Roman summer skewers

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:

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

That's it!

Sticky soy and maple pork burgers

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:

1. 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.
2. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Shape into 4 patties, cover and chill for 30 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 200C and line a tray with baking paper, or preheat a BBQ.
5. Heat a fry pan over medium high heat and brush with a little oil.
6. Cook the patties for a couple of minutes on either side until golden brown OR cook the patties on the BBQ until cooked through.
7. (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.
8. While the patties are cooking, split and toast the bread rolls.
9. Mix the oil with the remaining soy sauce and maple syrup and then brush over the cooked patties.
10. To serve, sandwich the patties in the rolls and serve with the accompaniments you have lined up.

Roasted walnut and preserved lemon salsa

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:

1. 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).
2. When the nuts have cooled, wrap them in a clean teatowel and rub vigorously to remove as much skin as possible.
3. Roughly chop the walnuts and place in a bowl.
4. Rinse the preserved lemon (does anyone actually do this? I don't), discard the pith and finely chop the skin.
5. Add the lemon to the nuts.
6. Add the chopped coriander/mint, lemon juice, olive oil and sea salt to taste.
7. 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

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:

1. For the candied walnuts, line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. Melt the butter in a saucepan.
3. Add the walnuts, sugar and pepper, then stir for 1-2 minutes until the sugar melts and coats the nuts.
4. Remove from the heat and use a spoon to spread the nuts out on the baking tray. Leave for a few minutes to set.
5. Combine the olive oil, red wine vinegar, mustard and lemon juice in a small bowl.
6. Season the dressing with sea salt and pepper, whisking to combine, then set aside.
7. Place the figs, cut side up, on a small baking tray.
8. Sprinkle with the sugar, balsamic vinegar and additional olive oil.
9. Place the figs under a grill for five minutes or until golden and bubbling. Remove from the grill and set aside.
10. 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

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:

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

Cranberry and walnut brie

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:

1. Place port, sugar and 1 cup of water in a pan over a low heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
2. Increase the heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes or until syrupy.
3. Add the berries and cook for a further 2-3 minutes, stirring, until the berries start to burst.
4. Mix the cornflour with 2 tablespoons of cold water to make a smooth paste.
5. 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).
6. Whiz the goats cheese and gorgonzola in the food processor until smooth.
7. Split the brie through the centre (horizontally) into two rounds and place the bottom half on your serving platter.
8. 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.
9. Top with the remaining round of brie and repeat with the goats/gorgonzola mix, walnuts and berry sauce.
10. Garnish with the watercress and serve with the toasted baguette slices. It really is spectacular and will be devoured.

Jamie's Waldorf Salad

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

1. In a large bowl toss together the leaves and the grapes.
2. Finely slice the celery sticks and add to the salad.
3. In a dry pan over a medium heat toast the walnuts. Keep an eye on them - they will only take a couple of minutes.
4. Discard the tougher ends of the parsley stalks and finely chop the rest of the stalks, then put to the side for a minute.
5. Chop the parsley leaves finely and add to the salad.
6. To make the dressing, combine the mustard and vinegar and add the reserved chopped parsley stalks.
7. 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.
8. Add the yoghurt and a good pinch of salt and pepper to the dressing and mix again.
9. Drizzle a little of the dressing over the salad so far.
10. Finely slice the apple into matchsticks and scatter over the salad.
11. Add the toasted walnuts and dressing and toss everything together.
12. 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

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:

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


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


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


4. 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 chicken strips with saffron aioli

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:

1. To make the saffron aioli, pour the boiling water over the saffron threads; stir and leave for ten minutes.
2. Whisk the saffron liquid into the mayonnaise, then stir through the garlic and lemon juice.
3. Cover the aioli and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes before serving.
4. Put the flour and the beaten eggs into separate bowls
5. Mix together the flour and coconut in a third bowl.
6. Dip the tenderloins in the flour, then the egg, then coat in the coconut crumb mix.
7. Place the tenderloins on a baking dish, cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. Serve either immediately or when they have cooled with the saffron aioli.
    

Tomatoes braised in olive oil

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:

1. Cook the oil, garlic, basil and thyme in a large, heavy pan over a low heat, until the garlic begins to soften.
2. Add the tomatoes, stem side down, and sprinkle with salt, pepper and sugar.
3. 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.
4. When the tomatoes are tender when pierced with a skewer, remove from the heat.
5. 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

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

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:

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

Parmesan ricotta on toast

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:

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

Chicken Koftas

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:

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

Prawn cocktail

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:

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

Kirsch marinated berries

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:

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

Mozzarella and olive crostini

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.

Lamb cutlets with mint pesto

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:

1. Remove the bulky stems from the herbs.
2. Lightly toast the pine nuts in a preheated 200C oven, taking care to not let them burn.
3. 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.
4. Season both sides of the cutlets and grill on a BBQ for a few minutes on each side, to the way you like them.
5. Rest the cutlets for a few minutes, then arrange on a platter, drizzle with pesto and serve.

Ice-cream bombe

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:

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


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


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


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


5. Spoon the mixture into the pudding basin and freeze overnight.


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


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

Really fabulous pesto

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:

1. In a sharp bladed food processor, blend the nuts and garlic until paste like.
2. Add the washed and carefully dried basil leaves, then pulse, scraping down the sides regularly to make a paste.
3. Add half the oil, then continue pulsing.
4. Add the cheese and as much more of the oil as you please to just combine. You want the pesto to remain bright green.
5. Season with salt and pepper.
6. 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.