Miss Jane's Kitchen

Little chocolate cakes

2010-09-11T11:04:00.003+10:00

Hello everyone, this is going to be my last posting on this blog. I have been writing it since January 2008 and today's recipe is number 150, which seems a good number at which to conclude. It's funny to look at the list of recipes I have shared - it is a compendium of all the things I love to eat! I could quite happily just rotate through all the recipes here for the rest of my life. Of course I won't, there are always new cookbooks calling me with something different.

I decided to conclude with what would really have to be my most favourite food in the world, chocolate pudding. The recipe comes from Jill Dupleix's Simple Food, a book from which I have cooked nearly every single thing. She calls the dish cakes, but she suggests pulling them out of the oven a little bit early so that you can enjoy the luscious squidgy texture. That's how I cook these cakes and I serve them as puddings with cream, ice-cream and chocolate sauce.

Thank you to everyone who has read my blog and provided me with comments and feedback. It made me really happy whenever anyone told me that they had cooked something from the blog, or their family had a favourite recipe from the blog, as that was the original intention. I hope you keep returning to it and find it a useful source of delicious inspiration!

Love from Jane

Little Chocolate Cakes

Makes 12

What you need:

200g dark, bitter, top quality chocolate, chopped
100g caster sugar
120g butter
100g ground almonds
4 eggs, separated
Icing sugar for dusting

What you do:

Preheat the oven to 180C.
In a bowl sitting above a simmering pan of water on the stove, combine the chocolate, sugar and butter and stir as they melt into a smooth, glossy sauce.
Remove from the heat and cool for five minutes.
Add the ground almonds to the chocolate sauce and stir well.
Beat in the egg yolks, one by one, until well mixed.
Place the egg whites into a large, dry bowl and beat until stiff and peaky.
Stir a large spoonful of egg white into the chocolate mix to lighten it, then gently fold in the remaining egg white.
Spoon the mix into lightly buttered large muffin moulds, or a 12 hole muffin tray lined with doubled muffin paper cases.
Bake: if you want a pudding texture check at 15 minutes; if you prefer a cake effect, check at 25 minutes.
Leave to cool for 10 minutes before removing the puddings from their moulds, and serve as you prefer.

Pizza with prosciutto and ricotta

2010-09-04T15:06:00.002+10:00

Hello everyone, I had lunch today at a place I really like called The Cook's Garden in North Turramurra, which I think I have mentioned before. I had a really simple but delicious slice of grilled bread, piled high with roasted capsicum, roasted golden beetroot, grilled haloumi and rocket. I haven't tried golden beetroot before as the traditional version doesn't appeal at all, but it was very good and seemed to have a much firmer and drier texture than the usual purple one.

This week's recipe is a favourite pizza, from a Women's Weekly book called Cooking For Friends There are so many different combinations that you can use for a pizza but this one seems to be just right every time.

Have a great week. Love from Jane xx

Pizza with prosciutto and ricotta

Serves six to eight

What you need:

3 medium tomatoes
3 x medium sized pizza bases
1/2 to 1 cup tomato paste
300g baby spinach leaves, washed and dried
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
9 slices prosciutto
1/4 cup loosely packed, coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves
300g fresh ricotta
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, crushed and stirred through the olive oil

What you do:

Preheat the oven to 240C.
Cut each tomato into eight wedges.
Place the pizza bases on oven trays.
Spread each base with a third of the tomato paste.
Top each pizza with equal amounts of tomato, spinach, onion, prosciutto, basil, ricotta and pine nuts.
Drizzle each pizza with equal amounts of the garlic oil.
Bake for about 15 minutes or until the top of each pizza is browned lightly and the base crisp.

Chocolate and cranberry biscuits

2010-08-28T11:21:00.003+10:00

Hello everyone, this week's recipe comes from one of my favourite cook books, Epicure Chocolate. These biscuits are lovely and chewy and make a nice big quantity.

Have a happy week. Love from Jane xxx

Chocolate and cranberry biscuits

Makes 35-40

What you need:

200g butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup condensed milk
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups rolled oats
1 1/4 cups dried cranberries (you could substitute raisins)
1 cup chocolate bits, dark, milk or white, whichever you prefer (use good quality ones, not compounded chocolate)

What you do:

Preheat the oven to 180C.
Cream the butter, sugar and condensed milk.
Add the egg and vanilla and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.
Sift the flour and baking soda into the creamed mixture.
Stir in the rolled oats, cranberries or raisins and chocolate bits.
Place tablespoons on greased oven trays and press down with a fork.
Bake for about 15 minutes, or until golden.

Chicken sandwiches

2010-08-21T18:03:00.004+10:00

Hello everyone, today I went on one of Maeve O'Meara's fabulous Gourmet Safaris http://www.gourmetsafaris.com.au/ which was an amazing lunch at Azuma Japanese restaurant. We were entertained and informed by Maeve and a gorgeous Japanese woman called Miko, and were fed what seemed to be a never ending supply of delightfully flavoured and delicately presented morsels. We started with a tasting plate of six different items in various dressings and sauces, then progressed to the biggest bento box I have ever seen. It was so hard to decide in what order to try each section as they all looked and sounded delicious from the description we had on our special menus. I think if pressed I would plump for the wagyu beef as my favourite bite, but it was all outstanding. Dessert was home made vanilla icecream, fresh fruit and these amazing starchy dumplings, which you drowned in a black sauce, which was described as a Japanese sugar syrup and tasted like molasses. It was amazing, generous and a lot of fun. If you haven't tried a Gourmet Safari before I really recommend them and you can choose from a huge array of banquets, walking tours and even gourmet holidays!

This week's recipe is something that is very simple but when done well, with very good ingredients, is just the best. It's a recipe from Good Living, and I feel safe in saying the best chicken sandwich recipe I have ever tried.

Have a good week. Love from Jane xx

Chicken sandwiches

Serves four, easily

What you need:

1 roast or BBQ chicken
6 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon freshly chopped tarragon
1 tablespoon seeded mustard
2 sticks celery, washed and finely chopped
Sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
8 slices sourdough bread
2 large handfuls of watercress or rocket, washed and dried

What you do:

Remove the chicken meat from the carcass and shred finely.
Mix the chicken in a bowl with all the other ingredients except the bread and leaves.
Lay out the slices of bread and spoon the chicken filling onto four slices.
Top with watercress or rocket and the remaining bread slices.
Cut in half and serve.

Warm winter salad of radicchio, wild rocket and feta

2010-08-14T09:46:00.004+10:00

Hello everyone, this week I am wondering if you can do something for me. My beautiful cat Bellatrix has gone missing and I am trying to do everything I can think of to find her. She disappeared on Wednesday 11 August from our home in Cromer. I have searched the surrounding streets, calling her name, and done a letter box drop with a flyer with her photo asking for assistance. My brother in law has searched under the house and I have scoured surrounding bushes, surveyed the roof and called her name until I am blue in the face. If you happen to know anyone at all who lives in Cromer, I implore you to direct them to this photo of Bellatrix and ask them to look out for her. Her name, my mobile number and her Vet's details are on a tag on her collar and she is microchipped so any Vet who scans her could contact me. All help very much appreciated!!

This week's recipe comes from the July edition of delicious magazine. It is a Jamie Oliver recipe.

Jane

Warm winter salad of radicchio, wild rocket and feta

Serves six

What you need:

3 radicchio lettuces, outer leaves removed

3 slices good quality bread

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

A large handful of pine nuts

A large handful of raisins

Olive oil

200ml balsamic vinegar (I'd recommend using half this quantity, and taste and adjust if you think it needs more)

75g wild rocket

200g feta cheese

What you do:

Cut radicchio into quarters.

Grill in a dry, very hot pan on top of the stove for 3-4 minutes until nicely charred on all sides. Remove to a large bowl.

Chargrill the slices of bread.

To make the dressing, fry the garlic, pine nuts and raisins in a little oil over a medium heat.

When the garlic starts to colour, take the pan off the heat and pour in the balsamic. Most of the liquid will evaporate when it hits the pan, so you end up with a sticky dressing. Leave to cool a little.

Roughly tear up the radicchio and bread, then place back in the bowl and toss with the dressing.

Divide the radicchio and bread among serving plates.

Top with rocket, any pine nuts and raisins left in the bowl and crumble over the feta before serving.

Spicy meatballs on toast

2010-08-07T16:47:00.004+10:00

Hello everyone, I was lucky this week to visit a fairly new restaurant, Neutral Bay Bar And Dining, at which I had an absolutely luscious meal. I was a little tenative, as the owners of this place have another restaurant in Glebe where I was left very unimpressed some years ago with the difficulty in booking, the sittings policy and a lost order. That one was not a great night.

NBBAD was (happily) a completely different experience. It was easy to book and you could arrive any time you liked. The fit out is lovely, with comfy, roomy booths; you don't feel as if the next table is sitting in your lap. The service was charming and efficient, but best of all (again, happily) was the food. It was outstanding! I had the most beautiful roast pork, which had I not known better I would have sworn was cooked by my Mum or my Nana. To follow I departed from my habit of ordering the chocolate dessert (enticing as it sounded) and plumped for the pear and raspberry souffle. Again, absolutely outstanding. I did muse later that it's a funny thing when I am excited about going out and spending a decent amount of money on a meal that I loved because it tasted so home cooked. Maybe because it's more common that you would want to get ordinary food. Anyway, NBBAD has gone straight on to my list of favourite restaurants and I can't wait to go back.

This week's recipe comes from the July edition of delicious and I loved it. You can make the full quantity and freeze portions if you aren't cooking for an entire family. It really works with the toast.

Have a happy week. Love from Jane xxx

Spicy meatballs on toast

Serves four

What you need:

2 garlic cloves, chopped, plus 1 halved
4 slices pancetta
2 teaspoons chopped rosemary
1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley, plus extra to serve
600g beef mince
1/2 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 egg
250g punnet cherry tomatoes, halved
750ml tomato passata
1 teaspoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
8 slices ciabatta bread
1 cup grated parmesan

What you do:

Place chopped garlic in a food processor with the pancetta, rosemary and parsley and pulse until finely chopped. (If you are not that fussed about having everything really finely choppped, you can just do the chopping and mixing by hand).
Place the garlic mix into a bowl with the mince, chilli, tomato paste and egg and mix well with your hands.
Roll into 3cm balls and chill for 30 minutes if you have the time (don't worry if not).
Preheat the oven to 180C.
Heat some oil in a pan over a medium-high heat.
In batches, coook the meatballs for 4-5 minutes until well browned.
Place on a baking tray with the cherry tomatoes; drizzle with oil and season.
Bake for 10 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through and the tomatoes are tender.
Meanwhile, heat the passata, sugar and vinegar in a pan over a medium heat.
Season, then place the meatballs and tomatoes in the sauce and warm through.
Toast the slices of bread, then rub with the halved garlic clove.
Serve the meatballs and sauce on the toast, scattered with parmesan and extra parsley.

Double chocolate muffins

2010-07-31T18:34:00.006+10:00

Hello everyone, this week I heard someone say that the Melbourne Cup is only a few weeks away. Well, that is probably stretching reality somewhat, but it did give my heart a lift and the thought that tomorrow heralds the beginning of the last month of winter for another year is a very good thing. I have tried so hard to not complain about the cold weather this year as I usually do (and have realised how many others do, I must have been drowning out their voices previously) but I will be so glad to welcome back longer, brighter, warmer days.

Having said that, I do love winter cooking and have just popped some fennel with a lovely crunchy topping into the oven to bake for my dinner. It is a recipe in the August edition of delicious and as I love fennel, I was very keen to try out both the baked fennel and a fennel soup from the same article. Another lovely thing to have baking on a cold winter morning, as I did last Sunday, is a batch of muffins for morning tea. Now I have baked my fair share of muffins over the years and I have to say, I think these are the best yet. They are so chocolately (as the name suggests) and very moist. Do make sure you use very good quality chocolate - I have been buying the chocolate buttons from Adora chocolate (in the plaza outside the Sofitel Wentworth in the city) and they are excellent. I'm sure you'll think these muffins are great too when you whip up a batch yourself!

Have a happy week! Love from Jane xxx

Double chocolate muffins

What you need:

150g dark chocolate, either buttons or chopped
125g unsalted butter, chopped
2 cups plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2/3 cup buttermilk
150g white chocolate, either buttons or chopped

What you do:

Preheat the oven to 180C.
Line a 12 hole muffin tin with paper cases.
Place the chocolate and the butter in a saucepan over a very low heat and stir until melted and combined. Set aside to cool slightly.
Sift the flour and baking powder into a large mixing bowl.
Add the sugar and stir to combine.
Whisk together the eggs and buttermilk.
Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients.
Stir in the cooled chocolate and the white chocolate bits, and stir everything together just until combined. DON'T over mix - muffins need a very light hand.
Divide the mixture between the prepared cases and bake for 20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the muffins shows they are cooked. You might want to leave them slightly under-done in the middle to get a nice fudgy texture.
Serve as is or drizzled with a little melted dark chocolate if you wish.

You can also serve these muffins as a pudding for dessert, by warming gently and serving with cream and/or ice-cream and chocolate sauce. In that case you might want to make six larger muffins.

Sicilian Potato Salad

2010-07-24T10:36:00.002+10:00

Hello everyone, a chair that I had sent away to have re-upholstered has just been delivered back to me. The chair belonged to my great grandmother and was passed from her to my grandmother's sister, Aunty Sheelah. When Aunty Sheelah died some years ago the chair came to me. I've wanted to have it re-done for years, as it was in a rather old lady-ish pink, so I'm very excited to have it all done! I have gone for more of a neutral look, using a linen fabric in a colour that might be described as a slighter darker shade of oatmeal. The possibilities for cushions to dress it up are endless! I will look forward to sitting in my chair at some stage during the weekend and continuing to devour an anthology of short stories by one of my favourite authors in the world (who has sadly departed this world), Carol Shields.

Now as regular readers know, I love my potatoes, and am firmly of the view that you never can have too many potato salad recipes. This week's one is from my favourite food writer, Matthew Evans. I found the recipe years ago in his column in Good Weekend magazine. He says that the dish originates in Palermo. It's certainly delicious and best served warm or at room temperature.

Have a happy week. Love from Jane xx

Sicilian potato salad

Serves 4-6

What you need:

1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 kg potatoes, preferably waxy, washed and/or peeled and cut into cubes
1 large Spanish onion, peeled and chopped
60g capers, preferably salted, soaked for 15 minutes and rinsed
150g green olives, rinsed well
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons caster sugar
1-2 teaspoons salt

What you do:

Heat enough oil in a frypan to fry the potatoes until nearly cooked through.
Add the onion and fry until it becomes translucent and the potatoes are fully cooked.
Add the capers and the olives.
Whisk the vinegar with the sugar and some salt and pour over the potatoes.
Simmer for a few seconds, then turn off the heat and allow the vinegar to soak into the potatoes.
Season to taste and serve in a pretty serving bowl.

Linguine with lemon, parsley and mint

2010-07-17T12:03:00.003+10:00

Hello everyone, this week's recipe is one I cut from the newspaper some time ago. It's one of those really simple pasta dishes that you can whip up in a hurry (after you have prepared the lemon oil ahead of time). It's lovely and delicate with a good tang from the lemon and mint.

Have a lovely week! Love from Jane xx

Linguine with lemon, parsley and mint

Serves four

What you need:

1 lemon
150ml extra virgin olive oil
500g linguine
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/2 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
1/4 cup chopped mint
Freshly ground pepper
Sea salt

What you do:

Finely grate the lemon rind and squeeze the juice of the lemon into a bowl.
Mix in half the olive oil with the rind and juice and leave for an hour so that the lemon flavour seeps into the oil.
Cook the pasta.
When the pasta is nearly ready, warm a serving bowl.
In that bowl, whisk together the lemon oil mix, the remaining oil, cheese, parsley and mint and 5 or 6 spoons of the pasta cooking water.
Drain the pasta and toss in the bowl with the sauce, adding pepper and a little salt if needed.
Serve immediately.

Jamie's burger

2010-07-10T18:41:00.004+10:00

Hello everyone, this week's recipe is quite easily the best tasting burger I have ever encountered. That's a big call as I have made a lot of burgers in my time but there was just something about it that made it extraordinary. It comes from Jamie's America, a book I am absolutely loving (having never bought, read or used any of Jamie's other books I'm now thinking that might have to be the next serious addition to my cook book library).

Now I'm not going to give you the whole recipe from the book - it's well worth doing but really, once you have the basic burger you can put together your burger with any bread, salad and sauce you like. I'm sure you will love this mix.

Have a great week. Love from Jane xxx

Jamie's burger

Serves six (I found the quantity very generous)

What you need:

Olive oil
2 medium red onions, peeled and chopped
4 slices of bread, crusts removed and blitzed in the food processor (if you already have breadcrumbs in the freezer, just use them)
500g good quality lean minced beef
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 heaped teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 large egg
A handful of freshly grated Parmesan cheese

What you do:

Add a splash of olive oil to a frying pan on a low heat and add the onions.
Fry, stirring now and again, for about ten minutes or until the onions are cooked, then put aside to cool.
Mix the onion with the rest of the burger ingredients.
Form the mix into patties, as small or as large as you like.
(If you have time to spare) Put the burgers into the fridge for about an hour to allow them to firm up. I didn't and they stayed together beautifully.
Preheat your oven to 200C, or fire up the BBQ.
Cook the burgers to your liking - I did 20 minutes in the oven.
Combine with your chosen bread, salad and sauce. Jamie gives a recipe for a spicy mayonnaise to go with these burgers which works really well but you could add whatever you like.

Not-for-the-faint-hearted hot chocolate

2010-07-04T10:45:00.003+10:00

Hello everyone, with the freezing cold weather this week I have been drinking more than my fair share of hot chocolate. I have found a source of quite good chilli hot chocolate close to my office, and there really is no better way to defrost early in the morning! I am also enjoying the luscious hot chocolate from Mitra's Chocolates in Mosman. They do a chilli hot chocolate that really packs a punch, and their milk chocolate is very good too.

This week's recipe shows you how to make incredible hot chocolate at home, just perfect for cold winter nights. It is a recipe I cut out from Good Living a few years ago, created by Matthew Evans, and I think it is in his new book, The Real Food Companion.

(Greg, this one is for you!)

Have a happy week! Love from Jane xxx

Not-for-the-faint-hearted hot chocolate

Could serve either one or two - up to you!

What you need:

150ml milk
100ml cream
100g dark chocolate, broken into smallish bits (generally I prefer milk chocolate, but in this recipe dark is definitely preferable; milk is just too sweet)
1 tablespoon really good quality cocoa powder, sifted
1-2 tablespoons brandy, cognac or whisky

What you do:

Heat the milk and cream carefully in a small pan until warm.
Whisk in the chocolate and sifted cocoa.
Bring to just near the boil, remove from the stove and whisk in the alcohol.
Serve in front of a fire or the heater.

Red cabbage salad

2010-06-26T10:43:00.004+10:00

Hello everyone, this week's recipe is something that I have copied from one of my favourite Italian restaurants. It's very simple and you can work out the quantities to suit your tastes.

Combine finely shredded red cabbage with raisins (which you may wish to plump up ahead of time in some verjuice), walnuts and chunks of gorgonzola dolce. Dress with your best extra virgin olive oil and balsamic. Toss together the ingredients, transfer to a deep bowl and serve with pizza, pasta, lamb, fish...whatever you are having for dinner.

Have a happy week. Love from Jane xx

Gnocchi with gorgonzola, spinach and walnuts

2010-06-19T17:55:00.003+10:00

Hello everyone, I had such a piece of luck today. About six months ago I was out shopping with my friend Anne in Lane Cove and we spent some time in a small local art and craft gallery. A gorgeous brood of crackled pottery hens had just arrived and I was enormously tempted to buy them. I resisted at the time, although I really loved them, as there was something about the chickens that made me keep picking them up and stroking them. Today we went in there again and guess what, there were two chickens left, sitting on a shelf as if they were waiting for me! Of course I snapped them up straight away this time and they are now happily adorning my home.

This week's recipe is one of my favourite combinations of ingredients. It's a recipe from Good Living from a few years back, a good one for winter. It's definitely time for me to cook it again as I happen to have all of the necessary ingredients laid in, to be used in a couple of other dishes.

Have a lovely week! Love from Jane xx

Gnocchi with gorgonzola, spinach and walnuts

Serves four

What you need:

500g good quality gnocchi
100ml chicken stock
2 tablespoons butter
100g gorgonzola, crumbled
75g baby spinach
Freshly cracked black pepper
1/3 cup fresh walnuts, lightly toasted and chopped
Freshly chopped flat leaf parsley, to serve (which is code for optional)

What you do:

Cook the gnocchi in a large saucepan of boiling water until tender. Drain well.
Place the chicken stock and butter in a large pan over a medium-high heat.
Stir the stock until the butter has melted, then simmer for 2-3 minutes or until reduced by half.
Add the gorgonzola and stir until the cheese has just melted.
Toss the gnocchi with the gorgonzola sauce and baby spinach, and season with pepper.
Serve sprinkled with the walnuts and parsley if using.

Herb baked fish on saffron and tomato potatoes

2010-06-14T11:03:00.002+10:00

Hello everyone, well, my annual Sydney Film Festival immersion finished on Saturday with three films. The absolute highlight of the Festival for me was the first one I saw that day, a documentary called Bill Cunningham New York http://billcunninghamnewyork.com/, which was an absolutely charming and fascinating film about this man who cycles around the city, documenting New York fashion, both on the street and at charity galas. It was funny and moving and visually captivating. If you saw the Valentino film last year, or The September Issue, it's a film in the vein of those ones. If it gets a general release, it's another one I highly recommend. The snippets with some obscure diplomat who has a wardrobe full of custom made suits in the most bizarre designs and fabrics is one of the most hilarious things I have ever seen.

This week's recipe is another dish combining two of my favourite things - fish and potato. It is from the June 2010 edition of delicious magazine. In it they use blue-eye. I substituted salmon as I am not huge on blue-eye, but I'm sure you could use whatever fish takes your fancy. I'm not convinced that the inclusion of the tomatoes adds anything so if you can't be bothered with the peeling and seeding, you won't lose anything by leaving them out. The potatoes work really well done this way - they are luscious!

Have a great week.

Love from Jane xx

Herb baked fish on saffron and tomato potatoes

Serves four

What you need:

1/4 cup olive oil
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
250g vine ripened tomatoes, peeled, quartered and seeds removed
900g floury potatoes (such as coliban), peeled and cut into 1cm slices
300ml vegetable stock
A good pinch of saffron threads
50g unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon chopped flat leaf parsley leaves
4 x 200g thick fish fillets

What you do:

Preheat the oven to 220C.
Heat the oil in a deep frypan over a medium heat.
Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for one minute, then add tomato if using, and cook for two minutes until the tomato starts to soften.
Reduce the heat to low and add the potato slices, stock, saffron and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
Simmer for 15 minutes or until the potato is almost tender.
Transfer the potatoes and tomatoes to a baking dish, with the liquid, and season.
Stir together the melted butter and chopped herbs, then coat the fish with the herb butter.
Place the fish on top of the potatoes and pour over any remaining herb butter.
Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the fish is cooked to your liking and the potatoes are tender.
Spoon the potatoes into warmed bowls and carefully arrange the fish on top and serve.

Apple crisp

2010-06-05T17:41:00.005+10:00

Hello everyone, this week I launched into the Sydney Film Festival on Opening Night with a really, really beautiful film called South Solitary. It stars Miranda Otto and I highly recommend it when it has its general release. It was a great story, very funny at times, and the location, scenery, clothes and settings were gorgeous.

Thankfully it was such a great film as the opening night speeches were endless and boring. I really don't know why they had to be inflicted on those of us at the public event - they should have been confined to the opening night party afterwards. The Minister for the Arts and the Lord Mayor both gave blatantly political speeches, so I enjoyed the irony of the Minister who received a completely irrelevant and inappropriate special acknowledgement from the Minister for the Arts being sacked two days later!

Anyway, to calm me down, another fruit crumble, as this is just the right time of year for them. This one is a really simple one that comes from my beloved book Heart Of The Home.

Have a happy week. Love from Jane xx

Apple Crisp

Serves four to six

What you need:

About 4 Granny Smith apples
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup plain flour
1/2 cup oats
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teapoon nutmeg
1/3 cup softened butter

What you do:

Preheat the oven to 180C.
Butter a baking dish.
Peel and slice the apples.
Arrange the apple slices in the baking dish.
Mix together the remaining ingredients and sprinkle over the apples.
Bake for 30 minutes or until the apples are tender and the topping is golden brown.
Serve it hot or cold with thick cream and/or icecream.

Maple glazed roast potato and apple

2010-05-29T15:13:00.003+10:00

Hello everyone, I've had a lovely week off work these last few days and seem to have spent a lot of time in the car driving all over Sydney running endless errands that have been piling up. One advantage is that on several occasions my trips took me close to specialty food shops that I have wanted to try but which aren't normally on my way anywhere. I was particularly fortunate to strike two specialty chocolate shops on one day. One was Adriano Zumbo's chocolate shop in Balmain, at which I had heard there was very good hot chocolate to be had. So I stopped there to sample it and it was really quite good. Not as good as Koko Black in Melbourne, but good enough to make me think about going back to try the various flavours of hot chocolate on offer. Then later that day I noticed a shop called "Christophe...Ses Chocolats", a chocolate maker, which is in a suburb called Russell Lea. On my way back I stopped in and bought a handful of chocolates and they were delicious! So nice and fresh and there were so many beautiful sounding flavours it was hard to choose! I think it will be a good thing to go back to work and remove myself from all these temptations.

This week's recipe is a great winter time dish and just luscious. The original recipe uses kumara, but being the potato lover that I am I substitute potato. You can use either or even both. It's from the Autumn/Winter edition of SOS and a very good dish to have in your cold weather repertoire.

Have a wonderful week. Love from Jane xxx

Maple glazed roast potato and apple

Serves six

What you need:

1.5kg potato and/or kumara, peeled and cut in chunks
2 large Granny Smith apples, cored and quartered
100g unsalted butter
180ml orange juice
125ml maple syrup
1 teaspoon ground cloves
Sea salt and cracked pepper

What you do:

Preheat the oven to 175C.
Place the potato and/or kumara and apple into an earthenware dish which will hold them snugly.
In a small saucepan over a medium heat, make a syrup with the butter, orange juice, maple syrup, ground cloves, salt and pepper.
Pour the syrup over the potato/kumara and apple.
Cover the dish with foil and roast in the centre of the oven for an hour, basting every 15 minutes.
Remove the foil and continue to cook for about a further 30 minutes, or until caramelised, basting as necessary.

Tagliatelle with onion sauce

2010-05-22T13:20:00.003+10:00

Hello everyone, last night I was meeting some friends to see the wonderful Irish writer Colm Toibin as part of the Sydney Writers' Festival and we went for a bite to eat beforehand at the GPO Cheese and Wine Room in the city. It was great! It's a very atmospheric kind of place and the staff were warm and welcoming. The menu was wonderful - I really had trouble choosing. In the end my friend Ann-Maree and I shared a vegetarian dips plate and a plate with three cheeses matched to three half glasses of red wine. It was all so good. I really can't wait to go back there again and again! With some evening sessions at the upcoming Sydney Film Festival there should be more opportunities.

This week's recipe is a very simple and beautiful pasta dish. It comes from one of my favourite writers, Diane Seed, in her book The Top One Hundred Pasta Sauces. I hope you like it too!

Love from Jane xxx

Tagliatelle with onion sauce

Serves four

What you need:

500g tagliatelle
100g butter
500g onions, thinly sliced
Chicken stock
200ml cream
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Grated nutmeg
Parmesan cheese for serving

What you do:

Melt the butter and cook the thinly sliced onions in a covered pan over a low heat until they are soft. Do not let them brown.
Cover with chicken stock and simmer, with the lid on the pan, for another 25 minutes.
Start cooking the pasta following the packet directions.
Allow the onion mix to cool a little, then puree it.
Stir the cream into the onions, then add the salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste.
Drain the pasta and stir through the onion sauce.
Serve the pasta and sauce with Parmesan cheese served separately.

Spaghetti with ocean trout and capers

2010-05-16T11:15:00.003+10:00

Hello everyone, yesterday I went to one of the first events at this year's Sydney Writers' Festival http://www.swf.org.au/ which was a talk by the founders of the famous Bourke Street Bakery. It was held at the Surry Hills Library and the two speakers, Paul Allam and David McGuinness, shared some of the "secrets" of the bakery. It was fascinating, and a lovely addition was on that arrival they had a generous selection of their famous tarts set out on a big table, so that everyone could have one on the way in! It was a really good start for this year's Festival for me.

This week's recipe comes from Pete Evan's book Fish, from which I have had mixed results, but this one was a real winner, particularly as I had left work late that day, so was anticipating a late dinner, but despite the lengthy list of ingredients, found that it cooked up pretty quickly and was delicious.

Have a lovely week. Love from Jane xx

Spaghetti with ocean trout and capers

Serves four

(If you don't like capers by all means leave them out, I don't think their deletion will impact too markedly on the dish).

What you need:

500g spaghetti
1/2 cup light olive oil
4 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
2 tablespoons finely chopped banana chilli
6 anchovies, roughly torn
60g choppped green olives
2 tablespoons baby capers
A large handful of chopped flat leaf parsley
Juice of 2 lemons
400g ocean trout, skin and bones removed and cubed (it's really important that the skin is removed, I forgot this detail when I purchased my fish and consequently had some difficulty with the cubing)
3 handfuls of rocket
4 tablespoons salmon roe (optional)

What you do:

Cook the spaghetti in a large pot of boiling water until al dente.
Meanwhile, heat the oil, garlic and chilli in a large pan until the garlic starts to turn golden.
Add the anchovies, olives, capers and parsley.
Drain the pasta, add to the pan with the garlic mix and toss well.
Add the lemon juice and ocean trout and season with salt and pepper.
Stir through for 30 seconds. The idea is for the fish to be served rare, so you are just warming it slightly around the edges and then allowing it to cook a little more when served from the heat of the pasta.
Add the rocket and mix through until slightly wilted.
Transfer the spaghetti and fish to a serving bowl and garnish with salmon roe, if using, before serving.

Cashew ginger fingers

2010-05-09T09:48:00.004+10:00

Hello everyone, last Sunday we celebrated Mum's seventieth birthday over lunch at Aqua Dining at North Sydney. I hadn't been near the pool for over twenty years and I have to say the addition of this glamorous restaurant is a master stroke (no pun intended). It was a gorgeous sunny day and our table looked out over the pool and the harbour. The service was flawless and the food heavenly. I had the Hiramasa Kingfish and it was one of the most beautifully cooked pieces of fish I have ever eaten. The restaurant also did a cake for us and it was luscious, all full of strawberries and mascarpone. All in all, an outstanding restaurant experience.

This week's recipe is a quick and easy slice from my Women's Weekly Biscuits and Slices book. I wouldn't say that this is one of their better books but from time to time I'll make something from it that is good, and this is one of those.

Have a happy week. Love from Jane xx

Cashew Ginger Fingers

What you need:

125g butter
1/4 cup caster sugar
1 cup self raising flour
1 teaspoon ground ginger

Topping

1/2 cup icing sugar
60g butter
1 1/2 tablespoons golden syrup
1 cup unsalted, roasted cashew nuts, chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped glace ginger

What you do:

Preheat the oven to 180C.
Line a 20cm x 30cm lamington tin with baking paper.
Beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Stir the sifted flour and ground ginger into the butter mix.
Spread this mix evenly over the base of the prepared tin.
Bake the mix in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool in the pan.
To make the topping, combine the icing sugar, butter and golden syrup in a saucepan over a medium heat and stir until the butter is melted.
Stir in the nuts and ginger.
Spread the hot topping evenly over the cold base.
Cool before slicing into fingers.

Spicy potato tagine with olives

2010-05-01T10:40:00.002+10:00

Hello everyone, I was prompted to share this particular recipe today following two different conversations this week. On Tuesday a friend was telling me about the tagine he'd made on the weekend and as soon as I arrived home I started searching through my cook books for some lovely tagine recipes I remembered cooking previously. I love a good tagine and they are so warming and comforting in winter. Then this morning I heard an interesting early morning discussion between Angela Catterns on local radio and a potato grower, who was setting up his stall at the Penrith markets. I think he reeled off the names of about ten different varieties of potatoes he had brought to market for sale and they all sounded very enticing.

Hence another recipe indulging my love of potatoes. This recipe is a different take on the usual tagine as there's no meat, so it works for vegetarians, as a side dish or just as a dish on its own for anyone who likes potatoes and olives! I found the recipe in Spectrum in the SMH and it says that it is adapted from Paula Wolfert's book, The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen.

Have a happy week. Love from Jane xx

Spicy Potato Tagine With Olives

Serves 4-6 when served with couscous or rice

Peel and thickly slice 900g of yellow fleshed potatoes and place them in a bowl of cold water. In a heavy saucepan (or well seasoned tagine), heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil and fry a finely chopped onion for 3-4 minutes, stirring. Add a chopped tomato, 1/4 teaspoon each of paprika, ground ginger and cumin, and 2 crushed garlic cloves. Stir for two minutes.

Add the drained potatoes, a bay leaf and a quarter of a lemon (whole). Toss, then add a handful each of chopped parsley and coriander (or you could substitute mint if like me you don't like coriander) and a couple of good pinches of salt. Toss, then add 5 saffron threads and 1 1/2 cups of hot water.

Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 40 to 50 minutes. Transfer the potatoes to a warm serving dish and discard the lemon. Add 24 pitted green olives to the liquid remaining in the cooking pot and boil until the juices have reduced to a thick sauce. Pour over the potatoes and garnish with half a preserved lemon, chopped.

Bill's Creamy Semolina With Bay Leaf And Parmesan

2010-04-25T16:56:00.004+10:00

Hello everyone, last night I was lucky enough to have dinner at Barrenjoey House at Palm Beach. I've been wanting to go there for a while and was really looking forward to it, although somewhat disappointed that Darren Simpson was such a recent departure from the head chef role. It turned out to be just the kind of place I like - large and airy, with a real "by the seaside" feel to it. The food was gorgeous. They had fish and chips on the menu and I just knew it was the sort of place that would do it well, which was the case, and then I followed up with chocolate souffle which was divine - all warm and melting chocolate. The only downside was that just before I left home to go there I realised that the shops wouldn't be open this morning, being ANZAC day, and I still had a few items to buy for the lunch I was serving today that I had planned to buy fresh! So at 11.00 last night I was wandering around a supermarket snatching up herbs and croissants.

Now today's recipe is another from the ever reliable Bill Granger. It dates from the time he used to do a breakfast segment on Angela Catterns' breakfast show on local radio (yep, 2005). I loved listening to that slot, and obviously the sound of this particular recipe appealed as I printed it from the ABC website and have made it a few times now. I really love semolina (very similar to polenta) and this is a good one for dinner on cooler nights.

Have a happy week. Love from Jane xx

Bill's Creamy Semolina With Bay And Parmesan

Serves about four

What you need:

1 litre of milk
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons of sea salt
170g semolina
60g freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Freshly grated nutmeg, if you have it

What you do:

Place milk, bay leaves and salt in a large saucepan and bring to the boil over a moderate heat.
Reduce the heat and slowly add the semolina in a thin, steady stream, stirring constantly with a whisk to prevent lumps forming.
When all the semolina has been added, adjust the heat so the mixture bubbles, and stir constantly until the semolina pulls away from the side of the pan, which will take about 3 to 5 minutes.
Stir through the cheese and a sprinkle of nutmeg if you have it.
Remove the bay leaves and serve.

Salmon, cabbage and potato

2010-04-17T16:40:00.003+10:00

Hello everyone, I had dinner during the week with my friend Jan who lives in Potts Point and therefore is never short of a new fabulous place to entice me. We went to the Sardine Room, and really just the name was enough to get me there, conjuring up images of a glamorous, 1940s style bar. It's actually a little restaurant in Challis Street in Potts Point, specialising, of course, in seafood. I was intrigued when the owner made a point of telling us that several of the dishes were cooked in stock NOT cream, which could be a selling point to some, but not me. Bring on the cream I thought to myself. In any case, we both plumped for a risotto which had fennel and something else, I've actually forgotten already but it was some sort of seafood, and really very nice. But as I was quite stressed that evening, the highlights for me were the lovely glass of red and the luscious slice of chocolate and hazelnut tort with frangelico mascarpone - I definitely needed that combination to make me feel more settled!

Now this week's recipe comes from Jill Dupleix's book Take Three. As she doesn't actually title the recipes in the book I have just named it according to the three chief ingredients, which may not sound that exciting, but it's a very nice dish. It has caraway seeds, which I always think impart a magic touch.

Have a happy week. Love from Jane xxx

Salmon, cabbage and potato

Serves four

What you need:

4 x 200g fillets of fresh salmon
1/2 medium white cabbage, cored and finely shredded
10 small potatoes (baby kipflers are around at the moment and very good)
Sea salt
1 tablespoon of butter
200ml white wine (or you can substitute verjuice)
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons caraway seeds

What you do:

Cook the potatoes, (either peeled or unpeeled, whatever you prefer) in simmering, salted water for about 15 minutes or until tender.
Cook the cabbage in simmering, salted water for about 10 minutes - you want it to remain fairly crunchy - then drain well.
Melt the butter in a large frying pan, add the wine and bring to the boil.
Add the drained cabbage and toss well.
Place the salmon fillets on top, cover tightly, and cook over a gentle heat for about 10 minutes until the cabbage is tender and the salmon is cooked but still pink and moist in the middle.
Gently remove the salmon fillets and keep warm.
Add the vinegar and half the caraway seeds to the cabbage and toss well for a minute.
Arrange a heap of cabbage on four serving plates and top each with a salmon fillet.
Drain the potatoes, cut in half and tuck them around the salmon.
Sprinkle with the remaining caraway seeds and serve.

Apple and almond crumble

2010-04-10T11:16:00.003+10:00

Hello everyone, well, although summer is not entirely gone, it is definitely cooler in the mornings and evenings, and around this time of year my thoughts always turn to fruit crumbles. They are so delicious and warm! During the week I made the crumble recipe given by Jamie Oliver in this month's delicious magazine, an apple and plum one with lovely dried fruit and nuts through it. It tasted great but I must say involves a huge amount of peeling and slicing and cooking fruit. The crumble I'm giving you is another one from delicious magzine, but from quite a while ago, May 2002 in fact. It's a Delia Smith one and one of my reliables for when I have friends coming for a meal. Raw almonds, as used in this recipe, are really good right now.

Have a happy week. Love from Jane xx

PS How excited was I to see that there will be a session called "The Secrets of Bourke Street Bakery" at this year's Sydney Writers Festival www.swf.org.au on 15 May? I've already booked my tickets!

Apple and almond crumble

Serves 6-8

What you need:
· 700g Granny Smith apples
· 225g Golden Delicious apples
· 25g brown sugar
· 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
· ¼ teaspoon ground cloves

For the crumble:
· 110g whole almonds, skin on
· 75g chilled butter, cut into small pieces
· 175g self raising flour, sifted
· 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
· 110g demarara (or caster) sugar

· Pouring cream and/or custard and/or ice cream, to serve

What you do:
1. Preheat the oven to 200C.
2. Peel, core and slice the apples into thickish slices.
3. Toss the apple slices in a bowl with the sugar, cinnamon and ground cloves
4. Arrange in a baking dish and set aside.
5. To make the crumble, place butter, flour, cinnamon and sugar into a food processor and process until you have crumbs.
6. Add the almonds and process again until the almonds are finely chopped (it’s OK to have a few chunky bits).
7. Sprinkle the crumble mix over the apples, spreading it right to the edges of the dish. Using the flat of your hand, press it down quite firmly all over – the more tightly packed the crumble the crisper it will bake. Finish by lightly running a fork over the surface of the crumble.
8. Bake the crumble in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes.
9. Leave to rest for 10 minutes before serving warm with cream, custard and/or ice-cream.

Crunchy breakfast pear muffins

2010-04-03T11:06:00.002+11:00

Hello everyone, well, Easter is upon us and I have been so good, resisting all egg and hot cross bun temptation so far. Unfortunately I think I have actually missed the hot cross bun thing for the year, but I'm sure there'll be some chocolate eggs or bunnies to enjoy between now and the end of the weekend. I am planning to call by Accoutrement in Mosman later today to pick up some treats as I have been ogling their gorgeous Easter display for a few weeks now.

This week's recipe is a quick and easy muffin which I whipped up yesterday afternoon, then sampled while losing myself in the DVD of The Time Traveller's Wife (definitely not up to the book standard). They are lovely and moist with the pear and easy to freeze, ready to be freshened up in the microwave. I found the recipe in Good Living some time ago. Regular readers will be surprised to learn that on finding some chocolate in my cupboard I threw that in too - chocolate works so well with pear and is a lovely surprise in a muffin!

Have a wonderful Easter.

Love from Jane xx

Crunchy breakfast pear muffins

Makes 6 large muffins

What you need:

1 cup plain flour
1/2 cup wholemeal plain flour (you can use regular white if you don't have wholemeal to hand)
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup plain low fat yoghurt
1/2 cup vegetable or light olive oil
1 cup peeled, diced pear
100-150g chocolate, optional
1/3 cup pecan nuts, finely chopped

What you do:

Preheat the oven to 180C.
Using a 6 cup capacity muffin tin, either spray the holes with olive oil spray, or line with paper cases.
Sift together into a large bowl the flours, baking powder and cinnamon.
Add the oats and half a cup of the brown sugar and the chocolate if using, and stir to combine.
Whisk together the eggs, yoghurt and oil.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until just combined. Muffin mixes do not like to be overmixed and will give you lumps of concrete if you stir too many times!
Gently fold through the pear.
Divide the batter between the muffin holes or paper cases.
Mix together the remaining brown sugar with the pecan nuts and sprinkle over the tops of the muffins.
Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Croutons of fried apple and goat's cheese

2010-03-27T19:54:00.002+11:00

Hello everyone, well, for those of you wondering where I ended up having dinner last Saturday, it was Aki's at Woolloomooloo Bay Wharf http://www.akisindian.com.au/. It was a perfect early autumn evening and we were seated outside so could soak up the setting sun and all the atmosphere down there. We had a gorgeous meal and best of all, Chris gave me a very treasured farewell gift - Matthew Evan's new book, The Real Food Companion http://www.readings.com.au/product/9781741967203/the-real-food-companion. How lucky am I? I know that this will be a book I use very regularly and refer to all the time. I can't wait to start reading it over Easter!

This week's recipe is a hint of the cool evenings that must be going to reach us eventually, although I don't mind summer playing out as long as possible. It comes from the Autumn/Winter edition of SOS and is heaven.

Have a happy week. Love from Jane xxx

Croutons of fried apple and goats cheese

Serves eight

What you need:

250g butter
6 fresh and crisp red apples, cored and sliced
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 loaf of country style bread
About 500g mature goats cheese, sliced

What you do:

Melt half the butter in a large pan.
Toss the apple slices in the butter and cook gently for about 15 minutes, turning until tender and a little caramelised.
Season with salt and pepper, then transfer to a dish and keep warm.
Cut 8 slices of bread.
Fry the bread slices in the remaining melted butter until golden on both sides.
Pile the slices of apple on to the croutons and top with the slices of cheese.
Serve immediately with a green salad.

Pan fried chicken with lemon

2010-03-20T13:36:00.003+11:00

Hello everyone, it's such a gorgeous day today in Sydney! You would think it was summer time.

My neighbours who live in the house behind me are selling their house and had the first open house today. What a half hour of entertainment that provided for Bellatrix! Although she couldn't see anyone, she set herself up in a shady spot in the back yard and followed the sound of everyone who came to look. Her ears twitched continuously - it made me wonder if she was listening to each person and deciding if they would be welcome as our new neighbours or not. Clearly I have a huge stickybeak of a cat.

This week's recipe is from the December 2009/January 2010 issue of delicious and really is delicious! It is lovely and lemony and makes a great dinner, either just for you, the family or guests.

I have one more dinner with my friend Chris, tonight. I am (generously) letting him select the restaurant and am yet to hear his choice. I'm sure it will be a good one...

Have a great week. Love from Jane xx

Pan fried chicken with lemon

Serves two

What you need:

1 lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil
20g unsalted butter
1 onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup plain flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
2 x 200g chicken breast fillets, cut into 5mm strips
100ml dry white wine
100ml chicken stock
1 teaspoon caster sugar
2 teaspoons roughly chopped marjoram
2 tablespoons finely chopped flat leaf parsley

What you do:

Use a zester to make thin strips of lemon rind, then peel the lemon and thinly slice the flesh. Set zest and flesh aside.
Heat half of the oil and half of the butter in a large non stick frying pan over a medium heat.
Add the onion and cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes until softened. Remove the onion from the heat and set aside.
Toss the chicken in the flour to coat, shaking off the excess.
Return the pan to a medium high heat and add the remaining oil and butter.
In batches, cook the chicken for one minute, turning, until golden.
Return the onion and all of the chicken to the pan, and add the wine, simmering for a couple of minutes until almost evaporated.
Add the lemon zest, lemon segments, sugar and enough stock to almost cover the chicken.
Bring to the boil, then simmer for a few minutes until the chicken is cooked and the liquid has reduced by half.
Season to taste with salt and pepper, then toss through the marjoram and parsley.

Cornflake coconut crunchies

2010-03-14T16:10:00.003+11:00

Hello everyone, it has been a hectic week with my gorgeous friend Chris Andersen from Minneapolis in town. We have been catching up with lots of different friends in all sorts of fabulous places around Sydney. I loved cocktails and smart bar food at Rockpool Bar and Grill, http://www.rockpool.com.au/sydney/bar-and-grill/, dinner at Mission Restaurant and Bar http://www.missionbar.com.au/ and lunch at North Sydney Cellars Cafe http://www.smh.com.au/news/entertainment/good-living/restaurant-reviews/north-sydney-cellars-cafe/2010/01/11/1263058240812.html. To say nothing of a hot chocolate at Bather's Cafe....And last night I had dinner at a great find in North Turramurra of all places, The Cook's Garden http://www.tablesonline.com.au/restaurant/NSW/Turramurra/The-Cook-s-Garden/index.html. It's in a house and really beautifully done up. The food was luscious and there's a shop at the front where you can buy chocolates and handbags! It really doesn't get any better!

So to calm me down, this week's recipe is a very easy biscuit mix, which I made recently for a crowd. You can whip up the mix in five minutes and then have the biscuits in and out of the oven in no time at all. They are deliciously moist with all the coconut they contain. Do use a good brand coconut, not some cheap and nasty generic product. The recipe comes from my Women's Weekly Biscuits And Slices book.

Have a happy week! Love from Jane xx

Cornflake coconut crunchies

Makes about 40, depending on how you size them.

What you need:

2 cups cornflakes, which you can either lightly crush or leave whole
2 cups self raising flour
1 cup flaked coconut
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
2 eggs, lightly beaten
250g butter, melted

What you do:

Preheat the oven to 190C.
Line two baking trays with baking paper.
Combine the corn flakes, sifted flour, both coconuts and brown sugar in a large bowl.
Stir in the eggs and butter.
Place spoonsful of the mixture onto the baking trays, leaving some space in between.
Bake for about 12 minutes, or until lightly browned.
Remove from the oven and after a couple of minutes transfer the biscuits to wire racks to cool.

Roman summer skewers

2010-03-06T10:40:00.002+11:00

Hello everyone, I just had my regular visit from our local Jehovah's Witnesses. I know that many people don't like having these people turn up on their doorstep, bible in hand, but I must say I don't mind it at all and in fact really enjoy the couple of minutes they spend with me. I'd much rather the JWs than those annoying sales representatives flogging pay TV! (Who always reel in shock when I admit that actually I rarely turn on the set...) Anyway, in the eleven years that I have been living here I have been visited by various representatives of the JWs and they are always very lovely, gentle people who aren't afraid of talking about their faith. Usually they give me a couple of their magazines and read me a line or two from the bible and we have a bit of general chit-chat. Currently it is a teenager called Imogen who calls by with her Mum and today her little sister Ruby as well. They are such nice people and I feel blessed to have a minute with them.

But you are here for my recipe, not my musings on who arrives at the doorstep! This week's recipe is another great party one that I have tried out. I found it in Good Living in a feature from a book that had been published recently called Party: The Complete Guide To Food And Drinks. This one is soooooo simple but very effective. Try it next time you are asked to bring a dish to a party and you'll see what I mean!

Have a lovely week. Jane xx

Roman Summer Skewers

Makes 20

What you need:

20 cherry bocconcini
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon pesto (Even better if you make it yourself; check my recipe in November 2008)
40 small fresh basil leaves
20 cherry tomatoes
20 pitted black olives
20 cocktail sticks (supermarket)

What you do:

Drain the bocconcini and place in a bowl with the olive oil and pesto.
Stir until coated, cover and leave to marinate for 15-20 minutes.
Thread the bocconcini, a tomato, two basil leaves and an olive on to each stick.
Arrange on a platter and serve.

That's it!

Patatas Bravas

2010-02-27T09:48:00.004+11:00

I love potatoes. Have I ever mentioned that? I think they are one of my favourite foods, right up there with chocolate. I find myself indecently excited whenever potatoes are on the menu, and it takes all my willpower to not shout "Let's choose the potato dish" when out with friends and selecting a side to share. This week's recipe is a really yummy potato dish from one of my favourite recipe writers, Matthew Evans, from his book Weekend Fare. I could eat kilos of it (but I know where the kilos would come to rest).

Have a good week, love from Jane xx

Patatas Bravas

Serves 5-6 as as side dish

What you need:

1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons of a good vinegar - a Spanish sherry vinegar is ideal
1 clove of garlic, crushed
125 ml extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon tomato puree
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste (or ordinary pepper)
1/3 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika, preferably smoky Spanish paprika
1 kg good frying potatoes, washed well
Olive oil for frying

What you do:

Beat the egg yolk, sherry and garlic, drizzling in the olive oil in a stream as you whisk, in the same way as you would make a mayonnaise (if you do indeed make your own mayonnaise).
Whisk in the tomato puree, pepper, salt and paprika and check the flavour. This sauce should be reasonably bold tasting.
Cut the potatoes into roughly 2-3 cm dice and fry in plenty of olive oil until cooked through and lightly browned.
Remove the potatoes from the pan and drain on a couple of paper towels.
Serve the potatoes warm with the sauce either on top, or served on the side as a dipping sauce.

Sticky soy and maple pork burgers

2010-02-20T10:26:00.005+11:00

Hello everyone, I'm finding that being in the city for work now and so close to a handful of cafes that make good hot chocolate I'm having one nearly every day! It's a little out of control. But I keep telling myself good for my bones. I have most recently concentrated my attention on Adora in the arcade next to the Sofitel Wentworth. They do great hot chocolate and you get to choose a chocolate from their display every time! Now I have to say they are not my favourite chocolates, that honour definitely lies evenly split between Just William and Belle Fleur, but I'm not going to turn down the offer. During the week I happened to try the caramel and it was BEAUTIFUL! It was a really luscious burnt caramel flavour. I think I might have to intervene before this becomes a habit!

This week's recipe comes from the September 2009 issue of delicious magazine. It is a great summertime dish and really easy to put together. I love the flavour of maple syrup; make sure you use a proper Canadian one, not some nasty synthetic! You should be able to find a good maple syrup fairly easily if you check the labels.

Have a happy week! Love from Jane xx

Sticky soy and maple burgers

Serves four

What you need:

500g lean pork mince
2 tablespoons finely chopped peanuts
6 spring onions, finely chopped (or I often swap chives for onions for this sort of use)
A small piece of fresh ginger, finely grated
Grated zest of one lemon
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon maple syrup (or honey)
A pinch of dried chilli flakes
2 tablespoons finely chopped coriander (or mint) leaves
1 tablespoon of a light olive or vegetable oil, plus extra to brush
4 fresh bread rolls
To serve: sweet chilli sauce, sour cream, shredded lettuce, sliced radishes

What you do:

Mix together in a large bowl the mince, peanuts, onions, ginger, lemon zest, 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce, 2 teaspoons of the maple syrup, chilli flakes and coriander or mint.
Season with salt and pepper.
Shape into 4 patties, cover and chill for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200C and line a tray with baking paper, or preheat a BBQ.
Heat a fry pan over medium high heat and brush with a little oil.
Cook the patties for a couple of minutes on either side until golden brown OR cook the patties on the BBQ until cooked through.
(If you are using the oven) Transfer the patties to the baking tray and bake in the oven for a further 8-10 minutes, until cooked through.
While the patties are cooking, split and toast the bread rolls.
Mix the oil with the remaining soy sauce and maple syrup and then brush over the cooked patties.
To serve, sandwich the patties in the rolls and serve with the accompaniments you have lined up.

Nutmeg cake

2010-02-13T10:25:00.003+11:00

Hello everyone, I have been on quite a mission this year to actually get to lots of different cafes and restaurants that are reviewed and make me think "Hmmm, that sounds like a good place to try" (but often don't do anything further about it). During the week I had dinner with my friend Maria at Finola's in the Balmain Bowling Club http://www.balmainbowls.com/finolasrestaurant.html , as I have heard lots of great things about the food there. It's an interesting setting, as you are right there in the bowling club with the greens to one side and a crowd playing poker in the bar (good for cheap drinks!). The menu is quite Irish influenced and I enjoyed my fish pie. Then today I am going to Revolver at Annandale, lured by a review that mentioned they do very good hot chocolate there. Yes, I know that most of you think it's way too hot and humid for hot chocolate, but in the interests of research I am prepared to go there!

This week's recipe is for a really, really good cake that I must have made a thousand times over the years. I remember discovering it in a Vogue Wine And Food Cookbook from 1991 when I was first living out of home and it seemed quite sophisticated to me (probably because it wasn't the usual chocolate). It's very easy and has a great texture. I think you'll like it.

Have a lovely week, love from Jane xx

Nutmeg cake

What you need:

2 cups of brown sugar
2 teaspooons of baking powder
2 cups of plain flour, sifted
125g butter
1 teaspoon of bicarbonate soda
1 cup of milk
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon of nutmeg

What you do:

Preheat the oven to 180C.
Grease a 20cm round cake tin and line with baking powder.
Combine the brown sugar, baking powder and flour in a large bowl.
Rub in the butter until the mix looks like breadcrumbs.
Spread half of the mix over the base of the prepared cake tin.
Dissolve the baking soda in the milk.
Add the beaten egg and nutmeg to the milk.
Pour the milk into the remaining sugar and flour mixture and stir together well.
Pour this mix into the cake tin on top of the first lot of crumbs.
Bake for an hour or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake shows it's cooked.

This cake is delicious served with thick cream or Greek yoghurt, or icecream of course.

Roasted walnut and preserved lemon salsa

2010-02-06T15:09:00.004+11:00

Hello everyone, last week I reported on my broken down fridge from the previous weekend. The new one is working beautifully, but my goodness, even though I think I don't have a lot in my fridge usually, I am very conscious of how much rebuilding I have to do. There are so many basic things that I reach for and then remember having to throw out whatever the item is. Slowly, slowly I am restoring things.

I tell you what, the fridge wasn't my only disaster. Last Saturday the clutch in my car went! It was terrible at the time (particularly as I was so flustered that I couldn't find the hazard lights!) This morning I was out and about in the car and so thankful that if the clutch had to go, thank goodness it wasn't today in the pelting rain. It could have been a lot worse!

On Sunday my friend Cathy and I went and tried a fairly recently opened restaurant called Cavallino http://www.cavallino.com.au/ in Terrey Hills of all places! Trust me, if you like authentic Italian food, it's worth the trip. I had really delicious hand made pasta (although the sauce was rather salty), and we indulged in profiteroles with a wicked chocolate sauce for dessert. Definitely worth a return visit, that one.

Today's recipe is another one that I snipped from the pages of Good Living, so I don't know whose creation it is. But I can assure you that it is luscious. And a bit unusual which is always good when you want to impress family and friends. The key is using fresh walnuts, which you can easily get at Harris Farm or nut shops, rather than packet walnuts, and rubbing them with a teatowel to remove as much skin as possible. Trust me, it doesn't take too long and once you have tried it you will see the difference it makes to the flavour of the nuts. The original recipe is made with coriander, but as I loathe that herb I used mint instead and it was lovely. The salsa is sensational served over barbecued fish, but of course you could do it with fish cooked any way you like, or serve the salsa with other meats or vegetables. It is very summery and refreshing.

Have a happy week! Love from Jane xxx

Roasted walnut and preserved lemon salsa

Serves about four

What you need:

80g walnuts (shelled)
3/4 of a preserved lemon
About 1 cup coriander or mint leaves, chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (or less, use your judgement)
Sea salt

What you do:

Roast the walnuts in a hot oven (200C) until golden brown (probably about ten minutes - stay close to the kitchen so you can judge the timing by the aroma).
When the nuts have cooled, wrap them in a clean teatowel and rub vigorously to remove as much skin as possible.
Roughly chop the walnuts and place in a bowl.
Rinse the preserved lemon (does anyone actually do this? I don't), discard the pith and finely chop the skin.
Add the lemon to the nuts.
Add the chopped coriander/mint, lemon juice, olive oil and sea salt to taste.
Spoon over whatever you have cooked to go with the salsa.

Note that the dressing is best when made just before serving.

Fig, watercress and blue cheese salad with candied walnuts

2010-01-30T14:40:00.004+11:00

Hello everyone, I had a kitchen disaster last weekend when my fridge broke down on that very hot Saturday. The fridge repair man came on Monday afternoon and diagnosed....yes, dead. It was the first fridge I had ever bought and nearly sixteen years old so it has given me good service, but really, it would be helpful if they flashed up warning messages like "One week to go!" Of course I had a freezer full of food and quite a few things in the fridge and had to throw it all out. And of course, with the public holiday intervening, my new fridge didn't arrive until Wednesday morning, so it was four very hot days with no way of chilling food! It was a challenge and I'm glad to have the new one in place. Now I'm busy filling it once more!

This week's recipe is one that I made during the week and it was lovely and refreshing. It comes from the December 2009/January 2010 issue of delicious magazine. It's one of those great salads that makes a meal, although of course you could serve it as a salad with other things if you were feeding a few. The walnuts are very easy and taste delicious, probably even better made with butter as in the recipe - I had to use olive oil as I had tossed out my almost melted butter!

Have a happy week. Love from Jane xx

Fig, watercress and blue cheese salad with candied walnuts

Serves four

What you need:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus 1 teaspoon for the figs
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
A squeeze of lemon juice
3 ripe, fresh figs, quartered
2 teaspoons caster sugar
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 bunch watercress
A handful of seedless red or green grapes, halved
200g blue cheese, sliced

Candied walnuts

20g unsalted butter
1 cup walnut halves
1/4 cup caster sugar
1/2 - 1 teaspoon caynenne pepper (optional; you could sprinkle over normal ground black pepper if you prefer)

What you do:

For the candied walnuts, line a baking tray with baking paper.
Melt the butter in a saucepan.
Add the walnuts, sugar and pepper, then stir for 1-2 minutes until the sugar melts and coats the nuts.
Remove from the heat and use a spoon to spread the nuts out on the baking tray. Leave for a few minutes to set.
Combine the olive oil, red wine vinegar, mustard and lemon juice in a small bowl.
Season the dressing with sea salt and pepper, whisking to combine, then set aside.
Place the figs, cut side up, on a small baking tray.
Sprinkle with the sugar, balsamic vinegar and additional olive oil.
Place the figs under a grill for five minutes or until golden and bubbling. Remove from the grill and set aside.
Arrange the watercress and grapes on a serving platter and top with the grilled figs. Lay slices of cheese over the top, drizzle with the dressing and serve sprinkled with the walnuts.

Prawn skewers with rice salad

2010-01-23T13:09:00.005+11:00

Hello everyone, gosh it's a hot summer's day in Sydney today! Mum used to say on days like this she wished she could put a zipper into the cat's coat, and I'm thinking that today. Bellatrix doesn't look too uncomfortable, but it would be lovely to unzip that fur coat and help her out of it.

My freezer is acting in a very suspicious way too...I reached in for some ice cubes this morning and there seemed to be some significant thawing going on. I do hope it's just because of the very hot temperature outside but I am starting to wonder if I'm going to be taking a trip to the new fridge shop this week....

I'll ignore it for the minute. This week's recipe is another of Bill Granger's (from Bill's Open Kitchen) and is one of those dishes that just tastes like summer. When I made it I did the full quantity of the rice salad so that I had some for lunches during the week. I know it looks like a long list of ingredients, but many of the ingredients for the salad are the same as for the prawns and once you have done all the chopping of the ingredients you are nearly there.

Have a wonderful week! Love from Jane xx

Prawn skewers with rice salad

Serves four

What you need:

3 thick slices of sourdough bread
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
24 medium green prawns, peeled and deveined
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/4 cup finely chopped flat leaf parsley
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Lemon wedges to serve

Rice salad

1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 cups COOKED white rice (boil up two cups of uncooked rice)
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
1/3 cup roughly chopped flat leaf parsley
2 celery sticks, finely chopped
1/3 cup green olives, pitted and sliced

What you do:

Soak eight wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes to stop them from burning during cooking.
Preheat the oven to 200C.
Place the bread on a baking tray and toast for 20 minutes or until lightly golden.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool, then turn into breadcrumbs in a food processor.
Toss the prawns in the olive oil.
Add the remaining ingredients, including the breadcrumbs, and mix well so that each prawn is evenly coated in breadcrumbs.
Cover with gladwrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
To make the rice salad, combine the oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a large bowl.
Add all of the remaining salad ingredients and toss until well combined.
Preheat a grill or a BBQ to high.
Thread 3 prawns onto each skewer, curling and skewering the tails to maintain a round shape.
Cook for 2 minutes on each side, or until golden, and serve with the lemon wedges and rice salad.

Cherry slice

2010-01-16T16:16:00.003+11:00

Hello everyone, being such a warm day today I decided to pop over to Glace, an icecream shop in Leichhardt. I can buy their products locally, but thought it would be good to go to the actual shop and view all the possibilities. It certainly is an icecream lover's delight - you can buy single or double scoops to eat on the spot (yes, I indulged, a scoop of Belgian chocolate), tubs in all sorts of luscious flavours and a range of other interesting icecream treats, like the snowball, which is a ball of coconut flavoured icecream enrobed in a coat of chocolate and sprinkled with coconut!

This week's recipe is a sweet treat which caught my eye every time I saw it in my scrapbook of cut out recipes. It's exactly like cherry ripe and so easy to make - a nice treat. Do be very careful with the food colouring - I was a little careless and my cherry slice was very brightly coloured!

Have a happy week. Love from Jane xx

Cherry slice

What you need:

600g dark cooking chocolate, chopped
500g desiccated coconut (buy a good quality one, not the no name version, as you want a nice, moist coconut)
100g copha, melted
395g can condensed milk
150g glace cherries, very finely chopped
A few drops of pink food colouring

What you do:

Prepare a 30cm x 20cm cake tin by lining with foil.
Melt half the chocolate and spread evenly over the foil lined tin.
Rest, covered, in the fridge, until set.
Place coconut, melted copha, condensed milk and cherries in a large bowl and stir together to mix. There will be a moment when you think there is far too much coconut and it will never combine, but it does.
Very carefully add a few drops of food colouring and stir through (do it drop by drop).
Spoon the coconut mixture over the chocolate base and use the back of a spoon to press evenly.
Refrigerate until set.
Melt the remaining chocolate and spread evenly over the coconut mix.
Return to the fridge until set.
Cut into bars with a warm knife. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Cranberry and walnut brie

2010-01-09T16:01:00.004+11:00

Hello everyone, I've managed to meet friends for lunch four work days out of five this week, all in different cafes in the city, and all have been really good lunches (as well as delightful company, of course!) On Monday I went to Bacco, a great Italian cafe on the ground floor of the Chifley Plaza, which does a roaring trade, and when you try their gorgeous salads and super fresh sandwiches, you can see why. They also get a big tick from me for their yummy hot chocolate. Order the large and it is like a soup tureen the cup is so large.

On Tuesday I went to the cafe in the Kinokuniya bookshop at Galeries Victoria. I have to say that my expectations were low and there was only a very small selection, but I had a really lovely vegetable frittata.

On Wednesday I went to Salon on the ground floor of Governor Macquarie Tower where they also do fabulous sandwiches and salads. I had two salads, one of which was the most beautiful combination of rocket, shredded carrot, grilled haloumi and lovely plump sultanas, in a tahini dressing in which you could see and crunch the sesame seeds. It was so good I went back and had the same salad the next day as a takeaway!

Finally on Friday I went to Taste on Sussex Lane, as I have had a yummy baguette there before. This time I had a baguette with roasted vegetables and bocconcini and fresh tomato and rocket. Again, it was very good. So unusual to have consistent quality all week! Of course all of this means that this coming week I will have to eat in at my desk, taking in my own home made salads and sandwiches...

This week's recipe was something I made to take to a Christmas party. It comes from the December/January issue of delicious magazine and is so yummy! Everyone loved it. And best of all, you actually get two treats out of it! I found that there was so much cranberry sauce I was able to freeze half of it and serve it as the most divine (and pretty) granita. The alcohol in it saves it from freezing to a solid block of ice, so when you want some you can just pull it out of the freezer and scoop into bowls to eat or drop some into your champagne flute!

Have a happy week. Love from Jane xx

Cranberry and walnut brie

(The recipe is a huge quantity as it's for a crowd, so adjust as required to your own crowd)

What you need (for a crowd):

1 cup port
1 cup caster sugar
2 cups (240g) frozen cranberries (in the freezer section of the supermarket)
2 teaspoons cornflour
300g soft goats cheese
150g gorgonzola dolce
1 large (3kg) wheel of ripe brie
2 cups (200g) toasted walnuts, chopped
Watercress and toasted baguette slices, to serve

What you do:

Place port, sugar and 1 cup of water in a pan over a low heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
Increase the heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes or until syrupy.
Add the berries and cook for a further 2-3 minutes, stirring, until the berries start to burst.
Mix the cornflour with 2 tablespoons of cold water to make a smooth paste.
Add to the pan and cook, stirring, for one minute until thickened. Cool. (This sauce can be made up to four days ahead and stored in the fridge).
Whiz the goats cheese and gorgonzola in the food processor until smooth.
Split the brie through the centre (horizontally) into two rounds and place the bottom half on your serving platter.
Spread with half the goats/gorgonzola mix, sprinkle with half the walnuts and pour over as much of the cooled cranberry sauce as you think works.
Top with the remaining round of brie and repeat with the goats/gorgonzola mix, walnuts and berry sauce.
Garnish with the watercress and serve with the toasted baguette slices. It really is spectacular and will be devoured.

Jamie's Waldorf Salad

2010-01-02T10:42:00.003+11:00

Hello everyone and happy new year. I think everyone who lives in my street went to see the fireworks this year, as it was very quiet around here. I was completely engrossed in Truman Capote's In Cold Blood so the peace and quiet made me very happy.

Now I have to say that I am not a huge fan of Jamie Oliver himself, but over the years I have tried many of his recipes in delicious magazine and always thought they were very good. When I saw his latest book, Jamie's America, I had to get it. It reminds me very much of a book in a Time Life series on food in different countries that Mum had when we were children. I was entranced with the book on America as I found the cultural context, and the range of cooking styles and influences around that big country, fascinating. So I had exactly the same feeling when I came across Jamie's book.

Funnily enough, at the community dinners in which I participate, my team mate Margaret made a great waldorf salad one night. She kindly sent me an email with the details - she had found this recipe in a magazine at her hairdresser and copied it. (Well, the list of ingredients - someone had ripped out the instructions). So I had already tried the salad and had Margaret's list of ingredients in hand ready to make it myself when I discovered that the recipe came from Jamie's America. It's great, a really good summertime meal. (The comments in brackets in the ingredients list are mine).

Have a wonderful new year! Love from Jane xxx

Jamie's Waldorf Salad

Serves four

What you need:

4 large handfuls of interesting green salad leaves, washed and spun dry (I have only recently started using a lettuce spinner, gosh they are good!)
2 large handfuls of seedless green or red grapes (or you could have half and half), sliced in half
3 medium sticks of celery, trimmed
2 large handfuls of walnuts (approximately 100g), roughly chopped
A handful of fresh flat leaf parsley
1 red apple
150g mild blue cheese, such as dolcelatte (there's a nice mild King Island blue that comes in a roll which you can buy at Woollies which would work well)

Dressing

1 heaped teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons white or red wine vinegar
Good quality extra virgin olive oil
1 heaped tablespoon natural yoghurt
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

What you do

In a large bowl toss together the leaves and the grapes.
Finely slice the celery sticks and add to the salad.
In a dry pan over a medium heat toast the walnuts. Keep an eye on them - they will only take a couple of minutes.
Discard the tougher ends of the parsley stalks and finely chop the rest of the stalks, then put to the side for a minute.
Chop the parsley leaves finely and add to the salad.
To make the dressing, combine the mustard and vinegar and add the reserved chopped parsley stalks.
Pour in three times as much olive oil as the dressing you have made so far (or less olive oil, depending on your preference) and mix together.
Add the yoghurt and a good pinch of salt and pepper to the dressing and mix again.
Drizzle a little of the dressing over the salad so far.
Finely slice the apple into matchsticks and scatter over the salad.
Add the toasted walnuts and dressing and toss everything together.
Transfer the salad to a large serving platter, piling the grapes and walnuts over the leaves. Use a knife to break off little pieces of the cheese, scattering over the salad and serve.

Grilled piri piri drumettes with coleslaw

2009-12-26T11:50:00.004+11:00

Hello everyone and happy Christmas! I hope that you had a lovely day and enjoyed some good food. My family had an enormous feast, the highlights being Jamie's whole stuffed snapper that he did on the barbie and Greg's Balmain bugs, which we also barbecued, served with a luscious lime butter. Mmmmmmmmmmm, it was all so good. I contributed a potato salad, and some lemon curd ice cream and a chocolate royal torte for dessert. It is a relief to be on the other side of all that food now. I am contemplating a very simple rice salad for dinner tonight! (Although wondering what am I going to do with the piles of cheese and cream in my fridge - I can think of things I could do with them, but none are very sensible ideas really so hot on the heels of all the Christmas excess).

This week's recipe is yet another for which I had lower expectations but was really happily surprised. I loved the flavour of the sauce and the mint gives the coleslaw a real freshness. It comes from my Women's Weekly Main Course Salads book which has provided a number of winners over the years. This one is great for casual entertaining in summer and easy for kids to eat. If you can't find drumettes you could use wings or drumsticks or a mix of both.

Have a great holiday time week and a happy new year. Love from Jane xxx

Grilled piri piri drumettes with coleslaw

Serves four

What you need:

16 chicken drumettes

1/2 cup piri piri sauce (you can buy at the supermarket)

5 cups finely shredded red cabbage

5 cups finely shredded white cabbage

1 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint

Piri piri dressing

1 tablespoon piri piri sauce

1/2 cup peanut oil

1/4 cup lemon juice

What you do:

Combine the chicken and the sauce in a large bowl; cover and refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight.

Combine the ingredients for the piri piri dressing and mix well.

Cook the chicken in the sauce on the barbecue (or in the oven) until browned and cooked through.

To make the salad, place the cabbages and the mint in a large bowl with the dressing. Toss well to combine and serve with the chicken.

Coconut apricot slice

2009-12-18T16:58:00.004+11:00

Hello everyone, I've mentioned before the great sandwiches I have had from Via Abercrombie in the city. Yesterday I ordered sandwiches from them for a lunch I was having in the office. They were great - they are absolutely huge and a little difficult to eat politely as the fillings are so generous and made on very large slices of bread, but they are yummy and very good value, especially for the city. It's always so good to find a reliable caterer for office things - it's just one less thing to think about next time.

This week's recipe is one of those recipes that on first look I didn't think I'd like, as I don't approve of mixing chocolate with fruit (except for chocolate with coconut). So I can't think what actually made me try this one as it uses dried apricots, but it works! I really liked it. If you bought some coconut to make last week's coconut chicken strips then you can use it up with this slice. I can't even remember from where I found the recipe. Anyway, no matter - it's a good one to take to holiday season parties and barbies.

Have a lovely week! Love from Jane xxx

Coconut apricot slice

Makes 16

What you need:
· 125g unsalted butter
· 50ml thick cream
· 200g white chocolate, broken into pieces
· 1 ½ cups chopped dried apricots
· 250g shortbread biscuits, crushed
· 1 cup desiccated coconut

Icing

· 25g unsalted butter, melted
· 2 teaspoons lemon juice
· 2 1/3 cups (350g) icing sugar, sifted

What you do:
1. Line a 3cm deep, 18 x 25cm baking pan with baking paper.
2. Place the butter and cream in a saucepan over medium heat, bring to the boil and then remove from the heat.
3. Add the chocolate and stir until melted, then cool slightly.
4. Stir the apricots, biscuit crumbs and coconut into the chocolate mix.
5. Press the mixture into the baking pan and chill in the fridge for one hour.
6. To make the icing, combine the butter, lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of warm water in a large bowl.
7. Stir in the icing sugar and beat until smooth.
8. Spread the icing over the slice and chill again until set.
9. Slice in the pan and serve.

Coconut chicken strips with saffron aioli

2009-12-13T16:14:00.003+11:00

Hello everyone, I have just returned from taking my niece to see Angelina Ballerina by The English National Ballet. It was fantastic! But my goodness, talk about little girl heaven. The theatre was a sea of pink, with truck loads of tulle, sequins and glitter. No wonder the few dads that came along looked bewildered.

This week's recipe is hot off the press as it was in this week's Good Living, which featured some recipes from a new book called Party: The Complete Guide To Food And Drinks. (I might have to buy it myself I so enjoyed both of the recipes from it that were featured). I had offered to prepare a few nibblies for drinks before the same niece's own ballet concert last night, and this recipe caught my eye. It is simple and sooooo delicious. The aioli makes a nice big quantity, so you can use the left overs with prawns or any seafood...it's also delicious with home made potato wedges!

Have a great week. Love, Jane xx

Coconut chicken strips with saffron aioli
Makes about 12-14 strips

What you need:

1/4 cup plain flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup soft fresh breadcrumbs (bap rolls are good)
1 1/2 cup shredded coconut
500g chicken tenderloins
Light olive oil or sunflower oil for deep frying

Saffron aioli

Generous pinch of saffron threads
1 tablespoon boiling water
1 cup good quality mayonnaise (I use Thomy which you can buy in supermarkets)
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice

What you do:

To make the saffron aioli, pour the boiling water over the saffron threads; stir and leave for ten minutes.
Whisk the saffron liquid into the mayonnaise, then stir through the garlic and lemon juice.
Cover the aioli and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes before serving.
Put the flour and the beaten eggs into separate bowls
Mix together the flour and coconut in a third bowl.
Dip the tenderloins in the flour, then the egg, then coat in the coconut crumb mix.
Place the tenderloins on a baking dish, cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
Heat a pan on top of the stove until it's very hot, then add the oil to a good depth for frying and heat until it's very hot.
Deep fry the tenderloins in batches (don't crowd the pan, space them out), turning once when golden on the first side, and drain as you cook them on paper towels.
Serve either immediately or when they have cooled with the saffron aioli.

Tomatoes braised in olive oil

2009-12-05T16:23:00.004+11:00

Hello everyone, I was lucky to have a gorgeous few days away this week in Port Douglas. I did very little, other than lie by the pool, voraciously consuming novels, and having the occasional swim and a delightful massage. Sad to say that the food wasn't a highlight, although I picked a winner on my last night there, having dinner at a fabulous Japanese restaurant, Zai. I had spanking fresh sashimi to start and followed that up with one of my guilty pleasures, pork belly, which was luscious. It really made me conscious of how lucky I am to live in Sydney with an abundance of good cafes and restaurants that have imaginative menus, loads of good fresh produce and reasonable prices.

This week's recipe is one of those relatively simple dishes to which you can add good bread, prosciutto or ham or jamon, some nice cheese and all of a sudden you have a fabulous meal! It is excellent for summer and comes from my SOS Summer cookbook.

Have a great week. Love from Jane xxx

Tomatoes braised in olive oil

Serves six

What you need:

1/2 to 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
6 peeled cloves of garlic
A handful of basil leaves
A few sprigs of thyme
6 peeled medium, ripe but firm vine ripened tomatoes (retain the stem if you are able) (To peel, cut a cross in the base of each tomato, place in a heat proof dish and cover with boiling water for a minute, then plunge into cold water - the skins should slip off)
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
A pinch of caster sugar

What you do:

Cook the oil, garlic, basil and thyme in a large, heavy pan over a low heat, until the garlic begins to soften.
Add the tomatoes, stem side down, and sprinkle with salt, pepper and sugar.
Cover and cook very gently for ten minutes, then turn carefully, sprinkle again with salt, pepper and sugar, and cook, covered for a further twenty minutes, basting occasionally with the oil.
When the tomatoes are tender when pierced with a skewer, remove from the heat.
Allow to cool and serve at room temperature with fresh basil leaves, the garlic cloves and a little of the olive oil in which the tomatoes were cooked spooned over, as well as some bread, cheese and other accompaniments.

Roast salmon salad with marie rose dressing

2009-11-28T10:21:00.003+11:00

Hello everyone, for about eighteen months I have been trying to book a table at the Tea Room Gunners Barracks https://www.thetearoom.com.au/ for high tea. Every time I called to make a booking I was put off - they were fully booked for the next six Saturdays; they had stoppped taking bookings; there was a new reason every time for why I couldn't book a table. Every time I hung up the phone I would be so cross and think "Well I'm just not going to go there, clearly they don't want my business." But in fact it just made me more and more keen to go there. The last time I called I was told that they no longer do high tea on weekends as they have so many weddings, so I would have to come during the week. Well, being on holidays this week it was my top priority. On a gorgeous sunny day during the week my very appropriately dressed friend Aviva (teacup adorned skirt and all) descended on the place and enjoyed a splendid high tea. Perhaps not quite the best I have had in terms of the food, although it was very good and plentiful, but the fit out of the place and the breathtaking views made the whole experience worth waiting for all that time. And best of all? The cheeky kookaburras who suddenly swoop in to snaffle a sandwich from the tiered stands. We were warned it could happen so ate quickly, but saw it happen to another table.

This week's recipe is a fantastic summery salad, a Jamie Oliver recipe which comes from the November edition of delicious magazine. I loved it when I made it and last night I had word that my brother in law and nieces were road testing it on my recommendation. The verdict? Possibly the best salmon they have ever had. See what you think.

Have a happy week. Love from Jane xx

Roast salmon salad with marie rose dressing

Serves four

What you need:
· 600g salmon fillets
· Light olive oil
· 4 tablespoons good quality mayonnaise
· 2 tablespoons tomato sauce
· 2 lemons
· Tabasco sauce
· 2 baby cos lettuces, broken into pieces
· 2 handfuls watercress
· 300g cooked prawns, peeled (keep on the tails)
· Extra virgin olive oil

What you do:
1. Preheat the oven to 180C.
2. Place salmon on a baking tray, sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle with a little olive oil.
3. Place in the hot oven for about ten minutes.
4. Meanwhile, mix the mayonnaise and tomato sauce in a small bowl.
5. Add the zest and juice of one lemon.
6. Season well with salt and pepper and a dash of Tabasco sauce. The sauce should be a loose dressing you can drizzle over the salad.
7. Check the salmon and when it’s done to your liking, remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.
8. Mix the lettuce and watercress in a large bowl or on a platter and drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil.
9. Break the salmon into nice large chunks and place them in and around the salad.
10. Scatter with prawns.
11. Spoon the dressing over the top.
12. Serve with the remaining lemon cut into wedges.

Champagne ice cream

2009-11-22T11:57:00.003+11:00

Hello everyone, I had a lovely day yesterday wandering around the shops in Lane Cove with my friend Anne. There were so many gorgeous things in different shops that we visited, things that you really don't see in the big shopping centres. It was a very good reminder that when you want to do fun shopping, not the boring things on your list, local "High street" shopping really is the way to go. I actually managed to snap up a couple of things for which I had been looking for ages and could never quite find what I wanted. In Lane Cove I was dazzled for choice! Lunch was at the Longuie, the local pub, and it was lovely. We sat out on the verandah to have a drink, catching a nice cooling breeze, and then enjoyed a shared platter in the very smartly fitted out dining room. A very good way to spend a summer Saturday!

With the onslaught of meltingly hot days, my thoughts turn to ice cream. This is one that I have made to take to a friend's place to serve with my peach tart. It is so easy and goes down very well with the punters. I have an ice cream machine which gets a fair bit of use in summer. If you don't have one and you like ice cream it's a good investment as the texture of the ice cream you produce is so creamy. If you don't have an ice cream machine, when you make this you will need to take it out of the freezer periodically in the first few hours to run a fork through it, so that you can break up the ice crystals. The recipe comes from SOS Summer.

Have a great week! Love from Jane xxx

Champagne ice cream

Serves 12

What you need:

12 egg yolks
750ml sparkling wine
220g caster sugar
80ml liquid glucose (you should be able to buy this at the supermarket; if not, a health food shop or a pharmacy)
600ml cream

What you do:

Beat the egg yolks, sparkling wine and sugar until pale and thick.
Cook in a double saucepan over a low heat, beating constantly.
When hot, stir in the glucose until dissolved, then cook until the mixture is thick and coats the back of a spoon.
Remove from the heat.
When completely cold, stir in the cream.
Churn in an ice cream maker.
Store in the freezer until ready to serve.

Parmesan ricotta on toast

2009-11-14T11:57:00.002+11:00

Hello everyone, it's definitely party season and getting busier and busier every day. Usually around Christmas time I start to feel a little overwhelmed by all the alcohol and party food but for some reason it seems to have started earlier this year and I already feel I've had way too much wine to drink and desserts to eat. I met some friends for a quick sandwich yesterday and found I was enjoying the iceberg lettuce the most!

So I'm just going to have to squeeze in some simple meals with lots of vegetables whenever I can. Thankfully I made a bucketful of a very vegie-rich pasta sauce from last month's delicious magazine so I can always dig a container of that out of the freezer when it all gets too much.

I thought I'd give you this recipe this week because I had an email a few days ago from a reader who declares that she is not a cook but did the baked ricotta I posted earlier for guests and it was a hit! I adore good, fresh ricotta and love this very simple little dish, which is a Brigitte Hafner recipe I found in Good Living four years ago.

Have a happy week. Love from Jane xx

Parmesan ricotta on toast

Serves four

What you need:

500g really fresh ricotta
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
4 slices of sourdough bread
1 bunch of rocket
2 lovely ripe tomatoes, sliced

What you do:

In a bowl, mix together the ricotta, Parmesan and oil.
Season to taste.
Toast the bread.
Drizzle with a little oil and spread a thick layer of the ricotta mix.
Top with rocket and tomato.
Season with a little salt and pepper and drizzle with a little more oil.

Crostato Di Riso

2009-11-07T11:55:00.002+11:00

Hello everyone, this is one of those recipes about which I wasn't enormously excited, but found the finished dish was delicious! I think it's yet another example of a simple dish that when made with good quality ingredients really shines. It comes from a book called "Italian Rice Dishes" by Diane Seed. I also have two books of pasta recipes that she has compiled. They are very good books that I have been using for years!

Have a lovely week. Love from Jane xxx

Crostato Di Riso

Serves four

What you need:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 litre light stock, or water
2 1/3 cups arborio rice
2 cups fresh tomato sauce (make yourself or buy at a good deli, or use Savion tomato dip if you can find it, I've seen it most recently at Coles at Chatswood Chase in Sydney)
1 tablespoon finely chopped flat leaf parsley
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 1/4 cups freshly grated Parmesan
6 basil leaves, torn
300g fresh mozzarella, sliced
30g butter

What you do:

Preheat the oven to 175C.
Lightly oil a large round oven proof dish
Heat the oil in a large pan and gently cook the onion until soft.
In another pan, bring the stock to the boil and pour in the rice.
Simmer for ten minutes, then drain and stir the rice into the onion.
Cook for five minutes and mix in three quarters of the tomato sauce with the parsley, salt and pepper.
Stir in three quarters of the Parmesan and the basil.
Spoon half of the rice mix into the ovenproof dish, levelling the top.
Cover with the mozzarella slices and top with the remaining sauce.
Make another layer with the remaining rice and sprinkle over the remaining Parmesan.
Dot with butter and bake for 35 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow to stand for ten minutes before serving.

Chicken Koftas

2009-11-01T12:04:00.004+11:00

Hello everyone, earlier this morning I was listening to a segment on Simon Marnie's program in which he had three food bloggers in talking about their experiences with the Sydney International Food Fair which has just concluded. I didn't go to anything this year, largely because I just didn't have the time or the energy to plan anything, but listening to these three definitely fired me up to immerse in it next year. I think for me there was an element of "overwhelmia" as there were so many events. It sounds like they were a lot of fun and those who went learned a lot too, so it is definitely in my diary for next year.

Also this morning I made the lemon curd ice-cream in this month's edition of delicious. It looks beautiful - a gorgeous delicate creamy yellow. I can't wait to try it!

And just as it is ice-cream weather, so too I have been firing up the barbecue and cooking all sorts of things. Just recently I made these chicken koftas which were really lovely. They are the easiest thing in the world to make and can be served with all sorts of accompaniments - whatever you have to hand. The recipe comes from my fabulous Backyard Barbecue Cookbook - one of the best cook books I have ever been given. I have been cooking from it regularly for ten years now and there are still heaps of recipes to try! I hope you like this one.

Have a happy week. Love from Jane xx

Chicken Koftas

Serves eight (or maybe four, depending on how hungry everone is)

(If you use wooden skewers, soak them in water for about an hour before using so that they don't burn).

What you need:

500g minced chicken
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander or mint, whichever you prefer
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup cornflakes, crushed
2 teaspoons chilli sauce

What you do:

Mix all of the ingredients together and form into eight long koftas on flat metal or bamboo skewers.
Place on a rack on a heated barbecue.
Cook for about eight minutes, turning regularly to avoid charring, until golden brown and cooked through.
Serve with bread rolls, salad and a good tomato sauce (or any other nice sauces you might have to hand).

Oat and chocolate slice

2009-10-24T12:18:00.003+11:00

Hello everyone, I'd love to say that my failure to post any recipes for the last couple of weeks was because I was out watching endless sessions of Julie and Julia, but it was actually because my computer was away being fixed. Again. Hopefully for the last time. At the same time my washing machine died. Happily I now have a new washing machine, but I think it's very sneaky that while there is a lot of talk about how good front loaders are for the environment, NO-ONE mentions that they take smaller loads and each cycle takes nearly two hours!! That's a well kept secret. I guess one advantage on a warm day is that as I take out each load the last lot is dry and ready to come in again!

This week's recipe is a very easy slice that I found in my Panasonic cookbook that came with my microwave when I bought it about 15 years ago. I have adapted it from the original muesli recipe as I always have buckets of oats in the pantry, and I finish it in the oven as I don't really believe you can substitute the microwave for the baking step. You can add different things that you have to hand to the slice as well, such as nuts and as I have done, chocolate chips.

Have a happy week. Love from Jane xx

Oat and chocolate slice

What you need:

125g butter
1 cup brown sugar (you could halve this quantity if it frightens you)
3 tablespoons honey
2 cups oatmeal (or natural muesli if you have it)
1 cup coconut
1/2 cup sultanas
1/2 cup chocolate chips

What you do:

Combine the butter, sugar and honey in a microwave proof dish and cook on high for a minute, stir, then cook for another minute on high.
Add the oats/muesli, coconut, sultanas and chocolate chips and mix well.
Press firmly into a baking tray.
Bake at 200C for about 10 minutes, or until golden.
Allow to cool then slice into squares.

Crusty onion and cheese muffins

2009-10-04T10:19:00.003+11:00

Hello everyone, I am so happy to tell you that I am writing this post with a beautiful warm and cuddly cat curled up on my lap! I adopted Bellatrix on Friday night. She is about one year old, white underneath with black and ginger on top. She has been to two households where it didn't work out (one with a child who turned out to be allergic to cats, one with two boisterous little boys who terrifed her) and I am the lucky one she has chosen. Bella is absolutely gorgeous - very affectionate and cuddly and on a cool day like today, lovely and warm! I think we are going to be very happy together.

This week's recipe is another of those absolutely standard ones that I use all the time, particularly when I'm entertaining a crowd. Being a cold and rainy long weekend, it's the perfect time for whipping up a batch of savoury muffins with a delicious butter. They are beautiful eaten when they are warm from the oven. They can also be stored in the freezer and then popped in the oven or microwave to thaw and warm up . The recipe comes from the Womens Weekly Muffins, Scones and Breads book, an oldy but a goody.

Have a lovely week.

Love from Jane xxx

Crusty onion and cheese muffins

What you need:
· ¼ cup plain flour
· 20g butter
· 1 teaspoon water, approximately
· 1 tablespoon vegetable or light olive oil
· 1 medium onion, halved and sliced (I use red onions)
· 1 ¾ cups self raising flour
· ¾ cup plain flour, extra
· ¾ cup grated tasty cheddar cheese
· 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
· 1 egg lightly beaten
· 1 ¼ cups buttermilk
· ½ cup vegetable or light olive oil, extra

Chive butter
· 50g cream cheese, softened
· 50g butter, softened
· 2 teaspoons lemon juice
· 1 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

What you do:
1. Place plain flour into a small bowl, rub in butter, and mix in just enough water to bind the ingredients.
2. Press dough into a ball, cover, freeze about 30 minutes or until firm.
3. Prepare either a six or twelve hole muffin tin.
4. Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the onion.
5. Cook, stirring, until soft and lightly browned; set aside to cool.
6. Sift self raising and extra plain flour into a large bowl.
7. Stir in half the onion, half the cheese and all of the chives.
8. Add the egg, buttermilk and extra oil.
9. Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin tin.
10. Coarsely grate the frozen dough into a small bowl and quickly mix in the remaining onion and cheese. Sprinkle the mix over the muffins.
11. Bake in a moderately hot oven for about 25 minutes (if you are doing six large muffins they may take a little longer).
12. Serve with the chive butter.

Chive butter
1. Beat the cheese and butter together in a small bowl until smooth.
2. Stir in juice and chives.

Baked ricotta

2009-09-19T12:27:00.004+10:00

Hello everyone, I was finally able to do something this week which I have long thought would be fun. I was in Melbourne with my family and on a typically freezing cold Melbourne afternoon, following a brisk walk across town, my two sisters and two nieces and I luxuriated in the warmth and comfort of Koko Black and indulged in the best hot chocolate I've ever had. I was quite sure (all of) the girls would enjoy it and they did. It was such a nice way for the five of us to while away an hour!

This week's recipe uses ricotta, one of my most favourite things to eat in the world. There is nothing like super-fresh ricotta and it shines in this very quick and easy recipe which is perfect for serving guests. It's a recipe I cut out from Good Living some years ago and it is very good. Non vegetarians may wish to serve the ricotta with some slices of prosciutto.

Have a lovely week. Love from Jane xx

Baked ricotta

Serves four

What you need:

750g fresh ricotta
Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Sea salt and cracked pepper
1 bunch of red grapes
1 sprig of rosemary

What you do:

Preheat the oven to 220C.
Line a baking tray with baking paper.
Cut the ricotta into slices about 2cm thick and place on the baking paper.
Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with the salt and pepper.
Add the grapes and rosemary sprig.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown on the edges.
Allow to cool a little before serving.

Salmon and potato al forno

2009-09-12T12:41:00.002+10:00

Hello everyone, I am shortly moving into the city for work, which has its pluses and minuses. The choices for lunch are definitely going to be an improvement on where I am now. Yesterday I was in town and went looking for a sandwich cafe of which I have heard many good things but never stumbled across before. It turned out to be down one of those dingy alleys which you would never explore unless you were on the hunt for something, and there was no signage to indicate the name of the place. Close questioning, and my lunch, proved I had found the right place. It is called Via Abercrombie and they do outstanding sandwiches! So this is one place I'll be visiting regularly.

This week's recipe comes from the August 2009 edition of delicious magazine. Funnily enough there were very few recipes in that issue that excited me, but this one caught my eye as its key ingredients are all favourites, and I was very, very happy with the result.

Have a great week. Love from Jane xx

Salmon and potato al forno

Serves four

What you need:

1 kg chat potatoes
1 large fennel bulb
1/2 bunch flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
25g cold butter, cut into small pieces
Light olive oil
4 salmon fillets, with skin
A few mint leaves, finely chopped
A small handful of grated parmesan
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1 lemon, cut into wedges, for serving

What you do:

Preheat the oven to 220C.
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil.
Halve the potatoes lengthways and trim the fennel bulb, reserving the leafy fronds for garnishing later.
Cut the fennel bulb into 8 wedges, add these to the salted water with the potatoes and parboil for about 6 minutes.
Drain the vegetables in a colander and leave to steam dry for a minute.
Transfer to a large roasting pan and season well with salt and pepper.
Sprinkle over half the parsley and all of the garlic, dot with the butter and drizzle well with the olive oil.
Toss everything together in the pan so it is all mixed well and then shake out so that the vegetables sit in one layer.
Cook the vegetables in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until golden.
While the vegetables are roasting, score the skin on the fish.
Season the fish with salt and pepper and push the remaining parsley and the mint into the scores.
When the vegetables are golden, sprinkle the parmesan over the potatoes.
Lay the salmon, skin side up, on top of the vegetables.
Sprinkle over the lemon zest and drizzle with some olive oil.
Cook for a further 15 minutes in the oven.
Just before the dish comes out of the oven, chop the reserved fennel fronds.
Take the fish and vegetables out of the oven, sprinkle with the chopped fennel fronds and serve with wedges of lemon.

Rum raisin caramel bars

2009-09-05T14:59:00.002+10:00

Hello everyone, do you ever cook something that you have highly anticipated, only to find that the finished product (and not because of your skills), comes up short? I had this experience this week. I have had a recipe for a chocolate macadamia cheesecake for twenty years, which I have always wanted to make, but could never find the right opportunity. Well, finally, this week I got around to it and was quite sure it was going to be the most delicious thing I had ever done. Sadly, not. It was quite nice and I was assured by those who ate it that it was "up there" with my other efforts, but I felt somewhat let down by it. I think for me it wasn't quite creamy enough - the recipe writer did emphasise that it was created in a search for something lighter than the usual cheesecake. Oh well....cross that one off the list.

This week's recipe is a winner - it is chocolate so you can't go wrong. Have a happy week. Love from Jane xx

Rum Raisin Caramel Bars

Bars can be made up to four days ahead.

What you need:

Base
· 125g butter
· ½ cup castor sugar
· 1 cup plain flour (you can substitute rice flour)
· 2 tablespoons cocoa
Rum and raisin filling
· 400g can sweetened condensed milk
· 30g unsalted butter
· 1 tablespoon dark rum (actually any colour will do)
· ½ cup chopped raisins (can use sultanas)
· ¼ cup coconut
Topping
· 125g chocolate, melted
· 30g butter, melted

What you do:
1. Preheat the oven to 180C.
2. Grease the base and sides of a 19cm x 29cm lamington pan, cover the base with baking paper and grease the paper.
3. To make the filling, combine the condensed milk and butter in a heavy based saucepan and bring to the boil while stirring constantly and vigorously over heat for about 10 minutes or until golden brown, then remove from the heat.
4. Stir in the rum, raisins and coconut and leave to cool to lukewarm.
5. For the base, combine the butter and the sugar in a small bowl and beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
6. Stir in the sifted flour and cocoa.
7. Press the mix evenly over the base of the lamington tin.
8. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes or until firm.
9. Cool the base for 10 minutes, then spread with filling and cool to room temperature.
10. To make the topping, combine the melted chocolate and butter in a small bowl and stir until the mixture is smooth and spreadable.
11. Spread the topping on the slice and store in the fridge until set, before cutting into bars or slices.

Spicy omelette sandwiches with tomato salsa

2009-08-29T11:51:00.003+10:00

Hello everyone, this week's recipe is one of those things about which I wasn't all that excited. It comes from I think Bill Granger's third book, Bill's Open Kitchen, and if I had seen it anywhere else I probably wouldn't have bothered even trying it. To my surprise, it was really, really good! I think the secret is using really fresh, soft rolls and good tomatoes. It is also quick and easy.

Have a great week. Love from Jane xx

Spicy omelette sandwiches with tomato salsa

Serves two

What you need:

4 eggs
A large pinch of cumin
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Freshly ground pepper

Tomato salsa:

3 tomatoes, seeded and cut into strips
1/2 red onion, finely sliced (if you don't mind raw onion; I left it out)
1/4 cup coriander or mint leaves
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 long chilli, finely sliced

To serve:

2 soft bap rolls

What you do:

Mix all of the salsa ingredients together and set aside.
Break the eggs into a bowl.
Add a tablespoon of water and the cumin to the eggs and beat lightly until just combined.
Heat a non stick frying pan over a medium to high heat, add the oil and swirl to coat the base of the pan.
Pour in the eggs, and as they begin to cook, use a wooden spoon to carefully drag the cooked egg to the centre of the pan, allowing the uncooked mix to flow towards the edges.
Sprinkle the eggs with salt and pepper.
When the omelette is nearly all cooked, fold in half and slide out onto a board before cutting in half, lengthways.
Split the rolls in half and butter if you wish, then fill with the omelette and salsa.

Lemon and parmesan spaghetti

2009-08-22T10:48:00.003+10:00

Hello everyone, I've had a very quiet week due to a very bad cold, so that has meant more time to cook and eat at home! (And read cook books and drool over various sweet delights). One night this week I made this delicious pasta dish from my Marie-Claire Comfort book. It was quite perfect - I could have eaten double the quantity it was so good! It really is best with a thin pasta like spaghetti or spaghettini, and if you can get your hands on a good quality fresh pasta even better. I usually use Pasta Vera products which I buy from Harris Farm Markets, their pasta is better than any other brand I have tried.

Have a lovely week. Love from Jane xx

Lemon and parmesan spaghetti

Serves four

What you need:

Grated and finely chopped zest and juice of 2 lemons (do the zesting before you juice, it will be a LOT easier)
400g spaghetti
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 finely chopped garlic cloves
2 rinsed and finely sliced leeks
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons rinsed and drained small salted capers (optional - I left them out but you might like them)
1 handful flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
1 bunch chives, finely snipped
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

What you do:

Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and add half the lemon juice.
Cook the pasta until al dente, then drain and keep warm.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat.
Add the garlic and the leeks and saute until the leeks are transparent.
Season with the black pepper.
Stir the cooked spaghetti into the leeks and add the lemon zest, remaining juice, capers, parsley and chives, stirring everything together gently.
Divide among four warmed pasta bowls and sprinkle with the cheese.

Red wine and sausage risotto

2009-08-15T18:18:00.004+10:00

Hello everyone, I have just returned from three days in Mount Gambier, South Australia, and have two completely different food experiences to relate. (I was very thankful that the second was so different to the first).

On the first night I was there, with the around 60 or so other conference delegates I went to dinner at a local Italian place. My alarm bells had started to ring early as we were informed we were starting with tapas, to be followed by pizza and pasta. Quite a cultural mix, but I guess at least it was all European. For dinner we were presented with quite a wide choice of pizzas and pastas. Frankly none of them really appealed but I picked one and put in my order with everyone else. We then waited, and waited, and waited for our food. No garlic bread or salads to sustain us. Eventually the food started to arrive. I think my neighbour on my right was just finishing hers when my neighbour on my left received her dinner. And lucky me, I just continued to wait! Finally, when everyone else was ordering coffee my pizza arrived. I looked at it, politely thanked the waiter who had brought it to me, then pointed out that in fact it wasn't the pizza I had ordered. Hands on hips she declared "Sweetheart, that's all there is. I suggest you eat it. It will fill you up." Which is just hilarious to be told that in a restaurant! I have laughed my head off every time I have told someone the story. And not only was it the wrong pizza, the base was only half cooked! So, it will be one of my memorable meals but not for the usual reasons!

Thankfully the next nightwas much better. We were treated to a wine tasting at Balnaves of Coonawarra Winery http://www.balnaves.com.au/. It was lovely. We were welcomed into a beautiful room at the winery which felt like being in someone's very tasteful home, and feasted on delicious cheeses and fruit pastes while tasting various wines. We then moved on to dinner at a wonderful place, Pipers of Penola http://www.pipersofpenola.com.au/ which was outstanding. The restaurant was beautiful, the service was very charming and the food was excellent. Perhaps best of all was the luscious chocolate pudding for dessert. Mmmmm, it was good.

This week's recipe is one I remembered because I did a very similar thing during the week with pork sausages and red wine. In that case I made a delicious pasta sauce, but this recipe is for a very easy risotto. It comes from the very reliable Take Three by Jill Dupleix.

Have a happy week. Love from Jane xx

Red wine and sausage risotto

Serves four

What you need:

3 Italian pork and fennel sausages
300g Arborio rice
115ml good red wine
1 tablespoon butter
1 onion, finely chopped
750ml chicken stock, heated
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving

What you do:

Heat a non stick frying pan.
Squeeze the meat out of the sausages and add the meat in small lumps to the frying pan, frying until lightly crusty and golden. Set aside.
Melt the butter in the same pan and add the onion, cooking over a moderate heat until translucent.
Add the rice and stir until well mixed with the onion.
Add the red wine and allow to bubble for a couple of minutes, until absorbed.
Add the sausage and stir thoroughly.
Add all of the chicken stock and bring the mix back to the boil.
Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for about 15 minutes, until the rice has absorbed the stock and is tender. If the rice starts to dry out and isn't yet cooked, add some water.
Stir in the Parmesan and serve with additional Parmesan served at the table.

Orange semolina cake

2009-08-08T11:24:00.003+10:00

Hello everyone, I missed posting a recipe last week as I was in Melbourne for the weekend. I travelled there with my sisters and we spent most of the time packing up the house of my aunt, who is sadly nearing the end of her life. As you can imagine, despite the circumstances, it was interesting going through all her things, as we found lots of familiar items but also things that were a surprise. Perhaps best for me was going through my aunt's collection of cook books. I have souvenired a number of them, so my collection continues to grow!

While we were there I had the opportunity to visit the famous Richmond Hill Larder and Cafe, a place I have been yearning to visit for years. I couldn't believe it, it's a cafe (albeit a very good one) and I had to put my name down at the door and wait for twenty minutes for a table to become vacant! My sisters were smart enough to use the time shopping elsewhere, but I hovered, fearful that a table would come up and go again just as quickly if we weren't there to snap it up immediately. Finally we were seated and with great anticipation I commented to the waiter that I thought I'd try the freshly baked scones that were advertised on their chalkboard at the door. Too late - they only make one batch and they all went while I was hovering for my table!

By this time I was quite cross and thinking I didn't like this place at all, however my humour was restored with a quite good hot chocolate and a very delicious chocolate pudding. I even bought some of their goods to bring home with me.

This week's recipe is for a very moist and tasty cake that takes little time to throw together. The syrup seems like a huge quantity to pour over one cake, but do it slowly and gradually and the cake will take it. I think I may have cut out this recipe from The Sydney Magazine, from one of those "What I Cook When..." columns. I wonder whose it was originally?

Have a lovely week. Love from Jane xx

Orange semolina cake

What you need:

200g butter
300g caster sugar
Finely grated zest of 3 oranges (I zested then chopped in the bamix)
6 eggs
260g fine semolina
150g almond meal
2 teaspoons baking powder

Syrup

200g caster sugar
500ml orange juice

What you do:

Beat the butter, sugar and orange zest until light and fluffy.
Beat in all of the eggs.
Add the sifted semolina, almond meal and baking powder and mix well.
Pour into a 20cm cake tin lined with baking paper.
Bake at 180C for 40 to 50 minutes or maybe longer, depending on your oven. Remember that it is a very moist cake but when you insert a toothpick it should be cooked all the way through.
While the cake is baking, combine the sugar and orange juice in a saucepan and simmer for 3 minutes.
Cool the syrup and pour over the warm cake.
Serve with cream, strawberries and raspberries.

Warm salad of roasted pumpkin, apples and rocket

2009-07-25T18:28:00.003+10:00

Hello everyone, I have enthused in previous winter time blogs about winter salads and was very happy to find another good one this week. It's a recipe that I cut out of the Good Living section of the newspaper and have had stuck on my fridge for weeks so it was good to finally try it. I chopped up the pumpkin into tiny pieces so that it cooked all nice and crispy, and I used a really lovely pomegranate balsamic vinegar that worked well with this mix of fruit and vegetables.

Have a happy week. Love from Jane xx

Warm salad of roasted pumpkin, apples and rocket

Serves four

What you need:

500g butternut pumpkin, peeled, seeded and chopped into chunks the size you like
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for serving
3 tablespooons balsamic vinegar, plus extra for serving
2 medium pink lady apples, cored and cut into wedges
80g walnut halves
2 cups wild rocket leaves
2 cups watercress sprigs
100g marinated (or plain) fetta

What you do:

Preheat oven to 210C.
Combine pumpkin, olive oil and vinegar in a baking dish you have lined with baking paper (best to do this - I didn't and am still scrubbing out my baking dish) and roast for 15 minutes.
Add apples and roast for another 15 minutes.
Make sure the pumpkin is pretty well done and then add the walnuts and roast for a final 5 minutes.
Remove from the oven and set aside for 5 minutes.
Combine rocket and watercress in a large bowl.
Add roasted pumpkin mix.
Season to taste and toss gently.
Divide salad among four bowls.
Crumble fetta over salad and drizzle additional olive oil and balsamic and serve.

Spaghetti Vesuvio

2009-07-19T10:56:00.004+10:00

Hello everyone, I have gradually become aware over the last few weeks that I am in a very, very small minority of people who don't watch Master Chef. Well, I don't watch TV very much and I have never been a fan of cooking shows so I just never bothered to start with this one. I am beginning to regret missing all the drama, tears and joy of it though as I hear so many people discussing it with great intensity.

Well, yesterday I was at my favourite cafe in Mosman (of course), this time with my friend Anne and her daughter Lizzie and Lizzie's friend Clare. And who else was there, having a smoked salmon bagel for lunch? Justine from Master Chef. Anne and I were the only ones blissfully unaware of her presence but everyone else knew. And my celebrity spotting didn't stop there! Later in the afternoon I was in a consignment shop in Crows Nest disposing of a handbag that is much loved but damaging my shoulder with its weight and who should walk in but Fairy Sparkle http://www.fairysparkle.com/. She was all done up in her fairy gear - I'm guessing she had some time to spare in between parties.

What an exciting day.

Today's recipe is one of those wonderful things to have at the end of the week when you are feeling tired and in need of comfort. Mum used to feed us bowls of spaghetti with tomato sauce and cheese when we were little, and although I use slightly better quality ingredients these days, the effect is just as warming and comforting. This version comes from a wonderful book, The Top One Hundred Pasta Sauces, by Diane Seed.

Have a happy week. Love from Jane xx

Spaghetti Vesuvio

Serves four

What you need:

500g spaghetti or linguini, preferably fresh
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 x 400g tins of Italian plum tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Sea salt
A generous half cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
200g fresh mozzarella balls, diced

What you do:

Warm the oil and add the tomatoes with their juice, squashing them in the pan with a fork.
Add the oregano and salt to taste and cook rapidly for 20 minutes.
While the sauce is cooking, put the water on to boil for the pasta then cook.
When the pasta is cooked, drain it and add the Parmesan, the tomato sauce and the mozzarella.
Toss the pasta and sauce, then cover and leave for about 3 minutes so that the mozzarella begins to melt and looks like streams of molten lava. Serve hot.

Giovanni's sausages with potatoes and rosemary

2009-07-11T10:38:00.004+10:00

Hello everyone, I had a really delicious meal the other night. I have been dying to try out a tavola http://www.atavola.com.au/ restaurant in Darlinghurst and believe me, it was well worth the anticipation. It is a narrow restaurant with one of those great long communal tables in the front room, and then you proceed past a long, narrow kitchen and down some stairs into another room that has tables for smaller groups. The fit out is very cool with lots of interesting bits and pieces. Although in a gorgeous Italian restaurant like this I would usually always have the hand made pasta, having consumed an excellent dish of pasta the day before I tried the ocean trout served with a panzanella salad and it was delicious. Dessert, of course, was my main interest and I wasn't disappointed. We had a beautiful sort of chocolate pudding thing that was cooked to order (I'm a little fuzzy on what it actually was because the waiter had such a strong Italian accent I only understood about one word in every three) and it was served with the most beautiful (both to look at and to taste) raspberry icecream. MMMMM it was all good.

So, inspired by this Italian theme and the increasingly cold weather, today's recipe is a fabulous, I think Bill Granger, recipe that I found some years ago in delicous magazine. I adore sausages (and potatoes of course) so to me it's a fabulous combination. Kids really love this dish too.

Have a great week, love from Jane x

Giovanni’s sausages with potatoes and rosemary

Serves four

What you need:
· 6 thick pork sausages
· 800g kipfler potatoes, scrubbed and sliced
· 1 ½ teaspoons paprika
· 2 rosemary stalks
· 2 ½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (you may not use this much, it’s personal taste)
· ½ ciabatta loaf, crusts removed
· A handful of fresh basil leaves

What you do:
1. Preheat the oven to 200C.
2. Slice the sausages thickly and place in a large roasting pan.
3. Add the potatoes, paprika, rosemary, sea salt and pepper.
4. Drizzle with oil and toss gently.
5. Roast, stirring occasionally, for 50 to 60 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and the sausages golden brown.
6. Tear the ciabatta into bite sized pieces and add to the pan for the final 20 minutes of cooking.
7. Sprinkle with the basil and serve.

Black-bottom cupcakes

2009-07-05T12:11:00.004+10:00

Hello everyone, last night I was very lucky to be invited to dinner at the home of my friends Kirsten and Frank. They are both excellent cooks and they created this beautiful feast for me. While Frank was busy in the kitchen Kirsten and I had a drink at one of their fabulous local Balmain pubs, which was a nice way to start the evening. We then came home to Frank's fabulous rolled roasted pork, stuffed with apricots and ginger, with some beautiful glazed baby carrots and (they know the way to my heart), a lush dish of sliced potato with chopped bacon and brie cheese melted through it. Then this was followed up by a stunning orange tart that Kirsten made. It was all so good and I felt really special having this luscious dinner cooked for me.

This week's recipe is (literally) a really good party trick. I was looking for a cake recipe that I could do ahead and freeze as I wasn't going to be able to bake something fresh. I perused my Belinda Jeffery Mix And Bake and found this cupcake recipe, which I had actually seen Belinda demonstrate at a class some time ago. The cupcakes froze well and in serving them I went one better. I warmed them through in the microwave so that the chocolate melted, and served them with cream, announcing that I had made chocolate puddings. They were very pudding like and a great success for morning tea on a cold and frosty morning, so if you want to go one step beyond cupcakes, this is the recipe for you.

Have a lovely week. Love from Jane xx

Black-bottom cupcakes

Makes 10-12 medium sized cupcakes, or 6 larger ones if you use a 6 hole muffin tin

What you need:

1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 cup caster sugar
1 teaspoon bicarb soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup Dutch processed cocoa (the better quality cocoa you use, the richer and more velvety your cupcakes will be)
1 cup warm water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup light olive oil
1 teaspoon white vinegar

Topping

250g cream cheese, at room temperature
1/3 cup caster sugar
1 egg
200g good quality chocolate buttons or chocolate chopped into chunks

What you do:

Preheat the oven to 180C.
Line either a large 6 or regular 12 hole muffin tin with paper cupcake cases (I didn't, and had some difficulty getting out the cupcakes, hence the whole pudding inspiration to hide their battered appearance).
To make the topping, using electric beaters beat together the cream cheese and sugar for two minutes or until light and fluffy.
Add the egg and beat until thoroughly mixed in.
Stir in the chocolate and set aside the bowl.
To make the cupcakes, combine the flour, bicarb soda and salt in a bowl.
Sift in the cocoa and whisk using a balloon whisk for a minute.
In another bowl, whisk together the warm water, vanilla extract, oil and vinegar.
Make a well in the dry ingredients, pour in the wet mix and stir together thoroughly but only until just mixed. If you over stir your cupcakes will be very chewy.
Spoon the batter into the cupcake cases so they are about two thirds full.
Scoop spoonfuls of the cream cheese mixture on top of each cake.
Bake the cupcakes for 30-35 minutes (longer if you have done six large ones), or until a skewer inserted into the dark part comes out clean.
Cool the muffins in the tin before removing and leave on a cake rack to cool completely.

Crispy cumin and paprika wedges

2009-06-27T10:10:00.003+10:00

Hello everyone, I had the joy of attending a class conducted by Alex Herbert of Bird Cow Fish http://www.birdcowfish.com.au/ this week. BCF is one of my favourite restaurants (yes, I know I have a long list) and I love Alex's approach to food. I made sure that I arrived in plenty of time so that I actually scored a seat in the front row which made it very easy to pepper Alex with questions. She started us off with a lovely little winter salad made with venison. I don't really eat meat outside the mainstream ones with which I grew up, so it was my first taste of venison. I don't think it's something I'd order in a restaurant but it worked well in the salad. Next up was roasted salt marinated duck with potato and apple galettes. Delicious. For me (you won't be surprised) dessert was the highlight - steamed ginger pudding served with creme anglaise. Mmmmm, I love puddings, especially steamed ones. It has really tempted me to buy a steamer although where I would store it I don't know. Alex had these two massive old steamers into which she was able to stack 35 puddings. It was a very delicious and fun demonstration.

And yesterday my beautiful Iranian volunteer, Sara, presented me with a dainty container of Iranian saffron, which her parents had brought with them when they arrived in Sydney during the week. She was stunned that I knew what it was and queried "Do you know how to use it?" I assured her that I do and use saffron regularly. Later in the day one of the IT boys came past, and he is also Iranian. I proudly showed him the saffron (and nougat) that Sara had given me. Same question! Same doubtful face! Clearly Australians haven't impressed with their use of saffron!!!

Today's recipe for potato wedges is just perfect for this cold time of year. You cook them in the oven so they are guilt free and just the most divine flavour. If I have nigella seeds handy sometimes I sprinkle them on as well. The recipe comes from Belinda Jeffery's Tried And True Recipes.

Have a lovely week. Love from Jane xx

Crispy cumin and paprika wedges

Says it serves four, I'll leave that to your judgement

What you need:

1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 kg Desiree potatoes, peeled and sliced into generous wedges
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 - 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika

What you do:

Preheat the oven to 220C.
Line a large baking dish with foil and then a layer of baking paper. This will save on a really hard to clean dish later.
Sprinkle the cumin seeds into a small pan on top of the stove and warm them over a medium heat until they are fragrant. Do stir them constantly as they burn easily.
When the cumin seeds are ready, pour them into the baking dish and add the potato wedges.
Drizzle the oil over the potatoes and sprinkle them with the salt, pepper and paprika. Mix everything together so that the wedges are well coated.
Spread the wedges into a single layer and put in the oven.
Roast the wedges, turning once or twice, for 50 to 60 minutes, or until they are a lovely golden colour with crisp edges (of course you will need to try one or two to check).
Devour!

Cheese custards

2009-06-20T10:45:00.003+10:00

Hello everyone, this week has been a non event for me on the cooking front. I just seem to have had a combination of after work events to attend or late nights at the office, meaning very little cooking (and really not great eating). Thankfully I made up a full quantity of a nice pasta dish last Sunday so that gave me some lunches during the week to keep me going. And this week I intend to make the full quantity of a couple more dishes so that I have some dinners waiting for me in the freezer for the nights I'm home late!

Now today's dish might seem very indulgent, and it is, but believe me, it is luscious and something that is very easy to whip up if you have friends coming around, or for a nice little supper for yourself. It's also easily transportable - I took some to work one day when I was going to an after work event and wanted to have dinner before I went. The recipe comes from my very reliable SOS (Autumn/Winter) book. It's served with a red capsicum sauce which you can whip up while the custards are cooking. Now I am someone who for years has slaved over a hot stove roasting capsicums so you can then peel away the skin. At a cooking class recently Valli Little pointed out that you can now buy jars of roasted, peeled capsicums at the supermarket. Who knew? Certainly not me, but I have some now in my cupboard and they are perfect for this sauce. Very time saving.

With the rain pouring down outside today it's definitely hot chocolate weather. I'll be heading to my favourite cafe as usual for my top-up! Have a happy week. Love from Jane xx

Cheese custards
(Serves 8 as an entree)

Combine 25g melted unsalted butter, 200g brie, 200g cream cheese, 100g sour cream and 3 eggs in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add freshly ground pepper to taste and a little salt only if you think the mix needs it.

Pour the mix into buttered 1/2 cup moulds. Place the moulds in a baking dish and pour in boiling water to come half way up the sides of the moulds.

Bake in a preheated 180C oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the custards are set. Remove the moulds from the oven and allow to stand for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

While the custards are cooking, place the capsicums from a jar into the food processor with 1 tablespoon of tomato paste, the finely grated zest and juice of half a lemon, 2 tablespoons olive oil and some sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Once you have a smooth puree, transfer the sauce to a saucepan and just before serving, warm over a low heat.

Turn each custard out onto a plate and serve with the warmed red capsicum sauce spooned all around it.

Spanish Minestrone

2009-06-14T10:29:00.002+10:00

Hello everyone, I haven't been doing so much cooking this week as I have been quite immersed in the Sydney Film Festival. I managed to get to eight films overall and saw some really good ones. My most outstanding award goes to a film shot here in Sydney called Cedar Boys, which is about three young Lebanese men who get caught up in the drug trade. It is the most fascinating story and held the attention of the entire cinema right up to the end. It has gone straight to the top of my list of best films and I really recommend it - it's due for a general release on 30 June.

This week's recipe is another lovely warming soup that I made when winter was just starting to set in and I had some chorizo kicking around in the fridge. It comes from that wonderful book I always have to hand, 3 Ways With Stale Bread... by Ross Dobson, and is very yummy and filling.

Have a fabulous week. Love from Jane xx

Spanish Minestrone

Serves four

Heat a generous splash of olive oil in a saucepan and stir-fry 1 chopped onion with 1 finely cubed chorizo for a few minutes on a medium heat, to soften the onion and bring out all the spices in the sausage. Add 500ml chicken stock, 400g chopped tinned tomatoes, 400g tinned chickpeas (rinsed and drained) and one cubed potato.

Bring the soup to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes, until the potato is nicely soft. Stir through a handful of roughly chopped flat leaf parsley and serve topped with some crumbled feta or manchego cheese.

Lemon curd bread and butter pudding

2009-06-06T10:19:00.004+10:00

Hello everyone, I was lucky enough to have two group get togethers during the week over dinner at two restaurants I love, both of which have a multiple dishes to share style of dining, so I was able to taste lots of different things! On Wednesday night I went back to Kika Tapas in Darlinghurst. There were eight of us and it felt as if we ordered a huge number of dishes, but we managed to eat it all (and fit in dessert!) and still pay a reasonable amount.

Then on Thursday night I organised my book club to meet at Kuali, a Malaysian restaurant in Lane Cove, to meet my friend Fiona Higgins and discuss her recently published memoir, Love In The Age Of Drought. Fiona brought along the main character, her husband Stu, and we enjoyed a fabulous banquet with the best roti bread I have ever eaten. These two feasts can make up for this weekend when I will be immersed in the film festival instead of being out eating.

Now that it's winter we have the perfect excuse to consume puddings, and this recipe is luscious. I can't remember what prompted me to try it the first time because I am phobic about mass produced white sliced bread, and have never been a huge fan of lemon curd. I think I actually tasted it at a cooking demonstration by Valli Little and loved it, so tried it out at home myself. You can get really beautiful lemon or passionfruit curds these days, and the bread, well, it just works. Try it and see.

Have a happy week. Love from Jane xx

Lemon curd bread and butter pudding

Serves 6-8

What you need:
14 slices Tip Top white bread, crusts removed
50g softened unsalted butter
1 jar lemon or passionfruit curd
1 cup caster sugar
6 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
2 cups thin cream
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

What you do:
1. Butter the bread and then spread with curd.
2. Cut each slice into halves and layer, overlapping, in a large baking dish.
3. Beat together the eggs, cream, sugar and lemon zest.
4. Pour custard over the bread and leave to rest for half an hour. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 170C.
5. Place the pudding in a roasting tin and pour in enough water to come half way up the sides of the baking dish.
6. Cover the pudding loosely with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
7. Remove the foil and cook a further 5-10 minutes or until the top turns golden and puffed.
8. Dust with icing sugar and serve with cream, icecream and berries.

The leftovers are really yummy warmed up for breakfast!

Hummus soup

2009-05-23T10:08:00.005+10:00

Hello everyone, I was lucky enough earlier this week to get along to the opening night address of the Sydney Writers Festival www.swf.org.au. It was given by a Nigerian woman called Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. She spoke so beautifully about how she wrote as a child in the style of the English story books she read (complete with lashings of ginger beer), even though this reflected a world completely different to what was around her. Over time, as she grew up, she encountered people who had one view about Nigeria and its people (which was all negative), and how through her writing she has worked to portray the many different stories there are about Nigeria. She was completely captivating.

From a slightly different part of the world comes inspiration for this soup. The recipe is from the book Faking It, by Valli Little, one of my favourite food writers, and it's an outstanding book. There are so many different, inspirational recipes in it and as the name of the book implies, they don't involve tricky techniques or hard to find ingredients. I made a big batch of this soup to put in the freezer so that I could take it to work for lunches and I was very sad when it was all gone. If you can get your hands on some labne, the thick Middle Eastern yoghurt, it would taste great swirled into the soup just before serving.

Have a lovely week. Love from Jane xx

Hummus soup

Serves four

What you need:

1 litre chicken stock (or vegetable if you want to keep the soup vegetarian friendly)
3 garlic cloves, chopped into a few pieces (it will all be blended later)
Grated zest and juice of a lemon, plus wedges to serve
800g canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon chopped mint leaves
1 tablespoon chopped flat leaf parsley leaves
Natural yoghurt (or Greek, or labne), to drizzle
Extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle
2 tablespoons dukkah, to serve
Flatbread, to serve

What you do:

Place the stock in a saucepan with the garlic, lemon zest and chickpeas.
Bring to the boil over a medium-high heat.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for five minutes. Cool slightly.
Add the mint, parsley and lemon juice and puree in a blender until smooth.
When you are ready to serve, season the soup to taste with salt and pepper and then reheat over a low heat.
Ladle the soup into bowls, then drizzle with the yoghurt and olive oil.
Serve with dukkah for sprinkling on the soup, lemon wedges and flat bread.

Lentil and pumpkin salad

2009-05-17T10:49:00.002+10:00

Hello everyone, I was at a friend's fortieth on Friday night and they hired my friend Anna who is a caterer to do the food. It was gorgeous! She did such a great job, it was all home cooked food presented beautifully. We started with a heap of finger food while everyone was standing around having a drink. There were all sorts of choices, and I am still tossing up as favourite the huge, lovely and sweet peeled prawns, or the Moroccan lamb mince triangles. Then there was a buffet for the main course that included all sorts of salads, meat and vegetable dishes. Then to top it off, Anna baked a really moist, fudgy chocolate cake (decorated with forty candles) and served it with creamy raspberry icecream. It was all so good and I was so happy that everyone loved the food. Definitely my caterer of choice!

Last night I cooked this lovely salad to go with my dinner and thankfully had the foresight (and so much pumpkin) to make enough for Monday's lunch as well. It comes from my Marie Claire Comfort cook book from which I have made quite a few good things. I hope you like it too, it's a great one for winter.

Have a happy week. Love from Jane xx

Lentil and pumpkin salad

Serves four or six as a side dish

What you need:

1 kg jap or kent pumpkin, peeled and chopped into quite small pieces so they roast up all nice and crispy
1 large red onion, halved and thinly sliced into half moons
2 tablespoons light olive oil
120g puy lentils or tiny blue lentils (I don't think you can easily find puy lentils any more, but I found some Australian blue lentils at my local health food store)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspooon whole grain mustard
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 handful flat leaf parsley, chopped roughly
50g wild rocket leaves
100g goats cheese

What you do

Preheat the oven to 180C.
Place the pumpkin pieces into a baking tray, scatter with the sliced onion and toss with the light olive oil, then season with salt and pepper.
Bake for about 25 minutes or until the pumpkin is looking crispy.
Meanwhile, place the lentils in a saucepan with the half teaspoon of salt and 2 cups of water.
Bring the lentils to the boil, then simmer for 30 minutes or until tender. Keep an eye on them and top up the water if needed.
When cooked, drain the lentils of any excess water, then stir in the mustard, vinegar, extra virgin olive oil and parsley.
When you are ready to serve, arrange the rocket on a serving plate, top with the pumpkin and onion, then spoon over the lentils.
Crumble the goats cheese over the top and serve.

Chicken and vegetable pot pie

2009-05-10T17:39:00.001+10:00

Hello everyone, we had planned a picnic today to celebrate Mothers Day. A day out in the fresh air and sunshine, under a beautiful blue autumn sky...just like yesterday in Sydney! But today it rained. In fact it was pouring down this morning so we ended up bringing all our picnic food to my sister's home and having a more traditional lunch at the table. We ate well, though, with the hostess outdoing everyone with individual chicken and potato pies for the kids, a divine chicken and tarragon pie for the adults and a tomato, basil and prosciutto quiche as well! We did eat quite sumptuously.

Funnily enough I had decided to add this recipe for a chicken pie to the blog this week. It's certainly much more thrown together than my sister's masterpiece, and despite all the bad memories of '70s food that the name might bring to mind, it really is very yummy. You can add whatever vegetables you have to hand, and it's made with a BBQ chicken, so quick and easy as well! It comes from the ever inspirational "3 Ways With..." book.

Have a happy week. Love from Jane xx

Chicken and vegetable pot pie

Easily serves six

Have your oven hot and ready at 220C.
Heat 60g butter in a frying pan and when it is sizzling, add 1 chopped carrot and 2 chopped stalks of celery and stir around for a few minutes.
Add 2 tablespoons plain flour and cook for 2 minutes - it should thickly coat the vegetables, but don't let the flour burn.
Add the chopped meat from half a BBQ chicken, 80g peas (or corn) and a handful of flat leaf parsley. (You could also add some chopped capsicum if you have it handy).
Stir the vegetables for a minute then add 500ml chicken stock and 250ml thin cream.
Season well and slowly bring the mix to the boil, stirring constantly, until it's slightly thickened.
Spoon the mixture into a pie dish and top with either some puff pastry, trimmed to fit the dish, or a layer of potato mash.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the pastry/potato is golden.

Pecan slice

2009-05-02T10:56:00.003+10:00

Hello everyone, there's nothing I like better than a good old-fashioned slice, and as I had about five different varieties of nuts in my fridge last weekend I thought it was a good excuse to bake something for afternoon tea in the office. I made this yummy pecan slice, but did half and half pecans and almonds as that is what I had. The almonds were particularly fantastic - I had bought them fresh from Oriental and Continental Foods in Artarmon. This place is well worth exploring when you have the time. I went in there one day for some preserved lemons and came out twenty minutes later with a box full of stuff, and only paid $20.00! There really is no comparison between fresh nuts and packet nuts, so it's well worth making the trip. They don't supply bags though so do make sure you take your own and expect to buy more than is written on your shopping list!

Anyway, the slice went down well with my office friends. I hope you like it too.

Have a happy week. Love from Jane xx

Pecan slice

What you need:

1 1/2 cups plain flour
1/2 cup icing sugar
150g butter, softened

Topping

2 tablespoons dark corn syrup (from a health food store; use light if that is all you can find)
2 tablespoons thickened cream
1/3 cup soft brown sugar
75g butter, melted
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups pecans
Dark chocolate shavings to decorate (optional)

What you do:

Preheat the oven to 180C.
Line a shallow baking tin (18 x 27 cm) with baking paper.
Combine the flour, icing sugar and butter in a food processor. Using the pulse action, process for one minute until the mixture comes together and forms a ball.
Press the pastry into the tin (you will really have to push and poke it out to the sides and corners but don't worry, there is enough).
Bake the pastry for 15 minutes, until just golden. Cool completely in the tin.
To make the topping, combine the syrup, cream, sugar, butter and eggs in a medium mixing bowl and whisk until smooth.
Add the pecans and stir to combine.
Pour the topping onto the cooled pastry and bake for another 25 minutes, until set. Cool completely in the tin.
Lift the slice out of the tin and cut into squares using a sharp knife.
Decorate with the chocolate shavings if desired.

Orange, hazelnut and goat's cheese salad

2009-04-25T10:11:00.002+10:00

Hello everyone, this week I have had the luxury of a bit more time on my hands and I have been looking at other blogs written by food lovers. One of the most impressive is Grab Your Fork http://grabyourfork.blogspot.com/ which details the author's eating adventures, and my, she does a lot! I also came across Not Quite Nigella http://www.notquitenigella.com/ when trying to find the name of a new chocolate shop I had visited recently. I was a bit overwhelmed for a while looking at some of the other blogs as they are so beautifully done with photos and links to other sites, but in the end I figured that I only ever intended to stick up a few helpful recipes and don't think I'm going to let this mission take over my life!

As my contribution to the restaurant reviewing game however, I must report that I enjoyed an excellent meal with the most charming service at Kika Tapas Bar http://www.kika.com.au/ (the website is still coming but it's a handy reminder) in Darlinghurst during the week. Yes, my Spanish passion continues unabated and if anything it was further fired here with the most luscious jamon and crispy churros. Definitely a must-return.

This week's recipe offers something a little lighter - back to a nice winter salad now that the days are a little shorter and cooler. I made this for dinner one night and loved it. It's from my Growers Market book, a never ending source of inspiration for seasonal goodies.

Have a wonderful week. Love from Jane xx

Orange, hazelnut and goat's cheese salad

Serves four

What you need:

1/4 cup hazelnuts, toasted and rubbed in a clean teatowel to remove the skins
1 tablespoon orange juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
250g watercress, rinsed and dried
1 cup baby English spinach leaves, rinsed and dried
Segments from two oranges (peeled)
300g firm goats cheese, sliced into 4 equal portions

What you do:

Make the dressing by combining the nuts, juices, and a pinch of salt in a food processor.
With the motor running, gradually add the olive oil a few drops at a time. When about half the oil has been added, pour in the remainder in a steady stream.
Pick the leaves from the watercress and combine in a bowl with the spinach, orange segments and two tablespoons of the dressing.
Toss to combine and season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.
Arrange the salad on four serving plates.
Heat a small non stick frying pan over a medium-high heat and brush the pan lightly with olive oil.
When the oil is hot, carefully press each slice of goats cheese firmly into the pan and cook for a couple of minutes, or until a crust has formed on the cheese.
Carefully remove the cheese from the pan and arrange on top of the salads, crust side up.
Drizzle over the remaining dressing and serve.

Spaghetti with chunky tomato, olive and chilli sauce

2009-04-18T10:06:00.003+10:00

Hello everyone, I decided last week that I was going to defrost my freezer as it hadn't been done for some time. Of course, this entailed emptying the freezer, so instead of my usual recipe driven approach I chose recipes based on what was there. Two of the highlights were a fabulous chicken and vegetable pie that I made to use up some puff pastry and a gorgeous Spanish style minestrone into which went some chorizo I had picked up on my Spanish Safari a few weeks ago. So now I have a clean, ice-free, empty freezer. This week I'm going to fill it up with three different kinds of soup which will provide lunches for weeks and a great Moroccan style chicken dish that I love. It's so good having ready cooked food in the freezer, especially with winter coming on!

Now this week's recipe is for an absolutely luscious pasta sauce from Belinda Jeffery's Tried-And-True Recipes and I can tell you that when I made it I wished that I had done at least the full quantity so I could store some in the freezer to enjoy later. As it's a chunky style sauce you'll find it's really substantial and probably only needs some good bread to be served with it. I know it looks like a long list of ingredients but really once you have chopped the vegetables you are half way there.

Have a lovely week. Love from Jane xx

Spaghetti with chunky tomato, olive and chilli sauce

Serves four

What you need:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 large onions, finely chopped
2 medium sized carrots, cut into smallish dice
2 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 small red chilllies (seeds and all), finely chopped (use your judgement - I used half this quantity and it was just right for me)
1 heaped tablespoon tomato paste or sun dried tomato pesto
800g can diced tomatoes
A big pinch of sugar
Sea salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
500g spaghetti
150g pitted olives (use whatever olives you like, I love green olives so I used them and they were sensational)
Large handful of basil leaves, roughly torn
4 scoops of fresh ricotta
Finely grated Parmesan, to serve

What you do:

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium to high heat.
Tip in the onions and carrots and cook them, stirring occasionally, for ten minutes or until soft.
Add the garlic and chilli and stir again, cooking for a further two to three minutes.
Mix in the tomato paste or pesto, and cook, stirring, for one minute until fragrant.
Pour in the tomatoes and their juice and sprinkle on the sugar, salt and pepper.
Bring the sauce to the boil, then turn down the heat to low and leave to bubble away gently for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is quite thick.
Cook the pasta while the sauce is cooking.
Just before the pasta is ready, add the olives and basil to the sauce.
Drain the pasta and stir it into the sauce, mixing well so that all the strands are coated.
To serve, add a scoop of ricotta to each pasta bowl, and pour the spaghetti with sauce on top. Serve with the Parmesan.

Roast pork with soy roasted pumpkin

2009-04-11T15:34:00.004+10:00

Hello everyone, today I took my nieces to see Artexpress for the second year running. I remember that last year they just walked from art work to art work wide eyed, completely overwhelmed by it all. This year they interacted with it a lot more, darting off to various pieces that caught their attention, analysing some of them, completely ignoring others, and making lots of comments. Last year when I suggested we all nominate our favourite piece they politely said they couldn't choose (which I interpreted as code for "no idea what any of this is about"), but this year they were very quick to make up their minds and give reasons. It was fun! Then we took ourselves off to Woo-mi, a very good sushi train in Mosman, where they put away more sushi than I thought was possible. I guess a good balance for all the Easter eggs to come!

This week's recipe is for a luscious roast pork which I cooked last week, out of my Marie Claire Comfort book (it's such a beautiful book). The butcher very kindly cut a smaller piece for me so I roasted it for dinner and then had some for sandwiches during the week. Just enough. It is the easiest thing in the world to do - you literally put everything in the oven and go away and let it cook itself. It will fill the house with a beautiful aroma as it cooks and provide comfort on these rapidly cooling autumn evenings.

Have a happy Easter! Love from Jane xx

Roast pork with soy roasted pumpkin

Serves 6

What you need:

1.5kg piece of pork shoulder (ask your butcher to score the skin)
4 sage leaves
1 kg kent or jap pumpkin
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 red chilli, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder

What you do:

Preheat the oven to 220C.
Pat the pork dry with paper towels (very important to get the crackling nice and crisp) and rub the scored skin with a generous amount of salt. Season with freshly ground pepper.
Scatter the sage leaves over the base of a roasting tin, then place the pork on them, skin side up.
Cook the pork for 25 minutes, then reduce the heat to 180C and cook for a further hour.
While the pork is cooking, peel the pumpkin and cut into small chunks.
Place the chunks in a large bowl and add the oil, soy sauce, chilli and five spice.
Toss well, then transfer to a baking tray and add to the oven 30 minutes before the pork is due to finish cooking. By then the pumpkin should be cooked and golden.
Remove the pork from the oven and reduce the heat to low to keep the pumpkin warm.
Test if the meat is done by inserting a sharp knife into the centre - the juices should run clear. Transfer the pork to a warm serving platter and rest, covered with foil, for 15 minutes.
Carve the pork and serve with the pumpkin.

Chocolate peanut butter fudge sundae

2009-04-04T09:56:00.004+11:00

Hello everyone, this week's recipe is something I have wanted to try out for ages. It's a Nigella recipe from the November 2007 copy of delicious, and I marked it at the time and have just taken this long to actually make it. I did plan to serve it when I had friends over for dinner in January, but they thwarted my plans by bringing a cake with them. So in the end I gave my workmates a surprise last week by serving up some ice cream with this sauce one afternoon. Safe to say it was a hit.

One word of warning - Nigella says that this quantity makes enough for four. All I can say is that her guests must be able to pack away an ENORMOUS quantity of sauce. I think it easily makes enough for twice that many.

Have a fabulous week, love from Jane xx

Chocolate peanut butter fudge sundae

What you need:

175ml thin cream
100g very good quality milk chocolate, chopped
100g smooth peanut butter (buy it freshly made from a health food store)
3 tablespoons golden syrup
Ice cream to serve
4 tablespoons roughly chopped salted peanuts

What you do:

Place the cream, chocolate, peanut butter and golden syrup into a saucepan and place on a medium heat to melt, stirring occasionally.
In about two minutes your sauce should be ready.
Pour the warm sauce over the ice cream and sprinkle with the chopped peanuts.

Potato and gruyere gratin

2009-03-28T09:51:00.004+11:00

Hello everyone, last week I was having dinner at Young Alfred in Customs House with my American friend Chris and I commented to him that despite this being about my twentieth visit to YA, I had not yet persuaded any of my companions to choose the Surprise pizza on the menu (and I have certainly never been brave enough to try it myself). Chris being the courageous and daring person that he is promptly replied "Well, let's order it as a starter". Now up until then I hadn't realised that if you order it, although they won't tell you what is on it, you can declare any items you don't like and if by chance that day's surprise pizza does happen to be covered with your unfavourite ingredients the staff will steer you away from it. So we ordered it with the proviso no mushrooms (me) and no anchovies or mussels (Chris). Well, was I glad we took the plunge! It was beautiful. YA make the best pizza bases, they are very thin and crispy, and our surprise pizza had a lovely garlicky tomato sauce, thinly sliced ham, caramelised onion, goats curd and flat leaf parsley. I was so glad we did it! Now I'm going to order it whenever I go there! (Although who knows what the combination will be next time, I think it's whatever takes the chef''s fancy that day).

Now I know that I gave you a vegetable gratin dish last week and here is another one. This one is far more decadent and is an ode to my favourite vegetable, the potato. With a dish like this I tend to be quite generous with the quantities - if you think you need more cheese, for example, use more cheese. Or potato, or cream. Now that the evenings are getting cooler it's excusable to eat potatoes with cream.

Have a fabulous week. Love from Jane xx

Potato and gruyere gratin

Serves four as a side dish

What you need:

1 tablespoon butter
3 large potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
100g gruyere cheese, grated and divided into two portions
1 1/2 cups hot chicken stock
1 cup cream

What you do:

Preheat the oven to 200C.
Grease a medium sized baking dish with the butter.
Cover the base with the potato slices and season well, then sprinkle on some of the cheese.
Gradually build up layers of potato and cheese until you have used all of the potato slices and one of the portions of cheese.
Pour the hot stock over the potato and cheese and bake for 40 minutes.
About ten minutes before the potato is due to come out of the oven, gently warm the cream but don't allow it to boil.
Remove the potato from the oven and pour the warm cream over it.
Sprinkle on the other half of the cheese and bake for a further 20 minutes, or until the cheese topping is lightly browned.

Fennel, tomato and garlic gratin

2009-03-21T11:49:00.003+11:00

Hello everyone, I seem to be going through one of those times where I am eating out nearly every day. In the last two years I caught myself in the habit of going back to just a small number of really good reliable places, which is always good, but this year I'm trying to actually go to all the places I read about and think "That sounds good, I should try there some time". Thankfully I have friends willing to be bossed around and told where we are eating!

So this week just gone I finally got to La Locanda in Bronte which has been on my list for about three years (not that Bronte is that far away, it was just a matter of finding an occasion to go out with my Eastern suburbs dwelling friends) (and it was beautiful, well worth the wait), and then I was lucky enough to be taken to Cafe Sydney the next day, where I had the most luscious home made gnocchi. It was heaven. Tonight I do get to go back to an old favourite (Young Alfred, Customs House) as I'm going to see a play at the Opera House, and then next Friday I'm lucky enough to be going to lunch at my current absolute favourite, Catalonia in Kirribilli! So I guess I haven't completely let go of the old reliables....

Of course all this restaurant gallivanting does mean less time for cooking. And no matter how good someone else's cooking is, it does calm me down to cook something for myself. This week's dish is something I did just recently and was beautiful. I love fennel and it's really just coming into the best time of year for it. The recipe comes from my lovely Growers Market book.

Have a great week, love from Jane xx

Fennel, tomato and garlic gratin
Serves 4, and you can either serve it as a side dish to a main or with something simple like some good bread and cheese.

What you need:

2 bulbs of fennel, halved and thinly sliced
1/3 cup good olive oil
1 large red onion, halved and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
450g ripe tomatoes

Gratin topping:

60g fresh white breadcrumbs (you get a really good effect if you keep the crumbs large and chunky)
65g grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspooons grated lemon zest
1 garlic clove, crushed

What you do

Preheat the oven to 200C.
Grease a 22cm square gratin dish.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan.
Cook the onion for a few minutes until softened.
Add the garlic and cook briefly, then add the fennel and cook for seven minutes, stirring frequently, until softened and golden brown.
Cut a cross at the base of each tomato and place them in a bowl. Pour over boiling water and let stand for 20 seconds and then cool with cold water. Peel the skins off the tomatoes and discard.
Chop the tomato flesh roughly and add to the fennel. Cook, stirring frequently, for five minutes, or until the tomato is softened.
Season the vegetables well and pour into the gratin dish.
Mix together the gratin ingredients, sprinkle over the vegetables and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown and crisp.
Serve immediately.

Chilli salmon noodle salad with lime and herbs

2009-03-15T10:15:00.004+11:00

Hello everyone, I had a fantastic day yesterday doing a Spanish Gourmet Safari http://www.gourmetsafaris.com.au/page/sydney_safaris.html. We went all over Sydney and tasted all sorts of beautiful Spanish foods and drinks including jamon, olives, cheese, chorizo, sherry (which I had never tasted before but once I tried the Pedro Ximinez...I was hooked). I knew the day was off to a good start when we began in a tiny cafe in Kings Cross with beautiful thick Spanish hot chocolate and churros. From there we went to Yagoona, then back to McMahons Point, then Glebe and finally into the Spanish quarter in Liverpool street in the city. Who knew there were so many sources of fabulous Spanish things? We finished mid afternoon with some tapas and sangria. I have to say the potatoes in alioli were the best I have ever eaten. All in all an outstanding day, so if you like your Spanish I highly recommend you do this tour, it is excellent.

Now for a completely different taste I'm giving you a recipe for a Thai style salad which truly stands the test of something delicious and easy at the end of a long, hard day. I left work on Friday night at 7.00 and was determined that I was going to make this salad. Only problem was that I had left my shopping list at home and didn't know what I needed for it, and by that time of night my shopping options were limited. I took a punt that delicious magazine, from which the recipe comes (in fact it's this month's cover recipe so you can see it), is sold in Woolies and happily found it there. I bought a copy and then whipped around the shop and managed to obtain all the ingredients that I didn't already have at home. (Including buying the salmon at Woolies which I have never done before but I was surprised at how good and fresh it was, just like buying from a real fishmonger!)

So you can imagine, by the time I got home it was around 8.00. Well, I had dinner made within 15 minutes and it was beautiful. So hopefully a good one for you too when you're in the same situation - just remember to take your shopping list with you!

Have a happy week. Love from Jane xx

Chilli salmon noodle salad with lime and herbs

Serves four

What you need:

500g salmon fillet
1-2 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce
1 tablespoon sunflower oil, or a light olive oil
200g rice vermicelli noodles
1/2 punnet cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 avocado, roughly chopped
1 small red chilli, seeded and thinly sliced
1/3 cup each mint, coriander and Thai or regular basil leaves
2 tablespoons salted peanuts, roughly chopped

Dressing (I found the given quantities perfect but you can adjust to suit your taste)

2 tablespoons lime juice, plus lime wedges to serve
2 tablespoons each fish sauce and sweet chilli sauce
1 tablespoon light olive oil
2 teaspoons caster sugar

What you do:

Coat the salmon fillet in the sweet chilli sauce.
Heat the oil in a frypan over a medium-high heat.
Sear the salmon for 2-3 minutes each side, leaving it a little pink in the middle.
Place the salmon on a plate, cover loosely with foil and leave to rest while you make the salad.
Prepare the noodles by pouring boiling water over them, then drain and set aside.
Whisk together all of the dressing ingredients in a large bowl until the sugar dissolves.
Add the cherry tomatoes, avocado and sliced red chilli to the dressing and toss gently to combine.
Add the noodles and herbs to the salad and gently toss again.
Divide the noodle salad among four plates.
Break the salmon into chunks with your fingers and gently tuck the pieces into the salad.
Scatter with the peanuts and serve the salad with the lime wedges.

Flourless peach cake

2009-03-07T10:24:00.003+11:00

Hello everyone, this was one of those weeks when once again I was reflecting on sandwiches and puzzling yet again over why it's so hard to get good ones. This was prompted by the fact that for three days in a row I happened to have lunch provided in an office in the city (different ones each day) and the sandwiches varied in quality (and none were to die for). I guess the fact that they are done in bulk doesn't help, plus they are probably made some time in advance of being served so inevitably start to sag. I'm also intrigued at some of the combinations of fillings you see. Not all of which I find appealing! Happily today I can go and have the perfect sandwich made up freshly for me at my favourite cafe, accompanied by a beautiful cup of hot chocolate. Thank goodness there are some places that know how to get the basics right!

Today's recipe is for a wonderful cake that I baked recently and brought into the office to share. It is so moist you won't believe it and it went down really, really well, in fact I'd say it's the most popular one so far - the boys in particular really went for it. It's yet another from my favourite Epicure Chocolate book. It doesn't have an icing so I just served it with some thick cream.

Have a happy week. Love from Jane xx

Flourless peach cake

What you need:

225g ground almonds
225g brown sugar
6 tablespoons really good quality Dutched cocoa
1 teaspoon bicarb soda
1/2 cup milk soured with the juice of one lemon
2 eggs
One handful of chopped dried peach

What you do:

Preheat the oven to 175C.
Grease and line a 20cm round baking tin with baking paper.
Mix the dry ingredients together.
Add the milk and eggs to the dry ingredients and mix well to combine.
Stir in the chopped peach.
Pour the batter into the tin and bake for 45 minutes.
Cool in the tin and turn out very, very carefully, then use a second cake rack to flip over so it's the right way around. Because this cake is so moist it's liable to break very easily so be as gentle and careful as you can!

Date, gorgonzola and prosciutto tart

2009-02-28T11:54:00.004+11:00

Hello everyone, I am very disappointed with myself because I just realised that only four days into Lent I have already failed! I have given up chocolate (and alcohol) for Lent but as I write this am sitting here eating a slice of (very delicious) chocolate cake!

You see, I drive past a shop called Kiss Me Cake every day and have been intrigued by it and desperate to get in there (although knowing once I do, if they are any good it won't be the last). Being the keen chocolate cake baker that I am it's important that I keep up my research on other people's baking, so I decided to pop in there today and see if anything appealed. Well of course, everything did, their cakes look and sound amazing. So I bought a slice of a milk chocolate and caramel cake and it really is delicious. Tastes home made. I will have to extend Lent by one day now to make up for this slip!

Today's recipe is another one of those things that has all my favourite ingredients in it, although I'm not overly fond of dates so I'm pretty sparing with them in this. It is very easy to put together and a bit unusual, so great for sharing with friends. It's from the 2006 delicious calendar.

Have a lovely week. Love from Jane xx

Date, gorgonzola and prosciutto tart
Serves four

What you need:

1 frozen puff pastry sheet, thawed
1 egg, lightly beaten
4-5 thin slices of prosciutto
2/3 cup pitted dates, roughly chopped
100g gorgonzola, crumbled
1 cup picked watercress leaves
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil

What you do:

Preheat the oven to 200C.
Place pastry on a baking tray lined with baking paper.
Fold in the edges of the pastry to form a 1cm border, then prick the base with a fork and chill in the fridge for 15 minutes.
While the pastry is chilling, lay the slices of prosciutto on another baking tray and crisp in the oven for 5 minutes.
Brush the pastry with the beaten egg and bake for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned.
Cover the pastry with another baking tray to flatten and bake for a further 5 minutes.
Lay the crisped prosciutto over the tart and scatter with dates and cheese.
Return to the oven for 3 minutes or until the cheese starts to melt.
To serve, scatter the tart with the watercress leaves and drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice, and slice.

Sage and ricotta frittata

2009-02-22T09:15:00.003+11:00

Hello everyone, yesterday I met my friend Angela for lunch in Bowral. It was a very Southern Highlands kind of day, as it was chilly and grey and it rained on and off. We met at a gallery which has a cafe attached to it, in a building that used to be a milking shed. It was fantastic! The fit out of the building makes really good use of the space and the light, ensuring that there is heaps of space in the cafe, with a really nice lounge area where we had after lunch coffees (hot chocolate in my case of course). The kitchen is on the middle level and then the gallery is on the ground floor. They have a mix of pictures, photography, sculpture, furniture, jewellery, glassware and textiles and I saw heaps of gorgeous things. It was a real find.

This week's recipe is another frittata, I think I have done a few now so might have to have a frittata category! It is delicious and very quick, so another one that is good for whipping up if you come home late from your day's activities. Just remember to get the eggs out of the fridge before you leave in the morning so they aren't cold when you go to cook with them.

Have a lovely week - unfortunately the last week of official summer. Jane xx

Sage and ricotta frittata

Serves four

What you need:

12 eggs
A pinch of sea salt
A pinch of freshly ground pepper
50g butter
12 fresh sage leaves, washed and dried
80g fresh ricotta
20g good quality Parmesan, grated

What you do:

Preheat oven to 150C.
Using a fork, lightly beat the eggs until just combined, then add the salt and pepper.
Melt the butter in a non stick pan over a moderate heat. You will need to place the pan in your oven later, so make sure it will fit.
Add the sage leaves and allow them to infuse in the butter, but not to brown.
Pour in the eggs and using a spatula, begin drawing the mixture to the centre of the pan. Don't stir it too much and don't let it brown, so stay at the stove all the time you are doing this!
Once the frittata is set, but still a bit wobbly, turn off the heat under the pan and add dollops of ricotta to the top of the frittata.
Place the pan in the preheated oven for about three minutes, or until just set.
Remove from the oven and serve with a generous sprinkling of Parmesan.

Chicken sausage and couscous salad

2009-02-14T17:27:00.006+11:00

Hello everyone, I had fun today. I had arranged to take out my nieces for a few hours during the day. Being such a cold and wet day my thoughts turned to pizza, so I thought I'd take them to Rosso Pomodoro at Balmain. No go - they don't like pizza anymore. They did last time I looked, but there was no interest in going out for pizza. As they do currently love sushi, I took them to a sushi train instead. Emma, the nearly ten year old managed two pieces of sushi and decided she was full. But Rachael, the seven year old, completely embraced the whole sushi train concept. She loved it! She matched me plate for plate, studied the menu to confirm what she thought she was grabbing from the conveyor belt, and commented a couple of times "I could stay here all afternoon watching all these dishes go around!" So there is now an expectation that she and I are going to try out every sushi train we can find in Sydney. Only the good ones of course!

This week's recipe is a great cold dish which early subscribers to my email recipe service might remember seeing. It is great for entertaining as it makes a huge quantity, and with the chicken sausages kids love it. It certainly has all my favourite flavours in it with the lemon and mint and green olives. The recipe comes from my Womens Weekly Salads cookbook, which has been the source of many good, substantial salads for me. I have a note to myself with the recipe that the Womens Weekly test kitchen must have invited in people to try out this salad who had ENORMOUS appetites as according to them it serves four, and by my reckoning it easily serves eight very generously. See what you think.

Have a happy week. Love from Jane xxx

Chicken sausage and couscous salad

Serves between four and eight, or maybe more, you be the judge

What you need:
· 8 thick chicken sausages
· 1 ½ cups chicken stock
· 1 ½ cups couscous
· 1/3 cup finely chopped preserved lemon rind
· 1 medium red capsicum, sliced thinly (or chopped, your preference)
· 300g can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
· 1 cup seeded large green olives, halved lengthways
· 1 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves, chopped
· 1/3 cup lemon juice
· 1/3 cup olive oil

What you do:
1. Cook the sausages however you like – I usually stick them in the oven for half an hour and they come up beautifully. When cooked, slice them thinly.
2. Meanwhile, bring stock to a boil in a medium saucepan. Remove from heat, stir in the couscous and cover. Stand for about five minutes or until the stock is absorbed, then fluff up the couscous with a fork.
3. Place the sausages and couscous in a large bowl with the remaining ingredients and toss gently to combine.

Chocolate ganache

2009-02-07T11:07:00.003+11:00

Hello everyone, I was lucky enough this morning to be the "Gifted Gourmet" on Simon Marnie's program on ABC radio. It was a lot of fun. I listened to the suggestions of fresh and seasonal ingredients from the providores, and then gave Simon a menu of dishes that I would cook for my friends using those ingredients. I chose a mixed leaf, zucchini and sashimi salad to start, followed by lamb cutlets cooked on the BBQ and served with a mint pesto and some caponata on the side, with a peach flan to finish. It was really hard to narrow it down to those dishes, as there were so many different recipes I could think of. Anyway, hopefully it will give some home cooks some inspiration in the kitchen! The recipes for the sashimi salad and the lamb cutlets can be found on this blog and if you want to listen to the audio you can find it at this link: http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2009/02/07/2482194.htm?site=sydney

During the week I baked a chocolate coconut cake to share with some friends and iced it with a chocolate ganache, which is so luxurious and much, much better than normal icing. I thought I'd give the recipe for the ganache today (you can find the cake recipe elsewhere on the blog too) as it's a very easy thing to make, very impressive and really versatile. I am pretty sure that the recipe I use is a Belinda Jeffery, always an indicator of something good.

Go and play under the sprinkler - we're allowed to now in NSW!

Love from Jane xx

Chocolate ganache

What you need:

· 1 ¼ cups thickened cream
· 200g good quality dark cooking chocolate, chopped
· 1 teaspoon unsalted butter

What you do:

1. Bring cream to the boil in a saucepan.
2. Reduce heat and mix in chocolate until it has all melted.
3. Remove from heat and whisk in butter. The ganache is now ready to use.

Cakes can be iced with ganache while cooling on a rack. Gently pour the ganache over the cake, letting it spread by itself over and down the sides (use a spatula if necessary). Alternatively, you can allow the ganache to cool and thicken and then spread it on the cake.

Place cake on a plate or a stand and let the icing set. Avoid handling the cake and refrigerate if necessary.

Leftover ganache can be reheated and used later on another cake or warmed very gently to make a lovely chocolate sauce. It also makes great icecream if you stick the leftovers in the freezer.

Sesame paste

2009-01-31T11:03:00.003+11:00

Hello everyone, I had the most delicious meal earlier this week at a place in McMahons Point called Delicado. It's Spanish (yes, I do love all things Spanish) and everything was perfect. I think the highlight for me was a plate of jamon, that was just served with a few drops of very good oil and some bread. Quite perfect. The churros with chocolate sauce and a big dollop of caramel was pretty good too, I have to say...

All of which has nothing to do with this week's recipe which is more Middle Eastern. It is a very versatile sesame paste which is great served with anything grilled, or on a mezze plate with dolmades, Turkish toast and other bits and pieces. It is a recipe from one of my favourite food writers, Matthew Evans, and is yummy, perfect for brightening up a mid week dinner one of these warm summer nights. The pomegranate molasses gives it some zing. You can find pomegranate molasses at delis or Harris Farm Markets and you really should have some in your pantry, it's such a useful and delicious ingredient.

Have a wonderful week! Love from Jane xx

Sesame paste

Makes close to one cup

What you need

2 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
A few drops of sesame oil
Juice from one lemon
60-80ml water

What you do

Stir the tahini and pomegranate molasses until well combined.
Add the sesame oil and lemon juice to thicken.
Gradually stir in the water and more oil to thin down the sauce again, until it's a loose paste.
Serve however you like, drizzled over food or in a bowl for dipping, or as a sauce next to something grilled.

Roasted vegetable, rocket and feta salad

2009-01-24T10:14:00.004+11:00

Hello everyone, I know that cooking is probably the last thing on many people's minds, but when it's so hot that you don't want to do anything at least it's comforting to have a nice home cooked meal, especially if it's one you have prepared earlier. Then all the work is done and you can sit and relax!

Mind you, I had dinner during the week at one of my all time favourite places, the Three Weeds at Rozelle. They have a great bar menu and I have never been disappointed. When I was there this week I chose the lamb with yoghurt sauce and couscous. Very much the sort of thing that I would cook for myself anyway, but I really felt like some lamb so went with it. It was beautiful! It actually tasted homecooked. So sometimes it does pay to go out and let someone cook for you.

I was planning to try out a fabulous Nigella chocolate sauce recipe on some dinner guests last night but they thwarted my plans by turning up with a cake! So that recipe is yet to be tested. It sounds so yummy and fattening that I don't dare make it when I don't have guests coming as I know I'll end up eating it all which would be disastrous!

Anyway, here is a fabulous salad that gives you lots of vegetables and is delicious.

Have a happy week. Love from Jane xxx

Roasted vegetable, rocket and feta salad

Serves four

What you need:

1 capsicum, quartered
2 red onions, cut into thick wedges
3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1/4 cup olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 Roma tomatoes, halved
100g black olives (although I love green olives so you could use those if you prefer)
Wild rocket leaves
125g feta, sliced
Some extra virgin olive oil for serving

What you do:

Preheat oven to 220C.
Combine capsicum, onions and garlic in a large roasting pan.
Season the vegetables with salt and pepper and gently toss to coat in the olive oil.
Roast the vegetables for 15 minutes and then remove any that are nice and crispy. Do keep any eye on the garlic as you don't want it to burn.
At this point add the tomatoes and olives to the pan and return the vegetables to the oven and continue to cook for another 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool until still just warm.
To serve, arrange the vegetables on a serving dish. Top with the rocket leaves and feta. Drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil and serve. The garlic should be all nice and gooey, so when you are eating the salad you can sort of squish it into the other vegetables and feta.

Prawn cocktail

2009-01-18T09:58:00.002+11:00

Hello everyone, isn't it great that we are finally getting some good hot summer days? I went down to the beach one night during the week for a walk around 8.00 pm and the place was packed - I had to wait ten minutes for a park! This kind of weather puts me in mind of prawn cocktails. When I was little we used to have family holidays with friends at their house at Lake Macquarie, and Patsy, the hostess, initiated me into the delights of the prawn cocktail. We would buy fresh prawns at the co-op during the afternoon, then go back to the house and peel a big mountain of them. I returned to this dish during the week as it's such a quick and easy one for mid week dinners. I experimented with the quantities for the sauce and think I have it just right, but of course, you should adjust the quantities to your taste.

Have a fabulous week, love from Jane xx

Prawn cocktail
Quantity for one - multiply as needed

What you need:

Whatever type of lettuce leaves you like, watercress would be nice
10 king prawns, peeled
2 teaspoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon tomato sauce
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Lemon or lime quarter

What you do:

Shred the lettuce and arrange in your serving bowl/glass.
Arrange the prawns on the lettuce.
Mix together the remaining ingredients and drizzle over the prawns.
Serve with a wedge of lemon or lime.

Kirsch marinated berries

2009-01-10T10:49:00.004+11:00

Hello everyone, I am very excited because I am going to see Peter Pan with my nieces today. We are going out to somewhere called Newington Armory, at Homebush Bay. I decided to pack a picnic lunch and went to my local shopping centre to buy the bits and pieces. Not the best choice as the one bakery there has rubbish bread, but with not a lot of time to spare I thought it would do. I couldn't believe it when I walked into Woollies on my last stop at the shops and found that they are now stocking my favourite bread in the world, Brasserie Bread. I contemplated chucking out the rubbish rolls I had bought and picking up a loaf of Brasserie sourdough, but decided that rolls were easier for a picnic as I think there are rules about carrying knives in public places. Well, I'll know next time where to head for my fresh bread.

This week's recipe is absolutely gorgeous for entertaining on a hot day and hopefully we will see a few more such days (doesn't feel like it today). It's also really pretty. It's another recipe from my Summer SOS book which is full of great ideas for fresh produce.

Have a wonderful week. Love from Jane xx

Kirsh marinated berries

Serves 6

What you need:

600g mixed berries (as many varieties as you can find)
75g caster sugar
100ml kirsch

What you do:

Hull the berries if necessary and slice the strawberries lengthways.
Put the berries in a bowl and sprinkle with the sugar and kirsch and toss gently until lightly coated.
Leave the berries to marinate for 2-3 hours, stirring from time to time to dissolve the sugar.
Divide the berries and juices among six serving glasses or bowls.
Top each with a scoop of icecream and serve immediately.

Mozzarella and olive crostini

2009-01-03T12:23:00.005+11:00

Hello everyone, my sister just dropped by with some of her beautiful home made pesto, made with her home grown basil, and some of her home grown tomatoes. I can't wait to try the tomatoes, I'm sure they will be luscious. And as I have mentioned before, I am always so grateful to have a store of her pesto in the freezer for the nights when I get home late and want to whip up something quickly. I have some goats cheese in the fridge so I can see a lovely Italian dish coming together with these three elements.

In a similar vein is this really simple idea for crostini. I have made this for myself for dinner but it would be great to serve to guests and can be thrown together very quickly. I buy this really nice olive paste at Arena's Deli in Mosman. I think they make and package it up themselves and I haven't seen or tasted another olive paste elsewhere that is so good. You can get it in either black or green variety. The recipe is yet another from my SOS Summer book.

Have a lovely week! Jane xx

Mozzarella and olive crostini

Quarter 3 roma tomatoes, drizzle with really good extra virgin olive oil, season and grill under a low heat until softened (or roast in the oven). Spread black olive paste on 12 toasted slices of sourdough, add a tomato quarter to each and gently press on top of each crostini 2 slices of a good fresh mozzarella (buffalo if you can get it). Briefly grill to allow the cheese to melt and decorate each crostini with a sprig of flat leaf parsley before serving.

Blue cheese and sage pasta

2008-12-27T10:43:00.004+11:00

Hello everyone, I hope you had a happy and peaceful Christmas. On Christmas Eve I went to Melbourne for the day with one of my sisters so that we could take out our aunt to lunch. I anticipated it as the day from hell. I was quite sure that the flights would be massively delayed, the traffic to and from the airport would be horrendous and the time spent with my aunt consequently telescoped into about twenty minutes. I armed myself with a good breakfast and plenty of reading material.

Well, to my surprise, the flights were running pretty close to time (and in fact we made up time on the way down and landed ahead of schedule) and the traffic was extremely light. We were astounded at how polite Melbourne drivers are - there we were, driving along, being VERY mindful of sticking to the speed limit on an unfamiliar route, with a great big map spread out and visible to everyone who drove past, vigorously pointing and waving our arms around every time we stopped at traffic lights and had a minute to consider how to proceed. And to top off it all, the restaurant we visited in Yarraville was lovely! Very Melbourne (my code for dark and enclosed) with a nice fit out and great food. Sadly I was unable to squeeze in dessert, not having a lot of time to sit around and let my main settle before we took off back to the airport again.

So, with all that rushing around in the lead up to Christmas and of course a busy day on the 25th, I am put in mind of this soothing pasta dish that is the easiest thing in the world to whip up - perfect for lazy summer evenings. Now I know that lots of people think they don't like blue cheese, but really there are so many different varieties and you can get some really nice creamy ones. There is a very nice King Island blue you can buy at the supermarket which comes in a roll, and Milawa Blue is also one of my favourites. I also love the flavour of sage but find it's best used carefully as it can be a little overpowering if you use too much. This recipe comes from my SOS Spring/Summer book.

Have a happy new year! Love from Jane xx

Blue cheese and sage pasta

Serves any number of people - the quantities are flexible

Toss any pasta (gnocchi works well) with some cultured butter, grated parmesan or pecorino, crumbled blue cheese and chopped sage. Let the heat from the pasta melt the butter and cheese. It's divine.

Lamb cutlets with mint pesto

2008-12-20T10:53:00.002+11:00

Hello everyone, well here we are the week before Christmas and I am going to be up to my elbows in chocolate today as I am making various chocolate slices, sauces and ice-creams (yes, last week's Christmas bombe) to take to parties and to give as gifts to people. I am actually dangerously close to never wanting to see chocolate again I am using so much of it but I'm sure that will pass.

This week's recipe is prompted by a discussion with my sister this morning about the menu for Christmas day. To my delight we are all having all my favourite things on the BBQ, including lamb cutlets. Not this recipe, but one that has been around in the family for years. This one is a great summertime lamb recipe and you do the cutlets on the BBQ. The pesto is made with mint which is really refreshing. I often do these when I have people over, they are a great one for a group. Having said that, I am not a fan at all of serving lamb cutlets as finger food as there is just no way you can eat them gracefully and I always decline them regretfully in that situation, but who wants lamb and pesto all over their face at a party? So serve them when guests have plates and cutlery, OK?

Have a very happy Christmas, eat well and enjoy the festivities in whatever form they take place. Love from Jane xxx

Lamb cutlets with mint pesto

What you need:

20 lamb cutlets
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Pesto

2 bunches mint
1/2 bunch flat leaf parsley
1 tablespoon pine nuts
1 tablespoon grated parmesan
Juice of one lemon
100ml extra virgin olive oil

What you do:

Remove the bulky stems from the herbs.
Lightly toast the pine nuts in a preheated 200C oven, taking care to not let them burn.
In a food processor blend the herbs with the nuts, parmesan and lemon juice and, with the motor running, slowly add the oil. Season to taste.
Season both sides of the cutlets and grill on a BBQ for a few minutes on each side, to the way you like them.
Rest the cutlets for a few minutes, then arrange on a platter, drizzle with pesto and serve.

Ice-cream bombe

2008-12-14T09:42:00.005+11:00

Hello everyone, I must admit that I haven't done very much cooking at all in the last week as I seem to be eating out for lunch and dinner every day in that final mad whirl in the lead up to Christmas. One of the best meals I have ever had took place on Wednesday night at a restaurant in Surry Hills called Pazzo. My friend Ron is a waiter there and his Italian mum makes a lot of the pasta for the diners there. I had a truly stunning meal and can't wait to go back.

This week's recipe is a great one for Christmas so if you are still wondering what you are you going to serve for dessert on the big day, this could be it. I found this recipe in the 2006 delicious calendar (and can't wait to hang up my 2009 calendar and see what recipes it contains!) and made it two Christmases ago and it was such a hit I am planning to do it again. You make the bombe in a pudding bowl so that it is the perfect shape - just a bit cooler than the usual pudding, and so pretty!

Have a great week. Love from Jane xx

Ice-cream bombe

Serves 6

What you need:

75g dried cranberries

1/3 cup orange juice

500g mascarpone

100g caster sugar

300ml thickened cream

2 slices candied orange peel, chopped into small pieces

100g nougat, chopped into small pieces

120g good quality chocolate drops (or chunked up chocolate)

1 tablespoon Grand Marnier (optional)

Rosemary sprigs dusted with icing sugar, to decorate

Silver cachous, to decorate (you can buy these at the supermarket in the cake decorating section)

What you do:

Spray a 1.5l pudding basin with oil and line with plastic wrap.

Place cranberries in a saucepan with the orange juice and simmer over a low heat for five minutes, then cool.

Beat together the mascarpone and sugar until the sugar has dissolved.

Add the thickened cream and fold into the mascarpone, then add the cranberries, orange peel, nougat, chocolate and the Grand Marnier, if using.

Spoon the mixture into the pudding basin and freeze overnight.

Thirty minutes before serving, transfer the ice-cream to the fridge to soften.

Turn out the ice-cream and decorate with the cachous and icing sugar dusted rosemary sprigs.

Buttered spinach with pine nuts and sultanas

2008-12-05T11:44:00.004+11:00

Hello everyone, I am having a lovely annual leave day today. I am going to be apartment- and cat-sitting in the inner city for the next five nights, so thought it would help to have the day at home today to all my housework so I can then enjoy my weekend kind of away. I must say it was a great relief waking up and knowing I didn't have to go to work - it's so ridiculously busy right now!

I'm happy with the timing of my weekend away as it's the weekend that the Growers Markets are on down at Pyrmont and I'll be within walking distance, so I can stock up on all sorts of lovely goodies there. I'll also be close to the fish markets, so can have a wander down there as well.

This week's recipe is one of those great little vegetable ones that you can cook up and serve with roast meat, lamb chops, tossed through pasta, on top of a pizza or even just by itself. It's very good with gnocchi. The way you use it will determine how many servings you get from it. It is quite luscious and every time I cook it I wonder why I don't make it more often. I hope you like it too.

Have a great week, love from Jane xx

Buttered spinach with pine nuts and sultanas

Blanch 400g of spinach in boiling water for 2 minutes (you know that frozen spinach is perfectly fine). Drain the spinach and while still hot, press as much water as you can out of the spinach, through the sieve.

Transfer the spinach to a warm mixing bowl. Add 80g of butter in pieces, 50g grated parmesan, 3 tablespoons of toasted pine nuts, 2 tablespoons of sultanas and salt and pepper to taste.

Mix well - the butter and cheese will melt in the heat of the spinach and the warmth of the bowl.

Really fabulous pesto

2008-11-30T17:11:00.003+11:00

Hello everyone, I am very excited to reveal that I have been published twice this month! One contribution appears in a book called "One Thing In Common" which is published by Cansupport, a support service for cancer patients and their carers at Royal North Shore. Until earlier this year I volunteered with Cansupport, and as part of that wrote a piece about my experience of both my darling Dad's cancer and that of my youngest sister. The book was a VERY long time in production so they are quite old stories now and certainly experiences I am glad to have behind me.

My second contribution (funny how both have been published at the same time) is in a book by the ABC called "Homecooked Feasts". It is a recipe for my Nana's afghan biscuits, which most of you who know me have sampled. I have to say that I feel quite disappointed with the book - there clearly wasn't much of a budget for production and it's very ordinary looking. They have also cleverly but annoyingly packaged it up with a similar book and you have to buy both, which put me off buying multiple copies for everyone for Christmas! I decided to just buy a copy for Mum instead. If you see the book and just want my recipe, let me know and I'll email it to you.

This week's recipe is inspired by the life saving pesto I found in my freezer on Friday night when I arrived home late and wanted something soothing for an easy supper. I had forgotten that I had this pesto made by my middle sister using her own home grown basil! I am convinced that you can't buy a decent commercial pesto and have to make your own, so this is the recipe I use which is from Matthew Evan's book "Kitchen Basics" - it's easily the most delicious pesto I have ever made.

Have a lovely week, Jane xx

Really fabulous pesto

Makes three mustard jars

What you need:

80g pinenuts (even better if you toast first in a 180 oven for about 8-10 minutes)
2-3 cloves garlic
70g (about 1 1/2 cups gently pressed) basil leaves
1 cup extra virgin olive oil (use your judgement, I never use this much)
80g really good Parmigiano-Reggiano parmesan, finely grated (Matthew uses 40g plus 40g mature pecorino - if you don't mind having that much cheese hanging around in the fridge you can do so too)
Salt and pepper

What you do:

In a sharp bladed food processor, blend the nuts and garlic until paste like.
Add the washed and carefully dried basil leaves, then pulse, scraping down the sides regularly to make a paste.
Add half the oil, then continue pulsing.
Add the cheese and as much more of the oil as you please to just combine. You want the pesto to remain bright green.
Season with salt and pepper.
Scrape into sterilised jars and store in the fridge. You should make sure that the surface of the pesto is always covered with oil. Best eaten within a few days.

Prawn and mango salad with maple creme fraiche

2008-11-22T10:00:00.005+11:00

Hello everyone, every Saturday morning I listen to Simon Marnie's program on ABC radio while I'm doing my weekend chores. My favourite segment is when he has three providores talking about the best meat, seafood and fruit and vegetables that are in season. Then a chef comes up with a three course meal using the ingredients suggested. They are all great recipes that are given, but as dessert is always based on the fruit that is listed, there is never a chocolate dessert, and in my view if there's no chocolate then it's not a proper dessert. So in desperation this morning I sent Simon a text pointing out this omission and guess what? Today's chef came up with a gorgeous sounding Black Forest confection using cherries AND chocolate. Now, that's a real dessert!

This week's recipe is not dessert, but a sensational prawn and mango salad that is perfect for hot Summer nights (I am pretending that we are experiencing fabulous Summer weather and hoping that eventually it will come good). It takes no time to whip up this one. It is the November recipe from the 2006 delicious calendar which had some really good recipes.

Have a great week. Love from Jane xxx

Prawn and mango salad with maple creme fraiche

Serves four

What you need:

50ml olive oil
Grated rind and juice of 2 limes
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/2 long red chilli, seeded, finely chopped
100ml creme fraiche (you can buy this most places now) or sour cream
4 cups baby salad leaves
1 mango, peeled and thinly sliced
500g cooked prawns, peeled and with tails intact

What you do:

For the dressing, whisk together the oil with 2 tablespoons lime juice, then season with salt and pepper.
For the maple creme fraiche, in a small bowl whisk together the remaining lime juice and rind, maple syrup, chopped chilli and creme fraiche/sour cream.
Toss the salad leaves with the dressing and divide among four bowls.
Top with mango slices and prawns and serve with a dollop of the maple creme fraiche.

Jam cake

2008-11-15T10:58:00.002+11:00

Hello everyone, I was inspired to make this cake because I had a big jar of jam sitting in the pantry and I knew it would take some very dedicated toast eating to get through it otherwise. I made this cake when I got home quite late one night. It's so easy as you just throw everything into the food processor and then whack it into the oven. I tried out the cake on the boys in the office the next day (always willing to be my guinea pigs!) and they loved it. It doesn't have an icing, but I'm sure served with a big dollop of thick cream it would only be enhanced. The recipe comes from a very handy book called "3 Ways With Stale Bread" by Ross Dobson. It's a really handy book, I do recommend it.

Have a fabulous week. Love from Jane xx

Jam cake

Serves 10 very generously

What you need:

185g softened butter
185g brown sugar
3 eggs
250g sour cream or creme fraiche
2 cups self raising flour
1 cup any jam you like

What you do:

Preheat the oven to 180.
Butter or oil spray a bundt tin (they are the ones that have fluted sides and a kind of column in the middle so you get a doughnut shaped cake).
Place the butter and brown sugar in the food processor and blend till smooth.
Add the eggs, one at a time, and blend for a few seconds between each addition.
Add the sour cream or creme fraiche and the flour to the food processor and blend until you have a thick batter.
Transfer the batter to a big bowl (it makes a big quantity) and stir through the jam.
Spoon the batter into the cake tin and bake for about 40 minutes. Do watch it - all the sugar in the batter makes it cook quickly so keep an eye on it from 30 minutes onwards.
Serve warm or at room temperature with cream, icecream, custard or all three.

Green olive and almond tapenade

2008-11-08T10:36:00.002+11:00

Hello everyone, last night I attended a cocktail party at Government House, which was lovely, of course. The finger food was spectacular - all these tiny little morsels that were beautifully made and arranged. I think my favourite was the crispy parmesan shell that contained a goats cheese and parmesan flavoured mousse. It was all spectacular. They did feature heavily the Chinese spoons containing miniature dim sims. I really don't think there is a place for the Chinese spoons in finger food as you just can't eat from them elegantly. Still, obviously lots of people don't agree with me as they seem to feature at every cocktail function.

Today's recipe is a really nice mix that can be used in all sorts of ways. I love green olives and if you buy them from a good deli you will be bowled over by the spectacular taste. You can serve this as a robust kind of dip, or spread it on crusty bread, either toasted or not, or use it to accompany grilled chicken or fish. It would also be good with roasted vegetables or even on a pizza - it's very versatile!

Have a fantastic week, love from Jane xx

Green olive and almond tapenade

Makes about 1 1/2 cups

What you need:

250g whole green olives (to yield about 170g when pitted)
1 cup blanched almonds
2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, chopped
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 clove garlic
2 anchovy fillets
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

What you do:

Cut the olive flesh so that you can discard the pits.
Toast the almonds in a 180 oven until golden brown (around 5-8 minutes, watch closely).
Blend the olives, almonds, parsley, lemon juice, garlic and anchovies in a food processor.
Drizzle in the olive oil and blend again until combined but still coarse.
Season to taste.
Serve at room temperature.

Pink grapefruit, avocado and watercress salad

2008-10-31T20:16:00.004+11:00

Hello everyone, in the last couple of weeks I have made lots of salads. Regular readers will know that I did quite a few winter salads too, using roasted vegetables. Now with the warmer weather there's a whole new range of vegetables and fruit to use, and when I spotted this recipe in the October edition of delicious I just had to try it as it contains lots of different ingredients that I love. I made it for dinner on Sunday night last week. It really only took five minutes and looked and tasted stunning. Non vegetarians might like to add a few slices of prosciutto. I might add that when I was shopping for the ingredients that morning I must have tested every avocado in the shop and they all felt too firm, so I selected one and put it out on the windowsill for the day. By night time it was fine.

Have a happy week. Love from Jane xxx

Pink grapefruit, avocado and watercress salad

Serves four

What you need:

16 macadamia nuts
1 pink grapefruit
1 ripe avocado
A bunch of watercress, sprigs picked
8-12 slices prosciutto (optional)
8-12 wafer thin slices pecorino (optional)
1 tablespoon finely chopped flat leaf parsley

Dressing

1/2 tablespooon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar (or whatever you have to hand)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons hazelnut oil, if you have it, otherwise use more of the extra virgin olive oil

What you do:

For the dressing, combine the mustard and vinegar in a small bowl with a pinch each of salt and pepper.
Whisk in the oils, then set aside.
Preheat the oven to 180 and then toast the nuts until they smell nice, about ten minutes.
Peel the grapefruit, removing all the pith, then cut into segments over a large bowl to catch the juice.
Halve, stone and peel the avocado, then cut into slices of a similar size to the grapefruit slices.
Add the avocado to the grapefruit with the watercress and toss very gently to mix.
Drizzle half of the dressing over the salad and toss lightly, so you don't break up the avocado or grapefruit slices.
Arrange the salad on a plate, interleaving the prosciutto and pecorino slices, if using, with the watercress, grapefruit and avocado.
Sprinkle with the parsley and drizzle over the remaining dressing.
Scatter over the macadamias and serve.

Mixed cress, zucchini and raw salmon salad

2008-10-25T10:33:00.005+11:00

Hello everyone, last night I made this divine salad for dinner. I adore sashimi, so when I saw this recipe that uses it I just had to try it. It is from my Spring/Summer SOS book. It is light and summery, and best of all, you can whip it up in just a few minutes. Mind you, I was making some rocky road at the same time as I was making the salad, so made sure I was really concentrating when it came time to tip the sliced salmon into one of the bowls I was using! It shouldn't be difficult to find the sashimi - I bought mine from a suburban fish shop - but make sure you use sashimi quality salmon that is ultra-fresh. The fishmonger cut it fresh for me and it was beautiful.

Have a lovely week, love from Jane xxx

Mixed cress, zucchini and raw salmon salad
(Serves four as an entree or two as a main)

What you need:

Four handfuls of mixed leaves, preferably a mix of watercress, curly cress and lamb's lettuce (you can usually buy these sorts of leaves at farmers markets; if you are relying on your local greengrocer then just use a mix of what you can find)
2 trimmed zucchini
500g sashimi quality salmon
1 1/2 tablespoons mirin
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon of any light oil you have to hand
Juice of a quarter of a lime
2 tablespoons chopped chives

What you do:

Place the leaves in a serving bowl.
Using a vegetable peeler, slice thin strips from the zucchini and add to the leaves.
Thinly slice the salmon and add to the leaves.
Combine the remaining ingredients and mix well.
Pour the dressing over the salad, toss gently and serve immediately.

Nat's Best Ever Brownies

2008-10-19T08:44:00.003+11:00

Hello everyone, I went to Sculpture By The Sea yesterday and as usual it was fantastic. Splendid even, particularly as it was a gorgeous sunny day and there was a whale frolicking just off the coast. Unlike other years, there wasn't one sculpture that I thought particularly outstanding and which will stay with me for years, but lots of really good pieces, particularly ones that sculpted single pieces of silver or glass.

On the way over there, with no relevance to the conversation at the time, my niece piped up "Jane, we really like chocolate brownies" which reminded me of this recipe I have made countless times now and for which people always ask. It is so easy as you throw everything into a mixing bowl (not all at the same time) and just keep mixing. As a result, you get a great, smooth texture. This is yet another recipe from my Epicure Chocolate book, and the recipe was contributed by someone called Natalie who is herself a baker.

Enjoy. Love from Jane xxx

Nat’s Best Ever Brownies

What you need:
· 4 large eggs
· 360g castor sugar
· 320g salted butter
· 130g chocolate
· 120g plain flour
· 80g Dutch cocoa
· 160g cream cheese, chilled
· 180g raw walnuts or pecans, chopped roughly (about halves)
· Optional flavours: 2 tablespoons strong espresso or grated zest of one orange

What you do:
1. Preheat oven to 160°.
2. Line an 18cm x 28cm lamington tin with baking paper.
3. Using a hand held electric beater, beat the eggs and sugar for two minutes on a low speed.
4. While it is mixing, melt the butter and pour over the chocolate and stir to melt.
5. If you are using the coffee or orange, add to the chocolate butter mix at this point.
6. Scrape the chocolate butter mix into the egg mix and continue to beat on a low speed for two minutes.
7. Sift together the flour and cocoa.
8. Add the flour mix to the mixer bowl and mix for two minutes. At this point the batter should begin to look matte and creamy – if it is still dark and glossy, mix it for longer.
9. Drop marble sized pieces of the cream cheese into the mix and continue to mix. Beating in all of the cream cheese makes a rich, gooey brownie; gently folding in larger pieces gives a slightly different texture but it will still be moist.
10. Stir in the nuts.
11. Pour the mixture into the lamington tin.
12. Bake for about 30 minutes or until fine cracks begin to appear on the surface and the edges are starting to puff a little.

Pomegranate salsa

2008-10-11T08:03:00.004+11:00

Hello everyone, I was part of a funny conversation in the office during the week. An email came around to a group of us who sit together, advising that one of the group is having a significant birthday this weekend and the sender thought it would be nice to have a cake. Did we all agree? Of course I didn't hesitate to vigorously agree that a cake would be a very good thing. Then came the next question: what sort of cake should we have? So the three men in the group entered into a great discussion about what sort of cake they would like. Eventually, being the service delivery kind of person I am, I interrupted them by saying "Why don't we ask the birthday boy what kind of cake he likes?" Great consternation. How on earth could we extract that information? (And the subtext was "why on earth...") So, birthday boy walked back into the office and I engaged him in a conversation about cooking, family recipes, our favourite cakes....to discover that he likes all kinds of cakes! Very easy to please. So we have settled on orange poppyseed.

This week's recipe is something that I made last weekend to go with some garlic chicken that I barbecued. The two went together beautifully, and it would also pair well with fish or roasted vegetables. I think one of the best things about it is how pretty it looks. I am unsure whether pomegranates are available at Christmas, but it would be perfect then as the dish is red and green. It's great for entertaining as it is something a little bit unusual and tastes great.

Have a fantastic week, love from Jane xx

Pomegranate salsa

Serves 4-6

What you need:

2 ripe tomatoes
1/3 cup mint leaves
1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 pomegranate
Salt

What you do:

Cut the tomatoes into quarters, discard the seeds and chop the flesh into small dice.
Roughly chop the mint leaves and add to the tomatoes with the pomegranate molasses, lemon juice and oil (taste as you go and adjust the quantities to taste).
To extract the seeds from the pomegranate, cut off the crown at the top. Cut the fruit into quarters. Put the quarters in a bowl of cold water, then carefully bend back the skin to open up the membrane, prising out the seeds. The membrane and skin will float to the top of the water while the seeds will sink.
Sprinkle the seeds into the salsa base.
Season to taste with salt , stir to mix and serve.

Spanish Omelette

2008-10-04T10:45:00.004+10:00

Hello everyone, those of us living in NSW are lucky enough to be having a long weekend. I love being at the start of this slightly extended break, thinking of all the things I am going to do. I have been planning to sell a whole lot of stuff on e-bay for a year now and am determined to get around to doing something about it this weekend. I keep putting it off because I think it's hard, but I'm sure once I start I'll get into it. The longer I put off starting the more time I have to find things around the house that I don't want so my e-bay pile is growing every week! Any opportunity to de-clutter is a good thing.

I am also hoping to do a bit of cooking this weekend of course. In a happy coincidence, when I was choosing recipes to cook over the next fortnight, one I selected was for some garlic chicken that I am going to do on the BBQ (I can't wait to get the barbie fired up again) and another was for a pomegranate salsa, which the author recommends serving with barbecued chicken. How good is that!

This week's recipe is from a Belinda Jeffery book, Tried And Trued Recipes, through which I am currently making my way. I like this book because she has arranged the recipes according to her favourite ingredients, so there are chapters on cheese, chicken, tomatoes, bread, chocolate and others. And every one I have cooked so far has been delicious, in fact one of them that I cooked a couple of months ago has become the best dish I think I have ever made! It's a beautiful saffron and cinnamon chicken casserole. Fortunately I had the foresight when I made it to do the full quantity which gave me a number of meals over the next weeks. Anyway, the recipe I'm giving you here is a simple Spanish omelette, just the thing for a light lunch or supper when you don't want something too big.

Have a fabulous week! Love from Jane xx

Spanish Omelette

Serves 3-4

What you need:

1 cup extra virgin olive oil (seems like a lot but it is used for flavouring the potatoes as well as cooking them and the excess oil is drained away)
750g potatoes, peeled and sliced to about 5mm thick
1 onion, thinly sliced
6 eggs
Sea salt, to taste
Small handful of chopped flat leaf parsley

What you do:

Heat the oil in a deep frypan over a medium heat.
Add the potatoes to the pan and cook them gently (you will probably have to do in batches).
Turn the potatoes regularly for 20 minutes or until they are cooked through (but not coloured or crisp). Don't worry if they break up a bit.
Half way through cooking the potatoes add the onion.
When the potatoes are cooked, gently move the mix to a sieve set over a mixing bowl and allow the oil to drain through. (You can save the oil to cook other savoury foods).
Whisk the eggs lightly in a large bowl, then add the salt and parsley.
Tip the drained potato and onion mix into the eggs and stir everything together.
Wipe out the pan and reheat a couple of tablespoons of the leftover oil over a medium heat until it is hot.
Pour in the omelette mixture, reduce the heat to low and spread out the potatoes evenly.
Stir with a fork for the first 30 seconds, then leave it to cook, shaking the pan occasionally to prevent the mixture sticking.
Cook the omelette gently until it's set and golden underneath.
Very carefully, flip the omelette onto a flat plate so it's cooked side up, then slide it back into the pan to cook the other side.
Continue to cook until the omelette is pale gold underneath and firm but still moist. It will take up to five minutes.
When the omelette is cooked, slide it onto a serving plate and allow to cool a little.

Warm salmon and green leaf salad

2008-09-27T10:46:00.004+10:00

Hello everyone, I don't know where the last week went. It feels as if the end of the year is racing towards us. Not a bad thing, as we move closer to Melbourne Cup day you just know that party season is right around the corner....All the blue sky and sunshine we are experiencing in Sydney makes me think of weekends at the beach, BBQs and hanging out with friends.

This week's recipe is a great one for Spring, combining salad and fish. It comes from my Spring/Summer copy of SOS, which is always one of the first books to which I turn at this lovely time of year. If you can get some watercess and keep it looking sprightly it makes the salad look so pretty. This makes a nice lunch if you are having friends around, and is also quick and easy for dinner after work.

Have a great week. Love from Jane xxx

Warm salmon and green leaf salad

Serves four

What you need:

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons almond oil (or you can use all olive oil)
1 teaspoon pomegranate molasses or juice
Sea salt flakes
Freshly ground pepper
Juice of 1-2 limes (or 1 lemon, limes are very expensive right now)
4 x salmon fillets
300g mix of rocket, baby spinach and watercress
2 Lebanese cucumbers, sliced crosswise
1/3 cup blanched almonds, toasted in the oven for about 6 minutes

What you do:

Preheat the oven to 200.
Combine the oils, pomegranate molasses, salt, pepper and a teaspoon of the lime/lemon juice. Taste the dressing to make sure it balances as the pomegranate molasses can sometimes be a little tart.
Season the salmon and drizzle with the remaining lime/lemon juice.
Roast the salmon, skin side down, on a lightly oiled baking tray (I would line the tray with baking paper as well) for 8-10 minutes or until the salmon is moist and just cooked.
Break the salmon into chunks, discarding the skin.
Place the mixed leaves in to a serving dish, place the salmon chunks on top, scatter with cucumber and the toasted almonds and add the dressing.
Toss gently to combine and serve.

Maple and pecan croissant pudding

2008-09-21T20:40:00.004+10:00

Hello everyone, I spent a few days in Canberra this week for work. Unlike a lot of people I really like Canberra, not least because one of the cafes that features on my list of top places for hot chocolate can be found there! It's a bakery in Kingston called Silo and as well as using good quality chocolate in this drink, it's served in a dainty cup and saucer, which in my view makes hot chocolate taste even better. I am delighted to report that I achieved a personal best of five hot chocolates in three days from this cafe - I figured I might as well make the most of it as I don't anticipate being in Canberra again in the near future.

I was also lucky enough to catch up with my good friends Ray and Clare and their beautiful daughter Rosa Grace for breakfast at the cafe at Old Parliament House. I had never been to OPH before so didn't know what to expect (I was suitably impressed). However, what really struck me was that I could have happily ordered pretty well anything from the breakfast menu - it was easily the most enticing list of breakfast dishes I have ever seen! If I lived in Canberra I think I would be there very regularly so I could work my way through them.

Anyway, today's pudding is a recipe that I cut out of Good Living in the SMH nearly four years ago (yes, that's how many recipes I have in my scrapbook - it's taken me this long to get up to it!) It was a story about using claypots for cooking. I have a claypot, which I originally gave to Dad and which he used a lot, particularly for Asian cooking. I use it a fair bit too for all sorts of things, especially dishes that are slow cooked. I tried out this pudding on a group of people recently and it went down very well. I made it again today for my sister and her husband and they seemed to enjoy it too. There are quite a few steps to it, so I work out my timing ahead of time and write it all down so that I know when to do each task. You'll notice as it cooks the pudding has the most gorgeous aroma.

Have a wonderful week. Love from Jane xxx

Maple and pecan croissant pudding

Serves four

What you need:

1/2 cup sultanas
45ml brandy
4 large croissants
50g butter
40g pecan nuts, roughly chopped
3 eggs, lightly beaten
300ml milk
150ml thin cream
120ml good quality maple syrup
25g demerara sugar (if you only have caster sugar, that's fine)
Maple syrup and thin cream to serve

What you do:

Place the sultanas and brandy in a small pan on the stove and heat gently until warm. Leave to stand for one hour.
Soak a claypot in cold water for 15 minutes, then drain. Leave for 2-3 minutes then lightly grease the base and sides of the pot.
Cut the croissants into thick slices and butter on one side (I know this sounds incredibly indulgent, and it is, it's really worth it).
Arrange the croissant slices, buttered side up and slightly overlapping, in the claypot.
Sprinkle the sultantas and pecan nuts on top.
In a large bowl combine the beaten eggs and milk, then gradually beat in the cream and maple syrup.
Pour the egg mixture through a sieve on to the croissants, sultanas and nuts. Let it stand for 30 minutes so that the custard soaks into the croissants.
Sprinkle the sugar evenly over the top, cover the dish and place it in an UNHEATED oven. Set the oven to 180C and bake for 40 minutes.
Remove the lid and continue to bake for another 20 minutes, or until the custard is set and top is golden.
Leave the pudding to cool for about 15 minutes. Serve with cream and extra maple syrup.

Walnut taratoor

2008-09-13T15:08:00.004+10:00

Hello everyone, last night I made this interesting combination. I'm not quite sure what to call it, other than by its rightful name, a taratoor, but as I had never heard this term before and am guessing that most of you haven't either, that's not very helpful. I suppose you could consider it a very thick sauce, or a dip perhaps. According to the writer of the recipe it can be served with seafood, salads, fried vegetables or bread. I saw this as a fantastic opportunity to roast some potatoes of course and I served the taratoor with them. It was very, very nice and even though I only made a quarter of the given quantity I still have some left, so guess what? More lovely roasted potatoes tonight! (It's my Irish heritage). I think the taratoor would also go well with roast meat, or you could serve it as a dip with bread and/or vegetables, and it would probably work well swirled through some freshly cooked spaghetti with some parmesan cheese on top!

The recipe comes from my lovely Growers Market cookbook which is the only book from which I select randomly. That is because it is about cooking with seasonal produce, so I choose something that is in season right now to make my selection. I'm so happy that Spring is here, I feel as if Winter depresses me slightly more every year, so I'm hoping that the lovely warm conditions we have had in Sydney today will set the standard for Spring and Summer this year.

Have a great week. Jane xx

Walnut taratoor

Serves 8

What you need:

250g fresh walnuts (it is so much better to use fresh nuts than packet nuts - in Sydney you can buy them at Harris Farm)
80g fresh white breadcrumbs
3 garlic cloves
60ml white wine vinegar (or if you have an apple cider vinegar in your cupboard I think that would be nice)
1 cup olive oil (I reduced this quantity by three quarters as I wanted a thick texture)
Freshly chopped flat leaf parsley, to garnish

What you do:

Finely chop the walnuts in a food processor. Set aside a teaspoon for the garnish.
Add the breadcrumbs, garlic, vinegar and 3 tablespoons water and blend well.
With the motor running, gradually add the olive oil in a thin but steady stream until smooth. Add a little more water if the sauce appears to be too thick. Season to taste.
Transfer to a serving bowl and refrigerate.
When you are ready to serve the taratoor, sprinkle the reserved nuts and parsley on top.