Switcheroo

Now, if you know me, you know I just love to try new things! I'll try almost anything once... almost :)

That's the reason I signed up with 'soup'! Now I can't remember exactly how I came across this company but I'm sure glad I did! Basically the way it works is... you sign up, they invite you to a project, you decide whether you want to be a part of the project, they send you a product to try and share with friends and then you review it! I love doing it and so do my family and friends... If you want to sign up, click on the link above and go for it!

So this post is a part of my latest project... switching butter for Meadow Lea! Butter is a NEED in our home. I have a kiwi husband and I'm a foodie (thus this blog) margarine just wouldn't do...but... ! give almost anything a try right?! So I signed up for it!

So far I have to admit I've been a little surprised...

Did you know that the US process of hydrogenation, the process of heating plant oils causes trans fats, but the process we use here in Australia only produces trace elements and therefore butter contains FOUR times more trans fats than MeadowLea?

And that one 10g serving of MeadowLea provides 35% of an adults daily Omega-3 requirement?

Well, I didn't... in fact, I also didn't know that MeadowLea on toast doesn't taste so bad, and my kiwi hubby didn't either :)
He usually complains if I switch our butter, even just the brand! But honestly... he didn't!!

Well, the first thing I did when I got it was bake a loaf of banana bread.
I have an amazing banana bread recipe... really moist and easy! I wanted to see how the MeadowLea would change it...

Moist Banana Bread
1/2 cup MeadowLea (unsalted butter)
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup plain flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sour cream
2 banana's, mashed

Preheat the oven to 175 degrees celcius and prep a loaf pan.
Stir together the butter, melted and sugar.
Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well.
Add the flour, baking soda and salt and mix till just incorporated.
Stir in the sour cream and banana.
Pour into the loaf pan and bake for about 60 mins or until a skewer inserted comes out clean

How different was it?
Well, it was only slightly different, a little less moist but still pretty moist...
I have to say that I was actually impressed. It was a lot less fattening whilst still maintaining a lot of the moisture and flavour. I can't say I'll be switching completely, but when I'm feeling a little health conscious, or for school lunches, I definitely will.

OE Pin It Now!

Ricotta and Strawberry Tart

 

Lately it's hard to go past the sweet scent of strawberries... from it's crimson colouring to the 3 for $5 price tag, everyone seems to be carrying a few in their trolley.

Last night we went to a friends for dinner and I had the enjoyable task of making the adults desserts. I say adults because kids usually cringe at the sight of tarts "what's thaaat??" they say. Now cookies and ice creams on the other hand (which is what they had last night) is a sure winner!

Tarts are an all day task. First theres the pastry, the resting, the chilling, the blind baking, then there's the filling and if you have more then one filling, well, you've just gone and brought that on yourself haven't you? (I do that a lot)

My ricotta and strawberry tart is rather simple. It starts off with a melt in your mouth buttery sweet shortcrust pasty that is to die for. Ever heard of "bourke st bakery" in Sydney? They make amazing pork and fennel sausage rolls and creme brulee tarts! Well, one of my best friends Sharon bought me their cookbook for my 30th last year and I've been baking through it ever since, including their sweet shortcrust pastry.

Here is my version of it...

Sweet Shortcrust Pastry
(makes enough for 2 tarts)

Ingredients
250g unsalted butter, chilled, cubed
1 cup icing sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3 egg yolks
2 cups plain flour

tip #1 always use unsalted butter when baking! It's sweeter than the usual butter and it means you can control the amount of salt that goes into your baking.

tip #2 when making pastry, always use cold butter, remove 15 - 30 minutes (depending on room temp) prior to using.

tip #3 it's best to chill ALL your ingredients first and professionals will agree but I never have :)

Method
Mix together butter, sugar and salt in a food processor on high until the mixer goes pale and creamy. If you don't have a food processor, you can use a beater/mixer.

Add egg yolks and mix well
Add the flour and pulse mix until the dough comes together

Turn out on a lightly floured surface and bring together, it will be quite soft. (Try not to use the palms of your hands as it will begin to melt the butter)
Divide in two and form discs, wrap in cling film and place in the fridge to chill for at least an hour

When ready to use, remove from the fridge, roll out to 1cm thick and line your tart pan. Cut off excess, poke holes around the base with a fork and place in the fridge for at least 30 mins to chill and rest.
Preheat oven to 180 degree celcius
Remove from the fridge, line the inside with baking paper and fill with a cup of rice or pie weights
Bake for 5 mins
Remove the baking paper and rice/weights and continue baking for another 4-6 mins, until browned.
Remove from the oven and let chill in the pan (forgot to take a photo here)

Okay! That is the tart case done! Moving onto the filling...



Ricotta Filling

Ingredients
250g ricotta cheese
300ml thickened cream
1/3 cup icing sugar (less or more as desired)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Method
Place all ingredients in a food processor and whiz together till smoothe and thick.
You can use a beater/mixer instead but you won't get the same smoothness and you will in a food processor.



Glazed Strawberries

Ingredients
2 punnets strawberries, hulled
2 Tablespoons caster sugar

In a small saucepan, melt the sugar with 1/4 cup water on a medium heat. You want the sugar to melt but you don't in any way want it to turn to toffee. Add more water if necessary.
Let the sugar syrup cool down then pour over the prepared strawberrries. mix to coat the strawberries.
(You can leave the strawberries whole, which looks great but chopping them makes it easier to eat)



The Tart!

Spoon the ricotta filling into the chilled tart case spreading around to the edges.
Top with strawberries. I placed mine upside down from centre out but feel free to just heap them up in the centre!
Slice, serve and devour!

Don't let the length of this recipe put you off, it's actually quite a simple tart to make and it's so delicious! So worth it and your friends will be wowed!

OE Pin It Now!

Fast Food #1 "Roll your own sushi"

I've decided to post a "fast food" section where I share recipes for meals I whip up in no time and with no effort.

Many a times I've looked at the clock and realised it's 5 already and no dinner is coming along as yet... I hope at least some of you can empathise with that! Just hoping I'm not the only one so disorganised! arghhh!

So here is numero uno of my fast food series...

"Roll your own Sushi"

Sushi itself doesn't take very long at all so you could just make the sushi and serve it like that but my kids love rolling their own and it saves me having to do it so I just prep all the ingredients, lay it out on the table and let everyone work for their dinner!

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked rice
• 1 teaspoon caster sugar
•  pinch salt
• 2 teaspoons mirin or  1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
• lettuce/cucumber or whatever vegetable you like
• nori (Seaweed paper)
• filling

Method

• Prepare rice according to packet direction, I like to use the absorbtion method. I get fluffy rice everytime and it's really easy to wash the pot afterwards. No rice stuck or burnt on the bottom.
• Once the rice has cooked, let it cool down.
• Once cooled, use the mirin, sugar and salt to season the rice. I'm afraid the quantities above are merely guesses as I usually just throw it in... you'll have to taste it and add more of whatever you think it needs as you go. The rice should taste slightly sweet with an extremely faint tartness from the mirin or vinegar. if you do substitute the mirin with the vinegar, take note of the quantity difference in the ingredients listed above
• slice/prep your preferred vegetables. I usually like to use cucumber because I love the crunch! but you can also use carrots, capsicum, tomatoes, sprouts... anything you like, or for a busy family... whatevers in the fridge!
• Using kitchen scissors, cut the nori papers into quarters so you get smaller rectangles. You can leave them as they are but my kids love making mini ones. It's also easier to handle
• Now for the filling - Our usual is a large can of tuna mixed with a good dollop of mayo! In the pic above, we used korean bbq beef ribs. I didn't marinate them myself... when I finally get around to learning the recipe from my mother (she makes the best ones!) I'll be sure to post it... we purchased it from our local korean butcher for $16/kg. It's sold pre-marinated ready to grill! You won't find it at just any asian butcher, it has to be a korean one. If you know of a korean community near you, there's sure to be one there, otherwise, ask someone korean! :)

As I said earlier, this will take you next to no time to prepare, the kids love it and it's healthy!

I've just typed this out off the top of my head so if anything doesn't make sense or it's confusing just leave a comment below and I'll try again... :)

NOTE~you can keep nori in a zip lock bag in the freezer to keep it fresh for whenever you need it! It will last years!!!

Enjoy!
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Lamb Pilaf

Okay, I know I haven't been blogging for ages but I promise I'm going to try to be more consistent :)

My aim is to post what I've made for dinner most nights and it begins here with a Lamb Pilaf!

I was so happy when my 2 year old scoffed it down! I just couldn't believe it, but then again, he loves rice and that's the main ingredient so I'm not completely surprised.

I came across this recipe on the taste.com.au website which by the way is one of my fave recipe websites. It's loaded with tasty everyday meals and a handful of good gourmet dishes. I just love that it compiles recipes from some of aussie's best food mags!

This Lamb Pilaf is slightly adapted from this Beef Pilaf recipe. It's not bad. I will definitely be making this one again. The kids eat it and it's easy to prepare. That ticks all the right boxes for a midweek meal!

Lamb Pilaf
(serves 4, approx 30 mins)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 stick of cinnamon
• 300g lamb mince
• 1 cup basmati rice
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 250g punnet cherry tomatoes
• 1/4 cup currants
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves

method

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius
• Place the tomatoes in a baking dish, drizzle with oil and sprinkle with black pepper. Set aside
• Heat oil in a medium oven proof saucepan.
• Add spices and cook stirring for a minute.
• Add lamb and brown.
• Add rice, cook for a minute then add the stock.
• Bring to the boil and transfer to the oven with the lid on for about 20 mins or until the stock has been completely absorbed.
• At the same time, place the tomatoes in the oven to cook.
• Remove the rice and tomatoes from the oven.
• Stir into the rice the tomatoes, currants, green onions and parsley and stir through.
• Serve on its own or with some natural yoghurt, cucumbers and mint.

Enjoy!
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From Paris to Sydney with Love

Have I ever told you how much of an amazing sister I have? Although she's many years younger, she's always taking care of me and thinking of me...

Her latest good deed was spoiling me with gifts from her travels to the UK and Europe... A beautiful cashmere scarf from Edinburgh and macarons from Paris!! The famous Ladurée and its contender Pierre Hermé.





The assortment was nothing short of impressive! Rose, Cherry Blossom, Orange Blossom, Caramel, Pistachio, Cinnamon Pistachio, Violet, Jasmine, Black Licorice, Lemon Lime, Lemon, Lime Basil, Chocolate, Ghana Chocolate, Vanilla, Mint, Raspberry... Just to name a few ;)




They were all delicious! None that I wouldn't eat again but there were definitely some stand outs... The Chocolate and Passionfruit - not too sweet, chocolate at first bite with a tang to finish! And my fave of the lot was the Peach, Apricot and Saffron. All the flavours were so subtle with the peach flavour coming out at the end... It was delicious!!

Both of my favourites were Pierre Hermé's. Apparently they are neck to neck with Ladurée as the best Macarons in Paris, which means the world!!




Ladurée macarons were quite crunchy and very sweet. So sweet that my throat started to hurt after eating a few... Pierre Hermé macarons however were chewy and perfectly sweet! Ladurée's assortment of flavours were also very traditional whereas Pierre Hermé's were modern and clever. A discovery with every bite!

It was a delicious experience and definitely on my 'to do' list for when I visit Paris one day.

OE

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Pappardelle pasta with mushroom ragu

This has been on my 'got to try' list forever!! Ok... Not forever but nearly!
I've always wanted to attempt making my own pasta. I remember watching nic and Rocco on my kitchen rules a couple of months ago and I'm sure they said something to the extent of 1 cup of flour, 2 eggs and 3 tsp olive oil... (1,2,3)... So i tried that... And it worked!!
I chucked it all into a food processor until it started coming together




Then kneaded it for AGES until it sprung back when pressed




I covered it in glad wrap and rested it for half and hour, cut them into four equal parts and started rolling them through the pasta machine (thanks Johanna). Starting on the widest setting, I rolled it, folded it into thirds (left and right sides folded towards the centre) turned it 90degrees then rolled it through again and again until the width stayed consistent. Then I went down a notch and rolled it again twice then another notch and twice again and kept going till I got to the thinnest setting




Dusted it with flour and just sliced it into thirds lengthways




I was so proud of the way it looked! Just like pasta! I doubled the recipe for my family of course. And I have to tell you how much I love pappardelle pasta. You must try it! Even if you don't make your own, woollies sell it... I think it's in the section where they sell all their European imported goods.
Then my oldest son Vince and I made the ragu according to the recipe but I would suggest doubling it! Especially if you like mushrooms. Because it wasn't enough to cover the pasta well enough and you can use any mushrooms you wish. Doesn't have to be the ones suggested in the recipe. We just used portobello mushrooms... Delicious!




Will definitely make my own pasta again... It just melts in your mouth! So much more delicious than dried pasta but definitely requires a little elbow grease!
Next time - ravioli!!
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Anzac Cookies

Anzac day wouldn't be the same in our home without Anzac Biscuits! I have a good recipe that I found on the taste.com.au website but thought I'd try a different one this year...










What I love about Anzac biscuits is that they're sooo easy to make! Throw in some ingredients and voila! You have bickies!! And they are one of the most delicious cookies out there!

I subscribe to the Sydney Morning Herald e-newsletter and i regularly (i think its weekly but i don't pay enough attention to it) receive recipes! Yay! This week contained Merle's (you'll know her if you watch Masterchef) tried and tested Anzac Biscuits recipe. Trusting that she must have tried a fair few in her time I have em a go!

The hint of ginger in Merle's recipe was a delicious addition but no chewiness. Just soft. It definitely doesn't beat the chewy, golden syrupy one's I usually make! I'm sticking with my old one...

Love Anzac bickies!!

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Massaman Curry

Ever since watching the last season of 'My Kitchen Rules' I've had a long list of recipes to try. On the top of my list was the Massaman Curry that the winners, Leigh and Jennifer cooked. Jennifer said it was her mums recipe and in my experience any recipe that is worth passing down is usually a good one! It also looked great and was rated very highly by the judges!
The recipe calls for oxtail which is a cheap but delicious cut. It's also highly nutritious as it contains marrow. The two downsides to oxtail is that it's high in fat (which turns to liquid when cooked then floats to the top so is easily removed) and needs to be cooked for a while... Like chuck and gravy steak which you could use to substitute the oxtail if desired.
I also made the pickled salad that the recipe called for which was a simple delicious salad offered freshness to the heavy curry. Which by the way was absolutely delicious. I cheated a little I have to say. I browned the meat then simmered it in the pineapple juice as called for in the recipe. I did it on the stove but next time I'll do it in the oven as simmering on the stove meant the juice kept evaporating and needed topping up whereas in the oven it would have been fine. The recipe calls for a pressure cooker which would be the best option.
For the curry paste (instead of making the one in the recipe) I used Volcom curry paste found in your local supermarket but I used additional ingredients to make it as similar to the mkr recipe as possible.
I cooked off the curry paste as you do, added coconut cream (coconut milk makes a thinner curry) and to that I added one onion chopped (shallots are best but i didnt have any) 4 potatoes, cubed, a cinnamon stick and 4 cardamom pods. I seasoned with fish sauce and brown sugar then let that simmer on low for a little while (approx 15 mins). Then I transferred the meat over to the curry sauce and let it cook a little longer, maybe another 15... It was the best Massaman I've ever had! The pineapple juice really made a difference! This recipe is definitely a keeper!




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Creme Brûlée Tart

I want to enter a pie recipe comp so have been experimenting with pie's lately and I wanted to replicate one of my all time fave tarts from one of my all time favourite bakery's, Bourke Street Bakery.

Anyone who visits Sydney needs to put them on their 'to do' list because they make hands down the best vanilla creme brûlée and strawberry tarts and pork and fennel sausage rolls!

Although I think my creme brulee tart recipe would be a stand out against other pie recipes in the comp ;) I decided against sending it in as the recipe was so involved... So here it is... On my blog instead...

Creme Brûlée Tart




Vanilla Custard
2 cups thickened cream
1 vanilla pod (or vanilla extract)
7 egg yolks
2 Tbsp caster sugar

Slice the vanilla pod lengthways and run a knife along the inside to remove seeds and place the seeds, pod and cream in a saucepan and heat on medium heat until its JUST at the boil (this method is called scalding)
Strain to remove the pod.
Meanwhile, cream together yolks and sugar till pale and creamy like the pic below.




Pour about half a cup of the hot cream into the yolk mixture and mix well.
Then pour the yolk mix into the rest of the hot cream
(this process ensures the yolks are warm already so don't cook when it hits the hot milk)
Mix well and continue mixing as you cook the custard over a low-med heat until thick.
(as the custard heats, it will start to bubble, then froth, then thicken. When it is cooked, majority of the froth will have disappeared but don't go beyond this point as the custard will curdle)
Below is the beginning of the frothy stage.


Remove from the heat but continue stirring for 2mins to start the cooling process.

Place cling wrap directly on top of the custard (so its touching) and place in the fridge till set (mine needed overnight)

Sweet Shortcrust Pastry
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1/2 cup icing sugar
1 cup cold butter chopped
1 egg
Dash of milk if necessary

In a food processor, mix together the flour and sugar, add the cold butter and mix till it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg then mix. If the pastry hasn't come together add a splash of milk an mix till the pastry JUST starts to come together. Turn out onto a floured bench (I line mine with cling wrap first) then knead with the heels of your hands gently. (too much kneading will destroy the flakiness in the pastry) Wrap in cling wrap and rest in the fridge for half an hour.
When ready to use, remove from fridge, roll as needed, line your pie dish, prick the base with a fork all over to prevent pastry from puffing up and let rest again for another half an hour (this will reduce shrinkage when the pastry is baked)

This is what my pastry looks like. You can see specks of butter through it, that's what you want.




When ready to bake place a sheet of baking paper on top of the pastry with some rice or pie weights on top and bake at 200 for 10 mins, remove the paper and weights and continue baking for another 8-10mins (till browned as desired)

Notes:
For flaky pastry make sure to use cold butter and don't over knead!
Make sure to rest the pastry both after kneading and after rolling to avoid shrinkage

Cool pastry on cooling rack.

Spread the set custard in the cooled pastry case and level with a knife. Sprinkle 3 Tbsp of white sugar on top and brûlée!




Enjoy!




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Cinnamon Rolls

My boys (including the biggest one of all - my hubby) love it when I decide to bake up a batch of cinnamon rolls!

After trying many cinnamon rolls, scrolls and buns whilst traveling in the United States; from the all famous Cinnabons to the frozen supermarket types, I decided that I needed to find myself a recipe.

We ate cinnamon rolls every week for a few weeks (yikes) so I could search, try, tweak and retry recipes. Finally, I settled on a favourite. A recipe from the allrecipes website that claims to be a Cinnabon copycat.

On Saturday we attended a 'kindy family's get together' at a local park and my contribution to the food was (you guessed it!) cinnamon rolls!

I started off by prepping the dough in the bread machine. I add an additional tsp of yeast to the recipe. I find it doesn't rise quick enough otherwise.

When the doughs ready, I cover my work bench with cling wrap for easy cleaning, dust it with a little flour then pull my dough out.




I basically follow the recipe spot on but I just have to stress the importance of using ALL the butter called for in the recipe and maybe even a little more, otherwise you'll end up with dry buns!




Sprinkle with the sugar mix, roll, cut, place in a baking pan and let rise again




When they've risen (they haven't yet in the pic above), Bake in the oven for the 15mins and 15mins ONLY! They can easily be over cooked and they're not good when they are...

Make the icing while they're baking and spread it on the rolls while they're still warm and devour right away!




And they were - devoured - at the park :)

btw... As for the clean up... Too easy!





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Hot (from my oven) cross buns!

Finally got my act together and baked those hot cross buns I found on the SMH website last week. I've been meaning to make them since good Friday but didn't get around to it till today. It was our Sunday dessert.

As I prepped the dough and chucked in the 1/2 cup of sultana's, a protest began... The kids were flabbergasted at the thought of fruit hot cross buns instead of choc chip ones. So I removed the sultana's, picked them out is what I should say whilst thinking to myself how glad I was the recipe had only called for a 1/2 cup. (although it needed more). I divided the dough in half. One half choc chip and the other traditional.

Firstly it took a lot longer to bake in the oven than the suggested time... More like 25 mins (could just be my oven) and it wasn't spicy enough. In fact it wasn't spicy at all which was fine for the choc chip ones but the traditional ones deserved a little more cinnamon. At least another teaspoon. They also needed a 1/4 cup more of sultanas (as I stated above) and I'm not normally a sultana fan but they needed the sweetness.

Overall with its chewy crust and light an fluffy inside it was a definite keeper! Bill said it was one of the best he's had and with a few tweaks of my own I plan on making it THE best!

Happy Easter!

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