Summer Berry Pudding – no success yet…

So, before we get to the recipe, let me tell you that I have failed at every attempt to make this spectacular dessert.  I saw it on a Christmas buffet dessert table about ten years ago and I have tried unsuccessfully to get it right.  Even the pudding you see picture here was not made by me, but my daughter. 

I am yet to successfully make a Summer Berry Pudding.

I tried to make it for you on the weekend when the weather felt like Spring.  I stuffed it up when releasing the pudding from the mould.  The quick solution was to retrieve all the delicious berry fruits and convert the dessert into a ‘berry crumble’, which is an apple crumble, but with berries.  That was highly successful, but again I claim no credit!

I took some photos of the berry crumble and I highly recommend it!  I’ll ask my daughter how she made it and I’ll post it separately as it is completely deserving of its own post.  

Therefore, I challenge you all to make a Summer Berry Pudding.  If you get it right, please photograph it and tell the world your secret.  Meanwhile, I’ll persist and I dream that one day I will sit back with my successfully made Summer Berry Pudding and eat the whole thing with too much cream and very dark coffee.

Please send in your posts.

Summer Berry Pudding

The recent ‘taste of Spring’ days we have enjoyed has prompted me to ‘bring on Summer’ and make a fantastic Summer berry delightful dessert.

Ing.

2 punnets raspberries

2 punnets blueberries

2 punnet blackberries or gooseberries or mulberries

1 punnet strawberries, trimmed and halved

150g castor sugar (I used coconut sugar)

10 tablespoons water

1/2 loaf fresh white bread, crusts removed

Method

Wash all the berries in a colander.  Put some aside for garnishing.

In a saucepan on medium heat, heat the sugar with five tablespoons water.  When heated and mixed, place a cup of your berries into the pot and heat slowly, stirring for about five minutes.  Add the other five table spoons water.  This releases the berry colours and juice.  It will smell amazing! 

Turn off the heat and place all the berries into the pot, stir them through and place the lid on top.  Let them rest, turning every minute or so to let the fresh berries warm a little.

In a bowl which will form your mould, line the sides with the bread slices, crusts removed.  Place your first piece in the centre and try to cut the bread to fit neatly and cover all gaps, without overlapping.

Using a slotted spoon, scoop the fruit into the mould, compressing with the spoon as you layer the fruit.  Save all the red berry juice that remains.  We will need to use it later 

Place pieces of sealing bread on the top of your fruit which will form the base of the pudding.  Invert a saucer or small plate that fits the mould and press down on it to compress the pudding.  Place weights on the saucer (I used two tins of tomatoes and a tin of coconut cream for weight) to keep it under pressure.  Place it into the refrigerator to set.    

After four or five hours, remove the weights and the saucepan, invert the mould, allowing it to come out neatly onto your presentation plate.  Place it on a serving plate.

Using the coloured and flavoured juice from the pot, paint the uncoloured areas where the colour did not soak through.  Run the fresh garnishing berries through the berry juice and pour the remainder over the pudding through the garnishing fruit.  Don’t waste the juice, pour it on!

I added some spearmint leaves for colour.  Serve with whipped cream!

Please enjoy!

Salmon and Dill Quiche, no pastry

Hey Foodies, now I’m no chef, but these meals seem to turn out pretty well.  They are all pretty simple to prepare, but results are awesome.  The best thing is that you know what you are eating because you add all the ingredients into your meals.

Remember all the recipes can be found on the Maxi Foods website: www.maxifoods.net.au

Ing.

A piece of skinless fresh salmon, chopped into pieces

6 sprigs fresh dill

6 eggs

300ml thickened cream

1 onion, pan fried in rings

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon Massel powdered chicken stock

Murray River Pink salt

Freshly ground/cracked pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 220c.

Gently pan fry the onion in rings in olive oil.  Flip them when they brown so both sides are nicely browned.  Place them into a pie dish as a base.

Whilst the onion is cooking, in a mixing bowl whisk 6 eggs until they’re well mixed and aerated.  Add 300ml thickened cream.  Add Murray River Pink salt, Massel powdered chicken stock and pepper to taste.  Whisk it some more so all the ingredients are mixed.  Pour the mixture over the sliced onion rings in the pie dish

Now add the salmon pieces so they are evenly positioned in the dish.  Add the dill in the same way.

When the oven reaches temp, put the dish into the oven and cook for about 20 mins.  Watch it from time to time.  When it is fully inflated and gently browned (yes it will double in size), remove it and cool it on the stovetop where it will (unfortunately) deflate.

Now eat.  This is so good I can’t explain it to you!!

Please enjoy!

Stay safe, stay well.

Kindest regards

Brendan Blake

Vegetable Soup – so easy, so good!

This soup has no oil, no fats, no meat and there will be none left!  So, make a large amount.

I find soups easily become broths when too much water is added.  It’s still a good soup, but it can be a little thin.  So, put loads of veggies into this soup and limit your water quantity so the flavour is richer and the soup is more of a meal than a soup.   

A little crusty bread goes a long way.

Ing.

1 x onion, diced

1 x potato, diced

2 x stems of celery, chopped into soup sizes

2 carrots, diced

3 x sprigs spring onion

1 x handful of Continental parsley, chopped

5 cloves garlic

4-6 cups hot water

2 x teaspoons Massel powdered chicken stock

A sprinkle of cracked pepper

A good pinch of Murray River Pink salt

In a large stovetop pot on medium heat place all the veggies.  No oil, no butter.  Gently stir them around a dry pot for about five minutes.  The veggies will soften very quickly.

Now add two cups of (hot) water, powdered stock, salt and pepper.  Stir it about.  Now add another 2-4 cups boiling water, bring to the boil.  Once boiling, put the lid on, turn the heat down to the lowest possible setting and leave for one hour.

Remember, low and slow brings out the best flavours.

Serve with crusty bread.  Very awesome

Stay well, stay safe.

Kind regards,

Brendan

Pizza Romana MMXX

You can’t go to Italy, so bring Italy to you!

Italian pizza is not like Australian pizza, which the Italians call ‘Pizza Americana’.

A traditional pizza from Roma or Napoli has a base of chopped tomato and ‘placings’ of Mozzarella or Bocconcini cheese and other things like artichoke hearts etc.   

Tonight, I made Pizza Romana.  The basil (the undisputed King or Queen of herbs) is added after the pizza leaves the oven, not before.  I have taken a few photos to show the process and I took a photo of every pizza, including the vegan version, so you can make this at home.

Ing.

Base

550gm ‘Tipo 00’ white flour, 440gm for the base, the rest to sprinkle

310ml warm water

2 teaspoons dry yeast (I use Lowan dry yeast because it always works)

2 tablespoons olive oil

A sprinkle of Murray River Pink salt

Top

2 x 440ml cans of diced tomatoes

A tub of bocconcini or fresh balled Mozzarella cheese

Fresh basil leaves

Murray River Pink salt

A splash of olive oil

Method

In a bowl mix the 440gm flour, yeast, olive oil and a sprinkle of salt.  Add the 310ml warm water (not hot, not cold). I usually fill a jug with 250ml boiling water and top up to 310ml with 60mls cold water.  Stir it all up until it is well mixed.  Then tip it ono the bench and start to knead.  Knead, knead, knead until you don’t need to knead anymore!

Place your dough into the same bowl you used to mix the dough, pour on a little olive oil and seal the bowl with Glad Wrap and place somewhere warm for 20-30 mins whilst it rises.  May your dough rise!

Preheat the oven to 240c.

When the dough is done, place it onto the bench and punch it, then knead it again for a few minutes until you have an excellent, soft, elastic dough.  Roll it into a thick roll and slice it into however many even pieces you want to make that number of pieces.

Roll each piece into a ball and then press it into a pancake on a dusted bench.  Keep pressing it with your hands, flipping it occasionally until the desired pizza size is reached.  I made six pizzas from 440mg flour.  They were each about 250ml in diameter.

Sprinkle the base with flour, particularly at the edges to get the rustic look.  If it looks good, it is good.  Presentation is everything!

Pour on your diced tomato directly from the can, the puree is also wanted.  Now add your bocconcini or Mozzarella in clumps, sprinkle a little Murray River Pink salt and a drizzle of olive oil.  Place into the oven.  Bake for about 10 mins or until the edges reach the right colour.

When the pizza leaves the oven it will be extremely hot.   Add your basil, take a photo for Brendan and eat it!

You can do this.  Be a superstar in your kitchen!

Enjoy.

Lamb Shanks, Fennel and Licorice roots (slow cooker friendly)

If you have not yet made this dish, it is highly recommended and unique.  The fennel we currently offer the stores is huge, fresh and crisp.

Make wintertime enjoyable by cooking these low and slow meals that warm the belly!

At the risk of being called ‘boring’, I made this fabulous dish again tonight. I also made the Poached Fruit in Brandy  https://maxifoods.net.au/kitchen/spicy-australian-brandied-poached-dried-fruit because I could and because it is very good! 

I made a few subtle changes to the previous lamb shanks, so this is the revised recipe:

Ing. 

4 fresh lamb shanks

1 onion, sliced

2 tablespoons olive oil

100ml red or white wine

2 large fennel, thickly sliced

1 red capsicum, sliced

1 green capsicum, sliced

½ cup coarsely chopped Continental parsley

5 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

1 teaspoon of licorice roots

1 teaspoon Fennel seeds

An additional 2 cups hot water

1 teaspoon Massel powdered chicken stock

A good sprinkle of cracked pepper

Murray River Pink salt

Method

I started a little earlier than usual so I infused into two cups of hot water the licorice roots, fennel seeds, powdered chicken stock, Murray River Pink salt and the pepper.  This burst of flavour liquid then became a charged stock to add to the shanks and vegetables.

Preheat the oven to 150c

In a large (oven proof) pot, pan fry on the stovetop the sliced onion in olive oil.  When golden add the fresh shanks to brown them (not cook them).  Turn them over after a minute or two.  Add a splash (100ml) of red or white wine and let the alcohol cook off for about three minutes.   Now add the fennel, capsicum, parsley and garlic. 

Pour in the infused stock liquid.  Add another two or three cups of hot water, but don’t fill the pot to the top, leave a good 1/3 to ¼ without liquid, even if it does not cover the vegetables.  Bring to the boil and then turn off, put a sealed lid on the pot, place it into the oven and leave alone for about an hour.

Now, presentation is everything!  Leave aside some Continental parsley to garnish your magnificent meal and (hopefully) you will be credited by your guests/family as the world’s greatest cook (again).

Slow Cooker

To cook this is a slow cooker, everything is the same after the shanks are browned.  The onion and shanks should be stovetop browned before placing into the slow cooker.

Leftovers for tomorrow

The flavoursome juices left over, with bits and pieces of vegetables, will make an excellent thin pasta sauce or add to freshly cooked rice.   

Please enjoy. 

How to make a simple meal with what you find in the fridge

Hey Foodies, not every meal has to be epic!  On Sunday night I opened the fridge to see what I had available to make for dinner.  I saw some leftover chicken drumsticks and I thought, “I can do this!”  So, this is what I did:

In a bowl I crumbed the drumsticks with breadcrumbs, salt, pepper and plain flour over a base of olive oil.  In a saucepan over low heat I browned half a Spanish onion and two chopped cloves of garlic in olive oil.  When browned I added the drumsticks and cooked them on low heat for about seven minutes, turning them over now and then.

As the chicken was browning I added about a cup of tomato passata (puree), a handful of sliced mushrooms and a handful of chopped parsley.  I also sprinkled in a teaspoon of Massel powdered chicken stock, cracked pepper and Murray River pink salt.  

I covered with a lid and let it cook on low heat for about 20 minutes, turning the drumsticks very five minutes and ensuring nothing stuck to the bottom of the pan for longer than it needed to.

Nothing was planned, everything was what I saw in the refrigerator.

The result… you guessed it again…excellent!

If you wanted to make this the ingredients are:

5 chicken drumsticks

1 Spanish (red) onion

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ cup breadcrumbs

1 tablespoon plain flour

½ cup sliced mushrooms

1 handful of chopped Continental parsley

1 teaspoon of Massel powdered chicken stock

Murray River Pink salt

Cracked or coarse freshly ground pepper

Enjoy.

Lemon Citron Tart

Easy peasy lemon squeezy.  I thought now is time to bake!  But who needs a reason?

This famous lemon tart tastes so good and is so easy to make.  I challenge you to make this tart and let me know how good it is!  The recipe I used came from Mr Google, but I will try to make it easier for you here.

This is made in two parts, the base needs to baked for 10 mins before the filling is added.

Ing.

Base:

1 ¾ cups plain flour

½ cup almond flour

1/3 cup icing sugar

2 egg yolks

175g chilled, chopped unsalted butter

2 tablespoons chilled water

Lemon filling:

5 eggs, whisked

¾ cup caster sugar

300ml thickened cream

2 tablespoons grated lemon rind

½ cup fresh lemon juice 

Preheat oven to 200c.  Mix initially in a bowl, then press and knead on the bench the flour, almond flour, icing sugar, egg yolks, butter and water.  Knead it like bread until you have a consistent ‘dough’.  When all the butter has mixed through, shape it into a disc, wrap it in film and place it into the refrigerator.  Leave for 30 mins in the fridge.

To make the lemon filling, place into a bowl the whisked eggs, sugar, cream, lemon rind and the lemon juice.  Whisk it again until it is well whisked!  Set aside.

Take your pastry from the fridge and using a rolling pin, roll it between two sheets of baking paper to achieve a 3mm thick base.  Lay the base into a 230mm (9 inch) low tart baking dish, lined with baking paper.  This can be tricky as the pastry likes to break, but it can be easily patched and repaired.  Now bake the base in the oven at 200c for 10 mins.  Once baked, remove from the oven and refrigerate for 15 mins.

Reduce the oven temperature to 160c.  When the base is chilled, pour the lemon filling into the base and then place into oven to bake for 30-35 mins or until the centre is set.

Refrigerate overnight in the pan.  The next day, dust with icing sugar, cut and eat.

This is so good.

Enjoy.

The perfect Winter Stew for the perfect Winter’s day

OK Foodies, I’ve posted this before, but some of you might not have caught on.  This CWA Italian stew is remarkable.  I make it all the time.  It is simple to prepare (10 mins), it cooks on the lowest heat for thee hours and the flavour it provides is unique, exceptional and delicious. 

It takes little skill to prepare and will ensure those who eat it will determine that you are an excellent cook!

Please make it and post your results. Yes, you can use the slow cooker after the meat preparation stage is complete.

Ing.

1 kg BBQ lamb chops, which is a cut from the shoulder

4 rashers of bacon, sliced into short strips

3 onions, quartered

3 whole tomatoes, quartered

3 Pontiac potatoes, diced

A handful of fresh Continental Parsley, chopped

2 tablespoons butter

2 teaspoons Massel powdered chicken stock

1 teaspoon Murray River Pink salt

A sprinkle of cracked pepper

5 cups of hot water

In a large stovetop pot on medium heat (with a lid for later) fry your bacon in the butter.  After 4 minutes, remove and set aside.  Now in the same pot brown your chops, both sides, for about 2 minutes on each side.  This may take two or three batches.  Take them out and set aside.  If you run low on butter, add some more.

If you want to use a slow cooker, now is the time to changeover.

Leave the pot on the stove and tip in half your cut onions, tomatoes and potatoes.  Layer half your chops on the vegetables and sprinkle half your cooked bacon, sprinkle half your parsley, the Massel powdered chicken stock, a good sprinkle of cracked pepper and a sprinkle of Murray River Pink salt.   

Tip in the rest of the vegetables, layer the rest of the meat and sprinkle the bacon, parsley, cracked pepper and a little salt.    Gently add five cups of hot water, trying not to upset the layers. 

Cover and bring to the boil.  Once boiling, turn the heat down to the lowest possible setting and leave for three hours. 

It is ready to eat.

If you want to remove the layer of fat, place in the refrigerator overnight and remove the hard fat the following day before reheating on the stovetop.

Please enjoy! This one is a keeper.

Yes, cheesecake, again

It’s time for kids to make you a cheesecake. 

A note to the children, there is a requirement to melt butter on a hot stove.  This is a task that must be undertaken with adult assistance.

You should know that I love cheesecake.  It is so good it is so easy to make. 

2 x 250g packets of Philadelphia Cream Cheese

250g Arnott’s Marie biscuits

50gm melted butter

600ml Bulla thickened cream (2 x 300ml tasks)

1/3 cup caster sugar

Freshly grated lemon rind and a squeeze of lemon or lime

1 teaspoon Gelatine dissolved in a splash of hot water

4 drops Vanilla Essence

Ground nutmeg

Crush your Arnott's Marie biscuits. I place them into a plastic bag and roll them with a rolling pin. Melt 50 gms of butter and then pour the hot molten butter into a bowl with the crushed biscuits and mix well together with a spoon. Your high side tin is, of course, already prepared and lined with greaseproof paper or foil.

Tip your biscuit and butter mix into the tin, mould the sides up using a well-shaped glass. Make sure your base is firm and there are no holes or thin spots.

Meanwhile, using a mixer, mix two packets of Philadelphia cream cheese (at room temperature) with 300ml Bulla Thickened cream, 1/3 cup castor sugar and a few drops of vanilla essence. In a separate cup, dissolve a teaspoon of gelatine in a splash of hot water. When dissolved, add it into the mixer. Feel free to add some lemon or lime rind at this time if you want to flavour it up.  Also squeeze a little of the juice of the lemon or lime into the mix.

When it is well mixed without any 'unmixed' cream cheese, which tends to happen, pour it into the biscuit base lined tin and smooth it over using a fork. Lick the fork, it saves on cleaning.

Wash your mixing bowl, beat the remaining 300ml (of your 600ml btle of cream). Add a few drops of vanilla essence (and a dash of icing sugar if you want to sweeten it). Once firmly whipped place it over your cream base and again smooth it over with fork. Lick the fork.

Sprinkle with ground nutmeg. Refrigerate for 4 hours.

Now eat.

Enjoy!

Baked Sweet Potato – for the Vegan, Vegetarian or Carnivore!

I cannot claim the credit for this amazingly good dinner.  My daughter can!

The sweet potato needs to be thoroughly washed in water, then pricked with a fork about 20 times, all over, then oven baked at 200c for 45 mins.  It is cooked in its skin.  The result is as seen.

Now slice a long slit along the top of the baked sweet potato and gently loosen the delicious orange inner a little.  Now fill with whatever you like.

I was offered a very large range of fresh raw vegetables, mince beef cooked with Spanish onion, cooked pumpkin, steamed corn, sour cream etc.  Anything works. 

I topped mine with freshly made Guacamole (mashed ripe avocado with Spanish onion, lemon juice and diced tomato), cheese and sour cream.  Below that was minced beef, baby cos lettuce, tomato, sweet corn and baby cucumber.

This meal is just fantastic.  I had a second one, similar but different!

Fresh Strawberries in Balsamic Vinegar

Until you try this you will not understand how good it is!

Ing

Strawberries

Balsamic Vinegar from Modena, Italy ($3.45 for a 250ml btl at Maxi Castlemaine/Ballarat)

A sprinkle of icing sugar

Cut the tops off your washed strawberries and chop them in half. In a bowl, splash them with balsamic vinegar at the rate of one generous tablespoon per punnet. Sprinkle on some icing sugar and let them rest on the bench for 20-30 minutes. Turn them gently with a slotted spoon every five minutes to ensure they all receive a good glazed covering.

Serve with whipped thickened cream with a drop or two of Vanilla Essence. If you can get the real Vanilla Essence, as opposed to the imitation Vanilla Essence, you will be pleasantly surprised.

Let me know how you find this!

Giant Sausage Roll!

This is a sausage roll for the whole family.  It requires a longer cooking time than the smaller sausage rolls and can be served in slices.  Tomato sauce is necessary!

School holidays may mean that you have extra helpers who will love to eat this, so they should love to assist you to make it as well!

Ing

1 or 2 sheets thawed puff pastry

1 onion, finely chopped

1 kg premium mince meat

1 or 2 carrots, finely grated

A handful of Continental parsley

3 cloves garlic

Mushrooms (if you choose)

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese (Grana Padano)

2 eggs

1 teaspoon Massel powdered Chicken stock

Cracked or freshly ground pepper

Murray River Pink salt

Method

Preheat the oven to 225c.

In a small bowl, beat the two eggs.  Put a little of the egg mixture aside to be used to coat the roll before it is placed in the oven.  The rest of the egg mixture can be placed into the mix. 

In a bowl, mix, by hand, the onion, mince meat, eggs, grated carrot, garlic, parsley, salt, pepper and Massel chicken stock.  If using mushrooms, slice them into long strips and add them also. 

Lay your thawed pastry sheet on the bench.  Place a very large amount of meat on the pastry, shape and round the meat over.  Gently pull the pastry sheet towards you over the meat.  Now pull the other side over the meat.  Seal the two pastry ends together by pressing the pastry together.

Slowly roll the sausage roll over so the seam is on the bottom.  Place the roll onto a baking tray with baking paper so the roll doesn’t stick to the oven tray.  Using a small sharp knife, slice the pastry on the top of the giant sausage roll in straight parallel lines.  Paint the separated egg mix all over the sausage roll.   

Bake at 225c for 45 mins or until the pastry turns a golden-brown cooked colour.  Then it is ready.

If you have spare meat mix, which you should, make a second giant sausage roll that can be used for lunches, another dinner or an afternoon snack.

Enjoy.

Bone in Rib Eye or Tomahawk steak

The internet offers loads of conflicting advice on cooking the perfect medium rare Tomahawk steak.  Some suggest oven cooking before pan frying etc.  I have engaged a method that I started to use many years ago and it seems to work every time, regardless of the thickness of the steak.  If followed, it will serve you well.

We are going to cook the steak for four minutes only.

The butchers at Ballarat and Castlemaine have cut some Tomahawk steaks for you.  It will ensure your barbeque keeps running, even through winter!  Here we go:

1.     Steak must be at room temperature.  Allow it to warm up on the kitchen bench

2.     Turn the flame grill barbeque onto high and let it get hot.  This may take some time.

3.     Lightly brush a coating of olive oil on both sides of the steak

4.     Sprinkle some Murray River Pink salt and freshly ground pepper onto both sides

5.     When the barbecue is hot, place the steak on the open grill. Take note of its orientation.  If the barbecue has a hood, close it to maintain the heat.

6.     After one minute, turn the steak over to the other side.

7.     After one minute, turn the steak over again, changing the orientation so a ‘crisscross’ pattern appears

8.     After one minute turn the steak over one final time and cook for one minute (total of four minutes cooking time)

9.     Remove the steak from the grill and place onto a plate.  Cover tightly with aluminium foil.

10.  Allow to rest for ten minutes, then drain the juices from the plate.

11.  Your steak is ready to eat!

Don’t be tempted to leave it for more than one minute on each side.  I know it’s tempting, but don’t do it!

Let me know how you find this method.

What is Mace?

I recently discovered the spice ‘Mace’ when I made the Traditional Plum Puddings.  Mace is a traditional plum pudding ingredient. 

Mace is the lacey outer layer of the nutmeg seed.  It has a similar flavour to the nutmeg seed, which we commonly buy ground, but it is less intense.  It is a regular spice added to Indian curries.

We stock it at Maxi Foods Ballarat in the gourmet herbs and spice section.  It will soon be available in Castlemaine as well.    I provide some images which I sourced from Google images and Pinterest.  The nutmeg seed (black) and the mace (red), in situ, is particularly beautiful.

Product Review: Moorish Rocky Road

I wouldn't normally review this type of product, but it is very very good! Treat your self this little indulgence.

Choc Ripple Cake Challenge– this is for the kids on school holidays

So easy to make, no heating required, a great starter for kids to make their first cake.  Such a sense of pride and accomplishment will present itself after this cake is made.  It is not just for the kids, Choc Ripple cakes are terrific to eat!

Ingredients

1 x 250g packet of Arnott’s choc Ripple biscuits

600ml Bulla thickened cream

4 drops Vanilla Essence

1 teaspoon caster or icing sugar

To garnish: pistachio nuts and fresh strawberries               

In an electric mixer, or by hand, beat all the cream with the teaspoon of sugar and the four drops of vanilla essence until a firm consistency is achieved.

Half the whipped cream into two sections.  We will use one half now and the other half after the cake is removed from the refrigerator, usually overnight.

Lay a 900mm sheet of aluminium foil flat on the benchtop.  Smear some cream in a straight line on the foil where you want your cake to be assembled.

In your hand, take a Choc Ripple biscuit and spread some cream onto one side, a little thicker than the biscuit.  Take another biscuit and press it onto the creamed side of the first biscuit to make a cream and biscuit sandwich.   Now put these two joined biscuits onto the foil. This is the start of your cake assembly.

Progressively add more biscuits and cream until you have a long complete cake. Use the cream now to spread over the cake until it is completely covered in cream.  Gently wrap the foil over the sides and ends.  Place it into the refrigerator.  It needs to stay there for at least six hours.  I just leave it overnight.  Place it alongside the second bowl of cream so it stays fresh until you are ready to use it.

The next day, gently unwrap the foil and place your semi-finished cake onto the dish you want to use to serve or present it.  Take the second bowl of cream and gently cover the entire cake with the fresh whipped cream.  Grate some pistachio nuts and chop some strawberries.  It is ready to eat!

Post a picture of your cake on Facebook.

Homemade Spinach Fettuccini

A variation on a theme: Homemade Spinach Pasta. Just add cooked spinach! You should all be expert pasta makers now. If not it may be time to buy a pasta rolling machine!

Ingredients

300gm ‘Tipo 00’ white flour

3 eggs (or one egg per 100g of flour)

2 tablespoons of olive oil

Cooked spinach

2 cups of fresh spinach leaves

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Murray River pink salt and pepper to taste

Cook the spinach for 3-5 mins in the hot olive oil, add a splash of water, add the garlic, salt and pepper. Put the lid on and allow to cook for about three minutes. The reduction in volume is remarkable! Add your spinach to the regular pasta mix and you will have ‘spinach pasta’!

The pasta making recipes and instructions are easy to find here under 'Brendan's Kitchen'.

A couple of photos to encourage you!

OMG – this is it! Lamb Ragu Ravioli or Fettuccini

I hope over the COVID lockdown I have assisted you all to become masters of your kitchens and subsequently the preparers of excellent food for you and your families.

If you have ignored all the recipes of the past, this one is the one to use.    

It requires a couple of hours of preparation, but all good things take time and this is no exception.  There are two homemade pasta options, both can be made concurrently.

If you a short of a pasta making machine, please buy one.  Once you master the pasta you will prefer homemade pasta every time.  It’s also important that you know exactly what is in your food.  You are cooking this from scratch! 

This recipe is in three parts, the Lamb Ragu, the Ravioli and the Fettuccini.

The Ragu takes a good two hours to get right.  The longer it is cooked, the better it is.  I suggest you make a double batch so you can store it and eat it over several days. 

Lam Ragu Ing.

500g diced lamb (available at Maxi Ballarat and Castlemaine in the Meat Department)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion (finely diced)

9 fresh ripe tomatoes (I think I’m over canned tomatoes)

3 sticks of celery (finely diced)

2 carrots (finely diced)

3 sprigs of spring onion (finely chopped)

5 cloves of fresh garlic (finely chopped)

A handful of chopped Continental parsley

2 teaspoons of Massel powdered chicken stock

3 tablespoons of Leggo’s tomato paste

1 cup of red wine (whatever you like)

2 cups hot water

A teaspoon of Murray River pink salt

A good sprinkle of Black Cracked Pepper

Ing. Homemade pasta

300g ‘Tipo 00’ flour

3 eggs

2 tablespoons olive oil

(general rule, 100g flour to 1 egg.  500g flour = 5 eggs, etc.)

Method Lamb Ragu

On medium heat, in a large pot (with lid) on the stovetop, brown the chopped onion in olive oil.  Add the lamb, let it brown for about two mins, constantly tossing so nothing sticks.  Cut your tomatoes in half and squeeze out the seeds and other internals and place the outer into the pot.  We won’t be using the seeds of the tomato.  Stir it for about two mins.

Now toss in your diced carrot, celery, spring onions, garlic, parsley, Massel chicken stock, tomato paste, red wine, Murray River pink salt and cracked pepper.  Turn up the heat and bring it to boil.  The task here is to boil off the alcohol of the red wine.  Keep stirring.  Five minutes should do it.  Now add your 2 cups of boiling hot water.  Bring it all to the boil on high heat.  Let it boil for about a minute and then turn it down to the lowest heat setting and put on the lid.  It should stay in this position now for about two hours.  1.5 hours minimum cooking time.  Lift the lid and give it a stir every ten minutes to ensure the base doesn’t burn.

Fresh Pasta

In a mound of flour, add your eggs and olive oil.  Mix it all together into a dough and knead it over and over.  It is a tough job, but someone’s got to do it!  After about 5 minutes of kneading, wrap your dough ball in Glad Wrap and let it rest on the bench.

When you’re ready to roll, cut off about 20% of the dough ball, start to roll it through the pasta roller, at the widest setting, several times then progressively smaller and finer until it has completed six thickness reductions.  This is a good fine thickness.

At this stage you can roll it through your fettuccini setting to make fettuccini, or leave it flat to make Ravioli.

To make the ravioli, lay out your flour dusted pasta sheet, take a few pieces of cooked lamb from the Ragu pot and line them up on the pasts sheet (refer to photos).  Fold the pasta sheet over, form the Ravioli by sealing each pocket with your fingers, then cut to size and seal the sides by pressing with a fork. The previous ravioli technique is better displayed here: https://maxifoods.net.au/kitchen/homemade-roast-pumpkin-ravioli-with-tomato-and-basil-sauce

The pasta takes about three minutes in salted boiling water to cook and be ready to eat.

Pour on the Lamb Ragu, a sprinkle of fresh Continental Parsley and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

This is a winner and a keeper.  It will impress the toughest of critics!

Enjoy!

New York Style Baked Cheesecake

I promised you a baked cheesecake recipe, so here it is.

Yes, it tastes as good as it looks!  It’s easy to make.

It takes a little engagement and a little time, but this is what you get for your effort!

Before you start to bake make sure you have the time to make this cake: 

-       preparation time: 20 mins

-       baking time: 1h 15mins

-       inside oven rest time: 2 hours

-       refrigerator time: 4 hours

once in the oven, the oven door must remain closed for 3h 15mins.

Preheat oven to 160c (140c fan forced).

Ing.

1 x 250g packet Arnotts Marie Biscuits

180g unsalted Butter

2 x 250g Philadelphia Cream Cheese (at room temp.)

200g Sour Cream (not light Sour Cream)

1 cup Caster Sugar

½ teaspoon Vanilla Essence

½ teaspoon of grated fresh Lemon Rind

1 tablespoons of fresh Lemon Juice

2 tablespoon Plain Flour

4 Eggs

Icing Sugar to dust

Blueberries or Raspberries to garnish

Preheat oven to 160c (140c fan forced).

Crush your Arnott’s Marie biscuits.  I use a rolling pin with five or six biscuits at a time inside a zip-lock plastic bag to crush the biscuits.

Line a 20cm cake baking tin with baking paper.

Melt the butter over a low flame in a small saucepan.  When melted, pour the butter over the crushed biscuits, in a bowl, and stir with a wooden spoon until consistent.  Now line the base and the sides of your baking tin with the crushed biscuits.  I use a drinking glass to press and mold the base.  Most recipes now tell you to put the base into the refrigerator for 30 mins.  I never do, never have, never will!

Using an electric mixer, if you have one, mix the Philadelphia Cream Cheese, the caster sugar, the vanilla essence, the lemon rind, lemon juice and two tablespoons of plain flour.  Mix gently. 

Whilst mixing, introduce your four eggs, one at a time.  Use a low mixing setting so the eggs don’t fluff too much.

When all is well mixed, remove the bowl from the mixer and fold the sour cream manually into the mix using a spatula.  Don’t lick the spatula!  Raw eggs…

Now pour the lot into the biscuit base.

Place into your preheated oven for 1h 15mins.  Don’t open the oven door!  Once the 1h 15mins is reached, turn off the oven and leave inside the heated oven for two hours.  Again, don’t open the door.  Opening the door makes the cheesecake crack!

Once the two hour time is over, remove your cheesecake, place into a refrigerator for four hours (or as I say, overnight).

Decorate however you like.  Blueberries and raspberries with a light dusting of icing sugar is good enough for me. 

Serve at room temperature with lashings of freshly whipped thickened cream!

Enjoy!

Katsudon

Japanese pork schnitzel in egg and sauce

Some dishes are winners, some are not.  This one is!

Japanese Kastudon is easy to make and tastes absolutely fabulous.  You might consider it a variation of schnitzel.  It tastes great, the kids will love it (and love to help you make it) and in the unlikely event there are leftovers, they can be the next day’s school lunch!  

Ing.

Four tenderised pork chops/steaks, fat trimmed

Panko (Japanese style breadcrumbs) – at Maxi Foods

Plain flour

4 eggs

1 onion, finely sliced

Olive oil for pan prying

1 teaspoon Massel powdered chicken stock (in 1/2 cup hot water)

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons Mirin (Japanese rice wine) – Maxi Foods

Murray River pink salt

2 cups of Jasmine rice for serving.

Method

Trim and tenderise the pork chops.  Prepare a three-bowl run of plain flour, one beaten egg and the panko.  Dip the pork into the plain flour and coat both sides, then the egg mixture and then the panko crumbs (add a sprinkle of Murray River Pink salt to the Panko). 

Your frypan needs to be fairly hot before you add the oil.  Add some olive oil and pan fry the crumbed pork until it is the right ‘cooked’ colour.  Turn over to cook both sides.  You may need to add more oil as the cooking continues.

Remove from the pan and slice the schnitzels into broad strips. Set aside.

Back to the same frypan, gently cook your finely sliced onion until it is caramelised.  In a separate jug, beat the other three eggs and set aside.  In another jug, prepare your sauce of the ½ cup chicken stock, soy sauce and mirin.

When the onion is ready, place the sliced schnitzels atop the onion, pour over the egg mixture and then pour over the sauce.  Let it cook in the egg and sauce mixture for about two mins or until the egg is cooked.  This may be best achieved in two batches, depending on the size of the frypan to fit all four schnitzels.

Serve on a bed of hot rice. 

Delicious!

Enjoy.