CREAMY CAULIFLOWER MASH AND FRANKFURTS .

I`m so tired , life is really busy .
Tonight I `m hungry and  need something tasty , good for me and quickly prepared .
I made creamy cauli mash , with steamed French beans and frankfurts served with cane free sugar tomato sauce .
A low carb meal  that just hits the spot .
Yummo...

SEASON LAUNCH DINNER FOR YALLOURN , YALLOURN NORTH FOOTY CLUB 2016

SEASON LAUNCH DINNER ...2ND APRIL 2016

MAINS
Baked lemon chicken with a creamy cauliflower mash and tabouleh salad

Spinach , ricotta and chia gnocchi gnudi

Mains served with a garlic and rosemary bread

DESSERTS
Pear and nectarine crumble

Tiramisu

Desserts served with dollops of cream



 

SLOW COOKED CHOCOLATE BROWNIE

Preheat your oven to 150deg C.
Spray and line a loose bottom cake pan 25 x 36 cm
Place 370gm of butter in a saucepan with 520gm of  Lindt 95% cacoa dark eating chocolate  broken in to pieces and melt over a low heat .
Stir until melted and smooth then remove from heat .
Place 7 eggs in a large bowl along with 540gm of  castor sugar
Using an electric beater , mix continuously for 5 minutes , until the mixture is pale  and thickened .
In a separate bowl sift 90 gm of gluten free flour ...( using gluten free flour is the secret to achieving a fudgy brownie ), 90 gm of cacoa , 2 t5sp of baking powder  and stir in 225 gm of chopped pecans .
Now add the chocolate and egg mixtures with a spatula to the dry ingredients ....fold together till well combined .
Scrape the batter in the cake pan and bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes ...or until just set .
Leave the brownie cool completely in the pan .
Then rtemove the brownie from the pan and slice.
 This is delicious served with fresh strawberries and dollops of  thickened cream .

EASTER LAMINGTONS

Start by preheating your oven to 170 deg C

Then spray and line your lamington tray ..23 x 36cm

 

Sift 520 gm of plain flour , 750gm of castor sugar , 135gm of cacoa and 2 tsp of bicarbonate of soda together and stir well to mix.

Lightly whisk 4 eggs in a separate bowl and add 120 ml of white vinegar , 300ml of rice bran oil ,70 ml of strong coffee and 600ml of milk , stir to mix thoroughly .

Now pour the egg mixture into the dry ingredients , mix until just combine ..do not over work the batter...

Pour the batter into the cake pan .

Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes , or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean .

Leave the cake to cool in the tray for 5 minutes , then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely .

 

Place 2 cups of dessicated coconut into a bowl ..set aside .

To prepare your icing mix together 500gm of icing sugar , 60 gm of cacoa .....then slowly whisk in 350ml of hot water .

You will end up with a smooth ,runny icing.

Slice the cake slab into equal squares , I got 24 squares .

To finish off dip the squares in the icing , coating each side well .

Place on a wire rack to allow excess icing to drop off .

Then roll in the coconut , place on a tray and then chill in the refrigerator till the icing sets .

Enjoy.

THE TERM IN SUMMARY

First term is complete , the time just flew by and  we prepared some amazing dishes and learnt some new techniques .

Making the macaroons we learnt about the importance of the term `folding `.
How to use a granola mix to make a very special topping for a fruit crumble .
The ladies are still talking about the amazing raspberry jam slice they made , an oldie but a goodie .
We made salmon croquettes and learnt how to turn them into a classy dish with a baked mayonnaise topping ...
Palak paneer...the ultimate vegetarian dish .
We ended the term with preparing naan bread , noting the importance of a bowl of water beside you on the bench to wet your hands , at the end of class we all enjoyed and shared some naan bread noting how simple , flavoursome and versatile a flat bread can be .
We made an Easter hot cross bun baked pudding .
One of the ladies from the Thursday evening class took up my challenge and prepared a terrine of chocolate mocha dacquoise ......Well done Cedar .
 We did discover ways to make our own flour blends , using almond meal, hazelnut meal , ground golden flax seed , coconut flour, ground physllium husk and baking powder ,using a combination  or all of the flours.
Thank you for your continued support , the food journey never ends there is so much to learn which allows us to understand what we eat .

 

NOTHING HAS CHANGED

I`m really tired of being sorry because I don`t know about  mechanical things  , how to work pumps , use a drill , why the screw won`t stay in my outdoor chair ....I don`t know how these things work .
I have people working on my house and when I dared question how or why things are or aren't happening I was threatened with  the tradesman`s desire not to complete the job undertaken due to my questioning .
When I agreed it was probably for the best , it was pointed out that all the appliances had been ordered and paid for ....I was happy to cover the costs and take the appliances to another tradesman to complete the job .......
At the end of the phone call ......minutes later I received  a text telling me all I needed know and quote ` understand I`m not trying to fool your intelligence `
Nothing has changed...... especially with tradesmen , women don`t count , tell women what they want to hear... but God help any woman who questions their work or lack of it .
Ken would never have been  treated with such indifference , but then again he was a male .

 

for my tea tonight there will be a SIMPLE BREAD & ONION SOUP

This soup contains 3 main ingredients ...bread , onions and milk  ( milk of your choice ).

You need to cut the bread in cubes (70 gm) and toast the cubes on all sides .or easier still toss the cubes in a pan over a moderate heat .
Transfer the cubes to medium sized bowl and add 3 cups of milk .
Set aside to let the bread soak up the milk .

Now melt 1 tbs of ghee in a frypan and add 350 gm of thinly sliced onions over a medium heat , continue to cook without burning until well caramelised .Then add the milk and bread mix and continue to cook without simmering until the bread is completely softened , add 1 cup of water and 1 packet of French onion soup mix .

When the onions and bread  are done pour into a processor .
Season with cracked black pepper .
Blend until smooth .
Pour back into a saucepan and simmer and let the soup cook for 5 minutes .
Serve soup in a cup or bowl and garnish with a tsp of crème fraiche and finely chopped chives .
Enjoy ....

IT`S BEEN A BUSY START TO THE NEW YEAR

Thank you for your patience ...I love to blog and share my recipes and thoughts on  cooking with you ....sometimes I run out of hours in the day .
A trip to Somers , Victoria for the VSK ( Very Special Kids ) camp . The parents stood and applauded me for the hands on class  with a question and answer session at the end , I was honoured to be part of family photos  .
To the families and volunteers ..thank you for the  invitation each year .

To all the local community groups who come to  Castle Garden kitchen for group lessons .

Churchill Neighbourhood Centre cooking classes  allowing me  a wider reach to the cooking community ..

To the advanced cooking group who attend the Thursday night lesson at Castle Garden .

To the local print Churchill News for my monthly article , the  Leader Group with an offer to publish my recipes in a quarterly publication .
Next week I will be preparing and serving the finger food at the wedding / union of  Kellie Gardam and Daniel Potts , in the beautiful outdoor setting of Valley View Manor , Toongabbie , Victoria .

There is also an unpublished  cook book  that is in the hands of the editor ......

I have also had the pleasure  of cat siting my son Paul`s beautiful cat Polly and help in  training my Daughter`s British bulldog Ziggy .

Life is busy but I wouldn't want it any other way .