of butter or margarine
270gm of castor sugar
1 dsp of lemon juice
1 and 1/2 tsp of almond extract ......until light and creamy .
Gradually add 1 lightly beaten egg alternating with  a mix of 1/2 tsp of baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt and 375gm of plain flour sifted into the wet mixture .
Continue to mix until well combined .
Pour the dough like batter into a 9 inch loose bottom flan or pie plate .
Beat another egg and add a tbs of water and brush over the dough / pastry .
Make traditional lines in the pastry with a fork ...OR/ AND
Sprinkle with almond slivers ..( optional .)
Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes or until the cake is firm to the touch .
Allow the cake to cool in the pan before removing to a wire rack ...
Delicious .

 

SPANISH CHICKEN BASQUE WITH OLIVES AND ARTICHOKES

This is what we prepared in cooking class on Tuesday ......
Combine 1 dsp of salt , with 1 tsp of black ground pepper , 1 dsp of smoked paprika and 80 gm of quinoa flour in a large bowl .
Add 6 chicken thigh cutlets bone in , skin on and evenly coat in the seasoned flour .
Preheat your oven to 170 deg C.
Heat 1/2 cup of ghee in a large oven proof frypan over a medium heat .
Cook the chicken in batches , skin side down for 4 minutes and then 2 minutes the other side .
Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside on a plate .
Return the pan to the heat and add 2 onions peeled and cut into wedges , 1 red capsicum sliced and cook for 5 minutes or until softened .
Add 1 tbs of minced garlic
3/4 cup of apple cider vinegar
140gm of pitted olives ( we used black and green olives , kalamata and manzanilla )
1x 400g can of whole tomatoes
1 x 280 gm of roasted artichoke hearts
250 ml of chicken stock ,
Gently stir to combine and then return the chicken cutlets to the pan and bring to the boil .
Place the pan in the preheated oven and cook for 45 minutes or until the chicken is tender .
To complete the dish , gently stir through a handful of mixed green salad leaves , season with salt and pepper .
Sprinkle over the chopped zest of 1/2 lemon and the juice of 1/2 lemon .
garnish with fresh basil leaves ....
This is a classy Spanish style dish when you want to impress.

SCOTTISH TABLET

What is a Scottish tablet ? It is a crumbly fudge .
I often get asked for the recipe for a crumbly fudge as opposed to a smooth chewy fudge .
Spray an aluminium tray ( 30 x 20 cm ) or 25 cm square pan with cooking spray .
Place the following ingredients in a large pot ( the mixture doubles in size )
*250 gm of butter
*1 x 395 gm can of condensed milk
*175 ml of milk
* 2 tbs of golden syrup
*800 gm of sugar ( granulated )
* 1 dsp of sea salt
Bring this mix to the boil and boil for 15 minutes , stirring continually until the mixture is golden in colour .
To check that the fudge is ready drop a little of the mixture into cold water , it should solidify .
At this point add 1 dsp of vanilla extract .
Now use an electric whisk or beater ----and whisk and beat the fudge for 6 minutes or until it thickens to a stiff consistency .
* It is this final beating that gives the fudge the crumbly texture *
Place the mixture in the prepared tray ( you will need to push the mixture in the tray as it will be thick ) smooth over the top .
Refrigerate till cooled , ( about 1 and 1/2 - 2 hours ) then slice into squares before it sets completely .


 

MEDITERRANEAN SPINACH , CAPSICUM AND HERB ROULADE

First class back on Tuesday and we started in the Mediterranean , a roulade   with all the Mediterranean flavours ......
Preheat your oven to 190 deg C
Grease and line a Lamington  tray with baking paper .
Soak / steam 500gm or silverbeet or spinach.
Remove from steaming pot or bowl of boiling water and squeeze to remove all liquid .
Then chop finely and set aside .
Now place  your leaf mixture in a bowl along with
1/2 tsp of ground nutmeg
Finely chopped bunch of  chives
1 tsp of  fresh thyme leaves if you have them  ( or 1/2 tsp of ground thyme )
30 gm of butter / marg
3 tbs of cream
2 egg yolks  ( lightly beaten )
3 tbs of grated Parmesan cheese
Mix thoroughly and season with salt and pepper.
In a separate bowl beat the 2 egg whites till firm .
Fold the egg whites into the spinach  mixture.
Spread the combined spinach mix into the prepared tray ,smoothing  out the edges .
Bake at 190 deg C till the batter is firm and springy to touch ... ( about 20 minutes )
Now we are getting serious .....
Lay your tea towel on a flat surface ,lift the spinach base from the pan using the baking paper lining and  place on the tea towel .
Set aside to cool .
It is now time to make the filling ......
Finely chop 55 g of Kalamanta olives
110 gm of roasted capsicums  chopped
Mix the ingredients together with a dsp of mince garlic in medium bowl
Contine to add .......
2 tbs of sour cream
170gm of creamed cheese
2 tbs of finely chopped Thai basil
Season with salt and pepper .
Spread the cream cheese filling over the cooled baked spinach mix
Dot with finely sliced  artichokes over the top .
Season with salt and pepper .
Now the scary bit ...its time to roll .
From the long edge , roll up the spinach and filling,  using the baking paper and tea towel as a guide.
Once rolled , wrap the roulade in the tea  towel and chill at least for 6 hours .
Slice into 2 cm slices to serve with a pesto alongwith  crackers .

FOWL PORN ...

After my purchase of a book by F.L Flower.. 50 Shades of Chicken ,I had to rethink my view of cookbooks ( mostly boring ).
The dialogue of the book was highly seasoned ( phew !  ) , the recipes included  will get you turning each page,  totally amazing and easy to recreate .
I purchased the book from Chapel Street Bizarre ..Windsor , Victoria , Australia
This is a great recipe book and I will  share the recipes with you over time .