Australian Gingerbread

It's that time of year again, but rather than decorate my house in cheap tinsel (not that I have anything against cheap tinsel, I just haven't got around to it yet) I decided to make something I hadn't made in a long, LONG time: gingerbread.

I love the IDEA of gingerbread, I mean, how can you go wrong with brown sugar, spice and golden syrup as the star ingredients?  But when I bite into it ... I dunno.  I'm often hit with uber-ginger then get that bitter taste of all the mixed spice, and the texture also seems to miss the mark, all too often.  I like a subtle, cinnamon-y, slightly chewy with just a hint of crunch texture at the end.  Too particular?  Maybe.

Anyhoo.  I adapted this very easy recipe from Taste (check here for the original recipe if you're into more traditional flavoured gingerbread), which hit the spot.  I even gave the men a miss and made it all about the ladies, cutting out love-hearts and decorating them into bikini tops and bottoms.  They were a bit of a hit.

Ingredients:

- 125g butter, softened
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup golden syrup
- 1 egg, separated
- 2 & 1/2 cups plain flour
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp bi carb soda
- 1 cup icing sugar (sifted)
- few drops green food dye
- few drops red food dye

How to:

Heat oven to 180 degrees C.  Beat the butter and sugar until pale, add the golden syrup, egg yolk, then gradually sift in the flour, bi carb and spices, and mix until combined.

Dust a clean bench with flour and knead together, pressing down to form a rough 'disc' shape.  Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 mins.

Roll out between two sheets of baking paper, until about 3mm thick.  Cut as many shapes as you can, then re-roll and cut more.

Eat remaining raw dough (it's completely delicious and more-ish) with a strong coffee.  Okay you don't have to do that last part. But. Trust. Me. It's. That. Good.

Put onto a non stick (or paper lined) baking sheet and bake approx 20 mins until it starts to brown slightly.  Basically, the browner it is, the crunchier it will be.

Meanwhile make the icing, beat egg white until soft peaks form, then mix in the icing sugar.  Separate into two bowls and add a colour to each, mixing to combine.

Wait until the boobs/bums are cooled completely, then pipe the icing using either a piping bag and small round tip, or alternatively an old (clean) sauce bottle will also do the trick (and is easier for young kids who want to "help").

The Chocolate Quickie

Who doesn't love chocolate? You love it, I love it, everyone loves chocolate.  I especially love a Chocolate-Quickie-Custardy-Pud.  Four ingredients and five minutes to sweet, sweet ecstasy.

Ingredients

3 cups whole milk
1 block (about 200g) dark chocolate
1/3 cup raw sugar
1/4 cup cornflour

Method

Whisk together 1/2 cup of the milk with cornflour in a small bowl.  Heat the rest of the milk in a medium saucepan, whisk in the cornflour mixture, and heat until it thickens slightly. 

Add in chocolate, a few squares at a time, and whisk into the milk until it's all melted through.  Stir and heat until nice and thick, then pour into small bowls or jars.  Serve as-is or enjoy with fruit.

Optional:  Try adding some other flavours to the 'pud' like ground cinnamon, ginger, or even chilli. 

Moussaka (Greek "lasagne")

My introduction to moussaka happened on my first trip to Greece in 2000, and I've been hooked ever since (both to the dish and to Greek food in general).  If you google "moussaka recipe"you'll get about a bazillion different versions of this very famous and popular dish; some use potatoes, others only eggplant, some include zucchini or other vegetables.  I've tried loads of different recipes over the years and here's my favourite version, it uses mixed beans which makes it lighter and not so "meaty", but just as delicious and filling as the original.  You could even try sneaking in some finely chopped vegies.

Base Ingredients:

1kg mince (lamb is the authentic way but you can use any mince eg: pork, veal, beef, even turkey!)

two large eggplants (or 3-4 smaller ones)

1 large jar passata (Italian tomato sauce)

1 can of mixed beans

1/2 cup water

2 bay leaves

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

¼ teaspoon allspice

1 brown onion (finely diced)

2 cloves garlic (crushed)

Bechamel topping Ingredients

100g salted butter

100g plain flour

600ml full cream milk

nutmeg

2 eggs (lightly whisked)

Grated cheese

Make Base:

Put onions and garlic in hot pan and sauté til tender, then add mince and brown.  Add passata, beans and water, bay leaves, cinnamon, nutmeg & allspice, stir and turn heat right down to lowest setting.  Simmer, stirring occasionally, until all the water has evaporated and the sauce is very thick (may take up to two hours). 

Meanwhile, cook the eggplant: slice into ½ cm slices and fry until just softened – I use the “George Foreman” grill without any oil.  BBQ also works well and adds a nice smoky flavour. 

Next, make the topping…

Make Bechamel topping:

Put butter and flour into large saucepan and melt, stirring, until combined and the mixture bubbles and changes colour.  It should go from light brown, to a cream colour, then back to a caramel colour.  This takes around five minutes, keep stirring while this happens.  Add all the milk and use a whisk to combine it together.  Let it heat, whisking every minute or two, until the mixture starts to thicken to a creamy consistency.  Add eggs and whisk again, at this point the mixture should thicken up a lot.  Once that happens, remove from heat, and add a sprinkle of nutmeg and white pepper for flavour.

Assemble Moussaka:

Divide eggplant into three batches, divide mince mix into two batches.

Put one layer of eggplant on the base of a large casserole dish, then put a layer of mince on top.  Add another layer of eggplant, and another layer of mince.  Finish with the last of the eggplant, then top with béchamel topping, and grate some cheese over the top.

 


Bake in a hot oven (180 degrees C) until brown on top, approx 25 minutes.

Disclaimer: NOT the most aesthetically pleasing dish this blog has seen, but as we know, looks can be very deceiving.  Especially where food is concerned.

Easy Benedict (with five minute hollandaise)

I woke today feeling totally disenchanted at the state of our political system and in dire need of some pampering.  With only eggs in the fridge and one stale slice of bread in the tin, I needed to get creative.

I'm gonna be straight up here.  I love hollandaise, but I don't have time or patience to muck around with  endless whisking and staring at the stovetop and measuring in bits of butter at set times.  I'm a "throw it all in the pan and mix like mad and hope for the best" kinda gal.  I know I'm not alone here.

Easy Benedict 

Ingredients:

3 egg yolks

approx 100g melted salted butter (microwave it!)

juice from one lemon

cracked pepper

eggs for poaching (or scrambling, or frying, or however you like them)

How to:

Put a small pan of water (about an inch) on to the stovetop and bring to a simmer.  On the top of the pan, place a bowl (not touching the water) and throw in the the egg yolks.  This is where you start whisking.  As you whisk the yolks, slowly pour in the melted butter, keep whisking the mixture until it starts to pale and thicken, then add the lemon juice.  Once you get to your desired level of thickeness, take it off the heat and add some pepper.  It should look a bit like this.

Poach or whatever your eggs.

Spoon over your awesome kick - butt, five minute hollandaise, and get into it.

 (Oh, and with the leftover egg whites, you can make this.)

Chocolate and date torte

At a local cafe recently I spied an interesting chocolatey, nutty, cakey thing and decided I must try it.  It was the most delectable chocolate nut torte, with a smattering of dates, of all things.  Their chewy earthy sweetness melted beautifully with the chocolate and I immediately went home to try making one myself (the cafe would not give up their recipe!).  This recipe is a mish-mash of a few different torte recipes found all over the internet, but I think this is one of the simpler ways of throwing it together on short notice.

Ingredients:

1 cup roughly chopped pitted dates (or any other dried fruit you like)

1 cup roughly chopped dark chocolate (or choc bits)

1 cup almond meal

4 egg whites

1/2 cup caster sugar

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (or any other nut)

Method:

Pre heat oven to 180C (or 160 fan-forced).  Line the bottom of a springform cake pan with baking paper. 

In a medium bowl, throw together the dates, chocolate, almond meal and nuts.  

In another bowl, beat together the egg whites and sugar until stiff peaks form.  

Fold the dry ingredients into the meringue, then spread into the cake pan.  

Bake for approx 45 minutes until lightly browned on top.  Cool, then remove cake from pan.  Serve with cream or ice-cream and a strong coffee.

Apple Tarte Tatin

Last picking season for Tim's family at their orchard before taking a well earned hiatus.  We visited several weekends ago - our first proper family roadtrip with little L - and collected some boxes of apples, possibly the last for some time.

I'm into simple these days, well, I always was.  But even more so now I have a little bub to tend to and waste lots of glorious time with.  I'd always meant to try making apple tarte tatin and found a simple recipe in an old cookbook, here it is (with slight modifications):

Apple Tarte Tatin:

Ingredients:

110g salted butter
185g caster sugar
6 large royal gala apples, peeled, quartered and cored
1 slice pre made/rolled butter puff pastry, unfrozen

Method:

In a large non stick (and oven proof) frying pan, melt butter and add sugar.  Cook stirring for 5 minutes until sugar dissolves, then take it a bit further and let turn a golden brown colour.

Cook apples in two batches over low heat, approx 10 minutes each side.  Remove from pan and set aside.  Turn up the heat and cook the syrup until it goes from runny to a more sticky consistency.

Arrange the apples in the pan, then place the pastry on top, gently pushing down the edges with the back of a wooden spoon.  Place in a pre heated oven (220C) for approx 30 minutes or until pastry has turned golden.

Allow to cool a little then turn out onto a serving plate, serve with cream or ice cream.

A new level of sickly decadence ... Tim Tam Cake!

Credit where credit is due.  I did not invent the tim tam cake; you can find the recipe here.

I did invent a crafty short-cut.  No-name brand cake mix, for sale at my local small supermarket for 71 cents a packet.  Super easy to prepare.

I also took the blog author's advice and crushed up a pack of tim tams, scattering them over the filling rather than lining the middle with whole tim tams.  Much easier to cut up the cake that way!

Be warned.  It's disgustingly tasty.

Rhubarb, rhubarb, rhubarb...

I snatched up a few cheap bunches of lovely organic rhubarb at a local market recently; since then I have been experimenting with all manner of combos and recipes.  On visiting a friend at their work - in - progress farm they too gave me some fresh rhubarb from their garden, after I took round a peach and rhubarb pie I'd made that morning.

My father in law delivered another few trays of the mega peaches from the family Batlow orchard.  So I got inspired to make another pie.

Strawberry peach and rhubarb pie with vanilla spiked cream.

Ingredients:

(Pastry)
250g plain flour
125g unsalted butter
2 tbs caster sugar (optional)
1tbs chilled water
1 egg

(Filling)
Big bunch of rhubarb (approx 10 stalks)
Punnet strawberries
2 large peaches
2 vanilla pods, scraped clean
3 tbs brown sugar (optional)

(Cream)

200g thickened cream
seed scrapings from 2 vanilla pods
1 tbs brown sugar (optional)

Method:

In a food processor, blend flour with a pinch of salt (and sugar if you like a sweeter pastry) then process chopped butter until it resembles breadcrumbs.  Whisk egg and water together, then add to flour mixture and process until it starts coming together.  Turn out on a flat surface and knead together, form into a rough disc, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least a few hours.  Divide into two portions, roll out one portion to cover the bottom of a greased pie dish.

Wash, trim and chop rhubarb into 2cm portions, fry in large non stick pan with a knob of butter until it just starts to soften.  Add chopped peaches and strawberries, vanilla pods and sugar, cook until all fruits are soft.  Be careful to not let the fruit catch on the bottom of the pan!  Taste and add sugar if needed.  I like to let the flavours of the fruit speak for itself, so less sugar is always better in my opinion.

Pour fruit mixture into pastry case.  Roll out other portion of pastry and cover pie, trimming excess pastry from the edges.  Press edges to enclose the pie and chill in fridge for 30 minutes.  Brush with a little egg whisked with milk.

Place onto a baking tray and into a preheated 180C oven; bake for approx 45 minutes or until browned on top.  Whip cream with sugar and vanilla; serve with the pie.

Back in the game ... sort of

No, this isn't promotion or endorsement of a cake mix product.

It's been a long time between drinks, folks.  On 23 November, a little cherub joined the fold and turned our lives upside down.

Needless to say, my life for the past 8 weeks has involved many sleepless nights, dirty nappies, tears (mine and hers) and uncertainty.  It's also been a time of wonder, learning, growth and the most intense emotions I think I'll ever experience in this lifetime.

It was a bumpy start for our little monster.  She was born 11 days overdue, after an incredibly long and tiring labour: robust and strong, with a clean bill of health.  But within a week her temperature soared and suddenly we were back in hospital for an unknown infection.  I watched with horror as she endured various invasive tests and procedures - including a spinal tap - not knowing the cause or what the outcome would be.  As it turned out, she had developed mastitis - an extremely rare condition in newborn babies and "just one of those things".  She was treated with several courses of antibiotics and ended up with some minor surgery to eliminate the abcess that had formed on her tiny chest, and then finally was home with us at three weeks of age.

We've had our ups and downs since then:  colic and overtiredness, Christmas and family, countless visitors all wanting a cuddle and nights when I have cried at her crib, not knowing what to do next.  We've also recently experienced the firsts:  her head turning eagerly toward our talking, legs kicking happily in the bath, bright and aware blue eyes focusing on our faces, and the most amazing smiles and baby chatter in her new little voice; the beginnings of her communications with us.

I haven't kept up to my usual culinary standards.  It's been all grilled sausages and salad, or re-heated meals from the freezer from generous friends - all wolfed down quickly in between her feeding and sleeping.  But today, today - I baked.  And I felt, almost, human again.

Thanks Mum, for subtly placing the cake mix in my pantry the last time you visited.

Win one of five double passes: Taste of Melbourne 2011!

Taste of Melbourne returns to the iconic Royal Exhibition Building this September 15-18th 2011, bringing together the city’s finest restaurants and an exceptional line up of premium food and drink producers for an unforgettable gourmet experience all under one roof.

Create your dream degustation from a mouth-watering menu of dishes prepared by Melbourne’s most exciting chefs. Enhance your appreciation of coffee, cheese, fine wine and cocktails with expert-led tastings and tutorials. Sip, sample and savour the gastronomic delights of the Taste Producers Market.

Taste of Melbourne is an affordable and accessible way to sample some of Melbourne's top restaurants and food providores - and having a double pass which provides you and a friend with free entry into the event makes it even easier!

To win one, all you need to do is write me a comment below. Winners will be chosen randomly. Oh, and PLEASE make sure you leave me some way of contacting you i.e. an email address or phone number!

Competition closes Sunday 11 September at 7pm. Be in it to win it!

Salted chocolate caramel slice

I've been meaning to experiment with an old fashioned caramel slice recipe, here's my twist on the Aussie classic.

Base:


-  220g plain flour
-  165g chopped butter
-  80g caster sugar

Caramel filling:


-  1 tin condensed milk
-  120g butter
-  2 tbs golden syrup

Topping:


-  200g dark chocolate
-  100g milk chocolatee

Pre heat oven to 190C and line the base of a slice pan with baking paper (no grease).  Put the base ingredients into a food processor and pulse until it resembles breadcrumbs, press firmly into the bottom of the pan and bake for about 15 minutes.  Cool.

Put the caramel filling ingredients into a pan and melt, bring to a low simmer for a few minutes.  Be careful as you don't want it to burn - it can catch easily on the bottom of the pan.  Pour over the base.  Cool and refrigerate for an hour or two.

Melt chocolates together.  I just break it up and put it in a bowl in the microwave on low heat for 5 minutes.  Check it every minute and stir so it doesn't burn.  Pour over the caramel and spread with a spatula.  At this point I sprinkled over some pink Murray River sea salt.

Cool and refrigerate for 30 mins, then cut with a hot knife.  The salt really brings out the flavour of both the caramel and the chocolate.  I think salt is something our grandmothers secretly knew added to the flavour of sweet food, hence the use of salted butter and adding a pinch of salt to most old fashioned baking recipes.

Garlicky "green" soup

Husband T is feeling under the weather, suffering the effects of a terrible 'man flu'.  To be fair, he has actually been pretty sick - something he really struggles with being such an outdoorsy person.  A fair test of the severity of any illness affecting T, is whether he can bring himself to potter around the garden.  Four days and counting, he was still curled up on the couch on Saturday morning.

This was a rare weekend when I had no plans, so I determined to make him a very healing winter soup.  He's not such a fan of the watery varieties though, which rules out my favourite Chinese chicken soup recipe.  But he does love broccoli.  And garlic.  Both of which happen to be in season.

Garlicky green soup (man flu remedy):

• Two heads of roughly chopped broccoli
• Half  a bulb of garlic (about 6 cloves) - peeled and chopped
• Two celery stalks
• One chopped brown onion
• 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 2 cups water
• 150ml cream (or milk)
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 20g butter

In a big pot, melt butter and add olive oil, onions, garlic and celery.  Saute until softened, then add broccoli, stock and water.  

Make sure there is just enough liquid to cover the broccoli - if not, add a little more.  Simmer until broccoli is cooked through, then cool slightly.  Use a stick blender to blend until smooth, then add cream or milk.  Season with white pepper - it shouldn't need salt as the garlic should give it enough flavour.

And the winner is ...

The results are in.  Thanks to all who posted comments on your favourite baking experiences, and for your ongoing interest in my modest little blog.

I'm pleased to say that the lucky winner of "the baker" cookbook giveaway is: Emma.  Congratulations Emma!  I will be in touch to arrange postage of your spanking new, hardcover bakers book.

Thanks again for your support.  :-)

Cookbook Giveaway "the baker"

It was the shortest day in Melbourne yesterday.  The start of winter solstice.  I've been blogging for the last year and a half.  I'm having a baby.  I took the day off work today.  The fridge is stocked full of delicious fresh food.

Whatever the reason.  Let's celebrate.

To thank those of you that take the time to read my blog and post comments, I'd like to reward you with a cookbook giveaway.  Just because.

I bought myself a copy of "the baker" by Leanne Kitchen.  It's a wonderful cookbook full of simple recipes plus some lessons thrown in on baking techniques, history of ingredients, and beautiful pictures of good old fashioned food.  It's so lovely, I just had to buy two.

So readers, if you'd like a copy, just tell me what your favourite thing to bake is.  Be sure to leave your email address or another way for me to contact you!

** Open to Australian residents only.  One entry per person.  Entries close 5pm AEST Sunday 26th June 2011.  

Lunch at Fenix

Yesterday I enjoyed a long anticipated lunch at Fenix with sis J.  We had the 10 course luncheon, which turned out to be incredibly popular with the restaurant filling up fast.

It's a bit of a surprise - as in, you're not sure what you'll get because they use "the best produce of the day".  It's also a "sharing menu"; several plates are placed on the middle of the table to share.

Always good to start off with some sparkling mineral water.  Cleans the palate!  I may have also had a cheeky sip or two of sauv blanc, but I promise J drank most of my glass.  It just felt nice to order it.

The first three courses were light, great for picking at and building an appetite.  This first one appeared to be a cured salmon with some radishes and seaweed.  In my current preggo-state, I couldn't eat this one, but J assures me it was scrumptious.

This, I could eat.  Baba ghanoush with tomato/chickpeas and toasted flat bread.  Smoky eggplant was a nice contrast to the zingy tomato.  There was also some type of oil sprinkled over, if I had to guess, I'd say smoked capsicum.

Again, something I couldn't touch - but again, J assured me it was delicious.  An assortment of cured meats and baby pickles.

Next up, three of "the first main course".  Gorgeous roated chicken atop sauteed baby brussels sprouts.

A bowl of the most divine assorted green olives...

And one of the best (albeit very simple looking) tomato & basil spaghettini I'd ever tasted.  A definite lemon flavour in amongst the tomato and basil goodness.

Next up, the "second of the mains":  swordfish with a goats cheese, watermelon and caramelised onion salad.

Damn.  I'm not a roast pork lover.  However, this looked so divine I did have a taste, and it was quite nice!  Roasted pork, crackling, atop creamy polenta (I think with ricotta or some sort of cheese melted through).  Plus a lovely creamy gravy on the side.

Next up, desserts.  The first one was a vanilla bean panna-cotta (absolutely perfect in texture and flavour), alongside two chocolate quenelles, fresh raspberries (where did they get those!??), and a caramel and biscuit base.

And finally, cinnamon 'donuts' with apples roasted in a caramel sauce.

What a revelation.  The food was incredibly simple, but at the same time very well considered.  Everything was fresh and delicious.  At $59 a head, extremely good value for an experience at one of Melbourne's best.