we are currently coming to the end of the navel orange season and in order to prolong our enjoyment of these favourites of ours, i did what any self respecting fruit lover would do and bought 3 cases (20 kg each) of the golden orbs over the last 2 weeks.
as they are at the end of their run, the oranges are kept in cold rooms by the fruiterers and thus become sweaty with condensation when we get them. ever since those salmonella scares with tomatoes in the US and ecoli with rockmelons locally, i've become even more diligent with washing my fruit and vegetables, and the oranges are no exception. with such a mind boggling number of oranges to wash (each case holds 80-100 pieces of fruit), i also contemplated the amount of water i would be using....alot. enter the dishwasher. there's a cycle on the dishwasher called prewash (well, there is on mine). and it only uses cold water without heat. and we all know dishwashers use less water than handwashing - yes, they do. so that's what i did. i fiddled around with the racks a little so i would be able to fit the maximum number of oranges, set the machine to prewash - a whole 12 minutes! and let it do its thing. i have considered the electricity the machine uses, but i also considered the time i saved - i'm certain i would have taken longer than 12 minutes to wash the same number of oranges and definitely tons more water. i didn't wash all 3 cases of fruit, but enough for us to use for a couple of days.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
soft boiled eggs
people often use the expression "xx can't even boil an egg" to describe someone who can't cook. or, anyone can boil an egg, meaning that boiling an egg is easy. is it easy to boil an egg? a perfect egg?
i don't think so. i actually think there's an art to it; it isn't so simple. i remember having a soft boiled egg at my auntie peggy's house when i was little. the albumen was creamy and the yolk still runny. it was perfect. until then, my mother had always hard boiled my eggs, but from then on, i wanted eggs the way aunty peggy cooked them. i don't know whether i've mentioned this before, but my mother was never interested in cooking, so when she first cooked a soft boiled egg for me, it was too hard. the yolk was still liquid, but the albumen was hard. next time she did it, the albumen had a very thin layer of cooked hard white albumen and the rest of the albumen was clear and liquid. it wasn't very nice, and i'm being polite (cos this is a family friendly site). i think i had a few more of my mother's eggs, then that was it. a little girl could only take that much......actually, now that i think about my mum's cooking....actually, i don't want to think about it, she could even cook an egg.
as i said before, with boiled eggs, i like the albumen to be opaque and creamy, and the yolk still runny and liquid. to achieve this, i find it easier to start with the eggs at room temperature. then i like to pierce a small hole in the broad end of the egg. i do this with a pin. having tried to stick the pin into the shell in the past, i know this is close to impossible. what i do these days is hold the pin to the broad end of the egg and use the kitchen bench to tap the pin into the egg. usually one tap is all that is required.
bring a sauce pan of water to the boil, take it off the heat and gently lower the egg into the water. the length of time you leave the egg in the water depends on how you like your egg soft boiled.
if you want the thin albumen (the albumen closest to the shell) set, and the thick albumen (the albumen closest to the yolk) clear and liquid, your egg should be ready after 2 minutes.
3 minutes will give you an egg with a soft outer albumen with the thick albumen starting to turn white while still being liquid.
a 4 minute egg will have opaque albumen which is still soft.
the whites will be more solid after 5 minutes
it depends on how softly boiled one wants the egg.
you'll have to take into consideration the size of the eggs, the number of eggs being cooked and the amount of water you use as to how the the eggs turn out as well. alot of variables, aren't there?
even hard boiled eggs don't just happen - can't over boil them otherwise you get the dark circle around the yolk, but that's another story for another day.
i don't think so. i actually think there's an art to it; it isn't so simple. i remember having a soft boiled egg at my auntie peggy's house when i was little. the albumen was creamy and the yolk still runny. it was perfect. until then, my mother had always hard boiled my eggs, but from then on, i wanted eggs the way aunty peggy cooked them. i don't know whether i've mentioned this before, but my mother was never interested in cooking, so when she first cooked a soft boiled egg for me, it was too hard. the yolk was still liquid, but the albumen was hard. next time she did it, the albumen had a very thin layer of cooked hard white albumen and the rest of the albumen was clear and liquid. it wasn't very nice, and i'm being polite (cos this is a family friendly site). i think i had a few more of my mother's eggs, then that was it. a little girl could only take that much......actually, now that i think about my mum's cooking....actually, i don't want to think about it, she could even cook an egg.
as i said before, with boiled eggs, i like the albumen to be opaque and creamy, and the yolk still runny and liquid. to achieve this, i find it easier to start with the eggs at room temperature. then i like to pierce a small hole in the broad end of the egg. i do this with a pin. having tried to stick the pin into the shell in the past, i know this is close to impossible. what i do these days is hold the pin to the broad end of the egg and use the kitchen bench to tap the pin into the egg. usually one tap is all that is required.
bring a sauce pan of water to the boil, take it off the heat and gently lower the egg into the water. the length of time you leave the egg in the water depends on how you like your egg soft boiled.
if you want the thin albumen (the albumen closest to the shell) set, and the thick albumen (the albumen closest to the yolk) clear and liquid, your egg should be ready after 2 minutes.
3 minutes will give you an egg with a soft outer albumen with the thick albumen starting to turn white while still being liquid.
a 4 minute egg will have opaque albumen which is still soft.
the whites will be more solid after 5 minutes
it depends on how softly boiled one wants the egg.
you'll have to take into consideration the size of the eggs, the number of eggs being cooked and the amount of water you use as to how the the eggs turn out as well. alot of variables, aren't there?
even hard boiled eggs don't just happen - can't over boil them otherwise you get the dark circle around the yolk, but that's another story for another day.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
twilight
miss c and miss k have read this book called twilight and are understandably quite excited about its upcoming movie premier, miss c in particular. fellow fans of the book organised an early preview of the movie. unfortunately, this was cancelled due to hoyts and greater union being unable to come to some agreement about its release.
then came news of another attempt at a preview of the movie, this time at bankstown. so excitement continued....until....miss c found out that we had to get the money for the movie out to wetherill park, or as my niece so eloquently puts it, where-the-hell-park. now, for those who live near wetherill park, that doesn't present a problem, but we don't and on the few occassions that i have had to go out there with miss c and miss k in tow, they know the only attraction for them out there is red rooster (we live in an area sadly devoid of many fast food outlets). yes, poor miss c and miss k are deprived - they don't know that there are places in the world which are veritable fast food meccas. fast food is something they only eat once in a blue moon.
thankfully, miss c doesn't want to make the trip out there, no matter how tempting red rooster beckons, and no mater how tempting the twilight movie is. otherwise, i might have to not only endure a long car trip and red rooster.
then came news of another attempt at a preview of the movie, this time at bankstown. so excitement continued....until....miss c found out that we had to get the money for the movie out to wetherill park, or as my niece so eloquently puts it, where-the-hell-park. now, for those who live near wetherill park, that doesn't present a problem, but we don't and on the few occassions that i have had to go out there with miss c and miss k in tow, they know the only attraction for them out there is red rooster (we live in an area sadly devoid of many fast food outlets). yes, poor miss c and miss k are deprived - they don't know that there are places in the world which are veritable fast food meccas. fast food is something they only eat once in a blue moon.
thankfully, miss c doesn't want to make the trip out there, no matter how tempting red rooster beckons, and no mater how tempting the twilight movie is. otherwise, i might have to not only endure a long car trip and red rooster.
Monday, November 10, 2008
damage control
we were in the aisle which sold crockery in woollies when we walked past at lady holding 2 packages of 4 glasses. she was telling her daughter that they needed to get new glasses because they had broken some over the last 2 weeks. that was fair enough. her daughter queried her and she replied "we need them because you threw a glass at me the other day" to which her daughter replied "that's because you threw a glass at me."
we continued walking, each wondering whether the other had heard the exchange. when we were out of the aisle, we glanced at each other, miss c incredulous that anyone would throw a glass.
i can't bear when any of my things break accidentally; i can't believe when people break things intentionally.
we continued walking, each wondering whether the other had heard the exchange. when we were out of the aisle, we glanced at each other, miss c incredulous that anyone would throw a glass.
i can't bear when any of my things break accidentally; i can't believe when people break things intentionally.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
souvenirs
in true supermodel style (not), miss k has been featured in her school's speech day invitation. miss c advised me by phone of this exciting news, which follows hot on the heels of miss k being snapped for the newspapers (twice, on different occasions).
this is not to say that miss c has not provided her fair share of excitement in this arena. she, too, had been selected on prior occasions; once when she was in day care, she was a feature of a video they made, and another time she was snapped for a newspaper article, well, three times, if you include the time when all three of us were in the papers together.
as a parent, this is exciting as they both have a nice souvenir, however, we don't go courting this attention. now they have their souvenirs, i think it would be nice if everyone else had their souvenir opportunity as well.
this is not to say that miss c has not provided her fair share of excitement in this arena. she, too, had been selected on prior occasions; once when she was in day care, she was a feature of a video they made, and another time she was snapped for a newspaper article, well, three times, if you include the time when all three of us were in the papers together.
as a parent, this is exciting as they both have a nice souvenir, however, we don't go courting this attention. now they have their souvenirs, i think it would be nice if everyone else had their souvenir opportunity as well.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
kitchen disasters
i belong to a forum which discusses food and other issues. one of the topics of discussion which came up was kitchen disasters.
i tried really hard to think of a kitchen disaster and didn't come up with anything. i'm sure there was something, there always has to be something. then as i read the offerings of others, i remember my nephew, kevin, did bake a pizza with the plastic wrap still on it, but that wasn't my disaster. i wanted my own. i can't believe i just said that. scrap that - no i don't want any disaster(s).
i don't know if this qualifies as a bona fide disaster, but i have always loved reading cookbooks, and one cookbook i read had a section on how to remedy disasters. i was so desperate to try one of their remedies out that i created my own disaster. i deliberately underbaked a chocolate cake so it would sink in the middle and have to have the centre cut out and become a ring cake. even one of my friends reminds me of it these days.
i tried really hard to think of a kitchen disaster and didn't come up with anything. i'm sure there was something, there always has to be something. then as i read the offerings of others, i remember my nephew, kevin, did bake a pizza with the plastic wrap still on it, but that wasn't my disaster. i wanted my own. i can't believe i just said that. scrap that - no i don't want any disaster(s).
i don't know if this qualifies as a bona fide disaster, but i have always loved reading cookbooks, and one cookbook i read had a section on how to remedy disasters. i was so desperate to try one of their remedies out that i created my own disaster. i deliberately underbaked a chocolate cake so it would sink in the middle and have to have the centre cut out and become a ring cake. even one of my friends reminds me of it these days.
Friday, November 7, 2008
ridiculusmus
last night, we went to the belvoir st theatre to see the importance of being earnest. boy, i don't know what oscar wilde had in mind when he wrote the play, but i don't think this interpretation was what he had in mind somehow. the last time i saw this play, it was nothing like it was last night. last night was really different and really funny. the importance of being earnest, the way oscar wilde intended, is a funny play anyway, but last night, it was taken one step further.
i've seen more plays this year than i ever have done in the past, and one thing i've noticed is that plays tend to be on the light side with the number of actors - nothing like the full chorus one finds in an opera or musical. very economical - a couple of actors carry the story line and there's no padding, no unnecessary bit parts, no extras to do their rhubarb thing.
last night was no exception - economical, no bit parts to accommodate a benefactor's aspiring offspring; none of that. in fact, two actors play jack and algernon - and all the other characters as well. how's that for economy? so not only does one get oscar wilde's funny play, but one also gets the added bonus/distraction of 2 guys doing a sybil thing. it starts off with them doing the costume changes quite smoothly, and ends with the costume changes getting quite bizarre, all on stage. i'm sure this is all intentional - the storyline also starts to reflect a sense of chaos at the same time, so i'm not only laughing at the story, but also at the guys sorting out their characters through the use of costume props, which when you consider it, is quite clever. have i lost you?
i'm sure there's someone out there who can express this all more eloquently and put me, and definitely you, out of our misery.
oh, if you do get a chance to see it, look out for some "interesting" incorrectly vintaged props - i'm not spoiling thing by telling you what they are - part of the fun is spotting them.
i've seen more plays this year than i ever have done in the past, and one thing i've noticed is that plays tend to be on the light side with the number of actors - nothing like the full chorus one finds in an opera or musical. very economical - a couple of actors carry the story line and there's no padding, no unnecessary bit parts, no extras to do their rhubarb thing.
last night was no exception - economical, no bit parts to accommodate a benefactor's aspiring offspring; none of that. in fact, two actors play jack and algernon - and all the other characters as well. how's that for economy? so not only does one get oscar wilde's funny play, but one also gets the added bonus/distraction of 2 guys doing a sybil thing. it starts off with them doing the costume changes quite smoothly, and ends with the costume changes getting quite bizarre, all on stage. i'm sure this is all intentional - the storyline also starts to reflect a sense of chaos at the same time, so i'm not only laughing at the story, but also at the guys sorting out their characters through the use of costume props, which when you consider it, is quite clever. have i lost you?
i'm sure there's someone out there who can express this all more eloquently and put me, and definitely you, out of our misery.
oh, if you do get a chance to see it, look out for some "interesting" incorrectly vintaged props - i'm not spoiling thing by telling you what they are - part of the fun is spotting them.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
round things
when i was about 7, my dad brought me to his colleague's housewarming party. mr and mrs little's house, at the time was something special - it was round and had a greenhouse in the middle. at the same time, mr little designed a building in hornsby hospital, and it was round too - he must have been going through his round phase. maybe it was a time for round buildings - i'm thinking harry's iconic round australia square in the city. i recall that the building's name was a bit of a joke at the time - a cylindrical building called a square....haw haw haw - you have to appreciate that at the time there were no jokes flying around the world at cyberspeed, thus people had to find humour in the most mundane of things, even buildings.
this housewarming party was my first introduction to fingerfood and need i say a round fingerfood item? meatballs. i remember the meatballs - they were so tasty. now i'm more familiar with herbs (one would hope so after so many decades), i realise they were seasoned with thyme. and the more i think about them the more i realise that at that time, they were probably made with a packet of stuffing mixed through the mince. nothing wrong with that - it was a time of culinary discovery and we wouldn't be where we are today without them. so i present this recipe for meatballs which is kitschy, but very comforting. take note that i've added fresh herbs to the mix to redeem it and that i've added a modern touch by suggesting that the microwave can be used to simplify the cooking process.
500 grams mince beef
500 grams sausage mince
1 cup stuffing mix (or bread crumbs, if you prefer)
1 egg
1 onion, finely diced
1 bunch parsley, chopped
1 bunch thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stock cube
mix all the ingredients together well - i like to use my electric handheld mixer to do this - my hands stay clean and odourless and everything is mixed more thoroughly than i could ever hope to do with my hands.
form the mixture into walnut sized balls and place 10 balls on a plate and microwave on high for 2 minutes or until cooked through. the meatballs can be served as is, but can also be finished off either by deepfrying or in a hot oven to give them a little colour.
i don't remember any sauce being served with the meatballs at the housewarming, but as a modern touch, a greek yoghurt dip can be served alongside.
this housewarming party was my first introduction to fingerfood and need i say a round fingerfood item? meatballs. i remember the meatballs - they were so tasty. now i'm more familiar with herbs (one would hope so after so many decades), i realise they were seasoned with thyme. and the more i think about them the more i realise that at that time, they were probably made with a packet of stuffing mixed through the mince. nothing wrong with that - it was a time of culinary discovery and we wouldn't be where we are today without them. so i present this recipe for meatballs which is kitschy, but very comforting. take note that i've added fresh herbs to the mix to redeem it and that i've added a modern touch by suggesting that the microwave can be used to simplify the cooking process.
500 grams mince beef
500 grams sausage mince
1 cup stuffing mix (or bread crumbs, if you prefer)
1 egg
1 onion, finely diced
1 bunch parsley, chopped
1 bunch thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stock cube
mix all the ingredients together well - i like to use my electric handheld mixer to do this - my hands stay clean and odourless and everything is mixed more thoroughly than i could ever hope to do with my hands.
form the mixture into walnut sized balls and place 10 balls on a plate and microwave on high for 2 minutes or until cooked through. the meatballs can be served as is, but can also be finished off either by deepfrying or in a hot oven to give them a little colour.
i don't remember any sauce being served with the meatballs at the housewarming, but as a modern touch, a greek yoghurt dip can be served alongside.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
sponge cake
the first time i remembered having a freshly made sponge cake was back in september 1971 and i think it was a sunday. if it wasn't, then it was a saturday, but in my mind it was a sunday. my parents and i were at echo point park and we bumped into one of dad's architect friends, tony, and his wife, megan.
from echo point park, you could see this piece of land we had in castle cove. all we ever did when we first bought the land was just look at it. then the years passed and the novelty of looking at it wained. but i digress....
one thing led to another and we ended up at tony and megan's place and we had afternoon tea there. megan (who is jeff wiggle's sister....i know, small world...i also know jeff wiggle's mother) whipped up a sponge cake and dressed it with strawberries and cream.....can't remember if there was jam, but there definitely were strawberries.
i remember being so impressed that someone could just whip up a cake just like that while guests were there. i knew then and there i wanted to be as clever as that when i grew up. i thought i wanted to be able to just whip anything up at short notice. more recently, i did bump into megan, and she's still the very beautiful, tall, stylish and slender lady she was then. amazing how she hasn't changed. i did tell her about how inspirational she was; she didn't remember the occasion, but i'm glad i did.
this isn't megan's recipe, it's actually a recipe for a sponge roll which i use, and it's very quick and easy. the thiness of the cake really speeds things up so it's quick to bake, quick to cool and fill and ultimately quick to get onto the table.
3 eggs separated
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup self raising flour
1/4 cup wheaten cornflour
2 tablespoons hot milk
1/2 cup jam
300 millitres thickened cream
fresh berries
preheat oven to 180°C. line a 20 x 30cm swiss roll pan with baking paper.
using an electric mixer, beat eggs and sugar until pale and thick.
sift self raising flour and cornflour over egg mixture.
drizzle boiling water around edge of bowl.
use a large metal spoon to gently fold ingredients together (don't over-mix).
pour mixture into prepared pan.
bake for 10 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into centre comes out clean.
sprinkle an extra 1/4 cup of sugar onto a sheet of baking paper.
turn sponge straight from oven onto baking paper.
gently roll up sponge in paper. wrap in a tea towel.
set aside to cool.
whip the cream.
unroll sponge and remove paper.
spread jam, cream and berries on sponge.
reroll and slice to serve.
alternatively, slice the sponge in half lengthways and fill with berries, cream and jam and sprinkle with icing sugar. this is my favourite way of serving this cake - since you don't have to roll it, there can be lots of filling with not too thick layers of cake. yum.
from echo point park, you could see this piece of land we had in castle cove. all we ever did when we first bought the land was just look at it. then the years passed and the novelty of looking at it wained. but i digress....
one thing led to another and we ended up at tony and megan's place and we had afternoon tea there. megan (who is jeff wiggle's sister....i know, small world...i also know jeff wiggle's mother) whipped up a sponge cake and dressed it with strawberries and cream.....can't remember if there was jam, but there definitely were strawberries.
i remember being so impressed that someone could just whip up a cake just like that while guests were there. i knew then and there i wanted to be as clever as that when i grew up. i thought i wanted to be able to just whip anything up at short notice. more recently, i did bump into megan, and she's still the very beautiful, tall, stylish and slender lady she was then. amazing how she hasn't changed. i did tell her about how inspirational she was; she didn't remember the occasion, but i'm glad i did.
this isn't megan's recipe, it's actually a recipe for a sponge roll which i use, and it's very quick and easy. the thiness of the cake really speeds things up so it's quick to bake, quick to cool and fill and ultimately quick to get onto the table.
3 eggs separated
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup self raising flour
1/4 cup wheaten cornflour
2 tablespoons hot milk
1/2 cup jam
300 millitres thickened cream
fresh berries
preheat oven to 180°C. line a 20 x 30cm swiss roll pan with baking paper.
using an electric mixer, beat eggs and sugar until pale and thick.
sift self raising flour and cornflour over egg mixture.
drizzle boiling water around edge of bowl.
use a large metal spoon to gently fold ingredients together (don't over-mix).
pour mixture into prepared pan.
bake for 10 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into centre comes out clean.
sprinkle an extra 1/4 cup of sugar onto a sheet of baking paper.
turn sponge straight from oven onto baking paper.
gently roll up sponge in paper. wrap in a tea towel.
set aside to cool.
whip the cream.
unroll sponge and remove paper.
spread jam, cream and berries on sponge.
reroll and slice to serve.
alternatively, slice the sponge in half lengthways and fill with berries, cream and jam and sprinkle with icing sugar. this is my favourite way of serving this cake - since you don't have to roll it, there can be lots of filling with not too thick layers of cake. yum.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
movies
some movies i like because they're different:
the bank - david wenham, anthony lapaglia
the castle - michael caton, eric banana (before he became a mega star)
bootmen - adam garcia
proof - hugo weaving, russell crowe (before he became a mega star)
priscilla, queen of the desert - terence stamp (have to confess that we were nuts about him when we were in our early teens...and now look at what happened....)
looking for alibrandi - pia miranda, anthony lapaglia
the bank - david wenham, anthony lapaglia
the castle - michael caton, eric banana (before he became a mega star)
bootmen - adam garcia
proof - hugo weaving, russell crowe (before he became a mega star)
priscilla, queen of the desert - terence stamp (have to confess that we were nuts about him when we were in our early teens...and now look at what happened....)
looking for alibrandi - pia miranda, anthony lapaglia
Monday, November 3, 2008
turkey
i'm not an expert turkey cook, but recently i saw a really easy way to prepare turkey. i'd eaten the turkey on previous occasions and thought that it was absolutely delicious, but it didn't occur to me how simple it was.
i believe the portion of the turkey used was called a turkey buffe - i will try and clarify that on my next trip to the supermarket or deli. this turkey buffe was an already cooked breast, so it was all meat, no bones and no waste.
remove the turkey buffe from its packaging and place on a suitably sized baking tray lined with baking paper.
get a jar of redcurrant jelly and spoon it over - about half a jar should do it. there is no need to spread it too evenly, just do the best you can.
put it in a oven preheated to 150 degrees celcius for 30 minutes, baste and turn, and return to baste and thurn every 10-15 minutes for 45 minutes. because it is precooked, if you don't require the turkey hot, you don't have to baste and turn for the 45 minutes. just take it out to enjoy when you require it.
the basting and turning in the redcurrant jelly makes the turkey, i think. the turkey is fine as is when it comes from the shop, the redcuarrant jelly adds some succulence and flavour to it and provides some juice for gravy if you so desire, otherwise, serve with more redcurrant jelly to carry the theme through.
i believe the portion of the turkey used was called a turkey buffe - i will try and clarify that on my next trip to the supermarket or deli. this turkey buffe was an already cooked breast, so it was all meat, no bones and no waste.
remove the turkey buffe from its packaging and place on a suitably sized baking tray lined with baking paper.
get a jar of redcurrant jelly and spoon it over - about half a jar should do it. there is no need to spread it too evenly, just do the best you can.
put it in a oven preheated to 150 degrees celcius for 30 minutes, baste and turn, and return to baste and thurn every 10-15 minutes for 45 minutes. because it is precooked, if you don't require the turkey hot, you don't have to baste and turn for the 45 minutes. just take it out to enjoy when you require it.
the basting and turning in the redcurrant jelly makes the turkey, i think. the turkey is fine as is when it comes from the shop, the redcuarrant jelly adds some succulence and flavour to it and provides some juice for gravy if you so desire, otherwise, serve with more redcurrant jelly to carry the theme through.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
maggie's harvest
i bought this book when it first came out because it was just irresistible - it was the whole packaging thing. the cover is just gorgeous.
that said, i didn't need a new cookbook because i have so many i don't even dare to count them. also in this day and age of instant gratification, it's all too easy to buy whatever takes one's fancy, which is why i now so careful with my purchases. but this one is different. its cover is embroidered; the text is interesting and readable; you can tell maggie put her heart into it. i felt it was worth more than on a monetary level. out of all the books i have so far, this has been the most special, so i'm glad i have it.
maggie's recipes are nice too - homey and she shows a genuine love of food. the book has lots of stories, something i adore in a cookbook reading about food as well as being given directions on how to prepare it.
i guess whether maggie's harvest is a book you want will depend on what you are looking for, but i find that these days recipes are so easy to find on the net (and that i have so many cookbooks), i want something different, and this book fit the bill for me.
that said, i didn't need a new cookbook because i have so many i don't even dare to count them. also in this day and age of instant gratification, it's all too easy to buy whatever takes one's fancy, which is why i now so careful with my purchases. but this one is different. its cover is embroidered; the text is interesting and readable; you can tell maggie put her heart into it. i felt it was worth more than on a monetary level. out of all the books i have so far, this has been the most special, so i'm glad i have it.
maggie's recipes are nice too - homey and she shows a genuine love of food. the book has lots of stories, something i adore in a cookbook reading about food as well as being given directions on how to prepare it.
i guess whether maggie's harvest is a book you want will depend on what you are looking for, but i find that these days recipes are so easy to find on the net (and that i have so many cookbooks), i want something different, and this book fit the bill for me.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
and now for dessert - something smooth and crunchy and hot and cold...all at the same time...
got your attention?
that's how i like to introduce this dessert and all it is is glorified ice cream. not fried ice cream, although now that i think about it, it is hot and cold etc, but i like to think my version might be a bit more sophisticated. yeah...that's right...me and sophisticated go hand in hand.....okay...you can stop laughing....NOW.....
sophisticated or not, i like this dessert and whether you do or don't doesn't matter - just take your cursor to the little "x" at the top right hand corner of this window and click....
remember the brandy snaps? well, make a couple in the shape of baskets.
remember the hot chocolate fudge sauce? well, make some of that.
rememeber sara lee or connoisseur ice cream? well, go get some.
put a couple of scoops of your favourite connoisseur or sara lee ice cream in a brandy snap basket, top with a healthy dollop of hot chocolate fudge sauce and if you really want to be tres sophisticatated, garnish with berries.
there you go - smooth (ice cream) and crunchy (brandy snap basket) and hot (hot chocolate fudge sauce) and cold (berries...okay, okay.....ice cream).
everyone i've served this to has loved it (or loved me so much they pretended to like it so as not hurt my feelings.....). i hope you love it too (you don't have to pretend anything though).
that's how i like to introduce this dessert and all it is is glorified ice cream. not fried ice cream, although now that i think about it, it is hot and cold etc, but i like to think my version might be a bit more sophisticated. yeah...that's right...me and sophisticated go hand in hand.....okay...you can stop laughing....NOW.....
sophisticated or not, i like this dessert and whether you do or don't doesn't matter - just take your cursor to the little "x" at the top right hand corner of this window and click....
remember the brandy snaps? well, make a couple in the shape of baskets.
remember the hot chocolate fudge sauce? well, make some of that.
rememeber sara lee or connoisseur ice cream? well, go get some.
put a couple of scoops of your favourite connoisseur or sara lee ice cream in a brandy snap basket, top with a healthy dollop of hot chocolate fudge sauce and if you really want to be tres sophisticatated, garnish with berries.
there you go - smooth (ice cream) and crunchy (brandy snap basket) and hot (hot chocolate fudge sauce) and cold (berries...okay, okay.....ice cream).
everyone i've served this to has loved it (or loved me so much they pretended to like it so as not hurt my feelings.....). i hope you love it too (you don't have to pretend anything though).
Friday, October 31, 2008
one of my favourite things
i have to tell you that one of my favourite things is a non stick frypan with the handle removed. i just buy one of those non stick frypans from woollies (it's on specials every now and then) and take off the handle with a screwdriver. make sure the one you get is one with the thicker base - there are also the thinner ones, but i prefer the thicker one, and i don't think there is much of a price difference, so you may as well get the thicker one because it cooks more evenly. since i've just mentioned price, these are under $20 - a bargain for a non stick roasting pan, i think.
these pans come in 2 sizes and they are so versatile, i have several of them. that way, i can put my roast in one, have vegetables in another and an upside down cake in yet another. you can do the roast and the vegetables in one pan if you like, but i always like cooking too much food, so find it's easier to use another pan.
these pans put a nice crust on vegetables and caramelise carrots and sweet potatoes deliciously. roasts can be browned and roasted in the same pan without having to dirty a frypan and a roasting pan. and these are a dream to clean because they are non stick. just wipe off any muck with paper towels, wash with a little detergent and rinse.
i love it when favourite things are as practical as this.
these pans come in 2 sizes and they are so versatile, i have several of them. that way, i can put my roast in one, have vegetables in another and an upside down cake in yet another. you can do the roast and the vegetables in one pan if you like, but i always like cooking too much food, so find it's easier to use another pan.
these pans put a nice crust on vegetables and caramelise carrots and sweet potatoes deliciously. roasts can be browned and roasted in the same pan without having to dirty a frypan and a roasting pan. and these are a dream to clean because they are non stick. just wipe off any muck with paper towels, wash with a little detergent and rinse.
i love it when favourite things are as practical as this.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
hot chocolate fudge sauce
this is something for true chocolate die hards. also, very simple, and microwavable, if a stovetop isn't available or too much trouble. try it on ice cream, as if u needed to be told.
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 milk
125 grams dark chcoclate
125 grams butter
4-6 marshmallows
place everything in a saucepan over low heat and stir until smooth, adding sugar to taste. serve immediately once sauce boils.
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 milk
125 grams dark chcoclate
125 grams butter
4-6 marshmallows
place everything in a saucepan over low heat and stir until smooth, adding sugar to taste. serve immediately once sauce boils.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
msn
miss k was reading this blog and thought that she would put its address on her msn.
won't you be embarrassed?
no one will know it's me.
i'll be embarrassed.
shrugs her shoulders.
48 hours later, i ask why she'd removed the address.
too embarrassing.
i told you.
won't you be embarrassed?
no one will know it's me.
i'll be embarrassed.
shrugs her shoulders.
48 hours later, i ask why she'd removed the address.
too embarrassing.
i told you.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
brandy snaps
brandy snaps are one of those things which have always posed a mystery to me because whilst they are called brandy snaps, they don't have any brandy in them. why are they called brandy snaps? because you chomp on them whilst having a brandy? because they are brandy coloured? because someone called brandy dreamed them up one day (or night)? (my english teacher would be having a fit right now - you don't start sentences with because!!!! and where's the punctuation???) if anyone knows the true story, enlighten me now!!!
that said, i always thought brandy snaps were supposed to be difficult to make because the first time i came across a recipe for them was in a margaret fulton cookbook and she put three dots against the recipe. she had this way of grading recipes whereby she would put dots next to her recipes to indicate the level of difficulty, and three dots was the most difficult. well, brandy snaps are not difficult at all, so banish all thoughts of difficulty out of your head and just make them. if anything, they make anything look special, so if anyone eating them wants to think they're difficult, go ahead and let them think just that. but between us, we know that is just not so.
even the recipe quantities are so easy - equal quantities of melted butter, golden syrup, sugar and flour are mixed together with a teaspoon of ground ginger added for every 1/2 cup of flour. if you need measurements, here they are:
125 grams butter, melted
1/2 cup golden syrup, eyeball this if you're like me
1/2 sup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon ground ginger
preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius.
mix this all together and place teaspoonfuls (or tablespoonfuls, if you want larger brandy snaps) of the batter onto baking sheet lined with baking paper. don't try to fit too many rounds of batter on each baking sheet or the resulting snaps will run into each other because they will spread as they bake.
bake for 5-10 minutes or until golden. remove the tray from the oven and allow to cool for a few moments. this will allow the snaps to set a little so you can lift them up with a knife or spatula; quickly either wrap the snap around a tube or handle of a wooden spoon to form them into tubes. alternatively, drape them over an upturned bowl so as to form brandy snap baskets. should the snaps become firm before shaping, just pop them back into the oven for a few moments to soften so you can shape them as you like.
that said, i always thought brandy snaps were supposed to be difficult to make because the first time i came across a recipe for them was in a margaret fulton cookbook and she put three dots against the recipe. she had this way of grading recipes whereby she would put dots next to her recipes to indicate the level of difficulty, and three dots was the most difficult. well, brandy snaps are not difficult at all, so banish all thoughts of difficulty out of your head and just make them. if anything, they make anything look special, so if anyone eating them wants to think they're difficult, go ahead and let them think just that. but between us, we know that is just not so.
even the recipe quantities are so easy - equal quantities of melted butter, golden syrup, sugar and flour are mixed together with a teaspoon of ground ginger added for every 1/2 cup of flour. if you need measurements, here they are:
125 grams butter, melted
1/2 cup golden syrup, eyeball this if you're like me
1/2 sup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon ground ginger
preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius.
mix this all together and place teaspoonfuls (or tablespoonfuls, if you want larger brandy snaps) of the batter onto baking sheet lined with baking paper. don't try to fit too many rounds of batter on each baking sheet or the resulting snaps will run into each other because they will spread as they bake.
bake for 5-10 minutes or until golden. remove the tray from the oven and allow to cool for a few moments. this will allow the snaps to set a little so you can lift them up with a knife or spatula; quickly either wrap the snap around a tube or handle of a wooden spoon to form them into tubes. alternatively, drape them over an upturned bowl so as to form brandy snap baskets. should the snaps become firm before shaping, just pop them back into the oven for a few moments to soften so you can shape them as you like.
Monday, October 27, 2008
pound cake revisited
pound cake again? yes, pound cake again. this time it's a blast from the past. back to 1977, in fact.
in 1977, i was still in high school and every school holiday, i would always make an effort to get myself down to the city and make my way down to the sydney county council building on george street and collect recipe sheets. i actually remember that on this particular occasion, i was with julia and anna and one stephen o'leary and we were on our way to see star wars. my friends were good, weren't they? allowing me to detour and get my recipes sheets. well, they were eventually rewarded by a piece of cake, so there was really not too much to complain about. they did have to wait until the following year, i think, before i actually made it for them to try, because i remember taking it to musical rehearsal - we were doing bye bye birdie and i remember bringing it along and offering it around. i still remember my costume, and i have a scary feeling that it may still be somewhere hanging in someone's wardrobe.....it was a very bright yellow, so it shouldn't be too hard to find if i wanted to find it. but i digress....
barbara lynch and doreen andrews presented switched on living monday to friday at 10am on channel ten, and these recipes would be the ones they demonstrated. i loved them. and i loved this cake. it was a cake that worked and tasted good.
this is from the issue week commencing 5th december 1977, "gifts from the kitchen" part I. i hope there are still many of these treasures tucked away in someone's files or drawers or massive piles of things - i find this so comforting and relaxing....can a recipe be relaxing? well, it gives me a warm sort of fuzziness...or something.... i hope i continue to discover other pound cake recipes.
2 2/3 cups flour
1/4 level teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/2 level teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 level teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
2 1/4 sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla essence
8x50 grams eggs
1-2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
sift first 4 ingredients.
cream butter and sugar very well, add vanilla essence.
add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
add flour mixture all at once and mix at low speed till smooth and well blended, add rind.
place into a well greased, lined and floured 23 cm (9") tube pan.
bake in moderate oven 180 degress celcius for 1 hour and 40 minutes or till cooked. cool in tin for 5 minutes before turning out.
in 1977, i was still in high school and every school holiday, i would always make an effort to get myself down to the city and make my way down to the sydney county council building on george street and collect recipe sheets. i actually remember that on this particular occasion, i was with julia and anna and one stephen o'leary and we were on our way to see star wars. my friends were good, weren't they? allowing me to detour and get my recipes sheets. well, they were eventually rewarded by a piece of cake, so there was really not too much to complain about. they did have to wait until the following year, i think, before i actually made it for them to try, because i remember taking it to musical rehearsal - we were doing bye bye birdie and i remember bringing it along and offering it around. i still remember my costume, and i have a scary feeling that it may still be somewhere hanging in someone's wardrobe.....it was a very bright yellow, so it shouldn't be too hard to find if i wanted to find it. but i digress....
barbara lynch and doreen andrews presented switched on living monday to friday at 10am on channel ten, and these recipes would be the ones they demonstrated. i loved them. and i loved this cake. it was a cake that worked and tasted good.
this is from the issue week commencing 5th december 1977, "gifts from the kitchen" part I. i hope there are still many of these treasures tucked away in someone's files or drawers or massive piles of things - i find this so comforting and relaxing....can a recipe be relaxing? well, it gives me a warm sort of fuzziness...or something.... i hope i continue to discover other pound cake recipes.
2 2/3 cups flour
1/4 level teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/2 level teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 level teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
2 1/4 sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla essence
8x50 grams eggs
1-2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
sift first 4 ingredients.
cream butter and sugar very well, add vanilla essence.
add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
add flour mixture all at once and mix at low speed till smooth and well blended, add rind.
place into a well greased, lined and floured 23 cm (9") tube pan.
bake in moderate oven 180 degress celcius for 1 hour and 40 minutes or till cooked. cool in tin for 5 minutes before turning out.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
are glasses on a girl sexy?
miss k got some new spectacles and was telling her friend about it on msn.
do they look sexy? he asked
now, last century, i believe there was a phrase that went something like "gentlemen seldom make passes at girls who wear glasses" but i now believe that has gone out the window. there are people who think glasses are sexy. times have changed and isn't that a good thing?
do they look sexy? he asked
now, last century, i believe there was a phrase that went something like "gentlemen seldom make passes at girls who wear glasses" but i now believe that has gone out the window. there are people who think glasses are sexy. times have changed and isn't that a good thing?
Saturday, October 25, 2008
christopher robin to pooh
You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
honey picnic cake
this post comes courtesy of my friend liz. in an odd way. odd because i suddenly thought to call her out of the blue for no reason, or so i thought.
liz was trying to make this cake, from memory, beacuse she couldn't find her cookbook. the recipe was in one of those little murdoch cookbooks....sour cream...honey...
did you google it? i asked.
yes. couldn't find it.
and so we continued chatting while i went to my disarray of recipes and pulled out family circle's step by step quick and easy cakes. this is a different publication from lizzie's, but still published within the murdoch stable. went straight to the index and found it.
now, i could understand it if liz rang me to ask if i had the recipe, but how do you explain my calling her to give her a recipe she needed?
anyway, liz says this loaf cuts well and has made it several times, so there is your recommendation.
honey picnic cake
300 grams sour cream
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 cups wholemeal plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons honey, warmed
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
preheat the oven to slow 150 degrees celcius. grease a 22 x 12 cm loaf tin and line the base and the two long sides with baking paper. blend the sour cream, sugar and egg in a food processor until combined.
add the flour and baking powder and process until well blended. add the honey and process until mixed. add the nuts and process just long enough for them to mix through.
spoon into the prepared tin and bake for 1 hour, or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the centre of the cake. leave in the tin for 15 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool.
liz was trying to make this cake, from memory, beacuse she couldn't find her cookbook. the recipe was in one of those little murdoch cookbooks....sour cream...honey...
did you google it? i asked.
yes. couldn't find it.
and so we continued chatting while i went to my disarray of recipes and pulled out family circle's step by step quick and easy cakes. this is a different publication from lizzie's, but still published within the murdoch stable. went straight to the index and found it.
now, i could understand it if liz rang me to ask if i had the recipe, but how do you explain my calling her to give her a recipe she needed?
anyway, liz says this loaf cuts well and has made it several times, so there is your recommendation.
honey picnic cake
300 grams sour cream
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 cups wholemeal plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons honey, warmed
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
preheat the oven to slow 150 degrees celcius. grease a 22 x 12 cm loaf tin and line the base and the two long sides with baking paper. blend the sour cream, sugar and egg in a food processor until combined.
add the flour and baking powder and process until well blended. add the honey and process until mixed. add the nuts and process just long enough for them to mix through.
spoon into the prepared tin and bake for 1 hour, or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the centre of the cake. leave in the tin for 15 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
does this ever happen to you?
around this time last year, miss c went on a camp and came home less one thong (or flip flop, for those who think a thong is an undergarment).
more recently, miss k came home with one broken thong. being someone who keeps things for spare parts (aka i can't throw away anything which may remotely be useful one day), i told her not to worry - we still have the thong miss c didn't lose and maybe we can use it to make up a useable pair of thongs (since they are the same brand, colour and size).
unfortunately, fate was teasing us. we have TWO left sided thongs. and you know that if we throw them both away, we'll need left sided thongs.
does this ever happen to you?
more recently, miss k came home with one broken thong. being someone who keeps things for spare parts (aka i can't throw away anything which may remotely be useful one day), i told her not to worry - we still have the thong miss c didn't lose and maybe we can use it to make up a useable pair of thongs (since they are the same brand, colour and size).
unfortunately, fate was teasing us. we have TWO left sided thongs. and you know that if we throw them both away, we'll need left sided thongs.
does this ever happen to you?
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
mini pizzas like at il gianforniao
i used to buy these mini pizzette for miss c all the time when she was little because they were so cute, just like her (and because she loved eating them).
well, like they always say, if only i knew then what i know now, i wish i had known how easy it was to make those pizzette.
again, the same bread dough comes to the rescue (i told you it was versatile). again, snip off walnut sized pieces of dough. this time press them flat onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper. you should be able to fit 12 discs of dough onto each baking sheet.
get yourself a jar of your favourite pasta sauce (or make your own) and spread a little on each disc. top with slices of mushroom, pitted olives, whatever you like. sprinkle with a little grated mozzarella cheese. cover and leave in a warm place to prove for at least an hour.
heat the oven to 200 degrees celcius and once the oven is hot and to temperature, bake the pizzette for 10 minutes or until golden.
the last time i made this, wiggy and sly polished off the lot when i wasn't looking. then, they went on to eat a huge dinner. it was after dinner, when i started to stack the dishwasher, that i realised i had made a tray of pizzettes. i asked misses c and k as to the fate of the pizzettes - sly and wiggy ate them before dinner. if the boys are such good eaters now, i'd like to know what blutsie is going to do when all four of her boys reach puberty. wiggy and sly are her good eaters now; i can't wait to see when engine and blackbumboy start polishing off their food. it's only a matter of time.
well, like they always say, if only i knew then what i know now, i wish i had known how easy it was to make those pizzette.
again, the same bread dough comes to the rescue (i told you it was versatile). again, snip off walnut sized pieces of dough. this time press them flat onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper. you should be able to fit 12 discs of dough onto each baking sheet.
get yourself a jar of your favourite pasta sauce (or make your own) and spread a little on each disc. top with slices of mushroom, pitted olives, whatever you like. sprinkle with a little grated mozzarella cheese. cover and leave in a warm place to prove for at least an hour.
heat the oven to 200 degrees celcius and once the oven is hot and to temperature, bake the pizzette for 10 minutes or until golden.
the last time i made this, wiggy and sly polished off the lot when i wasn't looking. then, they went on to eat a huge dinner. it was after dinner, when i started to stack the dishwasher, that i realised i had made a tray of pizzettes. i asked misses c and k as to the fate of the pizzettes - sly and wiggy ate them before dinner. if the boys are such good eaters now, i'd like to know what blutsie is going to do when all four of her boys reach puberty. wiggy and sly are her good eaters now; i can't wait to see when engine and blackbumboy start polishing off their food. it's only a matter of time.
Monday, October 20, 2008
my favourite tomato sauce for pasta
this is a really basic tomato sauce, but it's very good because of its simplicity. i learnt how to make this watching mary, julia's mum, make this whenever i was lucky enough to be invited over their house. i remember cooking this for julia when we were in paris; i was thrilled when she said it was just like her mother's!
i think the main difference between this tomato sauce and the other italian tomato sauces i've tried is that there is no onion in this sauce. i'm not sure whether it is because julia's mother is from northern italy with a yugoslavic background that there isn't any onion, but whatever the reason, this sauce is simply perfect - to me. there is also the addition of chilli. this is added for warmth, not burning spiciness, unless burning spiciness is what you are looking for.
1/4 to 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 chilli, fresh or dried, seeded if only warmth is desired
1 can italian peeled tomatoes, crushed
salt
basil
gently heat the olive oil in a heavy saucepan. add the garlic and chilli. allow the garlic and chilli to bathe in the warm oil and impart their essence. on no account allow the garlic to burn.
add the canned tomatoes carefully so as not to let the slash into the hot oil. allow to simmer until thickened. taste with a clean spoon and salt to taste. remember that this is a sauce and the saltiness will be diluted when the pasta is added, so ensure the sauce is salted adequately.
just before serving, tear basil leaves into the sauce and pour over the pasta.
i think the main difference between this tomato sauce and the other italian tomato sauces i've tried is that there is no onion in this sauce. i'm not sure whether it is because julia's mother is from northern italy with a yugoslavic background that there isn't any onion, but whatever the reason, this sauce is simply perfect - to me. there is also the addition of chilli. this is added for warmth, not burning spiciness, unless burning spiciness is what you are looking for.
1/4 to 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 chilli, fresh or dried, seeded if only warmth is desired
1 can italian peeled tomatoes, crushed
salt
basil
gently heat the olive oil in a heavy saucepan. add the garlic and chilli. allow the garlic and chilli to bathe in the warm oil and impart their essence. on no account allow the garlic to burn.
add the canned tomatoes carefully so as not to let the slash into the hot oil. allow to simmer until thickened. taste with a clean spoon and salt to taste. remember that this is a sauce and the saltiness will be diluted when the pasta is added, so ensure the sauce is salted adequately.
just before serving, tear basil leaves into the sauce and pour over the pasta.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
rosemary bread
another variation for the bread dough is to form the rolls and put a sprig of rosemary into the dough with a light sprinkle of salt flakes before letting it rise. bake as usual at 200 degrees celcius for 20 minutes.
a very simple variation, isn't it? very fragrant, too.
a very simple variation, isn't it? very fragrant, too.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
supermodel
miss k went to a fancy dress birthday party where the theme was come as your favourite disney princess. with very good intentions, miss k wanted to make her own costume and go as a mermaid. i had made both miss c and miss k mermaid costumes when they were much younger and it was on this that miss k thought she would base her creation. we scheduled a day to go fabric shopping and recruited kd and wenty to accompany us on our expedition. miss k chose a mid pink and gold shot organza (and a few other pieces of fabric which may or may not be discussed another time) which looked very glamourous.
a couple of days after the fabric was procured, miss k decided to embark on this first time sewing adventure. it was decided that since the childhood mermaid costumes worked well, the same procedure would be employed to create a similar effect....so miss k had to shir rows and rows of elastic on the fabric to create the body. this was no mean feat. after the first few rows, she confessed that it wasn't as easy as what she thought it would be. then she started to express that she couldn't believe that i went to so much trouble to make the mermaid tail she wore. i reminded her that i made not one, but two tails.
to cut to the chase, miss k spent a couple of hours each day working on her project but at the eleventh hour decided to chuck in the towel. she went to the party dressed very casually in a pair of shorts and a peasant top. and to top it off? mussed up hair.
result? she turns up this party and comes home telling me that her friends told her she looked like a super model. now, i have an unfinished mermaid tail and a supermodel.
a couple of days after the fabric was procured, miss k decided to embark on this first time sewing adventure. it was decided that since the childhood mermaid costumes worked well, the same procedure would be employed to create a similar effect....so miss k had to shir rows and rows of elastic on the fabric to create the body. this was no mean feat. after the first few rows, she confessed that it wasn't as easy as what she thought it would be. then she started to express that she couldn't believe that i went to so much trouble to make the mermaid tail she wore. i reminded her that i made not one, but two tails.
to cut to the chase, miss k spent a couple of hours each day working on her project but at the eleventh hour decided to chuck in the towel. she went to the party dressed very casually in a pair of shorts and a peasant top. and to top it off? mussed up hair.
result? she turns up this party and comes home telling me that her friends told her she looked like a super model. now, i have an unfinished mermaid tail and a supermodel.
Friday, October 17, 2008
cheese and bacon rolls
you make these rolls with the basic bread roll dough.
find yourself a muffin tin with loaf shaped holes. if you can't, it doesn't matter, you can still use the one with round holes and it will still work fine. either spray or grease the tin with oil or butter.
cut your bacon into strips and slice your cheese. i like using "light" or low fat cheddar cheese when baking because i find it less greasy (otherwise, i always use full fat everything). you can also use grated cheese, but i like using a slice of cheese so i can "insert" the cheese into the dough.
snip off 3 walnut size pieces of dough and pop them into the prepared tin(s) and press the cheese and bacon onto the dough. you can actually be quite firm when pressing the cheese and bacon on because when the dough rises, it will more or less push the cheese and bacon out.
cover the dough with a clean cloth and leave it to rise for at least an hour in a warm spot (read previous posts for what i suggest is a suitable warm spot).
heat your oven to 200 degrees celcius when the rolls are ready to bake and pop them in when the oven comes to the right temperature for about 20 minutes or until they are beautiful and golden. the cheese should bubble and the bacon, sizzle.
find yourself a muffin tin with loaf shaped holes. if you can't, it doesn't matter, you can still use the one with round holes and it will still work fine. either spray or grease the tin with oil or butter.
cut your bacon into strips and slice your cheese. i like using "light" or low fat cheddar cheese when baking because i find it less greasy (otherwise, i always use full fat everything). you can also use grated cheese, but i like using a slice of cheese so i can "insert" the cheese into the dough.
snip off 3 walnut size pieces of dough and pop them into the prepared tin(s) and press the cheese and bacon onto the dough. you can actually be quite firm when pressing the cheese and bacon on because when the dough rises, it will more or less push the cheese and bacon out.
cover the dough with a clean cloth and leave it to rise for at least an hour in a warm spot (read previous posts for what i suggest is a suitable warm spot).
heat your oven to 200 degrees celcius when the rolls are ready to bake and pop them in when the oven comes to the right temperature for about 20 minutes or until they are beautiful and golden. the cheese should bubble and the bacon, sizzle.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
miss k's middle school music concert
miss k has just been in a concert for her school's middle school. she was in four items, but the item which meant the most to us was the one where she performed BOTH the piano and chimes. miss c and i couldn't contain our excitement whenever miss k tinkled the ivories and did her thing with the chimes. in fact, our inability to contain ourselves was noted by many. we were sitting in the third last row; little did we know that we were being observed by those sitting in the two last rows. miss c's colleagues sat in the row behind us, so we should have known better, but we were overcome by miss k's effortless technique. miss k's just lucky HER colleagues were nowhere near us; poor thing to have an embarrassing family.
cinnamon rolls by whisks
remember the basic bread roll recipe? you use the dough from that recipe to make these. to start with, i think it would be good to make one pan of cinnamon rolls, rather than use all the dough to make cinnamon rolls .
for one pan of cinnamon rolls, cut out about one fifth or a quarter of the dough. that looks like about a third of the depth of a 28 centimetre round cake tin that is about 5 centimetres high. just an appoximation will do.
sprinkle some flour on your work surface and roll this dough into a long rectangle shape. spread some very soft butter over it.
get a small bowl and put in about 2/3 cup of brown sugar in it with 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. mix this together and sprinkle this over the butter.
roll up the dough, swiss roll style, starting from the long side.
cut this roll into 8-10 pieces and place them in a 28 centimetre round cake tin lined with baking paper with the spiral facing upwards.
place a cloth over the tin and leave the rolls to rise in a warm place for at least an hour.
when you think the rolls have nearly risen sufficiently, heat the oven to 180 degrees celcius.
once the oven has reached 180 degrees celcius, pop the rolls in the oven to bake for 45-60 minutes or until golden brown.
for one pan of cinnamon rolls, cut out about one fifth or a quarter of the dough. that looks like about a third of the depth of a 28 centimetre round cake tin that is about 5 centimetres high. just an appoximation will do.
sprinkle some flour on your work surface and roll this dough into a long rectangle shape. spread some very soft butter over it.
get a small bowl and put in about 2/3 cup of brown sugar in it with 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. mix this together and sprinkle this over the butter.
roll up the dough, swiss roll style, starting from the long side.
cut this roll into 8-10 pieces and place them in a 28 centimetre round cake tin lined with baking paper with the spiral facing upwards.
place a cloth over the tin and leave the rolls to rise in a warm place for at least an hour.
when you think the rolls have nearly risen sufficiently, heat the oven to 180 degrees celcius.
once the oven has reached 180 degrees celcius, pop the rolls in the oven to bake for 45-60 minutes or until golden brown.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
basic bread rolls by whisks
this is my recipe for making simple bread rolls. they don't need to be kneaded and don't need alot of time to mix up, although they do need time to sit around and rise (prove, if you want to be technical).
this recipe also makes what seems to be a ton of rolls....about 50, depending on how big you make your rolls. i know 50 sounds like alot of bread rolls, but don't forget you don't have to bake and eat them all in one day because the dough can be refrigerated. this means you can have these beautiful rolls baked fresh over a couple of days. this can be quite useful when we run out of bread and i don't want to drive out just to buy a loaf of bread.
also, don't think you have to eat them just as rolls either. the dough is versatile and can be used to make a variety of yeasted baked goods. i'll tackle that over the next couple of posts.
4 cups milk
1 cup sugar
250 grams butter
7 cups plain flour
2 cups self raising flour
2 packets (4 1/2 tablespoons) yeast
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
2 tablespoons salt
place milk, sugar and butter in a large stockpot and bring to the boil.
remove the stockpot from the stove and leave it for and hour of so to cool until comfortably warm (about 25 degrees celcius or if you hold your hand against the pot, it feels just warm, not hot - remember, you've just left the pot for an hour, so the pot shouldn't be burning hot).
once the milk mixture is comfortably warm, add 4 cups of plain flour and use a handheld electric mixer to beat the flour into the liquid. the mixer just makes it easy and helps to get rid of most of the lumps. if you don't have one, that's fine - just stir it around until everything is mixed in nicely.
add the yeast and give that a stir as well.
add in the remaining plain flour, the self raising flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt and mix that in well. you'll have to do this part manually as the dough might be too elastic at this stage to do it with a mixer. i like to use a silicon spatula to help mix and scrape the dough off the sides of the stockpot. this is a really sticky dough and if you use your hands, you'll probably have to use too much flour to keep from sticking.
once everything is combined, just cover the stockpot with a lid or cloth and leave it until required. if you don't need any rolls for that day, put the covered stockpot in the refrigerator. if you decide to refrigerate it, just make sure to check the dough every now and then and punch it down whenever necessary (the dough will continue to rise in the refrigerator, and as such, you have to punch it down so it doesn't overflow). this dough will stay quite happy in the refrigerator for up to 3 days (it could stay longer i guess, but i've never had an opportunity to find out).
an hour or two before you need the rolls, grease one or two muffin tins.
dip your fingers in some flour so the dough doesn't stick to you and snip off walnut sized pieces of dough (i like using scissors to snip off the dough, but if you like to pinch it off or pull it off, feel free to do as you wish), and pop three pieces in each muffin hole.
once all the muffin holes are filled, the dough can be sprayed with water and sprinkled with poppy seeds, sesame seeds or sunflower seeds, or brushed with butter or whatever you want to do.
cover the rolls and leave them them in a warm spot (i like to put them on a table outside in the sun) to rise for an hour or so. if it isn't sunny, or if it's cold, pop the tray on top of a pot of hot water. the top of a warm old television is fine, too. be patient at this stage. you want the rolls to rise completely so they are nice and light, not heavy and dense. if you want heavy, dense rolls, you'll need different flour and a different recipe.
once the rolls have done their part and risen to the occasion, bake them in an oven preheated to 200 degrees celcius for about 20 minutes or until they are nice and golden
this recipe also makes what seems to be a ton of rolls....about 50, depending on how big you make your rolls. i know 50 sounds like alot of bread rolls, but don't forget you don't have to bake and eat them all in one day because the dough can be refrigerated. this means you can have these beautiful rolls baked fresh over a couple of days. this can be quite useful when we run out of bread and i don't want to drive out just to buy a loaf of bread.
also, don't think you have to eat them just as rolls either. the dough is versatile and can be used to make a variety of yeasted baked goods. i'll tackle that over the next couple of posts.
4 cups milk
1 cup sugar
250 grams butter
7 cups plain flour
2 cups self raising flour
2 packets (4 1/2 tablespoons) yeast
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
2 tablespoons salt
place milk, sugar and butter in a large stockpot and bring to the boil.
remove the stockpot from the stove and leave it for and hour of so to cool until comfortably warm (about 25 degrees celcius or if you hold your hand against the pot, it feels just warm, not hot - remember, you've just left the pot for an hour, so the pot shouldn't be burning hot).
once the milk mixture is comfortably warm, add 4 cups of plain flour and use a handheld electric mixer to beat the flour into the liquid. the mixer just makes it easy and helps to get rid of most of the lumps. if you don't have one, that's fine - just stir it around until everything is mixed in nicely.
add the yeast and give that a stir as well.
add in the remaining plain flour, the self raising flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt and mix that in well. you'll have to do this part manually as the dough might be too elastic at this stage to do it with a mixer. i like to use a silicon spatula to help mix and scrape the dough off the sides of the stockpot. this is a really sticky dough and if you use your hands, you'll probably have to use too much flour to keep from sticking.
once everything is combined, just cover the stockpot with a lid or cloth and leave it until required. if you don't need any rolls for that day, put the covered stockpot in the refrigerator. if you decide to refrigerate it, just make sure to check the dough every now and then and punch it down whenever necessary (the dough will continue to rise in the refrigerator, and as such, you have to punch it down so it doesn't overflow). this dough will stay quite happy in the refrigerator for up to 3 days (it could stay longer i guess, but i've never had an opportunity to find out).
an hour or two before you need the rolls, grease one or two muffin tins.
dip your fingers in some flour so the dough doesn't stick to you and snip off walnut sized pieces of dough (i like using scissors to snip off the dough, but if you like to pinch it off or pull it off, feel free to do as you wish), and pop three pieces in each muffin hole.
once all the muffin holes are filled, the dough can be sprayed with water and sprinkled with poppy seeds, sesame seeds or sunflower seeds, or brushed with butter or whatever you want to do.
cover the rolls and leave them them in a warm spot (i like to put them on a table outside in the sun) to rise for an hour or so. if it isn't sunny, or if it's cold, pop the tray on top of a pot of hot water. the top of a warm old television is fine, too. be patient at this stage. you want the rolls to rise completely so they are nice and light, not heavy and dense. if you want heavy, dense rolls, you'll need different flour and a different recipe.
once the rolls have done their part and risen to the occasion, bake them in an oven preheated to 200 degrees celcius for about 20 minutes or until they are nice and golden
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
how i like to keep track of recipes on little scraps of paper
i usually like to photocopy whatever recipe i like (in colour, if possible) on A4 paper because it's more sturdy and put it in a plastic sleeve to go into an A4 lever arch binder or display book with the plastic sleeves. this can be time consuming, but once it's done, it's wonderful because the recipes and pictures are well protected. i think it's worth doing the photocopying especially for recipes which have been cut out because they are often on little scraps of paper which are easily lost, which can be heartbreaking if it is a favourite recipe.
i've also found that an added advantage of photocopying the little scraps is that i can enlarge them to fit the A4 sheet and this makes them look really good too.
i often tuck the original recipe behind the photocopy so it also stays well protected and doesn't get tatty and faded. you're less likely to lose it too.
i did try handwriting the recipes out, but i really think that takes alot of dedication. i still try to do this though because it lends the recipe a nice personal touch. do it for your own versions of recipes and it makes them really your own.
i also tried the scrapbook thing, but i found that the cut outs were getting messy and worse still, damaged. i don't bother with this method anymore.
with recipes which become tried and true favourites, i put them on an online file so i can access them when i'm away from home - this worked beautifully when i was in london a few years ago.
this is what works for me; i hope you find something that works for you.
i've also found that an added advantage of photocopying the little scraps is that i can enlarge them to fit the A4 sheet and this makes them look really good too.
i often tuck the original recipe behind the photocopy so it also stays well protected and doesn't get tatty and faded. you're less likely to lose it too.
i did try handwriting the recipes out, but i really think that takes alot of dedication. i still try to do this though because it lends the recipe a nice personal touch. do it for your own versions of recipes and it makes them really your own.
i also tried the scrapbook thing, but i found that the cut outs were getting messy and worse still, damaged. i don't bother with this method anymore.
with recipes which become tried and true favourites, i put them on an online file so i can access them when i'm away from home - this worked beautifully when i was in london a few years ago.
this is what works for me; i hope you find something that works for you.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
multi-coloured dermatitis
i look like i've contracted some horrible multi-coloured dermatitis on my hands. but i haven't. i was filling the ink cartridge...the colour cartrtidge, to be specific...of my printer. i usually try to underfill because there is no reason to overfill, unless you want to have the (expensive) ink leak out and stain everything that gets in its way, such as hands, for instance. a messy, very messy affair. and such a waste. and i don't like wasting anything if i can help it. but i thought that the cartridge was low in blue ink...well, i thought wrong. well, there were lines going across my printing, so it meant i was low on something....the yellow looked still nice and fresh, and because what i was printing was purple, i assumed it was blue. i assumed wrong. there was still tons of blue (or cyan, if you want to be picky). i found that out the hard way. so once i got the excess blue/cyan blotted up, i topped the cartridge up with red...ensuring that i didn't put too much ink in, of course. naturally, the printer's doing a great job now, and all the printing's nice and even.
all said and done, i'm very happy with my printer. it must be something about me - i love printing. i remember when i was younger, i asked my father for a photocopy machine. i know, other people ask for other things. this is just me. and because he's my dad, and because i'm me, he got one....one that printed A3. i was in heaven printing things. printing things so they would look like the originals, such as sheet music. sheet music? yes, sheet music. another affliction of mine - i like keeping things in mint condition. so if i bought sheet music, i'd run off copies of it to use so i could keep the original...well.....original looking. as far as i know, if one has a copy of the original and makes copies for one's own use (and not to sell, redistribute etc) it's legal.
these days, printers are so cheap...and light...and in colour. what more could a girl ask for? an A3 (or bigger) printer! that's something i'd really like, and once one of those are readily on the market, i might just get myself one. i know they're available in the the UK, but i want to see one in real life and touch it and see it in action, before i'll get one. i think it's important to have to wait for certain things in life - sometimes it's just too easy just to get whatever it is one wants.
when i think of the photocopier that dad got me nearly 30 years ago (i know...it's scary that i can talk in decades now) and how much it cost (thousands, back then), how heavy it was (we finally had to tip it, and man was it heavy - we had to pull the thing apart and even so, the components needed at least 2 people to lift it into the skip bin) and that it only printed black, i am amazed at what the printers these days can do. it's a pity my dad isn't around to see it all - he'd love it. he'd love the printers, and i'm positive he'd love the internet - reading online news, trading shares online, ebay....he'd love it.
all said and done, i'm very happy with my printer. it must be something about me - i love printing. i remember when i was younger, i asked my father for a photocopy machine. i know, other people ask for other things. this is just me. and because he's my dad, and because i'm me, he got one....one that printed A3. i was in heaven printing things. printing things so they would look like the originals, such as sheet music. sheet music? yes, sheet music. another affliction of mine - i like keeping things in mint condition. so if i bought sheet music, i'd run off copies of it to use so i could keep the original...well.....original looking. as far as i know, if one has a copy of the original and makes copies for one's own use (and not to sell, redistribute etc) it's legal.
these days, printers are so cheap...and light...and in colour. what more could a girl ask for? an A3 (or bigger) printer! that's something i'd really like, and once one of those are readily on the market, i might just get myself one. i know they're available in the the UK, but i want to see one in real life and touch it and see it in action, before i'll get one. i think it's important to have to wait for certain things in life - sometimes it's just too easy just to get whatever it is one wants.
when i think of the photocopier that dad got me nearly 30 years ago (i know...it's scary that i can talk in decades now) and how much it cost (thousands, back then), how heavy it was (we finally had to tip it, and man was it heavy - we had to pull the thing apart and even so, the components needed at least 2 people to lift it into the skip bin) and that it only printed black, i am amazed at what the printers these days can do. it's a pity my dad isn't around to see it all - he'd love it. he'd love the printers, and i'm positive he'd love the internet - reading online news, trading shares online, ebay....he'd love it.
Friday, October 10, 2008
baking powder
baking powder is essentially the combination of an alkali and an acid - if you mix the two, they give off carbon dioxide which when added to a cake batter makes them rise.
in the case of baking powder, the acid takes the form of cream of tartar and the alkali is bicarbonate of soda. both are dry, so when they are combined, remain inert (don't do anything) until a liquid is added, then fizzing and all hell breaks loose....not really about hell breaking loose. if you're on the ball, you'll realise that because cream of tartar is an acid, you'll be able to replace it with vinegar, another acid which should be fairly easy to find around the house, if not in the pantry.
so how to make baking powder? so simple. two parts cream of tartar to one part bicarbonate of soda. mix it together and there you have it. this is more potent than the store bought variety, so you only need half as much. if you don't think you can remember to use just half, just add one part cornflour to the bicarbonate of soda and cream of tartar mixture, mix well, and use it as you would regular baking powder.
if you want to perform amazing feats with children, this is a good volcano ingredient - use vinegar with the bicarbonate of soda with food colouring. this is especially good with younger children who are easier to impress. with teenagers, one might have to resort to making fireworks, something else i've made in another life, but that's another story for another time.
in the case of baking powder, the acid takes the form of cream of tartar and the alkali is bicarbonate of soda. both are dry, so when they are combined, remain inert (don't do anything) until a liquid is added, then fizzing and all hell breaks loose....not really about hell breaking loose. if you're on the ball, you'll realise that because cream of tartar is an acid, you'll be able to replace it with vinegar, another acid which should be fairly easy to find around the house, if not in the pantry.
so how to make baking powder? so simple. two parts cream of tartar to one part bicarbonate of soda. mix it together and there you have it. this is more potent than the store bought variety, so you only need half as much. if you don't think you can remember to use just half, just add one part cornflour to the bicarbonate of soda and cream of tartar mixture, mix well, and use it as you would regular baking powder.
if you want to perform amazing feats with children, this is a good volcano ingredient - use vinegar with the bicarbonate of soda with food colouring. this is especially good with younger children who are easier to impress. with teenagers, one might have to resort to making fireworks, something else i've made in another life, but that's another story for another time.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
lemonade, like at the easter show, but probably healthier
do you ever buy those big lemonade drinks they sell at the easter show? you know, the ones which are in a big tank with the lemon rinds floating in them and lots of ice? we do, and we buy the really big one because we like to share it (between the three of us, and no one else). it's always so refreshing and the acidity's just right to cut the greasiness of all the junk we eat when we're at the show. doesn't this sound bad? so much junky food...and drink.... i reason that it comes once a year, and the show's the only place where we get this kinda stuff. i'm sure it's available all year round at markets and the like, but for us, that's the only time we see it.
this lemonade is my imitation of the one at the show, but i'm sure it's better because it's home made, and as such, we would take extra love and care when we make it. like washing the lemons before we use them and not adding any preservatives or anything unnatural.....and since this is so wholesome sounding and all, one of these days, i'm going to post something to "balance" it, like the recipe for corn dogs (yum) and cheese on a stick (yum yum).
we didn't make it to the easter show this year, so i think miss k might be entitled to her annual quota of junky easter show food, albeit my version of it.
1 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice (about 6 washed lemons, and retain the rinds for the garnish)
7 cups water
1 cup granulated sugar
combine the lemon juice with the water and sugar in an 2 litre jug and stir to disslove the sugar. if you like, you can stir, go away and do something and come back to it and give it another stir, and before you know, it would have dissloved.
place the jug in the fridge until ready to serve.
to serve, fill a large glass with ice and fill the glass with the lemon concoction. to give it the full easter show effect, put half a lemon rind in the glass, as they do. me? i like to slice the rind into slivers before adding it to the drink, so they release lots of lemon flavour.
this lemonade is my imitation of the one at the show, but i'm sure it's better because it's home made, and as such, we would take extra love and care when we make it. like washing the lemons before we use them and not adding any preservatives or anything unnatural.....and since this is so wholesome sounding and all, one of these days, i'm going to post something to "balance" it, like the recipe for corn dogs (yum) and cheese on a stick (yum yum).
we didn't make it to the easter show this year, so i think miss k might be entitled to her annual quota of junky easter show food, albeit my version of it.
1 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice (about 6 washed lemons, and retain the rinds for the garnish)
7 cups water
1 cup granulated sugar
combine the lemon juice with the water and sugar in an 2 litre jug and stir to disslove the sugar. if you like, you can stir, go away and do something and come back to it and give it another stir, and before you know, it would have dissloved.
place the jug in the fridge until ready to serve.
to serve, fill a large glass with ice and fill the glass with the lemon concoction. to give it the full easter show effect, put half a lemon rind in the glass, as they do. me? i like to slice the rind into slivers before adding it to the drink, so they release lots of lemon flavour.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
family traits
ever since i gave birth to my firstborn, miss c, i couldn't believe how much our children inherit from us, their parents. in fact, i'd be more inclined to say their grandparents. miss c has definitely inherited alot of characteristics from my side of the family, especially my father. my father always used to say that he liked his food hot, when it was supposed to be hot, and cold when it was supposed to be cold. nothing in between. me? i don't mind having leftovers cold, but miss c will always reheat leftovers. miss k? she is very much a clone of her paternal grandmother. they like things salty if it's savoury or sweet if it's sweet and they just lurve deep fried food. and both of them have fine bones, so they look nice and slender. naturally, miss c, taking after her maternal grandfather (and me) has a heavier bone structure.
which brings me to why i started rambling. miss k and i went over to the wigs and miss k was enjoying a friendly game of monopoly with her cousins wiggy and sly. engine, being only two, wasn't able to comprehend the full complexity of the game and naturally didn't want to be left out. so what did he do but grab hold of some of the money from the game and ran around the room teasingly with miss k in hot pursuit. once she caught up with him, he hurriedly scrunched up the notes. i know where he got that naughtiness from - his mum, my little sister. blutsie, being nine years younger than me, would often run off with my homework as an attention getting strategy. and as if it were a cue, the minute i uttered the word "mum", she would scrunch up my homework. sound familiar?
which brings me to why i started rambling. miss k and i went over to the wigs and miss k was enjoying a friendly game of monopoly with her cousins wiggy and sly. engine, being only two, wasn't able to comprehend the full complexity of the game and naturally didn't want to be left out. so what did he do but grab hold of some of the money from the game and ran around the room teasingly with miss k in hot pursuit. once she caught up with him, he hurriedly scrunched up the notes. i know where he got that naughtiness from - his mum, my little sister. blutsie, being nine years younger than me, would often run off with my homework as an attention getting strategy. and as if it were a cue, the minute i uttered the word "mum", she would scrunch up my homework. sound familiar?
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
my pumpkins
we've been in this house for just over a year now and i know with some people, they would have made 36932 changes to the house and have the whole place liveable and have alot to show for it. me? sigh....
so what, you ask, has this to do with my pumpkins? well, in this year just gone, i grew eight pumpkins in my garden. i'd say in this year past, i have eight pumpkins to show for the year....sort of...i had eight pumpkins, and now have only two left to show you. i wish i had taken photos when i had all eight, but i didn't even think about it. now i have just two, i thought i had better get my act together. so i have a photo of the two remaining ...with an egg so you can see it in perspective....
so what, you ask, has this to do with my pumpkins? well, in this year just gone, i grew eight pumpkins in my garden. i'd say in this year past, i have eight pumpkins to show for the year....sort of...i had eight pumpkins, and now have only two left to show you. i wish i had taken photos when i had all eight, but i didn't even think about it. now i have just two, i thought i had better get my act together. so i have a photo of the two remaining ...with an egg so you can see it in perspective....
Monday, October 6, 2008
honey and oat pancakes by whisks
i first made these scrummy pancakes on a beautiful spring day on my backyard verandah. i bought an induction hotplate a while ago, and it has been wonderful to use. i really love it because i had to do most of my cooking outside, since the kitchen we had didn't have an exhaust fan. now that it does, i still continue to cook outside because it works so well.
cooking these pancakes outside allowed me to sit down at the little table and read the magazine section of my sunday paper and enjoy my coffee - it was bliss. i was multitasking - cooking pancakes, reading my magazine and sipping a coffee.
now for what you'll need:
1 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
2 cups buttermilk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon melted butter
extra butter to coat griddle
1/2 cup toasted sunflower seeds
combine the flour, oats, salt and bicarbonate of soda. add the buttermilk, eggs, honey and melted butter. use the mixer to give it a mix. don't worry if the batter is slightly lumpy. you can either use the pancake batter straight away, or you can leave it the the fridge for a couple of hours until you are ready to make the pancakes.
when you're ready, melt some butter on the hot griddle, then use the ladle to pour 1/4 cup batter (more for larger pancakes) onto the griddle. immediately sprinkle each pancake with 1 tablespoon sunflower seeds. if you don't like the sunflower seeds, you can use something else, or not use anything else - the pancakes are nice however you like them. Cook one side of the pancake until bubbles begin to break on surface and underside is brown.
flip pancakes and brown other side.
makes about 10 servings...or one or two really big ones.
cooking these pancakes outside allowed me to sit down at the little table and read the magazine section of my sunday paper and enjoy my coffee - it was bliss. i was multitasking - cooking pancakes, reading my magazine and sipping a coffee.
now for what you'll need:
the ingredients:
2 cups self raising flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
2 cups buttermilk (don't worry if you don't have any - just add 2 tablespoons of vinegar to regular milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon melted butter
extra butter to coat griddle
1/2 cup toasted sunflower seeds
the utensils:
a griddle
mixer
mixing bowl
measuring cups and spoons
ladle
pancake turner
here's everything mixed and ready to go on the table i've set out outside. because this is a real life home demonstration, i have to let you know that the griddle i had set up on the hotplate decided to crack when it was heated. hence the pancakes were cooked on the frypan:
here at not just cake, we know how to improvise. and here is what the pancake looked like when it has been flipped:
and here's a whole pile of the pancakes:
as you can see, these look rustic, and i like that.
honey and oat pancakes
1 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
2 cups buttermilk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon melted butter
extra butter to coat griddle
1/2 cup toasted sunflower seeds
combine the flour, oats, salt and bicarbonate of soda. add the buttermilk, eggs, honey and melted butter. use the mixer to give it a mix. don't worry if the batter is slightly lumpy. you can either use the pancake batter straight away, or you can leave it the the fridge for a couple of hours until you are ready to make the pancakes.
when you're ready, melt some butter on the hot griddle, then use the ladle to pour 1/4 cup batter (more for larger pancakes) onto the griddle. immediately sprinkle each pancake with 1 tablespoon sunflower seeds. if you don't like the sunflower seeds, you can use something else, or not use anything else - the pancakes are nice however you like them. Cook one side of the pancake until bubbles begin to break on surface and underside is brown.
flip pancakes and brown other side.
makes about 10 servings...or one or two really big ones.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
eating cookie dough
ohno heard i made chocolate chip cookies with wiggy yesterday and asked if he could have some....that was yesterday...this is today. told him i'd whip up a batch for him - his own batch.....if he could drive over (he hasn't got a driver's licence, yet), and if miss c and miss k were home (which they weren't). so i did the next best thing and offered him the recipe so he could make his own. this lead onto the discussion about cookie dough and the finished product.
ohno had posed this question, "do you ever find when you're baking that the dough tastes better than the finished product?"
now, for all my love of cooking, baking and food in general, i don't ever taste my cake batter or my cookie dough. never. ever. i always wait until the product has reached its final destination and is in all its glory, ready to be consumed because it is complete. part of this is because i don't like the taste of raw flour. then there is the hygeine aspect. if ever i have to taste, say, a soup or casserole for seasoning (which is rare), i use a separate spoon for each taste - i'm not one of those people who can taste with the spoon they are cooking with, then stick it back in the pot. each to their own, but there are tons of enzymes in saliva, and once it hits the food, it starts to decompose - the process of digestion commences the split second your food enters your mouth. i prefer to start the digestion process of my food when i put it in my mouth. but i think the reason why i don't taste as i go is because very often, i can look at a recipe and know whether it's going to work out. i know that about one teaspoon of salt is about enough for one kilo of meat, and unless i really go to town with really pungent spices, seasonings are about right. with baked good, everything needed should already be in the recipe, so there isn't a need to taste test. and i always scrape my bowls and spoons and beaters really clean, so there isn't anything much to lick off.
that's my story, and i'm sticking to it and it has nothing to do with me having phobias about raw food (i eat sashimi, for heaven's sake) and it hasn't got anything with me being scared about finding out how delicious raw cookie dough is and eating it all before i even get it on the baking tray.... like i said, that's my story, and i'm sticking to it.
ohno had posed this question, "do you ever find when you're baking that the dough tastes better than the finished product?"
now, for all my love of cooking, baking and food in general, i don't ever taste my cake batter or my cookie dough. never. ever. i always wait until the product has reached its final destination and is in all its glory, ready to be consumed because it is complete. part of this is because i don't like the taste of raw flour. then there is the hygeine aspect. if ever i have to taste, say, a soup or casserole for seasoning (which is rare), i use a separate spoon for each taste - i'm not one of those people who can taste with the spoon they are cooking with, then stick it back in the pot. each to their own, but there are tons of enzymes in saliva, and once it hits the food, it starts to decompose - the process of digestion commences the split second your food enters your mouth. i prefer to start the digestion process of my food when i put it in my mouth. but i think the reason why i don't taste as i go is because very often, i can look at a recipe and know whether it's going to work out. i know that about one teaspoon of salt is about enough for one kilo of meat, and unless i really go to town with really pungent spices, seasonings are about right. with baked good, everything needed should already be in the recipe, so there isn't a need to taste test. and i always scrape my bowls and spoons and beaters really clean, so there isn't anything much to lick off.
that's my story, and i'm sticking to it and it has nothing to do with me having phobias about raw food (i eat sashimi, for heaven's sake) and it hasn't got anything with me being scared about finding out how delicious raw cookie dough is and eating it all before i even get it on the baking tray.... like i said, that's my story, and i'm sticking to it.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
pound cake by whisks
does this title sound boring? i guess it does, but a good pound cake has been one of those elusive things in my life. it's a simple cake, but it isn't....a good one that is. then, there's always this thing called "personal preference" - for me, i want a pound cake to be fragrant, comforting and have a mouth feel that's...that's...velvety, smooth....i don't know, it's hard to explain exactly....i must lack the eloquence, especially in between mouthfuls.
i've tried making this cake in lots of different ways - i've tried it where i don't beat until the sugar's dissolved, i've tried it where i beat it until the sugar's dissolved....i've even tried baking it with half plain flour and half self raising flour (no, i didn't run short of either - i just wanted to experiment) and permutations of these and other methods. all methods were delicious, but perhaps the one where i used half self raising flour and half plain flour and dissolved the sugar was my favourite. that said, this is a favourite cake in all its permutations.....maybe because it's so deliciously buttery and fragrant....something old fashioned and comforting....bliss.... go ahead and try making it - it's almost foolproof, and wonderful to eat.
125g butter
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 cup self raising flour
2 tablespoon powdered milk
1 tablespoon corn syrup
juice of half a small lemon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
cream sugar and butter together until light and fluffy.
add eggs one at a time and mix well.
add in flour, powdered milk, and corn syrup.
beat each in well.
add the lemon juice, salt, vanilla, nutmeg, and mace.
make sure everything is well combined, and pour into a greased loaf pan.
bake 180 degrees celcius for 45 minutes, checking for doneness by inserting a toothpick and seeing if it comes out clean. try not to over bake this - it's much nicer when its just done.
i've tried making this cake in lots of different ways - i've tried it where i don't beat until the sugar's dissolved, i've tried it where i beat it until the sugar's dissolved....i've even tried baking it with half plain flour and half self raising flour (no, i didn't run short of either - i just wanted to experiment) and permutations of these and other methods. all methods were delicious, but perhaps the one where i used half self raising flour and half plain flour and dissolved the sugar was my favourite. that said, this is a favourite cake in all its permutations.....maybe because it's so deliciously buttery and fragrant....something old fashioned and comforting....bliss.... go ahead and try making it - it's almost foolproof, and wonderful to eat.
125g butter
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 cup self raising flour
2 tablespoon powdered milk
1 tablespoon corn syrup
juice of half a small lemon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
cream sugar and butter together until light and fluffy.
add eggs one at a time and mix well.
add in flour, powdered milk, and corn syrup.
beat each in well.
add the lemon juice, salt, vanilla, nutmeg, and mace.
make sure everything is well combined, and pour into a greased loaf pan.
bake 180 degrees celcius for 45 minutes, checking for doneness by inserting a toothpick and seeing if it comes out clean. try not to over bake this - it's much nicer when its just done.
Friday, October 3, 2008
chocolate chip cookies by whisks
these cookies are both crispy and chewy - crisp on the edges and chewy towards the middle. to keep them chewy in the centre, it's important not to over bake them; you want them to be sufficiently cooked so they hold together, and still be chewy.
if small mounds of dough are placed on the baking tray to make small cookies, the resulting cookies are not unlike the ones from famous amos. i remember to first time i had a famous amos cookie and thought that they were so buttery, crisp and crunchy - i didn't know that my cookies were a no effort clone of famous amos. the actual intention of these cookies was to copy those of mrs field - these aren't a mrs field's clone, but i'm very happy with them, as are miss c and miss k and all those who have had them.
because these cookies are so quick and easy to make, i often like to whip up a batch before we go somewhere, and there's nothing as homey and comforting as fresh cookies. they also make the house smell welcoming. if you know you are going to see some friends soon, why not surprise them with a batch of these?
feel free to mix and match with the chocolate - if you do end up using chopped up block chocolate, the ones with nuts are very good - and i just love the irregularity of the chopped chocolate - it adds a certain charm to the cookies, don't you think?
1 cup softened butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups self raising flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
600 grams chocolate chips (or chopped up block chocolate, which is my preference)
preheat oven to 190 degrees celcius.
in a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, sugars, eggs, and vanilla.
add the flour & salt.
mix together.
stir in the chocolate chips.
place walnut-sized dough portions a baking tray lined with baking paper. i find that six lumps of dough fit on the baking tray comfortably. i like to use a small ice cream scoop to scoop out the cookie dough so my hands don't get messy and so the cookies are fairly even in size.
bake for 10-13 minutes or just until edges are light brown. the time the cookies are in the oven really depend your preferences and your oven.
makes 30 cookies.
if small mounds of dough are placed on the baking tray to make small cookies, the resulting cookies are not unlike the ones from famous amos. i remember to first time i had a famous amos cookie and thought that they were so buttery, crisp and crunchy - i didn't know that my cookies were a no effort clone of famous amos. the actual intention of these cookies was to copy those of mrs field - these aren't a mrs field's clone, but i'm very happy with them, as are miss c and miss k and all those who have had them.
because these cookies are so quick and easy to make, i often like to whip up a batch before we go somewhere, and there's nothing as homey and comforting as fresh cookies. they also make the house smell welcoming. if you know you are going to see some friends soon, why not surprise them with a batch of these?
feel free to mix and match with the chocolate - if you do end up using chopped up block chocolate, the ones with nuts are very good - and i just love the irregularity of the chopped chocolate - it adds a certain charm to the cookies, don't you think?
1 cup softened butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups self raising flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
600 grams chocolate chips (or chopped up block chocolate, which is my preference)
preheat oven to 190 degrees celcius.
in a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, sugars, eggs, and vanilla.
add the flour & salt.
mix together.
stir in the chocolate chips.
place walnut-sized dough portions a baking tray lined with baking paper. i find that six lumps of dough fit on the baking tray comfortably. i like to use a small ice cream scoop to scoop out the cookie dough so my hands don't get messy and so the cookies are fairly even in size.
bake for 10-13 minutes or just until edges are light brown. the time the cookies are in the oven really depend your preferences and your oven.
makes 30 cookies.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
bonsai, foot binding for plants
a year and a half ago, i accompanied miss c and miss k to the easter show with a few of their friends. one of the group, ohno, had a thing for bonsai plants. i also have a thing for bonsai plants - i equate bonsai with the human torture of foot binding, a practice popular in china in the 18th century, or thereabouts. naturally, women's feet were bound for the pleasure of men ....
today, ohno tells me that he might be going to the bonsai nursery with tall j and also threw in that pokey boy was also partial to bonsai. what is it with guys, i asked - did it have something to do with control? his reply? "hmmmmm....yes....possibly....but that's not why i do it...." yer....right... that's what ohno says, but i know that pokey boy has told both miss c and miss k, individually, that he wanted to tie them up...to his bed....if that isn't wanting to control someone, then what is?
i know they can do very clever things with bonsai, but i still think it's the plant equivalent of foot binding.... and the plants are starved of nutrients so their growth is stunted....and sometimes bleached to achieve a weathered, aged effect....if you have one, treat it well, if you don't, don't encourage the practice.....
today, ohno tells me that he might be going to the bonsai nursery with tall j and also threw in that pokey boy was also partial to bonsai. what is it with guys, i asked - did it have something to do with control? his reply? "hmmmmm....yes....possibly....but that's not why i do it...." yer....right... that's what ohno says, but i know that pokey boy has told both miss c and miss k, individually, that he wanted to tie them up...to his bed....if that isn't wanting to control someone, then what is?
i know they can do very clever things with bonsai, but i still think it's the plant equivalent of foot binding.... and the plants are starved of nutrients so their growth is stunted....and sometimes bleached to achieve a weathered, aged effect....if you have one, treat it well, if you don't, don't encourage the practice.....
strawberry mousse
for one reason or another, i have always avoided making mousse. i don't know whether it was the gelatine aspect, the cream whipping aspect, having to use the blender then having to wash it up, or in this case, the use of fresh, luscious berries in a dessert, when i often wonder why people don't just eat the berries just as they are, rather than fiddle with something so perfect. however, now i know why one would make a strawberry mousse - because it is soooo delicious, and oh so easy, especially the way i do it. and what made me take the plunge? it's strawberry season now and perhaps i couldn't justify not making a mousse anymore.
1 punnet (250 grams) strawberries, washed and hulled
1/2 cup sugar
300 mls cream
2 teaspoons gelatine
1/3 cup boiling water
place the gelatine in a small bowl and pour the boiling water over and stir until the gelatine has completely dissolved. set aside while the straberry mixture is being prepared.
place the strawberries, cream and sugar in the beaker of a 1 litre capacity coffee plunger and use a bamix (or other kitchen wand) to blend the contents together. once smooth, pour in the gelatine liquid and blend again.
pour the resulting mousse mixture into 150ml capacity serving glasses or ramekins. the size of your glasses will determine the number of servings you get; i usually get about 5-6 servings and find that this is ideal - any bigger, and one could experience mousse overload, and any less may not be quite satisfying enough.
refrigerate for a couple of hours, or overnight, if time permits. we tend to go through these mousses very quickly (read they are eaten as soon as they set, if not before), however, i did find one behind some other containers in the fridge which was a couple of days old and still very delicious, so i can say they do keep a couple of days quite happily.
1 punnet (250 grams) strawberries, washed and hulled
1/2 cup sugar
300 mls cream
2 teaspoons gelatine
1/3 cup boiling water
place the gelatine in a small bowl and pour the boiling water over and stir until the gelatine has completely dissolved. set aside while the straberry mixture is being prepared.
place the strawberries, cream and sugar in the beaker of a 1 litre capacity coffee plunger and use a bamix (or other kitchen wand) to blend the contents together. once smooth, pour in the gelatine liquid and blend again.
pour the resulting mousse mixture into 150ml capacity serving glasses or ramekins. the size of your glasses will determine the number of servings you get; i usually get about 5-6 servings and find that this is ideal - any bigger, and one could experience mousse overload, and any less may not be quite satisfying enough.
refrigerate for a couple of hours, or overnight, if time permits. we tend to go through these mousses very quickly (read they are eaten as soon as they set, if not before), however, i did find one behind some other containers in the fridge which was a couple of days old and still very delicious, so i can say they do keep a couple of days quite happily.
Friday, September 26, 2008
luscious lemon coconut meringue slice
this recipe brings back a wonderful memory for me - back in 1997, i spent a day cooking with a very lovely lady called ayumi kawachi, with whom i have now sadly lost contact. ayumi - are you out there? i know you are - please drop me a line and say hello. that day in 1997, we made this and another slice. it was great fun, and ayumi, we can do it all again....we just have to try and find each other.
this base makes an excellent short pastry which can be used for any tart requiring a thin, crisp base. in order to achieve this, one must ensure that the dough is kneaded sufficiently to make it crisp.
90 grams butter
2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup plain flour
1/3 cup cornflour
preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius.
cream the butter and sugar and add the plain flour and cornflour gradually. combine and turn the dough out of the bowl and knead for 5 minutes. press onto a laminton tin lined with baking paper and bake for 15 minutes of until golden.
in the meantime, prepare the filling:
400 gram tin condensed milk
2 egg yolks
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1 cup lemon juice
combine the condensed milk, yolks, lemon rind and juice together. pour onto the base and bake for a further 10 minutes.
while the filling is in the oven, prepare the meringue topping:
2 egg whites
1/4 cup castor sugar
1/2 cup desiccated coconut
1/2 cup flaked coconut
whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form and gradually add in the sugar. fold in the desiccated coconut. spread over the lemon filling and sprinkle with the flaked coconut. return to the oven and bake for 10 minutes or until golden.
this base makes an excellent short pastry which can be used for any tart requiring a thin, crisp base. in order to achieve this, one must ensure that the dough is kneaded sufficiently to make it crisp.
90 grams butter
2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup plain flour
1/3 cup cornflour
preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius.
cream the butter and sugar and add the plain flour and cornflour gradually. combine and turn the dough out of the bowl and knead for 5 minutes. press onto a laminton tin lined with baking paper and bake for 15 minutes of until golden.
in the meantime, prepare the filling:
400 gram tin condensed milk
2 egg yolks
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1 cup lemon juice
combine the condensed milk, yolks, lemon rind and juice together. pour onto the base and bake for a further 10 minutes.
while the filling is in the oven, prepare the meringue topping:
2 egg whites
1/4 cup castor sugar
1/2 cup desiccated coconut
1/2 cup flaked coconut
whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form and gradually add in the sugar. fold in the desiccated coconut. spread over the lemon filling and sprinkle with the flaked coconut. return to the oven and bake for 10 minutes or until golden.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
shortbread cookie dough for cut out cookies
this is the cookie recipe i use to make my cut out cookies. i tend to roll the dough to about 3 millimetres thick to make them easier to handle, before and after baking. they are easily decorated either before or after baking as well.
1 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups plain flour
1/2 cup custard powder
cream butter & add sugar gradually.
combine the flour and custard powder.
add the flour and custard powder to the butter mixture and mix well.
divide dough into several portions.
flatten one portion at a time on lightly floured surface with hands.
roll out smooth with lightly floured rolling pin.
cut into desired shapes & place on baking sheets lined with baking paper.
bake at 170°C for 10-15 minutes until golden brown around edges.
1 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups plain flour
1/2 cup custard powder
cream butter & add sugar gradually.
combine the flour and custard powder.
add the flour and custard powder to the butter mixture and mix well.
divide dough into several portions.
flatten one portion at a time on lightly floured surface with hands.
roll out smooth with lightly floured rolling pin.
cut into desired shapes & place on baking sheets lined with baking paper.
bake at 170°C for 10-15 minutes until golden brown around edges.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
chocolate cake in a mug
apparently this recipe has been doing the rounds on the email circuit (although no one has sent it to me yet....), but i thought it might be nice to add it here just for the fun of it. it works quite well, and since you know what goes into it, it's got to be better than those packet mixes for cake in a mug. i don't see how this could be any more difficult than a packet mix, and since there aren't any odd ingredients, the average pantry should have what one might need to achieve this instant gratification. well almost instant....3 minutes isn't that long to wait.
remember to use a large mug and only mix the ingredients until just combined as over mixing microwave cakes can make them rubbery. it's better to undercook, than overcook microwave cakes. if you aren't sure about what your microwave is like, err on the side of caution and cook the cake for 2 minutes, then check to see how it is. allowing the cake to rest after cooking is also important because microwave cakes continue to cook even after the power has stopped. oh, and it mightn't be a bad idea to put the mug on a plate in case the cake overflows.
just for the record, a tablespoon is 20mls, if that helps
4 tablespoons self-raising flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
1 mug
place flour into mug, add sugar and cocoa; mix.
crack in 1 egg; mix.
pour in milk and oil; mix until just combined.
put in microwave for 3 minutes on maximum/high power.
wait until it stops rising and sets in the mug.
tip contents out of mug onto saucer and enjoy!
remember to use a large mug and only mix the ingredients until just combined as over mixing microwave cakes can make them rubbery. it's better to undercook, than overcook microwave cakes. if you aren't sure about what your microwave is like, err on the side of caution and cook the cake for 2 minutes, then check to see how it is. allowing the cake to rest after cooking is also important because microwave cakes continue to cook even after the power has stopped. oh, and it mightn't be a bad idea to put the mug on a plate in case the cake overflows.
just for the record, a tablespoon is 20mls, if that helps
4 tablespoons self-raising flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
1 mug
place flour into mug, add sugar and cocoa; mix.
crack in 1 egg; mix.
pour in milk and oil; mix until just combined.
put in microwave for 3 minutes on maximum/high power.
wait until it stops rising and sets in the mug.
tip contents out of mug onto saucer and enjoy!
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
gingerbread dough for cut out cookies
i love this dough because it is so nice to work with and smells so nice.
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 1/2 self raising flour
3/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 3/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
125 grams butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup golden syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (optional)
in a small bowl, whisk together flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves until well blended.
in a large bowl beat butter, brown sugar, and egg on medium speed until well blended.
add golden syrup, vanilla, and lemon zest and continue to mix until well blended.
gradually stir in dry ingredients until blended and smooth.
divide dough in half and wrap each half in plastic and let stand at room temperature for at least 2 hours or up to 8 hours. dough can be stored for up to 4 days, but in this case it should be refrigerated. return to room temp before using.
preheat oven to 180° celcius.
place 1 portion of the dough on a lightly floured surface.
sprinkle flour over dough and rolling pin.
roll dough to 3 millimetres thick.
use additional flour to avoid sticking.
cut out cookies with desired cutter-- the gingerbread man is favorite, of course.
place the cookies on baking sheets lined with baking paper
bake 1 sheet at a time for 7-10 minutes (the lower time will give you softer cookies which are very good!).
remove cookie sheet from oven and allow the cookies to stand until the cookies are firm enough to move to a wire rack.
after cookies are cool you may decorate them any way you like.
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 1/2 self raising flour
3/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 3/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
125 grams butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup golden syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (optional)
in a small bowl, whisk together flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves until well blended.
in a large bowl beat butter, brown sugar, and egg on medium speed until well blended.
add golden syrup, vanilla, and lemon zest and continue to mix until well blended.
gradually stir in dry ingredients until blended and smooth.
divide dough in half and wrap each half in plastic and let stand at room temperature for at least 2 hours or up to 8 hours. dough can be stored for up to 4 days, but in this case it should be refrigerated. return to room temp before using.
preheat oven to 180° celcius.
place 1 portion of the dough on a lightly floured surface.
sprinkle flour over dough and rolling pin.
roll dough to 3 millimetres thick.
use additional flour to avoid sticking.
cut out cookies with desired cutter-- the gingerbread man is favorite, of course.
place the cookies on baking sheets lined with baking paper
bake 1 sheet at a time for 7-10 minutes (the lower time will give you softer cookies which are very good!).
remove cookie sheet from oven and allow the cookies to stand until the cookies are firm enough to move to a wire rack.
after cookies are cool you may decorate them any way you like.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
buttermilk scones by whisks
after making pumpkin scones yesterday, i though i'd give buttermilk scones a go. these scones are very good - the best i have ever had. i have always wanted to make scones, but have resisted because there is always talk of one having to have a light touch with them and i guess i didn't want to know what type of touch i had. i'm very glad that i've bitten the bullet and now know i can whip up a batch of scones with the best of them. i actually think that things like scones should actually be tackled with gay abandon - homemade ones should surely beat bought ones any day. so go ahead and be brave - give them a go and surprise yourself, because if i can do it, you can do it too!
2 cups self-raising flour
2 tablespoons caster sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
80g butter
100g sultanas (or dates, cranberries, dried sour cherries, chocolate chips)
1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup milk soured with 1 teaspoon vinegar)
preheat oven to 200 degrees C and line a 20 cm square cake tin with some baking paper.
mix together all the dry ingredients (flour, sugar and salt), then rub in the butter with your fingertips till the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. i very often use my hand held mixer and room temperature butter to do this step - it's fast, and i don't end up with messy hands.
add the dried fruit and toss to coat the fruit with the buttery flour.
make a well in the middle of the dry mixture, then pour in the buttermilk and quickly stir together until you get a sticky dough. sift a little flour onto the kitchen bench and tip the dough onto the flour. sift a little flour over the top of the dough and press the dough lightly to about 4-5cm in depth. dip a 5cm round cutter into some flour and cut out the scones, placing them closely together in the prepared cake tin.
bake for 20 minutes, or until the scones are golden and sound hollow when lightly tapped on the top.
remove the tray from the oven and place a clean tea towel snugly on top of the scones for 5 minutes before serving with some homemade strawberry jam and freshly whipped cream!
2 cups self-raising flour
2 tablespoons caster sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
80g butter
100g sultanas (or dates, cranberries, dried sour cherries, chocolate chips)
1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup milk soured with 1 teaspoon vinegar)
preheat oven to 200 degrees C and line a 20 cm square cake tin with some baking paper.
mix together all the dry ingredients (flour, sugar and salt), then rub in the butter with your fingertips till the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. i very often use my hand held mixer and room temperature butter to do this step - it's fast, and i don't end up with messy hands.
add the dried fruit and toss to coat the fruit with the buttery flour.
make a well in the middle of the dry mixture, then pour in the buttermilk and quickly stir together until you get a sticky dough. sift a little flour onto the kitchen bench and tip the dough onto the flour. sift a little flour over the top of the dough and press the dough lightly to about 4-5cm in depth. dip a 5cm round cutter into some flour and cut out the scones, placing them closely together in the prepared cake tin.
bake for 20 minutes, or until the scones are golden and sound hollow when lightly tapped on the top.
remove the tray from the oven and place a clean tea towel snugly on top of the scones for 5 minutes before serving with some homemade strawberry jam and freshly whipped cream!
Saturday, March 22, 2008
pumpkin scones by whisks, not flo
whenever people in australia think of pumpkin scones, they think of flo (bjelke-petersen). and never mind the politics of politicians, is there another politician's wife more well known for something other than herself than flo? the names of political wives are flying through my head at the moment - jill wran, tammy fraser, margaret whitlam - the list goes on, but i can't think of anything like the pumpkin scone which makes tham famous. odd isn't it? jill wran (or hickson, if you prefer) is a brilliant woman. i know she has an MBA from AGSM, but this still isn't as widely known as the pumpkin scone. oooh...i just thought of susan rossiter peacock sangter renouf....she's not famous for scones, but she was famous for a time (haven't heard much about her, but then i don't read the gossip magazines unless i have to, ie, at the doctor's surgery) for everything else but scones. she won't be part of my ramblings for another time....
who knows whether it was some cheeky media person who thought it was funny to publisize flo's pumpkin scones as something daggy about the bjelke-petersens, or whether it was some clever well oiled PR machine which thought they would cash in on the wholesomeness of the pumpkin scone and hence the bjelke-petersens' (political) wholesomeness. who knows? but mention pumpkin scone and flo's name pops up. she will forever be famous for the pumpkin scone and the pumpkins scone will be famous because of her. never mind who came up with the idea of putting pumpkin in a scone. flo and that orange coloured piece of baked dough will forever be entwined.
that said, i wanted to find out whether this thing called a pumpkin scone was really worthy of all its fame and glory. was it as good as all that? so i guess in all fairness the pumpkin scone has to be made and put through its paces.
this is the recipe i used:
250 g mashed pumpkin (I used more than this)
2 cups self-raising flour
pinch salt
20 grams butter, melted
1 egg, lightly beaten
milk
preheat oven to 200 degrees celcius.
combine the pumpkin, salt, butter and egg.
add the flour (i don't bother sifting) and mix together with a knife, or in my case, i prefer to use a pair of chopsticks. yes, chopsticks....i know....but hey, it works for me and i think you should use whatever works for you.
mix until the mass becomes a soft dough, then turn it out onto a floured bench.
try not to knead the dough or knead it as little as possible if you must as kneading toughens scones.
sprinkle the top of the dough with a little extra flour and pat the dough until it is about 4 centimetres thick.
flour a 5 centimetre scone cutter, so the scones don't stick while you're cutting them and cut rounds of dough out and place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper. place the rounds of dough right next to each other so they can support each other while they are baking.......isn't that sweet - scones providing each other with moral support? they bake better this way.
brush the tops of the scones with milk and bake for 10-15 minutes until they are golden brown.
split and butter. and top with whatever you fancy. because you can have these scones sweet OR savoury....with jam or ham, OR sweet AND savoury, with jam AND ham...you can have them however you wish
we spread ours with golden syrup.
verdict? yum. something simple given iconic status by a politician's wife. who would have thought?
by the way, this is flo's recipe, in case you want to try it:
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup mashed pumpkin (cold)
2 cups self raising flour
beat together butter, sugar and salt with electric mixer.
add egg, then pumpkin and stir in the flour.
turn on to floured board and cut.
place in tray on top shelf of very hot oven 225-250c for 15-20 minutes.
who knows whether it was some cheeky media person who thought it was funny to publisize flo's pumpkin scones as something daggy about the bjelke-petersens, or whether it was some clever well oiled PR machine which thought they would cash in on the wholesomeness of the pumpkin scone and hence the bjelke-petersens' (political) wholesomeness. who knows? but mention pumpkin scone and flo's name pops up. she will forever be famous for the pumpkin scone and the pumpkins scone will be famous because of her. never mind who came up with the idea of putting pumpkin in a scone. flo and that orange coloured piece of baked dough will forever be entwined.
that said, i wanted to find out whether this thing called a pumpkin scone was really worthy of all its fame and glory. was it as good as all that? so i guess in all fairness the pumpkin scone has to be made and put through its paces.
this is the recipe i used:
250 g mashed pumpkin (I used more than this)
2 cups self-raising flour
pinch salt
20 grams butter, melted
1 egg, lightly beaten
milk
preheat oven to 200 degrees celcius.
combine the pumpkin, salt, butter and egg.
add the flour (i don't bother sifting) and mix together with a knife, or in my case, i prefer to use a pair of chopsticks. yes, chopsticks....i know....but hey, it works for me and i think you should use whatever works for you.
mix until the mass becomes a soft dough, then turn it out onto a floured bench.
try not to knead the dough or knead it as little as possible if you must as kneading toughens scones.
sprinkle the top of the dough with a little extra flour and pat the dough until it is about 4 centimetres thick.
flour a 5 centimetre scone cutter, so the scones don't stick while you're cutting them and cut rounds of dough out and place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper. place the rounds of dough right next to each other so they can support each other while they are baking.......isn't that sweet - scones providing each other with moral support? they bake better this way.
brush the tops of the scones with milk and bake for 10-15 minutes until they are golden brown.
split and butter. and top with whatever you fancy. because you can have these scones sweet OR savoury....with jam or ham, OR sweet AND savoury, with jam AND ham...you can have them however you wish
we spread ours with golden syrup.
verdict? yum. something simple given iconic status by a politician's wife. who would have thought?
by the way, this is flo's recipe, in case you want to try it:
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup mashed pumpkin (cold)
2 cups self raising flour
beat together butter, sugar and salt with electric mixer.
add egg, then pumpkin and stir in the flour.
turn on to floured board and cut.
place in tray on top shelf of very hot oven 225-250c for 15-20 minutes.
i haven't made flo's recipe yet, but i think it's quite similar to mine except i don't have any sugar in mine.
and just so you know, i sit on the political fence, so don't think i sway either way. especially where pumpkin scones are concerned.
Friday, March 21, 2008
beer bread
really simple and really quick, and makes a great grilled cheese sandwich the next day!
3 3/4 cups self raising flour
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
375 ml can beer
place the dry ingredients in a basin and stir to combine. make a well in the centre, add the beer and use a knife to mix into a soft, sticky dough. turn onto a floured surface and knead lightly.
place into a well greased loaf tin and brush the top of the loaf with milk if desired. bake for about 50 minutes at 180 degrees celcius. the loaf will sound hollow if tapped on the bottom when done.
3 3/4 cups self raising flour
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
375 ml can beer
place the dry ingredients in a basin and stir to combine. make a well in the centre, add the beer and use a knife to mix into a soft, sticky dough. turn onto a floured surface and knead lightly.
place into a well greased loaf tin and brush the top of the loaf with milk if desired. bake for about 50 minutes at 180 degrees celcius. the loaf will sound hollow if tapped on the bottom when done.
Friday, March 14, 2008
sago with mango and grapefruit
this is inspired by a delicious dessert i had when i was in kowloon a few years ago. it was served chilled and was very unusual with the grapefuit scattered through the liquid. chinese sago desserts have tended to have coconut milk as their liquid normally (which i am also very fond of), however, replacing it with orange juice makes the conclusion to the meal much lighter and very refreshing.
sago
4 litres water
1 cup sago
sugar syrup
1/2 cup sugar, or to taste
400 ml water
400 ml orange juice
fruit
1 red grapefruit
1 firm mango
sago
bring the water to a rapid boil. while stirring the boiling water, slowly sprinkle the cup of sago into the water. make sure none of the sago sticks to the bottom of the pan by stirring. once you have poured in all of sago continue stirring and let it boil for 1 minute. turn off the heat and put the lid on and let it sit for 5 minutes. stir the sago and turn the heat back on full for 1 more minute then turn the heat off and let it sit until the pearls are translucent, about 10 minutes. don't worry if you have a few pearls that are still white in the middle. pour the sago into a sieve and rinse under runnng water until the pearls have cooled.
sugar syrup
disslove the sugar in the extra water, then cool the sugar syrup in a fridge.
fruit
peel the grapefruit, remove the pith and then break the segments into small chunks. peel and cut the mango into small cubes.
combine the sago, sugar syrup, orange juice, mango and grapefruit and chill in the fridge before serving.
sago
4 litres water
1 cup sago
sugar syrup
1/2 cup sugar, or to taste
400 ml water
400 ml orange juice
fruit
1 red grapefruit
1 firm mango
sago
bring the water to a rapid boil. while stirring the boiling water, slowly sprinkle the cup of sago into the water. make sure none of the sago sticks to the bottom of the pan by stirring. once you have poured in all of sago continue stirring and let it boil for 1 minute. turn off the heat and put the lid on and let it sit for 5 minutes. stir the sago and turn the heat back on full for 1 more minute then turn the heat off and let it sit until the pearls are translucent, about 10 minutes. don't worry if you have a few pearls that are still white in the middle. pour the sago into a sieve and rinse under runnng water until the pearls have cooled.
sugar syrup
disslove the sugar in the extra water, then cool the sugar syrup in a fridge.
fruit
peel the grapefruit, remove the pith and then break the segments into small chunks. peel and cut the mango into small cubes.
combine the sago, sugar syrup, orange juice, mango and grapefruit and chill in the fridge before serving.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
layered garden salad
this salad is wonderfully tasty and easy to prepare, and as an added bonus, it can be made the day before it is required, which is useful when entertaining.
this recipe can be found in All-Time Favourites from the Australian Women's Weekly and Best Recipes from The Weekly, both sadly now out of print.
i'm really grateful to my friend, kris, for drawing my attention to this salad - if she hadn't, i'd still be in the dark and ignorant to its total yumminess. i was always aware of this salad, but never thought it was so good; i just categorised it as one of those salads which had its heyday in the 60s and 70s and shelved it as such. little did i know ....
1/2 iceberg lettuce, shredded
2 cups frozen peas
2 hard-boiled eggs
250g button mushrooms, finely sliced
1 cup (125g) grated tasty cheddar cheese
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tbs sour cream
2 tsp dijon mustard
1 tbs lemon juice
6 spring/green onions, finely chopped
4 bacon rashes, finally chopped
1 large tomato, sliced
2 tbs chopped fresh parsley
Place lettuce into deep 3.5 litre (14 cup) dish; cover lettuce evenly with peas. Place the sliced mushrooms over the peas and push eggs through sieve, sprinkling the eggs evenly over the mushrooms; top with cheese.
Combine mayonnaise, cream, mustard, juice and onions in a small bowl and pour over cheese. Cover and refrigerate.
Before serving, cook bacon in a pan, stirring until crisp and browned; drain on absorbent paper. Arrange tomato slices over mayonnaise layer, and sprinkle with bacon and parsley just before serving.
serves 6 to 8.
this recipe can be found in All-Time Favourites from the Australian Women's Weekly and Best Recipes from The Weekly, both sadly now out of print.
i'm really grateful to my friend, kris, for drawing my attention to this salad - if she hadn't, i'd still be in the dark and ignorant to its total yumminess. i was always aware of this salad, but never thought it was so good; i just categorised it as one of those salads which had its heyday in the 60s and 70s and shelved it as such. little did i know ....
1/2 iceberg lettuce, shredded
2 cups frozen peas
2 hard-boiled eggs
250g button mushrooms, finely sliced
1 cup (125g) grated tasty cheddar cheese
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tbs sour cream
2 tsp dijon mustard
1 tbs lemon juice
6 spring/green onions, finely chopped
4 bacon rashes, finally chopped
1 large tomato, sliced
2 tbs chopped fresh parsley
Place lettuce into deep 3.5 litre (14 cup) dish; cover lettuce evenly with peas. Place the sliced mushrooms over the peas and push eggs through sieve, sprinkling the eggs evenly over the mushrooms; top with cheese.
Combine mayonnaise, cream, mustard, juice and onions in a small bowl and pour over cheese. Cover and refrigerate.
Before serving, cook bacon in a pan, stirring until crisp and browned; drain on absorbent paper. Arrange tomato slices over mayonnaise layer, and sprinkle with bacon and parsley just before serving.
serves 6 to 8.
Thursday, January 19, 2006
cinnamon scrolls by whisks
these are essentially a glorified scone which i like to make when we need something comforting for afternoon tea and we just don't have the time or patience for a scroll made with yeasted dough.
these are really quick and easy to make. when making these, remember that the less you handle the dough the better they will turn out. once you get the hang of making them, you will find that making them is really no effort at all.
2 cups self raising flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
60 grams butter, melted
3/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
60 grams very soft butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
glaze:
1 cup icing sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
line a 20cm square tin with baking paper and preheat the oven to 200 degrees celcius.
combine flour and salt in a medium sized bowl.
mix melted butter, milk and vanilla together.
pour the liquid into the bowl with the flour and stir quickly and gently with knife just until dough leaves sides of bowl.
tip the dough out of the bowl onto a lightly floured surface.
sprinkle a little flour onto the top of the dough and roll the dough into a 1 cm thick rectangle about 30 centimetres long and 20 centimetres wide.
spread the dough with the very soft butter.
combine cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle it over dough.
roll up, starting on long side.
cut into 16 rounds and place rounds, with sides just touching, in the prepared pan.
bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.
remove from oven and drizzle with glaze.
serve warm.
for glaze:
combine the milk icing sugar and vanilla and stir until smooth.
these are really quick and easy to make. when making these, remember that the less you handle the dough the better they will turn out. once you get the hang of making them, you will find that making them is really no effort at all.
2 cups self raising flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
60 grams butter, melted
3/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
60 grams very soft butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
glaze:
1 cup icing sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
line a 20cm square tin with baking paper and preheat the oven to 200 degrees celcius.
combine flour and salt in a medium sized bowl.
mix melted butter, milk and vanilla together.
pour the liquid into the bowl with the flour and stir quickly and gently with knife just until dough leaves sides of bowl.
tip the dough out of the bowl onto a lightly floured surface.
sprinkle a little flour onto the top of the dough and roll the dough into a 1 cm thick rectangle about 30 centimetres long and 20 centimetres wide.
spread the dough with the very soft butter.
combine cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle it over dough.
roll up, starting on long side.
cut into 16 rounds and place rounds, with sides just touching, in the prepared pan.
bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.
remove from oven and drizzle with glaze.
serve warm.
for glaze:
combine the milk icing sugar and vanilla and stir until smooth.
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
coconut mint crunch kisses by whisks
sounds like a real mouthful, doesn't it? well, i really tried to shorten it down from "chocolate coconut peppermint crunch kisses"!
i made these for miss k to take to her coeliac friend's place this morning. i was actually trying to think of what gluten free treat to make last night, but only came up with this recipe this morning. yesterday, we went to sticky where we got a huge bag of pepermint candy and i was determined to think of some thing gluten free to make with them. initial thoughts were to make a slice with the crushed candies and rice cookies, but the combination just didn't appeal to me, so this is what i came up with. if everything is at hand, and the candies crushed, this really only takes a moment to make - the rest is chilling time - it took me less than 10 minutes (felt like 5) to put together and while it was in the fridge, i had my shower and breakfast. it was then chilled sufficiently to cut and bring to lizzie's place!
375 grams dark chocolate
150 grams butter
300 grams peppermint candies, crushed
1 1/2-2 cups shredded coconut
melt the butter and chocolate on defrost in the microwave. once the mixture starts feeling quite warm, stir until smooth. add the candies and coconut gradually, stirring to coat. pour into a lined 15cm x 26cm tin. smooth the surface and sprinkle with extra shredded coconut. cool, then refrigerate. once firm, use a round 3cm cookies cutter to cut out the kisses to serve.
i made these for miss k to take to her coeliac friend's place this morning. i was actually trying to think of what gluten free treat to make last night, but only came up with this recipe this morning. yesterday, we went to sticky where we got a huge bag of pepermint candy and i was determined to think of some thing gluten free to make with them. initial thoughts were to make a slice with the crushed candies and rice cookies, but the combination just didn't appeal to me, so this is what i came up with. if everything is at hand, and the candies crushed, this really only takes a moment to make - the rest is chilling time - it took me less than 10 minutes (felt like 5) to put together and while it was in the fridge, i had my shower and breakfast. it was then chilled sufficiently to cut and bring to lizzie's place!
375 grams dark chocolate
150 grams butter
300 grams peppermint candies, crushed
1 1/2-2 cups shredded coconut
melt the butter and chocolate on defrost in the microwave. once the mixture starts feeling quite warm, stir until smooth. add the candies and coconut gradually, stirring to coat. pour into a lined 15cm x 26cm tin. smooth the surface and sprinkle with extra shredded coconut. cool, then refrigerate. once firm, use a round 3cm cookies cutter to cut out the kisses to serve.
Thursday, January 5, 2006
corn relish dip by whisks
this is super simple and is super delicious, particularly if you like corn relish. it only takes moments to prepare, so is a great standby for spur of the moment occasions.
1 cup corn relish
2 cups sourcream
mix the corn relish with the sour cream until blended and chill until ready to serve.serve with crackers, or my favourite - potato crisps/chips.
1 cup corn relish
2 cups sourcream
mix the corn relish with the sour cream until blended and chill until ready to serve.serve with crackers, or my favourite - potato crisps/chips.
Tuesday, January 3, 2006
chicken lavosh rolls
i first tried these at what was then the sheraton on the park hotel on elizabeth street as part of their high tea selection. this is really a glorified chicken sandwich which is nice to serve as finger food. i like it because i can prepare it a day in advance and slice it up as i need it.
2 cooked chicken breasts, chopped
1 small tub plain thick yogurt
1 onion, chopped and softened in butter
1-2 tablespoons curry powder
salt to taste
1 red capsicum, cut in fine slivers
6 pieces lavosh bread
combine the chicken, yogurt, onion, curry powder and salt. lay out a piece of cling wrap (cut larger than the lavosh bread) on a cutting board and place a piece of lavosh on it. spread about 3/4 cup of chicken filling on the piece of bread. place some of the capsicum slivers along the long edge of the chicken and roll the bred up firmly, using the cling wrap to assist the rolling, wrap the roll with the cling wrap entirely. repeat with the remaining mixture. chill the rolls until required; slice the rolls and garnish with parsley and serve.
2 cooked chicken breasts, chopped
1 small tub plain thick yogurt
1 onion, chopped and softened in butter
1-2 tablespoons curry powder
salt to taste
1 red capsicum, cut in fine slivers
6 pieces lavosh bread
combine the chicken, yogurt, onion, curry powder and salt. lay out a piece of cling wrap (cut larger than the lavosh bread) on a cutting board and place a piece of lavosh on it. spread about 3/4 cup of chicken filling on the piece of bread. place some of the capsicum slivers along the long edge of the chicken and roll the bred up firmly, using the cling wrap to assist the rolling, wrap the roll with the cling wrap entirely. repeat with the remaining mixture. chill the rolls until required; slice the rolls and garnish with parsley and serve.
Sunday, January 1, 2006
spring onion pancakes
these are by no means the authentic spring onion pancakes popular in pekingese restaurants and in taiwan. these are my cheat/desparation spring onion pancakes. i wanted to make the authentic ones from scratch, but my dough didn't work out, so i came up with this, which isn't bad and a great way of using up scraps of puff pastry and spring onion.
1 bunch spring onions, chopped
ready rolled puff pastry sheets
salt
oil, extra
cut a pastry sheet in four squares. sprinkle some of the spring onion on a quarter piece of pastry. sprinkle with salt. place another quarter square of pastry on top and roll the two pieces of pastry together to created a thin "pancake".
heat a frypan with a little oil and carefully place the prepared pastry in the pan. fry until crisp and golden on one side and flip with a spatula to crisp the other side.
serve cut in wedges.
1 bunch spring onions, chopped
ready rolled puff pastry sheets
salt
oil, extra
cut a pastry sheet in four squares. sprinkle some of the spring onion on a quarter piece of pastry. sprinkle with salt. place another quarter square of pastry on top and roll the two pieces of pastry together to created a thin "pancake".
heat a frypan with a little oil and carefully place the prepared pastry in the pan. fry until crisp and golden on one side and flip with a spatula to crisp the other side.
serve cut in wedges.
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
cabbage, ham and potatoes
i'm in the middle of reading angela's ashes by frank mccourt and i had to try cooking this because of the following excerpt:
Every morning Grandma cooks Bill's dinner and takes it to him at the lime kiln. Mam wonders why he can't take it with him in the morning and Grandma says, Do you expect me to get up at dawn and boil cabbage and pig's toes for his lordship to take in his dinner can?
Mam tells her, in another week school will be over and if you give Frank sixpence a week he'll surely be glad to take Bill Galvin his dinner.
I don't want to go to Grandma's every day. I don't want to take Bill Galvin his dinner all the way down the Dock Road, but Mam says that's sixpence we could use and if I don't do it I'm going nowhere else.
You're staying in the house, she says. You're not playing with your pals.
Grandma warns me to take the dinner can directly and not be meandering, looking this way and that, kicking canisters and ruining the toes of my shoes. This dinner is hot and that's the way Bill Galvin wants it.
There's a lovely smell from the dinner can, boiled bacon and cabbage and two big floury white potatoes. Surely he won't notice if I try half a potato. He won't complain to Grandma because he hardly ever talks outside of a snuffle or two.
It's better if I eat the other half-potato so that he won't be asking why he got a half. I might as well try the bacon and cabbage too and if I eat the other potato he'll surely think she didn't send one at all.
The second potato melts in my mouth and I'll have to try another bit of cabbage, another morsel of bacon. There isn't much left now and he'll be very suspicious so I might as well finish off the rest.
What am I going to do now? Grandma will destroy me, Mam will keep me in for a year. Bill Galvin will bury me in lime. I'll tell him I was attacked by a dog on the Dock Road and he ate the whole dinner and I'm lucky I escaped with being eaten myself.
Oh, is that so? says Bill Galvin. And what's that bit of cabbage hanging on your gansey? Did the dog lick you with his cabbagey gob? Go home and tell your grandmother you ate me whole dinner and I'm falling down with the hunger here in the line kiln.
She'll kill me.
Tell he don't kill you till she sends me some class of a dinner and if you don't go to her now and get me a dinner I'll kill you and throw your body into the lime there and there won't be much left for your mother to moan over.
Grandma says, What are you doin' back with that can? He could bring that back by himself.
He wants more dinner.What do you mean more dinner? Jesus above, is it a hole he has in his leg?
He's falling down with hunger below in the lime kiln.
Is it coddin' me you are? He says send him any class of a dinner. I will not. I sent him his dinner.
He didn't get it. He didn't?
Why not?
I ate it.
What?
I was hungry and I tasted it and I couldn't stop.
Jesus, Mary and holy St. Joseph.
She gives me a clout on the head that brings tears to my eyes. She screams at me like a banshee and jumps around the kitchen and threatens to drag me to the priest, the bishop, the Pope himself if he lived around the corner. She cuts bread and waves the knife at me and makes sandwiches of brawn and cold potatoes.
Take these sandwiches to Bill Galvin and if you even look cross-eyed at them I'll skin your hide.
Of course she runs to Mam and they agree the only way I can make up for my terrible sin is to deliver Bill Galvin's dinner for a fortnight without pay. I'm to bring back the can every day and that means I have to sit watching him stuff the food into his gob and he's not one that would ever ask you if you had a mouth in your head.
Every day I take the can back Grandma makes me kneel to the statue of the Sacred Heart and tell Him I'm sorry and all this over Bill Galvin, a Protestant.
i don't know about you, but i love reading books which refer in some way to food; they add some reality and human aspects. in angela's ashes, the references are there because they're starving and too poor to buy food (but not a pint), and the dish frank describes here is basic, not fancy in any way. we aren't starving, maybe sometimes hungry because it's close to mealtime, and we still find the appeal of this dish. it is comfort food in the truest sense. i cannot imagine what torture frank must have had to endure on the days following the first delivery of bill's lunch. he couldn't resist the smell the first day, what happened on the days following? he had had a taste already. if you do get a chance to try this, i'm sure your heart will go out to frank and be grateful for never knowing what it must be like to go through what he did as a child.
i used a ham bone, sliced carrots, whole potatoes and shredded cabbage, added just enough water to cover the potatoes and left it to simmer until the potatoes and carrots were cooked through.
miss c and miss k thought it was delicious, and considering the ease of getting the whole thing together, i thought it was excellent winter fare. told them that traditionally the leftovers were used to make bubble and squeak and they thought that that sounded pretty good, having heard of it before, but never having tried it. next time, they want me to make more so there'll be leftovers.....so there'll be bubble and squeak! i can't wait.
just think. we thought this was delicious. frank must have felt like he died and went to heaven when he ate bill's dinner....
Every morning Grandma cooks Bill's dinner and takes it to him at the lime kiln. Mam wonders why he can't take it with him in the morning and Grandma says, Do you expect me to get up at dawn and boil cabbage and pig's toes for his lordship to take in his dinner can?
Mam tells her, in another week school will be over and if you give Frank sixpence a week he'll surely be glad to take Bill Galvin his dinner.
I don't want to go to Grandma's every day. I don't want to take Bill Galvin his dinner all the way down the Dock Road, but Mam says that's sixpence we could use and if I don't do it I'm going nowhere else.
You're staying in the house, she says. You're not playing with your pals.
Grandma warns me to take the dinner can directly and not be meandering, looking this way and that, kicking canisters and ruining the toes of my shoes. This dinner is hot and that's the way Bill Galvin wants it.
There's a lovely smell from the dinner can, boiled bacon and cabbage and two big floury white potatoes. Surely he won't notice if I try half a potato. He won't complain to Grandma because he hardly ever talks outside of a snuffle or two.
It's better if I eat the other half-potato so that he won't be asking why he got a half. I might as well try the bacon and cabbage too and if I eat the other potato he'll surely think she didn't send one at all.
The second potato melts in my mouth and I'll have to try another bit of cabbage, another morsel of bacon. There isn't much left now and he'll be very suspicious so I might as well finish off the rest.
What am I going to do now? Grandma will destroy me, Mam will keep me in for a year. Bill Galvin will bury me in lime. I'll tell him I was attacked by a dog on the Dock Road and he ate the whole dinner and I'm lucky I escaped with being eaten myself.
Oh, is that so? says Bill Galvin. And what's that bit of cabbage hanging on your gansey? Did the dog lick you with his cabbagey gob? Go home and tell your grandmother you ate me whole dinner and I'm falling down with the hunger here in the line kiln.
She'll kill me.
Tell he don't kill you till she sends me some class of a dinner and if you don't go to her now and get me a dinner I'll kill you and throw your body into the lime there and there won't be much left for your mother to moan over.
Grandma says, What are you doin' back with that can? He could bring that back by himself.
He wants more dinner.What do you mean more dinner? Jesus above, is it a hole he has in his leg?
He's falling down with hunger below in the lime kiln.
Is it coddin' me you are? He says send him any class of a dinner. I will not. I sent him his dinner.
He didn't get it. He didn't?
Why not?
I ate it.
What?
I was hungry and I tasted it and I couldn't stop.
Jesus, Mary and holy St. Joseph.
She gives me a clout on the head that brings tears to my eyes. She screams at me like a banshee and jumps around the kitchen and threatens to drag me to the priest, the bishop, the Pope himself if he lived around the corner. She cuts bread and waves the knife at me and makes sandwiches of brawn and cold potatoes.
Take these sandwiches to Bill Galvin and if you even look cross-eyed at them I'll skin your hide.
Of course she runs to Mam and they agree the only way I can make up for my terrible sin is to deliver Bill Galvin's dinner for a fortnight without pay. I'm to bring back the can every day and that means I have to sit watching him stuff the food into his gob and he's not one that would ever ask you if you had a mouth in your head.
Every day I take the can back Grandma makes me kneel to the statue of the Sacred Heart and tell Him I'm sorry and all this over Bill Galvin, a Protestant.
i don't know about you, but i love reading books which refer in some way to food; they add some reality and human aspects. in angela's ashes, the references are there because they're starving and too poor to buy food (but not a pint), and the dish frank describes here is basic, not fancy in any way. we aren't starving, maybe sometimes hungry because it's close to mealtime, and we still find the appeal of this dish. it is comfort food in the truest sense. i cannot imagine what torture frank must have had to endure on the days following the first delivery of bill's lunch. he couldn't resist the smell the first day, what happened on the days following? he had had a taste already. if you do get a chance to try this, i'm sure your heart will go out to frank and be grateful for never knowing what it must be like to go through what he did as a child.
i used a ham bone, sliced carrots, whole potatoes and shredded cabbage, added just enough water to cover the potatoes and left it to simmer until the potatoes and carrots were cooked through.
miss c and miss k thought it was delicious, and considering the ease of getting the whole thing together, i thought it was excellent winter fare. told them that traditionally the leftovers were used to make bubble and squeak and they thought that that sounded pretty good, having heard of it before, but never having tried it. next time, they want me to make more so there'll be leftovers.....so there'll be bubble and squeak! i can't wait.
just think. we thought this was delicious. frank must have felt like he died and went to heaven when he ate bill's dinner....
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
cauliflower soup
this has to be one of the easiest soups around, and one of the nicest ways to enjoy cauliflower. cheese croutons or cheese toast round this off as a light meal.
1 head of cauliflower, washed and trimmed of the green leaves
1 onion, chopped
4 rashers bacon, trimmed and chopped
1 rib celery, sliced
1 cup stock (or water, if stock is not on hand)
300mls cream
parsley, to garnish
place the cauliflower, onion, bacon, celery and stock in a pot just large enough to hold everything snugly. bring to the boil over a medium flame. reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the cauliflower is very tender. remove from heat and blend with a handheld blender until smooth. stir in the cream and return to the stove until heated through. sprinkle with a little parsley prior to serving.
sometimes, i add a little stock powder (less than 1/4 of a teaspoon) just to bring the flavour out, but that is purely optional.
1 head of cauliflower, washed and trimmed of the green leaves
1 onion, chopped
4 rashers bacon, trimmed and chopped
1 rib celery, sliced
1 cup stock (or water, if stock is not on hand)
300mls cream
parsley, to garnish
place the cauliflower, onion, bacon, celery and stock in a pot just large enough to hold everything snugly. bring to the boil over a medium flame. reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the cauliflower is very tender. remove from heat and blend with a handheld blender until smooth. stir in the cream and return to the stove until heated through. sprinkle with a little parsley prior to serving.
sometimes, i add a little stock powder (less than 1/4 of a teaspoon) just to bring the flavour out, but that is purely optional.
Sunday, April 24, 2005
brazilian cheese puffs
i love these cheese puffs, in fact, i don't know anyone who doen't like them. even miss k, who doesn't like cheese, loves them! they are also great because you can serve them to those who don't eat wheat for whatever reason.
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups tapioca starch
1 1/2 cups grated cheese
2 eggs
preheat oven to 200 degrees celcius.
bring the milk, salt, and butter to a boil.
remove from heat.
add tapioca starch, stirring constantly until thoroughly mixed.
add the eggs, and then the cheese.
mix until combined. i actually find it easier to mix the dough/batter with a knife or chopsticks.
form into walnut sized balls and place on a baking sheet lined with baking paper.
bake until golden brown, approximately 15 minutes.
eat while hot.
these puffs can be frozen and reheated successfully in a hot oven for about 5 minutes; thaw them beforehand to make sure they heat through.
alternatively, the dough can be made up a day or two in advance, refrigerated, then baked before serving.
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups tapioca starch
1 1/2 cups grated cheese
2 eggs
preheat oven to 200 degrees celcius.
bring the milk, salt, and butter to a boil.
remove from heat.
add tapioca starch, stirring constantly until thoroughly mixed.
add the eggs, and then the cheese.
mix until combined. i actually find it easier to mix the dough/batter with a knife or chopsticks.
form into walnut sized balls and place on a baking sheet lined with baking paper.
bake until golden brown, approximately 15 minutes.
eat while hot.
these puffs can be frozen and reheated successfully in a hot oven for about 5 minutes; thaw them beforehand to make sure they heat through.
alternatively, the dough can be made up a day or two in advance, refrigerated, then baked before serving.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)