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Cinnamon palmiers
Crisp, cinnamon scented, buttery pastries and excellent coffee were what was called for at our place today. Treats are most needed when exam season begins. The wickedly rich chocolate ganache we had with them might have been a little too indulgent, but then chocolate always makes studying easier! Palmiers are a traditional French pastry, often called elephant’s ears because of their shape. I have added cinnamon to my recipe for a different taste. You can make your own puff pastry, but I don’t have the time for such a complex exercise so I use a simple flaky pastry made with sour cream (bless you Maggie Beer, there is no other pastry so fine). It’s just as good to use a good store-bought puff pastry. Serve palmiers with coffee or hot chocolate, or make an impressive dessert by serving them with fresh fruit – mandarins, oranges or berries work well – and chocolate ganache. Makes about 20 1 sheet of good quality store-bought puff pastry, or 1 batch of sour cream pastry 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/3 cup demerara sugar, or coffee sugar Preheat oven to 180 C. Lightly flour your bench top and lay on it the puff pastry, or, roll out the sour cream pastry until it is about 3 mm thick and forms a rectangle 35 cm x 30 cm. Sprinkle generously with the cinnamon and about 3/4 of the sugar. Roll up from the longest side until you get to the middle and then do the same from the other side. Using a sharp knife, cut into thin slices, sprinkle with the remaining sugar, and lay carefully on a baking tray lined with silicon paper (see the picture below). You will have to work quickly so the pastry doesn’t get too soft and difficult to handle. Put tray in the fridge for about 10 minutes and then bake for 20 minutes in the oven. Remove from the baking tray when cool enough to handle and cool completely on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container. Keeps for 2 or 3 days. Serve with coffee, hot chocolate, or for dessert with fresh fruit and chocolate ganache. Posted by:mawarre I love to cook (and eat). Based in Brisbane, Australia, I write about the food I cook for my friends and family. Post navigation
Grown-up’s chocolate mousse
Silky, incredibly rich, and made with bitter dark chocolate slightly sweetened with honey, a little of this very grown-up mousse goes a very long way. However, it is very simple to make and only needs a good quality dark chocolate to make it shine. It is most important not to put the mousse in the fridge. The texture will end up being grainy and unappealing. Just make the mousse an hour or so before you need it and leave in a cool place. I absolutely love to serve it with my salted caramel pecans because both the nuts and the slight saltiness of the caramel really enhance the taste of the chocolate. Serves 6 – 8, depending on how much richness you can take in one sitting 150g 70% cocoa solids dark chocolate 150 ml thickened cream 60g butter, chopped into small pieces 1 tablespoon honey First thing is not to freak out when you see the ingredients list and remember this is a special occasion dessert. Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. (You can cheat and do it in the microwave – just remember to use low heat or else the chocolate will burn) Let it cool a little and then stir through the honey and the butter until all the butter is melted and the chocolate is beautifully shiny. In another bowl whisk the cream until it is softly whipped. Pour the chocolate mixture into the cream and whisk together gently. The mousse will thicken and remain gloriously glossy. Set aside somewhere cool, but do not put in the fridge. To serve, spoon a generous tablespoonful per person onto a gorgeous plate (If you have the smarts make a quenelle) and serve a few pieces of salted caramel pecans on the side. I also sometimes serve in a tiny espresso cup with berries on the side. Posted by:mawarre I love to cook (and eat). Based in Brisbane, Australia, I write about the food I cook for my friends and family. Post navigation
Passionfruit panna cotta
In love. There are no better words to describe my feelings about this panna cotta. Creamy, silky smooth, delicate, and flavoured with intensely fragrant passionfruit syrup, it fulfils all I could ever desire in a dessert. It’s also simplicity itself to make, and perfect for summertime. The passionfruit syrup can be made a day ahead and then the panna cotta whipped up in the morning. Because it is quite rich I like to serve it in a variety of beautiful little glasses, so that everyone can choose the size that suits them. On our recent holiday at the vineyard we watched the sun set over the vines ate a delicious lamb tagine, and then sat outdoors in the cool of the evening lingering over our panna cottas, talking of love and life and the joy of friendship. Bliss.. Serves 6-10, depending on serving size 600 ml pure cream 150 ml milk 1/2 cup sugar 3 teaspoons powdered gelatine (10g) 125 ml passionfruit syrup (recipe below) Put the cream, milk and sugar into a medium saucepan and gently bring to a simmer. Do not boil. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl add 50ml hot water to the gelatine and stir with a fork until completely dissolved. When the cream has reached simmering point, take off the heat and pour over the gelatine, mixing well. Mix in the passionfruit syrup and let cool a little before pouring into serving glasses. Put into the refrigerator to set, which will take a couple of hours. Serve plain, or with a little extra passionfruit syrup or fresh passionfruit pulp drizzled over the top. Passionfruit syrup: put the pulp of 8 passionfruit, 1/2 cup sugar and the juice of 1 lemon and 1 lime into a small saucepan. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Strain through a sieve, using the back of a spoon to extract as much syrup from the seeds as possible. Keeps for 3 days in the refrigerator. Makes about 150ml.
Lemon and pine nut muffins
There was a bit of nose wrinkling at our place when I first floated the idea of lemon and pine nut muffins, but when they were ready; warm, sticky with lemon glaze, and topped with lightly toasted pine nuts, there was no shortage of testers, and plenty of positive feedback. I love the sweet nuttiness of pine nuts and they marry with lemon very well. I scattered a few tiny thyme leaves over the top of my muffins and lavendar petals would also be stunning for both their fragance and soft colour. Makes 12 muffins 2 1/4 cups self-raising flour 3/4 cup raw caster sugar 125g butter, melted 1 cup milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 eggs finely grated zest of 2 lemons Glaze: Juice of 2 lemons 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 cup lightly toasted pine nuts Preheat oven to 180 C. In a large bowl combine the flour, lemon zest, and sugar. In a small bowl mix together the melted butter, milk and vanilla and then, using a fork, add the eggs and mix until well combined. Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients and mix quickly with a fork until just combined. Do not over mix. The end result should look a little lumpy – it’s the secret to a tender muffin. Spoon the mixture into a 12 hole muffin tin lined with paper cases. Bake in the oven for around 20 – 25 minutes, until the muffins are well risen and lightly golden. While they are baking mix together the sugar and lemon juice. As soon as the muffins come out of the oven spoon the lemon and sugar mixture over the top of each one and then sprinkle each muffin with a few pine nuts. They are delicious warm or cold, and will keep for a couple of days in an airtight container. Posted by:mawarre I love to cook (and eat). Based in Brisbane, Australia, I write about the food I cook for my friends and family. Post navigation
Pasta with roasted pumpkin and bacon
The sweetness of the roasted pumpkin contrasts beautifully with the salty crispnes of the bacon and the nuttiness of the parmesan. Buy the best quality parmesan you can – it really makes a difference when you use good quality cheese. Serves 4 750g jap pumpkin, diced into 1 cm cubes 250g bacon, finely diced 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1 onion, diced 100g baby spinach 500g linguini 300ml cream 120g parmesan cheese, shaved Olive oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper Bake the pumpkin in the oven at 200C until lightly brown and soft, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile pan fry the onion and the bacon with a little oil until the onion is soft and bacon is becoming crispy. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Put on a pot of water, salt lightly and bring to the boil. Cook the pasta until al dente. Just before the pasta is cooked, add the cream and the spinach to the bacon mixture and reduce slightly over medium heat. Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce with the roasted pumpkin. Top with the shaved parmesan and freshly ground black pepper and serve immediately. Posted by:mawarre I love to cook (and eat). Based in Brisbane, Australia, I write about the food I cook for my friends and family. Post navigation
Lemony roasted potatoes for your Easter lamb
When I was a teenager I spent most of my Easter holidays travelling with my parents and siblings all over regional Queensland to compete in the Queensland Eisteddfod. My parents sang in a large and very good amateur choir, and the competition was always fierce, but good spirited. They also had strong connections within two of the other major choirs, which were from their home town of Ipswich, so there was much socialising and laughter amid the competition. But as a result, our Easter fare was very much what could be managed in a motel kitchenette, and snatched between the competition sessions.When my parents retired, and dad’s health prevented him from singing or travelling, I started making an Easter Sunday lunch as a new tradition, which lasted until my own family began camping over Easter with a group of friends from our church. I am thinking of reviving the Easter Sunday lunch this year and these potatoes will be contenders for the menu. They are crispy, and lemony, and with the zing of dried and fresh herbs and a dash of chilli. The lemon slices turn almost jammy and are fantastically sweet and sour. For those of you who are eagerly anticipating the coming of spring, and for those of you who are looking forward to cooler weather of autumn, these potatoes work well with meat or fish cooked to suit your season. For me, it will be seven hour lamb. Serves 4 – 6 1 kg smallish potatoes, skins on (I prefer Desiree for their blushing pink skins),and cut lengthwise in half and then in half again to create wedges 2 medium sized lemons 4 cloves garlic, unpeeled 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1 teaspoon dried mint 1/2 teaspoon dried chilli flakes 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/3 cup fresh oregano leaves Preheat oven to 185 C. Line a shallow baking tray with silicon paper. In a medium sized bowl combine the juice of 1 lemon, the unpeeled garlic, dried oregano and mint, chilli flakes, salt, olive oil and potatoes and, using your hands, mix until the potatoes are all coated with the mixture. NB. If you have a cut on your finger, as I did, get someone else to do this to save you from some stinging action! Cut the remaining lemon into 5 mm slices. Place the potato mixture on the tray in a single layer and put the lemon slices in among the potatoes. Cook for about 1 hour in the oven, until the potatoes are crispy and cooked through and the lemon one step away from burning. You might like to turn the potatoes a couple of times during the cooking to enhance their crispiness. Season with a little more salt, if needed, and a good grind of black pepper. Serve hot from the oven or at room temperature.
Buttermilk panna cotta
This panna cotta was inspired by a Maggie Beer recipe to which I have added my own twist. It is creamy and smooth but not quite so decandently rich as a panna cotta made purely on cream and making it is simplicity itself. I like to serve it with fresh berries in spring or with mango and passionfruit in the summer. It also is fabulous as a do-ahead dessert for a party. serves 6 3 leaves of gold strength gelatine 1 2/3 cups pure pouring cream 150 g raw castor sugar 1 1/4 cups buttermilk juice of 1 lemon 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, or 1/2 vanilla bean, split Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water to soften. Combine the cream, sugar and vanilla in a saucepan on medium heat and bring it almost to the boil. Take off the heat and add it to the buttermilk in a bowl. Stir through the lemon juice and let it cool a little. Squeeze the excess moisture out of the gelatine and whisk into the buttermilk and cream mixture. Pour into moulds and then set in the fridge for around 4 hours. Serve with seasonal fruit. (You can turn the panna cottas out onto a plate to serve, but I am always too cowardly and pressed for time so I set them in small glasses and serve.) Posted by:mawarre I love to cook (and eat). Based in Brisbane, Australia, I write about the food I cook for my friends and family. Post navigation
Lemon friands
Friands are buttery, almondy and rich. Traditionally baked in a special oval shape, they have a completely different texture to other more traditional small cakes or muffins and are just a little bit glamorous. I first started making friands when one of my children was diagnosed with coeliac disease because they can also be made very successfully with gluten free flour. I make all sorts of friands but these are my favourites. Blueberries or blackberries can be substituted for the raspberries. They are best eaten warm with coffee or tea and in the company of good friends. 190g unsalted butter 60g plain flour [or use gluten free flour] 11/3 cups (200g) icing sugar, plus extra to dust 120g almond meal 5 egg whites Grated zest of 1 lemon 100g of frozen raspberries Preheat oven to 180°C. Melt butter and use a little to grease a 12-hole friand pan or muffin pan. Dust with a little flour, shaking out excess. Sift the flour and sugar into a large bowl, then stir in the almond meal. Place egg whites in a small bowl and lightly froth with a fork. Add to dry ingredients with melted butter and zest, stirring until completely combined. Fill each friand hole one-third full. Put three or four raspberries in each hole, and then fill until the hole is two-thirds full with more mixture. Bake for 25-35 minutes until golden and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven, leave in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool. Dust with icing sugar just before serving. Posted by:mawarre I love to cook (and eat). Based in Brisbane, Australia, I write about the food I cook for my friends and family. Post navigation
Cherry pie (she CAN bake a cherry pie, Billy boy)
Oh, where have you been, Billy Boy, Billy Boy? Oh, where have you been, charming Billy? I have been to seek a wife, she’s the joy of my life, She’s a young thing and cannot leave her mother. Can she make a cherry pie, Billy Boy, Billy Boy? Can she make a cherry pie, charming Billy? She can make a cherry pie, quick as a cat can wink an eye, She’s a young thing and cannot leave her mother. Traditional folk song As soon as I had the idea to take advantage of the beautiful cherries that are available in my part of the world at the moment, the folk song ‘Billy boy’ has been going round and round in my head. I learned it as a child, singing in my school choir, and it came rushing back from the school-room to my present consciousness and took up residence! This free-form pie is a neat way to show off the luscious cherries, juicy and tart, with only a tiny sprinkle of sugar added. The pastry is short and crumbly, but easy to make, and needs no pie dish and acrobatics with the rolling pin to construct. I’ve been doing some research into pies, particularly the strong American tradition of making and serving pies, which dates from the earliest settlers who adapted their own pie recipes to the local ingredients available in the New World, whereupon they seem to have become a significant national food, with apple, pumpkin and cherry pies all favourites. When I was in New York last year I went to the most beautiful bakery called Two Little Red Hens and had the best apple pie I have ever eaten. This pie is a little homage to that experience, but I could not hope to make a pastry as delightfully flaky as I ate there. Enjoy this pie warm or at room temperature and with a drizzle of cream or a dollop of vanilla ice cream on top. Serves 8 700 g fresh cherries, halved and pitted 2 cups plain flour 125 g butter, chilled and cut into small cubes 1/4 cup caster sugar, plus a little extra 2 egg yolks 1/3 cup almond meal cream or ice cream, to serve Preheat oven to 180 C. Combine the flour, butter, sugar and egg yolks in a food processor and process until the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs. Carefully add 1 – 2 tablespoons icy cold water and whizz until the pastry forms into a dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead lightly. Wrap in cling film and rest in a cool place for about 20 minutes. Roll out the pastry into a circle and, using a dinner plate as a guide, cut out a neat circle about 30 cm in diameter. Place the pastry on a baking tray lined with silicon paper. Sprinkle the pastry with the almond meal, to within about 5 cm of the edge. Tumble on the cherries and then carefully turn over the pastry to cover about 5 cm of the filling. Sprinkle over a little sugar over the pastry and the filling and bake for 35 – 40 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Will keep for a couple of days, but best eaten on the day it is made.
Heirloom tomatoes with a simple dressing
Unless you have tasted really beautiful tomatoes you might think this salad would be dull, flavourless and not worthy to grace your table. So many tomatoes are like that – lacking in flavour, almost chalky in texture, watery and unappealing. And with this dish there is nowhere for the tomatoes to hide. There has, however, been a resurgence in recent times of what people call “old-fashioned” tomato varieties, and ripening tomatoes on the vine, so it is possible to get tomatoes that taste as tomatoes should, with a little careful selection. I found these beauties in my local fruit shop and leaped at the opportunity to make this salad. I think they are the beefsteak, or perhaps ox-heart variety, but the fruit shop just called them heirloom tomatoes. It’s really important to serve at room temperature, and as it only takes about 5 minutes to make that should be no problem. Whatever you serve this salad with will be a hit. If you are in the northern hemisphere and coming to the end of summer, I can imagine some grilled prawns (shrimp), crusty bread and crisp salad greens, eaten while sitting outdoors in the early evening. If, like me, you are living in the southern hemisphere, eagerly anticipating warmer weather, I am thinking of some grilled lamb chops, with hummus and pomegranate molasses drizzled over the top, plus cous cous with currants and almonds for an outdoor lunch on the deck. Enjoy, wherever you are. Serves 4 as a side dish 2 large heirloom tomatoes, plus 1 beautiful, vine ripened tomato a handful of basil leaves 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil sea salt a dash of good quality red wine vinegar Using a microplane, or the finest side of a box grater, grate the vine ripened tomato into a small bowl. Strain through a sieve and pour the pinkish juices into a small jar with a screw top lid, discarding the pulp and the seeds. You =should have a couple of tablespoons. Add the olive oil, the red wine vinegar and a good pinch of salt, screw on the lid and shake vigorously to combine. Slice the tomatoes quite thickly and lay them on a serving plate. Just before serving pour over the dressing and scatter over the basil leaves. You can make ahead of time, but don’t refrigerate the tomatoes, as they will lose lots of their aroma and flavour if served cold.
Crunchy ginger slice – vintage baking
Trawl through any old C.W.A. recipe book from the 1960s onwards and you’ll most likely find a version of this slice. It’s a classic, and for good reason. There is something about ginger that elevates any dish in which it is included. I first ate a version of this slice made by one of my oldest friends, and she got the recipe from her mother, who got it from her mother. I love recipes that are handed down from one cook in a family to a cook in the next generation. With the current popularity of all things vintage, I thought I’d share this very vintage recipe with you, and encourage you to bake it and eat it with a cup of tea in a real teacup, in your garden, giving thanks for all the cooks in your life and the recipes they have handed down to you. My heartfelt thanks go to Toni, her mother and grandmother. Makes 24 pieces Biscuit base: 250g butter 3/4 cup Caster sugar 1 cup self-raising flour 1 cup plain flour 1 teapoon ground ginger Topping: 80g butter 1/4 cup golden syrup 1 tablespoon ground ginger 2 1/4 cups icing sugar Preheat oven to 180 C. Lightly grease a 20 cm x 30 cm slice tin. In a medium sized bowl beat the butter, sugar and ginger until light and fluffy. Add the flours and mix well to combine. Turn into the tin and spread evenly, pressing the mixture lightly with your fingers until it is even. Bake in the oven for 20 – 25 minutes, until lightly golden. Take out of the oven and straight away spread with the topping. When cold, cut into slices and store in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Topping: Put the butter, ginger and golden syrup into a small sauce pan and warm gently until the ingredients are melted and well combined. Add the icing sugar in 2 batches, stirring well to remove any little lumps. You should time the making of the icing so that it is ready just before the slice comes out of the oven. (It takes about 5 minutes to make) Posted by:mawarre I love to cook (and eat). Based in Brisbane, Australia, I write about the food I cook for my friends and family. Post navigation
Sweet potato soup – winter joy
Pumpkin soup is ubiquitous as a winter time meal in my part of the world so I thought I’d mix it up a bit and try a sweet potato soup instead. Lots of spices and a bit of heat make this soup a little different and it would be a good introduction for the uninitiated to Indian style flavours, as it’s not too hot. I serve it with plain yoghurt on the side and crispy bruschetta for dipping. It is quite a thick soup, but you can add a little more stock to get the texture you like. Snuggle up on the couch and enjoy on a winter’s night – perfect for a Sunday night supper with a movie. Serves 4 – 6 1/4 cup oil 3 teaspoons cumin seeds 1 teaspoon ground turmeric 1 teaspoon ground coriander 1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes (use 1/2 a teaspoon if your chilli tolerance is very low) 1 onion, chopped 2 cm piece of fresh ginger, grated 3 cloves garlic, crushed 1 kg orange sweet potato, peeled and chopped into chunks 2 stalks celery, finely sliced 2 tomatoes, chopped 1.25L vegetable stock sea salt and black pepper 1/2 cup plain yoghurt, to serve Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the spices, onion, garlic and ginger. Cook, stirring all the time, until the spices release beautiful aromas. Be careful not to let them burn. Add all the other ingredients except for the stock, and cook for 3 -4 minutes until the sweet potato is coated in the spice mixture. Add the stock and simmer gently, covered, for about 30 minutes, or until the sweet potato is very soft and you can easily squash it with a wooden spoon. Blend the soup in a food processor, or with a stick blender, until it is smooth. If you like add a little extra stock or water to get the consistency you prefer. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve hot with toasted bruschetta or crusty fresh bread with the yoghurt passed separately for everyone to add a spoonful to their soup. It will keep for 3 – 4 days in the refrigerator and also freezes well. Posted by:mawarre I love to cook (and eat). Based in Brisbane, Australia, I write about the food I cook for my friends and family. Post navigation