tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8257091963361138112024-03-21T02:07:21.426+11:00Princess of the kitchenPrincess of the kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02360268967091137054noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825709196336113811.post-12923372688934809122013-05-14T22:07:00.000+10:002013-05-14T22:18:44.302+10:00Pumpkin Pie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The pumpkins at this time of year are plentiful, cheap and deliciously sweet. For those of you who have experienced and been turned off by dry, fibrous, tasteless pumpkin in the past, I implore you to buy yourself a pumpkin today and give it another shot.<br />
I bought a couple of butternut pumpkins at Coles for just $1/kilo recently, and let me tell you: they made the best pumpkin soup I have ever had. Of course, I devoured the entire vat before it even crossed my mind to take photos, so I decided to do something else with the pumpkin instead.<br />
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I have had pumpkin pie a few times before, but I have never really been won over by it. I've wanted to love it, but somehow it never hit the spot. I decided to take matters into my own hands and see once and for all if Pumpkin Pie could be delicious. After all, if any pumpkin could make a good pie, I was sure these could.<br />
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This pie has a delicate, buttery pastry, and the filling is softly set and aromatically spiced. While I admit that Pumpkin Pie is not my favourite dessert, I would willingly eat this version again. I ate it first cold, but found that I preferred it heated the next day with custard. Next time, perhaps, I will eat it warm from the oven rather than allow it to cool, as seems to be traditional.<br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">Get in now while the pumpkins are still in season!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prize winning pumpkins at the Sydney Royal Easter Show</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Without a doubt, the largest pumpkin I have ever seen.</td></tr>
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<b>RECIPE- adapted from Lucy Bonnano's 'Pumpkin Pie' in<i> Hands across the kitchen</i></b><br />
Made 3x 9cm tarts<br />
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For the pastry<br />
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Ingredients:<br />
1/2 cup plain flour<br />
2 teaspoons icing sugar<br />
50g butter<br />
1 egg yolk<br />
1-2 teaspoons iced water<br />
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Method:<br />
Place flour, icing sugar and cubed butter into a food processor. Blitz until the mix resembles bread crumbs. With the motor running, add the yolk and then the water, little by little, until the mixture begins to come together. Stop the motor short of it's forming a ball.<br />
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Tip contents of processor onto a sheet of cling film Use the cling film not your hands- to press the dough into a disk, then rap up in the cling film and place in the fridge for 1/2 hour to rest.<br />
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Preheat oven to 200 degrees C. Remove dough from fridge and roll out on a floured surface till it is 3 mm thick. Use a bowl or circular cutter to mark out 13 cm circles on the dough, then use a knife to cut them out. Lift the pastry into the tart tins and use an off cut of pastry to coax the dough gently into the corners of the pan. Line all 3 then use a fork to prick the base before placing the tart tin back into the refrigerator until the oven is fully heated.<br />
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Once heated, remove the tin from the fridge. Scrunch up 3 pieces of baking paper until they become malleable, then gently line the pastry tarts with them. Fill the lined tarts with dried rice, beans or baking beads, then blind bake in the oven for 15 minutes.<br />
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Once cool enough to handle, remove the tarts carefully from the tin and place on a wire rack to cool completely.<br />
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For the filling:<br />
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Ingredients:<br />
125 g baked pumpkin flesh<br />
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon<br />
Pinch of salt<br />
1/4 tsp ground ginger<br />
small grating of fresh nutmeg<br />
1 egg yolk<br />
100mls cream<br />
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Method:<br />
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Puree pumpkin in the food processor until completely smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and blitz to combine into a smooth mixture. Fill cooled tart shells almost to the brim with the pumpkin custard mixture. Decorate with excess pastry.<br />
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Place tart shells onto a line baking tray and place into the oven. Reduce the temperature to 180 degrees C and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until no longer wobbly in the centre.<br />
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Serve warm or cold, as desired, with ice cream, cream or custard. Store pumpkin pie in fridge for freshness.<br />
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Princess of the kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02360268967091137054noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825709196336113811.post-77437134066625768852013-01-16T15:39:00.002+11:002013-01-17T11:39:30.553+11:00Strawberry Jam<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Some time ago, Thomas Dux were selling strawberries for an incredibly low price: just $1 per 250g punnet. Ordinarily it just isn't viable to make your own jam, but when you get your fruit that cheaply, it only costs about $10 to make 4 jars- bargain. You'll find that about 8 punnets of fruit, or 2 kilos, is enough to make 4 jars. Obviously, you'll have to discard the greenery or any berries that are mouldy, so you'll end up with about 1.75 kilos, give or take.</i></span><br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Traditionally jam is made with equal parts of sugar and fruit. Personally, I find this combination a little too sweet. I opt for about 3 parts sugar to 4 parts fruit. If you can, use Jam sugar, as it contains a little pectin to help the jam set. Strawberries are not particularly high in pectin, so they need a helping hand. If you can't find jam sugar, add some Jam setta or pectin, according to the instructions on the packet.</i></span><br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Before you begin, sterilise your jars. I put the jars and lids through a dishwasher, then into a low oven to ensure they are completely dry. You can, instead, boil the jars for several minutes in a large pot, then remove to a tray and into the oven to dry. Be very careful not touch the inside of the jars or lids- you do not want to contaminate the jars after sterilising.</i></span><br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Wash your fruit well, drain thoroughly and put into a large pot with the sugar. If you like your jam chunky like me, then leave your fruit whole. If, on the other hand, you like a very pureed jam, chop your strawberries finely before adding to the sugar. Leave for a good half hour, stirring occasionally, to allow the strawberries to macerate and the sugar to dissolve. Put the pan on the heat and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and, using a slotted spoon, remove the scum/impurities that appears on the surface, ensuring that the finished product is beautifully clear.</i></span><br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Stir the mixture occasionally and continue removing the scum from the surface until the jam reaches 105 degrees. At this point, remove a spoonful carefully from the pot onto a small plate. Leave the jam on the plate for a minute to cool, then run your finger through the centre to see if it has set. It shouldn't be runny, nor should it be solid: just a soft set jelly. The line you create with your finger should remain without the jam on either side oozing back into the centre. If it is still very runny, keep boiling and testing until it reaches a desirable consistency. The whole process may take up to half an hour, depending on the quantity of jam you are boiling. Immediately pour the jam into the sterilised jars- the heat will further ensure that the jar and the jam is free of bacteria. The jam and jars will be very hot- take care not to burn yourself. Using a tea towel, screw the lid carefully onto the jar. Leave the jam to cool thoroughly, then store in your pantry. They are ready for use as soon as the jam has cooled. The jam should keep for considerable time, so long as everything has been thoroughly sterilised. Enjoy with some fresh scones and double cream for a delectable afternoon tea. Bon appetit!</i></span><br />
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<br />Princess of the kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02360268967091137054noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825709196336113811.post-87711362128412784102013-01-09T15:22:00.001+11:002013-01-17T11:41:02.157+11:00Girls weekend<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Last weekend I played hostess to two of my dearest friends, Natalie and Amy: the very same ladies who coerced me into blogging again. They are personally responsible for taking all the photos that you see here, in hope, I believe, that if they did some of the work for me, I might go the extra mile and post the photos onto this blog. After their efforts, I feel obliged to at least post their photos of our marvelous weekend of food, movies and merry-making.</span></i><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The fun began on Saturday afternoon with some cheese and spinach triangles, made with the spinach from our very small, but nonetheless precious, vegetable garden. Another day in the scorching sun and the spinach leaves, I fear, would have withered away, so their coming over was a perfect excuse to use them up. In addition to the spinach, which I steamed and then drained thoroughly, I added ricotta, fresh mint, lemon zest, parmesan, an egg, as well as a generous grinding of salt and pepper. I placed a mound of the filling onto several sheets of buttered filo and rolled, to the best of my ability, into triangles. Brush with egg wash or more melted butter, and then bake at 180 for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.</span></i><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For dinner we had hamburgers with homemade brioche buns; homemade pickled Jalapenos, red onions and cucumbers; ground beef patties (made from mince with 10-15% fat content); Gruyere cheese and a special sauce. When I was in New York in November, I had the most amazing burger at The National. It was called 'The Ugly Burger' on account of its turning into an ugly mess when eaten, but nothing about the taste, could be said to be ugly. It was so magnificent that I had to try and recreate it at home: this is my attempt. Although delicious, I'm afraid nothing will quite live up to my memory of the National 'Ugly burger'. If you are at all interested, you can find the recipe for the pickled vegetables and special sauce <a href="http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2012/03/14/2-in-the-kitchen-chef-paul-corsentino-cooks-up-the-nationals-famous-ugly-burger/">here</a>.</span></i><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I also served up a side order of Nigella's delicious Tuscan fries from her new book, Nigellissima. You can find the recipe for those <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/tuscan_fries_61356">here</a>.</span></i><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Now onto dessert. Again taking inspiration from Nigellissima, one of my newest culinary acquisitions, I opted for something cool and summery to end our evening: The Double Amaretto semifreddo. A semi-solid parfait, if you like, littered with shards of crunchy amaretti biscuits and enhanced with a dosh of Disaronno- that headily aromatic, almondy liquor, often referred to as Amaretto. I LOVE anything almondy: Marzipan, almond croissants, friands, Dr Pepper, Maraschino cherries. If it contains almond, I'm a taker. This dessert was, to my great delight, as intensely almondy as you can get. It was just as well that Nat and Amy both like Almond- or so they told me- because if you weren't a fan of Almond, you most certainly wouldn't like this dessert.</span></i><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The only thing I would say against the recipe, is that there wasn't really much process involved. I suppose that's good if you are in a hurry or you don't really enjoy cooking; if, however, you are like me, it is a joy to spend a little more time pottering in the kitchen. I suppose, in truth, had I made the sauce to go along with it, there would have been a bit more to do, but anything that contains Apricot- apricot jam being a core ingredient in the semifreddo sauce- is of absolutely no interest to me. I just served mine with a little maple syrup and a scattering of a few more crushed amaretti biscuits instead. If you enjoy apricot, the by all means, make the sauce.</span></i><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Before we knew it, it was Sunday morning and time for brekky. I had made enough brioche dough on Saturday to be able to make a small loaf in addition to the burger buns. What do you do with stale brioche? French toast of course. I cut the brioche into fairly thick chunks, so they did need quite a long time to soak. It is so vital that you take the time to soak the bread properly, as there is nothing worse than dry french toast. After soaking in a mixture of egs, cream, sugar and vanilla, cook at a low heat until golden and cooked through. I had some lovely ricotta left over from the triangles, so I sweetened that with maple syrup and added a little cinnamon and vanilla. I then macerated some strrawberries in some sugar and balsamic vinegar. To serve, I smeared some ricotta across the plate, sprinkled over some of the remaining amaretti, put the strawberries along side and the french toast on top with a mint leaf garnish. Serve with extra maple syrup, if desired. In my books, a little maple syrup is always desirable.</span></i><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This post is dedicated to Nat and Amy! Thanks for sharing the weekend with me :)</span></i></div>
<br />Princess of the kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02360268967091137054noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825709196336113811.post-76589120910881111362013-01-07T16:20:00.000+11:002013-01-09T11:39:30.224+11:00Nigella's Chocolate Guinness Cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Many, many months have elapsed since I last updated my blog, so long in fact that I had begun to doubt whether anyone would even remember that it exists. A recent discussion with two of my dearest friends, Natalie and Amy, assured me that it had not been forgotten and encouraged me to get the blog back up and running. Thanks girls for your support!</span></i><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">This cake was by no means a recent concoction. In fact, I made it all the way back in September for my brother, Andrew's birthday. It was seemingly a twist of fate that the cake I decided to make should contain the national drink of Ireland, Guinness, and that his son, born that same day, be given the name of Patrick. When I began to make the cake, however, he was not yet named, so it was not intentional, I assure you. Instead, this cake was selected by Andrew's daughter Eloise, who insisted that Daddy wanted a beer cake. I was only too happy to oblige, and so made the only cake for which I was in possession of a recipe containing beer. </span></i><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">This Guinness cake ended up being a real winner. It is incredibly moist and, because of the bitterness of the Guinness, not overly sweet. I am not a fan of either chocolate or beer, but I must admit I liked this cake; perhaps the combination of the two together counteracted the chocolatey-ness and beery-ness, leaving you with a pleasantly spiced, treacly cake, not unlike fruitcake, but without the fruit. Not only did it taste lovely but it was easy to prepare and looked remarkably like a pint of Guinness: a cloud of cream-cheese frosting floating atop the ebony cake base.</span></i><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I encourage you all to give this recipe a go. The good news is, if you don't have the book Feast, you can find the recipe easily enough on<a href="http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/chocolate-guinness-cake-3086"> Nigella's own website</a>. </span></i><br />
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<br />Princess of the kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02360268967091137054noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825709196336113811.post-19354022892837683602012-08-30T21:47:00.002+10:002013-01-17T11:41:28.642+11:00Banana Souffle and Instant Banana Ice cream<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Another day, another souffle- this time Banana. I admit I've gone a little souffle mad of late. But really, how can you blame me? They are delicious; they are, relative to other puddings, relatively healthy and you can make a souffle in almost any flavour you could possibly imagine. So far I've made apple and cinnamon, Rhubarb, raspberry, strawberry and banana. I don't plan on stopping there, either- think of all the other flavours I could make!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKf4Gle0RYNQKtNImd7xN5gZUdNGHvsN3YaX7t9K1EwjR-WeLlZvopDVM7bYR7dUuB54hzUj_a51aNJbLZoi6bU3ARLDCb2S8tJ-vKOtzQNQUEpGWkWf6FMZEb4SWO9jh3TXxfRZHitTeA/s1600/DSC01487.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKf4Gle0RYNQKtNImd7xN5gZUdNGHvsN3YaX7t9K1EwjR-WeLlZvopDVM7bYR7dUuB54hzUj_a51aNJbLZoi6bU3ARLDCb2S8tJ-vKOtzQNQUEpGWkWf6FMZEb4SWO9jh3TXxfRZHitTeA/s400/DSC01487.JPG" width="300" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_d90rHj9RnCSZwjMzYy2iYPw9DVBdVx5FvYpjr_Jtd17mZuhsNM2Ia0JiZhXCyxiPsS68IdpHs6mnl98Q-OJh-On9KhIFAnofCRV2Fry4leGF8MB5sCkmmrfD2ajSlxZCvHJsVpMypMBD/s1600/DSC01482.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_d90rHj9RnCSZwjMzYy2iYPw9DVBdVx5FvYpjr_Jtd17mZuhsNM2Ia0JiZhXCyxiPsS68IdpHs6mnl98Q-OJh-On9KhIFAnofCRV2Fry4leGF8MB5sCkmmrfD2ajSlxZCvHJsVpMypMBD/s320/DSC01482.JPG" width="320" /></a>Ordinarily I would use the leftover egg yolks to make a creme anglaise (custard). With this particular flavour, however, I decided to try something different. Some time ago I saw Matt Preston make an instant Banana Ice cream and I've been waiting for the occasion to make it. Luckily I happened to have a freezer full of over-ripe bananas. All you do is peel the frozen bananas (One banana seems to make a generous scoop), chop them into chunks and blend in a food processor. You may have to stop the motor sporadically to scrape down the chunks towards the blades, but after a mere minute, you will have a most delicious, velvety textured banana ice cream. I even give you permission to let your guests<br />
think that you slaved away for hours making custard<br />
and churning it by hand; it will be our little secret.<br />
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As for the souffle, the method is the same as for the preceding recipe, only substitute the strawberry for banana and the caster sugar for brown.<br />
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Bon appetit!Princess of the kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02360268967091137054noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825709196336113811.post-43563465950653002062012-08-08T21:39:00.001+10:002012-08-08T21:39:47.265+10:00Strawberry Souffle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm afraid I've been terribly lax of late and haven't updated the blog in quite some time. I could blame it on the Olympics, on Masterchef All Stars, on any number of things really, but essentially I've just been too lazy to take the time to blog. Apologies!<br />
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Going back a few weeks ago now, I was at home by myself on evening and, cold and miserable from the wintery wind, decided to make myself some dessert. It can be a tricky task to find a dessert recipe that can be successfully divided to make one individual serving. Many recipes call for 1or 2 eggs for a dessert that feeds 6-8. Now tell me, how are you supposed to divide one egg by 6? With difficulty. So, with very little options to choose from, without having a week's supply of left-over pud, I decided to make a souffle- a dessert that I have found, to my great delight, divides exceedingly well. One egg white= one lovely serving.<br />
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Not only is souffle a suitable sweet for one, it is also incredibly delicious and, best of all, contains no fat. True , it does contain sugar and whatever it lacks in fat, I generally make up for by serving a big scoop of ice cream or a jug of custard alongside. I'd be quite content, however, eating one of these little babies unadorned.<br />
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Please don't be nervous about making souffle. You mustn't be nervous about egg whites-if you are, it will show in the finished result. Egg whites are really so much tougher than they are made out to be. So for an amazing winter treat for one or for many, try your hand at a souffle!<br />
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<b><i>Strawberry Souffle recipe (one portion)</i></b><br />
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1/2 tablespoon melted butter for greasing<br />
50g Strawberries (weight with greenery removed), quartered<br />
30g Caster Sugar + 1 tablespoon more for dusting ramekin<br />
1/2 teaspoon Cornflour, mixed into a paste with 1/2 teaspoon water<br />
1 egg white<br />
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Preheat oven to 170 C<br />
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Grease a 250ml capacity ramekin with butter, then sprinkle generously with caster sugar, turning the ramekin around to coat the bottom and sides with an even layer of sugar. Tip out any excess and place rameking in the refrigerator while you get on with the souffle mix.<br />
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In a small saucepan place the strawberries and half the caster sugar over a low heat. Stir occasionally until sugar has dissolved and the strawberries are yielding. Remove from the heat and whisk in the corn flour. Using either a whizz stick, a blender or a processor, puree the strawberry mixture until smooth and completely free of any lumps. Set aside.<br />
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In a medium sized bowl, beat the egg white with a pinch of salt until light and foamy, then gradually add the remainder of the caster sugar, continuing to beat until thick (when you lift the beater out of the egg white, the peak should bend over slightly, although it should be thick enough that you can safely hold the bowl upside down over your head).<br />
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Add about a third of the egg white to the strawberry mixture, stirring the two together to combine. At this stage, you are only trying to loosen the strawberry mix, not retain air, so you don't have to fold. Place the remaining meringue mix into the strawberry and this time, fold the two together to combine, while retaining the air in the egg whites. You really need to spin the bowl around as you do this, so that you are gathering the mixture from every corner of the bowl and incorporating it into the meringue. The best way is to use a metal spoon, drag it around the right rim of the bowl, scraping the base as you go, towards you, then flop, or fold, all that you have gathered back over into the centre of the bowl. Make sense? Then give the bowl a quarter turn and repeat until it is no longer streaky.<br />
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Remove the ramekin from the fridge and gently spoon the matter into the mould. Try not to disturb the buttery sugar coating you created earlier with your spoon. Spoon into the centre of the mould, coaxing it gently downwards and outwards. Fill right to the top and then, place a long spatula or butter knife midway across the ramekin and scrape towards you, allowing any excess the plunge over the rim. Repeat on other half and if necessary, back track to ensure a completely smooth surface, flush with the rim. With a bit of luck your spatula will catch the excess with every scrape. If not, clean the outside of the ramekin and then, using a clean finger, run your fingertip around the inside of the rim to create a small moat, if you will, between the souffle and the dish itself. Place souffle onto a tray and into the oven for 12-14 minutes. Do not open the door at all before 12 minutes- you don't want it to collapse.<br />
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Remove to awaiting plate and serve immediately with ice cream, custard or cream. I'm warning you- it will sink if you leave it lying about. I apologise for the lengthy, especially to those of you who have baked before. I merely wish to equip newbies with as much knowledge as possible to give them confidence in the kitchen. It can be a scary thing baking something for the first time, especially a souffle, so I hope these instructions will help you tackle the challenge with relative ease. If it doesn't turn out perfectly the first time, don't give up. Believe me- I've failed plenty of times. Practice makes perfect. If you don't know what went wrong, just ask and I'll do my best to point you in the right direction.<br />
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Bon Appetit!<br />
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<br />Princess of the kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02360268967091137054noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825709196336113811.post-44756476579587192022012-07-16T20:45:00.000+10:002012-07-16T20:45:36.062+10:00Raspberry Red Velvet Cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiua-XykmEbt0ELVREXKBI8a6Gwe5HuJ9nJEcJycCh2hy-1eXjWtMDu1giSRSavEHF1QVz851EGla52EflBJ3bUuiM0yqnqhjAAqR74dpI5_I5Pd_uYEO8PHQRIUycwijqGD5SqcSpzsA58/s1600/DSC01315.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiua-XykmEbt0ELVREXKBI8a6Gwe5HuJ9nJEcJycCh2hy-1eXjWtMDu1giSRSavEHF1QVz851EGla52EflBJ3bUuiM0yqnqhjAAqR74dpI5_I5Pd_uYEO8PHQRIUycwijqGD5SqcSpzsA58/s640/DSC01315.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM1NObcmA1opAFc9E0QyU0KXKMJ23uMdCq5mLPP6Dqzn44MKFlYsQOQlPTpAhsMVmXuIUvyHynApayL2f4R7L2ShGxTCxJN2fhBroHxA3beVLjG-fRduzTEHIL8pR3A0YSDGekx_K1PaHg/s1600/DSC01324.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM1NObcmA1opAFc9E0QyU0KXKMJ23uMdCq5mLPP6Dqzn44MKFlYsQOQlPTpAhsMVmXuIUvyHynApayL2f4R7L2ShGxTCxJN2fhBroHxA3beVLjG-fRduzTEHIL8pR3A0YSDGekx_K1PaHg/s400/DSC01324.JPG" width="400" /></a>Red Velvet cake is one of my very favourite cakes. An ordinary buttermilk sponge is nothing special, but when you add food colouring to the batter, well, that's a different matter altogether. I mean, what's not to love about a whole bottle of rose pink food colouring?<br />
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I first discovered this cake about five years ago on the internet. Back then Red Velvet Cake was nowhere to be seen in Australian cake shops and was somewhat of a novelty. Ordinarily I cover the outside of the cake with the white cream cheese frosting, so you can imagine the surprise of cutting into a seemingly white cake for the first time to reveal a shockingly red interior.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXFEzfM_jQc275kYYsFUdIIwpwIlaOEwQOOKpSG8v-_7BUxig5dR2hoiUEJJRrUHIZGLVz64rnJAp_H1mwENZOvU4MyxBO6zj0NAf6AAVhIr9-OkNYEDIUgN7FmGPOf9i2qfvtjfIHDh_2/s1600/DSC01305.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXFEzfM_jQc275kYYsFUdIIwpwIlaOEwQOOKpSG8v-_7BUxig5dR2hoiUEJJRrUHIZGLVz64rnJAp_H1mwENZOvU4MyxBO6zj0NAf6AAVhIr9-OkNYEDIUgN7FmGPOf9i2qfvtjfIHDh_2/s400/DSC01305.JPG" width="400" /></a> Nowadays you can find red velvet cake all over the place and consequently partakers are not overcome with the same wonder and awe as when they first gazed upon its crimson interior. Nonetheless, it remains one of my favourites and I make it whenever the opportunity presents itself.<br />
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The sponge itself is made with canola/vegetable oil instead of butter. This, in addition to the buttermilk makes for a very moist, tender crumb. The best thing is that the cake keeps extremely well and can be made several days in advance.<br />
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It is a lovely cake, served with a deliciously fluffy cream cheese frosting and makes a wonderful addition to any special celebration. Do try it!Princess of the kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02360268967091137054noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825709196336113811.post-46933527370106831662012-07-01T20:53:00.001+10:002012-07-01T20:53:36.792+10:00French toast with poached pears, maple syrup and roasted hazelnutsYesterday morning, I made myself french toast for breakfast. Lord knows that after the week of bad eating I've had (and by bad, I mean good, but unhealthy), I didn't need it, but I just had to have it. I just had to.<br />
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Anyway, you need no recipe for french toast, just a bit of common sense. If you like it sweet like me, add a tablespoon of sugar to a couple of eggs and some cream or milk. Then get your bread - I used some stale apple and cinnamon raisin toast, but you could use anything- and soak it really well. I mean really well- give it plenty of time to absorb what is essentially an uncooked custard. Don't attempt to do more than one slice of bread per egg. If you do, you'll find your french toast will be dry on the inside. What you want is a beautifully soft, custardy interior with a crisp outer shell. Also, cook it at a low heat. My pan got a bit too hot and my french toast ended up rather dark. It was still delicious, but it would have looked much nicer had it been golden brown.<br />
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You can serve french toast however you like. Some like it savoury, in which case, omit the sugar and add a good pinch of salt at the start, plus more to serve. Here I have added some poached pears, which I heated in the pan after cooking the toast, a good slug of maple syrup and a scattering of delicious roasted hazelnuts, that I blitzed in a food processor. Why not give french toast a try for a perfect lazy Sunday breakfast? It's quick, easy and every bit as delicious as pancakes.Princess of the kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02360268967091137054noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825709196336113811.post-89209773043035010862012-06-28T21:33:00.005+10:002012-06-28T21:55:19.128+10:00Gâteau aux noisettes et caramel<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfW4PI87XSiRFvS2WvGVX1DIIpRAi9N9tRLLlxnw5ZQUk3dehDbaNDsy8WwJGXOdlw9iuR3bFjeF5pd3th1lgiCG-VxCu-3HmSm2BbIyPM51xS4ND7QFihwCLiLw6xFYaPq73d_8lZXgFQ/s400/DSC01331.JPG" /><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></i><br />
<i style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Ok, ok, I totally just made this name up. It was certainly not given this name in the cookbook, but rather a ridiculous name, 'Entremet Contemporain', that utterly fails to convey what kind of a cake this is. I could more simply have called it a hazelnut and caramel cake, but when one has a french inspired luncheon, one MUST give things french names. On Sunday I had a little, belated Birthday luncheon with a couple of friends and I made this cake, among other things, for my guests. In an ideal world, I would have taken photos of the twice baked Gruy<span class="st"><i>èr</i></span>e souffl<span class="st"><i>é that I made for entr</i></span><span class="st"><i>ée, as well as the Fillet de Boeuf en </i></span><span class="st"><i>Croûte we had pour le Plat Principal. Sadly, I was too busy running back and forth between the kitchen and the dining room to remember to take any photos of these at all.</i></span></span></i><br />
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<i style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So it is that you will have to be satisfied with the photos that I did take: those of the Gâteau aux noisettes et caramel. The cake is surrounded by a ring of sponge and its interior consists of a layer of caramel syrup soaked sponge, then caramel mousse, another layer of soaked sponge, hazelnut cream and finally a caramel glaze.</span></i><i style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></i><br />
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<i style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I'm not going to lie to you and pretend that it was all smooth sailing- no siree! The recipe in question comes from the Cordon Bleu book of desserts. The recipe is a bit of a shambles really. It seems that Cordon Bleu didn't correctly augment quantities for the home baker, leaving some components of the cake in quantities vast enough to produce 3 or 4 cakes, while other components were converted accurately and produced only enough mixture for one. </span></i><br />
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<i style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Luckily, I'd seen enough recipes in my time to know that the specified quantities </span></i><i style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">were wrong and altered the size of the batches accordingly. This entailed halving the cake mix, halving the caramel sauce, making the full batch of mousse, a half batch of cream and a full batch of glaze- CRAZY! </span></i><br />
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<span class="st" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Not only that, but there was a major error in the ingredients list for the mousse. The recipe specified 40g Gelatine, which seemed an insane amount, but I didn't question it for long enough to check the packet for directions. What I ended up with was a horrible, caramel glue that I could hardly remove from the saucepan, let alone fold into cream. A second batch turned out just right with about 2/3 sachet (roughly 1 1/2 tsps of gelatine). Boy did they get that quantity wrong!</i></span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Anyway, I shouldn't complain too much. Despite all these issues, the cake turned out rather well and cut beautifully. The highlight for me was definitely the hazelnut cream, which was, coincidentally, the simplest of all the components to make. It is seriously just cream whipped with a bit of icing sugar and some blitzed up roasted hazelnuts folded gently through. </span></i><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">If you are brave enough to tackle this beautiful gateau after my horror story, just let me know and I will happily post the amended recipe on the blog. </span></i><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Bon appetit!</span></i><br />
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<br />Princess of the kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02360268967091137054noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825709196336113811.post-32556231806855389982012-06-06T21:17:00.003+10:002012-06-06T21:17:50.103+10:00Marvelous Marshmallows<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">Hands up all those who have eaten home made marshmallows? Who has ever contemplating making them? It would seem to many to be a ludicrous idea, but they are in fact relatively easy ......... provided you have a stand mixer. If you don't, well, maybe it might be a little tricky. If you do, you are in for a real treat. My gosh they are good! Like unbelievably, positively, absolutely fantastic!!! They really do put your store bought marshmallows to shame.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">A few weeks ago I was watching Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall make his own Marshmallows on the River Cottage: Autumn. I was struck immediately by how quick they were to whip up and, even more amazingly, how rapidly they set. I really thought marshmallow would have to set over night, or for the equivalent amount of time. Of course, Hugh, being the good, all natural, back to basics kind of a guy that he is, used Beetroot to colour the marshmallows pink. I didn't have any beetroot on hand, nor did I have the slightest inclination to use a vegetable to colour my food. As far as I'm concerned, a drop of food colouring won't hurt at all. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfcb3knCCecfzEmLb_3Pa0keVTvFK_L7X81aGnw4tgJqxhWpdjZEdHK5S5lMzd_lIOxNDXr5Un24X0Qy6UVg7TLk75iqtq91zbdiRRvojQfCVbkm5GYz1nu1lxRh-_8ghUoUzd09uztVM_/s1600/DSC01277.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfcb3knCCecfzEmLb_3Pa0keVTvFK_L7X81aGnw4tgJqxhWpdjZEdHK5S5lMzd_lIOxNDXr5Un24X0Qy6UVg7TLk75iqtq91zbdiRRvojQfCVbkm5GYz1nu1lxRh-_8ghUoUzd09uztVM_/s400/DSC01277.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR0radtXzjnJyhthkxAo89jXsDCWRXg4DYvEgpLslUH8jdhO14L8eriFgYYrw3uQR66PYe51kqFxew9cUPXIjVY95zXeJG4XpBykH7GpD4OQxCsIQJubkB3b-JJJwE2o_-h10dgrGzGJ7r/s1600/DSC01292.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR0radtXzjnJyhthkxAo89jXsDCWRXg4DYvEgpLslUH8jdhO14L8eriFgYYrw3uQR66PYe51kqFxew9cUPXIjVY95zXeJG4XpBykH7GpD4OQxCsIQJubkB3b-JJJwE2o_-h10dgrGzGJ7r/s400/DSC01292.JPG" width="400" /></a>The recipe is available <a href="http://www.channel4.com/4food/recipes/chefs/hugh-fearnley-whittingstall/marshmallows-recipe">here</a> from the BBC site. I urge you all to give them a go. If like me, you are short of beetroot, just put in a few drops of pink colouring into the 125 mls of boiling water before adding the gelatine. You won't believe how far your two egg whites willgo- you will end up with a huge batch of the lightest, most delicious Marshmallows you've ever tasted: perfect with hot chocolate or toasted over a fire. Enjoy!</div>
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<br />Princess of the kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02360268967091137054noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825709196336113811.post-2707361691991603662012-05-27T13:56:00.002+10:002012-05-27T13:56:51.002+10:00Haupia cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have been fortunate enough to have spent quite a bit of time in Hawaii over the years and on one of my more recent visits, I was introduced to a delightful Hawaiian specialty- the Haupia cake. Haupia is a cold, jelly like coconut pudding, and this, the cake version, is a layered dessert of meltingly tender sponge and fantastically wobbly Haupia. My first taste of this cake was during a girl's trip to Honolulu with my mother and sister, Rachael. Rach took a particular fancy to this coconut creation and insisted upon ordering it at every establishment with Haupia cake gracing its dessert menu.<br />
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On the occasion of Rachael's Birthday, this past week, I was stuck for ideas on which cake to make her, when I suddenly remembered her fondness for the Haupia cake. I went searching online and came across a <a href="http://www.hsn.com/roy-yamaguchi-recipe-haupia-cake-coconut-pudding-cake_at-2357_xa.aspx">recipe</a> by renowned Hawaiian chef, Roy Yamaguchi of Roy's Restaurant. I'm generally not too keen sourcing recipes online without knowing the reputation of the author. I felt assured, though, in this case, that the recipe would be a good one, because I have heard nothing but positive reviews of Roy's Restaurant. You may even recall an episode of the Family Jewels, in which Gene takes his wife, whoops, I mean girlfriend, to Roy's; they liked the food so much that he went and chased down Roy to make a private dinner for the two of them the following evening. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDqexZbNHiKRfVeQA47dl1wowgW4yQO20gp59ycT_8Jss_9oQUb-UTIsKoNAoI6xq5dnD1v5wLslBg6lFg59ijnvtG8oU0FCkfe8olOfRU9kj8c5-IEkbO2k_Z5_vx6G72LY-6hZCKU81F/s1600/DSC01242.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDqexZbNHiKRfVeQA47dl1wowgW4yQO20gp59ycT_8Jss_9oQUb-UTIsKoNAoI6xq5dnD1v5wLslBg6lFg59ijnvtG8oU0FCkfe8olOfRU9kj8c5-IEkbO2k_Z5_vx6G72LY-6hZCKU81F/s400/DSC01242.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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The recipe, as expected, worked a treat. It is really one of the most interesting cakes you'll ever have. I would say, in terms of texture, that it is more like a trifle than a cake, with its lovely mellow coconut jelly and moist sponge. By the way, if you've never before seen candles in jelly, it is a sight to behold. My how they jiggled about as I carried the cake to the table! The most important thing of all was that Rach was thrilled with her birthday cake, which was, after all, the whole purpose of its being made.Princess of the kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02360268967091137054noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825709196336113811.post-41513596702897708292012-05-24T22:12:00.002+10:002012-05-24T22:12:51.415+10:00Cinnamon Buns for Mumsy Daisy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Cinnamon buns are a true favourite of my mother's. She is not the kind of person with a really sweet tooth, in fact she rarely orders desserts. Cinnamon buns, however, she can devour by the dozen. I decided to make her a batch for mother's day and, to shake things up a bit, I added some mashed bananas to half of these lusciously sticky, oozy, gooey buns. I'm not going to lie to you, I too adore these buns. It is hard to convey in words and pictures just how moreish they are, not least because, as the italians would say, they are brutti, ma buoni (ugly, but good). To fully comprehend, one must encounter the buns when they are fresh from the oven, their heavenly spiced scent permeating through the corridors and into every nook and cranny of the house, and their sticky cinnamon centres oozing from each and every crevice of these wonderful buns. Because the word 'enough' doesn't exist in my vocabulary, I top it off with a cream cheese drizzle for good measure.</div>
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The recipe I use is based on Nigella's 'Norwegian cinnamon buns' from <i>How to Be a Domestic Goddess,</i> a wonderful book that I can't recommend highly enough. It has been a long time since I made these following the recipe to a tee, having tinkered with them substantially over the years to create my own recipe. I'm not yet ready to share mine, I'm afraid; cinnamon buns are, you see, one of MY things. I wouldn't want anyone to take over now, would I? Maybe one day when I'm feeling more generous and not too lazy to type it up, I may consider sharing with you, my privy counsel. Until that day, try <a href="http://nigellalawsononline.co.uk/94/nigella-lawson-norwegian-cinnamon-buns-recipe/">Nigella's recipe</a> and play around- you may come up with something even better. </div>
</div>Princess of the kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02360268967091137054noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825709196336113811.post-25321130746772973822012-05-16T21:58:00.002+10:002012-05-16T21:59:16.574+10:00Banana nut muffins<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-nKbxEDVI-Z-ZSs6SvMGlO-HkGdqJl_u8-lLLDDI3_5VvhoCMquTdoU8SDuyv0kG9LIZQZSVeSRqUYI5kqnoMsJZqxbqz9f5UKaQ079hc7Ln8M3rTVkSorKqX9gx0K29ZAIHr6SnCNghK/s1600/DSC01118.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-nKbxEDVI-Z-ZSs6SvMGlO-HkGdqJl_u8-lLLDDI3_5VvhoCMquTdoU8SDuyv0kG9LIZQZSVeSRqUYI5kqnoMsJZqxbqz9f5UKaQ079hc7Ln8M3rTVkSorKqX9gx0K29ZAIHr6SnCNghK/s320/DSC01118.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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In Honolulu, there's a fabulous little place that sells my favourite muffins in the whole wide world. It is a small, unassuming takeaway joint in the Ala Moana food court called 'The Paradise cafe' and its muffins are out of this world. The banana nut muffin is my particular favourite: a golden, crunchy muffin top with a fragrant, moist and oaty interior. Ever since I first tasted it, some 6 or so years ago, I have made it one of my life's greatest ambitions to replicate the magnificent banana nut muffin of 'The Paradise Cafe'.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8RVjdt1rp3P_GZmRwiQmKhDXJ2g26c8etWe7dEp4mkRpuM3FrX54AnXRASZ6bzxqz1A_S0NBcNkR67pHo4eSIsFlq7bRduK4xO9XpKlnZFBn70Azb81t9tOe_t16o4XTPRjlTCKBO6A50/s1600/DSC01115.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8RVjdt1rp3P_GZmRwiQmKhDXJ2g26c8etWe7dEp4mkRpuM3FrX54AnXRASZ6bzxqz1A_S0NBcNkR67pHo4eSIsFlq7bRduK4xO9XpKlnZFBn70Azb81t9tOe_t16o4XTPRjlTCKBO6A50/s320/DSC01115.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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This muffin was the closest I've ever come to the perfection of 'The Paradise cafe': close, but not quite. I'm seriously contemplating just asking for the recipe next time I'm in Hawaii just to get me through to the next visit. Honestly- I'm sick of these dry, cakey things that vendors are calling muffins these days. I'm also equally unimpressed by homemade muffins sans crunchy top- don't be afraid, people, to fill 'em up right to the top, even a little over, to get a wonderfully crunchy muffin top.<br />
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<u>Ingredients</u><br />
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200g Wholemeal spelt flour (my preference, but you can use ordinary plain flour too)<br />
100g rolled oats, coarsely ground, or oat bran<br />
2 tsp Baking powder<br />
2 tsp Cinnamon<br />
125g Brown sugar + 2 tablespoons for the topping<br />
2 eggs<br />
1/2 cup maple syrup<br />
80ml natural yoghurt<br />
100ml vegetable/canola oil<br />
4 bananas, mashed<br />
50g macadamias, coarsely chopped<br />
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Preheat oven to 200 degrees celcius.<br />
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In a large bowl, stir together all the dry ingredients, except for the macadamias and reserved additional sugar for topping. Make a well in the centre. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients until amalgamated. Pour this into the well in the centre of the dry ingredients. Mix gently a few times, just enough to mix the wet into the dry so that there are no huge patches of flour remaining. DO NOT STIR MORE THAN THIS. A light muffin is made from a lumpy batter, so don't be tempted to whisk or you'll end up with dense muffins.<br />
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Place muffin papers into a 12 muffin pan. Delicately scoop the muffin batter all the way to the top in the awaiting muffin papers. If it looks as though you won't have enough batter for 12, though you should, it is better to have fewer muffins filled up properly. In a little bowl, mix together the reserved sugar and macadamias. Sprinkle evenly over the top of the muffins.<br />
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Place tray in preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes. I know it seems a long time for a muffin, but these are rather large. Still, be sure to check yours after 15 minutes and then at five minute increments- ovens vary enormously in temperature.<br />
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Once manageable, remove muffins from pan and leave on a cooling rack. They will keep for several days in an airtight container, although I warn you that they are never as good on days 2 or 3. The muffins are so moist, you see, that putting them into a container rather destroys the wonderful crunchiness of their tops. If you have time, put the day old muffins back into the oven for 5 minutes or so to revive their texture.<br />
<br />Princess of the kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02360268967091137054noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825709196336113811.post-34701617371465822192012-05-14T21:48:00.000+10:002012-05-14T21:48:13.698+10:00White vienna loaf<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMuh_yeDlZfL0zdCTCDDRfL0MIWwTng_RyjGm4MwTdPyXvsKD2K5xxIMr9SptqOW8-80ewmZkZ0hLG1GISmTObGPExt5AUEUkbbT_O1uneJaeILDVtf1WsqZQ0ExHR2rWrguU4SKDymGKb/s1600/DSC01134.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMuh_yeDlZfL0zdCTCDDRfL0MIWwTng_RyjGm4MwTdPyXvsKD2K5xxIMr9SptqOW8-80ewmZkZ0hLG1GISmTObGPExt5AUEUkbbT_O1uneJaeILDVtf1WsqZQ0ExHR2rWrguU4SKDymGKb/s640/DSC01134.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Enjoying a freshly baked loaf of bread is one of the simplest and greatest pleasures of life. Indeed there is nothing remotely exotic about a loaf of plain white bread, nor is there any great challenge in its preparation; there is, nonetheless, a certain pride that can be attained only from baking with yeast. A cake comes to life only when it is consumed by the heat of the oven. Bread, on the other hand, comes to life before your very eyes on the kitchen bench. The dough, nurtured by the gentle touch of your hands and guarded carefully by your watchful eyes, miraculously grows, doubling in volume. It is the closest thing, I can only imagine, to raising a child; the only difference being that we tend not to eat our children once they are grown. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaGT-epLndQw1pG64euaqxf4d_JpuTRPeDpsC07q06S-OmSb-EpEqDB9UaNp2sCbbWgez2NOR3GE9sHPXJQXS-SdQ586vnVd3rJq9taSj-28YoVJYyte3O9YrGF-wvEii1O1NYk2bHBOOV/s1600/DSC01135.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaGT-epLndQw1pG64euaqxf4d_JpuTRPeDpsC07q06S-OmSb-EpEqDB9UaNp2sCbbWgez2NOR3GE9sHPXJQXS-SdQ586vnVd3rJq9taSj-28YoVJYyte3O9YrGF-wvEii1O1NYk2bHBOOV/s640/DSC01135.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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This recipe is 'The essential white loaf' from Nigella Lawson's <i>How to be a domestic goddess.</i> Nigella suggests using potato water for its excellent starchy properties. I, however, didn't have any potato water on hand, so I substituted some similarly starchy pasta water and reduced the quantity of salt to 2 teaspoons. It has a lovely crumb and the ratios seemed to be spot on.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLUv1H709wXJ1olLHs-KAQ_Z_IURUoIaJaVQ9KYRyNe8gNRnmJ1qC00aXcuYUuKWPeI-1T93Fcu5FACLsyW2MUHQlmUzFPiEfBh25S4K1cAZ1Iiv-uC-2jTHxGUJZv9cDHOa7XqzkN5sdO/s1600/DSC01142.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLUv1H709wXJ1olLHs-KAQ_Z_IURUoIaJaVQ9KYRyNe8gNRnmJ1qC00aXcuYUuKWPeI-1T93Fcu5FACLsyW2MUHQlmUzFPiEfBh25S4K1cAZ1Iiv-uC-2jTHxGUJZv9cDHOa7XqzkN5sdO/s640/DSC01142.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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One thing Nigella doesn't mention is how best to shape the loaf. You can of course have the loaf in any shape you desire. One thing I do suggest is that wherever you seal the dough together (make no mistake- there will be a seam somewhere), be sure to place that seam face side down on the tray or in the loaf tin. This way you can slash the bread with a super sharp knife/blade before it goes in the oven and you won't have any un-slightly cracks from seams, but lovely big slashes only where you want them to appear. I like lots, but 2 or 3 would be ample. Now what are you waiting for? Go on- get baking!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi73rg_z_7eJANqUJp-ZugEFOoKC9QbfMyeGC0YpCbeiYOQl1vrUzaXt8oSv_MdaIWCfFH2DSJo598A74i3H3W3bOgXat0iQriOYFm7fc2gm1P_yEE2bDi66_6jq7Bg9X2IXa4PWU9oZv0I/s1600/DSC01137.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi73rg_z_7eJANqUJp-ZugEFOoKC9QbfMyeGC0YpCbeiYOQl1vrUzaXt8oSv_MdaIWCfFH2DSJo598A74i3H3W3bOgXat0iQriOYFm7fc2gm1P_yEE2bDi66_6jq7Bg9X2IXa4PWU9oZv0I/s640/DSC01137.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Princess of the kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02360268967091137054noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825709196336113811.post-8714044483836917462012-05-12T19:48:00.000+10:002012-05-12T19:48:12.395+10:00Chocolate and Almond truffles<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQqMwh-wEQkjmK3UAbZc12c8HVEsuz5eA9IQpfB9O-3KkpUhZ2kj3MRmxGQDWgPR5DQ7evhzyE-6E9BLyiwz6sdUvqXzClpqOm5ILTKNpIZx07vMPewUwxCAELyCPFKhFubHpqjb6tLi13/s1600/DSC01130.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQqMwh-wEQkjmK3UAbZc12c8HVEsuz5eA9IQpfB9O-3KkpUhZ2kj3MRmxGQDWgPR5DQ7evhzyE-6E9BLyiwz6sdUvqXzClpqOm5ILTKNpIZx07vMPewUwxCAELyCPFKhFubHpqjb6tLi13/s640/DSC01130.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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Jumping back two posts ago, you may remember that I made a steamed chocolate pudding with chocolate sauce. Well, the sauce in question was actually a ganache, made from chocolate and cream, that sets quite hard once cooled. I had quite a bit of ganache left over from the pudding and, not wanting to let it go to waste, I turned the solid, chocolatey mass into chocolate truffles. You could make just about any kind of truffle that you fancy with ganache as the basis: add a dash of Cointreau for orange truffles, peppermint extract for peppermint truffles, limoncello, cherry herring, or unadulterated for a perfectly plain chocolate truffle.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvSUpEOY8cG0j757gyN8_Dg25mwI3OHtAI_zYuJhyphenhyphenI25kDfJ3m2iLpgoOUTqt72NfY4pglE8dSTqVWRq0t4vlS-niHt7kg2XZSVb8oLa1AraU2eoZkglffMfCKxfQ5VZvjhFcfakUzhs3_/s1600/DSC01124.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvSUpEOY8cG0j757gyN8_Dg25mwI3OHtAI_zYuJhyphenhyphenI25kDfJ3m2iLpgoOUTqt72NfY4pglE8dSTqVWRq0t4vlS-niHt7kg2XZSVb8oLa1AraU2eoZkglffMfCKxfQ5VZvjhFcfakUzhs3_/s400/DSC01124.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
I went with Amaretto for these truffles. Just add a splash of your chosen liquer/extract into the cooled ganache, place in the fridge to set, then, with lightly greased hands, shape small moundfuls of ganache into rounds, or whatever shape you fancy (logs look nice). The truffles need to be coated in something to prevent them from sticking to one another. Here I have finely chopped some almonds and rolled the balls in the nutty flakes to give them an even coating. You could also use cocoa powder, coconut, sprinkles, other finely chopped nuts or some melted . You can really coat them and flavour them however you please- plenty of scope for the imagination and a really quick and easy little treat to make.<br />
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<u>Nigella's chocolate sauce (ganache)</u><br />
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<li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;">125g milk chocolate, chopped</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;">125g dark chocolate, chopped </span></li>
<li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;">250ml double cream </span></li>
<li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;">75g golden syrup </span></li>
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<li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;">Put all these ingredients into a saucepan and stir occasionally over a low heat until combined. Cool this sauce, add your liquer/extract of choice and then refrigerate to set completely before shaping (see above). You can actually omit the golden syrup and vanilla from this recipe for a slightly less sweetened truffle. It is also possible to alter the type of chocolate used. Feel free to play around and use milk, dark and/or white chocolate, according to your preference. </span></li>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; text-align: left;"><br /><br />Read more: <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/food/article-1094188/Chocolate-pudding-Christmas-pudding-haters.html#ixzz1ueAkPfM9" style="color: #003399; cursor: pointer; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 1px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/food/article-1094188/Chocolate-pudding-Christmas-pudding-haters.html#ixzz1ueAkPfM9</a></span>
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<br />Princess of the kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02360268967091137054noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825709196336113811.post-74117782794695151822012-05-10T07:59:00.004+10:002012-05-10T07:59:53.580+10:00Anzac Biscuits- better late than never<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9sOnmtVq9rIXCsE57Qwo0RgnKVvpGOrqrT1NZ468ub8tpEdJoCKd6BnVigjrnkL84z8xl9iQvoV_iKJA2hM6JomOf1b_hUbVRnTjj5QjxZ09UbstDo-dJlnzq1weiDGAdBifx3lUR6-yt/s1600/DSC01020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9sOnmtVq9rIXCsE57Qwo0RgnKVvpGOrqrT1NZ468ub8tpEdJoCKd6BnVigjrnkL84z8xl9iQvoV_iKJA2hM6JomOf1b_hUbVRnTjj5QjxZ09UbstDo-dJlnzq1weiDGAdBifx3lUR6-yt/s320/DSC01020.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
I know what you are all thinking- 'What a slacker?'. I know, I know. Anzac day has long since past, but I still wanted to share with you some photos of the biscuits I made on the day, as well as my mother's recipe for Anzac Biscuits. My mum's Anzac biscuits are a little different to the everyday variety: they contain currants. Not raisins, definitely not sultanas, but currants. Having grown up eating Anzac biscuits with currants, I wouldn't have them any other way. I urge you to try them with currants and see for yourself what a wonderful addition they make.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFTAF4WOMjQjHDgRoIfpJhmd-Txsu77DkETvgxL0i2RQ9U_7YCXrlsVlFWwkJY2R0YQCvRwA7cQZi9E1T-NcrHZQZgiy23dJfW3758Rfq8LUrHYSa_QQJ8du78x4GvlsuiCpMHkgESyaob/s1600/DSC01023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFTAF4WOMjQjHDgRoIfpJhmd-Txsu77DkETvgxL0i2RQ9U_7YCXrlsVlFWwkJY2R0YQCvRwA7cQZi9E1T-NcrHZQZgiy23dJfW3758Rfq8LUrHYSa_QQJ8du78x4GvlsuiCpMHkgESyaob/s320/DSC01023.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I must admit that mine turned out a little differently from how my mum's usually do, but then again she did neglect to tell me that she doesn't really follow the recipe, but rather measures by eye. This being said, if you prefer your cookies to stand up more like my mother's, rather than spread like mine, I'd suggest you reduce the quantity of butter to 100g, to make for a stodgier dough.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhftBZ6sjoZQ_YIYUTppS3DQD9ynNPjbKN2CSB-QCQhQJuK7lAk7EZEGX0vybSiMFa9uR14_V01nsVnGm3xtUbh1G2nPWb1cCYnMugy5FxWXGc7eAwpqYG-4uezAG5xzV99gYFy5De40Uam/s1600/DSC01024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhftBZ6sjoZQ_YIYUTppS3DQD9ynNPjbKN2CSB-QCQhQJuK7lAk7EZEGX0vybSiMFa9uR14_V01nsVnGm3xtUbh1G2nPWb1cCYnMugy5FxWXGc7eAwpqYG-4uezAG5xzV99gYFy5De40Uam/s320/DSC01024.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: #990033; font-family: 'Lucida Blackletter'; font-size: 26pt;">My Mum’s Anzac Biscuits<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: #990033; font-family: 'Lucida Blackletter'; font-size: 16pt;">Ingredients<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="color: #990033; font-family: 'Monotype Corsiva';"><span style="font-size: 21px;"><i><u><br /></u></i></span></span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #990033; font-family: 'Monotype Corsiva'; font-size: 14pt;">110g of
Rolled Oats 2
Tablespoons of Golden Syrup</span></i><i><span style="color: #990033; font-family: 'Monotype Corsiva'; font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #990033; font-family: 'Monotype Corsiva'; font-size: 14pt;">150g of Plain
Flour ½ Teaspoon of
Bicarbonate of Soda<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #990033; font-family: 'Monotype Corsiva'; font-size: 14pt;">175g Caster
Sugar 1
Tablespoon of Boiling Water<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #990033; font-family: 'Monotype Corsiva'; font-size: 14pt;">65g desiccated
Coconut ½
Cup of Currants (Optional)<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #990033; font-family: 'Monotype Corsiva'; font-size: 14pt;">125g
Unsalted Butter </span></i><b><span style="color: #990033; font-family: 'Monotype Corsiva'; font-size: 14pt;"> (</span></b><i><span style="color: #990033; font-family: 'Monotype Corsiva'; font-size: 14pt;">3 Baking Sheets<b>)<o:p></o:p></b></span></i></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: #990033; font-family: 'Lucida Blackletter'; font-size: 16pt;">Method<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Blackletter';"><span style="font-size: 19px;"><i><u><br /></u></i></span></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: 'Monotype Corsiva'; font-size: 14pt;">Preheat oven to 160º C
(140 º C Fan Forced oven).<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: 'Monotype Corsiva'; font-size: 14pt;"> Combine Oats, Sifted flour, Sugar and Coconut in large
bowl. Heat Butter and Golden Syrup together in a saucepan over gentle heat
until melted. Set aside. In a second large bowl, mix Bicarb soda with boiling
water and then add to butter mixture. Do make sure you use a large bowl as the
mixture expands enormously in volume as the bicarb fizzes away. Add the liquid
mixture to the oat mixture and stir to combine.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: 'Monotype Corsiva'; font-size: 14pt;"> Place tablespoon’s full of the mixture onto baking sheets
lined with baking paper. Do make sure to leave sufficient room on all sides of
each biscuit for spreading, otherwise you’ll end up with one giant Biscuit.
Cook in the oven for about 15. If you like your biscuits soft, like I do, check
every 2 minutes after the ten minute mark. They should look slightly golden but
when touched, they should be very soft. They might seem like they need longer
at this stage, but trust me, they will harden out of the oven and end up being
perfectly soft and chewy. I like these best still warm from the oven, but you
can’t eat a whole batch straight away, so I recommend that you leave them to
cool on the trays before stowing them into airtight containers. They should
last for nearly a week. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: 'Monotype Corsiva'; font-size: 14pt;">Yields 25-35 biscuits<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>Princess of the kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02360268967091137054noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825709196336113811.post-27818647687189311202012-05-07T15:39:00.001+10:002012-05-07T15:48:11.696+10:00Death by Chocolate pudding<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-FNJRyoDdP-e_OjX9OPv5dduy2_l_7Yo9JdlXolOnQmn6FwrMUkQa4XDq4G67E6Uq5wj_I120D68yuPJJYdXi2Yuq8J4I1p0sBxxGl__V0VTthhC2O6yJiYIuRD1WzUZWbrEAdv5aRlVu/s1600/DSC01095.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-FNJRyoDdP-e_OjX9OPv5dduy2_l_7Yo9JdlXolOnQmn6FwrMUkQa4XDq4G67E6Uq5wj_I120D68yuPJJYdXi2Yuq8J4I1p0sBxxGl__V0VTthhC2O6yJiYIuRD1WzUZWbrEAdv5aRlVu/s400/DSC01095.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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There is so much to love about a steamed pudding, not least because they can be prepared well in advance and left to simmer away gently on the stove for a few hours, but also because an unmoulded steamed pudding is such a joy to behold. Standing proudly, thick chocolate ganache oozing down its perfectly sloped sides, the steamed pudding has, let's face it, a great deal more charm than its baked cousin. Why is it then that the steamed pudding seems to have fallen off the radar? I just don't know why.......One thing's for sure, I plan on reintroducing it into my household in the approaching winter months: What better sight on a cold winter's night than a lovely pudding?<br />
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<span style="text-align: justify;">Do try and make this pudding,</span><a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/food/article-1094188/Chocolate-pudding-Christmas-pudding-haters.html" style="text-align: justify;"> 'Chocolate pudding for Christmas pudding haters' from Nigella Christmas</a><span style="text-align: justify;">, for your own family. I'm afraid that I wasn't able to try it myself, as I have been unwell, but the feedback was this: the sponge is light as a feather and wonderful on its own. </span>I think everyone agreed that the ganache, lovely as it was, was just a bit too much on top of the pudding. So, if you are a chocoholic, you'll probably love it with the ganache. If not, either make a half batch of ganache to serve alongside, so that each portion has just a drizzle, or eliminate completely. Serve hot with custard, cream and/or ice cream. And for goodness' sakes, be careful when you unmould the hot pudding.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The uncooked pudding- If, like me, you don't own a plastic basin, pour the batter into buttered ceramic basin, then cover the top with on layer of baking paper and two layers of foil. Smooth down around the rim and secure tightly with twine. NEVER put a ceramic pudding basin into boiling water as the temperature difference between the basin and the water could cause your basin to crack. Place in a pot with cold water, coming halfway up the side of the pudding. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Check the water level as you go and top up with water from a recently boiled kettle if it gets too low. If you tie the top as I have above, you'll be able to remove it very easily from the pot to serve. </td></tr>
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<br />Princess of the kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02360268967091137054noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825709196336113811.post-20439359252615468672012-04-21T09:45:00.000+10:002012-04-21T09:45:15.203+10:00My very own Chocolate Chip Cookie production line<div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">My brother, Dominic, was running a Rugby camp for 9-year-olds this week, so I figured the least I could do was volunteer to make some afternoon tea. Of </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">course, when you have 40 9-year-old boys, ravenous after hours spent running through the bush in the pouring rain, you need to have A LOT OF COOKIES. I believe I made 110 cookies all up and, like a mad woman, I counted all 995 of the choc chips and divided them equally among the cookies</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> to avoid any arguments between the young'ns over who had the most.</span><br />
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Although I was not present at the camp, I heard via the grape vine that they were devoured greedily by the boys. It is, I must confess, a wickedly good cookie dough. I think it is the salt that makes it so moorish. That cloying after-taste, which lingers at the back of your throat when you eat too much sugar, seems to be absent with the addition of a teaspoon of salt. I'm not sure if there is any truth in the claim that 'a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down', however I'm quite convinced that salt does just that with sugar.</div>
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I just had to share with you some photos of my production line; after all, how often do you see 100+ cookies in one place, at the one time?</div>
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<a href="http://books.google.com.au/books?id=7O5YpNRnpNoC&lpg=PR8&dq=art+soul+baking+chocolate+chip+cookie&pg=PT248&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=cookie&f=false">Click here for the recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies from Cindy Mushet's 'The Art and Soul of Baking'</a>- you'll find it on page 273</div>
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</div>Princess of the kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02360268967091137054noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825709196336113811.post-39189763669635558812012-04-18T19:26:00.006+10:002012-04-18T20:27:06.794+10:00Macaron and Cupcake Masterclass<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip54Z7lIE09lqEJDpsqOmosQLPa2d9MVQAqdnWhL1dxZhumQfvaEyich8NP8l_0HglqPUUXS6mDmuq_ayn8k36HlXkxUPqi0mDMA3TcBk_VD5exnMM0H0OUhS58XS3KtpSFiX5TyMknix2/s1600/DSC00983.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip54Z7lIE09lqEJDpsqOmosQLPa2d9MVQAqdnWhL1dxZhumQfvaEyich8NP8l_0HglqPUUXS6mDmuq_ayn8k36HlXkxUPqi0mDMA3TcBk_VD5exnMM0H0OUhS58XS3KtpSFiX5TyMknix2/s400/DSC00983.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5732683175943383186" /><div style="text-align: center;"><span ><br /></span></div></a><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; text-align: left; font-size: 100%; ">On Sunday I was lucky enough to spend a whole day at a Cupcake decorating and Macaron Masterclass at Carrick College: a christmas gift from my big brother, Ben. In the morning we made the macarons shells, Cream cheese frosting, </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; text-align: left; ">butter cream</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; text-align: left; font-size: 100%; "> and chocolate ganache. After lunch our teacher demonstrated red velvet cupcakes and we decorated a batch of enormous vanilla cupcakes with the cream cheese frosting and butter cream we'd made earlier. Don't let the red colour of my macarons fool you. They were neither raspberry nor strawberry in flavour. In fact, I flavoured my buttercream with coffee extract and Kalua, for wonderful coffee flavoured macarons and, of course, the remainder were filled with chocolate ganache.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF9gQX7FwkBL8ldO0duA40FV9W5pOv7C66G8VLdqCPy-TTpAEIl_EVwAYYeCI2lyHpJY02AfqxAS5lWq1SkBFYg5CgOR1uOAtroUOE15Dspt3wWdSFU3b7s5NYzLuzokRb1NNhJ2CxpGMM/s400/DSC00979.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5732683157817311842" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><span ><br /></span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span ><span style="font-size: 100%;">It was a great day and the best part of it all was coming home at the end of the day with an enormous box of coffee and chocolate macarons, as well as cream cheese frosting and fondant topped cupcakes to enjoy with my family. Thanks Ben for the wonderful present! Here are some photos for you all to enjoy.</span></span></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNEIP_K_Muj-XaZNDPUaLdlDdSIdTbtwpWDpKy7nWxsPVDnO8WLFjwhdLh4uv3C7hezsBv0Tazsw-ctST5bW33zBOdiMd9hTPZqwnMuBZXOKN5hqMEitgxxB35y_xD-kS8zdaliZcX8FFr/s400/DSC00985.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5732684809747117602" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /><div style="text-align: justify;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA8RvKiT48NCsyEtBz4ovxtQmL8qEPWKQ6NJzGp76hY4pK_g6GXFbkhIqqQE6oiTV5Qnm64JkjI2y_WgRs7vQIy3nPNRlL5g639OnXHliBMn6lC1aB_fUdhCCBTnwH9bWZA3ibjiWuq6JE/s400/DSC00989.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5732684821551560866" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7uWbUxfUKfC8aRc331ayvRpDzGeaRco6zSzMSQ3hM-KkLRT0RqfBwzcn0j08A98pYI2bSY1Qg6aKGKfVAvIiF_5zRB0SDv8WenPiwzhLapyFLYPwaIhsOZQDTHNjSIv6zmpEAu9Xtegk3/s400/DSC00973.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5732681897772726178" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9kTbzVh5jKUOTo7LCynIqm56oCHrc-UejX8zuXkHvNrWmCWttiFl4MOm7fNnhLBXF7Fb8xeUePCxmTlpfTQh5gXWiuJiW1y0kineumT5Gv6CT3f6A8x1RsHcgSI_7Y1X9YQFULOpkhx0E/s400/DSC00980.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5732683161742594386" style="text-align: center; font-size: 16px; font-family: Georgia, serif; display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /><div style="text-align: center; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1D63BQmUxfvgyd21FFVJJtfhzpzWN4EfB3o0trkalDOfgGTM_cVfCGvyGPaEakTuelTewb78rX-E09ZMu8TLXwnvsasilsndXoUOZbByJBuh0pQ-8RqlE1UM9rPBIBBy66GPDpeT17fgm/s400/DSC00974.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5732681913671186914" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></div><div><br /></div>Princess of the kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02360268967091137054noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825709196336113811.post-83778669323350265842012-04-14T20:08:00.005+10:002012-04-16T22:04:21.608+10:00Nana's Hachapuri from Nigella Lawson's 'Feast'<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhePOJ28eU5eUlWHRG_EQ91IkDJOjCyl0FArurAmDbYzG0AGIxqq8ImJJGAtX1LNAqgAQEZj_kitoZ79tsu6RRNQgtk6s14TTGMVkqW7McOZoOsc0jGqHB18muBTw8ycf-hCoBpcqiU-1NL/s1600/DSC00932.JPG" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhePOJ28eU5eUlWHRG_EQ91IkDJOjCyl0FArurAmDbYzG0AGIxqq8ImJJGAtX1LNAqgAQEZj_kitoZ79tsu6RRNQgtk6s14TTGMVkqW7McOZoOsc0jGqHB18muBTw8ycf-hCoBpcqiU-1NL/s400/DSC00932.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5731965490821107826" /></a><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><span style="font-size: 100%;">Those who know me well know that I am a big fan of Nigella Lawson. It was her book 'How to be a domestic goddess', a gift from my darling friend Sarah, that really sparked my initial interest in baking. That was 6 years ago now and my love for baking and cooking all manner of things has continued to grow and flourish under the </span>tutor-ledge<span style="font-size: 100%;"> of the </span>incomparable<span style="font-size: 100%;"> Nigella Lawson.</span></span></div><div><span ><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><span style="font-size: 100%;"></span></span><div><span ><span style="font-size: 100%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicKQOcRAh6B6z91_N_qUvQKzARl9KSFkJkIYJS3993u3Ll0r2RyQrV_g8413kN-0T5Gp_f1Qrf_VBQj7PKCJ-y0ZMknLjTZ0bRcoV1fbIVMRcqNhgLKjgS4KXqRXTlzR-o-P9DiqwRjbpW/s1600/DSC00927.JPG"></a></span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-g5UJW3NapFd-DCbmA4ynKvCGnRXkUHxrxL5lV8rfCemXqa9aW6d-yHM6MUcPOSENyPxJb5l0yTMsy7NCmB4WX0oMP7WdcfjGAZjSRDG4vS0j01byYSI5vjoJsUmXA13eq_udVG-SyPJO/s1600/DSC00929.JPG" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-g5UJW3NapFd-DCbmA4ynKvCGnRXkUHxrxL5lV8rfCemXqa9aW6d-yHM6MUcPOSENyPxJb5l0yTMsy7NCmB4WX0oMP7WdcfjGAZjSRDG4vS0j01byYSI5vjoJsUmXA13eq_udVG-SyPJO/s400/DSC00929.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5731965472291066962" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span ><br /></span></div><div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; "></div></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><span ><span style="font-size: 100%;">If you haven't tried the Georgian specialty Hachapuri, you're in for a treat; if you have, you're in for a repeat treat. It is basically a bread with a gooey, cheesy filling. The bread in question is really a soda bread, made with bicarb as a raising agent in place of the usual yeast. This makes it incredibly quick to make, because soda breads do not require proofing (rising). The cheesy centre in question is made up of fresh ricotta, fetta and mozzarella. I didn't actually have ricotta in the house, so I used cottage cheese in its place with an equally successful result. </span></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><span ><span style="font-size: 100%;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilYDfArPkRRbBx6RRaSY1FMxO5JfOa1Nlbh3JQF6FoGh49PIuwKVl-9rTtwYnh-W45o_gq6Mmhgl6sLFvjtd2gn2EOrKaYByGVmeEHJxCzKvugFw-X21W09bfModcCXoQHr2pr1v-atBGD/s400/DSC00931.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5731965486858588162" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><span ><span style="font-size: 100%;">Do try this delicious Hachapuri recipe- it's simple and incredibly yummy.</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><span ><span style="font-size: 100%;"><br /></span></span></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicKQOcRAh6B6z91_N_qUvQKzARl9KSFkJkIYJS3993u3Ll0r2RyQrV_g8413kN-0T5Gp_f1Qrf_VBQj7PKCJ-y0ZMknLjTZ0bRcoV1fbIVMRcqNhgLKjgS4KXqRXTlzR-o-P9DiqwRjbpW/s400/DSC00927.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5731965462800811106" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></div>Princess of the kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02360268967091137054noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825709196336113811.post-33600029940973026252012-04-09T16:11:00.004+10:002012-04-09T16:54:03.309+10:00Banoffee Pie: as easy as pie<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyzZ5Mujo_-itbFEcmhLLOlLcX_qKBUgZ35SIDX3vaWbFOWWd81iyNIUW4kUzX4SR7BAGLKk69IXCuJVai57p5bkkJxfC78F9GKXURP9vTNrK9720UI6pSvIYhAjEkq0jFS0RNshbfK4x4/s1600/DSC00962.JPG" style="text-align: left; "><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyzZ5Mujo_-itbFEcmhLLOlLcX_qKBUgZ35SIDX3vaWbFOWWd81iyNIUW4kUzX4SR7BAGLKk69IXCuJVai57p5bkkJxfC78F9GKXURP9vTNrK9720UI6pSvIYhAjEkq0jFS0RNshbfK4x4/s400/DSC00962.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729288485043220850" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyzZ5Mujo_-itbFEcmhLLOlLcX_qKBUgZ35SIDX3vaWbFOWWd81iyNIUW4kUzX4SR7BAGLKk69IXCuJVai57p5bkkJxfC78F9GKXURP9vTNrK9720UI6pSvIYhAjEkq0jFS0RNshbfK4x4/s1600/DSC00962.JPG"><br /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div><span style="font-size: 100%; font-family: Georgia, serif; ">Whoever thought up the old expression 'easy as pie' may well have been referring to the process of making what I believe to be the easiest of all pies to produce, the Banoffee Pie. Not only is it one of the most simple things to make, it tastes so good that people will believe you have slaved away for hours. There is no longer any excuse for you non-bakers to stay out of the kitchen. No kitchen wizardry, nor indeed any gadgets of any kind are required to make this. So get your aprons on and into the kitchen with yer.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyzZ5Mujo_-itbFEcmhLLOlLcX_qKBUgZ35SIDX3vaWbFOWWd81iyNIUW4kUzX4SR7BAGLKk69IXCuJVai57p5bkkJxfC78F9GKXURP9vTNrK9720UI6pSvIYhAjEkq0jFS0RNshbfK4x4/s1600/DSC00962.JPG"></a></div><div><span style="font-size: 100%; font-family: Georgia, serif; "><br /></span></div><div><span ><span style="font-size: 100%; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQCBxiSAmReX9gUt6D4o2K2SJ7YWKrW-vBWRMT3UK3jLIk9TWAzNeXoeB5X0EnAEcYYy6B9JkV6Q-0VCuzF7oA9qSw6OPzKBa-wnQVWt0PdJBkgZqumCDUI8_IU2vwh2kcE4fu3nwDRgZF/s400/DSC00952.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729288470305500914" /></span></span><div style="text-align: center; "><br /><span style="margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs9Mmus4dYOD-wbO6L5NO33z_Nb5XSbXJcxMCvBpV47_qHSlbUbaa_C0Lo_qDvoX8RjFh2ABat5ha6c4lfjQ8OeUGc2Kg77Ra5JS2alwu_RCMndW1RpStmDS8Si-4Kd0qgYVYFrvz06ND0/s400/DSC00959.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729288482199653314" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></span><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size: medium; text-align: center; "><br /></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size: medium; text-align: left; "></div><div style="text-align: left; "><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg80m8mGqQISIvN2QbG-zsVMOH2rId-focoYEs22kNRToCzyDJCRnbcNMDOTQTETp8tnSu6VRabKlxm0m8nXqfYsay2DbPaUpoue87cM8E4VtJ2yrwhrY5vBqOtE4zkJlmur8aPMiXfWhSq/s1600/DSC00965.JPG" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size: medium; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxoIA_ioamidb0QVGUKKb7pst43ejzG8eb7_EjxArRsbefk2C1PmloAPlhhKsKH10Hi6qZSZGoq9IYRVVNkeA0UKIGdY65pq6p2E40jW5H__rdRpwpk1AQMJnaes_aiRR1QKxwAl9I4WxO/s400/DSC00972.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729288512679686674" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size: medium; "></div></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size: medium; "><br /></div></div></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; "><b>Banoffee Pie</b></div><div style="text-align: center; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; "><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; font-weight: normal; "><i>Ingredients</i></div><div style="text-align: center; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; "><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; ">1 can condensed milk </div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; ">250g digestive biscuits or your biscuit of choice (I like hobnobs best)</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; ">100g Unsalted butter, softened</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; ">2-3 bananas</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; ">1 Tblsp lemon juice</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; ">300ml thickened cream (cream for whipping)</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; ">50g icing (confectioner's) sugar</div><div style="text-align: center; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; "><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; font-weight: normal; "><i>Method</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; font-weight: normal; "><i><br /></i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; font-weight: normal; ">The day before you make the pie, or indeed longer if you'd prefer, place the can of condensed milk into a pot of cold water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and leave to on a low heat for 3-4 hours. Turn off the heat and allow the can to cool completely before removing from the water. Extra cans of condensed milk can be boiled and stored in the pantry for future use, saving you the hassle of boiling up another can the next time you have a craving for banoffee pie.</div><div style="text-align: center; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; font-weight: normal; "><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; font-weight: normal; ">[Warning- While this process entails very little effort, do make sure that the can remains submerged under water. If you allow the pot to boil dry, the cans will explode. As a preventative measure, place the can sideways in the pan so that should you be forgetful like me, at least the can will not explode all over the kitchen, but merely inside the pot. Even better idea: set your timer for every half hour to check that there is enough water in the pan and top it up, if necessary.]</div><div style="text-align: center; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; font-weight: normal; "><br /></div><div><span ><span style="font-size: 100%;">The next day, place the biscuits into a plastic bag. Hold the opening of your bag upright to prevent any contents from spilling and, using a rolling pin or other heavy apparatus, bash the biscuits to </span>smithereens<span style="font-size: 100%;">. You can certainly use a food processor for this, but frankly, why bother washing up more than you need? Pour the contents of the bag into a small bowl and mix in the softened butter. Press this mixture into a small pie dish, so that it comes all the way up the sides of the dish. Put in the fridge to set for at least an hour.</span></span></div><div><span ><span style="font-size: 100%;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span ><span style="font-size: 100%;">Open the can of boiled </span>condensed<span style="font-size: 100%;"> milk and spread it </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; ">evenly onto the biscuit base. Slice the bananas, sprinkling them with a spritz of lemon juice to prevent them from discolouring, and layer them on top of the luscious thick caramel base. In a medium bowl, or the bowl of a mixer if you'd rather, beat the cream and icing sugar until stiff peaks form. NEVER, and I mean never, walk away from a mixer when you are beating cream; it can turn into butter in the blink of an eye, so watch it closely. I put the cream into a piping bag with a star tip, however, there is absolutely no need for that. Feel free to just plonk the cream on top. It will taste the same either way.</span></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg80m8mGqQISIvN2QbG-zsVMOH2rId-focoYEs22kNRToCzyDJCRnbcNMDOTQTETp8tnSu6VRabKlxm0m8nXqfYsay2DbPaUpoue87cM8E4VtJ2yrwhrY5vBqOtE4zkJlmur8aPMiXfWhSq/s400/DSC00965.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729288509568109810" style="text-align: center; display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><span ><span style="font-size: 100%;">There you have it: a banoffee pie that really is as easy as pie. </span></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; "><br /></div></div>Princess of the kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02360268967091137054noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825709196336113811.post-87422750947183167282012-04-06T16:39:00.004+10:002012-04-06T17:43:04.340+10:00Good Friday tradition- Egg cracking competition<span style="text-align: center; "> </span><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzpV8wcnBV6GSbHBAZTpWz6-tX9YDB6b00iV8NfXBNYtK0H_qm_1BfCr2pXL3jwVsH4AJ-SCCwFlAMM8LsD5YPH7mjXqLls4E-nJwY9zYaZdxRR0paZ61SODe8TlIhrNMx5CATSfkDtzHv/s400/DSC00912.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5728175598245623474" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /><span style="text-align: center; "> </span><br /><div><span><span style="font-size: 100%;">Every Good Friday for as long as I can remember, we have decorated hard-boiled eggs for lunch. Of course, the eating of the eggs is NEVER as fun as the egg cracking competition that precedes it. Everyone takes an egg, then you partner up with someone and crack your egg (pointy side forward) against your partner's. I've never in all my egg cracking years seen two eggs broken simultaneously- if they did, the game would be ruined. You see, the winners of the first round go head to head in the second round, then those winners go into a third, and so on and so forth until there is a grand champion.</span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-size: 100%;"><br /></span></span></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6eyZYV5ovhrRj_RvoJm06NZ0axmxjA5Q2-V9LyeODj_H5Fjg59pNBfj14_-7FvOZ4dDHAhtxOFY-SKkIjCBFCGHfglE0qG60emvr57K9uJujgc-dGRwg2Kyf5aLogqRBaZiT3gE0ZSi7t/s320/DSC00914.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5728178673868302610" style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /> <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBZxMttPxZiP4JbbMFXR0EyAu1vVD84o_CUYcrGsW3SXeZdKCLTXemEGyzLSY1Ygj2hkyX43WSmr_cHeuYi6C4C7S0SFlqa8itnc6FAWfA1ZWA_wgSl6gCD9A5L9ifh1GLuuGBPwg7SHDA/s320/DSC00919.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5728178694526998946" style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /><div><div> </div><div> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; ">If you haven't done it before, you really should try it sometime. Kids absolutely LOVE it too.The good news is that it isn't too late to do it this year: why not have eggs for breakfast on Easter Sunday?</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZsoaNcnz4gatAUoF27DaRsoRNhlQKoINXtzrbalp_SXbBRRU5hvhiJlTuomrsnvFDcf5Nu8qlYQ63raKZrpH08eS5hE88FJJIZ6qvy6aVR5yl6My3O5u09IbMtJ1BUIiavEXDYv5tRn3a/s400/DSC00913.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5728175605701644786" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; ">Happy Easter everyone! <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1BpnLddfxv4qt5Cn1v-GqHaNEiMHTpZm_27S7JIH6XcADfQsdZve9yf3550-gEDoLkjXtq3Ee39mLOm4iRiF_YfCox0Gmj1cVaQvIAncTAF5EzqVoVFUB90cZI_UA6yx5UsP2Fw02G5ba/s320/DSC00917.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5728178687126926402" style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "> </div></div></div>Princess of the kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02360268967091137054noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825709196336113811.post-63979575731971545132012-04-02T22:35:00.008+10:002012-04-03T21:47:28.395+10:00Waffles on a Sunday<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqOzmerkgOE14EuAsrWx7IdMarH1GWGrHO5ugJfRmU-NIQoB-edyD-gs5BnMWzWg_qPRy45hQLs0cvAVyd10cCvC13_NrdL9WiqrbDIKxkxEqInRH7a3K21Adb2KS40ee7hRdf2Sa2nhXW/s320/DSC00884.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5727128928627394626" style="text-align: center; display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></div></div><span ></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; "><span >My lovely niece and nephews, Dani, Matt and Ryan, came over on Sunday morning to join Mum and I for a spot of brekky. What better way to begin a Sunday than with a fresh batch of waffles? They're pretty hard to beat.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; "><span ><br /></span></span></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKcS2rmRRnuJOwuU7OWFhLoTgvHRfVahuOwmrDeB6FRNZu0wVpNgUuwMm1_6CNVe0u4tzvF0bxlRmlfHY0zhu83gzd47R36Fobjy8BwXRwy4Q-Mx5UH8BM4P1HKsuJ7upjSRXZ7lu4_PDE/s320/DSC00886.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5727129853280923922" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /><div><div></div></div><span ><span >You can serve waffles with just about anything you want: Ice cream, maple syrup, berries, banana, nutella, nuts, whipped cream and, believe it or not, I recently discovered that creme patissiere is very good indeed with waffles. Of course, I don't expect you to have that laying around. I happened to have some leftover from a cake that I ma<span><span></span></span>de, so I froze it and then defrosted it in the microwave. It froze exceptionally well, so it is worth keeping in mind if you want something extra special with your waffles, without having to go to the effort of making custard early in the morning.</span></span></div><div><div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDIJBb02q1jpIVhXr9eNiqxV2nze2HwVTFamioulsDVKNsMvOgBgP-Q1c8tHg1c-QFCKcgi-INkgUHbbTieKmbk47GtWOo50bfWrhA9nOeI_01YRcsWzfT-XAhzmNHj6dIFaxpsXu6W1XU/s320/DSC00881.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5727128116369704514" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span >How, you may ask, does a waffle batter differ from pancakes?</span></div><div></div><div><span > Fairly straight forward, really. The only difference is that the eggs are separated, the yolks added to the batter and the egg whites whipped and folded through before cooking. If you haven't got a waffle machine, you could certainly cook this batter in a fry pan. What you will get are beautifully thick and fluffy pancakes, with a hint of crispness on the surface.</span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8kl5js3opgO8G5crpVkkgT6PcC7SXh6ZGVrP-lO9p7hHuvDdhavuC6QCTP3wlgXVrJfWWv9UUIL0TdUVsMcdRAzqaNoHe4NOZeFbIS3jsmjACv6jLJu4tM3UOQwfNUxcwYs6aRjEh-K-f/s320/DSC00888.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5727132105494360994" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small; text-align: left; ">Bon appetit!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span ><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span ><b>Recipe (yields 8-10 waffles)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span ><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span ><i>Ingredients</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span ><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span >225g Pastry flour (plain flour will do fine)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span >pinch of salt</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span >15g Baking powder (about a tablespoon, I believe)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span >3 eggs, separated</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span >1 1/4 cups milk</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span >50g unsalted butter, melted</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span >30g caster sugar</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span ><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span ><i>Method</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span ><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span >In a large bowl, combine the flour salt and baking powder. Make a well in the centre. In a small, separate bowl, mix together the egg yolks, milk and butter. Pour these wet ingredients into the well in the centre of the dry.Gradually whisk the flour mixture from the outside of the well into the wet ingredients until you have a smooth batter, free of any dry ingredients. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span ><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span >In a third, medium sized mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy and white. At this stage, continue whisking, incorporating the sugar little by little. Beat until stiff peaks form- to test this, hold the bowl upside down over your head; if they are whisked properly, there is no fear of them falling on your head. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span ><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span >Take a third of the egg white and whisk into the batter. Then, fold the remainder of the egg white delicately into the batter. The batter is then ready to use in either a preheated waffle maker or a good, non-stick frypan. Serve as you desire- the possibilities are endless.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small; text-align: left; "><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: small; "><span ><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: small; "><span ><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span ><br /></span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div>Princess of the kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02360268967091137054noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825709196336113811.post-42335016336753537392012-03-30T20:44:00.007+11:002012-03-30T21:50:02.087+11:00Miguel Maestre Masterclass- Seafood Paella<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3eBwieaPCI6eO8A-VvX-alyhSxnyci99QUT6NzejjkgBHLfMd3jYdXRmIyeW97lfwpsratUoInoDfkXO581DFFlUYXZKS5mpAb4d85oWpJxj_Ztfe498fodYzYBd6hXsQfs3EpXJNAddk/s400/DSC00844.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725630487135312418" /><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span ><u><br /></u></span></div><span ><span style="font-size: 100%;">Last night I was fortunate enough to attend a masterclass with the incredibly talented and ultra charismatic Miguel Maestro. Said in my best Troy McClure voice, 'You may remember him from such shows as Masterchef and Boy's weekend'. I could listen to him (Miguel, not Troy) speak with that amazing accent for hours and hours. You should watch out for his new tv show, The Living Room with Amanda Keller, Dr Chris Brown and Barry Du Bois. If Miguel's in it, I know it will be good.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3eBwieaPCI6eO8A-VvX-alyhSxnyci99QUT6NzejjkgBHLfMd3jYdXRmIyeW97lfwpsratUoInoDfkXO581DFFlUYXZKS5mpAb4d85oWpJxj_Ztfe498fodYzYBd6hXsQfs3EpXJNAddk/s1600/DSC00844.JPG" style="font-size: 16px; font-family: Georgia, serif; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuX-K1TY4xfMxXZ9zwszUj8IxDkXqaWOoOuVlZdJRy4xUdiNXtHy2bft8uEnzY1wlgQspryjfheoG2djEQpfOYCyDl56g4yQKULZXGBZQrNpwtuLFFvTlMYby96aaY8OU3rU5AbUu98QAr/s400/DSC00856.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725632479789578786" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> <span > <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></span></span></div><div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; ">Miguel demonstrated his signature Seafood Paella, which looked amazing and tasted even better. I confess- I do not eat seafood, but I was very brave and actually ate around the seafood- probably the first time since I've eaten anything touching seafood since I stopped eating it 16 years ago. It was absolutely delicious and, I'm very glad to say, the rice didn't taste at all fishy. Needless to say, my mother and sister were very proud of me for trying.</div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span ><br /></span></div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-jfJ-pR61TTPriok1mlUwdcxbVVdix2D808ROdWZ7XglCrUGpYjYUTZKF-tYOeo8k-Y1nLOV_Bndlv2tvLL9BgpTShX4yHHmOcguNoMUwmG3xSTQOC6FzKIvBjP2o0_RIUeSS25rXgONb/s400/DSC00848.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725631056684450898" /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL4cGmhtQJcwZNytSF2O9Oq5x4NdxzU5udlCzdwBL2rek0dsCxZtI3-lXS7q5jRUU_92kwvKuS5FalYFHSLSgThatw5wZaSAQMDAIxn0KIkMw4qX6X8YPfCw13zg7R4ppOgNaKLMLKIYUt/s400/DSC00862_crop.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725632484173803506" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 319px; height: 400px; " /></div></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; ">Thanks Rach, Neish, Amanda and Katja for a lovely night. Thanks Miguel for the fantastic demonstration. I'm looking forward to using my new Spanish cooking book. First stop this weekend is the shops to buy a Paella pan and Bomba rice. </div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span ><br /></span></div><span ><span style="font-size: 100%; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaVr1A-4ZBPl7d3lK9I5Q4x-a4Yl1DfoktrH-VuGfFTw79p45AehHw-Y_zbYkTL4IUmXNT_P1gmU7tIRVh1-2qxgBRf3mvJWvYtopxNdo0B0grB8FfDUiXrCZLHs3bemAcCVi9bATjuQ2Z/s400/DSC00851.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725631599809908770" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span ><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span ><span >Paella a la Maestre- recipe by Miguel Maestre</span><blockquote style="font-size: x-small; "></blockquote></span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span ><span ><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span ><b>note</b>: as Miguel told us, you can add whatever meat or seafood you like and feel free to change the vegetables and herbs as you please. The one he made last night was, in fact, quite different from the below recipe. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span ><span ><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span >Serves: 4</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span >Prep timr: 20 minutes</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span >Cooking time: 30 minutes</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span >Equiptment needed: Paella pan and Paella burner, Food processor, medium sized pot, mixing bowls, spoons, ladles, chopping board, tea towels and serving plate</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span ><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span ><i>Ingredients</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span ><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span >1 tbspn olive oil</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span >400g Calsparra/Bomba rice</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span >500g Mussels (cleaned)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span >2 King prawns</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span >1 blue swimmer crab, cleaned and quartered</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span >4 Baby calamari hoods, cleaned</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span >4 yabbies</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span >2L fish or chicken stock</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span >salt and pepper</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span >200g peas (fresh or frozen)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span >2 lemons, halved</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span >2limes, halved</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span >chopped parsley</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span ><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span ><i>For the Sofrito</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span ><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span >150 ml Olive oil</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span >15ml Sherry vinegar</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span >3 large ripe oxheart tomatoes</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span >1/2 chorizo sausage</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span >3 pink shallors, peeled</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span >4 cloves garlic, peeled</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span >4 piquillo peppers</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span >1/2 bunch thyme</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span >1/2 bunch mint</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span >1/2 bunch parsley</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span >1/2 bunch coriander</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span >1 bunch chives</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span >1 tsp saffron</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span >1 tsp sweet paprika</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span >1 tsp spicy paprika</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><span >1 tsp smoked paprika</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><span ><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><span ><i>Method</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><span ><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><span >For the sofrito, place all ingredients in a food processor. Process till smooth. </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><span >Heat oil in a large Paella pan. Add rice. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes or until it chages colour from white to transparent.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><span ><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><span >Stir in 12 tablespoons of sofrito mix. Cook for 3 minutes. Add seafood and stock. Seson. Cook over medium heat, without stirring, for about 25 minutes or unitl stock has been absorbed and rice is almost tender. Reduce heat to low and cook for a further 3 minutes to form a nice 'soccarrada'or crust on the bottom of the pan. Add peas and remove from heat. Stand, covered with a tea towel for 5 minutes. Squeeze over lemons and limes and season. Garnish with parsley. Serve paella warm, not steaming hot. </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><br /></div></div></div>Princess of the kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02360268967091137054noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825709196336113811.post-66348428997867020272012-03-28T19:50:00.004+11:002012-03-28T20:42:19.767+11:00'Tis the season to indulge in Hot Cross Buns<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibhNMH45HJOistJC54rFbOUTi9BGrlBhmVucKf5S9t5RLQ7H7vPqForaL_ulIgmrF5emYabbKG9yrgkkBUlmIHmN9B1-QiwbCMPXpT048GGxynHjM3M6bCsGb1ex6tmSpSVNXUZyqdWEbD/s1600/IMG_0027.JPG"><span><span style="font-size: 100%; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibhNMH45HJOistJC54rFbOUTi9BGrlBhmVucKf5S9t5RLQ7H7vPqForaL_ulIgmrF5emYabbKG9yrgkkBUlmIHmN9B1-QiwbCMPXpT048GGxynHjM3M6bCsGb1ex6tmSpSVNXUZyqdWEbD/s400/IMG_0027.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5724872522600064370" /></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span><br /></span></div></a><br /><span><span style="font-size: 100%;">Normally I loathe the greed of retailers, bringing out Easter eggs before the shelves are cleared of Christmas decorations and candy canes. There is, however, one very important exception to this rule: I absolutely relish the fact that supermarkets and bakers seem to be offering Hot Cross Buns earlier and earlier with every passing year. Oh how I love them! Whether fresh or toasted with lashings of butter, I would happily eat Hot Cross Buns all year long.</span></span><div><span><br /><span style="font-size: 100%;"></span></span><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; "><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibhNMH45HJOistJC54rFbOUTi9BGrlBhmVucKf5S9t5RLQ7H7vPqForaL_ulIgmrF5emYabbKG9yrgkkBUlmIHmN9B1-QiwbCMPXpT048GGxynHjM3M6bCsGb1ex6tmSpSVNXUZyqdWEbD/s1600/IMG_0027.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvUifV-Bi13aZIOR5VnYexdqtJxgqaHZTRq7WO_ZzDCDMpMrNkPxDmqnMe33t7OEkeQOQkOby-3Ws5PrfJ1xIS-2HxyWRsGaF6orH0Bln_ALNHDEIO5VeTHhZQsYRsTDTrqQSlLMoly1ZY/s400/IMG_0030.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5724880743091568706" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; ">They are in fact relatively easy to make and warm from the oven, they are the pinnacle of Hot Cross Bun goodness. If you have the time to spend a lazy afternoon pottering about the kitchen. I do encourage you to make some. I heed you a warning, however: unlike the store bought variety, these have no preservatives, so whatever you can't use within 1-2 days, I'd suggest you freeze the remainder.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; "><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; "><b>Recipe</b></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; "><b><br /></b></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; "><i>Dry Ingredients</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; "><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; ">15g Instant Yeast</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; ">400g Bread Flour (I use Wallaby's Bakers flour or Lighthouse Bread flour)</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; ">100g Cake/Pastry Flour (I use Lighthouse brand)</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; ">1 Tbsp Cinnamon</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; ">1 tsp ground ginger</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; ">1 tsp nutmeg</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; ">1/4 tsp ground clove</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; ">50g Brown sugar</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; ">50g Caster sugar</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; ">1 tsp salt</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; ">225g mixed dried fruit (whatever you fancy)</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; "><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; "><i>Wet ingredients:</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; "><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; ">100g unsalted butter, melted</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; ">25g milk </div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; ">200g water </div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; ">1 egg</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; "><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; "><i>Egg wash:</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; ">1 egg</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; ">1 Tbsp milk</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; "><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; "><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; "><i>Method:</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; "><i><br /></i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; ">Combine dry ingredients (everything except the fruit) in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre. Combine wet ingredients in a smaller bowl and then pour the wet into the well in the centre of the dry ingerdients. Using a wooden spoon, gently incorporate the dry into the wet until it comes together into a sticky dough. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; "><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; ">Lightly dust the bench top and empty contents of the large bowl onto the bench. Knead, incorporating additional flour as necessary to keep your hands from sticking, for a few minutes until the gooey mess comes together into a smooth dough. At this point, lightly oil a large bowl, put the dough inside the bowl, cover with plastic and leave to rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until doubled in volume. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; "><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; ">Punch the dough down and add your choice of dried fruit to the bowl. Give a little knead to combine, then separate the dough into plum sized rounds. Place the rounds on a greased baking tray, just touching. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; "><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; ">Whisk together the egg and milk for the egg wash and brush the tops of the buns with the mix. Leave the buns for their final proof for about a 1/2 hour. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; "><br /></div><div><span><span style="font-size: 100%;">Preheat oven to 190 degrees </span>Celsius<span style="font-size: 100%;"> while you get on with the cross paste.</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; "><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; "><b>Cross Paste</b></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; "><b><br /></b></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; "><i>Ingredients:</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; "><i><br /></i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; ">125-150g water</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; ">125 g flour</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; ">50g unsalted butter, melted</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; ">30g milk powder (If you don't have this, reduce quantity of water and substitute with some milk)</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; ">pinch of Baking powder</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; ">pinch of salt</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; "><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; "><i>Method:</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; "><i><br /></i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; ">Whisk wet ingredients into dry ingredients until a thick, glue like consistency is reached. Add liquid little by little. If it is still too thick, continue to add more water until it is right. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; "><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; ">Place mix into a piping bag or, failing that, sealed in a zip lock bag with a corner snipped off. Pipe crosses onto the fully proofed buns, which by now would have doubled in size. Place in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes. Watch them carefully- oven temperatures vary enormously. They should be golden brown and should have a hollow sound when you knock on the underside of the buns. Enjoy them warm or toasted with butter. Mmmmm...... Butter.</div></div>Princess of the kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02360268967091137054noreply@blogger.com7