MAGIC MERINGUES

This is a dough like meringue...
Follow the directions ...
You will be amazed and you will need to have a microwave oven .
Microwave meringues are the real magic trick.
The mixture is prepared like thick icing and needs to be pliable enough to shape .

LET`S START .....
Place 1 egg in a bowl and STIR with a fork until frothy .
Add 1/2 tsp of red food colouring  ( optional )
1 tsp of raspberry flavouring ( optional )
Now STIR in 350 gm of sifted icing sugar .. stir in batches using enough to make a VERY stiff dough .
It should be the consistency of marzipan .
Mould the dough in to 24  BEAN shapes or 24 marble sized discs .
Flatten slightly.
Place 6 small discs on baking paper on the microwave turn table .
Place them well apart as they will TRIPLE in size .
Cook for 1 minute on HIGH or till dry
Leave stand for 1 minute before removing from the microwave .
Repeat with remaining batches .
Just before serving , sandwich the meringues together with whipped cream.
Enjoy .

 

SEA BREEZE

This is my recipe showcasing the bounty of the catch from the Gippsland Lakes and surrounding open waters.
 Heat a pan with 4 tbs of rice bran oil .
Saute 2 red onions peeled and thinly sliced into wedges , along with 4 cloves of garlic peeled and thinly sliced .
Cook till softened and aromatic .
Remove and set aside .
Place 3 fillets of salmon in the pan and cook for 4 minutes each side , remove from the pan and peel the skin off the fillet, and use 2 forks to shred the meat . Set aside .
In the same pan saute  250 gm of fresh scallops roe removed , along with 500gm of king prawns which have been peeled and deveined , keeping the tail intact .
This won`t take long , just keep on the heat till they lose their opaqueness .
Remove from heat and set aside .
Slice very finely 1 small bulb of fennel , small red chilli with seeds  and place in the pan and warm through .
Using the same pan  add 1/2 cup of cream fraiche .
Add 50ml of ouzo
1/2 tsp  of cracked black pepper
Pinch of sea salt.
Add the prawns and scallops , stir through the sauce and fennel .
Add the pulled salmon .
Turn off the heat .
Warm the serving plates and serve over a bed of  red rice .
Garnish sparingly with fennel fronds .
Enjoy.
 

LEMON MOUSSE

Separate 4 eggs , set the egg whites aside.
Whisk the egg yolks with 175 gm of castor sugar until light and fluffy .
Juice 2 lemons  , set aside
Finely grate the rind of 2 lemons into the egg mix .
Add 300ml of thickened cream .

Beat the 4 egg whites until they are stiff .

In a separate bowl sprinkle the gelatine on to the lemon juice and heat gently  until it has completely dissolved .

Pour into the egg mix stirring continuously .
Fold in the egg whites .

Pour into serving dishes or bowl .
Leave to set in the refrigerator for 2 hours to set .
 

LEMON HONEYCOMB MOULD

You will need a 1 litre mould or soufflé dish for this dessert.

Also the juice of 2 lemons .

The fine grated rind of 2 lemons .

Firstly make a custard .

Mix together 3 egg yolks , 300ml of milk , 300ml of cream and 75 gm of castor sugar .
Stir over a low heat until it thickens  to a creamy consistency .
Melt 12 gm of gelatine in the juice of 2 lemons  until the gelatine has completely dissolved .
Remove the custard from the heat .
Stir in the gelatine and the grated peel .
Cool.

Whip the 3 egg whites until they are stiff .
Fold into the custard.

Rinse your mould or dish with cold water .
Pour in the custard and chill . ( 2 hours )
Turn out when set .
It should be in 3 layers ...
The top of clear lemon jelly ,
The middle a creamy milk jelly ,
The bottom a fluffy lemon mousse..

This dessert can be frozen ,
Freeze the mixture in the mould or dish .
To serve after freezing , allow to thaw at room temperature for 4 hours or overnight in  the refrigerator .
Turn out before serving .
 

4 CHEESE LASAGNE

After 2 weeks of pasta making in cooking class , you will be able to whip this lasagne up in no time at all.
Fresh lasagne sheets are best but store bought lasagne sheets will suffice. ( 175 gm )
You will need 75gm of shaved parmesan
75gm of gruyere cheese cut into small dice
75gm of grated mozzarella
75gm of pecorino cut into small dice or shaved carefully using a mandolin .
Set aside 1/3 of the shaved parmesan .
Mix remaining parmesan and other cheeses all together in a pan .
Add 50gm of butter,
50gm of flour ,
750ml of milk .
Season with salt ,pepper and nutmeg .
Heat slowly over a low heat , stirring till all cheeses have melted.
Butter or spray a shallow ovenproof dish and put in alternate layers of lasagne sheets  and sauce .
You should have 4 layers of each .
Finish with a topping of sauce sprinkled with the reserved parmesan .
Bake in a hot oven  200 deg C  for 30 minutes or until bubbling hot .
 

STICKY DATE CAKE

Preheat your oven to 170 deg C
grease and line a 20cm pan ...

Combine 1 and 3/4 cups of dried pitted dates with 1 and 1/4 cups of water ,
Bring to the boil .
Remove from the heat and stir in 1 tsp of bicarbonate of soda .
Leave to cool .
Then puree in a processor .

Use an electric mixer  to beat 60 gm of margarine
2/3rds of a cup of raw sugar once the mix is light and creamy add
1 cup of sifted S.R flour
Then beat in 2 eggs until well combined .
Pour into prepared pan .
Bake for 55 minutes .
Stand for 10 minutes before turning out onto a serving dish .

To make the sauce
Turn into a saucepan
3/4 of a cup of soft dark brown sugar
2 tbs of golden syrup
100gm of margarine
3/4 of a cup of thickened cream
1 tbs of vanilla essence
Stir to combine and bring to the boil
Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes

To Assemble
Prick the pudding all over with a skewer
Spoon 1/2 a cup of sauce all over the pudding .
Let the pudding stand for 5 minutes

Serve with remaining sauce and double cream .
Enjoy .



 

WHERE HAVE I BEEN ?

I have been to the inner sanctum  , and have accepted the offer to continue to cook for the Morwell Masonic Lodge .
The Boolarra Folk Festival , great entertainment ,entertainers , produce galore , food , loads of visitors and all four seasons in one day .
Jacican Café ..Mirboo North held an open day on Sunday .
Max helped nana pick the chillies and tomatoes from the garden to take home for his mum and dad .
A farewell gathering for Nicole and her friends , she flies out on Thursday ...destination Alice Springs .
Tuesday cooking class ...we returned to making pasta ,  this week we are making lemon and goat`s cheese ravioli.........
Back on track , there are orders to be filled and meals to be prepared.