CHICKPEA CHOCOLATE CAKE

Preheat your oven to 180 deg C .
Line the base of a 20cm springform pan with baking paper and spray with oil .
Melt 200gm of dark cooking chocolate in the microwave on high for 1 minute , stir then cook for a further minute if necessary .
Combine 2 tbs of instant coffee with 2 tbs of boiling water .
Stir this into the chocolate .
Place a 240 gm can of drained chickpeas in a processor along with ..
1 cup of soft brown sugar
1tsp of vanilla extract ...process for 90 seconds .
Add 1 egg at a time while the motor is running .
Add chocolate mixture .
Sift in 1 cup of S.R. flour and 1 tsp of baking powder .
Pulse until the flour is just combined .
Spoon into the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes .
Turn out cake to a wire rack to cool.
To make the ganache
Melt another 200gm of cooking chocolate in the microwave for 1 minute .
Cool slightly and then add 1/2 cup of plain yoghurt .
Mix to combine .
Ice your cake with  a knife .
Decorate with fresh cherries ( stalks intact ).

 

BLACK BEAN BROWNIES

You need to soak 2 cups of black beans in water  overnight .
Next day drain the beans and place them in a large pan  , cover  them with water to 5cm above the beans .
Bring to the boil .
Reduce heat and let the beans simmer for 40 minutes , until tender .
Drain and spread the beans over a baking tray in a single layer allowing the beans to cool.
Preheat your oven to 170deg C .
Spray a slice tray with cooking oil and  line with baking paper . Set aside .
Melt 200gm of dark cooking  chocolate ( I use a microwave on high for 1 minute ..stir  and heat again if necessary . )
In a cup mix 2tbs of boiling water with1 tbs of full strength coffee , using a metal spoon stir this into the chocolate .
Cool slightly .
Beat 4 eggs with 1 cup of soft brown sugar and a tsp of vanilla extract in the bowl of an electric mixer for 5 minutes .
Gradually add the chocolate mixture and whisk until combined .
Now put the beans in a processor along with 1/2 cup of macadamia nuts and a pinch of salt ....roughly  blend .
Fold the mixture in to the chocolate mix along with 1/2 cup of chopped macadamias
Spoon this mix into your prepared pan , smooth with the back of a spoon .
Bake in the preheated oven for 40- 45 minutes .
Cool in the pan for 20 minutes .
Dust with Dutch cocoa / pure cacoa .
Cut into slices to serve .

 

CREOLE PRAWNS

Place 4 tbs of peanut oil in a large deep frypan .
Meltt over a med heat .
Add 2 chopped stalks of celery .
3 large onions , peeled , wedged and sliced .
I large green capsicum , sliced  ( pith and seeds removed ).
Cook until the onions are soft and transparent but not brown .
Pour in 1 cup of dry white wine .
Simmer for 10 minutes .
Now add 1 can of diced tomatoes .
1 tsp of salt .
1tbs of red wine vinegar
1 tbs sugar  / stevia .
Simmer for 10 minutes .
In a separate bowl add 1kg of  green prawns ( tails on ) and  2 sprinkle with 2 tbs of cornflour
Slice  1 small red chilli including seeds
Mix chilli , prawns and cornflour well to combine .
Add these to the pan and cook till  they colour about 4 minutes ..stirring continuously.
Serve immediately over a bed of rice or white quinoa.

 

SWEET CORN BAKE

Preheat oven to a solid 160 deg C
Melt 15gm of ghee in a pan and add 2 tsp of flour
Remove from the heat and slowly add 1/3rd of a cup of evaporated milk .
Return to the heat and stir until thickened .
Add a pinch of salt and a cracked pepper .
150gm of drained asparagus cuts
65 gm of creamed sweet corn .
Divide the mix between 4 ramequins ...retaining 4 tbs
Top with slices of a hard boiled egg .
Finish off with a tbs of corn mix on top of egg slices .
Mix together 1/4 cup of grated tasty cheese and 1 tbs of breadcrumbs .
Sprinkle this over the top of the ramequins
Bake in a moderate oven till golden .

NOELENE`S PAVLOVA STACK

A phone call to ask for directions to our home ......OMG ..what can I offer with tea and coffee .
A  quick look in the fridge ...
A bottle of thickened cream
1/2 circle of choc ripple cake ..out it  comes
1/2 a bowl of pineapple fluff .... out it comes
Right at  this time approx. 10 .45 am , my visitors are about 30 mins from my home .
My  pantry offers a box of mini meringues ....
The freezer offers frozen berries ....
So I grab the bottle of cream... and straight away put it  in the mixer with some icing sugar ....and beat to really thickened .
Grab a medium sized plate ...now start constructing .... (with no time ...you cant overthink your options ...you go with what you know .)
I coat the mini meringues with the really thick cream and place them on the plate in a snake  pattern .
Top with pineapple fluff
I thinly  slice the chocolate ripple cake and lay it over the meringue base .
Spread a layer of cream over the cake slices .
Now add meringues in a circular snake pattern over the cream
Repeat process till you end with a topping of meringue .
Add the left over cream to fill any spaces on the stack ...then finish off cream with a border of cream around the base of the pavlova  stack .
I place frozen berries sprinkled with icing sugar in the cream base ...
I find  a bottle of chocolate syrup  ( diet )
Drizzle over the stack ....
Place it in the refrigerator ........
The guests arrived ..
Tea and coffee was offered ..
Discussion ensued ..
Tea and coffee was offered with pavlova stack..
This was well received ..It was so yummy ...what they didn't know was how easy it was to construct ..
Thank God for leftovers .

I`M SHATTERED

On Masterchef series 7 ,Marco Pierre White used a chicken stock cube in his tomato sauce for spaghetti.
I am shattered  and Elizabeth David will be turning in her grave ...him being English and all.
Stock cubes are an  abomination to food and there is no excuse for using them .

ROAST PIG`S HEAD

Preheat the oven to 160 deg C .

Place 4 tbs of duck fat / ghee / or some sort of animal fat into an oven dish big enough to hold 1/2 a pig`s head .
Add 6 onions peeled and halved and 8 cloves of garlic peeled and left whole .
Place the tray into the oven and let the onions and garlic sweat , you will need to shake the pan to prevent the onions and garlic from burning , but you need  some colour .
Now to prepare the 1/2  pig`s head ....cover the ear of the pig with foil to prevent it from burning .
Place the head in the tray and pour over a  glass of brandy .
Add a handful of fresh parsley , rosemary and thyme .
Now add 375 ml of dry white  wine and add chicken stock to partially cover the 1/2 pig`s head .
Season with salt and pepper .
Cover the head with baking paper and secure this with a layer of foil wrap.
Bake this for 3 hours until the pig`s cheek is totally giving .
At the 2.5 hour  mark remove the foil and baking paper covering to allow a little colour on the cheek.
Continue to cook.
When ready to serve..... remove the pig`s head to a warm plate and serve with wilted greens and Dijon mustard .
Please ask your butcher to leave the brain in ....as this will be perfectly cooked in this manner .
Enjoy.

 

RAW LEMON CHEESECAKE

There is no dairy in this cheesecake .
Cashews and coconut cream making the filling on a nut , date and chia base , ( the combination of which can make you feel full longer ).
Grease a 22cm spring form pan with coconut oil .
Place 200gm of macadamia nuts , 12 pitted medjool dates and 2 tbs of white chia seeds  in  the bowl of a processor and pulse till finely chopped .
Using your hands press the mix into the base of of your prepared tin.
Place in the freezer .
Clean the bowl of your processor and place 450gm of cashews along with 270ml of coconut cream , 1/3rd of a cup of coconut oil , 2tbs of maple syrup , the juice of 2 lemons and the grated zest of 2 lemons.
Process for 5 minutes until a smooth paste forms .
Pour over the base and smooth the surface .
Freeze for 2 hours or overnight .
Remove from the freezer for 15 minutes before serving
Decorate sparsely with candied citrus peel or a drizzle of passionfruit pulp .
I made this raw cheesecake  for class and added raw cacoa and made it in several tiny flans .

I let  the mini cheesecakes set and then joined them in a log formation .

Froze the log and prior to serving I sliced the log in half lengthwise and topped with natural passionfruit pulp and fresh berries .

 

PINEAPPLE CREAM SHERBERT

Combine 2 cups of buttermilk
1/2 cup of  castor sugar
1 cup of crushed pineapple with juice .
Spoon into the icecream making machine .
Follow manufacturers instructions .
Remove and spoon the mixture into a chilled bowl of your electric mixer
Add the unbeaten egg
2 tsp of vanilla extract
Now beat the mixture until light and fluffy.
Place back in the pan of the ice cream machine and churn until firm .
Freeze until ready to serve .

GYPSY`S ARM ..A VARIATION ON THE SWISS ROLL RECIPE

Line a 15 by 10 inch tray with baking paper .
Preheat your oven to 180 deg C

Beat 5  egg whites until stiff but not dry
In a separate bowl beat the 5 egg yolks until thick
Gradually beat in batches  3/4 cup of castor sugar
The finely grated rind of 1 lemon
1/2 cup of  sifted plain flour
Beat until thoroughly blended .
Now add the egg whites to the mixture , lifting the spoon to blend thoroughly and remove air bubbles .
Pour batter over the pan and gently spread out evenly..

While the cake is baking prepare the filling .....
Sift 1/2 cup of icing sugar ..set aside .
Beat  250gm of cream cheese  ( softened to room temp ) until smooth .
Add 2 tbs of orange blossom concentrate
1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon .
Now beat in the icing sugar , a little at a time , until filling is very smooth .
Set aside .

Bake for 15 minutes , until cake springs back when touched .
Loosen around the edges and turn cake out onto baking paper which has been sprinkled with icing sugar .
Spread filling over the hot cake
Roll up quickly
Dust with 2 tbs of icing sugar .

COTTAGE CHEESE SOUFFLE SALAD

Dissolve I packet of lime flavoured jelly in 1 cup of boiling water
 Then add 1/2 cup of cold water
 1/2 cup of mayonnaise .
1tbs of white wine vinegar
1/4 tsp of salt
Beat with a rotary beater until foamy
Then place in ice cream making machine and process for 15 minutes
Remove from ice cream machine into mixing bowl
Beat until fluffy with rotary beater.
Now fold in a cup of shredded raw carrots
1/4 cup of finely diced cucumber
1 tbs of finely chopped onion
1/2 cup of chopped nuts .
1 cup of creamed cottage cheese
Pour into a lightly sprayed  mould .
Chill until very firm ( about 3 hours )
Unmould
Serve over crisp salad greens .

TAMARIND ,WALNUT , DATE AND LYCHEE UPSIDE DOWN CAKE

Preheat your oven to 170 deg C .

Soak in a med bowl of lukewarm water ... 100gm of dried tamarind pods  chopped ,12 dates chopped , 25gm of dried lychee s chopped for 30 minutes ...set aside .

Cream 1/2 cup of soft brown sugar with 60 gm of margarine until soft and fluffy .
Spread this over a greased 20cm cake pan .
drain the dried fruit
Then arrange these over the sugar and margarine mix .
Now cream together 60 gm of margarine with 1/2 cup of castor sugar .
Beat in 2 slightly beaten eggs alternatively with 2 cups of self raising flour
Pinch of salt .
1/3 rd of a cup of buttermilk .
1 tsp of vanilla extract .
Pour the batter over the fruit and bake for 1 hour or till  a skewer placed in the centre comes out clean .
Let the baked cake stand in the pan for 5 minutes before turning out .
Serve with whipped cream .

TOMATO SOUP CAKE

 Preheat  your oven to 170deg C .
Beat 1/2 cup of coconut oil with a wooden spoon until creamy.
Gradually add 1 and 1/2 cups of icing sugar until smooth and fluffy.
Add 2 lightly beaten eggs a bit at a time , beating well after each addition .
In a separate bowl sift together 2 cups of self raising flour ,
2 tsp of baking powder
1/2 tsp of baking soda
1/2 tsp of cinnamon
1/2 tsp of cloves
1/2 tsp of nutmeg
Add the sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture , alternatively with the tin of tomato soup.( undiluted ), beating after each addition .
Stir in 1 cup of raisins  and 1 cup of chopped walnuts .
Divide the batter between two 8 inch pans .
Bake for 30 minutes or until top springs back when touched .
Cool in pans for 10 minutes , then turn out on  cooling racks .
Spread cream cheese frosting over the top .
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
Beat together
250gm tub of softened cream cheese
1/2 cup of icing sugar
2 tbs of cream or there about to obtain desired spreading consistency .
 

LOOK WHAT I FOUND

I found these in an opportunity shop , the whole 8 volumes , all  up 3136 pages of Supercook......in leather bound covers .
In the back of some of the covers are neatly folded sheets of paper clippings of recipes past times . Eg How to make the perfect brawn .
All 8 volumes make up a dictionary of recipes and cooking practices ..This is an amazing find and addition to my collection of old recipe books.
On a quick flick through there are names of recipes and  their history I am totally unfamiliar with ....and look forward to sharing my new found knowledge with you over the coming months ......

HOT AND COLD

Hot and Cold ..it`s the  theme to Masterchef , Australia ..
Just lately the words to the song have  been playing over and over in my mind .
For  me .......life is a set of scales , a real balancing act .
2 years ago , I  successfully applied for Masterchef series 5
Prior to Masterchef and always is  an amazing supportive  family ,  there was a great career in optics and  encouragement from friends to achieve my dream .
My dream was to become a fulltime cook , cooking for people in their homes on special occasions and to run cooking  classes teaching the basic rules of cooking , using fresh ingredients and encouraging healthy eating practices .
I made it to the Masterchef top 10 and because of the show and the support of my family , my dream came true .

Two years on I run a  a successful catering business and have  fully booked cooking classes ....with a waiting list .
I wasn't prepared for the news of a terminal illness for one of my family members ...my husband Ken .
I`m still at the wall that you hit when you get the news ....yes you do what has to be done ....but everything is in a haze .
My husband`s cancer is aggressive and there isn't going to be a lot of time .
I have been with Ken for 20 years , he is the shared dad to my 4 sons and daughter , and poppy to their children .
Now the kids are grown , educated and making their way in the world , this was our time to live life , make our dreams come true .
We were in a great place until 8 weeks ago , the results of a routine blood test changed our lives forever .
I talk to people a lot about healthy food options and teach it in my classes , but now I`m feeding my husband anything that will help him put on weight , the cancer is eating all his nutrition and ken is simply fading away .
I love to cook , to nurture through food but there is nothing I can cook that will save my husband `s life .

Ken can`t walk up or down the stairs without holding the banister for support , he already has palliative care coming in and Jenny his palliative care nurse is a huge support to both of us , next week an occupational therapist will come and see what changes we will need to make to our home for his comfort .
We don`t talk about the future or make plans other than keeping  oncologist and radiation appointments to help with his ever increasing pain .
But in a strange way  the encouragement that Ken and the children gave me to apply for Masterchef two years ago was a gift his plan to make sure my dream came true .
Right now my life our life is a roller coaster  just like the song ..up and down , in and out , hot and cold .




 

ANOTHER NO BAKE TREAT .......LYCHEE DELIGHT

You can substitute the lychees for peaches , mango even nectarines or apricots  but at this time of the year you will need to use tinned mango ...Safeway has  rambutan  ( hairy lychee ) in boxes in the fruit section .
First off ....spray a springform pan ( 22cm).
In a bowl place 500gm of mascarpone cheese
600ml of thickened cream
50 gm of icing sugar
2 egg yolks
1 tsp of vanilla paste ...or  1 and 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract ...these are dearer to purchase but work out far cheaper than using vanilla beans . Use 1 dsp of vanilla essence as a substitute.
Beat the above ingredients with an electric beater until thick and well combined . Set aside .
In a separate  bowl  dip 150gm of sponge finger biscuits ( savoirardi ) into the juice of 2 oranges and 125 ml of a good cream sherry or Grand Marnier .
Now layer the base of the pan with the biscuits .
Spread this layer with 1/3 rd of the mascarpone mixture .
Top with 1/3rd  lychee or fruit of your choice .
Repeat the process .
Then top with remaining mascarpone mixture .
Cover the pan and chill for 2 hours or until firm .
While the cake is chilling make a raspberry compote
Place in a saucepan 55gm of castor sugar
250gm of raspberries
Juice of 1 lemon
Stir until the sugar is dissolved and the fruit is soft.
Whiz in a processor till smooth .
Chill until cool and ready to serve .
Remove the sides of the cake pan .
Decorate with reserved lychees ( fruit of your choice ) and berry sauce .
 

A NO BAKE TREAT .....RASPBERRY CHARLOTTE

Firstly you need to make a berry compote ( it`s a fancy word for a fruit stew ).
Place  300gm of  frozen raspberries in a pan along with 75gm of castor sugar  and cook over a low heat until the berries have softened and the sugar has dissolved .
remove from the heat .
Cool .
Chill in the fridge .
Now grease a 20cm springform  cake pan .
Place 1.75 litres of a good quality ice cream in a large bowl and sit in the refrigerator till it softens , ( approx. 45 minutes ). I used Peter`s light and creamy raspberry swirl
You need 500gm of a  store bought swiss roll .( I used 2 chocolate swiss rolls .)
Slice the swiss roll and line the base of the pan , making sure the base is completely covered . ( press down to cover the base ).
Line the sides with the remaining slices . (There will be some overhang at the top of the pan .
Remove the softened ice cream from the fridge and gently fold in one 1/3rd of the berry compote .
Pour this mix into the cake pan .
Trim the overhanging jam roll  and press into the ice cream .
Cover the cake pan with plastic wrap , place in the freezer for 2 hours until firmly set .
When set release the sides of the pan and turn out the charlotte onto a flat plate .
Spoon over the remaining compote ...serve  immediately.