Australia Day

Char Siu Lamb with Caramel Rice (Delicious magazine, Feb 2007)

Normally we don't do anything special to mark Australia Day - its a public holiday and so means a sleep in and we usually go and watch the fireworks in the evening but that is it. This year, however, I decided to break out and cook an aussie meal. But what is an aussie meal? Is it bush tucker, meat pies, lamb roast, barbecued sausages, seafood,....? Then there is the result of multiculturalism and the fusion of Mediterranean, Asian, and European foods and cooking methods.

After flicking through the latest issue of Delicious magazine I settled on Char Siu lamb with caramel rice. Australian lamb with an Asian twist - reflecting how Australia has evolved over the years and the acceptance of other cultures' foods. Of course for dessert it was a given - despite all the debate for and against - it had to be pavlova!

The lamb racks (6 x 3-cutlet Frenched lamb racks) had to be marinaded overnight in a mixture of char siu sauce, honey and lime juice. The following day the lamb was cooked for 1-2mins each side to brown before putting in a roasting pan, pouring over the rest of the marinade and roast for about 20mins (15mins for medium-rare; I prefer my meat cooked a little more inside). After resting the meat for 5mins, you then slice into cutlets and serve with the caramel rice and pan juices (not that I had a lot of pan juices left - it tended to caramelise).

For the Caramel rice, I boiled the jasmine rice the night before. However, after reading Kitchen basics by Matthew Evans (restaurant reviewer for the Sydney Morning Herald and one-time chef, trainer and recipe writer), I shouldn't be using the 'bodgie' method of boiling rice in loads of water, but instead I should be steaming it. In fact he recommends owning a rice cooker.

The following day, and while the lamb cutlets were roasting, I fried a mixture of 2 beaten eggs in a hot wok, then removed and chopped roughly and set aside. I added some more oil, ginger, garlic and brown sugar and stir fried for 1 minute until it had caramelised. 200g of sliced shitake mushrooms were added and stir fried for another minute before adding the rice and soy sauce. Finally I added back the chopped egg and some sliced spring onions (these were sliced on the diagonal).

It was finger licking good, literally, as it was easier to pick up the cutlets with your fingers rather than battle with a knife and fork.

Pavlova with Yoghurt Cream and Berries (Bill Granger - Every day)

Was I asking for trouble by attempting a pavlova? I decided to risk it anyway! Pavlovas are actually pretty straightforward to make - its the beating together of the egg whites and sugar that posed the biggest problem for me. I only possess handheld beaters and by the time I was incorporating the last of the castor sugar (a tablespoon at a time exhorts Bill) the mixture had grown immensely. In fact I had to transfer the mixture from the original bowl to a larger one and i still had problems. I knew that the sugar hadn't been entirely beaten in to the mixture and this shows in the final results with some crystallisation and 'bleeding'.

It cooked 80mins in a fairly cool oven and then left for another hour or so in the oven with the door left ajar. It looked like a pavlova! However it was coming apart in places. The cream was whipped and then 1/2 cup of natural yoghurt was folded through - this gives the cream some 'tang'. I wasn't sure how this would go and if anyone would pick it up (no-one else in the house professes to like yoghurt) but it worked and no, no-one noticed! I think it works well with the sweetness of the pavlova. Bill only uses strawberries in his recipe but i decided to diversify and added strawberries, blackberries and blueberries. It was delicious!

Cooking with Bill.....

Granger, that is........or more specifically I tried 2 recipes from his latest book,Every Day which was a christmas gift. I have to say I am a recent convert to Bill Granger and his recipes but I'm loving his food. Its mostly easy to prepare and takes advantage of seasonal fresh fruit and vegies and the emphasis is on organic meat and fresh seafood. One day I will make his renowned ricotta hotcakes with honeycomb butter for breakfast, or better still, have them at his restaurant!

When I decided on the recipes the other day we were going through a spell of hot weather so I was looking for light meals, suitable for hot days. So nothing heavy or stodgy. These spicy chicken thighs with cucumber and cashew salad seemed to fit the bill perfectly (pardon the pun!). (However, by Sunday afternoon the the cool change had come through and so was quite cool by diner time!) Only problem was that DH does not like cucumbers. No worries, I would cut back on the cucumbers, and add some red capsicum and carrot. Hopefully that would meet with approval. I also used my mandolin slicer for the first time to slice the cucumber and carrot thinly - it worked a treat once I figured out what piece slotted where.

As for dessert, I decided something quick and simple was the go (after last week's marathon effort). I love the range of fruit available through Summer and so decided on Fresh Fruit Salad with Lemon Grass Syrup. It was perfect!

So no major cooking dramas - it was all straightforward. I took leftovers to work for lunch the next day and it tasted just as great.

The next thing to accomplish is to take photos of the meals after I've cooked them! I keep forgetting! I look at other food blogs and see their amazing photos and it really does make a difference. Personally I like to see photos of the food because that is what inspires me to try a particular recipe. Next time.......

Spicy Chicken Thighs with Cucumber and Cashew Salad

Serves 4

3 Tbs fish sauce
freshly ground black pepper
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 lge red chillies, finely minced
2 tsp sugar
8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
2 Tbs vegetable oil (I only used 1 Tbs)

Cucumber and Cashew Salad
3 Tbs lime juice (I used 2 limes)
3 Tbs castor sugar
200g vermicelli noodles (I think I used a 125g packet)
2 cucumbers, halved and thinly sliced (I used 1 Lebanese cucumber)
small handful fresh mint leaves (only mint I have is chocolate mint and didn't feel that would be suitable so skipped this)
4 spring onions, thinly sliced
2 Tbs cashew nuts, crushed

Whisk the fish sauce, pepper, garlic, chillies and sugar in a bowl. Put the chicken in a separate bowl and pour over half the marinade. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 20mins (keep the rest of the marinade to one side).

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-highheat. Add the chicken, in two batches, and cook for 3mins on each side, or until it is cooked through. (Bill says - Sometimes I put another frying pan on top of the chicken and weigh it down with a couple of tins to make the chicken really crisp. [I tried this - it works!])

While the chicken is cooking, add the lime juice and sugar to the marinade that you set aside. Stir until the sugar has dissolved to make a dressing.

Pour boiling water over the vermicelli and leave for a minute or so until soft. Drainunder cold water, placein a large bowl and add the cucumber, mint, spring onions and cashews (or in my case, cucumber, capsicum, carrot and cashews). Add the dressing, toss well and serve with sliced chicken.

This was followed by:
Fresh Fruit Plate with Lemon Grass Syrup

Serves 4

Juice of 1 orange, strained
Juice of 1 lemon, strained
Juice of 1 lime, strained
160g castor sugar
2lemon grass stems, lightly crushed and cutinto 5cmm (2inch) lengths
Selection of seasonal fruit (I used mango, rockmelon, watermelon, honeydew melon, lychees, kiwi fruit and nectarine)

Put the fruit juices, sugar and lemon grass in a saucepan over medium heat and stir to dissolve the sugar. Increase the heat to high and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and leave to simmer for 10mins, or until slightly reduced and syrupy. Strain and leave to cool.

Choose a selection of fruit that is in season and at its best. Cut it up, arrange on a serving platter and drizzle with the lemon grass syrup.

And finally.......We bought some peaches the other day and the following recipe from the latest issue of delicious caught my eye:

Grilled Brown Sugar Peaches with Orange Blosson Yoghurt (Bill Granger recipe)

Serves 6

1/4 firmly packed cup (50g) brown sugar
1tsp ground cinnamon
6 peaches, halved, stones removed
1 cup (280g) thick Greek-style yoghurt
2 Tbs icing sugar, sifted
1-2tsp orange blossom water* (to taste)
small basil leaves, to garnish

Preheat a lightly greased barbecue chargrill plate or chargrill pan on medium-high heat. Mix brown sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle the cut side of each peach with 1 tsp of the mixture.

Combine yoghurt, icing sugar and orange blossom water. Set aside.

Grill peaches, cut-side down for 1-2mins until golden and caramelised. Serve peaches with yoghurt and garnish with basil.

*From gourmet food shops and selected supermarkets.

White Chocolate-Espresso Parfait Sandwiches

I am seduced by photos, especially of sweet concoctions and this one was no different! I saw the picture first in Aust Gourmet (Jan 07 issue), then I saw the description - "Coffee and chocolate are an unbeatable combination, but when its frozen it goes to a whole new level." Anyone who knows me would know that that description just about sums up what I like!

Now this is not a recipe for when you are feeling spontaneous and feel like knocking up something for dinner that night. Oh noooooo.....this recipes requires you to start 2 days ahead. The white chocolate-espresso filling is made first and then refrigerated before being whipped the following day. The next day requires making the hazelnut meringue and also the espresso caramel. Then the dessert is constructed before freezing overnight.

A couple of things didn't go to plan, as usual, when making this recipe. The major hitch was the meringue - I didn't cook it for long enough. While it looked crisp on the top, when I removed it from the baking tray it was still soft underneath and collapsed. So rather the meringue forming 2 neat sandwiches enclosing the filling, mine was a patchwork affair of broken meringue!

The other hitch was the caramel. The recipe said to heat the mixture until it became a dark caramel. I'm sorry but I could've cooked it the entire day and it still wasn't going to change colour for me. The best I could do was a pale golden colour; certainly not the dark caramel that was expected. However, it still tasted ok and nobody noticed!

This is a fiddly recipe and I was sceptical of how it would turn out and taste, but in the end everyone enjoyed it. I would probably make it again for a special occasion.

White Chocolate-Espresso Parfait Sandwiches (from Australian Gourmet, Jan 07 issue)
*You'll need to begin this recipe 2 days ahead

Serves 8

600ml pouring cream
25ml espresso coffee
3 pieces lemon peel
330g white chocolate, coarsely chopped

Hazelnut meringue
4 eggwhites
110g (1/2cup) castor sugar
110g (2/3cup) icing sugar, sieved
50g ground hazelnuts
20g Dutch-process cocoa, sieved

Espresso Caramel
150g castor sugar
75g liquid glucose
1Tbs espresso coffee
40g butter, coarsely chopped

1. Combine cream, coffee and peel in a saucepan, bring just to the boil over medium-high heat, strain over chocolate in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Cool, whisking occasionally so chocolate doesn't separate from cream, to room temperature, then refrigerate overnight. The next day, whisk chocolate mixture until soft peaks form.
2. For meringues, preheat oven to 100*c. Using an electric mixer, whisk eggwhites and a pinch of salt until soft peaks form. With motor running, gradually add castor sugar; whisk until glossy. Using a metal spoon, fold in icing sugar, hazelnut and cocoa. Trace 2 rectangles using a 20cm x 30cm cake pan as a template onto baking paper-lined oven trays. Spread meringue evenly onto rectangles, bake for 40mins or until crisp. Cool on trays.
3. For caramel, combine sugar, glucose and 1/4cup water in a small saucepan and stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium-high and cook for 5-7mins or until dark caramel. Remove from heat, add 1/4cup water and espresso, swirl to combine. Add butter, swirl to incorporate, then cool.
4. Place a meringue rectangle, trimming edges to fit, into a 20cm x 30cm baking paper-lined cake pan. Drizzle with half the espresso caramel, top with chocolate mixture and drizzle with remaining espresso caramel. Top with remaining meringue and freeze overnight. Remove, cut into squares using a wet sharp knife and serve immediately.

Ham on the menu again

My first cooking attempt for 2007 and I'm still not sure about this one - I didn't have enough of some ingredients and kept adding other ingredients. No-one complained and everyone ate it, even son #3 who had his later because he was asleep at dinner time (after-effects of new year's eve celebrations). But I'm still not sure about it.....



The original recipe:
Ham, carrot and snake bean stir-fry (Donna Hay, Dec 06 magazine)
Serves 4

2 Tbs vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed (I used minced garlic)
2 tsp finely grated ginger (I used minced garlic)
300g snake beans, trimmed and blanched (Have you seen the price of snake beans?! I used baby beans but didn't have enough)
16 baby carrots, peeled and blanched (the baby carrots were rather large so I cut them into thirds)
400g sliced leg ham, chopped
1 cup basil leaves
1/2 cup roasted cashews
1/4 cup oyster sauce
2/3 cup chicken stock
sea salt and cracked black pepper
4 spring onions, sliced
I also added:
a handful of sliced mushrooms
handful snow peas

Heat a large wok over high heat. Add the oil, garlic and ginger and cook for 30secs or until the garlic is fragrant. Add the beans, carrots and ham (and mushrooms, snowpeas) and cook for a further 3-4mins. Add the basil, cashews, oyster sauce, stock, salt and pepper and cook for another 2-3mins. Top with the spring onion.




This is a photo of my favourite salad and it is soooo easy to make.

1/3pkt Woolworths 4 seasons coleslaw mix
100g marinaded cooked chicken (I use Honey, soy and garlic marinade)
25 macadamias
20g crispy noodles
1 Tbs Free Honey soy salad dressing
1 Tbs Free coleslaw dressing

Mix it all together and eat! I love it.