Tomato & Basil SoupPrint Recipe

Posted on September 27, 2011 by Michelle

Every now and then I go through a soup phase and spend hours (even days) in the kitchen making pots and pots of the stuff – from chowders through to Asian style soups, versions of your humble chicken noodle soup and this deliciously rustic tomato and basil soup – which is one of my favourites. 

Of course, the tomato and basil are a blessed combination but it’s the sweated onion that really gives this soup it’s sweet and moorish flavour. And on top of being delicious, it is healthy – so I had mine at 10.30 this morning after taking the photo’s and it felt pretty good!

Ingredients
2.2 kilos/4 pounds ripe tomatoes, diced
5 large onions, peeled and roughly diced
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/3 cup olive oil
1 cup fresh basil leaves, finely chopped

Heat olive oil in a heavy based saucepan and cook onions over a low heat till soft – around 30 minutes. Add 2/3’s of the tomatoes and garlic and cook for a further 30 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

Place tomato and onion mixture in a blender or food processor and pulse till mixture is broken down – but not completely smooth. Place back into your saucepan and heat, add remaining tomatoes and gently simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, add basil and season with salt and pepper. Serve with a sprinkle of croutons and goats cheese if you wish. (I usually have my croutons spread with goats cheese on the side, like mini bruscetta)

Yield: serves 4 – 6

Notes: this soup is also great at room temperature.

Posted in Soups, Starters, Vegetables, Vegetarian | Leave a comment

Tuscan Style Breakfast BunPrint Recipe

Posted on September 25, 2011 by Michelle

There is almost nothing better than a warm breakfast bun with a good coffee to start off your Sunday morning. This particular bun is naturally sweetened with dried fruit and scented with Fiori di Sicilia which gives it a lovely citrus/vanilla aroma. And aside from the walnuts, it is very similar to a Panatonne in taste and in texture.

If you do have time on your hands, baking bread and sweet buns is incredibly easy (not to mention rewarding), and eating it fresh from the oven with a little spread of butter is one of life’s most simple pleasures.

Dough
1 cup & 3 tablespoons warm water
3 3/4 cups bread flour
2 ounces/4 tablespoons butter, softened and diced
1 large egg
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon of Fiori di Sicilia or vanilla extract

Filling
1 cup toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup chopped dates
3/4 cup sultana’s/raisins

Topping
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons water

Gently whisk the yeast into 3 tablespoons of the water and set aside for 10 minutes.

Place remaining ingredients into your mixer and with a dough hook, mix until combined. Add yeast and mix till mixture comes together. remove from mixing bowl and knead on a lightly floured surface for around 2 minutes.

Place dough in a bowl and cover with a tea towel – leave in a warm area for 1 – 2 hours to rise.

Remove dough from bowl and on a lightly floured surface, knead in the fruit and nuts.  Place into a greased 9″ round pan or cake tin, cover and let sit for a further hour to rise.

Preheat your oven to 180c/350f. Combine the topping ingredients and drizzle over the top. Bake for 35 minutes and remove. Let sit for 5 minutes and then remove from tin.  Enjoy!

Posted in Breads, Breakfast, Morning Teas/High Teas | Leave a comment

Double Chocolate Two Bite BrowniesPrint Recipe

Posted on September 22, 2011 by Michelle

The school year has begun and the bake sales are already in full swing. I had my first one this week and made these and some caramel popcorn. My popcorn recipe needs work but I thought these were great – and they sold (and were eaten too) which is always a good indication.

The only difference between a brownie and a brownie bite is the illusion that it’s portion controlled – ridiculous really because a person who is lacking in self control will simply eat two – but whatever rocks your boat. They are dense and fudgy and typically gone in two delicious bites. Yum! I think I may have another….

Ingredients
240 grams/7 1/2 ounces butter
240 grams/7 1/2 ounces dark chocolate
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups caster (superfine) sugar
2 cups plain (all purpose) flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups chopped white chocolate

Heat your oven to 180c/350f.

Place butter and dark chocolate in a bowl over gently simmering water and melt, stirring occasionally until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.

Place eggs and sugar in a bowl and beat until mixture is light and thick. Fold egg mixture through dark chocolate mixture, sifted flour, baking powder and salt, and finaly the white chocolate chips.

Pour into greased mini muffin pans and bake for 12 – 15 minutes. Allow to cool and remove from tins.

Yield: around 56

Posted in Biscuits/Cookies/Slices/Bars, Childrens Parties, Chocolate, Desserts, Morning Teas/High Teas, Picnic Food | Leave a comment

Peach & Vanilla Bean CobblerPrint Recipe

Posted on September 19, 2011 by Michelle

 

We received a very nice gift a week ago – a box of peaches from one of Mr Man’s clients. It was a pleasant surprise because most gifts he brings home are quite corporate. They sat in our fridge waiting patiently for something to inspire me and finally over the weekend it did. 

The cobbler falls into the same fruity-dessert category as a buckle, a betty, a grunt, a crumble, slump and a pandowdy (to name a few) – all very peculiar names with similar traits however they do have their own special characteristics (and for those of you that are in the dark on all of these I have listed definitions below). And it is easy to see why one dessert might be mistaken with another, it can be a little confusing to say the least.

Anyway, I came up with my own version of the cobbler and here it is. Whilst most cobblers I have tried are flavoured with cinnamon and nutmeg I thought a little vanilla bean might be a nice change. The caramelized peaches in a vanilla flecked syrup have the perfect amount of sugar and spice to work well with the biscuits and make for a superb feel good/stand out dessert.

Filling
2 1/2 pounds ripe but firm peaches (6 to 7 medium)
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
1 ounce butter, chopped

Biscuit Topping
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
1/2 cup plain whole milk yogurt

Preheat your oven to 220c/425f.

Blanch peaches in boiling water for 1 minute, remove and peel (or rub) off the skin. Halve and remove the pit and using a small spoon, scoop out and discard the dark/red flesh from pit area. Cut into segments and gently toss with sugar in large bowl. Let sit for 30 minutes, tossing several times.

Drain peaches in colander set over large bowl. Whisk 1/2 cup of drained juice (discarding the extra), cornstarch and vanilla bean seeds together in small bowl. Toss this mixture with peach slices and transfer to 8-inch square baking dish or equivalent (I used a round dish). Scatter with butter pieces and bake until peaches begin to bubble around edges, about 10 minutes.

While the peaches are baking, whisk the flour, 3 tablespoons of sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to combine. Scatter butter over and work with a knife or pastry cutter until mixture resembles coarse meal (this can also be done using using small pulses in a food processor).

Transfer to medium bowl, add yogurt and toss with spoon until cohesive dough is formed – do not overmix!!. Break dough into 6 – 8 evenly sized but roughly shaped mounds and set aside.

After peaches have baked for 10 minutes and syrupy and almost caramelised, remove from oven and place dough mounds on top, spacing them at least 1 inch apart (they should not touch). Sprinkle each mound of dough with a little of the remaining sugar. Bake until topping is golden brown and fruit is bubbling, 16 to 20 minutes, depending on your oven. Cool on a wire rack until warm, about 20 minutes and serve.

Betty: a baked pudding made of layers of spiced and sugared fruit and buttered bread crumbs.
Clafoutis: a French cobbler, with fruit (usually cherries) on the bottom, custard, and a rough batter crust baked on top.
Cobbler: stewed fruit in which biscuit dough is dropped onto the fruit before baking.
Crisp: a deep-dish fruit dessert made with a crumb or streusel topping and baked.
Crumble: a British dessert in which raw fruit is topped with a crumbly pastry mixture and baked. One reference says a crumble is like a crisp, but not as rich.
Grunt: biscuit dough on top of stewed fruit, which is steamed, not baked.
Pandowdy: fruit on the bottom and a rolled crust on top, which is broken up to allow the juices to come through.
Shortcakes: These are biscuits, often rich or sweetened biscuits, that are topped with fruit and whipped cream.
Slump: cooked or uncooked fruit topped with biscuit dough or piecrust, which can be baked or steamed, and can be made upside down.

Posted in Desserts, Fruit | 2 Comments

Beef WellingtonPrint Recipe

Posted on September 18, 2011 by Michelle

 

Mr Man has just arrived home after a gruelling 14 hour flight from China and we are having a Saturday night in. We wanted to make something that said ‘welcome home’ and thought that this might do the trick – and it did.

Beef Wellington rose to great popularity in the 60’s and alongside the fondue, the iceberg wedge salad and souffles, it has retained a cult-like following. And for a very good reason too – it is superb! Cooking this prime cut of beef in a puff pastry parcel renders it meltingly tender, whilst encasing it with the glorious combination of pate and mushrooms makes for a quite a spectacular dish.

As you can see, my Beef Wellington was cooked to a medium raw rare (it was more cooked than it looks in the photo!) – another 5 minutes in the oven would have had it at a perfect medium. Mr Man was too impatient to wait and with jet-lag starting to hit, he needed his dinner before hitting the couch (with his two beloved daughters crawling all over him).

Ingredients
150 grams/5.3 ounces good-quality pate (pate de foie gras if you can)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 kilo/2 pounds and 4 ounce piece of trimmed beef fillet, at room temperature
2 sheets (500 grams/1 pound and 2 ounces) butter puff pastry
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten with a teaspoon of water (egg wash)

Duxelles
2 tablespoons olive oil
200 grams/7 ounces mixed mushrooms (I used Shiitake and button mushrooms)
20 grams butter
2 golden shallots (scallions), finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 teaspoons thyme, finely chopped
60 mls Madeira

Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat, add mushrooms and cook until tender (3-4 minutes). Add butter, shallots, garlic and thyme, sauté for a further 2 – 3 minutes. Add Madeira and cook until evaporated (1-2 minutes). Season to taste and allow to cool slightly (5 – 10 minutes). Transfer to a blender or food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Set aside to cool completely, then drain to remove any excess liquid.

Mix pâté until smooth, then stir through duxelles and refrigerate until required.

Heat oil in a large frying pan over high heat, season beef to taste, seal in pan until golden (1-2 minutes each side). Set aside to cool and brush (all over) with a light smear of dijon mustard.

Roll pastry sheets separately on a lightly floured surface to 4cm longer than beef fillet. Line your baking dish with parchment paper and place 1 sheet of the puff pastry on top, spread a quarter of the duxelles and place fillet on top. Spread remaining duxelles over beef, brush the edges with eggwash and cover with remaining pastry. Trim pastry edges, leaving a 3cm border, and press with your fingers or a fork to seal. Place your baking dish in your refrigerater to chill for at least 30 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 220c/425f. Brush pastry with remaining eggwash and bake until pastry is golden and puffed and beefed is cooked (25-30 minutes for medium-rare and approx 35 minutes for medium). Set aside to rest for 10 minutes, then slice thickly and serve with roasted potatoes and greens/vegetables.

Notes: You can make this ahead of time and keep in the refrigerator until you are ready for dinner.

Posted in Mains, Meat | Leave a comment

BlondiesPrint Recipe

Posted on September 16, 2011 by Michelle

And just like that it was Autumn! A rapid drop in temperature and afternoon storm transformed an idyllic afternoon into a gloomy one. People scurried through the streets trying to take shelter, vacant cabs were hard to come by and playdates were moved from parks to unprepared homes.

We fell into the latter and had a stream of children arrive with very little notice. I had these blondie ingredients on hand and after throwing everything together, I managed to pop them in the oven so they were ready just in time for afternoon tea.

I have to say that blondies fresh from the oven, warm and slightly fudgy, are a crowd pleaser and this recipe makes a large quanity so there will certainly be enough to feed the masses. So while you are contemplating these, I am going to dig out our cold weather coats and boots.

Ingredients
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated cane sugar
1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar, firmly packed
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups shredded unsweetened coconut
1 1/2 cups peanut butter chips
1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows

Preheat the oven to 180c/350f.

Using an electric mixer (counter-top or hand-held), cream together the butter and sugars.  Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the vanilla. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in three parts, combining well after each addition. Using a wooden spoon, fold in the coconut, peanut butter chips and marshmallows.

Using a rubber spatula, spread the batter evenly in a nonstick or parchment-lined standard cookie sheet (12″ x 18″) with a 1″ rim.  Bake for 15 minutes, cover loosely with a piece of aluminum foil and bake for an additional 12 minutes. Let cool completely and then cut into 60 squares; they will be soft and chewy on the inside.

Notes: If you have trouble finding peanut butter chips, they can be purchased on Amazon in larger quantities. You can also substitute them with white chocolate drops – the peanut flavour will be lacking but the blondies are just as delicious!

Source: Chef Kate

Posted in Biscuits/Cookies/Slices/Bars, Childrens Parties, Desserts, Picnic Food | 2 Comments

Ricotta Pancakes with Honeycomb ButterPrint Recipe

Posted on September 12, 2011 by Michelle

And so Mr Man left for China on Saturday and we miss him already. He is a busy man and even though quality time together is minimal during the week – on weekends we tend to spend every moment we can as a family. So it was a little gloomy to wake up on a Sunday morning and not have him pottering around with his cereal and toast in the kitchen.

So we decided to cheer ouselves up and made these – by the time they were ready it was officially brunch and we were still in pajama’s – but that made them all the more enjoyable.

This recipe comes from one of my favourite Sydney breakfast haunts – Bills. It was always a toss up between this and the corn cakes served with bacon and an avocado salsa – both equally fine. Occasionally I managed to persuade Mr Man to choose one whilst I had the other (and proceeded to eat most of his as well) – the things you do for love :)

Ingredients
1 1/3 cups full fat ricotta
¾ cup full cream (whole) milk
4 eggs, separated
1 cup plain (all purpose) flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 pinch of salt
50 grams/1.76 ounces butter
1 punnet of fresh strawberries, quartered or halved
icing sugar for dusting

Honeycomb Butter
250 grams/8.8 ounces unsalted butter softened
100 grams/3.5 ounces sugar honeycomb crushed with a rolling pin or a Crunchie bar
2 tablespoons honey

Place ricotta, milk and egg yolks in a mixing bowl and mix to combine. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Add to the ricotta mixture and mix until just combined.

Place egg whites in a clean dry bowl and beat until stiff peaks form. Fold egg whites through batter in two batches, with a large metal spoon.

Lightly grease a large non-stick frying pan with a small portion of the butter and drop 1/3 cup of batter per hotcake into the pan (don’t cook more than 3 per batch). Cook over a low to medium heat for 2 minutes, or until hotcakes have golden undersides.

Turn hotcakes and cook on the other side until golden and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and quickly assemble with other ingredients. Stack 2 hotcakes on a plate and top with strawberries and a slice of honeycomb butter. Dust with icing sugar.

Honeycomb Butter
Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Shape into a log on plastic wrap, roll, seal and chill in a refrigerator for 2 hours. Store leftover honeycomb butter in the fridge for up to 24 hours, or in the freezer – it’s great on toast.

Yeild: around 8 – 10

Source: Bill Granger

Posted in Breakfast | 1 Comment

Glaces Petales de RosesPrint Recipe

Posted on September 10, 2011 by Michelle

I was walking home from Central Park the other day and was pleasantly surprised to see a Laduree had opened on Madison Avenue. I didn’t go in because I (and my daughters) were covered in remnants from a morning in the park – not to mention the line was out the door and down the street, but I stood in the window and took it all in – the display, the macarons and all that gorgeous packaging.

It prompted me to open up my Laduree Sucre cookbook and have a little look at what I might like to make. It was hard – very hard in fact because all the recipes looked so inviting but I decided on the ice cream because it sounded so beautiful.

The flavour is exactly as you would expect, in fact it tastes like a rose smells – subtly floral and gently aromatic.  The colour is pretty too – the palest of pinks with a hint of apricot, of course this would change with the type of rose water and syrup that you would use but not drastically I would imagine.

So I know that hot weather is almost over, in fact here in New York City it is bucketing with rain and strangely cool – so let this be my last ice cream hurrah, to end the sweetest of big city Summers.

Ingredients
2 cups + 2 tablespoons (500 mls) full cream (whole) milk
1/2 cup (120 mls) heavy (double) cream
3 1/2 tablespoons (70 mls) rose syrup
3 1/3 tablespoons (50 mls) rose water
8 egg yolks
2/3 cup (135 grams/4.7 ounces) granulated sugar
6 drops natural rose essential oil

In a saucepan bring the milk and cream to a boil. Remove from heat and add the rose syrup and rose water.

In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until slightly pale. Pour a third of the milk and cream mixture over the egg yolks and sugar (this will temper the yolks). Stir together with a whisk and pour the whole mixture back into the saucepan.

Cook over a low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until the custard thickens. It should coat the spoon when ready. If you run your finger down the back of the spoon, the custard should not run back into the line. It is important that the custard does not come to the boil.

As soon as the custard his this consistency, remove from the heat and pour into a bowl to stop the cooking. Continue to stir for 5 minutes so the custard stays smooth. Incorporate the rose essential oil and refrigerate until chilled (at least 3 hours but overnight is best).

Pour into the preperation bowl of your ice cream maker and freeze according to the instructions – transfer to an airtight container and freeze for three hours before serving.

Source: Laduree Sucre

This is for you Lizzie!

Posted in Desserts, Frozen Treats | 3 Comments

Glazed Baby Carrots with Toasted Sesame SeedsPrint Recipe

Posted on September 6, 2011 by Michelle

When I am doing a big Sunday roast and serving a mountain of vegetables I like to liven them up a little. Perhaps not all of them, because baby green beans in their natural state can be superb when accompanying a roast, but certainly carrots – sometimes I feel they need a little something extra.

And hence this recipe – one that I make every now and then for those big dinners and just to make things a little different when I am giving my daughters their daily carrot intake.

Carrots are one of the few vegetables that do not lose most of their vitamins (Beta Carotene which converts to Vitamin A) when cooked, in fact a cooked carrot will allow you to absorb more of this vitamin that a raw carrot. To top it all off, they are high in dietry fibre and an excellent source of folate.

If an apple a day keeps the doctor away, imagine what an apple and a carrot will do!

Ingredients
3 bunches (approx 500 grams/1 pound) baby carrots, trimmed & scrubbed
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon butter
a pinch of sea salt

Place carrots in a large saucepan. Cover with cold water. Cover and bring to the boil. Cook for 2 – 3 minutes. Drain and place into a bowl of ice cold water for 5 minutes. Drain again and set aside.

Meanwhile, place sesame seeds in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, for 3 to 4 minutes or until lightly toasted – remove and set aside. Place butter and honey into a large skillet and stir until melted, add carrots and saute until they start to slightly colour (around 4 – 5 minutes), place onto a serving platter, sprinkle on a pinch of sea salt and scatter with sesame seeds. Serve immediately.

Posted in Sides, Vegetables, Vegetarian | Leave a comment

Raspberry & Banana BreadPrint Recipe

Posted on September 3, 2011 by Michelle

So I had a great idea today – I thought I would make banana bread and add raspberries to it. As I was googling my way through banana bread recipes I came across the creation itself – by no other than Donna Hay. And whilst I do like creating my own recipes, I got a little lazy/strapped for time and made an adaptation of hers instead.

I love banana bread so eating it with raspberries was a little different – in a good way. Dense but not overly dense, with the perfect banana to cake ratio. This recipe is certainly going to be on my list of ‘morning tea’ snacks I can send my eldest daughter to kindy with, in 1 short week I might add – a thought that has me filled with trepidation, sadness and happiness at the same time.

Ingredients
125g butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar, loosely packed
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups plain (all purpose) flour sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder, sifted
1/2 teaspoon baking soda, sifted
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (very ripe)
125g raspberries, fresh or frozen (fresh is best)

Preheat oven to 160/320 and grease a 5″ x 9″ loaf tin.

Place butter and sugar in a bowl of an electric mixer and beat until pale and creamy. Gradually add the eggs and beat well. Fold through flour, vanilla, baking powder and baking soda. Add the maple syrup, banana and raspberries and gently fold through to combine.

Spoon mixture into the tin and bake for 1 hour or until cooked when tested with a skewer. Allow to cool completely before removing from tin.

Notes: I made mine in three 3″ x 6″ loaf tins and baked them for 30 minutes. Also, if using frozen raspberries then add them to the mixture when frozen.

Source: Adapted from Donna Hay

Posted in Biscuits/Cookies/Slices/Bars, Breads, Breakfast, Morning Teas/High Teas | 2 Comments