SWEET POTATO PIE

PIE FILLING .....
2 cups of sweet potato cooked and mashed .
1 cup of lemonade
1/3 cup of powdered milk
1 egg
3/4 cup of granulated brown sugar
1 tbs of ghee
1 tsp of vanilla extract
1/2 tsp of allspice
Salt to taste .
Mix all the ingredients together.
Set aside till you prepare the pastry .

PIE PASTRY
Preheat oven to 160deg C
Mix together
1/2 cup of almond meal
1/2 cup of coconut flour
2 tbs of psyllium  husk
2 tbs of coconut oil and 1/2 tsp of salt
Add 2 tbs of coconut oil
Add 2 eggs
5 tbs of cold water
Process to this mix comes together .
Then roll in a ball and cover in cling wrap and let sit for 5 minutes ,
Prepare your pie flan with coconut oil spray
Using your fingers press the dough into the flan pan over the base and sides .
Place in the preheated oven for 15 - 20 minutes and cook till golden or the dough pulls away from the sides of the pan .

When the pastry cools a little , pour the filling mixture into the pastry shell in the flan .
Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes .  160 deg C


 

CANDIED SWEET POTATOES ( Kumara , Yam , Yellow Yam )

This is for my friend Robyn .
I know Robyn has a dislike for food  that is or made with pumpkin . Sweet potato is not pumpkin , it is a starchy elongated  tuber . The texture is very similar to potato , with a dense white to orange flesh with a sweetish flavour and can be cooked just like a poatato .
Sweet potatoes are in abundance in the markets and grocery stores
So let`s see what can be done with them .

CANDIED SWEET POTATOES
Peel 4 medium sweet potatoes and slice into 1/4 inch thickness.
Place into a saucepan and cover with cold water and cook until just done but not too tender .
Drain and place the sweet potato slices in an oiled casserole dish .
In a separate bowl combine 3/4 cup of granulated brown sugar or coconut blossom sugar , 3 tbs of coconut flour  ( or plain flour or ground flax seed or almond meal ) , mix these ingredients together with 2 cups of lemonade .
Pour this mixture over the sliced sweet poatatoes .
Dot with butter / margarine .
Place in a preheated oven on 180 deg for 30 minutes , the mixture with thicken .
Serve with  grilled fish , roast chicken or slow cooked beef .
 

FRENCH DRESSING ...SECRET .

Ingredients used ...sunflower oil , white wine vinegar , a little sugar and salt  to taste , dried and chopped parsley , garlic flakes .
Mix together thoroughly .
Cover and set aside to allow flavours to develop .
The Secret ......
Use this French dressing mix to brush over vegetables , then sprinkle with onion salt before placing in the oven to roast.
I drizzle the French dressing in a small pan and then place trimmed asparagus stalks in the pan and sprinkle with onion salt and warm through to serve .

 

COMPANY EGGS / EGG CASSEROLE

This is a great way to feed a gathering  for breakfast , brunch or light meal .
It is also very tasty cold .
Beat together 12 eggs in a bowl with 1/2 cup of milk  ( almond , soy , coconut or plain full cream or skim milk ) , salt and cracked pepper to taste .
Melt 1/2 a cup of ghee or butter or marg in a fry pan and scramble the ggs .
Place the scrambled eggs into an oil sprayed  casserole dish.
In a separate bowl place one can of condensed soup  ( I used cream of mushroom soup , but be adventurous , try cream of celery , maybe a cream of corn and chicken or just a condensed tomato soup tin ), 1/4 cup of coca cola and 3/4  cup of grated cheese .
Mix these ingredients together well and pour over the scrambled eggs .
Refrigerate overnight or a minimum of 6 hours .
Bake in a preheated oven on 160deg for 40 minutes .

Just about to go into the fridge

 

This is perfect served with a crusty sourdough bread brushed with a garlic and parsley vinaigrette.

 

TWICE COOKED CHOCOLATE FUDGE

You will need 1 packet of chocolate pudding mix , 1/2 cup of  soft brown sugar packed firmly , 1 cup of white sugar ,125 ml of coca cola and 1/4 cup of powdered milk .
Place all these ingredients into an open pan , bring to the boil , stirring continuously .
Continue to stir and let boil gently for 5 minutes .
Add 1 tsp of vanilla extract , 60 gm of granulated nuts and 2 tbs of ghee or margarine .
Remove from the heat , continuing to beat until cool ...
Pour into a greased bowl and allow to cool ..I placed the bowl in the fridge .....the mixture becomes firm but very sticky and indents easily when poked with your finger .
After an hour I placed the mixture back into the pan over a high heat and repeated the stirring procedure for 5 minutes  and then the beating till cool .
The mix will be firm and will  need to be spread the wooden spoon over a slice tray ...
Allow the fudge to set and completely cool at room temperature .

AUSTRALIA COOKS

`Australia Cooks`  is the new cookbook edited by Kelli Brett for the ABC .
I was fortunate enough to have one of my recipes feature in the book .`The recipes in the book are inspired by the best of Australia`s regional produce from the people who live there `.
It is now available at most book outlets .

 

COCONUT AND LIME TART

Preheat your oven to 180deg C
Grease a loose base fluted plan pan (23cm )with coconut spray.
Place 1 cup of coconut flour , 1/3rd of a cup almond meal ,1/3 cup of ground flax meal in a processor along with 1/2 cup of icing sugar ( or stevia equivalent ) in a processor and process till combined .
Add 200 gm of marg / butter and process till mix resembles bread crumbs .
Add 3 egg yolks and 5 drops of vanilla extract .
Pulse until pastry forms .
Remove and wrap in cling film and place in refrigerator for 10 minutes .
Then press the pastry evenly into the base and sides of plan pan .
Place the pan with pastry in the freezer for 5 minutes .
Cover the pastry with a sheet of baking paper and line with baking beads .
Bake for 20 minutes , remove from oven as well as  baking beads and paper .
Whisk an egg yolk with 2 tps of water and brush hot pastry , place back in oven for 2 minutes and then repeat this process one more time .
This process stops the pastry becoming soggy.
Remove pastry from oven and reduce oven temperature to 160 deg C
To make the filling place in a saucepan 1/2 cup of firmly packed soft brown sugar with 1/2 cup of coconut cream over a medium heat until the sugar dissolves .
Remove from heat .
Cool slightly
Add the grated rind of 3 limes , and 1/3 cup of lime juice , pinch of salt
Add 5 lightly beaten egg yolks
Whip 3/4 of a cup of cream till soft peaks form and fold into the filling mixture .
Now place saucepan over a low / med heat and stir until mixture coats the back of the spoon .
Remove from heat and cool slightly and pour into the pastry flan .
Place on a baking tray in the oven and bake for 30 minutes until the tart is just set but still wobbly .
Cool  and then refrigerate before slicing into wedges .
Sprinkle with sugar and place under a grill to caramelise ( optional ).

POTATO AND CARAWAY SEED BREAD

Preheat your oven to 200deg C.

Grease 2 large oven trays ..set aside

Place 700gm of peeled and chopped potatoes in a saucepan with cold water and bring to the boil over a med to high heat , reduce heat and simmer till cooked through ( about 20 minutes ).
Drain and place in a processor till you get a smooth puree . You need 500gm of pureed potato.
Transfer to a large bowl and rub in 1 kg of 000 flour  with your hands until well combined
Stir in 2 tsp of dried yeast and 1 tbs of salt and 2 and 1/2 cups of warm water .
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured board and knead for 2 minutes .
Rest for 10 minutes . repeat this process 3 more times ..the resting time is crucial to the success of the bread .
The dough will be very sticky so make sure you have a bowl of water close by to wet your hands .
Place your dough in a warm place to prove for 20 minutes or until it has doubled in size .
Using your fist gently knock back the dough .
Halve the dough and shape in to circular loaves .
Place each loaf on the prepared trays .
Set aside in a warm place for 30 minutes .
Brush loaf tops with water and sprinkle with salt and caraway seeds
Slash dough tops with a sharp knife and bake for 35 minutes or until the loaves are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped .
Transfer to a wire rack and cool for 30 minutes .

QUENELLES OF FLATHEAD WITH A SAFFRON SAUCE

Place your food processor bowl and blade in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to chill .

Separate 3 eggs  and place 3 egg whites and 1 tsp of salt in the chilled bowl along with 200gm of skinned flathead .

Process until well combined .

Turn your processor down to slow and add 1/2 cup of cream , continue to process till well combined and smooth .

 Place in a bowl , cover and refrigerate .

Now line a baking tray with baking paper .

Shape the fish mixture into quenelles ( small oval shapes ) , place the quenelles onto the baking tray and refrigerate until ready to  cook

 

To prepare the sauce , place 1 and 1/4 cups of fish stock ,with 1/2 cup of Chinese cooking wine and 1/2 cup of cream .
Bring this to the boil over a med heat and simmer for 8 minutes , by this time the sauce will have reduced by half .
Add a pinch of saffron powder and 1/2 cup of fresh sage ( torn ).
Reduce heat to low and let simmer allowing flavours to infuse for 6 minutes .
Using a deep frypan add 1and 1/4 cups of fish stock and 2 cups of water over a med heat , when the stock starts to  simmer gently slide the baking paper with the quenelles on into the simmering stock .
After 10 seconds remove the baking paper .
Cook for 5 minutes or until the quenelles turn white and cook through .
Carefully remove the quenelles with a slotted spoon and place on serving plates .
Spoon over the sauce and sprinkle with crushed black pepper .

A RICH CHOCOLATE CAKE MADE WITH QUINOA FLOUR AND ALMOND MEAL .

Ok turn your oven and preheat it to 160 deg C.
Then grease a round 20cm spring form pan  with cooking spray and line with baking paper .
Place 180 gm of good quality dark chocolate ( I always use Lindt dark chocolate .. 90% cacoa , it is a little more expensive ...but it is worth the end result ) in a medium saucepan with 125 gm of marg / butter , heat over a low heat till both are melted , stirring occasionally .
Remove from heat and allow to cool. Then stir in 1 and 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract , 3/4 of  brown sugar ,1/2 cup of sifted quinoa flour, 1/3 cup of almond meal and 1 tbs of sifted cacoa powder .
Stir well to combine .
Now you need 4 eggs and separate them .
Add the egg yolks one at a time , stirring well after each addition .
In a separate bowl use an electric mixer to beat the egg whites till stiff , then fold  the egg whites into the chocolate  batter .
Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan , cook in the preheated oven and bake for 35 minutes until just firm .
Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan  .
 

SLOW COOKED QUINCES

I love the look , the shape and texture of the quince leaf but it is the fruit that is the hero to many sweet and savoury dish .I want to share with you how to slow cook quinces .

Preheat your oven to 180 deg C
Using a deep oven proof  saucepan place 6 cups of water with t5he juice of 2 lemons ( good sized lemons ) and 4 cups of white sugar  now place over heat and bring to a constant simmer stirring till thickened .
Now the amounts I have used will cook 4 quinces ....
Brush fluff from each quince and add them to the syrup .
Make sure the quinces are fully submerged weigh them down with a heat proof plate .
Now place a lid on the saucepan and into the preheated oven  and bake for 3 hours .
The quinces will turn a rich red colour .
Remove from syrup , slice into wedges and serve as a side to a tart , part of a fruit crumble or to accompany a roasted joint of beef .

COCONUT BREAD

I have been learning about  flours over the past 20 weeks ..flour isn`t all about ground dried starchy tubers of wheat .There is a  plethora of flours made from finely ground cereal grains and dried pulses that are gluten free, a good source of fibre and protein .
I want to share what I`ve discovered about using different flours ....

COCONUT BREAD .......
Preheat your oven to 175 deg C.
Prepare a loaf tin ( small one ) with cooking spray .
In a large bowl place 1/2 cup of coconut flour along with the zest of 1 lemon , 1/2 cup of desiccated coconut and 1 tsp of ground ginger .
In a separate bowl lightly beat together 3 eggs adding 1 cup of natural yoghurt and 1/4 cup of golden syrup .Mix these together and then add to the flour bowl .
Once combined add a pinch of salt, 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract and 1 tsp of bi carbonate of soda ..
Make sure the mixture is well combined .
Now gently fold in 1/2 cup of frozen  blueberries .
Spoon into the prepared pan , bake in prepared pan for 35 minutes at this point cover with baking paper and bake for another 10 minutes .
Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack .

YALLOURN , YALLOURN NORTH FOOTBALL NETBALL CLUB PLAYER`S MEALS

Tonight the players will be dining on
1. Tumeric Chicken and a hot Tabouleh ( also known as  tabouleh , tabbuli ) ,
2.Chilli con carne served with spiced brown rice .
3. Flat bread made with ground flax seed flour ....
This is a sport club  ( football / netball )....I want to give the players protein and no cane sugar..
There will be no processed food ...served .
You are what you eat .