Just a short note to explain to everyone that my feed has a new address with Feedburner. I just only discovered the other day that my feeds were out of sync!!! I was posting entries only to discover that my feed was still stuck at the 30th of May. (I forgot to put in one line of code... aahh the pleasures of being a geek!).

Click here to subscribe to this new feed. Or just click on to the bright blue button on your left in the sidebar or use the RSS feed icon located there. Thats to all of my 7 fans out here!!! Lol! It all counts and I appreciate it.

Posting some new entries in the next few days.

Pete

Tags:Blog

I just came across a new cooking and kitchen toy. Ok, maybe not a toy really but a great time saving invention. A pie maker!!! Its made by Sunbeam and it certainly delivers on its promise. I had a test run at making some really cute Australian style meat pies and they were delicious. I'm planning on doing a few gourmet ones by making my own pastry but I'll follow that up on another post. The pie maker comes with a recipe booklet for a whole lot of other creations. But one caught my eye particularly. It was the custard tart. Custard tarts were a staple of school recess when I was growing up. Hundreds of kids would line up at the canteen ordering these sweet morsels. It was a ritual along with Vanilla Slices, Coffee Scrolls and Cream buns. When I made these I was hoping to recreate that perfect tasting memory. Mine were good but they did need a little tweaking.


I used ready made shortcrust pastry. The pie maker comes with cutters to make the base and tops of the pies. I used the base one of course since this was going to be an "open" pie. In a large jug I whisked 2 eggs with 100 ml of milk, 50 ml of pouring cream, 1 heaped tablespoon of caster sugar and a dash of good quality vanilla extract. This was a simple and easy custard recipe I found in some old files of mine. (I think next time I will cook the custard using the traditional stovetop method). I poured the custard mixture into the base moulds of the pie maker and sprinkled some freshly grated nutmeg on top. Closed the lid and waited for 10 mins. And before you could say "its recess" they were done. I took them out and let them cool for a while. Three of them had turned out ok but one had exploded and smelt a little of scrambled eggs!!! Now, they tasted fine but as I said earlier I think I will cook the custard next time to avoid a quiche like consistency.
Pete

Tags:recipes baking

I recently had the pleasure of catering for a friend's baby shower. A very glamorous baby shower at that, mind you. Forty-five people showed up and I was asked to come up with a "stylish" canape and cocktail menu. I love doing this sort of thing. Out of my tiny kitchen I managed to construct 10 courses of yumminess!!! It was a lot of work and it made me realise how intricate this sort of food preparation can be. I only have four pictures because as usual my camera ran out of charge during the event. Plus I was so busy organising the execution of the food that I had no time. Thank you Maria for allowing me to express my creativity. Here are some of the samples. The picture you see here are cucumber cups filled with a Thai Beef salad. I basically cut up Lebanese cucumbers in a few portions and hollowed them out with a nifty new tool similar to a melon baller. I then filled them with a mixture of beef strips that had been stir fried with oyster sauce, garlic, pepper, eschallots and a little red curry paste. I added fresh herbs, such as mint, coriander and thai basil right at the end, along with freshly chopped peanuts.


Here are some samples of crostinis that I made. Crostini are basically mini toasts. I used a sourdough baguette that I sliced up and sprayed the pieces with extra virgin olive oil. I then baked these delicious morsels in a very high oven. At the event I topped them with a variety of options i had pre made. The first one was roast cherry tomato with basil and bocconcini. Previously I had placed the cherry tomatoes in a hot oven along with olive oil and balsamic vinegar until they were soft and had collapsed. (This mixture is quite delicious on its own and is fantastic tossed with pasta.) When I constructed them, I placed an Italian basil leaf on the bottom of the crostini followed by the cherry tomato mixture and then a slice of bocconcini. I then drizzled a high quality extra virgin olive oil over this.

The second crostini were cannellini bean puree with chargrilled zuchinni topped with caramelised onion. The puree was made by whizzing a couple of cans of beans, one or two garlic cloves, extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar and salt and pepper in a food processor. I was looking for a thickish consistency so I could spread them on the toasts. (By the way this mixture is absolutely delicious on cold meats or in sandwiches. Another alternative is to thin out the mixture with more vinegar and use that on grilled summer vegetables). The zuchinni were thinly sliced using a mandoline. Cuts not included!!! I then quickly fried them in a hot pan proceeding to smoke the unit out!!! Once they had cooled I had them marinated in extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar and roughly chopped garlic. The caramelised onion mixture is so delicious yet so easy to make. Depending on how many people you make this for be wary that onions shrink during cooking. I used a lot that I thinly sliced with my mandoline. I then put this mixture in a pot with a very low heat and just a smidgeon of oil. Its important to just leave it as the onions will release their juices and they will caramelise on their own. Once they started to caramelise naturally I added a few good slugs of Modena balsamic vinegar and a few tablespoons of brown sugar. The balsamic and the sugar give it a nice sweet/sour taste and a little colour.



One of the most popular of my creations that night was this little number. Roast chicken, aioli, pine nut and dill tartlets. Very easy and I cheated all the way. Buy a good quality roast chicken or do it yourself. Shred all the meat off it. Place this in a bowl and to that add some very good quality store bought aioli. I used the Simon Johnson one and without being paid to plug it, its fantastic quality. Continue adding some pine nuts that you toasted earlier and some freshly chopped dill. Squeeze in a lemon add a little salt and a generous amount of pepper. Give the mixture a good thorough work through and scoop into tartlet cases. Again I cheated big time and used the store bought cases from Simon Johnson. Look, If I had the time to stuff around with flour and butters I would probably make them myself. Pastry is a whole different ball game when it comes to cooking. It just wasn't feasible. Just make sure the ones you purchase are of good quality. Look for crisp, dry, airy shells.

Some of my other menu creations included Indian curried lentil soup served in shot glasses topped with fresh coriander and a lime yogurt. Parmesan, pesto meat balls with an tomato and olive dipping sauce. Mini Thai fish cakes. Chicken san choy bau served in mini endive leaves and mini parmesan and pancetta muffins served with smoked salmon and a lemon creme fraiche. The menu was very well recieved, If I say so myself but it was hard work. Who knows? Maybe a career in catering beckons me.
Pete

Tags:recipes baking

Biteclub is back!!! This time hosted by Arthur and Ryan. With a very different weather situation than last time, the guys set the scene for more wonderful, warming, winter fare. Being the sticky beak that I am, I arrived about one and a half hours too early hoping to catch them in a state of chaos. Nothing of the sort. They were cool, calm and collected. All courses were planned, ready to be executed in a second. Discussions ensued with Arthur and Ryan over the planning and execution of such a huge epicurean event. As the rest of the guests arrived I set off on a photo clicking frenzy. The guys had dips and olives laid out on their dining table with grissini and mini ciabatta breads. The perfect starters to get the appetite whet, ready for the feast that lay ahead.



The first course arrives and is met with oohs and aahs at the table. Good ol' fashion minestrone is plated up with shaved parmesan and broken spaghetti pieces. Cooked to perfection it is both tasty and nourishing. Every chopped vegetable swims in the succulent broth with perfection. Every mouthful brings back all those feel good memories of childhood. It's accompanied by a sun dried tomato rye style bread with plenty of unsalted butter to spread. Vegetables have never tasted so good!!!




After a little break and everything running like a well oiled dentists drill, Arthur and Ryan proceed with the second course of stuffed vegetables. Now, these are not ordinary vegetables. Yellow capsicums, tomatoes and eggplant pieces are filled with a mixture of cooked rice, mince and a variety of herbs to make the famous Greek dish of "yemista". Basically translated as "filled" or "stuffed". Its good to see Arthur had consulted his mother over the making of this dish. Its not an overly complicated recipe but it is time consuming. Hollow out the vegies, clean them, make the mixture, stuff them and then bake them. (The boys also served a vegetarian version omitting the mince meat.) They are certainly a child hood favourite of mine and I applaud the guys for having a go at making them. Another Greek dish added to the archives of Souvlaki For The Soul.

"Yemista" are served everywhere in Greece and it is a very popular lunch time menu item. This dish has its influences from the Middle East and the Turkish regions. Both those countries make a similar version often adding pine nuts, lamb mince and many other exotic spices that were traded during the Ottoman Empire.



The "yemista" had joined forces with a batch of golden baked, rosemary and garlic potatoes. Man did they have a garlic kick to them. I think Ryan was planning on scaring a few vampires away that night!!! But yes they were delish!



And finally we ended our evening with individual tiramisus. Its back to Italy we go. We each received a hefty tumbler of Italy's famous dessert. Ryan was obviously quite excited with the alcohol as these were deadly. Each glass had savoiardi sponge fingers dipped in a mixture of espresso coffee, brandy and masala liquer. These were then placed at the bottom of each glass and layered with a mixture of mascarpone and eggs. And then sprinkled with cocoa and chocolate shavings. This process was repeated two more times till the glass was full. The tiramisu was flavoursome and the alcohol came through quite prominently. It was quite an effort but Ryan assured me he enjoyed making them especially after having a "test run" first!

As I waddled out of their groovy pad in Bondi I reflected on the eclectic mix of food that we ate. Lets see. Mediterranean dips to begin with. Then it was Italian minestrone followed by a famous Greek dish. And lastly back to Italy for sweetness. Arthur and Ryan had executed their own Eurovision dinner party. Singing and bad outfits not included! A great job guys and one to be proud of.
Pete

Tags:Bite Club

Nothing screams like "warm straight out of the oven" like a batch of fresh muffins. Mmmm...Perfect for these blusterry winter days here in Sydney. These little cakes are the perfect soother and I personally love making them. Muffins were probably one of my first recipe attempts in the kitchen. Often with mixed results. I tend to have a fool proof recipe I use nowadays, varying it according to ingredients available, mood etc...These are the questions I ask myself when I'm perusing a new recipe. Self raising flour or plain flour with a little baking powder? Butter or olive oil? Yogurt or milk? Berries or chocolate??!!! Brown sugar, super fine sugar or honey?

The latest batch I made was a cross combination of just a little healthy with just a little batch of devilish goodness. The main principles to follow when making these is not to overbeat the mixture. Otherwise its good bye moisture and hello rubber. Also, many ovens follow their own schedule by baking items as they see fit. Make sure you know your oven's behaviour before you get started.

Here is a recipe I followed for these beauties, give or take with a creative cooking licence.

CARROT AND HONEY SPICE MUFFINS
1 Cup of Wholemeal Self Raising Flour
1 Cup of Regular Self Raising Flour
2 tsps of baking powder
1 tsp of ground cinammon
1 tsp of ground nutmeg
1 grated carrot
3/4 of honey
1/4 cup of olive oil
1/2 cup of greek style yogurt
1-2 eggs depending on "wetness" of mixture

I don't tend to follow these "batter" style recipes to a tee. I look at the mixture as I'm stirring and decide from there. The above quantities will suffice for a regular 12 muffin pan. It's quite easy. Mix all the dry ingredients together. Then mix all your wet ingredients and stir them through quite thoroughly. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and stir until just combined. It should look quite lumpy and mushy. Perfect! That's what we're after. Spoon them into a 12 hole muffin pan that has been sprayed with oil or cooking spray and pop them in a 180 deg C pre heated oven. Cook them for about 20-25 mins checking on them at around the 20m min mark. Do the old skewer in the centre trick and Voila!!!



Yummy, moist with just the right amount of spice. Enjoy them warm with a good ol' cup of tea or a double machiattio in my case.
Pete

Tags:recipes baking