An Excellent Dinner

I am starting to panic…I have been cooking up so many wonderful recipes I am running out of time to write them up.

Anyhow!!!
Had some people for dinner and this menu was really excellent.

We started off with Corn Pudding, went onto Steamed Fish with Stir Fried Rice Noodles and finished off with Honey Ricotta Cheesecake.

The corn pudding is really like a soufflé. I cooked this is in 200ml soufflé dishes.
This recipe is enough for 6 people as a starter.
Don’t be put off by the long list of ingredients it is very simple

I bought a new wok from the chinese supermarket and there it is in the background well seasoned. It performed really well. In the foreground are the sauteed vege for the Corn Pudding.




Vege
2 tbs olive oil
1 onion finely chopped
1 green/red pepper
1-2 red chilies finely chopped
1 cup sweet corn (I used frozen corn)
2 cloves garlic crushed and chopped
2 tbs thyme
Salt and pepper

Seasoning
1 cup cream
Good grate of nutmeg
1 tsp chili flakes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Batter
2 cup corn (frozen)
1 cup milk
6 eggs
4 tbs flour
½ cup parmesan cheese
½ cup gruyere cheese
2 tbs chives chopped
2 tbs parsley chopped

Heat oven to 180C
Sauté the vege in oil till translucent
Add seasoned cream mix stir and cook for a couple of minutes

Meanwhile put all the batter ingredients in the food processor and whiz up
Add vege to batter and pour into greased soufflé dishes
Place dishes into a bain marie and cook for about 35 minutes

I took this photo when I made this as a lunch in one large dish
Gives you a chance to see what it looks like inside.





Now let’s give the wok a go.

Steamed Fish with Stir Fried Rice Noodles
This was really superb. Took a bit of juggling when cooking for 5 but here are ingredients for 2 people. Cooking as per normal for Chinese food is quick but you need to have all your ingredients ready to go.
Just love those rice noodles so so simple



Garnish
2 cloves garlic sliced
3 tbs vege oil (I used peanut)
Sea salt
Sesame Oil
1 chili sliced
Spring onions cut into julienne strips


100 gm filet of fish per person
Sea salt
Ginger cut into julienne strips
Soy sauce


100 gms rice noodles per person

Stir Fry
2-3 tablespoons Peanut oil
1 clove garlic finely chopper
2 cms ginger finely chopped
1 chili finely chopped
½ tin water chestnuts halved
Bean sprouts
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons Hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce

Right ready to go let’s get the garnish under way
In a small pan gently heat peanut oil and fry sliced garlic till it just turns brown
Remove garlic set on paper towel and season with a little salt.
Add a few drops of sesame oil to pan and set aside.

Place noodles in a bowl cover with hot water leave for about 2 minutes, drain rinse under cold water, drain again toss with just a smidgen of oil to stop sticking together.

Steam fish in your favourite steamer I used a bamboo steamer over a wok.
Season the fish with salt and place strips of ginger on top and steam. Should only take about 3-4 minutes.

Keep warm

Now Stir Fry

Heat wok till it is very hot.
Add oil and throw in garlic, ginger and chili, stir well
Add water chestnuts spring onions and bean sprouts, toss around

Add noodles season with salt & pepper, Hoisin sauce and soy sauce

Serve onto platter place fish on top pour over warm garlic oil, another splash soy sauce
And finish off with spring onions and crispy garlic
Top with a few slices of red chili for colour.

Finally the Cheese Cake. I saw this cooked in the Everyday Italian programme.
I thought the Biscotti base was a great idea.



Grease and line a 23 cm spring form pan
Heat your oven to 170C (don’t fan bake)

Crust
175 gms biscotti (any flavour)
75 gms butter melted

Filling
500 gms cream cheese
250 gms ricotta
¾ cup sugar
5 tbs honey
Zest of I orange
1 tbs orange juice
4 eggs

To Serve
Whipped cream
Pureed berries

Crush the biscotti in food processor to fine crumb
Add melted butter Mix well.
Press into pan
Push down lightly with back of spoon to even the crust
Bake 15 minutes
Remove and cool a little

Meanwhile in your food processor whiz up cream cheese and ricotta
Add sugar and honey whiz
Add eggs 1 at a time
Add zest and juice of orange

Pour over cooked base and bake in a bain marie for 1 hour and 5 minutes
Cool and then chill in fridge at least 8 hours.


I served this with some whipped cream with pureed berries marbled through.

Not too bad at all.

Spicy Beef and Beetroot Salad

For 4 people

2 sirloin steaks excess (fat removed)
3 tbs Olive oil
2 teaspoons Moroccan spice mix

Can baby beetroot drained and rinsed
2 avocado peeled and chopped
1 red onion finely sliced
2 spring onions chopped
Bunch of coriander leaves

Dressing
½ cup extra virgin Olive oil
Juice 1 orange
Juice 1 lemon
Juice 1 lime
3 tbs honey
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 red chili finely chopped
Mix together in a jar with a screw top lid

First
Marinate red onion in 3 tbs of the dressing

Rub steaks with Moroccan spices and marinate steaks in oil
Leave to marinade 30 minutes
Cook on hot grill till required doneness, basting with marinade at least once each side.
Slice into cubes

Meanwhile peel and slice avocado
Chop spring onions
Pull leaves off coriander about ½ cup
Quarter drained and rinsed beetroot

Combine all ingredients toss gently with dressing.
You don't want to break up the avocado.
Serve immediately

Don’t put salad together till you are ready to serve as the beetroot runs and takes over.

PS
I have also made this with peeled raw prawns.

Just rub toss the prawns in spice mix and oil
Leave for about 30 minutes
Cook on hot grill.
Reserve a couple of prawns for garnishing each plate and chop the rest and mix amongst the other ingredients just like the beef.


These are both winners.

Bread and Butter Pudding, The Retro Version

This a real retro dish Good for using up stale white sliced bread (not that the white sliced gets very stale!!!). Of course you can use artisan bread or go healthy and use wholemeal or rye but it’s not the same.

This is pure unadulterated pleasure

I used craisins (dried cranberries) but my Mother would have used raisins, sultanas or even currants

It so simple;
Heat the oven to 175C
For a 3 cup gratin or pie dish you will need

8-10 slices white bread buttered well and cut in half diagonally
(I kept the crust on for extra crunchiness…you may remove it)
3 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup cream
2 tbs sugar
1 cup craisins/raisins or sultanas
Zest of a large lemon
Extra sprinkle of sugar

Lightly whip eggs, milk, cream and sugar
Line the bottom of your dish some of the buttered bread butter side down
Sprinkle with 1/3 of fruit and half of the lemon zest
More bread, butter side up this time
Next third of fruit, rest of zest
Last layer of bread butter up
Sprinkle the remainder of the fruit
Pour over the egg mix


Push bread down so its buried in the custard
Sprinkle a light layer of extra sugar.

Cook in a bain marie 30-40 minutes until top is golden.

Let rest for about 10-15 minutes and serve with whipped cream

This is divine

Now the Leftover Lamb

There is a British Classic Chicken Pie as shown by Tamasin Day Lewis on Food TV.
She steamed the vegetables and made a Veloute sauce with the addition of some milk in it. She poached her chicken…knocked them all together into a pie-dish and topped with pastry.
Looked delicious.
I thought this might be a good way to use up the left over lamb.
So here goes and here are your ingredients















2 tbs butter
1 large onion rough chopped
2 sticks celery sliced
2 tbs flour
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup wine
4 sprigs thyme
1 shallot finely chopped
2 cups stock heat

1 carrot per person sliced in chunks
2 x med leeks sliced chunkily
Left over roast lamb cut into chunks

Reduce wine with thyme and shallots by half
Strain and set aside

Melt butter
Add onion and celery
Gently cook till translucent
Season salt & pepper
Add flour and nix well cooking to cook out the flour 2-3 minutes
Add wine whisk then add hot stock
Whisk again till smooth
Bring to boil and simmer about 5 minutes

Meanwhile steam the carrots and leeks
Microwave will do just fine

In your flat gratin dish combine vege, sauce and lamb
And voila what do you know…you have Irish stew!!!

So when I looked at this
I decided against the pastry top and kept Irish and made
Champ to put on top.

Champ is a fab way to serve mashed potatoes
So boil your potatoes in salted water till tender…drain and mash

At the same time cut up some spring onions and cook gently in milk
For a couple on minutes
Remove spring onions add to potatoes and a large knob of butter
Mash up well. Season with freshly ground black pepper

Put this potato mash on top of your stew and bake 25 minutes at 180C


Look at this doesn’t it look grand?

The Problems With Leftovers is Recreating the Masterpiece.

You probably never have the same ingredients in the fridge to use up.
So after the wonderful lamb dinner featured below
There was indeed some meat and some peas left over.

What to have for lunch?
Pea Soup accompanied by Feta and Mint Scones

I thought you are only so many ways you can take a photo of green soup so I have just given the recipe here.


I’ve popped in a picture of our courtyard nice sunny spring day just to break up all the words!!!

I have however taken photos of how we consumed the leftover lamb.
Recipe and photos to follow


The scone recipe was the usual one with different flavours.

To make 4 large scones
Heat oven 210C (fan bake)

2 cups self raising flour
Good pinch salt
150 mls cream
140 mls soda water
Good hunk 75gms feta cheese crumbled
10-12 mint leaves finely chopped
Freshly ground black pepper


Sift flour and salt
Crumble feta into flour rub in lightly with finger tips
Add mint
Add the entire liquid stir well
Knead gently a couple of times on floured bench
Cut into 4
Bake 18 minutes

The Pea soup
Finely chop 1 onion and 1 red chili
Sauté in a good knob of butter till soft
Add 500 mls stock
Bring to boil
Add cooked peas (1 ½ cups) then
1 tbs of vinaigrette

Simmer 2-3 minutes
Let stand about 5 minutes for flavours to meld
Not too long we want to keep the colour
Blend with hand blender and serve with the Scones
A Very Successful Roast

Sunday family dinner so a roast was a must.
The lamb is roasted over a pan full of kumara (sweet potato) and onions
No lamb picture but spring lamb...spring flowers!!!!













For 6 people
1 large kumara for 2 people
1 large onion for 2 people
1 leg lamb
Get your butcher to bone the lamb for you leaving it in shape but really easy to carve.

A little twist though.
A new rub for the lamb. So so simple

The Rub

¼ cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic peeled
1 tsp ground cumin
Juice and zest of 1 large lemon
2 tbs fresh thyme leaves
Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
Whiz all up in your processor

Massage the rub all over the lamb including where the bone came out.
Leave at least an hour but you can do this a while ahead.

Heat the oven to 220C and cook on a rack for 20 minutes
Add a little water to the bottom of the tin. To stop drippings burning.

Meanwhile prepare the vege. Leave the skins on
Cut the kumara and onions in half horizontally
Brush cut side with olive oil and season with salt & pepper

Remove lamb from oven lift rack and place vege in pan
Put lamb back on top
Back into oven and turn heat down to 180C

Another 40 minutes per kilo (20 minutes per lb)

This should give you pink juicy lamb and tender veges.

Serve with green peas (reserve cooking water) tossed in mint butter
with lots of ground black pepper

Take the lamb out and rest and remove vege to a warm platter.
With the fabulous juices make gravy.

Earlier in the day make a wine reduction
Just reduce a cup of white wine (50%) with some chopped shallots and sprigs of thyme
Strain and reserve.

On again with the gravy
Pour off any excess fat, stir in 1 tbs flour till well blended
Add wine reduction and enough water from peas to make a sauce
Bring to boil and simmer till you reach your desired consistency

A beautiful sauce to drizzle over the carved meat.

Fallen Chocolate Soufflé Cake

I need to redeem myself in the chocolate and eggs stakes after the mousse disaster…
I saw Martha Stewart making this cake and it looks just fab so I had to give it a go.

It is currently in the oven and I am waiting with baited breath.

Anyway here it goes

Heat oven to 150C and
Grease a 23 cms pan with butter
and lightly dust with sugar
You need
190 gms butter
190 gms best chocolate


3 eggs yolks and 1 whole egg
2/3 cup sugar
6 egg whites
1/3 cup sugar

Melt chocolate and butter over hot water cool a little

Meanwhile beat egg yolks and whole egg with 2/3 cup sugar
until light and fluffy

In a very clean bowl with clean beaters beat eggs white adding 1/3 cup sugar
slowly until soft peaks. Not too stiff and dry please.

Add melted chocolate and butter to eggs a little at a time till blended

Put 1 large spoonful of this mix into egg whites stir and then
Fold in whites to the chocolate mix.
Don’t be rough you don’t want to get rid of the lightness in the eggs
It can be a little marbled.

Pour into prepared pan…
Shake a little and drop gently onto bench to make it even

Straight into oven 55-60 minutes
If tester comes out almost clean it is ready otherwise back into the oven for a couple of more minutes.


Here is from the oven looking like a souffle Now don't despair as it cools it cracks and falls
This supposed to happen

Cool completely before removing from pan
You may need to use a pointed knife to run around the edge to get a clean removal.
The cake is best well cooled!!!
It is so rich and needs cream to cut down the richness

When it is removed dust with either cocoa or icing sugar or both!!!
Here it is cracked and fallen.



Beautiful

Steak Braised in Red Wine

Huey’s Cooking Adventures show-cased this recipe on Food TV
This is not a normal braise…slowly cooked over a long period…
It only takes around 30 minutes all up and tastes divine



I know the photo looks like a bit of a dog’s breakfast but do make it anyway as it is really tasty.
Little taste bites of olive and sage with a hint of the orange juice. Yum

I didn't cook any greens but any seasonal vege would be nice for crunch and health.


I think I made the sauce a little too thick and would thin it down a little next time.

There was enough sauce to freeze for another occasion
1 sirloin steak per person (excess fat removed).
Little olive oil to brush on steaks
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

2 tbs olive oil
1 leek sliced
1 onion sliced
2 cloves garlic crushed
1 tbs flour
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup red wine
Juice 1 orange
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
8-10 black olives pitted and halved

1 tbs red wine vinegar
6 fresh sage leaves chopped finely

First make the sauce

Heat olive oil
Sauté leeks onions and garlic till soft
Add flour to make a roux just to thicken the sauce slightly.
Deglaze with red wine and then chicken stock stirring well.
Add orange juice
Add olives

Season sauce to taste and bring to boil and simmer at least 5 minutes to thicken and reduce

Then heat grill pan till smoking hot
Brush steaks with a little oil and sear on one side till brown (2 minutes)
Turn leave for 30 seconds other side
Remove
Season salt and pepper

Bury steak in the sauce pan along with sage leaves
Gently simmer 2-3 minutes until required doneness of steak.

Other accompaniments could be polenta or rice
Anything to mop that wonderful sauce.
Personally I think mashed potatoes are the best.

Watercress Celeriac and Leek Soup with Basil and Feta Scones

4 ingredients plus seasoning and fat
Can you think of anything easier than that
The pepperiness! of the watercress and the celery flavour and starchiness provided by celeriac and aromatics provided by the leek. Nice.

Sauteed leeks what a pretty colour


This would feed 4 people for lunch

1 tbs butter
1 leek washed and sliced
1 celeriac peeled and chopped
1 pkt watercress or big bunch
1 litre chicken stock
Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

Melt the butter and sweat the leek till tender
Add celeriac toss around in buttery leeks
Add chicken stock
Bring to boil and simmer till celeriac is tender
Season S & P to taste

Into blender throw in half of the watercress
Blend
Add rest of watercress blend again till smooth.




Serve and accompany with some
Basil and Feta Scones.

2 cups self-raising flour
Pinch salt
50 gms feta cheese crumbled
10-12 basil leaves sliced
150 mls cream
150 mls soda water

To make Scones

Heat oven to 215C

Sift flour and salt into bowl
Add feta and basil and rub in a little with finger tips.
Add cream and soda water.
This dough is fairly wet but don’t worry
Flour your bench well
Turn out the dough and gently knead into a square shape
Cut into 4 and cook about 18 minutes.

Father's Day Dessert

In the photo there is a success and a total failure.
I made 2 desserts for our Fathers Day Lunch both inspired by Ina Garten The Barefoot Contessa
Well I still don't know where I went wrong with the Mousse pictured on the left...looking pretty good but wait till we put the spoon in.
It had separated and looked like one of those self saucing puddings
But of course uncooked. Yuk



The bit of fluffy stuff on the top was just OK but very disappointing.
So I haven't written out the recipe it's one we could all do without!!!


By the way the cake on the right was very good.
Unfortunately a bit misshapen...my mistake but it tasted delicious.


I sourced a Southern American Classic which I had read about in a novel
Chocolate Mayo Cake
I made it a while ago and was most impressed, so I decided to use some of those ideas and adapt this cake by Ina Garten for Fathers Day Lunch

So let’s try the
Ganache Mint Cake

125 gms butter at room temp
1 cup sugar
4 extra large eggs
500 gms can of Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup
1 tbs vanilla extract (Check this)
1 cup flour

1 pkt After Dinner Mints
Cream Butter and sugar
Add eggs one at time till blended at low speed
Add chocolate syrup and vanilla
Sift flour and sprinkle on the top and carefully blend in.

Bake in 2 x 20cms cake tins
160C (fan bake) for 30-35 minutes till tester comes out clean

When cooked turn off the oven
Cool cake in tins for 10 mins
Turn out one layer on cooling rack
Turn other layer on serving plate and cover with After Dinner Mints
Put back in oven for 3 minutes
With a spatula smooth softened mints over the cake

Place other cake on top and when both are cooled ice with the following icing

Icing
Here’s the real richness
1/2 cup cream
250 gms good choc chips
1 tbs instant coffee

Fresh Mint leaves candied for decoration
Into double boiler or bowl over simmering water
Melt all ingredients
Then ice cake

Decorate with candied Mint leaves
I popped a little pansy on top for colour.