Lemon Creams w/- Cherry Compote

Remember Surfing the Menu - that tv show with Ben O'Donoghue and Curtis Stone? Happily for we/us (?) locals, Ben now lives in Brisbane so we can eat his food anytime, but before that, he lived and chef'ed in London.  And in his holidays, he came out to Australia and made tv shows.  It always made me laugh watching them pretend to be old buddies, when you could tell they drove each other crazy.  And watching Curtis pretend he gave a rat's patootie about surfing.  (Oh, and where the heck did he get that jaw?).

They did make some nice dishes though, and one of theirs to be found in Delicious magazine is lemon creams.  It is quite a rich dish, but I guess if you are surfing it off, the calories don't matter:=).  Ben and Curtis just say "what the hell!".  

We didn't go surfing, but we did have a busy night, having friends over for dinner, and seeing our niece off in a limousine no less to her birthday bash.  And our friendly neighbour Princess Pia came over for a quick drink before dinner too.  Thank goodness, dinner was already made!  This dessert needs to be made the day before, so get started early if you are having friends to dinner.

gorgeous limo!

ingredients:

900mls thickened cream
zest and juice of 2 large or 3 small lemons
170g. caster sugar 

for the cherries: 
zest of 1/2 orange
200mls red wine
1/2 stick of cinnamon
1 clove
2-3 tsp caster sugar
1/2 doz. grinds of the vanilla bean mill or 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
200g. frozen cherries (no need to thaw)


Method:

Lemon creams:

Heat the cream to scalding point (lots of little bubbles around the edges, some steam coming off the top of the cream)
Remove from heat and cool for a few minutes
Throw in the zest, juice and sugar and stir well
Cool it down a bit, then pour into 6 ramekins (or moulds if you want to turn them out later - I didn't!)
Cover them with clingfilm, or just shove a baking tray over them
Leave to set in the fridge overnight

Cherry compote:

Zest, wine, cinnamon, clove, sugar and vanilla go into a smallish saucepan
Bring to a simmer
Pour in the cherries and bring to the boil
(add more sugar if you find it needs it)
Simmer for 5 minutes (I had mine at quite a hearty simmer)
Turn it off and let it cool down
Bung in the fridge

(I made the creams the day before, and the compote in the afternoon of the dinner so it had plenty of time to chill)

Spoon on a few cherries and some syrup to each ramekin
Go to bed after dinner with a huge smile on your face and a big belly:)

ingredients for the lemon creams  

pouring the sugar into the heated cream   

stirring in the zest, juice and sugar   

ingredients for the cherry compote  

wine, zest etc go into a smallish saucepan   

tip the cherries into the simmering syrup     

let it cool, then into the fridge to chill  

cherry compote spooned over the lemon cream 

my lemony doodle  

my slice of lemon doodle

My Sunday Photo 4 October 2015

sunset after a huge storm last weekend     

Mr P. and I were up the coast last weekend, and drove back through a massive storm.  This is the sunset after we got home.  It was intensely beautiful (no filters), and lasted for ages.  We were lucky that we didn't get the hail that other suburbs got!  Driving home was a bit of a nightmare.  Very hard to see in the pelting rain, and lots of cars heading back to town so very slow traffic.  Ah well, summer is coming our way, and lots of tropical storms (and occasional cyclones) ahead.


   

 

In My Kitchen October 2015

I usually love September, but this one was a bit here and there. Apparently it was all because of the stars.  There was a lunar eclipse, Mercury in retrograde (when isn't it?), a Supermoon and some other celestial stuff:=)  I think that's all over now, so I can relax at last.  Oh, except for the hail storm(s) we had over the last few days.  And my dental appointment next week.      

There was some good stuff too!  We went down to northern NSW a couple of times to catch up with friends; we also went to the annual Sculpture festival on Currumbin beach.  We dropped into one of my fave art galleries - Tweed River Art Gallery.  The surroundings are exquisite (was there ever more beautiful scenery?) and the exhibitions are always interesting.  Not to forget there is a great little cafe there too.      

There are heaps of really keen chefs, organic gardeners and hippies down in that region so you come across great produce and great food. And award-winning restaurants where you often see celebrities dining (if you're interested in that sort of thing).  So I usually come home with a few goodies.  This time was no exception.

fabulous salts from Byron Bay
   

fantastic flavour boosts

We have been buying these lovely salts from Tridosha for years on our very regular trips over the border.  We got these at the Sample Food Festival in Bangalow.  I almost bought a beautiful tiffin (hear that fiona@tiffinbitesized?) filled with salty goodies, but I restrained myself.  I didn't restrain myself from buying the salts, and a cookbook, and local chocolate and coffee and and and....

we just couldn't choose!

the best cordial ever:)  

another cookbook  

chilli jam bought at a roadside stall in the northern NSW hinterland  

very near to my kitchen is my collection of fossils 

This is my latest acquisition for my collection.  My sis is currently working in a place that sells fossils amongst other things so she gave me an employee discount on this gorgeous, shiny relic.  

here we have a beautiful bowl made by our dear friend Brooke 

I know this looks a bit suss but it is just dried fingerlime powder; it gives a great zing to all sorts of dishes     

yep a bit hard to see; ramekins also made by Miss Brooke for my kitchen    

and a bowl made for our niece

The niece is a huge Heston fan so on this bowl we have a Heston quote and a depiction of his spectacles on the bottom.  Oh, and she is a huge dachshund fan (and owner) so there had to be dachshunds!  The other bowl was for the nephew; it was their mutual birthdays (being twins) so we arranged to have Miss Brooke make them some personalised bowls.  Mr P. had the ramekins made for me so I have matching lovelies in which to put Nigella's chocolate pots.  


Join in with Celia from Fig Jam & Lime Cordial in the monthly roundup of global kitchens.  You won't be sorry!  All manner of international foods and delicious items will come into your ken.

Quaint Corn (And Chicken) Square

Just as we cherish Margaret Fulton in Australia,  and the Brits cherish Mary Berry, New Zealand has their own culinary icon in Alison Holst.  I bought a couple of her books years ago, and it was only when we travelled to NZ that I realised she was bigger than Ben-Hur!  Sadly, she is now struggling with dementia, and cooks no more, but her son Simon carries on the tradition.  (Rather like Margaret Fulton's daughter and granddaughters do).  

Mr P. and I were vegetarians for many years and her book Meals Without Meat was a winner.  Even when we started to eat meat again, her Meals Without Red Meat was tops too:=)  Just simple, homey meals for the family, but also some interesting tid-bits like home-made ginger beer, and yoghurt, and soy milk.  I must give that a go one day soon.  

I have often made 'busy person's pie' from an old recipe book that was compiled by colleagues at work.  This recipe is somewhat similar, in that you throw together all the ingredients and bake in the oven.  Alison suggests throwing in a tin of tomatoes, but not being a huge tomato fan, I decided to add some roast chicken, semi-dried tomatoes, and a heap of parsley.  Serve it with salad. You can feed 4-6 people with this.

ingredients:

4 large eggs
410g. can creamed corn
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups tasty cheese, grated
1/2 cup self-raising flour
1/2-1 tsp salt  (I like salt!)
2 spring onions, finely chopped
40g. semi-dried tomatoes, chopped
150g. baked or poached chicken, chopped
2-3 tbs parsley, finely chopped
black pepper (I used about 10 grinds)

Method:

Eggs, corn and sour cream go into a large mixing bowl
Give it a stir with a fork till well combined, but don't go crazy
Sprinkle over the cheese, the flour and the salt 
Now chuck in the spring onions, the tomatoes, the chicken, the parsley and the pepper
Stir gently till just mixed
Pour into a lightly greased baking dish about 20cm x 20cm
Bake at 180C for about half an hour till golden and just a teeny tiny bit wobbly in the middle


Tips:

Use other proteins if you wish - fish or ham or just have it as a vego dish
Don't overbake it as it will keep cooking as it cools
Use whatever herbs you like
I used a mix of salts as I have many different kinds; here I used chilli salt and olive salt
It may take longer than 1/2 an hour to bake; my oven is slow so it took nearly 40 minutes

(An interesting aside - Alison has a can of corn being 440g.; I knew tins these days were shrinking!)

ingredients  

forking that eggy, corny, creamy mixture 

sprinkling over the cheese and flour  

give it all a good stir 

pouring the mix into the square pan (excuse the photo - I nearly dropped the bowl!) 

ready for the oven at 180C for 1/2 an hour   

and eat!

truly he's a chicken, not a duck:=) 

feeling a bit corny                 

  
        

My Sunday Photo 27 September 2015

a beautiful sunflower blooming in a back lane at Brunswick Heads NSW

I love this big, beautiful sunflower.  Mr P. and I were walking down a lane between our motel and the main street of Brunswick Heads which sits next to the gorgeous Brunswick River which heads to the sea.  In fact, the ocean waves crash just across the river, and past the scrub.  It is a lovely peaceful little town (for the moment, till the trendies move in).  We came across this stunning flower (never mind the stray boot in the foreground).  We love to head down to the Northern Rivers region of NSW as often as we can, to visit friends and take in the gorgeous countryside.

Viennese Potato Soup - With A Twist of Mushrooms

I love potatoes!  But who doesn't?  The other day while puddling around in my cookbook collection, I found this little beauty.  Mr P. says it is mine; I say it is his.  It is a mystery as to how it appeared on our shelves.  (And I fear there are others lurking in the depths).

a mystery volume on the shelves :=)      

The Princess was a princess before she married the Prince.  She was born Princess Windischgraetz, so she could already hold her own in the Royalty stakes.  And clearly she was a lover of potatoes. She tells us that the Brits were eating over 100kg. of spuds per head each year (and that was back in the '80s!).  Amazingly, you can still buy this book which was first published in 1981.  See, potatoes are the cat's pyjamas; everyone loves them.

Here is my version of the Princess's potato soup; ramped up with extra mushrooms and bacon.  Oh, and even a few more tatties.  I had planned to make mushroom paprika soup (from an old photocopied page; not sure where it came from), but then I saw this book and the die was cast.  Who could resist recipes like Prague potato soup, potato wine or even better - pommes de terre (potatoes) au lard? Happily, that means bacon in English, not pig fat! 

ingredients:

1 tbs olive oil 
2 tbs butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
140g. rindless bacon, chopped (4 or 5 slices)
1 tsp sweet Hungarian paprika
4-5 medium potatoes, diced  (I only had wee ones so I used 9)
500g. mushrooms, sliced 
A few caraway seeds (optional)
2 tbs plain flour
Zest of half a lemon
A handful of parsley, chopped
1.25 L of stock (chicken or beef is fine)
1 tsp salt
Black pepper (I used about a dozen grinds of the mill)
200 mls. sour cream


Method:

Heat the oil and 1 tbs of butter in a large saucepan
Add the onion, and stir till just turning golden
Tip in the bacon and stir some more
In goes the paprika
Then the potatoes and mushrooms
Throw in the caraway seeds if using
Give it a good stir
Add the other 1 tbs of butter and stir in
Sprinkle over the flour and stir it well in
Add half the lemon zest and parsley
Pour in the stock and - you guessed it! -  stir it together
Add salt and pepper
Turn it down low and simmer gently for about 25 minutes
When the potatoes are tender, add the sour cream and heat gently - do not boil the cream as it will curdle (will still taste great!)
Throw in the other half of the lemon zest and parsley
Season with more salt and pepper if desired

a mountain of sliced mushies 

a benchful of ingredients 

a bowlful of bacon   

tip in the mushies  

give it a good stir 

simmer for about 25 minutes till potatoes are tender 

a dollop of sour cream

me in my cooking gear!  (I have lots of aprons)  

my mushie doodle:=) 

   

Fat Belly Kaf - Restaurant Review

the Greek-inspired shopfront 

Why Fat Belly you ask?  Because the previous owner was vastly pregnant, and they thought this would be a great name for a restaurant.  Let's face it, the location is odd, being right in front of a local motel, and on a road that takes you through town.  But don't let this faze you!  Inside it is quite charming, the food is very tasty and our waitress Henrietta (from Argentina) was lovely.   

We met up with our potter friend Miss BP for dinner and a chat. We live nearly 3 hours apart, so don't often get to see each other. Miss BP is having a bit of a life change at the moment, so we had lots to catch up on.  And we were all hungry, so dinner was an urgent must.

babaganoush with smoked sesame and flatbread $9

This was only very lightly smoky, and for me could have had a bit more flavour.  I like this dip to be really tangy and bringing back memories of campfires:)  But it was pleasant enough, and kept our hunger at bay till the rest of the dishes came out.

Next came oysters (of unknown source) with a fingerlime sherbert. Yep folks,  I ate them all by myself.  Mr P. doesn't indulge, and Miss BP wasn't indulging either (reasons unknown:=)).  

1/2 doz. oysters w/- fingerlime sherbert $18

These were delightful little morsels, and were consumed very quickly.  Henrietta came back to pick up the plate, and said with surprise: "You had them all?"  Yes indeedy Henrietta, I did!

By this time, we were sipping on our drinks; a glass of sparkling wine for me, chardonnay for Miss BP, and chinotto for Mr P.  As we were staying at the motel, we only had to walk about 30 metres to our room, but Mr P. still abstained:=)

sparkling wine $10  

chinotto $3.50 

delicious, salty pan-fried sheeps' milk saganaki $16  

The saganaki was really tasty.  It had a zingy, cheesy saltiness which leaves you craving more.  It is a little like halloumi, but without the slippy-slidy skid across your teeth.

Miss BP's strong potter's hand squeezing the life out of the lemon:)

eggplant and feta balls $4 each 

Loved these balls!  So tasty, so flavoursome.  I could easily have had a few of these charmers.

crispy spiced squid w/- mojo picon $18  

I think there was some cummin in the coating here.  Delicious!   The squid was tender and spicy, and very moreish.  I think I ate some of Miss BP's share too.  (Mr P. doesn't eat squid either).  He is a sad disappointment to me in the seafood department:=))

I nearly forgot to mention the chicken souvlaki!  The 2 skewers rested on a bed of roasted buckwheat salad.  This was a new flavour to me, as I have only ever had gloopy buckwheat porridge that my mad housemate used to make us eat back in the day. (Oops, getting carried away there).  

This dish was crunchy and different and tasty according to Mr P.  I think he was talking about the salad!  I had some reservations about the souvlaki itself; it seemed a bit dried out and not as flavourful as it could have been.  And perhaps a leetle bit expensive for 2 skewers?

chicken souvlaki with buckwheat salad $27 

vegetable moussaka w/- almond sauce, zucchini chips and tabouleh $28  

     
This dish belonged to Mr P. and Miss BP, but I did have a wee taste.  Sadly for me, I found it too overwhelmingly sweet.  I think the caramelised onion had been braised with a fair bit of sugar, and not left to do its own thing for long enough.  So instead of getting the natural sweetness of the onion, it seemed to be mostly sugar.  I may be wrong here, so excuse me Fat Belly Kaf if so.  The zucchini chips were splendid though!

To finish the night, and even though we were bursting, we just had to share a kataifi crema.  This came in a large glass bowl, and was worth every mouthful of the overstuffed bellies we were going to bed with.  It was rich and creamy, and full of lovely pastry and nuts.  

kataifi crema $16    

the (newish) wooden deck which would be great on a summer's night  

We had a lovely night catching up over dinner in beautiful Brunswick Heads.  This is the cutest little coastal village you can imagine, sitting at the head of the Brunswick river, with the sea just a whisper away.  It is still a bit hippie, a bit downmarket (in a good way), with interesting shops and not many Sydney tourists - yet!
Don't tell anyone else about it:=)  

26 Tweed St., Brunswick Heads NSW
Ph: 02 6685 1100