LEMON CHIFFON PIE

Let’s bring them back ...Lemon chiffon pie .

But this recipe is no longer ( in cooking terms ) politically correct . 

Can you guess why ?

Combine 250gm of crushed oatmeal biscuits with 75 gm of  melted margarine /butter .

Press this mix over the base and sides of a greased 23cm /9” round springform pan .

Chill.

Separate 4 eggs ( at room temp )

Combine the 4 egg yolks with 100gm of castor sugar , 1 dsp grated lemon rind in the bowl of your electric mixer .

Beat until thick and creamy 

Bring 1/4cup of lemon juice to the boil .

Continue beating  the egg yolk mixture and slowly pour in the hot lemon juice .

Mix together in a small saucepan 1 dsp of powdered gelatine with 60 ml of of dry white wine .

Gently heat till the gelatine has dissolved and then stir into the egg yolk mixture .

In a clean bowl with clean dry beaters , beat the 4 egg whites with 70 gm of castor sugar  ( adding the sugar gradually ) until stiff peaks form .

Now fold this through the egg yolk mixture .

Spoon into the chilled biscuit base .

Refrigerate until set .

Serve topped with thickened cream and thinly sliced lemon .

CINNAMON

Cinnamon is the spice that forms the basis of mixed spice for cakes , desserts and curry powders for savoury dishes .
Cinnamon imparts a warm , woody and sweet flavour to sweet and savoury dishes .
Cinnamon is a very popular spice made from the dried bark of a tree from the laurel family , Cinnamomum zeylanicum , which is either  ground or rolled up into curls called quills .
Cinnamon is commonly confused with cassia , which is a spice from the inner bark of a tropical evergreen tree, cinnamomum cassia , grown throughout China and the East .
Cassia has a similar aroma to cinnamon but is not as delicate .
Cassia is one of the constituents of five spice powder .
Cinnamon quills are used whole in stocks when poaching chicken or dried and fresh fruit .
Add ground cinnamon to marinades for pork and in the glaze for baked ham.
Spice up cakes , muffins and milk based desserts with ground cinnamon .

 

SPICY SWEET BISCUITS

Mix together 125gm of self raising flour with 1/2 tsp of bicarbonate of soda , 1 tsp of mixed spice and 25 gm of castor sugar .
Gently warm75 gm of golden syrup until runny then add 50gm of butter .
Add this to the dry ingredients to form a dough and shape into a ball.
Chill in the refrigerator for an hour .
Preheat your oven 180 deg C.
Lightly spray a baking tray and set aside .
Then roll out the dough on a lightly floured board to 5mm /1/4 inch thick
Cut out rounds with a biscuit cutter and place on the baking tray .
Bake for 12 minutes and cool on a wire rack .

 

SEARED SALMON IN A SPICY GINGER MARINADE .

Salmon is not caught in Asian waters , but Asian spices combine magically with the oil rich king of fish .

MARINADE
Mix the following ingredients together in a shallow bowl ............
2 tbs of soy sauce / tamari
1 dsp of ground star anise
4 tbs of moscato
1 tbs of minced ginger
2 tbs of coriander ( torn leaves and finely chopped root )
1 small red chilli ( finely chopped include seeds ).
Now add 2 x 250gm  salmon fillets and turn to coat in the marinade .
Chill for 2 hours .

When ready to cook , heat a tbs of rice bran oil in a heavy based pan .
Add the salmon ( skin side down ) and sear 2- 3 minutes on both sides .
I serve this with oven baked fennel and brown rice .
A cauliflower mash with asparagus also compliments this salmon dish .

 

BLACKBERRY COCONUT SLICE

Preheat your oven to 160 deg C
Grease a rectangular slice tray.( 18 x 28cm )
Spray with cooking oil and line with baking paper , ( extend paper 3 cm above the tray edges )

BASE........
Mix together in a large bowl .....
 100gm of plain flour
100gm of castor sugar
85gm of desiccated coconut , until well combined .
Use your fingers to rub in 100gm of butter / margarine, to make a coarse crumb .
Separate 3 eggs ( set aside the whites)
Stir in the 3 egg yolks with a blade of a bread knife .
Bring the mix together using your hands to make a dough .
Press the dough into the base of the prepared slice tray
Spread 5 tbs of blackberry jam over the dough .

TOPPING .........
Beat the 3 egg whites in a clean medium bowl with your electric mixer .
Gradually add 75 gm of castor sugar ( tbs at a time ), until glossy and stiff.
Fold in 50 gm of desiccated coconut.
Spoon the meringue mix over the jam layer .
Scatter with a handful of coconut flakes.
Coo in the preheated oven for 25 minutes or until golden .
Leave slice to cool in pan .
Carefully remove from tray using the excess paper overhang and cut into slices .

SUNDAY NIGHT DINNER @THE MANOR

OVEN BAKED PUMPKIN FILLED WITH CAULIFLOWER AND BROCCOLI FLORETS

SLOW COOKED OX TAIL

Rub ox tails with salt and pepper .
Sear on each side for 2-3 minutes .
Transfer ox tails to slow cooker
Pour over a mix of 1 cup of red wine , 400gm tin of diced tomatoes , 800gm tin of shoestring beetroot (strained) , 1/2 cup of Worcestershire sauce , 3 tbs of minced garlic , 1 small red chilli finely chopped
3 cups of chicken stock .
Cover and cook on low for 4 hours or until meats falls from the bone .
Strip meat from the bone and remove bone from the slow cooker .
Add 1/2 cup of chia seeds , 1 cup of wild rice , 1 green and red capsicum sliced .
Cover the slow cooker and continue to cook for 2 hours .
Serve with wedges of oven baked pumpkin .

CRUMBED LAMB’S BRAINS

I haven’t prepared crumbed brains for a very long time .
I will need to start the preparation today for the planned dinner at The Manor  tomorrow night .
Firstly prepare a poaching stock .
In a large pot place 1 onion unpeeled and cut into quarters, 1 carrot roughly chopped , 1 stick of celery , 1 leek roughly chopped ( white part only ), 1 garlic clove unpeeled and halved , 1 bay leaf, 1 cup of dry white wine, 2 litres of water and 1 tsp of salt .
Bring this to the boil and then reduce the heat to a slow simmer .
Now soak 6 sets of of lamb brains in cold salted water for 1 hour .
Then add the the soaked brains to the poaching stock and let them simmer for 4 minutes .
Then remove the brains carefully with a slotted spoon and place them on a tray lined with a clean cotton tea towel .
Refrigerate until completely cold .
Peel away any membrane from the brains and split them in half carefully .
Whisk 3 eggs with  1/4 cup of milk  a medium sized bowl .
In a second  bowl place a cup of plain flour mixed with a tbs of dried thyme .
In a third bowl add 1 cup of panko crumbs .
Now carefully and evenly coat the brains , firstly by dipping them in the flour and thyme mix , then into the egg and milk mix and finishing with an even coating of panko crumbs .
Heat a 1/2 cup of rice bran oil in a large frypan.
Now shallow fry the crumbed brains for 5 minutes or until golden all over .
Drain briefly on a wire rack.
Serve hot with lemon wedges on a handful of peppery watercress as a starter .
And the mains will be braised slow cooked ox tail .

ST CLEMENT’S POLENTA BISCUITS

Preheat your oven to 180 deg C.
Prepare an oven tray with a light spray of cooking oil and line with baking paper .
Place 100gm of cold butter / marg ( cut in to pieces ) in a bowl along with 50gm of fine polenta , 150 gm of self raising flour and 100gm of castor sugar .
Now using a kitchen knife cut the butter through the mix .
Finely grate the zest of 1 orange or lemon and add to the mix .
Squeeze in the juice of 1/2 orange or lemon .
Using wet hands bring the mixture together into a ball of dough .
Divide into 24 pieces , roll into balls and place on the prepared tray .
Allow a 5cm gap between them .
Create a dent in the centre of each ball and scatter with a little castor sugar .
Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly golden .
Transfer to a wire rack to cool .......
Now enjoy .

VEAL PARMIGIANO

Remove 4  veal cutlets from the fridge and allow them to get to room temp .(about 15 minutes)
In a small bowl mix together 1 tbs of  rice bran oil , 1 dsp of minced garlic.
Rub the mix into the cutlets on both sides .
Now make a mixture of 2 tomatoes cut to small cubes ., 1/2 tsp of sugar , 3 spring onions finely sliced ( white part only )1 tbs of finely chopped parsley .
Spray the oven rill tray  with cooking oil and line with baking paper .
Place the veal cutlets in a large pan and cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes .
Then remove and place the cutlets on the prepared grill tray cooked side down  and spoon over the tomato mix and top with a tbs of grated mozzarella cheese  now cover with another sheet of baking paper .
Place in oven under  griller ( on lowest shelf ) until the cheese has melted .
Serve immediately with a green salad and oven baked chips .
Pork chops can be substituted for veal chops .

VEAL STROGANOFF

Remember do not  over cook the veal this is not a stew .
Heat 1 tbs of rice bran oil in a large open pan  over a medium heat .
Cook 750gm of diced veal for 5 minutes , keep moving the veal to seal all sides .
Add1 peeled and finely sliced onion ,continue cooking for 3 minutes .
Stir in 1dsp of minced garlic , 1 dsp of ground paprika , stir through .
Now add 1cup of chicken stock , 1 tbs of Dijon mustard , 1 tbs of tomato paste and 250gm of fresh butter mushrooms .
Bring this mix slowly to the boil , then simmer for 10 minutes .
Now stir through 3/4 cup of sour cream and 2 tbs of sliced fresh chives .
Serve with pasta noodles or herbed new potatoes and a simple green salad .

 

PARMA HAM, SAGE AND PARMESAN PUFFS .

This is a savoury version of choux pastry ..
Heat your oven to 200deg C
Place 85 gm of butter into a medium saucepan with 220ml of water .
Heat slowly to melt the butter , then bring to a rolling boil .
Then pour in 100gm of plain flour with a pinch of salt .
Remove the pot from the heat and beat with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes together as a paste and pulls away from the sides of the pot .
Now spread on a cooking sheet to cool.
 Then place the cooled batter in to a medium bowl , add  3 lightly beaten eggs .
The mixture should be a dropping consistency beat in 100gm of finely chopped Parma ham , 5 finely shredded sage leaves and 40gm of finely grated Parmesan .
Now spoon the mixture into a piping bag and pipe into 4cm rounds on a baking tray lined with baking paper .
Space apart to allow room for expansion .
Bake for 25 minutes or until pastries are golden and risen .
Serve immediately or keep warm in a low oven .

CLAFOUTIS

Clafoutis is the French version of a bread and butter pudding ......

Clafoutis is traditionally made with cherries .

Preheat your oven o 180 deg C.

This is so simple , place 50gm of almond meal in the bowl of your electric mixer along with 15gm of plain flour 1/4tsp of salt ,100gm of castor sugar .

Now mix to combine .

In a separate bowl lightly beat 2 eggs with 3 egg yolks .

Add to the dry ingredients and beat till you have a smooth batter .

Spray cooking oil in and around 4  small oven proof ramekins and then lightly dust with icing sugar.

Divide 300 gm of  pitted cherries between the ramekins

Then pour over the batter 

Place the dishes in your  pre heated oven for 25 minutes or until golden and risen .

Check the clafoutis with a skewer to make sure it has set in the middle .

If not bake for a further 5 minutes .

Leave to stand for  5 minutes before serving with a dusting of icing sugar and a healthy dollop of mascarpone or thickened cream .

ITALIAN BAKED RICE .....

Today in class we prepared Italian baked rice ......
This is an amazingly easy , flavoursome recipe ....., it's on the never fail list .
Preheat your oven to 180 deg C
Peel and quarter 2 onions then flake into petals and place into a large pan and char for 4 minutes , tossing occasionally .
Reduce the heat and add 1 tbs of olive oil and 60 gm of peppered salami ( finely sliced ) , now add 300gm of aborio rice , stir to combine .
Pour this mixture into a sprayed casserole dish
Now add 1 litre of 1 litre of boiling water  and stir through 1 heaped tbs of mascarpone cheese .
Stir through an additional scatter of grated parmesan cheese with a heaped tbs of minced garlic.
Season with salt and pepper .
Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes or until the rice has absorbed all the moisture .
This a simply delicious  meal served with a mixed green leaf salad .