a meandering mango

Just so peachy.

2012-02-24T15:17:00.000+11:00

It's golden, crumbly and slightly sweet -- a topping like no other. Underneath you find golden yellow peaches flecked with sweet crunchy specks of sugar and cut with a slight tang of blueberry flavour.

This is cobbler.

Such a simple but understated dessert. I've never made a cobbler before but I have made many crumbles. Quite similar desserts but a cobbler is more like a deconstructed pie -- and anything with a sweet buttery pastry like topping is ok by me.

So easy to make -- it requires just a few ingredients -- fruit, of course -- any stonefruit and berry combination works well. I used peaches and blueberries but you could try other pairings like plum and blackberries or strawberries and rhubarb...Easily tossed in lemon juice and sugar and topped with a simple mix of flour, oats, butter and demerara sugar.

Try it out and you will be pleased!

peach and blueberry cobbler

serves 4

(recipe adapted from Gourmet)

mix

4 large peaches (or 5-6 small)

1 cup blueberries

1/4 lemon, juiced

1 tbsp demerara sugar
1 tsp cornflour/cornstarch

topping

1/2 cup flour (I used wholemeal self-raising)

1/2 cup oats

1/4 cup demerara sugar

pinch sea salt

80g (about 3/4 stick) cold butter, cut into pieces

1/4 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 210 degrees C.

In a large bowl mix peaches, blueberries, lemon juice, sugar and cornstarch. Place fruit mixture into a baking dish (I used a pie dish).

To make the topping: In a bowl combine flour, oats, sugar and salt and then rub in cold butter pieces with hands until mixture forms a crumbly like texture like sand -- leaving some lumps is ok. Stir in hot water a little at a time until mixture just combines, don't overmix. Drop spoonfools of topping over fruit mixture and bake in the oven for about 25 minutes or until topping is golden brown. Note: I didn't pre-cook my fruit as I wanted it to have some texture and not be too soft.

An exciting thing...

2012-02-14T16:11:00.000+11:00

Hello friends - just an exciting bit of news for this post...here is the latest cover of MasterChef Magazine - styled by yours truly! Photography: Ben Dearnley. If you happen to live in Australia make sure to get the magazine (paper or ipad version) as it's full of tasty and delicious recipes covering a range of diverse flavours - along with plenty of great foodie stories and information. Will definitely be back soon with another piece of something delicious and beautiful...x0
ps -- I wanted to add a little shout out to my very creative friend Leigh-Ann Thomas - her work is simply beautiful! I've used one of her ceramic pieces in the shot/story and you can see more of her work here.

A simple salad

2012-01-29T13:59:00.008+11:00

If you’ve been to my blog before you are familiar with my celebrations of simplicity. Simple, fresh ingredients are usually all you need to make things taste delicious and look beautiful.

***

One of the simplest dishes that I make often are salads – all kinds, whether they consist of many ingredients or just two, have roasted vegetables or fresh and crunchy ones. I love my salads.

This particular salad features pan-fried mushrooms as its star; mushrooms seared in a hot pan and then tossed in a vinaigrette of olive oil, apple cider vinegar, mustard, garlic, fresh thyme and rosemary, and plenty of pepper. Other tasty additions include colourful cherry and grape tomatoes, cos and radicchio leaves, and cucumber slices. Just a few simple things can make the best dinner ever – try it out!

Scintillating squash

2012-01-17T11:30:00.000+11:00

Summertime calls for many things – icy cold treats, fresh fruit for breakfast, cold mint tea…all things fresh and light. There is, however, one food very wintry in nature that I cannot resist even in summer: squash.

***

It may be a hearty root vegetable but there is no denying its bright, golden-orange hue belongs in my notes for summer …

This vegetarian pasta has everything you’re looking for – fresh, delicious but also healthy and filling (but I promise you can still go swimming afterwards!). A little bit like a pasta primavera – a springtime vegetable medley – this pasta has it all. I sautéed onion, celery, carrots, garlic and butternut squash – added plenty of white wine, fresh parsley and bay leaves. I finished it off with a hint of mace, lots of freshly cracked pepper and a touch of light cream. A perfect summer treat.

summer squash pasta

serves 4-6

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 red onion, sliced finely

2 bay leaves

2 stalks celery, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 large carrot, peeled and chopped

3/4 kg butternut squash (any pumpkin is fine), peeled and cut into sizeable pieces

1 1/2 cups white wine (I used pinot grigio because I was drinking it!)

1 cup peas

1/4 cup light cream

pinch of mace (use nutmeg if you don’t have mace)

sea salt

freshly cracked pepper

bunch of fresh parsley

500g wholemeal pasta

Place a large pot on medium heat – wait a few minutes then when hot add oil, onion, bay, celery, garlic and carrot – sweat for 5 minutes. Add the squash and cook, stirring every minute or so for about 10 minutes – add white wine to deglaze the pot. Cook another 5 minutes or until squash is tender. At this point, place water in a large pot to boil for pasta. Salt the water, add pasta and cook until al dente (about 11-12 minutes for wholemeal pasta). To finish the sauce, add peas and cook 2 minutes, then add cream, mace, salt and pepper to taste. Finish the sauce with fresh parsley and dried chili if desired. I also added cheese – because I simply love it! Enjoy.

Party-time

2012-01-07T09:40:00.040+11:00

Happy New Year folks! I hope you all enjoyed your holidays and that much fun was had while copious amounts of food and wine were consumed – this is how I like to celebrate! Speaking of celebrations, December was a month of fun at my house. It’s the month of my birthday and my wedding anniversary – and those great gift-giving days of Christmas fun – so many reasons to eat, drink and be merry.

***

For my birthday I made a few tried and tested party foods. Dips are never a miss at parties – finger foods are not only easy to make but serve a great purpose; you can hold your drink in one hand and eat with the other, all the while making conversation – this is efficiency people :). For this special night I made a simple 4 ingredient hummus dip and a charred eggplant dip (somewhat like a baba ganoush).

For the end of the night nothing works better than the famous ‘trashy truffle’. This particular dessert, inspired by a Paula Dean recipe for cookie dough truffles, was aptly named by my sister. I tweaked the recipe a little and came up with sweet little pieces of chocolately drizzled trashy joy, with a slight biscuity crunch. Yum, I love parties.

Recipes

4 ingredient hummus

400g chickpeas, drained

1 tbsp tahini paste

juice from 1 small lemon

extra-virgin olive oil 2-3 tbsp (plus more for finishing)

Place chickpeas, tahini and lemon juice in food processor and blend. While blending drizzle in olive oil until mixture resembles smooth, creamy paste. If too thick, add a little water to thin out. Season with sea salt and give a final mix. Place into bowl and finish with a little more olive oil and a touch salt.

charred eggplant dip

1 large eggplant

1/4 red onion, finely chopped

1/4 cup greek/full fat yoghurt

sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

extra-virgin olive oil, to finish

First char the eggplant on the bbq (as I have done) or grill. Let cool and remove most of the blackened bits (keeping a little is fine and imparts a smoky flavour). Next, chop up the softened eggplant (it falls apart easily), mix in onions, add salt and fold through the yoghurt (here I didn't over-mix as I like the look and taste of uneven layers of yoghurt and eggplant). Finish with fresh pepper and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.

trashy truffles

(slightly adapted from Paula Deen)

makes about 5 dozen truffles

1/2 cup organic butter

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups organic plain flour

1 can condensed milk

1/2 cup finely chopped biscuits (I used something like a graham cracker but use anything you fancy)

150g milk chocolate, melted

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter, sugar and vanilla. Gradually mix in flour and add condensed milk. Mix in biscuit crumbs and shape dough into 1 inch balls (dip fingers in flour to make it easier to roll). Place on waxed/baking paper and chill in fridge for an hour.

Melt chocolate in a double boiler on low-heat. Take out tray of truffles and drizzle with melted chocolate – I dipped some whole in the chocolate and kept some simply drizzled – it’s up to you!

Happy Holidays.

2011-12-23T03:02:00.001+11:00

Happy Holidays Everyone! A meandering mango has taken a short break this holiday season but I'll definitely be back with more things delicious and beautiful in the new year!

Sublime smoothie

2011-11-20T14:27:00.000+11:00

There is a place in Toronto that sells my most favourite smoothie – a date almond and banana smoothie. It's almost more like a thick milkshake – rich, creamy, sweet and not even bad for you!

A tempting tart

2011-11-15T16:03:00.000+11:00

Spring is in the air – it’s sunny and breezy and fresh in Sydney. For the rest of my Northern hemisphere friends, I know it’s strange to hear of warm weather when snow is on the way for many of you! To celebrate spring I’ve made something filled with colourful vegetables: a spring vegetable tart.

All frittered up

2011-10-30T19:18:00.000+11:00

I don’t usually think of myself as a person who finds comfort in a particular routine; in fact my life has been driven by change and randomness – even in my love for food. Very rarely do I have foods that I eat every day – or every Tuesday etc. I thrive on change…
Read more here...

Another cheesy cheesecake

2011-10-17T20:12:00.000+11:00

If you’re a regular visitor to my blog then this post on yet another cheesy baked item won’t be a surprise. We love cheesecake. When I say ‘we’ I mean my husband M and I -- cheesecake is one of our favourite desserts.
Read more here...

Buttermilk for baking

2011-10-10T19:33:00.001+11:00

Buttermilk is an interesting ingredient that is often overlooked. Of course it has a long history of use in many cultures – I grew up with buttermilk as a staple in our home, and Northern European cultures also drink plenty of it. But somehow the benefits of using it for cooking aren't always appreciated.
Read more here...

Eat your veggies

2011-10-03T17:22:00.001+11:00

This morning I had my favourite combination for breakfast: a cup of hot coffee, a banana, and a delicious little muffin. Not a regular muffin but a pumpkin-carrot one with light orange glaze. OK – the glaze part doesn’t really sound like healthy breakfast but we are eating our veggies here, so no complaints!
Read more here...

Baked and bruised

2011-09-25T20:36:00.001+10:00

Pastry making is an art that I never really had an interest in until I went to cooking school. It's there that I learned to make different types of pastry – sweet, savoury and the famously scary puff. Of course the perfectionist in me wanted to do the best job I could. Well, it turns out I can’t make a very good puff pastry – but I find it comforting to know that many great chefs have shared that they can’t either. Thank goodness.
Read more here...

A magical mousse

2011-09-18T20:46:00.001+10:00

Did someone say chocolate? Yes, but not just any chocolate – dark, rich and creamy and smooth chocolate mousse. I apologize for the delayed first post of the month. I’ve been feeling a bit stuck -- it's that time of year where I have to re-think life and work, and torture myself with deep and existential questions.
Read more here...

Something for spring

2011-08-31T11:39:00.001+10:00

Spring in Sydney – an end to the colder months and a welcome to longer, sunnier days and flowers. It’s just the beginning of my favourite time of year, and to celebrate it I put together a few spring-inspired foods.

At the grocer, I picked up a bunch of vegetables and herbs. I made a simple salad of sliced vine-ripened tomatoes, cherry tomatoes and torn basil and dressed the two ingredients with extra-virgin olive oil, balsamic and freshly cracked black pepper - a light vegetable salad. Of course, if this was going to be a celebration of spring I had to place something exciting on the table. What’s more of a treat than fresh oysters!

Brownies please

2011-08-23T17:30:00.001+10:00

Like the rest of those foodies out there I love everything about food – searching through stores and markets for the best produce, talking about food, eating it and of course cooking and baking. When I’m in my kitchen with the ingredients I love I’m a happy person; conceptualizing a dish from start to finish and then working to create it is not only stress-relieving but also a wonderful creative outlet.
Read more here...

Z is for zucchini

2011-08-16T22:11:00.001+10:00

I was given a few zucchinis the other day and wondered what I could make with this beautifully fresh and green vegetable. I love the taste and texture of raw sliced zucchini in my salads or alternatively in stick form with a delicious dip of hummus. I don’t really love the cooked version – sorry ratatouille lovers (I did love the film though!)
Read more here...

I need cake

2011-08-07T18:39:00.001+10:00

A bad week – ups and downs and everything in between – calls for some cake. As life moves on we get busy and forget to take a moment to stop and relax and just be still. Stillness requires food of course – and what better food than cake.
Read more here...

Cherries on top

2011-07-29T17:40:00.001+10:00

Cherries are such a beautiful fruit – small, almost berry–like, dark and sweet, the perfect pick-and-eat fruit. Cherry trees are also some of the most prettiest trees out there – their blossoms so gorgeous and pink. I have many childhood memories of having kind of overdosed on fruit - sitting under cherry trees in friends' backyards, happily eating way too many cherries.
Read more here...

The artful artichoke

2011-07-20T17:13:00.000+10:00

I’ll start this post by saying sorry -- I’m late! My life has been a little hectic and so, in keeping with that theme, I’ll be adding some more quick-to-make and easy-to-eat recipes.

***

I find that the easiest, quickest way to ensure you have a delicious meal is finding one or two special ingredients to serve as the stars of your dish. I often look to vegetables – in winter hearty vegetables such as pumpkin, eggplant, kale, sweet potatoes, and in summer lighter items like leafy lettuce, fresh tomatoes, red peppers. Once in a while I find something new that becomes my favourite for the season.

Jerusalem artichokes (also called sunchokes) are an interesting vegetable. These little strange, nubbly and knobbly roots (part of the sunflower family and not really related to larger, globe artichokes) are so much more delicious than they look.

***
They are easy to cook – no need to peel them either. I sautéed them with plenty of garlic, fresh herbs like bay and sage leaves, sea salt and lots of lemon. Cooking the artichokes over a medium heat for about 15 minutes allows them to become slightly sticky and caramelised but still retains a crunch. These artichokes had layered flavours that were slightly creamy, sweet and definitely nutty - unlike anything you’ve ever tasted! I served mine with a simple soup to make up the perfect dinner in a hectic week.

sautéed jerusalem artichokes

serves 2 large servings

1 tbsp olive oil

2 large garlic cloves, sliced

400g Jerusalem artichokes ( 2 cups), cleaned and cut into 1 inch pieces

4 bay leaves – fresh or dried

a bunch of sage leaves

sea salt

1/2 lemon

some water

Place a large pan on medium heat, add olive oil, slices of garlic and let fry out 2-3 minutes to infuse oil. Add artichokes, bay and sage leaves, add pinch of sea salt and cook artichokes – moving them around once in a while. If pan dries out add a little water – place lid and cook for 10 minutes – making sure they don’t burn. Take lid off and cook for another five minutes or until they are cooked but still retaining crunch. Remove from pan and sprinkle with lemon juice. Serve alone or with another main dish – fish, green salad or soup. Enjoy!

Another simple supper

2011-07-10T21:34:00.000+10:00

You don’t have to sacrifice flavour and taste just because you don’t have a lot of time. I know I sound like one of those cooks on television but I do think there is something to what they’re saying. When I don’t have a lot of time but crave something delicious I look to one or two main ingredients to help me - for instance, my special ingredient tonight: the sweet potato.

Ok here I go…Sweet potatoes are an absolutely wonderful, often overlooked vegetable. They are a root vegetable – not to be confused with potatoes which are 'tubers'. They're not as starchy as potatoes and full of nutrient rich beta-carotene – which works to boost immunity and sight (much like carrots). Sweet potatoes are also full of vitamin C, potassium, fibre and so much more. I’ve even heard people say it’s the most healthy vegetable of all.

It’s crazy when you think that something that tastes this sweet, creamy and rich could be so wonderfully good for you too. I combine sweet potatoes with a few other delicious ingredients – cherry tomatoes, fresh thyme, red onions and grapes – topped with mozzarella and parmesan and baked until wonderfully golden, gooey and crisp.

Just twenty minutes and you have supper. Sundays like this definitely work for me.

For more simple Sunday suppers – see here

sweet sunday supper
2 large serving or 4 small

3-4 medium sweet potatoes/kumera, sliced into 1-2 inch chunky pieces
a few sprigs fresh thyme
1 tbsp olive oil
pinch sea salt and black pepper
1/2 red onion, sliced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup red grapes
2 red chillies, sliced (used dried if you don’t have fresh)
1/2 cup fresh mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese, grated
splash of balsamic vinegar or worcestershire sauce

Preheat oven to 220 degrees fan forced (this is hot but perfect because it will give a little charred flavour to the potatoes)
Prepare a baking tray with baking paper. Add sweet potato pieces, drizzle with oil and mix around. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and add thyme sprigs. Baked for 10 minutes and take out. Add onions, tomatoes, grapes, red chillies to tray and bake another 5 minutes. Take out sprinkle with cheese and bake for another 1-2 minutes or until melted. Take out, dress with a splash of balsamic or worcestershire sauce and serve with fresh rocket or salad greens – enjoy!

A simple sandwich

2011-06-30T21:17:00.000+10:00

In the world of food the word 'simple' is used a lot and in quite different ways. These days, when life is hectic for so many people, to say that a recipe is 'simple' is a sure-fire way to sell it. Often a simple recipe implies that it will only use a few ingredients (hence cooking shows and books aptly name 'four' or 'five ingredients') and that assembly is straightforward and quick (30 minutes or less). My interpretation of simplicity might be a little different: for me, it has to do with using fresh ingredients - foods that haven't been processed too much already. Saying that a dish is simple doesn't necessarily imply a lack: the combination of a few simple ingredients can create something quite spectacular.

My 'simple sandwich' consists of a number of tasty items - bread, cheese, tomatoes, fresh greens - and a few little added touches like orange marmalade, garlic, dried rosemary and freshly cracked pepper. What is not simple about this sandwich is the flavour - tangy, salty, sweet and a little spicy, almost umami-ish. The textures of the soft, slightly chewy melted cheese with the crusty bread go perfectly against the smooth sweetness of the marmalade and the little kick of black pepper. So easy to assemble - no pan involved. All you need is a toaster and dare I say microwave (you won't often find me encouraging the use of microwaves but hey - thirty seconds to food heaven is so worth it).

This sandwich has become a favourite of mine - who knew simple could taste so good!

grilled cheese and tomato sandwich with marmalade and black pepper

makes one delicious lunch

two slices fresh wholegrain bread

1 garlic clove (keep whole)

3 slices tomato
a few slices of your favourite aged cheddar cheese (aged cheese has

the tangy flavour you need)

2 tsp orange marmalade

1/2 tsp dried rosemary

1 tsp freshly cracked pepper

Place slices in toaster to toast. Take out and while still warm rub the garlic clove over each slice (gently so that you just get a hint of garlic). Next place slices of tomato and cheese on pieces of toast. Drizzle with marmalade and sprinkle with dried rosemary and fresh pepper. Place pieces of toast together and microwave for 30 seconds or until just melted. If you don't have a microwave or don't use one - warm up the sandwich in a hot oven for a few minutes or until cheese is melted. Enjoy!

Coffee & cookies

2011-06-21T20:56:00.001+10:00

You know that time around 3pm when you hit that afternoon slump, can’t keep your eyes open but still have lots more work to do? At that time I need either caffeine or sugar (or both).

Yes, I know that caffeine and sugar aren’t the healthiest options for sustenance. But my oatmeal cookies are not all that sweet, and they do a great job satisfying afternoon cravings and giving you a little boost of energy.

My oatmeal cookies use wholegrain rolled oats, coconut, walnuts and of course, smooth, rich and anti-oxidant packed dark chocolate. Once the batter was made, I used an ice cream scoop to make small little imperfect balls, pressed them down a little and baked for 10-15 minutes. Easy to make and delicious to eat – the perfect afternoon treat (with your coffee!).

oatmeal-coconut-walnut cookies

makes about 15 fat cookies

1/4 cup canola oil

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp soy milk

1/4 raw sugar

1 cup desiccated coconut

1 cup wholegrain oats

1/2 cup plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

pinch sea salt

1/4 cup walnuts, roughly chopped

1/4 cup dark chocolate, chopped

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.

In a large bowl add oil, egg, vanilla, soy milk and sugar and mix until well incorporated. In a separate bowl mix coconut, oats, flour, salt and baking powder. Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients and stir through walnuts and chocolate. Using an ice cream scooper or large spoon make little balls and place onto lined baking tray. Bake 10-15 minutes or until just golden. Enjoy with your afternoon coffee!

Cheese is what you need

2011-06-14T21:21:00.003+10:00

It has been raining every day in Sydney. Cheesecake is the kind of comfort you need on rainy days or when the weather is cold.

I love the creamy, smooth quality of the cheese against the crunch of the biscuit base and the sweet aftertaste. You don’t need a lot of sugar in cheesecake – somehow its richness is satisfying enough.

Sweet, creamy, tangy and refreshing – are some of the words that come to mind after tasting my baked citrus cheesecake. I used the zest and juice of lemon in the cake and served it with fresh mandarins. I kept the cake simple so that the freshness of ingredients would stand out; fresh ricotta, cream cheese, eggs, lemon and agave made up the body of the cake and I used wholemeal biscuits for the base.

My baked citrus cheesecake was super easy to make so I hope you try it out for yourself!

And for more cheesecake type recipes see here and here.

baked citrus cheesecake

serves 6-8

crust

125g/12 biscuits wholemeal biscuits (you could also use graham crackers, granita)

1 1/2 tbsp melted butter

filling

250g or 1 1/2 cups cream cheese (package)

250g fresh ricotta cheese

3 eggs – 2 whole and 1 yolk

zest from 1 lemon, juice from half

2 tbsp dark agave syrup (use honey or other sweetner if you don’t have it)

1 tbsp demerara sugar for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 170 degrees C.

Line the bottom of a 20cm springform pan with baking paper.

To make the crust, place biscuits in a processor and process until biscuits resemble sand-like texture. Place into bowl with melted butter and mix through. Place mixture into pan and press down. Bake 5 minutes or until golden and take out to let cool.

To make filling: in a processor or with a beater mix both cheeses until softened, add in eggs one at a time, zest of lemon and juice, and agave syrup. Beat until everything becomes smooth . To get a dense and rich cheesecake make sure not to beat too much air into mix – it will just end up flopping in the centre. Once the filling is smooth, pour into pan on top of crust and sprinkle with demerara sugar (I do this to get a little bruléed crust). Cover pan with foil and place into centre shelf to bake* for 45 minutes – remove foil and bake another 15 minutes or until centre is firm. Once baked, take out and let cool – refrigerate for a few hours – if you can wait! To serve, add mandarins or any other citrus fruit – pour over more agave syrup or use jam to add more sweetness. Enjoy!

*These are baking guidelines since ovens do vary – just make sure to keep an eye on the cake checking every 20 minutes or so.

My chocolatey cure

2011-06-07T16:53:00.000+10:00

How can chocolate be so comforting? Its sweet, dark richness never fails to help me when I need to feel better, and I love finding ways to cook, bake and eat chocolate in new ways.

Molten lava cake, otherwise known as chocolate fondant, is one of the simplest and most satisfying chocolate desserts. It is a little bit like a flourless chocolate cake in that it has a similar moist and gooey interior, but it isn’t flourless.

It's made with just a few basic ingredients like chocolate (dark and good quality), butter, sugar, eggs and a little flour. I added some vanilla and a bit of espresso just for a change and an extra kick of caffeine.

These are my delicious little cakes – try them out for yourself, especially on a bad day and I promise you’ll feel better!

chocolate espresso molten cakes

makes two little cakes

*use organic where possible

60g dark chocolate – I used half 85%, half 70%

1 1/2 tbsp butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp espresso powder

2 eggs

1 1/2 tbsp confectionary sugar

2 tbsp plain flour, sifted

Preheat oven to 220 degrees C.

In a double boiler (bain marie) melt chocolate pieces and butter. Take off heat once melted and let cool a little and mix in espresso powder and vanilla. Prepare two ramekins; grease with butter and dust with flour. In a mixing bowl, add eggs and sugar and beat until fluffy and a little pale in colour – about 3-5 minutes. Gently add in chocolate mix, stir carefully until combined and then fold in sifted flour, one spoon at a time. Pour into ramekins and bake for about 7-9 minutes – watching/checking that outside is cooked but inside still moist and gooey. Remove and let cool a little before tipping out onto dish. Finish with a dust of cocoa powder and serve with espresso or cappuccino or anything else delicious!

nb: my cakes weren’t as gooey on the inside as I would have liked – I probably left them in the hot ramekins a little too long.

Flavourful flakiness

2011-05-29T19:47:00.000+10:00

When I was little my sister and I frequented a convenience store nearby our house. The store was a kids' dream – full of an endless variety of candy. While I would often go for hard, sugary candies like 'gobstoppers', my sister typically went for a yummy pastry filled with jam and cream, aptly named ‘passion flakie’.

Over time I have also come to appreciate creamy, flaky pastry items. While I do sometimes crave the trashy flavours of a store-bought, plastic-wrapped dessert, most often I decide to recreate a fresh, somewhat healthier version at home.

So here it is – my version of the passion flakie. I used fresh rhubarb to make a rhubarb, ginger and raspberry compote for a much more adult and classy version of this dessert. I made a cream cheese filling; sweet, creamy and vanilla-flecked. I used puff pastry – store-bought because I didn’t have the time or energy to make puff pastry and well, I just don’t make it as beautifully as I would like to. Once assembled together, these delicious little puffs of cream and sweet-sourness were devoured by my husband – just a few left!

rhubarb, raspberry and ginger cream puffs

makes about 10 little puffs – depending on how generously you fill them!

puff

1 package puff pastry

flour for dusting

icing sugar for sprinkling

compote

300g rhubarb, cut into 2 inch pieces

100g raspberries – frozen is fine

1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger

250ml water

30g raw sugar

2 inch piece lemon peel

1/2 vanilla bean

cream cheese

125g low fat cream cheese

1tbsp thickened cream

1 tbsp dark agave syrup

juice of a lemon wedge

Preheat oven to 220 degrees C

For the pastry: dust surface with flour and roll out pastry. Using a cookie cutter, cut out 8cm circles and place onto baking sheet lined with baking paper. Place tray of pastry in fridge while prepping other ingredients.

For compote: place all ingredients except raspberries into pot and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes or until rhubarb is just soft. Take out rhubarb and add raspberries. Cook until thickened and raspberries have broken down. Add rhubarb back into pot and adjust for sweetness. Take off heat and let cool.

For cream cheese filling: bring cream cheese to room temperature, mix with other ingredients and place into fridge until ready to assemble.

Dust pastry with icing sugar and place into hot oven. Bake 5-6 minutes or until golden. Take out, let cool and slice through the middle to create two halves. Assemble the puffs, first with a layer of cream and then compote, add the top layer and dust generously with icing sugar. Enjoy!

Cheese & Chutney

2011-05-22T21:26:00.002+10:00

It’s cold in Sydney – OK, not freezing but still cold here, especially at night. And somehow, despite my Canadian tolerance for seriously painful cold, I’ve become a wimp. My new inability to deal with cold keeps me indoors mostly - and what better thing to do when it’s chilly outside than to stay in, stay warm and eat.

The coldness urges me to grab a blanket, a glass of red wine and make a scrumptious snack of baked goat’s cheese with quince and pear chutney…so warming and decadent.

***

This baked cheese is awesome -- not just good but amazingly awesome. I’ve used the same recipes on other cheeses like camembert and brie – but goat’s cheese is a nice change. Full of flavours like garlic, rosemary and wine. It's creamy, gooey goodness.

Having some fruit sitting in my kitchen, I decided to make a quick chutney to go along with my cheese. Sweet and full of earthy tastes provided by sage and the spiciness added by peppercorns, the chutney was the perfect addition to the salty and smooth texture of the cheese. The perfect night in...

baked goat’s cheese

serves 4-6 for a party

1 package of goat’s cheese (like goat brie) – you can also use standard brie or camembert

1 clove garlic, thinly sliced

1 sprig rosemary

2 tsbp red wine – I used a full bodied cabernet

freshly cracked pepper

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.

Take cheese out of package and place into small baking dish or foiled oven tray. Using a knife, make a fair number of slits halfway into the cheese, making sure not to damage the rind too much. Place a garlic slice and few pieces of rosemary into each little slit – carefully pushing down into the cheese. Next, pour wine over the top, sprinkle with pepper and place into oven to bake for 10-15 minutes, or until oozing with delight!

Take out and serve with crackers and chutney

spiced quince and pear chutney

1 quince, peeled, cored and chopped

2 small pears, peeled, cored and chopped

1 star anise

a few sage leaves shredded

1 sprig rosemary, take leaves off

1 tsp freshly cracked pepper

1/2 tsp sea salt

2 tsp brown sugar

1 cup water

1 wedge of lemon

Place all ingredients into medium sized pot and bring to a boil for a few minutes, reduce heat a little and let cook until flavours have blended and water has evaporated. If not cooked enough, add more water to cook out until you reach desired consistency. Adjust for seasoning and that’s it. Let cool and serve with cheese and bread. This chutney keeps for a few days in the fridge – unless you decide to preserve it. Enjoy!

Cold and creamy cups of custard

2011-05-16T14:31:00.002+10:00

When you crave something creamy, sweet and smooth but also light, why not make some custard. Much like tapioca (see my earlier post) custard has a reputation as an old-school, boring pudding - but I disagree. Adding a bit of flavour and love can turn a plain egg custard into a

magical treat.

My custardly creation is based on a traditional crème caramel making process: I use a base of brown sugar caramel and then add a mix of delicious coconut cream, milk, eggs, dark agave syrup and lime zest. I bake my little pots of creamy goodness and then place them in the fridge to get a wonderfully wobbly but firm texture.

baked coconut custards with lime

serves 6

*use organic where possible

1/3 cup brown sugar

3 eggs

pinch sea salt

270 ml coconut cream

200 ml low fat milk (any kind will do)

2 tbsp dark agave syrup (or a similarly sweet sweetner)

zest of 1 lime

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C

Add brown sugar to a small pot on medium heat and let caramelize. Pour caramel into 6 ramekins and ensure it covers the bottom. In a separate large bowl, beat 3 eggs, add coconut cream, milk, salt, and agave syrup and lime zest and mix well. Divide mix between ramekins and place into roasting tray – fill with 1inch of hot water (to create a water bath) and place into oven*. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until set. Let cool and place into fridge. To serve carefully tip out custards onto plate. Yum!

*note – I covered the custards with foil for half the baking time – if you don’t want any colour on the top, make sure to cover the whole time.

The greatness of gourds

2011-05-09T08:29:00.000+10:00

Australians love their pumpkins and so do I (see here and here). This orangey gourd is a commonly used ingredient all year round; it’s in sandwiches, pastas, desserts and my favourite – soups! Pumpkin's sweet and creamy flesh lends a great thick texture and earthy touch to any dish.

Each time I make pumpkin soup I change my recipe. This time, I roasted the pumpkin to caramelize the sugars, adding another layer of flavour. Additional ingredients included apples, garlic, rosemary and caraway seeds – a spice that comes from the parsley family and has a very distinct flavour that goes well with hearty foods. I use caraway for a number of recipes (a delicious one is my rye crispbreads).

This soup is easy to make and much healthier and fresher than any store-bought variety. It only takes 40 minutes to make and it’s perfect for lunch or dinner. In the spirit of using everything, I cooked the pumpkin with the skin (yes, this is edible - and full of fibre!) and used the toasted seeds for a garnish. For a final touch I added a little umami flavour with red miso paste. The miso provided a salty, sweet and earthy taste and was an excellent replacement for the stock I didn’t have!

roasted pumpkin and apple soup

makes 8 serves or more

1 kg pumpkin

2 pink lady apples (or any other sweet apple)

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp sea salt and pinch of pepper

2 sprigs rosemary

1 tsp dried sage

3 cloves garlic – crushed

1 tsp caraway seeds

2 tbsp red miso paste

3 cups (approx 700ml) water

1 cup milk (any kind you like)

Preheat oven to 200 degrees C

Deseed pumpkin (reserve seeds) and apple and chop into small, even pieces. In a bowl, add pumpkin, apple, olive oil, salt and pepper, rosemary, sage, garlic and caraway – mix well and place onto lined

baking sheet.

Bake for 35 minutes or until pumpkin is soft. Remove woody part of rosemary and garlic skins. For ‘stock’ – in a bowl add 3 cups of boiled water to 2 tbsp miso paste and mix. Blend soup in portions –

adding 1 cup of miso water at a time to pumpkin and apple mix (this helps to ensure that you use the right amount of water – not too watery, not too thick).

Place blended soup into pot and add 1 cup of milk (again, this might need to be adjusted based on desired consistency). Check for seasoning and add more salt if necessary. I served my soups with some fresh basil and toasted pumpkin seeds. Yum!

Tapioca temptation

2011-04-30T23:51:00.001+10:00

Tapioca needs a new image. Considered to be one of those old-fashioned, plain and boring items, tapioca is one of those desserts that all too often appears in hospital food. But these wonderful, chewy pearls are so much more exciting thank you think. They have serious potential.

A number of cultures use tapioca – a starch that comes from the cassava root – in their cooking and baking. Growing up in my Indian home, we used tapioca to make payasam. A milk (cow’s or coconut) based dessert, sweetened with sugar or jaggery (a dark sugar byproduct that tastes like molasses) and spiced with saffron and cardamom, payasam is an Indian dessert staple. There are a number of different versions of payasam, depending on which ingredients you select from a long list that includes rice, lentils, semolina, raisins, and almonds.

For my tapioca image overhaul, I decided to use one of my favourite flavours: coconut. I cooked the tapioca in water and separately made a liquid mix of coconut milk and coconut sugar, vanilla and a pinch of cardamom. I served this rich, coconut infused pudding with raspberries and flaked almonds - simple and delicious!

coconut tapioca with vanilla and raspberries

serves 4

1/2 cup tapioca pearls

4 cups water

1 1/2 cups coconut milk

2 tbsp coconut sugar (or alternative sweetner)

2 tsp vanilla extract

pinch cardamom

Bring a pot with water to boil, add in tapioca pearls and cook while stirring – about 10-12 minutes until almost transparent. Strain and keep aside. In another pot, add coconut milk, coconut sugar, vanilla and cardamom and mix well on medium heat. Add cooked tapioca and cook a few more minutes (adjust for taste and thickness). Take off heat and keep aside to cool down. I like to refrigerate my tapioca for a few hours to let the flavours infuse and to ensure the pearls increase in volume, which adds to the creaminess of the dish.

If using raspberries, add a bit of sugar and mix to form a delicious sweet liquid and add to tapioca and finish with almonds. Enjoy!

A little foodie photography project

2011-04-28T14:39:00.000+10:00

Dear friends I have something excitng to share with you. A little while ago, my new blogger friend Aurelie at Pause Gourmande (a lovely French blog) asked me to participate in an interesting blogger project. She was going to put together an online magazine and asked me to share a few photos and recipes.

***

Here is the link to the magazine’s spring issue. I think it looks great and that Aurelie did a fantastic job of turning this project into a beautiful magazine. I love the compositon of her photographs and the light and subject is always gorgeous.

***

The magazine and all the recipes (spiced chocolate date cakes and red wine braised lentils) are in French. I adore the French language and encourage you to try my recipes out! For those who don't read French – no worries – I’ve posted everything about the recipes below…

A common dessert here in Australia is sticky date pudding – a velvety rich date cake topped with a buttery rich caramel sauce. Not that I don’t love indulging in creamy, heavy desserts (they definitely have a place in my kitchen!), but the warm and sunny weather here often inspires me to make something lighter yet still rich and generous. These spiced chocolate cakes are moist and have a great natural sweetness provided by the dried dates. I use warming and fragrant spices like cinnamon, cardamom and ginger to add a kick to the subtle flavours of dark chocolate. This may sound a little heavy but these little bundt cakes require only a small amount of flour, which makes them moist, light and airy - just perfect for a lovely sunny day! Once cooked and cooled I keep them in the fridge because I love the texture of a cooled spongy cake. You can serve the cakes on their own, dusted with cocoa or with some vanilla whipped cream and/or ice cream. Try making them and you won’t be disappointed.

spiced chocolate date cakes

recipe makes 4 smallish bundt cakes

*use organic ingredients where possible

180g dates (pitted)

280 ml water

1 tsp baking soda

60g dark chocolate – broken into small pieces

60 g butter, softened

20g raw sugar

2 eggs

100g self raising flour (if using plain flour make sure to add baking powder as a raising agent)

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

½ tsp ground cardamom

pinch sea salt

Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius.

Place a small pot with dates and water on medium heat and bring to the boil. Once at boiling point, turn off the heat, add baking soda and let sit 10 minutes to cool – then blend mixture until reaches puréed consistency and stir in chocolate pieces. In the meantime, in a separate bowl beat butter and sugar until creamy, add in eggs one at a time until well incorporated. Add date mixture to bowl and stir well. Sift in flour, ground spices and pinch of sea salt. Pour thick batter into greased bundt moulds and bake on centre shelf in oven 30-40 minutes until knife inserted comes out clean. Take out and let cool on racks. To finish dust cakes with dark cocoa powder and enjoy.

Lentils are a common dish at my house – they are not only inexpensive but they are also wonderfully versatile and can carry lots of different flavours. A lot of Indian cooking is based on the use of lentils: it not only adds protein and heartiness to vegetarian dishes but also thickens soups and sauces. There are many varieties of lentils but one of my favourites (which actually isn't that common in Indian cooking) is the Puy lentil or French green lentil. Since puy lentils hold their shape during cooking, they keep their lovely toothsome texture. The small little discs of speckled green lentils are not only useful for salad type dishes but they are also beautiful to serve on a plate. The flavours in this dish aren’t complicated – I sautéed onions, garlic and carrots, deglazed with red wine, used lots of fresh herbs like bay leaf, rosemary, thyme and basil and finished it with a splash of balsamic vinegar for an added richness and sweet tang. I served my lentils with sautéed chicory greens and pan fried halloumi cheese.

red wine braised lentils with fresh herbs

recipe serves 4

1-2 tbsp olive oil

½ red onion, finely chopped

1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

3 fresh bay leaves

1 sprig rosemary

1 sprig thyme

1 cup Puy lentils, rinsed

½ cup red wine (I used a full bodied wine like Cabernet Sauvignon)

3 cups water or stock

sea salt and cracked black pepper

1-2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 cup fresh cherry tomatoes

sprinkle of dried chili

Place a Dutch oven or sauté pan with high edges on medium heat. Once pan is hot, add oil and onions, carrots and garlic to sauté for 5 minutes. Add bay leaves, rosemary, thyme and lentils – stir for a few minutes. Add red wine to deglaze pan and cook off alcohol – about 1-2 minutes. Add 3 cups of water or stock and simmer until lentils are just cooked about 20-25 minutes. Make sure to add more water if needed to finish cooking lentils. Season lentils well with sea salt and pepper, add balsamic vinegar and stir 1-2 more minutes. Once off the heat, add a little extra virgin olive oil and stir through fresh cherry tomatoes and a sprinkle of dried chili.

Serve lentils on their own or with sautéed chicory and pan fried halloumi as I’ve done. Of course, this dish must be enjoyed with glass of delicious red wine.

Distinctly different muffins

2011-04-23T12:01:00.000+10:00

Did you know that carrots were originally purple? I remember hearing this piece of information years ago and I also remember wondering why they would ever change such a beautifully coloured vegetable. Later, when living in Holland I learnt more about the Dutch, their love of orange and the making of the orange carrot.
***
After spotting these dark-purple-almost-black heirloom carrots at the store I just had to try and see what they tasted like. Besides their gorgeous indigo colour, the shape was like any other common carrot. The taste, however, was somewhat different.

These purplish carrots had a more bitter flavour than their sweeter orange cousins. Their stronger taste matched their crunchy texture well; their 'feel' resembles that of other root vegetables like parsnips. Purple carrots are thought to have many nutritional qualities and their bitterness might account for this ‘health’ factor.

I decided to make muffins with my carrots and they turned out distinctly different than my usual recipe for muffins (click here and here for more muffins). They were tasty and their beautiful, almost beetroot-like colour, added a colourful touch to a regular carrot muffin. The recipe is simple: I used two types of flour – millet and plain – added yoghurt for moisture, coconut for flavour and finally added dried blackcurrants for sweetness and colour.

purple carrot muffins with coconut and blackcurrants

makes a dozen

*use organic where possible

1 1/2 cups flour (half millet, half plain)

1/2 cup coconut

2 tsp baking powder

pinch sea salt

1/3 cup raw sugar

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup yoghurt

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup oil (non fragrant oil like canola, rice bran etc)

2 medium purple carrots, grated

1/3 cup dried blackcurrants

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celcius

In a medium bowl, sift in flours, add coconut, baking powder, salt and sugar – stir to combine. In a separate bowl add wet ingredients. Add in eggs, yoghurt, vanilla, oil and combine well. Add wet ingredients into dry and mix well but be careful not to overwork as it will toughen the texture of the muffins. Add in grated carrots and currants. Mixture should be thick but not too dry. Place into muffin pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until knife inserted comes out clean. Take out and let rest. I keep my muffins in the fridge – perfect for a morning or afternoon snack. Enjoy!

A crunchy craving

2011-04-08T09:28:00.000+10:00

The other night I had a serious craving for a snack that was sweet and salty. I thought about baking but I just couldn’t muster the energy to actually get off the couch and whip, beat and mix anything in a bowl!

So my next thought was popcorn - not the regular kind, but the most deliciously sweet, salty, sticky and crunchy caramelised popcorn. I aptly named this creation: sea salt and caramel popcorn.

The combination of dark, rich vanilla-scented caramel with a hint of saltiness was the perfect answer to my lazy cravings. It was ridiculously simple to make and even easier to eat!

sea salt and caramel popcorn

70g (about 1/3 cup popcorn kernels)

50g sugar

1/2 honey

80ml water

1 tbsp butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

10 ml (1/2 tbsp) cream (you don’t need this but it adds a softness to the caramel)

1 tsp sea salt

First line a baking sheet with baking paper. Make popcorn – I used an air popper but you can also use a stovetop method. Keep popcorn in a large bowl. For the caramel, place a small pot on medium heat. Add sugar, honey, water*, butter and vanilla and stir until sugar dissolves – let it come to the boil (don’t stir) and cook until golden/caramel coloured. Add in cream and cook until thick. Take off heat and add sea salt. Pour caramel over popcorn – mix through and place onto baking sheet.

The popcorn will keep for a few days in a sealed container but I didn’t have any left to keep!

Note: I used a small amount of caramel – my main reason for this is that I wanted to indulge but not overindulge.

*not all caramels use water but I used it instead of using more butter.

Hello to halloumi

2011-03-31T21:16:00.001+11:00

Do you know what halloumi is? If not, you are seriously missing out on this delectably delicious and ‘moorish’ treat. Halloumi is often referred to as the ‘vegetarian’s bacon’ (but it doesn’t taste like bacon!). It is a hard cheese traditionally made with goat's and sheep’s milk, but also often with cow’s milk. Its origins are Cypriot, Greek and Turkish and while I’ve combined it mostly with Middle Eastern flavours, here in Australia it is used in a variety of dishes.

***

An uncomplicated way to eat halloumi is to grill or pan-fry it and serve it with fresh vegetables. I used ingredients like pumpkin, patty pan squash, red capsicum and red onion and dressed them in olive oil. Once they were cooked I added some fresh heirloom tomatoes to add colour and acidity. I pan-fried halloumi separately and then added dried chili, a splash of balsamic vinegar and some agave syrup (you can also use honey). I added fresh herbs like thyme and basil and a squirt of lemon was the perfect finishing touch. Try it out and let me know how it goes! PS: you can find halloumi in most stores that stock Greek or Middle-Eastern foods.

Sidenote: seeing as I’m a big believer in food and education and a huge supporter of resources that help nourish our awareness of food and its natural origins, I wanted to give a shout-out to a new Wiki project called MyCityCuisine. I encourage foodies/food bloggers like yourself – who have a great deal of food knowledge and skills – to continue to share with projects like this.

vegetable halloumi bake

serves 2/4 side serves

1/4 pumpkin (I used kent but you could use butternut squash as well), sliced

1/2 red capsicum, cut into pieces

1/2 red onion, sliced

4 patty pan squash, quartered

3-4 cloves garlic - crushed

2 tbsp olive oil

2 sprigs thyme

1 tsp dried sage

sea salt and cracked black pepper, to taste

500g heirloom tomatoes, halved

180g halloumi, sliced

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 tsp dark agave syrup *

1/2 lemon

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius

Place squash, capsicum, onion, squash, garlic and thyme in rectangular baking dish. Dress with oil, sea salt, pepper and sage and bake 15-20 minutes or until pumpkin is just tender. Add tomatoes and a bit more olive oil. Bake another 10 minutes or until tomatoes are just blistered. Finish with a squeeze of lemon.

In the meantime, place a pan onto medium heat (don’t add oil), add sliced halloumi (make sure not to overcrowd pan so it doesn’t steam) and cook on one side 1-2 minutes until coloured well. Turn halloumi and cook other side. Take off heat, dress halloumi with balsamic vinegar, syrup and dried chili and then add to the baking dish to finish in oven for another 5 minutes. Take out and enjoy!

*agave syrup or agave nectar is a sweetener that dissolves easily and is sweeter than sugar so make sure to use less. Use honey if you can’t find this product at health food stores.

Prime time for pears

2011-03-23T13:59:00.001+11:00

It’s autumn in Sydney. The change in season has brought rainy days but also a change in the produce available. The fruits of the summer – mangoes and berries – have been replaced by apples, peaches and pears. Pears are the least expensive fruit at the moment so I buy a lot of them. What do you do with a kitchen full of pears, you ask? Try poaching them.

For some, poached pears may conjure up bad memories of old-fashioned desserts - overcooked and mushy fruits drowning in far too much sugary syrup. But don’t be fooled: poached fruit can be a light alternative to heavy and creamy desserts and it can be a beautiful dish to impress friends with at dinner parties.

To add richness to an otherwise cheap dessert, use a delicious, dark red wine (a wine you would drink) and fresh, strongly scented spices like star anise, vanilla bean and whole green cardamom.

***

When in season pears are already very sweet so I just add some honey to bring out their flavour, which also gives the perfect stickiness factor to enrich the dark red winey syrup.

honey and wine spiced pears

serves 4

4 firm pears (use any type but I used Bartlett)

full bodied red wine* – use enough to cover pears (1/2 bottle or more)

1 tbsp organic honey

2 green cardamom pods – crushed

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 vanilla bean – scraped

1 star anise

Peel pears and place into small pot. Cover pears with red wine (dilute with water if desired), add honey and spices. Place pot onto medium heat and simmer pears until just soft or a knife inserts easily into flesh. Once cooked, keep poaching liquid in pot, remove pears and keep aside. Reduce poaching liquid until thick and syrupy (make sure to watch as it can burn). Plate pears and pour a little syrup on top. I served these alone but you could also serve with gelato/ice cream and/or biscuits. Enjoy.

*if using all wine is too strong for your taste, add some water to dilute

Simple spaghetti Saturday

2011-03-13T13:45:00.001+11:00

Spaghetti - a thin, long and stringlike type of pasta – is the quintessential Italian food. It is typically eaten with meatballs or in a tomato-based meat sauce. I love spaghetti, but I often prepare it in a non-traditional way. I enjoy cooking tomato sauce from scratch but - especially when the weather feels like spring (even though it’s autumn!) - I want something lighter and fresher but still hearty.

I used one of my favourite ingredients - the borlotti bean. This beautifully speckled bean is full of protein and has a firm yet creamy texture. I added fresh cherry tomatoes, garlic infused olive oil, freshly shaved pecorino romano and baby basil. I finished it with a little sprinkle of dried red chili. I love wholemeal or wholegrain pasta – it’s healthy for one, but it also has a rich grainy texture and stronger flavour. Remember - you have to cook it (a little) longer than regular pasta.

This was a great, light dinner but would also make a tasty and filling lunch.

Rye not?

2011-03-01T16:47:00.003+11:00

I miss a number of things about living in the Netherlands - mostly I miss my wonderful family living there. But I also miss a couple of common or everyday Dutch items like beautiful dark bread.

Dutch people, much like other Northern Europeans, love their dark bread and take it seriously. I remember strolling markets and stores and seeing shelves stocked with many different shades of dark bread – baguettes to rolls to crispbread. Hardly any white bread was to be found. Given how healthy dark, whole grains are, I think this is a great way to approach eating.

Rye is one of those strong grains – hearty and rich with lots of flavour. I wanted to make a type of roggebrood (famous dutch rye bread), but I wanted it to be a snack like crispbread. I added caraway – a famous spice added to rye breads. Caraway lends a lovely perfume, almost like licorice but not entirely like anise seed. I also added pink sea salt before baking which added the perfect touch to the dense yet crispy rye.

I used my snack bread to create these little pink hors d’oevres. I topped the rye breads with smoked salmon, lemony cream cheese, fresh dill and shibazuke pickles (a Japanese pickled vegetable that you can find at most Asian food stores). I simply love the colour combination of the dark brown with different shades of pink and bright green. Almost looks too good to eat doesn’t it? Almost…

rye crispbread

makes approximately 24 crispbreads

recipe slightly adapted from epicurious

*use organic if available

crispbread

1 tsp active dried yeast

1 cup warm water

1 1/3 cup rye flour

1 1/3 cup all purpose flour

1 tbsp caraway seeds, toasted

1 1/2 tsp pink sea salt

cream cheese spread

1/2 cup cream cheese

2 tbsp yoghurt

1/2 lemon for juice (1 tsp zest)

salt and pepper

topping

4-6 oz thinly sliced smoked salmon, cut into smallish pieces

24 pieces shibazuke pickles (if you can’t get these use slices of pink ginger)

sprigs of fresh dill

To make the crispbreads: first mix together yeast with warm water and let stand until foamy (around 5 minutes or so). In a large bowl* add 1 cup rye and 1 cup plain flour, caraway seeds, and half the salt and mix in with yeast water mixture until incorporated. Gradually mix in remaining flour (2/3 cup). Mix dough well until it begins to pull away from sides of the bowl, then knead/mix another 5 minutes.

Gather dough into ball and place into oiled bowl. Cover bowl with wrap and leave in warmish area to proof – takes about 1 1/2 hours.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.

Cut dough in half and flatten each piece with lightly floured fingers to form 2 (6 by 4-inch) rectangles. Let stand a few minutes and roll out each piece onto lightly floured surface into a 15-by-10-inch rectangle (1/8 inch thick). Transfer each sheet to lightly oiled baking sheet. Cut edges to make it look more neat and then dock all over with tines of fork. Let rest 10 minutes, cover with damp cloth. I made perforated lines with a pizza cutter – not cutting through all the way but tracing to ensure that it would be easy to break off once baked. You could do this with the fork as well. Sprinkle with the rest of the salt.

Bake in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching halfway between until golden and crisp, roughly 20 minutes. Take out and let cool. Break into pieces.

To make spread: mix cream cheese, yoghurt and lemon zest and juice. At first it seems like it won’t mix smoothly but keep mixing! Add salt and pepper. Spread onto cooled crispbreads, top with slices of salmon, a pickle and sprig of dill. Voila!

*I didn’t use an electric mixer since I don’t have one but the old fashioned way - using my hands and muscles - worked just as well!

The end of ‘love week' and some cake

2011-02-21T15:21:00.003+11:00

It’s the end of ‘love week’ (not the ‘end of love’ week – just to be clear). Valentine’s day this year was celebrated in usual fashion by eating delicious food and chocolate.

We started the week with dinner at Blancmange – a modern Australian restaurant. It’s a sweet little spot in an unlikely neighbourhood. We ate three filling courses – all showcasing local and seasonal ingredients.

***

By the end of the week we had lovely friends for dinner. I wanted to make something special for dessert and stumbled on a recipe for a ‘Persian love cake’. What a beautiful and special name – it sounded like the perfect sweet.

I changed the recipe ever so slightly and added coconut to the main base of almond meal. The recipe called for nutmeg and of course I added some cardamom – given the cake’s Persian influence. Yoghurt lent the perfect creaminess without adding heaviness.

persian love cake (gluten/wheat-free)
serves 8
recipe adapted from Australian Gourmet Traveller Magazine
*where possible ingredients used were organic*

360 g/ 3 cups almond meal
100g dessicated coconut
120g/1/2 cup brown sugar
120g unsalted butter
1 tsp sea salt
2 eggs
250g greek-style yoghurt, extra to serve
1 tbsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 tsp cardamom
1/4 cup unsalted pistachio nuts, coarsely chopped

First, preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Prepare a 26 cm - diameter springform pan with baking paper and grease with a little butter. In a large bowl - add almond meal, coconut, sugar, butter and salt - then rub butter into mix until course sand-like crumbs form. Place half the mixture into pan - press down until evenly covering base. Next, add lightly beaten eggs, yoghurt and spices and mix until creamy. Pour mix into the pan and place chopped pistachios around edge. Bake until golden 35-40 minutes*. Take out and let cool in pan on wire rack. Will keep for up to a week in an airtight container - I placed mine in the fridge and enjoyed it cold. Serve with more yoghurt. Enjoy.

*note - I baked mine longer than the recipe called for - I found the middle of the cake more moist than I wanted so baking it longer worked better. Also, I covered the cake halfway through baking time with foil so it wouldn't get too dark.

Salad night

2011-02-13T10:39:00.001+11:00

With only a few ingredients left in my fridge and no energy to get groceries, my options for dinner the other night were definitely a little limited. Luckily I was up for a challenge and decided to throw a few things together and make salad!

A salad can seriously be anything you want it to be. You can use raw or cooked ingredients – or a combination. Often I add beans, cheese and/or nuts to add some protein, but I also didn’t have any of those ingredients. Improvisation is the key in moments like these.

So for my fantastically easy salad night I made a sautéed red cabbage salad – garlic, sage and green onions with a splash of balsamic made this perfecto! And I made a second salad using dried ingredients just sitting in my cupboard – wakame (seaweed) and sesame seed salad. I combined soy sauce, mirin, sesame oil, chili, toasted sesame seeds and rehydrated wakame. This salad was amazing too! I will definitely be making these two again.

sautéed red cabbage salad

serves 3-4 people

1 tbsp olive oil

2-3 green onions/spring onions – sliced/chopped

2 cloves garlic - chopped

3 fresh sage leaves – torn into small pieces

¼ red cabbage – shredded

1 tbsp/splash balsamic vinegar

sea salt and pepper

Place a pan on medium heat. Once hot, add olive oil, chopped onions, garlic and sage. Fry for 2-3 minutes and then add cabbage, pinch of sea salt and some freshly cracked pepper. Cook for 8-10 minutes or until cabbage is slightly wilted. Add splash of balsamic and taste/adjust seasoning. I serve this dish at room temperature/slightly warm. Cabbage goes well with lots of different items – I served this with baked eggs. Yum!

wakamé salad

this recipe is from Australian Gourmet Traveller – I omitted the sugar.

serves 4 people

1 cup dried wakame*

2 tbsp sesame seeds toasted

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp dried chili

2 tbsp rice vinegar

First soak the wakame to reconstitute – this process takes about 10 minutes. Drain and keep aside in a bowl. Toast sesame seeds and let cool. Mix soy sauce, rice vinegar, chili and cooled sesame seeds and pour mixture over wakame. Stir through and serve. Another option is to place into fridge for an hour and serve cold. This dish works with any asian inspired dishes – grilled snapper, dumplings, hot and sour soup….it’s so easy and so good for you!

*wakame – seasweed – can be found at any store which stocks asian imported foods or even at health food stores.

A morning of muffins

2011-02-01T16:26:00.001+11:00

It’s been a little while since I’ve baked muffins. It must be the heat but also that I simply forgot how easy it is to throw a few things together and, voila, you have muffins!

***

After a few requests from friends looking for something healthy (not too sweet) and quick to make and take to work, I decided to try a new recipe, using some very ripe bananas in my kitchen.

I added freshly grated ginger (and ground ginger) for spiced heat and blackstrap molasses – an often overlooked and/or ignored ingredient that’s also a surprisingly good source of iron (and is a healthy way of sweetening foods). The molasses also lends a distinct flavour – somewhat salty and rich with a touch of sweetness. For a final touch, I added nuts -- walnuts seemed to fit with the other flavours well.

I think these muffins are a healthy snack for any time of day; perfect to pick up and go in the morning or to pack with your lunch. If you want to add protein simply spread them with peanut butter – using natural peanut butter (or almond butter for those averse to peanuts) is best. Enjoy.

banana ginger and molasses muffins

makes a dozen muffins

2 organic eggs

¼ cup molasses

¼ cup oil – any non-fragrant oil is fine

2 ripe bananas

1 tbsp grated fresh ginger

1 tsp each ground ginger and cinnamon

¼ tsp ground clove

1 cup wholemeal flour (you could also use gluten free flour or spelt)

1 tbsp cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

¼ cup walnuts (break up into small pieces)

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C/350 fahrenheit

First, in a medium sized bowl combine wet ingredients – beat eggs, add in molasses and oil and mix well. Using a fork, mash bananas on a plate and then add in to wet mix. Add in spices. In a separate bowl add dry ingredients and mix flour with cocoa and baking powders. Add in dry ingredients to wet mix, a little at a time ensuring to incorporate everything well. Lastly, fold in walnut pieces.

Spoon in a muffin tray and bake 15-20 minutes. Remove and let cool - the muffins should remain moist in the middle.

Fruits of the summer

2011-01-24T14:23:00.000+11:00

I’m a big believer in breakfast. That old adage ‘eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like pauper’ is a great way to develop healthy eating habits. Of course, I make deliciously huge feasts for dinner sometimes, but I also make sure to eat in the morning.

The abundance of fruits this summer makes it easy to come up with lots of good fruit options for breakfast -- like strawberry mango smoothies, berry pancakes or French toast with peach compote. This morning I wanted to combine fruit with something slightly unusual.

A few years back one of my best friends and roommate at the time introduced me to brown rice in the morning -- not a common thing to eat in the morning but nevertheless delicious. Instead of the usual oatmeal, brown rice offers a unique take on standard porridge.

I cook the rice as I normally would and then add soy milk and lots of warm spices like ginger, cinnamon, cardamom and a little clove. For a touch of sweetness I add maple syrup (the real stuff -- no corn syrupy imitations please!). In keeping with my ‘fruits of summer’ theme I add a bunch of berries, peaches and bananas, some flaked almonds and dried currants. I promise that mornings won’t be the same after this!

brown rice porridge

serves 2

½ cup brown rice – I use a long grain rice like basmati

star anise

soy milk – 1-2 cups

1 tsp each ground cinnamon, cardamom, ginger

¼ tsp ground clove

1 tbsp maple syrup

fresh fruits - strawberries, blackberries, peaches, nectarines - anything!

dried fruits like black currants

First, place water and star anise in a pot and bring to the boil. Add rice and cook (takes approx. 25 mins). Drain and leave aside. In the same pot, add cooked rice and cover with soy milk – If you like your porridge more watery add more milk as you go along. Add spices and maple syrup and cook on a low heat so that the rice absorbs the flavour. After 10-15 minutes your rice should be thick and creamy – taste and add more milk/maple syrup as needed.

Top porridge with fruits – both fresh and dried, and nuts.

Options: you could use frozen fruit if you don’t have access to fresh berries, figs, homemade jam/preserves

You could use any other type of milk – cow, almond, rice...

Spectacular spores

2011-01-17T12:48:00.000+11:00

Mushrooms are an interesting ingredient. I often wonder how these strange and delicious fungi have come to be such a common, everyday item on our grocery list. There are many mushroom varieties – shitaki, oyster, button, portobello, chanterelle, pineforest, to name just a few. Since some mushroom varieties are poisonous, I can’t help but wonder about the number of people who risked their lives to try this marvelous fleshy substance…

For many vegetarians and vegans, mushrooms represent a hearty, meaty alternative but they are often overlooked as a stand-alone dish. They are unlike any vegetable in flavour and texture and you’ll find mushrooms to be a great carrier of both strong and gentle aromas. While there are a million ways to serve mushrooms, I love to sauté or bake them and dress them with mustard, olive oil, fresh herbs, garlic and lots of lemon.

Since they are little sponges of flavour, never, ever wash your mushrooms as they will end up watery and tasteless. Simply brush off the dirt, slice and cook. I place them in a hot pan with the slight bit of oil – add salt and let their natural juices come out for them to cook in.

baked mushrooms

serves 2 (or 4 as appetizer)

12 baby portobello mushrooms

sea salt and black pepper

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

2 tsp mustard – like French dijon

½ tsp dried chili

1 lemon, (use half for zest and all juice)

1 garlic clove – grated/minced

1 tbsp fresh parsley chopped

Preheat oven to 200 degrees C

In a bowl, mix extra-virgin olive oil, mustard, chili, lemon zest and juice, minced garlic and parsley. Leave emulsion to sit aside while you prepare mushrooms. Brush dirt off mushrooms – slice into halves and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake mushrooms in oven for 5-8 minutes, take out and pour over lemon emulsion and bake for another 5 minutes or so. To serve, drizzle a little more extra-virgin olive oil on the mushrooms and serve with fresh crusty baguette. Don’t forget a glass of wine! Enjoy.

Pumpkin 'pots du fromage'

2011-01-12T20:14:00.002+11:00

Our holidays were spent visiting family and close friends in wintry cold Canada and US. Having been living in sunny Sydney for the last year and a half made the icy cold that much more of a serious shock to the system. But while I never, ever thought I would say this, I miss the Canadian cold. We walked around the city while it snowed, ate hearty and warming foods and it was incredibly cozy. I am a sucker for nostalgia it seems.

I wanted something that would remind me of hibernation-inducing winter desserts. So naturally I looked to the quintessential winter food (and one of the only winter foods in the store here in Sydney): pumpkins! I’ve used this fabulous squash before for my pumpkin tart recipe. But given the heat I didn’t want to use my oven nor did I really want all the buttery richness of pastry, so I decided to make something light and fresh that would still remind me of my Canadian winter.

I decided on pumpkin pots de crème but found I had run out of cream and eggs. What I did have on hand was cream cheese and ricotta and so I made ‘pumpkin pots du fromage’ –- not an official name of a dessert but of course everything sounds better en français.

This is an easy dessert to make. You need only a few main ingredients – fresh pumpkin, vanilla extract, cream cheese, ricotta cheese, brown sugar. I used low fat cheeses to keep with the fresh-and-light theme (and because beachwear is unforgiving). The pumpkin is perfect for adding sweetness and body and the spices provide a unique taste. This dessert feels so much more indulgent than it is! See recipe below.

pumpkin pots du fromage
serves 3-4 small servings

400g pumpkin (I used kent but you could use butternut squash)
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp each ground clove, ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg
3 tbsp low fat cream cheese
3 tbsp ricotta cheese
2 tbsp brown sugar
4 digestives biscuits or graham crackers

You can either roast the pumpkin whole with skin on for 30 mins at 180 degrees C or peel and cut into small pieces and steam for 10 minutes (keep aside a few small pieces for decoration). Pass soft pumpkin through sieve or place in food processor and puree. Once cooled add vanilla and spices, mix in cheeses and sugar. Place mix into pots and refrigerate. Just before serving add decorative pieces and crumbled biscuits.

For decoration: cut pumpkin into small cubes and cook in a little butter and maple syrup until cooked and caramelized.

A summery sunday supper

2011-01-10T09:58:00.000+11:00

Every single morning I wake up and make myself a strong cup of coffee, usually spiced coffee (recipe here). I seriously cannot function without a dose of caffeine but this morning I tried something different: I had a cup of green tea with lemon and a fruity smoothie -- nothing greasy or rich in fat. This change is one attempt at trying to be healthier this year. I will try to eat more foods rich in anti-oxidants, omega 3 fatty acids, and other energy-giving nutrients.

Seeing as I love fish and know that sardines are rich in minerals I though it would continue my healthier 2011 regime by making fish for supper. Sardines have a strong flavour that can carry intense aromatics like garlic and onions and fresh herbs like rosemary and parsley. They are small fish and have an oily texture which requires the use of citrus like lemons. Sardines are not only healthy and a great protein but they are really easy to grill or bake. Try out my recipe.

baked sardines with roast fingerling potatoes
serves 4

for fish
10 whole sardines – easy to clean or buy already cleaned and butterflied*
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 lemon
½ bunch parsley chopped
1 sprig fresh rosemary – use dried if you don’t have fresh
4 cloves garlic
sea salt and black pepper

for potatoes
12 fingerling potatoes
1-2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 lemon - zest and juice
1 tsp sumac (a lemon scented spice used in middle eastern cuisine)
2 tsp lemon thyme
1 red chili deseeded and chopped
sea salt and black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 220 degrees C

Cut potatoes in half lengthwise and place in oven safe dish –- make sure it’s large enough for the potatoes to be spread out. Mix chopped herbs and spices with oil, lemon zest and juice, chili, salt and pepper and pour onto potatoes. Make sure to cover mix all over potatoes and place into oven. Bake for 20-30 mins.

In a separate oven tray lay out butterflied sardines. Use half the lemon for juice and cut the other half in slices. In a small bowl, mix olive oil, herbs, salt, pepper and juice from half the lemon. Pour mix over sardines and dot with lemon slices. Leave to marinate in fridge 10-15 minutes. Take out and place into oven for the last 10 minutes of potato cooking time.

Serve with fresh greens and aioli* -- enjoy.

*to butterfly fish means to lay out flat and remove bones – if too daunting a task just buy sardines cleaned and cook whole – the recipe will still work!
*you can either make aioli (like a mayonnaise) or buy it from a gourmet deli

For dessert?

2010-11-07T18:57:00.000+11:00

I think almost every food blog out there has a post on brownies. I’ve tried out a number of different recipes using a variety of ingredients, even using beets (really good recipe, stay tuned for future post). While most recipes call for butter, I often substitute oil. There is a difference of course and it depends on what texture, feel and taste you’re looking for.

Now, this may seem strange, but I use olive oil. There is a debate about using olive oil in baking as it has a strong flavour, but my philosophy is that using several strong flavours can work really well and prevent any one taste from overwhelming the palate. So if you plan on using olive oil in baking, simply also use spices and/or more grainy tasting flour. Of course, olive oil isn’t the best choice for all recipes – for example, in my carrot cake recipe I used neutral tasting canola oil – but it does complement certain flavours.

For these brownies I added toasted hazelnuts and one teaspoon of cayenne powder – another ingredient I love. The little bit of heat imparted by the chili paired well with the rich dark chocolate and the crunchy hazelnuts. The tastes reminded me of nutella (but more like a nutella party in your mouth). I also happened to have some leftover strawberries and decided to make a compote to go with the brownies.

Compotes sound complicated but they are basically made either by macerating fruits in sugar and liquid (alcohol/water) or by cooking gently until thick and syrupy (that’s all I did!). I whipped some fresh cream and folded in some compote. Try it out and I promise you won’t be able to eat just one.

olive oil brownies
makes 15 pieces
adapted from a recipe posted on spoonfulblog

100g dark chocolate (I used 85%)
1/4 cup fruity extra virgin olive oil
2 organic eggs
1/2 cup raw sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup milk (can use any type)
1/2 cup organic plain flour
1/4 sea salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2/3 cup toasted hazelnuts

Preheat oven to 175 degrees C/350 degrees F
Prepare the tin - I greased a rectangular pan and lined it with baking paper

To melt the chocolate: place bowl of chocolate over pot of simmering water (don't let the bowl touch the water). Once melted, remove from heat and add olive oil - mix and leave aside to cool.
Next, toast hazelnuts in oven for 5-6 minutes, take out and remove skins. Chop roughly and leave aside.

For the brownies: beat sugar and eggs together until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes), add in vanilla extract and milk and fold in cooled chocolate mixture. In a separate bowl, mix flour, salt and cayenne powder. Fold in dry ingredients to wet ingredients and then fold in chopped hazelnuts.

The batter should be thick and not too wet. Place batter into prepared tin and bake 15-20 minutes. Remove and cut into squares. You can keep in fridge up to one week. Enjoy.

Spanish flavour

2010-11-02T12:43:00.001+11:00

As a celebration of the one beautiful day of summer we’ve had so far I wanted to make something special for dinner. Given the heat, the dish had to be light and fresh, but still full of flavour. That’s when I remembered a recipe for an Andalusian gazpacho (take from Skye Gyngell’s recipe found here). I substituted the more special ingredients (marcona almonds and aged sherry vinegar) with natural almonds and red wine vinegar.

I often use bread to thicken the gazpacho (try something crusty like a ciabiatta and then soak it in water to make it soft and spongy). But this time I happened to see fresh green almonds being sold at the grocer and thought it would be great to use them as a garnish for my soup. Using nuts in cooking is often a great idea. Nuts are a healthy way to thicken up sauces and soups - for example, a lot of vegetarian Indian dishes use cashews, peanuts and almonds to create creaminess and add protein.

The soup was crunchy, sweet and tangy. Just perfect with a glass of white wine and some fresh crusty bread. The perfect – and first – summer evening.

spanish gazpacho soup

Serves 6 (or 4 with leftovers)

2 kg (4lbs) Tomatoes – vine ripened are the best –

1 red chili, deseeded

1 red onion

2 red peppers, deseeded

1 large english cucumber, deseeded

1 clove garlic (if you’re afraid of raw garlic you can blanch it first)

1 bunch fresh basil

1 handful of lightly toasted almonds (I used natural but you can use marcona if you can find them)

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp red-wine vinegar

1 cup of tomato juice (you might not use all of it, use to thin the soup out)

good pinch of sea salt and black pepper

This recipe is simple to make since everything gets blitzed together in a food processor. First chop everything (ensure deseeded) into a relatively small rough chop. Add in tomatoes, red chili and onion, pulse a few times and so on with the rest of the items, making sure to pulse/mix after adding few ingredients. Add tomato juice last – and use enough until you reach the right consistency and taste. Make sure it’s well seasoned since you will serve it cold. Blend well but note you can leave it a little rough as it adds great texture. Refrigerate well (3-4 hrs) and serve chilled. The soup is best served the day of making but will keep for a few days in the fridge. Enjoy.

An education on food

2010-10-28T18:38:00.007+11:00

Last week I was lucky enough to spend some time with the lovely Lyndey Milan. Lyndey is a well-known food and wine person and has a wealth of knowledge on all foodie topics. I not only got to help her prepare for her weekly food segment on a daily morning show but also got to join her when she spoke to kids about food as part of the 'week of tastes' campaign.

The 'week of tastes' is an interesting program dedicated to changing the way children relate to food. As part of the larger Sydney International Food Festival, and amidst growing concerns about obesity and poor nutrition, it tries to raise awareness about the diverse and exciting world of food. I feel quite strongly about food education and think it’s vital for a society to know where its food comes from (not the grocery store!), whose labour goes into growing it and how it makes its way to kitchens.

As part of the program Lyndey did a demonstration on the versatility of carrots, showing them that this vegetable could be used in a variety of ways. Changing taste and texture allows you to create new foods. We started with (grated) carrots with a little freshly squeezed orange juice, and then moved onto a (purée of) cumin carrot dip, (creamed) carrot soup, and we finished with a (baked) carrot cake.

While the kids tried everything (with Lyndey’s encouragement) they couldn’t get enough of the cake! So I thought I would make one myself. This cake was full of carrots, sooo moist and had the perfect cream cheese icing. Try it out for yourself.

carrot cake with cream cheese icing
serves 10-12 large slices or if cut into bars makes 24 pieces
adapted from Lyndey Milan’s recipe

cake
3 eggs
1/2 cup raw sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1 1/3 cup flour ( I mixed plain and wholemeal)
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp vanilla bean/extract
2 cups (3-4 carrots) grated raw carrots
1/2 cup walnuts

cream cheese icing
150g cream cheese
100g icing sugar
lemon zest and 1 tbsp juice (1/2 lemon)
1 tsp vanilla extract/vanilla bean seeds

Preheat oven to 170 degrees C (150 for fan forced)
Grease and line cake tin (I used a round one)

For batter: beat eggs and sugar until fluffy and then add in oil and vanilla. In a separate bowl mix flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and spices. Add dry ingredients to wet and fold in carrots and nuts. Pour batter into prepared tin and bake approx. 40 minutes.
Remove from oven and cool on rack.

To make icing: beat together cream cheese, icing sugar, lemon juice/zest and vanilla until light and fluffy. Ice cake when cooled down. The cake should keep in the fridge for up to 4 days.

A new take

2010-10-20T10:38:00.001+11:00

I wanted something sweet to eat the other day and, as I mentioned in an earlier post, cookies are a new joy of mine since moving to Australia. Not wanting to leave my house, I searched the cupboards to see what they would lead me to. I found a LOT of oatmeal (my dad was visiting and since about half of his diet consists of this hearty grain we had stocked up on it). This naturally made me think of its most famous use – the oatmeal raisin cookie. I wanted the cookies to be chewy and not too sweet. So I tried to find a good recipe but also one that I could easily adapt in order to reinvent the traditional oatmeal raisin cookie.

My search for recipes led me to one by SmittenKitchen – an amazing food blog with lots and lots of tested recipes. The ingredient list sounded good but of course I wanted to change a few quantities and types of products to test out my new take on the classic: I used 1/3 cup sugar, ¾ cup millet flour (instead of plain flour), ½ cup raisins, handful of walnuts and I had to add some chocolate (50g) – always dark.

The millet flour made the cookies taste quite different. Instead of the classic, crispy exterior normally created by the baked oatmeal, the cookies ended up more soft and chewy, and almost a little crumbly (ie messy). The mess they made was well worth it – they turned out delicious! The strong taste of the millet worked to make the cookie seem grainy without the heaviness usually imparted by wholegrain flour. The chocolate added that little extra touch!

Da best pizza

2010-10-16T16:50:00.002+11:00

I know a fair number of die-hard junk pizza lovers. For them, a real pizza is the kind you find swimming in oil and oozing with cheesiness. For me that isn’t pizza. The best kind of pizza is the homemade kind: not mass-produced, and so fresh that the smell of yeast in the dough remains in the air, even after baking. That is my kind of pizza.

There are a number of pizza recipes to choose from – my mom had a great recipe, my sister too. The other day I was reading Saveur ( best foodie magazine ever and seriously impossible to afford in Australia – thank you public library) and found an interesting pizza recipe. Of course I still had to change a few things...

Making the dough is easy but be careful not to mix too much sugar, salt and oil with yeast, because that way it won’t bloom. I added honey instead of sugar (this is what my sister does and I find it adds more flavour) and used half plain flour and half wholegrain. In the tradition of the Italians I use a few simple ingredients to make my pizza. It may sound strange to some but one of the tastiest pizzas I make has grapes, rosemary and red chili. Of course, I wouldn’t forget the parmigiano reggiano – a classic Italian cheese.

The fresh crisp pizza holds well with tomato sauce: otherwise known as a reddish concoction of goodness. I basically puree tomatoes and add sea salt, some crushed garlic and parsley. If you don’t have time to make sauce, simply crush a few roma tomatoes in a bowl, that will do. Seeing as it’s wonderful to have some choice, I made a other few pizzas; one with sautéed mushrooms with gai lan (Chinese broccoli), and one with cherry tomatoes and bocconcini – all homemade, warm and gooey. Buon appetito!

pizza with grapes, rosemary and red chili (or other ideas)
serves 2-4 depending on hunger
adapted from Saveur No.127

1 cup water (tepid/room temperature)
1/2 package dry yeast (7g or ½ tbsp)
1 tsp honey
½ tsp sea salt
2-3 tbsp olive oil
3 cups organic flour (I used half plain and half wholemeal for a heartier crust)
3/4 cup tomato sauce (as mentioned above just use crushed tomatoes and cook if desired)

topping ideas
red or green grapes
fresh rosemary
red chili
steamed Chinese broccoli/broccolini
cherry tomatoes
bocconcini
Saveur’s recipe used squash blossom and burrata - yum.

For the dough: first bloom* the yeast by placing water in a bowl, adding yeast and honey, let sit until foamy (10 mins). Mix flour and salt and stir in water and oil to make dough. Transfer dough to floured surface and knead 8-10 minutes (and no less!) Create two balls and place into bowl – add a little oil to ensure they don’t stick. Cover and let sit in warm place to rise – about 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 225 degrees C (use a pizza stone if you have one as it helps increase the heat/surface for a crustier pizza)
To make pizza: take small ball of dough and using fingertips stretch out to size preferred. Cover dough with tea towel and let rest 15 mins. To prepare pizza, spread sauce over dough and add ingredients. Bake for about 10-12 minutes depending on size and taste. Enjoy.

*If I forgot to mention, bloom refers to a chemical reaction -- when yeast is activated carbon dioxide is created and therefore the dough will rise.

Snack time

2010-10-12T20:16:00.000+11:00

I am not one to resist the temptation of snacking. In fact I prefer to eat small amounts of a few different items over the course of the day. But I am not drawn to these light-in-between-meal-treats solely for hedonistic reasons: snacking is actually very healthy ... seriously it is. That's in any case what all the health gurus say; having small snacks and meals is supposed to be better than just eating large meals.

My father has been visiting from abroad. And while he is a man who enjoys his merlot, he’s not known for a huge appetite: he eats like a bird. He doesn’t really think about food nor does he really enjoy it. Which has often made me wonder if he is really my father...

In an attempt to sway him towards eating, and knowing he doesn’t eat much, I thought it best to make a delicious snack that he couldn’t resist. Sometimes there is nothing more inviting than a table full of snacks with different flavours -- sweet, savoury, spicy, tangy -- just sitting there asking to be munched on. My mission was to make spiced nuts ... very easy and too delicious to eat just one. This recipe was passed onto me by my sister but I changed it a little.

You could serve the spiced nuts alone or with some cheese and grapes - or any other fruits as the sweetness balances perfectly with the heat of the mixed nuts. This is a perfect and easy snack to have for parties. It takes no time at all to make and your guests will be left wanting more. Even my dad ended up eating quite a bit!

Thanks for the pumpkins

2010-10-07T14:00:00.003+11:00

This coming weekend is a little holiday in Canada called Thanksgiving. Since moving to Australia I find I feel more Canadian now than I ever did. That must have to do with holding onto nostalgic symbols of ‘home’ and the people you miss. So this week I decided to make pumpkin tarts.

My first experience with thanksgiving foods came in grade 7, when my teacher assigned a few of us to bake pumpkin pie. Initially, as a child of Indian parents, I had no idea what pumpkin pie was; nor did I have any interest in eating a vegetable for dessert (Australians seem to feel the same way about pumpkins in their puddings). But I was quickly won over. We used canned pumpkin puree, and while I frown on such things now, at the time it was incredibly delicious: sweet and creamy, hints of spices like cinnamon, clove and nutmeg. It was vaguely savoury but sweet enough not to be mistaken for anything but dessert.

For my present-day version of pumpkin tarts I use wholewheat sweet pastry and fresh kent pumpkin (you could also use butternut). Pastry is one of those things that seems quite daunting, but don’t be afraid – it’s incredibly easy to make. I use my hands to make the pastry but using a food processor works just as well – and saves with the mess!

A few tips on working with pastry: don’t touch it too much as the heat from your hands melts the butter almost instantly; let it rest in the fridge as much as possible; and if it falls apart, don’t worry as you can press it into the casing and then bake it (it will miraculously stay together).

pumkin pie tarts
makes 4 medium sized tarts
If pastry still scares you then just buy the sweet pastry (available at any grocery store) and use my pumpkin filling recipe.

wholemeal sweet pastry (I use organic as much as it produces a better result)
200g wholemeal flour
125g butter (not too cold)
50g sugar
1 egg

Set oven to 180 degrees C
To make the pastry: make sure all ingredients are room temperature. Cut up butter into smallish squares and leave aside. Sift dry ingredients into large bowl, add butter and crumble with hands until pastry texture resembles sand. Add in slightly beaten egg and mix gently until pastry comes together into a smooth ball. Cover and rest in fridge 30 mins. Once rested, roll out with little flour on surface and place into cases. If it falls apart – try placing pastry back into fridge or press together in case - it will still work! Dock* the pastry and bake blind* Take out of oven and let cool in cases.

pumpkin filling
800g kent pumpkin
1 egg
½ cup milk (you could also use alternatives like soy, almond)
2 tbsp yogurt
¼ cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp clove
pinch nutmeg
Set oven to 180 degrees C
Wrap pumpkin in foil (leave skin on as it’s easier to clean after baked) and bake 40 mins or until flesh is soft. Remove and cool. Process pumpkin with all ingredients but add egg last and mix well. Pour mix into tart cases and bake at 170 degrees for 40-50 mins until set. Cool and serve with extra maple syrup and/or whipped cream. Enjoy.

* docking refers to using a fork or sharp object and gently pricking the pastry so that it doesn’t rise.
* blind baking means baking without the filling in order to pre-cook pastry so it doesn’t remain raw. Often beans/beads/rice is used to act as a filling so that pastry doesn’t rise.

The end of winter

2010-10-05T22:08:00.001+11:00

Winter is ending in Sydney – I guess officially it has already ended but the mornings are still fresh and chilly. With winter leaving us, we have to say goodbye to all those comforting, heavy winter foods. As one last hooray to winter I wanted to cook a winterish vegetable that is often overlooked: the cauliflower.

I wanted to cook it tandoori-style and with a lot of spice (since cauliflower is a vegetable that can carry heavy flavours). An Indian ‘tandoor’ is basically a very hot clay oven that gives food the most amazing flavour. It’s a little bit like a wood-fire oven, in that the high temperatures cook the food quickly and impart a smoky quality. Like most people, I don’t have a tandoor but luckily I do have a barbeque grill. Try my recipe for spicy ‘tandoori-style’ cauliflower with mint raita.

tandoori style cauliflower with mint raita
(serves 3/4 as a side)

½ head cauliflower
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves of garlic crushed
½ tsp tumeric
1 tsp garam masala
2 red chilies
2 tsp paprika
2 inch piece of ginger – grated
sea salt – pinch
freshly ground black pepper
½ lemon

Chop the cauliflower into florets and pour oil over making sure it gets on every piece. Add all spices, garlic, ginger, salt/pepper and mix. Place onto pre-heated grill at medium heat (if you don’t have a bbq use a hot oven). Cook for 10-15 minutes depending on how soft you like your cauliflower. Once cooked add juice from ½ lemon.

To make the mint raita: take 1 cup of yoghurt (I use an organic low fat yoghurt), add ½ bunch of fresh mint leaves (pick and chop finely), small handful of chopped coriander and salt/pepper to taste. The raita helps cool the palate from the spicy heat of the cauliflower.

A cheesy favourite

2010-09-30T18:46:00.000+10:00

Of the desserts out there – pies, pastries, ice cream/gelato, pudding and a whole slew of other yummy treats - there is a favourite in my house: the cheesecake. Thanks to my husband, I too now love this delicious dessert. So I had to find a recipe that wasn't too indulgent. Instead of heavy, cream-laden, need-a-forklift-to-eat-it cheesecake, I like baking cakes that are light and smooth and melt in your mouth. I use a simple biscuit and almond meal base rather than a rich pastry and I don’t use cream or artificial thickeners (I only want unadulterated cheesiness in my cheesecake).

This cheesecake is a fruity one. The strong yet subtle flavours of lime and blood orange produce an interesting taste. I also use some blueberries - just a few for colour and added sweetness. I find that the bold bright colour of blood oranges and the tangy flavour of the limes match well with the cold creaminess of the cheesecake. If you’d rather use the fruit for decoration instead of baking it into the cake, just leave it out of the recipe and it will still work just fine. Often I bake a plain cheesecake and then add lemon juice and zest for a little freshness.

blood orange and lime cheesecake
(this recipe makes about 8-10 smallish pieces)

12 biscuits (I use wholemeal but you could use granita (Australia) or graham crackers (Canadian)
1/3 cup almond meal
1 tbsp melted butter
125g cream cheese
1 lime juice and zest
1 blood orange zest and 1 tbsp juice
225g ricotta cheese
1 organic egg
1/8 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp yoghurt
2 tbsp honey
¼ blueberries

Set oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

To make the base: in a food processor crumble biscuits until the texture is like sand (or just bash a bag with biscuits with a rolling pin). Add almond meal, melted butter and mix, press into a small square or rectangle pan – making sure the base is at least 1/8 inch thick. To set the base, bake for 10 mins (watch it so it doesn’t brown too much). Take out and let cool.

For the filling: mix/blend the cheese with salt, zest, juice, honey, yoghurt and egg. Mix well but don’t overbeat. Add in blueberries.

Pour mix onto cookie base – it may seem watery but don’t worry it will thicken once baked and cooled. Place into oven and bake for 30-35 minutes. If it’s browning on the top, cover with foil and resume baking. Take out and let cool. Refrigerate before serving and enjoy!

A strange sweetness

2010-07-19T16:34:00.000+10:00

Right now it’s winter in Sydney. Yes, winter. I get confused by the strange feeling of waking up with cold fingers and toes and then the realization that it’s July. I know winter asks for warming foods like soups and slowly braised stews but sometimes, just sometimes, I still need to have something cold and sweet.

Since I’m a big fan of mixing sweet with salty or spicy ingredients, and dark chocolate with chilli is one of my favourite treats, I thought of making a dark chocolate and pink peppercorn sorbet. Pink peppercorns have a different taste and texture from the everyday black peppercorns you find in stores. Unlike black pepper, these little pink berries taste much sweeter, smell fantastic (like a flowery perfume) and the texture is soft and hollow so that when pressed they break apart easily. They are perfect for using in desserts and even in cocktails, and they add an extra hint of warmth – much needed for a cold winter evening (well, it’s not that cold in Sydney).

dark chocolate sorbet with pink peppercorns
this recipe makes a creamy sorbet, a little like an ice cream but not as rich

2 cups milk (non-fat or whole depending on richness desired)
½ cup cocoa powder
6 oz (about 170g) good quality dark chocolate
½ tsp vanilla extract
½ cup sugar – demerara sugar or something less refined
seasalt – pinch
1 tbsp pink peppercorns (crushed)

In a medium sized saucepan on medium heat, add milk and whisk in cocoa powder, sugar, and salt. Heat up until whisked in smooth. When milk is warm add in chocolate (chopped). Once all chocolate has melted, take off heat and strain. If it doesn’t look smooth enough, blend 15 seconds. At this point, mix in vanilla and crushed pink peppercorns.

Chill the mix and then churn in ice-cream/sorbet maker. If you don’t have an ice cream maker you can check on the mix every ½-1 hour and mix around with a fork. It’s not the best way to achieve a frozen product, but it will work.

For a rainy day

2010-07-12T13:25:00.000+10:00

What else is there to do on a rainy day but stay at home and cook something that will comfort your soul. For me, there can be nothing better than spending a few hours behind a warm stove, chopping vegetables and stirring things together to create something simply delicious. Of the many warm and hearty dishes I like to cook on wet and soggy days, soup is one of my favourites. My pea and mint soup with freshly grated grano padano cheese is a really easy recipe. I use frozen peas – yes, you read it correctly: frozen peas!

Some folks may wonder about using frozen vegetables when freshness is the most important aspect of good food. But peas are very temperamental: if you don’t consume them right away you risk that they’ll lose their sweetness and become starchy and just plain boring. So when they are harvested they need to be either consumed right away or flash-frozen. This is true of many vegetables, but peas mature much faster than the average vegetable so you have to be quick! Therefore, cooking with frozen peas allows you to enjoy the pea at its peak.

pea and mint soup
serves 4

500g frozen peas (about 2 cups)
1 green onion
a few sprigs of fresh mint
750 ml water or stock (I use vegetable stock or 1 tbsp miso paste mixed in the water)
½ cup grano padano cheese – use parmesan if you can’t find this one…any sharp cheese or even fresh would work

In a medium sized pot, place peas and water/stock and bring to boil. Add in chopped green onion and salt and pepper (sometimes I also add some dried chili flakes for heat). Cook 5 mins and turn off heat. Add 2 tbsp of chopped mint leaves – leave roughly chopped as you will need to blend. Take off heat. Once mix is slightly cooled, blend mix and return to pot. Add cheese (add more if you love cheese) and then season to taste with salt and fresh ground pepper. That’s it!

The origins of the muffin

2010-06-01T14:32:00.001+10:00

The other day I decided to bake some muffins. As I was reaching for the flour in the pantry I found myself wondering where muffins come from. They are not cakes or biscuits, and even the name sounds interesting. So how exactly is it different from other baked goods like cupcakes?

After some research I found out a few interesting facts about muffins. Muffins date back to the early 18th century. The Merriam-Webster dictionary suggests that the word derives from Low German: muffen (muffe) and it is defined as “a quick bread made of batter containing egg and baked in a pan having cuplike molds”. The Joy of Baking adds that the muffin originates from the French moufflet, meaning a type ofsoft bread. While European in origins the world has done what it wants with muffins and for most it’s a cross between cake and a bread. I do appreciate the way we have taken this simple traditional item and made it into something else entirely.

At my house, muffins are a staple, not only because they provide the perfect accompaniment to a hot cup of tea or a frothy cappuccino, but because they are little carriers of goodness. A muffin, whether sweet or savoury, holds all the delicious ingredients of your choosing. For example, carrots, cinnamon, chocolate, walnuts, poppyseeds… and the list goes on. I like muffins because when I’m hungry and don’t want to eat something processed and greasy from cafes or stands, I can reach into my bag and pull out my homemade treat. They can be rich andsatisfying and so simple to make. Now after all my rambling on muffins, aren’t you hungry? If so, try out my spiced carrot muffins with lemon cream cheese.

spiced carrot muffins (with lemon cream cheese)
makes a dozen

Muffins
1-1 ½ cups milk – soy or regular milk
1/3 cup oil – I use vegetable but you can use any other non-flavoured oil
1 organic egg
2 large carrots grated
1 tsp vanilla bean extract
200g wholemeal flour (about 1 ½ cups)
2 tsp baking powder
pinch of baking soda
2 tbsp cocoa powder
3 tbsp sucanat (short for sugar cane natural – you can get it at health foods stores, use something sweet if you can’t find it)
pinch cardamom
pinch cinnamon
pinch salt (helps the baking process and brings out flavour)

Lemon cream cheese
½ cup cream cheese
1 tsp lemon zest
1-2 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp maple syrup/honey

For muffins
Preheat oven to 190 degrees. Start by mixing all the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl whisk egg and milk together with oil. Add in wet ingredients (keep grated carrots aside) to dry ingredients to form batter. Batter should be wet like a cake and still lumpy (don’t overmix as you will lose air). If it’s not wet enough, add more milk, a little at a time. Incorporate carrots at this point and spoon into muffin tin. Bake for around 20 mins (check to make sure baked throughout).

For icing
Mix all ingredients together, adjust with less or more lemon juice if you want it thicker/thinner. Pipe or spread over muffins. Enjoy.

A time for love and a time for cookies

2010-05-18T17:42:00.000+10:00

I never really understood the love people had for cookies – until now. When I was little I truly could not understand the obsession that my friends had with cookies, either homemade or store- bought. Moms baked (a lot) or they stacked cupboards with all kinds of cookies from oreos to chips ahoy to teddy grahams (remember those?). Every time I went over to people’s homes snack time meant cookies. Even at school when someone wanted something sweet to eat they would bring out their little snack pack of cookies. They even left Santa Claus milk and cookies! I think this love affair is a very North American thing. Now that I’m not around all those cookie- obsessed folks, I have had the chance to develop a love of cookies.

Now I adore them – not the oreo or (I hate to say it) tim tam (sorry friends!) kind – but more the type of cookies that have interesting, sometimes unusual ingredients. Here is an adapted recipe for gluten free chocolate cookies. I used tahini in the cookies as well. Tahini is a smooth, nutty paste made from sesame seeds. It’s used a lot in Middle-Eastern cooking and often you find it used in savoury dishes like hummus. I use it like a peanut butter in both sweet and salty dishes. Enjoy.

Chocolate and tahini cookies (gluten free but you can substitute all-purpose/wholemeal flour)
(makes about 12 cookies)
adapted from savoury sweet life recipe for bittersweet chocolate decadence cookies

¼ cup gluten-free flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon organic unhulled tahini
2 large organic eggs
¼ cup molasses and/or demerara sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
½ cup walnuts

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. In a small bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt together, set aside. In order to melt chocolate, place chocolate and butter in a bowl and melt it in a bain-marie (a double boiler). To do this, set the bowl on top of a pot of simmering water (don’t let the bottom of bowl touch water and don’t not leave on for a long time, just until it melts). Once melted remove and then in another bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, and vanilla and set the bowl over the same pot of simmering water. Continue to whisk everything until the mixture is lukewarm.

Making sure that each mixture is not too hot, combine the two carefully. At this point, add in the tahini and mix. Add the flour with salt and baking powder. This batter will look like thick cake batter. Don’t worry they will look and taste like cookies once you’re done baking them. Scoop dough with tablespoon onto silicon or parchment sheets. Bake 12-14 minutes. The outside might look dry but it’ll be moist and gooey on the inside. Yum.

Birthday cake

2010-04-27T16:39:00.000+10:00

Yesterday was my husband's birthday and I could think of no better way of making him happy then by surprising him with a cake. Well it wasn't exactly a cake but more a pancake (as a dutchman he appreciates pancakes). But these were not simple plain pancakes - these were my spectacular chocolate orange millet cakes.

The pancakes were light, moist and chocolatey with the slightest aroma of orange (the orange also added a little layer of sophistication much needed for impressing people in the morning). I served the pancakes with a few orange segments, a dusting of cocoa and some syrup (being Canadian this should be maple but Australians might use golden syrup...not nearly as amazing) One more exciting thing is that they’re gluten free. Eat up and celebrate.

chocolate-orange millet cakes
Recipe for 2

2 whole organic eggs
½ cup soy milk
1 tsp vanilla bean (paste or extract)
1-2 tbsp Dutch cocoa powder (unprocessed) – the more chocolate the better but it’s up to you
2 tsp orange zest (a little juice too)
½ - ¾ cup of millet flour (I used something in between these amounts)
pinch of baking powder
pinch of baking soda

To make the pancakes, first beat the eggs and soy milk together, add in vanilla. Mix in dry ingredients - make sure with the flour that you add a little at a time so that you can ensure the consistency stays like a wet batter (should be loose/ pouring consistency).

Get a pan and heat to medium-high heat, use a little oil or butter and cook your cakes. When bubbles appear flip over and cook for another minute or so. Now you have your delicious chocolate orange millet cakes - perfect for a birthday or any other kind of day...

Salmon and soba

2010-04-16T12:31:00.000+10:00

salmon and soba with leek salsa
serves 4 (this is an easy dish to cook for a larger number of people as well)

4 fillets of salmon (with skin on - remember it's full of omega fatty acids)
1 package of soba noodles (buckwheat)
fresh or frozen peas
1/2 large leek
1 red capsicum
3 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
1 2 inch knob of ginger (grated)
2 tbsp miso paste
2 tsp tamari (or soy/ponzu sauce)
1/2 bunch fresh dill
1/2 lemon (juiced)
fresh red chili (dried is fine)
olive oil
sesame oil (for adding to salsa at end)
white wine (something dry like chardonnay - and some that you would drink)

To start with the salsa use a saucepan or small pot. Slice or dice the leeks and fry in olive oil on medium heat. You want to sweat the leeks and not burn them (add a little salt to prevent them burning). Once the leeks have become a little soft, add in ginger and garlic, cook 1-2 minutes. While this happening, add some hot water to dissolve miso paste (start with 1 cup). Once dissolved, add into the pot. Add in tamari, diced chilis, 1 tbsp chopped dill and lemon juice. Once mixed take off heat and keep aside. Add just 1-2 drops of sesame oil (really just a little goes a very long way)

For the soba, follow instructions on package (very easy!) and make sure not to overcook as they'll turn to mush and lose their great texture. Strain and keep aside at room temperature.

For the salmon, in a large pan - pan fry skin side down in a little olive oil. Make sure pan is hot to ensure crispy skin. Cook for a few minutes on each side. A way to tell if salmon is just cooked and not overcooked is you will see the sides emit a whitish colour. Keep side once cooked. In same pan, add a little white wine to deglaze and add chopped capsicum and peas (and any other vegetables you might have). To assemble, mix soba with peas and capscium and white wine reduction. Put salmon on top and pour a little of the leek salsa on top. Garnish with dill sprig and there you have it...a little gourmet meal for a regular night at home. So good.

A perfect coupling

2010-04-16T11:38:00.000+10:00

So I’m back with another recipe! Sorry for the delay (I will try my best to post 1 recipe a week) but here is one my favourites. For those of you who love fish but hate the hassle of finding a good recipe/method that can impart enough flavour this recipe will help. Fish is one of those foods that can be tricky to cook the right way – most people overcook their fish and it becomes grey and rough, and trust me you cannot cover this up with any sauce no matter how tasty. It’s always best to use delicate methods of cooking for fish, unless the texture is firm and meaty, in which case you can grill or fry without worry. For this dish I used salmon fillets (here in Sydney I’m lucky to get to speak to the people at the fish market – they know a lot (a lot) about fish, how it’s caught and sold). I get wild atlantic salmon as it’s not farm raised. It tastes better and is generally a better environmental choice.

In addition to the salmon, I’ve used soba noodles. For those who don’t know soba is a Japanese buckwheat noodle (make sure to check the ingredients for those who don’t eat wheat as some cheaper soba add it in as a filler). It's healthy and has a great wholegrain taste. Unlike many noodles (egg based or other) that are heavy and simply carriers of sauce, soba has it's own distinct flavour and texture. It’s colour is almost like a cloudy and gloomy day. When cooked it becomes the perfect friend to asian type flavours – salt, sweet, spicy and tangy. It's also just perfectly coupled with salmon. Try this recipe (with a glass of chardonnay like I have) and you'll see.

Banana bread revisited

2010-03-23T16:26:00.000+11:00

banana bread revisited
makes a whole loaf/12 muffins

2 large ripe bananas
1/4 cup olive oil (yes olive oil - will explain later)
1/4 cup molasses
2 tbsp demerara sugar
2 organic eggs
1/4 cup soy milk (or milk)
1/4 vanilla bean
1 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of ground clove
1/2 cup walnuts
2 cups organic wholemeal flour (use millet or rice flour if gluten intolerant)
1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch baking soda

Preheat oven to 170 degrees celsius. Prepare a loaf tin by rubbing a little olive oil around it (use butter if you prefer or even silicon paper). In a large bowl whisk oil, sugar and molasses, add spices (adding spices at this point ensure the most flavour as the oil will act almost as an essence preserver). Once mixed well, beat in eggs one at a time and then add mashed bananas.

Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add dry mix gradually to wet mix and don't beat/mix too much. Add in soy milk, little by little (don't make mix too runny) and then chopped walnuts. Sometimes I add bits of dark unsweetened chocolate as well. Pour mix into tin/pan and rest for 5 mins. Place into oven and bake for 45mins - 1 hour (check on bread after 30 mins).

Because there is little sugar/sweetness this is really more a bread than a cake, which is probably the reason it's called banana bread. That said, if you want to add something to it you can add my sweetened ricotta cream or drizzle it with warm marmalade. Eat up.

Bananas for bananas

2010-03-23T15:20:00.000+11:00

I'm bananas for bananas. Those who know me well know of my morning ritual of having a banana with my coffee - every single morning. I think eating bananas is the only real habit I have. Friends of mine even make sure to stock up on bananas if they know I'm visiting (thank you friends). In addition to my love of this almost perfect fruit, I also enjoy baking with them. I don't like eating heavy, oily or greasy banana breads (I know - who does? but I witness people eating bad b bread all over town...just too bad) so here is a healthy and hearty alternative to the old classic banana bread.

A new camera please

2010-03-22T19:50:00.000+11:00

Ok, so I made a big purchase and got a new camera. My old little point and shoot needs to be fixed and to be honest, it just wasn't cutting it. I want to take pictures that make things look more beautiful than they are - not worse. Really, who wants to see unappealing pictures of food...yuck. So now I will play not only with my food but with my camera. Let's see what I can do.

Lazy soup and salad

2010-03-16T17:39:00.000+11:00

For most, lazy nights usually mean one of two things: dinner will be ordered in or it will be reheated. The last thing you want to do when you're too tired is to cook and then clean up after. To make your life easy but still eat something comforting and tasty try out this soup and salad.

Ok I know soup and salad sounds soo boring but this recipe will definitely make your mouth water. I just make the soup ahead of time in a big batch and then freeze leftovers for reheating on lazy days like this one. For the salad, I just tossed steamed asparagus, borlotti beans, cherry tomatoes and mesclun mix. So simple but perfect with a glass of red wine...what a wonderful lazy night.

pumpkin and ginger soup
makes a enough for 4 people or 2 and leftovers

3 cups/600g Pumpkin (I used kent pumpkin but butternut squash would work well too)
1/2 red onion
1/2 leek
3 cloves garlic
2 tbsp or more of freshly grated ginger
1 whole red chili
1 tsp dried chili
2 tbsp or more olive oil
fresh thyme
cracked black pepper
sea salt
1/2 cup skim milk (or any other non-dairy substitute)
stock - vegetable, chicken... I use a great additive free stock or I make my own and freeze it

There are a few different methods of cooking the pumpkin, either roast in oven with olive oil until tender or cook in the pot after leeks and garlic have been sauteed. To make life easier for readers I'll describe the second method.

Get a large enough pot (soup/stock pot) ready on medium heat. Saute the leeks and onions in olive oil under tender, add garlic and ginger and cook 2 mins. Add some thyme and salt (keeps things from burning), add chopped pumpkin pieces and enough stock to cover. Add in fresh and dried chili.

Cook pumpkin until tender. When reached consistency you want, either blend or place in food processor. Add back to cleaned out pot, stir in milk to reach consistency you desire. At this point, season well and add fresh chopped herbs. Sometimes I like to serve this with fresh organic yoghurt - it gives the soup another texture and a tang that works well with the creamy and spicy pumpkin. Enjoy.

borlotti bean salad with asparagus and cherry tomatoes
makes enough for two sides

1/2 cup dried borlotti beans (try not to use tinned beans if you can - just soak or cheat by simmering 1 cup dried beans with 3 cups water for 55 mins)
1/2 bunch asparagus - try to buy in season - if you can't substitute with another hearty green vegetable
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
bunch of salad leaves - arugula or mesclun mix
fresh bread - wholegrain, sourdough..whatever you like
30 ml olive oil
1 clove garlic
5ml lemon juice
10 ml balsamic vinegar

To make dressing - mix olive oil, balsamic vinegar - cut the garlic clove in half and rest in liquid for 10 minutes just to infuse.

Cook beans and leave aside. Steam asparagus and cut tomatoes into halves. Mix all ingredients or assemble separately like the way I did. Take out garlic from dressing and drizzle over veggies and beans. Add a few pieces of bread and there you go. Easy dinner for a lazy night...just need a glass of wine.

Bean me up borlotti

2010-03-16T16:03:00.000+11:00

I love beans. I seriously do. Legumes are these perfect, tiny little bundles of nutrition magically sprouted from the earth. You don't have to be a vegan or vegetarian to eat them - shocker I know. And once you slowly integrate them in your diet you won't experience all symptoms found in classic bean jokes. Eating them with grains and vegetables help to make them almost perfect proteins...meaning they fill you up and keep you happy. Sounds good to me.

The borlotti bean. This is my new favourite bean and almost as special as a garbonzo bean (chickpea). It has a meatiness and creaminess (and has a beautifully speckled design) that is great for hearty dishes or even for adding an extra something to a salad. See my recipe for risotto with borlotti and my next posting for a quick borlotti bean salad.

Blogging is serious business!

2010-02-19T01:43:00.000+11:00

Ok I had nooo idea how intense blogging has become -- and I'm speaking of food blogging, let alone all the other blogs out there on who knows what. This new discovery combined with my revisited trait of perfectionism is dangerous. Last night I couldn't sleep because I had ideas up ideas of how to have a perfect blog - beautiful design, need a much better camera, have to read about blogging tips etc. I was dreaming of better names for my blog, better recipes - better everything! Leave it to me to make something like blogging so serious that I will have to drop out of this too (well I'm not really a 'drop out' but let's face it, I have toyed with the possibility of 'not facing the music' one too many times)
But this morning I woke up with a renewed feeling that my blog will and can only do its best - so friends...I will try and make this blog the best that I can make it. Lowered expectations always help.

Dinner of risotto and red wine

2010-02-18T08:42:00.000+11:00

So for dinner last night I made a trusted favourite of mine - risotto! sooo easy and soo yummy AND with red wine! sounds funny to some people but the Italians do this so it must be right. I usually use white wine in my risotto - to keep the flavours light and fresh, especially when using seafood. With this risotto, the red wine provides a warm, deeper flavour and matches well with sauteed radicchio, fresh peas and/or borlotti beans - basically any rich, velvety vegetable or legume. Giada De Laurentiis (an Italian American tv chef) has a great recipe that I tweak a little depending on what I feel like. Risotto seems time consuming but it's one of those 'one pot wonders' - that isn't mushy and old fashioned. And it sounds so much more fancy than it is.

red wine risotto with grilled red peppers, portobello mushrooms and borlotti beans
serves 3-4 depending on how much you love it
1 cup arborio rice
1/2 cup red wine - use red wine you would drink and I prefer full-bodied reds
1 cup - chopped leek (use onion if you don't have any), carrots and celery
1/2 cup peas - use fresh if you can, frozen works just fine too
a few garlic cloves
freshly grated parmesan cheese
fresh dill
fresh parsley
2-3 cups (depending) of vegetable stock
1/2 cup borlotti beans (use canned if you didn't soak and cook them)

The vegetables
I use a bbq to grill red peppers and mushrooms - I grill them with a little olive oil and that's it. Use a hot oven or stovetop grill if you don't have a bbq. Remove skin from peppers and keep them aside for later.

The risotto
I start with keeping the stock on at a medium/low heat (use fresh stock if you have it, or bought if you don't). Then put a large enough pot on medium heat - with olive oil (1 - 2 tbsp) sweat onions, celery, carrots together for 6-7 minutes then add finely chopped garlic and cook for another 1 minute.

Add the rice and cook 2 mins until toasted a little (don't brown it). Add the red wine and let it get somewhat absorbed by the rice (2 mins or so), then add a little hot stock (one ladle of stock - don't worry about the exact amount, the rice will let you know when it's full!) Cook a few minutes until absorbed and then do the same at least two more times until the rice becomes creamy. At this point (just when the rice still has some bite) add in all the vegetables and the borlotti beans, add in chopped dill (to taste) and 1/4 cup parmesan.

Stir and add in the last bit of stock - cover 2 mins. Once finished, ladel out into big bowls, add more fresh parmesan, fresh black pepper and fresh chopped parsley...so good. I promise you'll love it.

The first step to food...spice

2010-02-17T11:48:00.000+11:00

Where to begin with food. I'm obsessed with spices...I don't mean a little obsessed I mean A LOT obsessed...I want to know about every spice in the world and what use they have in terms of health and taste, and what recipes they are used in. I like finding creative ways to use spices in more contemporary and non-traditional ways. I think this is a new trend in the chocolate world (eg.vosges chocolates) and it seems to be picking up in the world of pastry and desserts. There are books galore on the spice route (I find the history of the relationship between colonialism and spice quite fascinating) Spices have healing qualities and there is new research all the time proving the benefits of eating (or drinking) spice. Here are a few of my favourite little spice additions to everyday classics.

spiced up coffee
recipe for one...just multiply recipe for more folks

1 cup of espresso
soy milk or whatever milk you prefer (everyone likes a different amount)
1/4 tsp cinnamon or cinnamon stick
a teeny weeny drop of ground clove or a whole clove
1/4 tsp cardamom - ground or pod

To start steep the spices in your milk over the stove or in the microwave (for the cheaters) and then add hot espresso...or for the quicker version, what I do is place the ground spices in a mug, add the hot milk and then pour (from high above..be careful not to spill everywhere - this happens) the hot espresso. There you have it, hot and frothy spiced up coffee. Perfect to have with a fresh banana (my perfect compliment with its creamy texture against the spicy, hot smooth coffee) or morning muffin (muffin recipes to come soon - promise)

cardamom vanilla infused ricotta cream
recipe for 2
This is an absolutely easy and delicious (and even low fat!) alternative to cheesecake. I make this dessert often when I don't feel like heating up the house with my oven.

150-200g low fat ricotta cheese (basically a small little tub)
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp vanilla bean paste - use fresh vanilla bean please - if you don't have it than use real vanilla extract
2 tbsp sugar/something sweet - I use maple syrup sometimes or unrefined demerara sugar
1 tbsp lemon or lime juice and zest (this keeps it fresh)

Basically place all ingredients into bowl and whip with whisk or beater until all mixed. I don't like to have the ricotta too sweet as you can serve it with sweeter items.

some ideas...
Cut up some fresh fruits - mangoes, strawberries, kiwis (whatever might be in season where you live) or use frozen blueberries and other fruits if not in season. Let them defrost and place the ricotta cream on top. I crumble homemade biscuits (or graham crackers, granita cookies) on top and voila! delicious and healthy dessert.
You could also serve this ricotta with pancakes or crepes for a delicious accompaniment. What a yummy morning that would be...