Caramelised Onion and Potato Stacks

I think many cooks (and cookbook lovers) would know of Donna Hay, the well-loved Aussie culinary icon.  (I'm hoping for her latest cookbook this Christmas, Mr P.!)  This recipe is from her Christmas cookbook Christmas Feasts and Treats.  I meant to make this side dish last Christmas, but there were other recipes calling my name.  Better late than never, my friends!

I want to wish everyone a wonderful festive season, however (and if) you celebrate!  This has been a challenging year for the Pickings family, and I feel that this has been the case for many.  So once again, I want to say thanks for being here, take care, and "see you" all in the New Year.  OMG: 2026!!  How is that even possible? :=)

smelling so delicious

Makes 8 (or more):

ingredients:

2 Tbs EV olive oil

4 brown onions, cut into 16 thick rounds

500g./1.1 lb starchy potatoes, peeled and sliced thinly

160 mL/5.5 oz chicken or vegetable stock

80g./2.8 oz butter, melted

8 sprigs thyme

sea salt flakes, and freshly-ground black pepper

parsley or chives, for serving

brown onion

Method:

Turn on your oven to 180C/350F, to heat up

Grab a muffin tin, and line 8 of the holes with baking paper (or patty pan liners)    see Notes

Into your large (non-stick) frying pan, pour in the olive oil, and let it get nicely heated

And in go the onion slices, (in batches if need be); let 'em cook for 3 minutes or so, turning once, till golden  (let them cool for a few) then

Plop one onion slice into the bottom of each muffin hole

Divvy up the potato slices into the holes, and then throw on the rest of the onion slices into each muffin hole

Now the stock and butter gets divvied up into each hole, then you whack a thyme sprig on top of each one

Cover with aluminium foil, and roast away for 30 minutes

Now uncover and roast for another 30 minutes, till beautifully tender and golden

Plate them, and season well with the salt and pepper, and some parsley or chives if you like

Serve with a protein, or anything you fancy  (we had ours with a salad)

potatoes!

Notes:

Notes?  Notes?  Nah, no notes here :=)    Hang on, I do have a note (or 2) - I sprinkled some smoked sea salt flakes over the onion slices when frying them up!

I would strongly suggest using patty pan/muffin tin liners rather than baking paper.  Donna does not tell you how on earth you would manage to get baking paper into the holes, without it flying everywhere!!

And another:  try frying up the onion slices for a bit longer than 3 minutes per side - I did it for about 5 minutes before turning over, and frying for another 5!

I somehow ended up with a lot of onion and potato slices, so I ended up making 12 delightful stacks.  Well, you can't be sad about that, can you?

To be honest, this was a wee bit of faffing; but I reckon you could make these the day before (sans the melted butter and stock), let 'em sit in the fridge, then add the butter and stock, and bake till golden and scenting your kitchen with onion-y wafts.  And another thought - why melt the butter first?  Just throw on a big knob, on top of each one ...     

These are seriously delicious, my friends!  And no wonder, with all that oil and butter and salt ...  

and thyme

ingredients gathered  (am I Harry Potter? hehehehe)

fry up those onion slices in delicious EV olive oil

layer your onion and potato slices

throw on some thyme sprigs

ready for baking at 180C/350F for an hour

and ready for devouring

can't wait to eat this one!!

For those readers who asked about Mr P. - yes, he has had his preliminary procedure in hospital and is doing well.  Thanks for asking!

(Joining in with Jo from Brookford Kitchen Diaries, for the monthly link-up BKD Cookbook Club.  Happy Christmas to all!)

Smoked Salmon, Wasabi and Radish Finger Sandwiches

Well yes, for sure, I know this is a wee bit late or a wee bit early, but here we have a recipe from Donna Hay's cookbook Christmas, for your delectation.  I love a bit of smoked salmon any time of year, don't you?  I made this for Cookbook Club in December 2023, can you believe?  And honestly, the way this year is flying by, it WILL be Christmas before I can blink.

I know I've mentioned before checking out the salmon run in Pitlochry in Scotland; we've also been to the Salmon Ponds in Tasmania.  They have salmon and trout in the ponds, and you can throw in some fish food, or check out the museum.  Or walk through the Gardens and enjoy the heritage trees.  Oops, I sound like an ad, but truly it's worth a trip to any part of Tasmania at any time of year.

Anyways, let's enjoy some fishy fingers!  Reminds me of Dr. Who.  Remember the first episode with Matt Smith?  He was voraciously eating weird foods, and then he tried (and loved) fish fingers and custard.  Mm, maybe not for me ...  Though you never know - a salty morsel with some sweet custard could be a thing :=)  

creamy, fishy, herby - what's not to like?

Makes 12 fingers:

ingredients:

225g./8 oz cream cheese, at room temp.

2 tsp wasabi paste

2-3 tsp lime zest

2 tsp lime juice  (my optional extra)

8 thick slices of white bread (or bread of your choice)

4 small radishes, thinly sliced

200g./7 oz smoked salmon   (Donna says to use 250g. but she didn't add the boiled egg mash-up)

2 large eggs, hard-boiled and mashed, with salt, pepper and mayo

your choice of herbs, to be strewn on top of the fingers - Donna says to use miso leaves but you can add chives or parsley or whatever ...

Freshly-cracked black pepper, to serve

Method:

Throw the cream cheese, (well, gently) wasabi, lime zest and juice into a small bowl and combine well with a fork or whisk

Lay out your bread onto a board or bench, then spread two thirds of the cream cheese mixture over the 8 slices of bread

The radish slices go over 4 slices of the bread, and then you place the other 4 (un-radished) bread slices over the tops, cream cheese-side down (so, resting on the radish), so now you have 4 lovely sandwiches!

So spread the other third of the cream cheese over the top of the 4 sandwiches, and then spread over the mashed egg mixture

On go the smoked salmon slices over the eggy, mayo mixture - beautiful!

Trim the crusts of your sandwiches, and then cut each into three fingers (the bread, not your own)

On go the herbs and the pepper!

Serve daintily on a pretty platter

Notes:

Donna gives slightly larger quantities of the cream cheese, radish and salmon, but I decided to add the boiled egg mixture to these fingers, to give some Swedish smörgastarta vibes

Use lemon zest and juice if you prefer

gather your ingredients

combine the cream cheese mixture

spread the egg mixture over the cream-cheesed slices of bread

and slap on the fish!

the Grinch was eyeing these off :=)

Oops, nearly forgot to mention the verdict for the Mushroom Killer trial - she was found guilty on three counts of murder, and one of attempted murder!  I feel sorry for her kids, and the fellow who survived but without his wife, sister and brother-in-law.  Very sad.

so tasty, so fishy :=)

zest and juice your lime

radish

you guessed it!

Nigella's Christmas-Spiced Chocolate Cake

I love chocolate and I love spices, so what's not to love about this cake?  And of course it's from one of Nigella Lawson's cookbooks Nigella Christmas so a winner for me!  Do I have all her books?  Mm, I think so.  I love her prose voice, though I was amazed to find that one of my (male) friends dislikes her heartily (from seeing her on the telly I guess).  He thinks she's a bit snooty.  But he's jealous of her charm, I reckon :=)

Some of my fave Nigella tricks are: using scissors for cutting herbs, melting chocolate in the microwave, baking rather than frying, and ... well, there are heaps more.  I have made so many recipes from Feast for instance, and they have always worked.  And this one is a beauty!  I tried a small piece, but couldn't stay away and kept grabbing another wee piece and another ...  

caramelised almonds on top!

Gives you 10-12 slices:

ingredients:

For the Cake:

150g./5+ oz dark chocolate, chopped

150g./5+ oz butter, at room temp.

6 large eggs

250g./9 oz caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

100g./3.5 oz almond meal/ground almonds

1 tsp ground cinnamon

pinch of ground cloves

zest of an orange or similar fruit (we don't have her suggested clementine/satsuma stuff here in Aus, plus it's Summer here!)

4 tsp instant espresso powder (I used Lavazza Prontissimo Espresso)

For the Topping:

juice of the zested fruit

15g./1 (U.K.) Tbs butter

1 Tbs caster sugar

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

50g./1.8 oz flaked almonds

Top with: 300 mL/10 oz of double cream, or whipped cream, to which you add 2-3 Tbs of your fave liqueur, stirred in

Method:

Have everything at room temp. before you start making the cake (says Nigella)

Whack on your oven to 180C/350F to heat up

Grab your 23 cm./9 inch springform tin, butter the sides, and line the bottom with baking paper

The chocolate and butter go into a heatproof bowl in the microwave - watch carefully so it doesn't burn - try 30 second bursts till melted

Let it cool for a few minutes, while you beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla till thick, pale and mousse-like - till doubled or even tripled

Now fold in the almond meal, spices, zest and espresso powder - gently!

And then fold in the chocolate/butter mixture (also gently) into the batter

Pour/spoon into your cake tin, and bake for 35-40 minutes - you want a firm top, and a slightly! gooey interior

Sit the tin on a cake rack, with a tea towel over it, and let it cool right down

In the meantime, you make the topping by putting the juice, butter, sugar and cinnamon into a small non-stick frying pan, melt together, and let sizzle for a minute or two, before adding the almonds

Nigella says to tip the pan to keep it moving, so that you end up with the liquid gone and you have shiny, thinly-coated, fragrant nuts

Let 'em cool, put the cake on a serving platter, and spread the flavoured cream over the cake.  I stirred some roast coffee spiced-rum into double cream, whacked it into the freezer for 20 minutes to firm up ('cos this is Queensland, and it's hot and it's humid), then I spread it all over the cake, and topped with the orangey, spicy nuts

Mr P. buttered and lined this tin for me, as I don't have a 23cm springform pan

ingredients gathered

beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla together

gather your dry ingredients 

fold everything in - gently!

pour the batter into the cake tin

it's baked!

make your nuts!

my nuts are done

wanna try a piece? :=)

(Joining in with Jo from the Brookford Kitchen Diaries (BKD) Cookbook Club this month!)

c. Sherry M.

Christmas Crack

AKA Chatters' Crack, and most likely known as many other kinds of crack :=)  Nope, not the drug nor the Irish version of a good yarn in a pub, but rather, that delicious sweet treat of salty crackers topped with a caramel layer, and a chocolate layer, and lots of sweet bits and bobs of your choosing.

I have seen YouTube videos of people using pretzels and similar salty bases, but the Saladas worked out really well.  This recipe is a mish-mash from B. Dylan Hollis's book Baking Yesteryear, various foodie YouTubers, and a recipe from the Chatters' - i.e. Chat 10 Looks 3 - Facebook Page.  I pretty much halved Dylan's recipe; I was taking this to Cookbook Club, and there's only so much we can eat.  Just double it if you fancy more, or have a bigger baking tray!

so delicious!

Makes 1 tray of delicious chocolate treats:

ingredients:

7 x Salada biscuits  see Notes

110g./4 oz butter, softened

110g./4 oz light brown sugar

1/2-1 tsp vanilla extract

big pinch of sea salt flakes

110g./4 oz chocolate chips or thin chocolate like Lindt 70%

1 Flake chocolate bar (or choc. bar of your choice) - 30g./1 big ounce! - broken or chopped up

30g./1 big ounce chocolate hail/sprinkles

70g./2.5 oz pecans

And bling of your choice - M & M's, + chocolate hail, + sprinkles, whatever you fancy!

Method:

Turn on your oven to 180C/350F to heat up

Line your tray with alfoil and baking paper, and lay the biscuits down over the base - make sure you've left a large paper overhang so the caramel stays in the tray and you can easily pick the whole shebang up out of the tray when cutting/breaking up

Grab a medium saucepan, combine the butter and sugar over low to medium heat, and bring it to a boil, while giving it the occasional stir 

Now let it boil for 3-5 minutes, stirring now and then, till thick and gloopy (as Annabel from the Chatters' Page says) - watch it carefully; don't let it burn like some people may have done at some stage :=)

Stir in the vanilla and salt, and pour the hot, bubbly caramel mixture over the salty biscuits - you may need to spread it with a palette knife

Whack into the oven for 7 minutes, then take it out and sprinkle on the chocolate chips or pieces of chocolate (I used a Flake bar and chocolate hail also)

Let it sit and melt for a couple of minutes, then spread it out over the caramel-y crackers   see Notes

And throw on your nuts and bling!

Let it cool down, then break it up/slice it up into delicious chunks

Store leftovers (leftovers??) in an airtight container (the Arnott's recipe says not to refrigerate, but if you live in sub-tropical climes like me ...

Notes:

Dylan says to use 40 saltine crackers; my 36cm x 25cm baking tray held 7 Salada biscuits comfortably (one was broken in half to fit)

FYI - Saltines are 5cm x 5cm, whereas Saladas are 10cm x 10cm

If your chocolate layer isn't melted enough, whack it back in the oven for a minute or two

If you are doubling the recipe, bake it for a bit longer - maybe 12-15 minutes before adding the chocolate

oops! forgot the alfoil under the baking paper

Dylan getting into his crack :=)

let that mixture bubble!

throw on the chocolate!

and even more chocolate :=)

heading out to Cookbook Club

we had lots of goodies!

c. Sherry M.

(Joining up with Min for #WWWhimsy linkup.)

Black Forest Ice Cream Cake

Here we go - one last post before the Christmas break!  It's cherry season (phew! and are they expensive!!) so I had to include a few in this dessert I'm making for Christmas dinner.  I got the idea from Delicious magazine, with a recipe which calls for three litres of store-bought ice cream.  I decided to work a little bit harder (what? yes, crazy gal!), and make some of my own no-churn ice cream for one of the layers.

I suggest making this a couple of days before Christmas.  I reckon we will all have enough to do on Christmas Eve already:-)  Yep on Christmas Eve, I'm making Dutch potato salad, baking a small turkey breast, and prepping onion and garlic puddings for Christmas Day.  Eek!  Happily for me, Mr P. and our housemate M. will be shoving the four kilo Christmas bird into our oven at the crack of, on the actual morning.  Phew!  We will then transport the monster to our mates' place round the corner, to enjoy the festive feast.  Best wishes to you one and all for your own festivities.


ingredients:


ice cream:


100g. (70%) dark chocolate

400 mLs thickened cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tsp Frangelico or liqueur of your choice (optional)

1 tsp coffee powder (optional)

50g. icing sugar/icing mixture

200g. tube of condensed milk


Cake:


150g. dark (70%) chocolate, chopped

60 mLs (1/4 cup) thin (pure) cream

approx. 210g. savoiardi sponge fingers (about half a 400g. packet)

30g. (2 UK/US tbs) cocoa powder

1 store-bought frozen chocolate fudge brownie (350g.) - (I used Sara Lee)

300 mLs French vanilla ice cream from the store, softened

120g. pitted cherries - fresh or frozen, and chopped


To decorate:

200g. fresh or frozen (thawed) pitted cherries

50g. chocolate shards (from the 150g. above)


Method:


First make your ice cream: - melt the chocolate in the microwave for about eighty seconds or so, and let it cool for a few minutes

Whip the cream, vanilla extract, Frangelico, coffee powder (if using) and icing sugar together till softly whipped, then add the condensed milk and melted chocolate - whip again till you have soft peaks

Pour into a metal cake tin, and place in the freezer while you put the cake together

Line the base of a 22cm. springform pan with clingfilm or baking paper

Put 100g. (of the 150g.) dark chocolate in a microwave-proof bowl along with the thin (pure) cream

Melt in the microwave for about sixty seconds

Stir well, and cool for a couple of minutes

Trim off the top third of the savoiardi (keep the smaller pieces for something else)

Dust the larger pieces of savoiardi on both sides with the cocoa - I placed them on a baking sheet and dusted them using a small strainer

Then lightly dip one side of a savoiardi finger into the chocolate/cream mixture, and place upright around the sides of the pan (not flat against the pan, but so it sticks out into the pan) - check the photo if you're confused:-)  

Keep going till you have completely lined the pan, dipping each finger and pressing gently against the one before it

Now press the brownie into the base of the pan - or get Mr P. to do it for you, so he gets the gooby chocolate hands:-)

Stir the chopped cherries into the softened vanilla ice cream, and spread it over the brownie base

Place into the freezer for ten minutes to firm up

Then scoop the chocolate ice cream out of the tin, and spread it over the vanilla layer

Back into the freezer for five hours (or overnight)

When serving, take the cake out of the springform tin, place the fresh cherries over the top of the cake, and scatter the other 50g. of dark chocolate (chopped or grated into shards) over the top


Notes:

Buy two different ice cream flavours if you wish, rather than making one (or any)

Grab a packet brownie mix, and bake it up to use in this cake - if you fancy the extra effort!

first make your chocolate ice cream

place the mixture into a metal tin then into the freezer

get Mr P. to cut off the top third of the fingers (not his, tee hee)

dust the fingers with cocoa powder

line the base of the tin with clingfilm, then place the fingers around the edge

smooth on the vanilla ice cream and cherry layer

spread the chocolate ice cream over the vanilla layer

beautiful layers after being frozen overnight

how to fit this in after Christmas dinner? tee hee 

Have a wonderful Christmas/festive break, dear friends.  See you in the New Year; a year of change and new beginnings apparently!  May the '20s be marvellous for all.

 artwork © Sherry's Pickings