Shrove Tuesday - Asian Style Pancakes.

Shrove Tuesday - means its Pancake Day and although I am catholic I am not strict catholic, but Shrove Tuesday is always pancake day. For those of you who don't know it Shrove Tuesday is the day preceding Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent.

The reason that pancakes are eaten is that they are made from the sugar, flour, eggs and fat from which traditionally we restrict during the fasting of Lent.

Each year I try to find a different savoury pancake but we usually always finish with traditional pancakes with lemon and sugar.

This year I hunted down this recipe from taste.com.au one of my favourite places to browse for recipes. Having had a horrid day, though but having purchased the ingredients I left it up to the boys, and they said it was easy as. Although we all thought it was rather stodgy (not sure if that's the word) it was dense with the addition of the rice flour, but without it would really have just been a frittata

Preparation Time 10 minutes
Cooking Time 15 minutes
 
Ingredients (serves 6)

• 175g (1 cup) rice flour
• 8 eggs, lightly whisked
• 125ml (1/2 cup) water
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh garlic chives (we substituted for just chives having them in the garden)
• Salt & ground white pepper  (black pepper from my pepper mill just as good)
• 1 tbs peanut oil  (rice bran oil)
• 300g peeled green prawns (I shop in Aldi, so i used the frozen bag of green prawn meat which was 400g - used the whole bag)
• 1 red capsicum, halved, deseeded, thinly sliced
• 1 yellow capsicum, halved, deseeded, thinly sliced (used another red as we didn't have the yellow)
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tbs finely grated fresh ginger
• 55g (1 cup) bean sprouts
• 4 green shallots, ends trimmed, thinly sliced diagonally
• 1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh coriander

Sweet chilli dressing

• 2 tbs sesame seeds
• 2 tbs sweet chilli sauce
• 1 tbs fresh lime juice
• 1 tbs light soy sauce
• 1 tbs rice wine vinegar

Method

1. Place rice flour in a bowl. Whisk in egg and water until a smooth batter forms. Stir in chives. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside for 10 minutes to rest.
2. Meanwhile, to make the dressing, cook the sesame seeds in a small frying pan over medium heat, tossing, for 2 minutes or until toasted. Whisk together sesame seeds, sweet chilli sauce, lime juice, soy sauce and vinegar in a small bowl.
3. Preheat grill on high. Heat half the oil in a 25cm-diameter (base measurement) non-stick frying pan over high heat. Add half the prawns and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until prawns curl and change colour. Transfer to a heatproof bowl. Repeat with the remaining prawns.
4. Heat the remaining oil in the same pan. Add the capsicum, garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until just tender. Add the prawns, bean sprouts and green shallot and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute or until shallot softens slightly. Pour in pancake batter and cook for 2-3 minutes or until pancake is golden brown underneath. Cook under grill for a further 2-3 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.

Transfer pancake to a chopping board and cut into wedges. Sprinkle with coriander and serve with dressing.

Whoopie Pies for Valentines.

Well back last year some time, Ange and I were talking whoopie pies and how cute they looked, and well before I knew it, I was sent pictures of 2 cookbooks and 2 trays and told they were coming my way. With Valentines day Tomorrow I decided it was time to give them ago.

So armed with ingredients my Heart Tin and the recipes I headed off, with a stop in at My Sisters for some Decorating Advice for her, then off to Mum's to cook and stay for the night.

Whoopie Pies - what are they? after serving them today is what I have been asked...so with a little research done, my answer of an American treat mixed between a cake and a cookie with cream in it isn't too bad...here is what I found....

While considered a New England phenomenon and a Pennsylvania Amish tradition, they are increasingly sold throughout the United States. According to food historians, Amish women would bake these desserts (known as hucklebucks at the time) and put them in farmers' lunch pails or lunch boxes. When farmers would find the treats in their lunch, they would shout "Whoopie!" It is thought that the original Whoopie pies may have been made from cake batter leftovers.

Red Velvet Pies makes 12
125g butter
200g sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
300g self-raising flour
20g cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
250ml buttermilk ( I used full fat milk with juice of half a lemon)
2 teaspoons red food colouring paste
100ml  hot water

1. Preheat oven to 180
2. cream together the butter and sugar, until light and creamy
3. add the egg and vanilla mix again.
4. sift the flour, cocoa and baking powder into the bowl and add the salt, buttermilk and red food colouring paste. Mix again until all incorporated.
5. Add the hot water and whisk again.
6. Put large spoonfuls of mixture into each greased heart. (alternatively the recipe says to use baking trays and an ice cream scoop or pipe them into shapes with a piping bag.)
7. Bake for 10-12 mins. or until when pressed they spring back.
8. Remove from oven and let cool slightly before turning onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Chocolate butter cream
250g dark chocolate
160g butter
125g icing sugar

1. Melt the chocolate as per your preferred method. Set aside to cool.
2. Beat your butter and icing sugar till white and fluffy, then add the cooled chocolate and beat some more.
3. Put into a piping bag which a star shaped nozzle and pipe a generous swirl onto the bottom of one of your hearts sandwich with another heart.

Be my Valentine whoopie pies makes 12


250g plain flour
1tsp bicarbonate of soda
large pinch of salt
115g butter
150g caster sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
150 buttermilk
1/4 teaspoon red liquid food colouring

1. preheat oven to 180
2. sift together the plain flour, bicarb and slat.
3. in the mixer whisk the butter and sugar till pale and fluffy.
4. beat in the egg and vanilla
5. then add half the flour and half the buttermilk and food colouring mix some more
6. then add remainder of flour and milk mixing again till thoroughly incorporated.
7. Pipe or spoon mixture onto trays or tins.
8. Bake for 9-11mins until risen and just firm to the touch (you know the spring test)
9. Cool on trays or in tins for 5 mins then pop on to a wire rack to cool.

Vanilla butter cream filling

150g butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
280g icing sugar

1. Beat the butter and vanilla till white and fluffy, then gradually add the icing sugar and continue beating a further 2-3 minutes.
2. Put into a piping bag which a star shaped nozzle and pipe a generous swirl onto the bottom of one of your hearts sandwich with another heart.

Icing
150g icing sugar
Warm Water 1-2 tablespoons
red food colouring
red sugared heart sprinkles.

1. Sift the icing sugar stir in enough water to make a smooth icing that is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. then beat in a few drops of food colouring till your desired shade of pink.
2. Spoon over whoopies and then sprinkle on some hearts.

Wishing you all a little love this valentines.

Potato Gratin with Cauliflower Cream

recipe from Curtis Stone Christmas Magic with Coles freebie cookbook.

Serves 8
Preparation 25 Min's
Cooking 2 Hour's

My decision to cook this for Christmas day, was that I could save myself having to prepare 2 dishes...Roast potatoes and the Cauliflower Gratin....but alas, it didn't go down well, they weren't too happy with my change, but tough luck I was the cook and I loved it that's all that mattered.!!! I think it was better reheated on boxing day with a little sprinkle of cheese for a nice crust.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp salted butter
• 1 medium brown onion, diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
• 5 sprigs thyme
• 2 cups cauliflower florets
• 2 cups thickened cream
• 2 cups full fat milk
• 100g Camembert cheese, cut into large pieces
• 1.3 kg brushed potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/4cm discs

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 C
2. Heat butter in a large saucepan over medium heat and sweat onions, garlic and thyme for 5 Min's stirring often, without colouring the vegetables. Add Cauliflower and cook for 6 Min's stirring often.
3. Add the cream and milk and bring to the simmer.
4. Add the cheese and stir. Once cheese has melted remove the pan from the heat and discard the thyme stalks.
5. Season with salt and pepper to taste and transfer to a blender. Carefully puree the cauliflower cream in batches until the mixture is smooth and creamy, being careful not to overfill the blender as the steam will cause the liquid to overflow. Return the pureed sauce to the saucepan.
6. Add the sliced potatoes to the pan of cauliflower cream and stir well to coat.
7. Pour 1 cup of the cauliflower cream into a 2 litre baking dish and arrange the potatoes in an even layer over the cream. Pour another cup of cream over the potatoes and repeat layering until the baking dish is full.
8. Cover the baking dish with foil and place on a baking tray. Bake for 1 1/2 hrs or until a knife can easily be inserted into the potatoes.
9. Remove the gratin from the oven and increase the temperature to 200C. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 15 Min's or until the top is golden brown and bubbling. Let stand at room temperature for 5 minutes before serving.

I did steps till 9 on Christmas Eve and then only had to reheat and brown the top on Christmas day. Super easy!!

Green bean salad with roasted cherry tomato vinaigrette

recipe from Curtis Stone Christmas Magic with Coles freebie cookbook.

Serves 8
Preparation 15 Min's
Cooking 15 Min's

Vinaigrette

• 200g Cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• 2 tsp Lemon zest
• 2 tbsp finely chopped shallots
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil

Salad

• 450g green beans, ends trimmed
• 600g cherry tomatoes halved
• 1/4 cup chopped basil

1. Preheat oven to 210
2. To make the vinaigrette, toss tomatoes with olive oil on a baking tray and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 10-12mins, or until golden brown. Remove and cool completely.
3. Once cool, roughly chop tomatoes into a paste and place in a medium mixing bowl with any leftover tomato juice. Add lemon zest, shallots, vinegar and olive oil and whisk well (I threw the lot into a blender and whizzed it up). Season to taste.
4. To make the salad, blanch beans in a pan of boiling salted water for 1-2mins, or until tender but crisp. Transfer to a bowl of ice water to cool completely. Strain and pat dry.
5. Place beans in to serving platter and toss over the halved raw tomatoes. Gently toss with the fresh basil and the vinaigrette.

Baked ham with brown-sugar glaze

1/2 cup Orange Juice
1/4 cup Brandy
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp Dijon Mustard

Half Leg Ham.

1. Preheat Oven/BBQ to 150.
2. Combine orange juice, brandy, sugar, ginger and mustard in a small saucepan. Stir on low heat until sugar dissolves. Simmer for 5 Min's or until syrupy.
3. Meanwhile, cut rind from around shank of ham, 10cm from knuckle. Using your fingers and starting at base of ham, carefully remove skin. Score fat in a 1cm diamond pattern. Taking care not to cut all the way through to the ham meat.
4. Line a large baking dish with foil (we used the foil throw away tray in the BBQ) Place ham in pan and brush over with glaze. Bake for 1 hour brushing with glaze every 20mins, until golden. Slice ham and serve drizzled with remaining glaze.

Huevos Rancheros

My version of this is perfect when catering to a crowd for breakfast, and this years Christmas Breakfast was just that. 14 for Breakfast and getting eggs for that many done is no mean feat. But with this recipe, I made up the Tomato Beans on Christmas Eve, so it was just spoon ladles full in to small ramekins, and then crack an egg into each one pop in the oven...and sit back enjoy the family while the toaster cooked toast and then sit together and eat. Perfect. Al did have the idea though of turning upside down the pot, so as not to be eating the red hot from the oven mix, so there were a few upturned pots as well.

Cooked for 14.

Ingredients

• 1 Brown Onion finally chopped,
• 1 Elephant sized clove of Garlic sliced
• Drizzle of Olive oil
• 2 Chorizo Sausages chopped
• 1 Tablespoon Sweet Paprika
• 1 Teaspoon chopped Chilli (optional)
• Salt, Pepper and a sprinkle of Sugar
• 4 Cans Chopped Tomatoes
• 2 Cans Borlotti Beans, rinsed and drained

1. Saute the Onion, Garlic and Chorizo in the drizzle of olive oil, till translucent and the Chorizo has leeched out it's colour and flavour.
2. Sprinkle in the Paprika and Chilli and saute for a little more.
3. Add the Tomatoes and season with the salt, pepper and sugar.
4. Simmer 30 Min's add the beans and simmer for further 20 Min's.
5. Turn off and set aside till ready to serve.
6. Ladle into ramekins, crack an egg into each ramekin and bake in the oven for about 15mins or till eggs are opaque.
7. Serve with toast soldiers or as per our Christmas Day and Al's version, upend over your toast.

Christmas - Fruit Mince Pies

Well this is one of those childhood memories, growing up with English Grandparents, it was just something my Nanna did every year usually in the school holiday days before Christmas, as my mum and dad worked we spent those few days with either of our Grandparents, and each Nanna did different things with us. But Dad's mum Nanna Jackson did her baking with us, and after sharing memories recently with family, my sister didn't enjoy these cooking days with Nanna. But for me they are some of my favourites. I recently managed to get Nanna's recipe from one of Dad's sisters but sadly its all hard work style pastry with suet in it. So each year I have tried different versions of pastry, but this year I wasn't going to do them with all that has been going on. But Bianca has insisted and well I though I want them to be more flaky like Nanna's so I have decided to share my version.....having eaten one....they are pretty close to Nanna's just a quicker more modern version shortcrust pastry has done the trick.

Ingredients

Robertson's Fruit Mince - Large Jar

500g plain flour
160g Icing Sugar
250g COLD chopped butter
4 Egg Yolks
2 Tablespoons COLD Water

Method

1. This is a Nanna Step - Put on the Christmas Music, then Pop the lid on the jar of Fruit Mince and it has to be Robertson's only, take a sherry glass and fill to the brim with Sherry then take a sip and pour the rest into the jar and stir. (She did this no matter what time of day and unlike the large jars of mince Nanna only ever purchased the smaller ones, and I am sure that's so she could pop more lids and pour more sherry glasses; But I use Brandy and pour straight from the bottle till the jar is full although I did chuckle and think perhaps I should have a swig just to be more Like Her.) Set aside.
2. Process the flour, icing sugar and butter in a food processor with a dough blade, till mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
3. Whisk the egg yolks and water until combined, then with food processor running, pour into the flour mixture.
4. Process until the mixture begins to form large clumps, stopping machine before mixture forms into a ball.
5. Turn out onto a floured work surface (I love my Cesarstone bench for this as it's nice and cold) and knead gently to bring together. Form into a ball, wrap in glad wrap and pop in the fridge for at least 2 hours. Overnight is good too.
6. Take from the fridge and cut into 2 pieces and then roll out each piece.
7. Then using cookie cutters cut larger rounds for the bottom and small crimped rounds for the tops.
8. Pop them bottoms onto the pie trays add one spoonful of the reserved Robertson's spiked fruit mince, then using your finger and a little water wipe around the edge of each pie, to help stick the lid. Pop on the lids, then brush each one with a little beaten egg white, dust with caster sugar and pop into a moderate oven for about 25 Min's or until golden.

You Should be able to get at least 3 dozen from this Mix I did just!!!