Wednesday 31 October 2012

creamy, sweet pumpkin soup

 

Pumpkin Soup with Chanterelles :: This recipe comes from Sweet Paul, the Fall issue’s My happy Dish winner Ewa Ostoja-Helczynska.

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Pumpkin Soup with Chanterelle  (Serves 4)

3 cloves garlic
2 shallots
2 Lb pumpkin flesh (without grains and filaments)
3 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon Thyme
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon chopped parsley
a pinch of grated nutmeg
20 chanterelles, cleaned and halved
fresh thyme
1 tablespoon olive oil

Chop the garlic and shallots.
Fry in a tablespoon of olive oil.
Add the Pumpkin cut into large dice and cover with stock.
Cook for about 20 min.
Add the herbs and spices.
Once the pumpkin is soft, add to a blander and whizz until smoothe.
Pass through a colander.
Pour back into the pot and add cream.
Bring to a boil.
Saute the chanterelles and thyme in the olive oil.
Divide them in four bowls.
Fill each bowl with hot soup.

{Photo by Alexandra Grablewski via Sweet Paul}

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Monday 22 October 2012

handmade ice cream cones + chocolate chip mint

 

As Nicole at Herriott Grace says goodbye to long summer days, here in Australia we are saying hello! It was a hot ice-cream imbibing weekend!

In clebration of the warm weather I am sharing Nikole’s Chocolate chip mint ice-cream with handmade cones with beautifully crafted cone rollers!

HANDMADE ICE CREAM CONES

2 (60g) egg whites, room temperature
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon (60g) icing sugar
15 grams granulated sugar
1 teaspoon (5g) pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon (42g) all purpose flour, sifted
a pinch of salt
2 tablespoons (30g) unsalted butter, melted
unsalted butter for greasing the iron

In a medium bowl whisk together both types of sugar. Add the whites and whip until the mixture is frothy and ribbons begin to appear. Add the vanilla. Whisk in flour and salt and beat until well combined. Stir in the butter. Bake in a prepared and preheated waffle iron made especially for cones until golden. (As a general rule I bake 1 tablespoon of batter for 1 minute and 25 seconds on setting 5, but your machine may have different settings.) Repeat, greasing your iron as you go. Roll each waffle immediamtely after it comes off the machine (small cotton or latex gloves are helpful here). I like to leave a little space at the top of each roller but practice to get a shape you love, I think that’s the fun part! You’ll notice in these photos that I fold the bottom of my cones, but this is not necessary, it’s simply an aesthitic choice. If you’d like them more traditional just skip folding them and pinch the bottoms into a clean point.

+ For those looking for a more traditional size we’ll be adding a larger roller size to the shop in the next while. Join the list here.

Photos: Michael Graydon
Styling: Nikole Herriott
And the BEAUTIFUL letters: Sarah Foot

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Wednesday 10 October 2012

Omleta Me Sparaggia Asparagus Omelette

 

Wild asparagus omelette from My Greek Island Home by Claire Lloyd.

 This wild asparagus dish looks rather untidy, but it’s absolutely delicious. Put it on the table with a large spoon for people to help themselves. 

Omleta me Sparaggia, (Asparagus Omelette), page 85.

340 g wild or thin cultivated asparagus
olive oil for frying
6 eggs, beaten
200 g fetta cheese, crumbled
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Bring a saucepan of water to the boil. Snap the woody bases from the asparagus and discard, then break the asparagus into pieces approximately 4 cm long. Drop the asparagus pieces into the water and boil for 2–3 minutes, until just tender, then remove from the water and drain in a colander.

Heat a medium-sized non-stick frying pan over a high heat, add olive oil, then add the asparagus to the pan. Pour the eggs over the top and cook, uncovered, for 4–5 minutes until just set. Slide out on to a plate, scatter the crumbled fetta over the top, season with salt and pepper and serve.

Serves 6 as part of a shared meal

{Image & recipe: Claire Lloyd, My Greek Island Home}

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Saturday 29 September 2012

spring + sweet blue skies

 

As the first month of spring passes, I thought these beautiful pictures from Sweet Paul captures the joy of this pretty season. The styling by Alicia Buszczak is artful and so delicate.

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Sweet-paul-andrea-bricco

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Paul Lowe did a wonderful job putting together his Spring 2012 issue of Sweet Paul.

Food styling + recipes by Diana Perrin

Prop styling + illustrations by Alicia Buszczak

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Saturday 25 August 2012

veloute de feves & fromage

 

Cream of beans & cheese soup ~ always sounds sexier in french!

300 g of beans
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 teaspoons chopped chives
Homemade vegetable broth or water
Salt + Espelette pepper
3 teaspoons fresh goat cheese

Bring salted water to a boil, then soak the beans for 5 minutes. Take them out and put them in a bowl of cold water to stop cooking (beans are good and green). Remove their second skin, it is usually sufficient to “pinch” to bring out the bean (if using frozen beans, refer to the method of preparation on the package).

Mix the beans with some broth, chopped chives, olive oil, a pinch of salt and a pinch of Espelette pepper (you can also add a clove of garlic). Add progressively to vegetable broth or water until desired consistency. Finally add the goat cheese and mix again. Reheat the soup and serve with a spoonful of goat cheese and some chopped chives.

{Source: my little fabric}

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Sunday 12 August 2012

so sweet

 

Petals + Dessert :: A beautiful combination of art, fleur and dessert.

Pinched Rosewater & Rhubarb Macaroons for Sweet Paul Magazine.

Recipes & Food Styling by Diana Perrin of Casa de Perrin, Prop Styling & Artwork by Alicia Buszczak and Photography by Bricco.

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Wednesday 25 April 2012

Salute to the sacred ANZAC biscuit

 

It’s ANZAC Day in Australia :: Australian New Zealand Army Corps.

I really should bake some ANZAC biscuits using Anthony’s award winning recipe

~ he won 2nd-prize at the Ekka in 2002!

 The story

Made by women for their men serving in the WWI trenches, the brittle treat was designed to last the long boat journey to Europe. Where lesser baked goods would have failed, stale and crumbly are not in the vocabulary of the ANZAC biscuit. They are best slightly moist and without the six-month shipping period!

Anthony’s Recipe

1 cup plain flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup sugar (you can use less or substitute with brown sugar)
3/4 cup desiccated coconut
125g butter
2 tbs golden syrup
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Oven at 150-160.
Combine flour, oats, coconut and brown sugar in a bowl.
Put the butter, golden syrup and 2 tbs water in a small saucepan. Stir over a medium heat until melted. Stir in the bicarbonate of soda.
Pour the butter mixture into the flour mixture and stir until combined.
Roll mixture into balls. Place on the trays, about 5cm apart.
Press with a fork to flatten slightly. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

{Images via 1. australian traveller & 2. bojon gourmet}

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Monday 9 April 2012

Apple and cinnamon hot cross buns

 

YUM…. The mix of candied apple and dried apple combined with a sticky cinnamon glaze provides a new twist on an old favourite. These buns are equally good served warm on the day of baking, or several days later, toasted, with lashings of butter. Serves 20

325 gm raw caster sugar
1 lemon
1½ Granny Smith apples, unpeeled, cored, diced
1 cinnamon quill
750 gm (5 cups) plain flour
150 gm sultanas or golden raisins
50 gm dried apple, diced
30 gm candied orange, diced
14 gm (2 sachets) dried yeast
3½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp allspice
Finely grated rind of 1 orange and 1 lemon
380 ml milk
100 gm butter, coarsely chopped
1 egg

1 Combine 260gm sugar and 375ml water in a saucepan, then squeeze in juice of half a lemon and stir over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves. Meanwhile, cut remaining lemon half into 5mm-thick slices, add to pan with Granny Smith apple and cinnamon quill. Bring to the simmer, reduce heat to medium and cook until lemon and apple are translucent (20-25 minutes). Strain, reserving fruit and syrup separately. When cool enough to handle, dice lemon, combine with apple and set aside.
2 Combine 700gm flour, sultanas, dried apple, candied orange, yeast, 3 tsp ground cinnamon, allspice, rinds, remaining sugar, reserved apple mixture and 1 tsp salt in a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Combine milk and butter in a small saucepan, warm over low heat until butter melts and mixture is lukewarm. Whisk in egg, then add milk mixture to flour, stirring to form a soft dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (8-10 minutes). Place in a lightly buttered bowl, cover and stand in a warm place until doubled in size (30-40 minutes).
3 Knock back dough, divide into 20 even pieces, then knead each piece into a smooth ball. Arrange dough balls into two concentric circles on a large round or rectangular baking tray lined with baking paper, leaving 1cm between each for dough to expand. Cover with a tea towel and stand in a warm place until doubled in size (30-40 minutes).
4 Preheat oven to 220C. Combine remaining flour and 70ml cold water in a bowl and stir to a smooth paste. Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a small plain nozzle and pipe a cross shape onto each bun. Bake for 10 minutes, reduce oven to 200C and bake until golden and buns sound hollow when tapped (8-10 minutes).
5 Meanwhile, combine reserved syrup and remaining ground cinnamon in a small saucepan and stir over medium heat until syrupy and combined. Brush thickly over hot buns, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Cooking Time Prep time 45 mins, cook 50 mins (plus cooling, proving)
This recipe is from the April 2010 issue of Australian Gourmet Traveller.

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Saturday 10 March 2012

chocolate hazelnut meringue

 

My beautiful friend Angela whipped up a show-stopper, a delicious chocolate hazelnut meringue to celebrate my birthday! yummmmmmmmmmmmm!

Sadly I didn’t get a good pic of Angela’s creation and so I am sharing this one by Riverstone Kitchen.

Chocolate hazelnut meringue with frangelico cream

8 free-range egg whites
300g caster sugar
1 tablespoon cornflour
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
120g hazelnuts, roasted, skinned and lightly crushed

Whisk egg whites in a mixer on medium to high speed until stiff. Add sugar in three separate additions, whisking for 2 minutes between each addition. After the last of the sugar is added, continue to whisk for a further 2 minutes.

Remove mixing bowl from mixer and add cornflour, cocoa and hazelnuts. Gently fold ingredients together until just combined. (Over-folding will knock out too much air.)

Divide the mixture between three baking trays lined with baking paper and marked out with a 28cm circle on each piece of paper. Spread meringue mixture evenly around the circle with a spatula and bake in a 100°C oven for 1 hour before turning down to 80°C for a further 2 hours. Turn off oven and allow meringues to cool completely.

Ganache & to assemble
400g dark chocolate pieces
150ml cream
30ml dark rum

Make ganache by melting chocolate in a bowl over simmering water. Remove from heat before stirring in cream and finally rum. When the ganache is still slightly runny but almost set, pour half of the ganache on to the first meringue. Spread evenly over the meringue before placing the next meringue disc on top. Pour on the last of the ganache and place the final meringue disc on top. Allow 1 hour for the ganache to fully set before cutting.

Frangelico cream & to serve
600ml cream
1⁄2 cup icing sugar
30ml–45ml Frangelico liqueur
Dutch cocoa powder and icing sugar, to dust

Whisk the cream, sugar and Frangelico together to a soft peak. To serve, cut the meringue into 10–12 pieces, garnish with a spoon of Frangelico cream and dust with Dutch cocoa powder and icing sugar.

SERVES: 10-12

{Image: Photo by Fiona Andersen via Cuisine}

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Monday 2 January 2012

Berry pavlova with limoncello cream

 

It’s birthday time for two of my friends.

To celebrate I am making this devour-able pavlova from Donna Hay’s Christmas magazine, and

will use limoncello from my Italy sojourn.

Berry pavlova with limoncello cream

Ingredients
300ml eggwhites
2 cups sugar
2 tsp white vinegar
3 cups of pouring cream
1/2 cup icing sugar
1/4 cup limoncello
350g mulberries
250g blueberries
Method
Preheat oven 150C. Place eggwhites in an electric mixer and whisk on high until stiff peak form. Add sugar a little at a time whisking for 30sec bef adding another tablespoon. Once all the sugar has been added, whisk for a further 8 mins or until the mixture is stiff and glossy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Add the vinegar and whisk for a further 2 mins or until glossy and combined.
Draw a 22cm circle and a 15cm circle on sheets of non stick baking paper and place 2 baking trays. Divide meringue mixture between the circles. Bake the 22cm pavlova for an hr and the 15cm pavlova for 50mins. Remove the 15cm pavlova fm the oven and allow to cool. Turn the oven off and allow the 22cm pavlova to cool completely in the oven.
Place the cream, icing sugar and limoncello in a bowl and whisk until stiff peaks form. Top the 22cm pavlova with 3/4 cream and berries. Top with the remaining pavlova, cream and berries. Dust with icing sugar to serve. Serve 8-10.

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