Whisk and Whimsy

Kung Hei Fat Choi!

2012-01-23T20:38:00.001+11:00

Well, it's about time we got this show back on the road!

I had grand plans for Whisk & Whimsy during the course of last year but unfortunately life threw me a couple of curve balls and I lost my momentum and, consequently, my interest. I've left things lag somewhat and now I see a couple of other W&W blogs have cropped up on the interwebs and have filled the void this site has left. Oh well, never mind!

Having left it too late to start afresh with the new calendar year, I shall take advantage of the Chinese new year to get back on the blogging wagon. Let us write off 2011 and see where this brand new year of the dragon takes us, shall we!?

Happy new year to you all, especially those of you who have stuck around waiting for an update from me - I hope the year of the dragon brings you all good health, good fortune and exciting times.

xox

Image: altered by W&W, from an original image by David Barrie via flickr.

Caramelised Lotus Root

2011-07-05T20:38:00.007+10:00

Hello friends! Sorry for my absence, I have been distracted by life - back again, though.

We are in the depths of winter here at W&W HQ, and I'm sick with the dreaded lurgy. Fortunately, winter brings one of my new favourite ingredients to the produce market and I have a recipe to share which is packed full of garlic, ginger and chilli and sure to ward off any nasty germs.

Now, do you know about Lotus Root? I must say I didn't know much about it until this time last year. Our favourite local Japanese restaurant serves up tasty little pickled lotus root bites before bringing the meal. This, along with lotus chips, was really my only exposure to the ingredient until one Friday last year when I was visiting Chinatown, as I often do to pick up my groceries, and saw piles of this peculiar tuberous root in various asian grocers. After seeing plenty of Chinese shoppers throwing lotus roots into their baskets, I will admit to being quite curious and came home with some to try.

This is what it looks like, before it's peeled and sliced:

Source: flickr.com by jvumn

Attractive, huh?

The lotus root is a starchy little devil and will quickly turn brown when exposed to the air. The key to preparing it is to peel it quickly with a vegetable peeler, cut it into thin slices, about 5mm thick at the most, and throw the slices into acidulated water (a bowl of cold water into which you have squeezed some lemon juice or tipped in some white vinegar). Otherwise, your lovely perforated discs of lotus goodness will turn from an appealing crisp white to an unattractive dark brown.

Once I got home with my bundle of tubers, I was faced with the dilemma of what on earth I should do with it. Of course, I turned to the great font of all knowledge, Google, and eventually came up with Kylie Kwong's Caramelised Lotus Root which I tweaked to suit the ingredients I had and which is adapted below.

To eat, the lotus root is quite crunchy - much more so than some of the pickled versions I have had in the past. It kind of reminds me of potato, or celeriac, but it retains its crunch when cooked (with a crispness rather like celery). It has a subtle flavour not disimilar to a water chestnut and really shows off this sauce to perfection.

Caramelised Lotus Root
(adapted from a recipe by Kylie Kwong)
Serves 4

You will need:

500g lotus root, peeled & cut into 5mm slices and immediately placed in acidulated water

2 tbs peanut oil

3 garlic cloves, finely sliced

¼ cup ginger, finely sliced into matchsticks (loosely packed)

2 tbs shao hsing rice wine (or dry sherry)

1 tbs of black rice vinegar

2 tsp soy sauce

1 long red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced diagonally.

What to do:

Drain lotus root whilst heating the oil in a wok until shimmering slightly.

Add the garlic slices, ginger and lotus root to the wok and stir fry for about 3 minutes, tossing continuously to prevent the garlic burning. Add brown sugar and stir fry for another 2 minutes or so until caramelised slightly. (Sometimes I take a bit longer in this process to make sure the sugar caramelises nicely). Add rice wine/sherry and stir fry for a minute more before stirring through vinegar and soy. Toss for one last minute and serve with chopped chilli as a garnish.

* * *

Notes: The original recipe serves 4-6. We usually have this as a starter as it is quite rich. Often I will cook this for just Mr W&W and I and adjust the quantities according to how much lotus root I have chopped up - it's a case of a 'splash of this and a dash of that' rather than exact measurements.

If Lotus Root is not in season, you can still enjoy this dish! Frozen sliced Lotus root is available in handy 500g packages at Asian grocers.

Beautiful Beets with Pistachio Butter

2011-03-12T16:28:00.000+11:00

Ah, the humble beetroot! For me, beetroot was a childhood staple, although in my youthful experience it came from a tin and, when not forgotten at the back of the fridge, lolling about in a purple pickle bath in an old Tupperware container, it appeared almost exclusively on hamburgers, or bleeding into the grated carrot on a salad sandwich. Whilst beetroot existed in my diet, I didn’t exactly love it.

However, my relationship with beetroot changed considerably for the better a few years ago when I thought to roast a few baby beets and toss them through a salad – only to discover that beetroots didn’t naturally taste of vinegar but were a joy in their clean, satisfying earthiness. One of our favourite winter salads features, among other things, roasted beets, toasted walnuts, green beans and orange segments with a scattering of creamy goats chevre – a total delight, but one which is for another post at another time.

Today, I want to tell you about the dish that had me obsessing and salivating for over two years. This jewel-toned beauty has its origins, for us at least, in New York City, in the cosy, downscale member of the Mario Batali empire, Lupa, in Greenwich Village. On the recommendation of my husband’s cousin who lives in NYC, Mr W&W and I had an amazing lunch at Lupa on our honeymoon almost three years ago and, whilst it’s not the fanciest place out there, the atmosphere, warmth, value for money and downright dreamy food has led to Lupa being one of the few restaurants by which we measure all others.

I remember it as if it was yesterday. We started our Lupa experience with an antipasti plate featuring a plethora of sensory delights – braised artichokes, octopus, asparagus with lemon and parmesan, plump, juicy olives, and magnificent house cured salumi. Also featured was a humble little portion of beets, served with a luscious, velvety pistachio butter - a triumph in simplicity and a match made in heaven.

I thought about those beets for months and months after my return, but couldn’t replicate them. Something was missing – it wasn’t just a case of roasted beetroot tossed in ground pistachios, there was something else - a missing link, but I couldn’t place it. No amount of googling could shed light on the puzzle and in the end I shelved it, distracted by other things. Until one day late last year, that is, when I spied the latest Mario Batali cookbook on the shelves at Dymocks. Flicking through the pages of Molto Gusto, I couldn't believe my luck when it jumped out of the pages at me in black and white (and green and purple!): the recipe for those glorious Beets with Pistachios.

Beets with Pistachio Butter
(Serves 4 as a side dish)

Look, I will concede that the pale green pistachio butter makes this not the most attractive thing to photograph, but you have to believe me when I say that this is a thing of beauty to eat! What follows is very much Mario Batali’s recipe, adapted by me only slightly as to quantities of ingredients to suit our preference. We tend to have it as an accompaniment to grilled meats, but it is marketed in Molto Gusto as antipasti.

Before you launch into this recipe, be aware that, whilst the salad itself is fairly quick to assemble, the beets take a little while to cook and will need time to cool.

What you need:

8 medium beetroot, trimmed of greens and scrubbed*
Olive oil spray
½ cup unsalted pistachio kernels
¼ cup warm water
2 tbs pistachio oil*
¼ cup Red Wine Vinaigrette (recipe below)
2 tbs chopped pistachio kernels, extra
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Red Wine Vinaigrette - Whisk together in a small bowl ¼ cup red wine vinegar, ¼ cup soda water or sparkling mineral water and ½ cup extra virgin olive oil. This will make 1 cup of vinaigrette, which is more than you need for the beets, but you can keep the extra in a container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

What to do:

Preheat oven to 200°C. Pick a baking dish which will comfortably hold the beets and line it with foil (this helps when you come to wash up!). Toss the beets in the lined tray, spray with a little oil spray and give a sprinkling with salt. Roast the beetroot in the oven until tender. This can take anywhere from 40 minutes to about 1 hour and 20 minutes depending on the size of the beets - you might even do this the day before. I test for tenderness with a fine skewer. Allow the beets to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, in a food processor, pulse the pistachio kernels to a fine grinding and add half the water. Pulse to combine, and add the pistachio oil. You want the pistachio mix to be a little runnier than peanut butter - so if your paste is still firm, add the remaining warm water as required.

Peel the beets. You might have success rubbing the skins off with kitchen towel, but I find I usually have to peel them with a paring knife. If using purple beetroot, it can be a good idea to wear gloves to do this, or else you will end up with purple hands! Cut the beets into chunks about 3cm in size and place them in a serving bowl. If you are using golden beets as well as the red ones (as I have in the photo), try and place them carefully so you preserve as much colour as possible - the red beets will bleed into the golden ones otherwise. At least 10 mins before you are serving, gently toss the beetroot in the vinaigrette and season with salt and pepper.

To serve, I like to spoon the pistachio butter over the beets so that everyone can dig in and fight for the good bits.

If you wanted to make this look a little prettier than mine, though, you might serve the beetroot and vinaigrette on a platter, sprinkle the chopped pistachios over and serve the butter spooned alongside. It's up to you. As for me, well I'm happy any way this comes and have even been known to hold some back when serving it to dinner guests so that I can package it up to take to work for my lunch!

* * *

NOTES:

About the Beets: As you can see, I have used a combination of traditional red beetroot and golden beetroot for this dish. This is purely optional, you can use either. I like to include golden beets if I can find them simply because I love the colourful combination of the ruby red, glorious pistachio green and the golden beets. Just plain red beetroot works perfectly well.

About the Pistachio Oil: this is available at good delis. It's not cheap, but you don't use very much of it so you will have it for some time. You could, perhaps, use a light olive oil as a substitute, but your pistachio butter will lack a bit of the added flavour you would otherwise have with pistachio oil.

W&W is Back!

2011-03-08T22:57:00.003+11:00

Hello friends!

I had an inkling that it had been some time since I updated Whisk & Whimsy, but I will confess to feeling a bit shocked today to discover that I was last writing here back in November! Oh dear, time does fly.

As some of you know, I have been busy galavanting around the UK with Mr W&W and the W&W family. We left on Boxing Day and we have only been back home for a few weeks. As you can imagine after such a time away, it has taken a little while to get back into a regular routine (although, typically, now that we're back in the swing of things the holiday is a distant memory!). I had grand plans before we went away to schedule posts for publication at regular intervals during my absence but with finishing up work for the year, Christmas and last minute preparations for the holiday, I just ran out of time.

My goodness, what a trip we had! I certainly did my fair share of eating and not surprisingly came back with a few extra kilos (and I don't just mean in my luggage!). A highlight which I intend to tell you about in more detail was the day my Mum and I spent at Rick Stein's Padstow Seafood School in Cornwall, a fantastic experience that I am keen to repeat some day. Mum and I learned both new skills in the kitchen as well as ways to do familiar things a little better. We worked with ingredients that were unfamiliar to us, like Cornish brown crab, mackerel and dover sole. We ate the fruits of our labour whilst sipping on a crisp glass of local wine, all the while overlooking the stunning Camel Estuary. This was a thoroughly enjoyable day, and an experience which I wholeheartedly recommend should you find yourself in Padstow at some stage. Once I get around to sifting through my plethora of photographs I will put together a more detailed report on our day at the Seafood School.

Otherwise, we had some extremely memorable meals in top places in London, Paris and Hong Kong, and we enjoyed simple food done very well in some cosy pubs around the UK. We ambled through markets and sampled fresh produce, devoured wedges of cheese with great gusto and washed it all down with (probably too many) glasses of fantastic wine. I came home from our holiday with so many ideas and so much inspiration - our trip really did recharge the batteries and gave me a lot of enthusiasm to try new things in the kitchen.

Of course it wasn't all about food - we saw all the sights, and I got to see my first snowfall - I was beside myself with excitement! I dragged Mr W&W to all the shops on the high street and we parted quickly with our pounds and euros. Overall, though, our trip was about a change of scenery and a time to escape the doldrums of everyday life, and we certainly did that.

I also did a reasonable amount of this:

(Sampling macarons from Ladurée and Pierre Hermé!)

Back to regular programming (and recipes) shortly.

A Kitchen Education, and Mussels with Tomato & Tarragon

2010-11-25T13:46:00.003+11:00

My mother taught me to cook from a very early age. It wasn't an overt thing - she never specifically sat me down and gave me lessons. My education was much more subtle in that I didn't even realise it was happening. In her own way Mum made sure during my youth that I assisted and observed and consequently picked up the necessary skills I would need in the kitchen in later life. Food was always a central part of my family life at home - we had a big eat-in kitchen in which we spent all our time: mum could be pottering around the stove, or sitting at the kitchen table topping beans, while Dad sat there reading the newspaper and I was at the kitchen table doing my homework or, more likely, writing letters to my numerous penpals. Our 'family room' was the kitchen, the hub of the home, and we were all together around the kitchen table, surrounded by the sounds and smells of the evening meal bubbling away on the stove.

Sure enough, as my mother had intended, I absorbed her teachings as if by osmosis. Prior to moving out of the family home, I could count the number of times I prepared a meal on my own on one hand. However, when faced with preparing dinner in my own tiny kitchen for the first time, I discovered that instinctively I understood what to do. I felt like Jason Bourne, the amnesiac spy in Robert Ludlum's gripping novels, who had no recollection of his earlier life of espionage, yet instinctively knew how to move, how to fight and how to converse in countless languages! Perhaps I was not quite like Bourne, but I did possess cooking skills I had no recollection of learning: I could work in the kitchen on autopilot, by instinct, and I am forever grateful to my mum for the skills which she instilled in me without my knowing.

I was in my early twenties when Mr W&W and I set up together, and it was my first time out of home. In anticipation of having to cook meals for someone worth impressing, I scoured my mum's cookbooks before leaving the nest and compiled a number of recipes which I thought might be worth a go. One such recipe was a Rick Stein beauty for these Mussels with Tomato and Tarragon. At this stage I was just coming out of a long exile from seafood had begun to appreciate the joy of mussels (particularly their price, ridiculously cheap at $6.00/kg in those days). We have eaten this meal countless times since, and it has been twisted and tweaked to what is in our minds absolute perfection.

Steamed Mussels with Tomato and Tarragon
(adapted from a recipe by Rick Stein)

Serves 2 as a comforting main meal*

What you need:

1 kg mussels, scrubbed clean and debearded**

splash extra virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1⁄3 cup dry white wine

2 small tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced (juice retained)

1 tbs tomato paste

30g cold unsalted butter, diced

1 tbs chopped french tarragon

crusty bread, to serve

What to do:

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large saucepan or stockpot and soften garlic for a minute or two (do not let it colour).

Add the mussels, increase heat to high and tip in the white wine. Cover pan and cook 2-3 minutes until all the shells have opened - but only just! Don't cook them too long beyond the shells opening or they will become rubbery. Gently stir the shells once or twice in the cooking.

Remove mussels from the heat and cover to keep warm. (Discard any mussels which have not opened - these should not be eaten). Pour the cooking liquor through a sieve and return to the saucepan with the tomato paste. Heat the cooking liquor until boiling and then whisk in the butter a knob at a time. Add the tomato and tarragon, season to taste. Return the mussels to the saucepan and gently stir to combine with the sauce.

Serve in bowls with crusty bread to mop up the juices.

* * *

* A Note on the Yield: To make this recipe go further you might serve the mussels and juices on a mound of linguine - which will do for 4 guests.

** A Note on the Mussels: I used to hand pick the best mussels from the fish market when I first started making this dish, but these days I can't go past the kilo packs of live, scrubbed and debearded Boston Bay mussels. I never have to discard any where the shells haven't opened during cooking.

Simple sides - Kipfler Potato Salad with Crispy Prosciutto

2010-11-14T21:54:00.001+11:00

Hello friends, I'm back! Now if you promise to keep your fingers and toes crossed for me, and perhaps to say a few prayers if you're that way inclined, then it just might be safe for me to say that I have finished my Masters degree. At least I finished my last exam this week, and I am hopeful of passing it (although truth be told the exam was a bit touch and go), although I won't be put out of my suspense for a few weeks now. Here's hoping!

Meanwhile, thank you all for your kind comments on my croquembouche in the last post (I was quite chuffed with the result), as well as for the well-wishes for my Masters (I can safely say that I will not be doing my doctorate - no more study please!).

For the past few weeks I've had my nose in textbooks and during that time the W&W Study Menu has been startlingly lacking in gourmet. Fortunately, we refrained from relying too much on takeaway (although we are now regulars at our local cheap and cheerful Japanese restaurant). For the last few weeks the standard dinner routine has seen me leaving the textbooks after a day of study at around 5.00pm, rummaging through the freezer for some kind of barbecue-friendly meat, defrosting same in the microwave and then whipping up some sort of vegetable side dish, before hitting the books once more and letting Mr W&W deal with the grill. It might sound a little dull, but it has been enjoyable in a comforting, homely way.

One of my favourite veggie sides has been the recipe which follows. Like most people, I love a potato salad, but sometimes I find them gluggy and tangy and the flavours are over the top. The salad which follows uses firm and waxy kipfler potatoes which hold their shape and don't break up into mush. These potatoes have a delicious flavour of their own and they deserved to be championed with a simple dressing. The prosciutto is a salty, crispy treat. Regular, garden variety bacon can be substituted for the prosciutto if you haven't any of the posh ham on hand (I frequently use ordinary bacon) but if you are planning on making this then I recommend going to the effort of buying prosciutto - the thin slices make for delicious little shards of flavour throughout the salad.

This recipe is so simple that I wasn't sure whether it was 'blog-worthy', but after a brief wrestle with my thoughts I elected to post the recipe. For starters, the salad is delicious and is readily wolfed down when we have a barbecue with friends. Also, though, I think it's nice to have a simple salad in your repertoire, something that you can keep on stand by in your back pocket until needed, to whip out when something tasty is called for, but without too much effort.

Kipfler Potato Salad with Crispy Prosciutto

serves 4 as a side dish

What you need:

About 600g kipfler potatoes, scrubbed
8 slices prosciutto (or a few rashers bacon, chopped)
3 or 4 spring onions (scallions) thinly sliced (I use both the green and white part)
1/4 cup best quality mayonnaise (home-made is best, but certainly was not used in the Study Menu!)
1 heaped teaspoon dijon or French mustard
1 tablespoon seeded mustard
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

What to do:

I like to keep the skin on the potatoes (but if you really want to you can peel them). Bring the potatoes to the boil in a big pot of salted, cold water and cook until tender. Drain and allow to cool.

Meanwhile, fry the prosciutto (or bacon, if using) in a non-stick skillet over medium heat until crispy. I don't use any oil to do this as I find the prosciutto has sufficient fat of its own. You might need to oil the pan if yours is non-stick, however, and I would recommend an olive oil spray in this circumstance. Set aside to cool.

Combine the mayonnaise, mustards, salt and pepper and be sure to taste the mixture. You might want to adjust the dressing to your taste, with more mustard or mayonnaise as desired.

[The salad can be prepared ahead to this point, with the separate components refrigerated and brought to room temperature before using. I tend not to compile the salad until I am ready to serve as, when I have mixed the salad the day before, the spring onion flavour is a little overpowering.]

Cut the pototoes into 1-1½ inch chunks and place in a bowl with the spring onions, reserving 1 tbs of the spring onions for a garnish. Crumble the prosciutto over the potato mixure and stir through the mustard mayonnaise. Taste to check seasoning and adjust if necessary. Serve with some reserved spring onion sprinkled over.

* * *

Please don't just stick with the recipe, by the way! Consider it a starting point, a base. This is how we like it at W&W HQ; we revel in the taste of the individual components and we like the simplicity of the dish. You can jazz it up, by all means - maybe with the addition of some hard boiled eggs, or maybe some capers tossed through - it's up to you. There are no rules.

A Towering Achievement: My Croquembouche

2010-10-23T18:12:00.002+11:00

Readers, I am painfully aware of having neglected this blog over the past few weeks. Please bear with me: I'm smack bang in the middle of my last ever Masters degree subject and will sit my exam in two weeks. In times like this I am ordinarily tempted by distraction, and I would much prefer to be tapping away here telling you all about my cooking adventures (or in the kitchen creating things about which to report) but this time I must resist - I really want to end my ten years of university study on a high note!

Posting will be scarce until the exam is over with, but please don't forget about me!

To keep you interested and tide you over until I can return, I'll recount a little tale of inspiration and achievement...

* * *

A few weeks ago a post by Not Quite Nigella touched on a nerve (in a good way!), and I was inspired to set myself a challenge. For some time I've been wanting to launch into the world of pastry and I've made more than a few glib remarks about baking profiteroles (most recently when, at a restaurant, Mr W&W was served some which had been microwaved into a disappointingly soggy mess). Now, I have not made choux paste previously and I am on pretty shaky ground with pastry generally, but when Lorraine posted about her Croquembouche class in the week leading up to a little birthday get-together we hosted for my husband's family, I was inspired to put myself to task and jump in at the deep end!

Behold, my first (and, most likely, last) croquembouche:

I don't propose posting the recipes I used to create this tower of choux goodness, but I am happy to share if anyone particularly wants them. Really, you just need yourself a good recipe for choux paste, a simple pastry cream recipe and you need to make some caramel, which I did by mixing 2 parts sugar to one part water and setting over heat until it is lovely and golden. A Google search should turn up some decent recipes for the component parts.

For my choux I followed the recipe in my much pawed but never before used Le Cordon Bleu Dessert Techniques book and I adapted the creme patissiere recipe in that book also. Basically, I made three flavours of the cream filling - vanilla, grand marnier and chocolate. The chocolate was made by stirring some melted 70% cocoa chocolate through half of the vanilla custard. The grand marnier was made as a batch of its own - I spiked the milk used to make the custard with some grated orange zest and I stirred through a good splosh of grand marnier at the very end.

Overall, I think it's fair to say that the croquembouche was time consuming although actually not as difficult as I'd expected. The individual parts are relatively simple and much can be made ahead - it was the construction that was the real challenge for me.

I made my choux buns on the Friday for my Saturday party, and I also made the three batches of pastry cream in advance. I freshened the choux buns up in the oven on the Saturday morning, allowing them to cool before piping in the filling. I also whipped some thickened cream through each batch of custard to create a lighter, richer filling (and to stretch the custard further).

Somewhat dangerously, I left the construction until very shortly before my guests were due to arrive. I was particularly mindful of blog posts I'd read in preparation for this project which indicated that the toffee does not stand up well to humidity and moisture. The day of our event was quite a hot one and I did not want my choux tower collapsing before the party began!

My croquembouche was constructed around a papier maché Witch's Hat found at Lincraft (presumably stocked for Halloween crafts). I certainly did not need an expensive, professional Croquembouche Cone - I simply covered my paper substitute with baking paper and gave it a misting of olive oil spray before construction.

The worst part of assembling the tower was joining the first 'ring' of buns at the base - it was difficult to get them to stick together and not collapse. Regrettably, I also had trouble remembering that I was dealing with hot sugar syrup! There were a few times where I clutched at the little buns to stop them tumbling and yelped as I realised I'd plunged my bare hands into piping hot toffee! Ouch! I dunked my knuckle in the scalding sugar syrup at one point in the course of assembly and, weeks later, I still have a wound which is healing. This part of the process is dangerous work and, whilst I tried to mitigate injury and use a pair of tongs, these quickly became too sticky with the syrup and were of little help.

Now I have to say whilst construction is the most difficult bit, it is really only the bottom few levels which are the toughest. Once you start moving up the cone, gravity assists in keeping the cream puffs where you want them to be, and it becomes a much quicker process.

Yes, this is definitley a "wow factor" dessert and I think my guests were suitably impressed by it. More importantly, however, the little buns were delicious. The pastry was rich and buttery, filled with a billowy light and creamy custard, and enclosed in a thin, crispy toffee shell. The combination of textures here is a real treat! Realistically, you need a reasonable crowd for this dessert as it is best enjoyed on the day it is constructed - the next day I found the toffee had softened and the buns had absorbed the custard's moisture. We had a lot of leftovers which weren't that great (a bit like Mr W&W's soggy microwaved ones which partially inspired the project!), so it would be much better if you had quite a few people to devour this at first sitting.

A big thanks to the un-knowing instigator of this project, Lorraine at NQN, whose posts are always inspiring but her croquembouche tale in particular led me to embark on this challenge. Lorraine's choux tower is much more polished than mine with its lovely spun sugar and floral adornment, not to mention her neat and even distribution of buns, but I'm pretty pleased with my little attempt.

Well friends, that's it for me today - I'm going to put my nose back in the text books and I hope to be back soon with some great new recipes to share. Don't be strangers, keep checking back for updates.

* * *

By the way, thank you all for taking the time to leave me a comment over the last few posts - there have been a lot more than usual lately which I think is due to Foodbuzz traffic. It's nice to know there are people out there having a look at this blog, so keep the comments coming!

Stylishly Simple: Miniature Asparagus Frittatas with Crispy Prosciutto

2010-10-10T16:52:00.006+11:00

Sometimes when we are entertaining, rather than cooking three courses in usual dinner party fashion, I will prepare a series of little courses, sort of like a tasting menu, starting from miniatures and canapés and gradually serving more substantial dishes. I suppose it sounds like rather a lot of trouble, but if you are like me in that you love to cook and you live to eat, this is precisely the sort of trouble that you enjoy going to! I'm also a greedy-piggins, so entertaining in this fashion means we all get to enjoy a little bit of everything. And, really, who can resist a gleaming platter of miniature tasty morsels?!

These little bites of frittata goodness are a new discovery but will become a regular feature on the W&W Grazing Menu. They are fresh and tasty but - importantly - they are quick and easy to whip up. You only need a couple of ingredients and I am happy to tell you they can be prepared in advance, so you don't need to be cooped up in the kitchen whilst your guests are out having all the fun. I make the frittata the night before I plan to serve it (or earlier in the day for an evening event) and I chop the tomato topping and crispen the prosciutto ahead of time so that is all just a matter of assembly. Voila - elegant canapés in a jiffy!

The recipe is adapted from the Australian Womens Weekly Complete Book of Modern Entertaining, which is an excellent volume to have on deck for ideas if you are planning a dinner party (or just feel like something a little more fancy for the evening meal). In typical Womens Weekly fashion, the recipes are easy to follow, the ingredients are simple and readily available, and the photography will have you drooling on the pages. I can wholeheartedly recommend it as a great source of inspiration.

Miniature Asparagus Frittatas
with Crispy Prosciutto
(makes about 16)

What you need:

1 bunch asparagus (the baby, thin spears are the ones you need here)
4 eggs, lightly beaten (use an extra egg if they are small ones)
½ cup cream
½ cup finely grated parmesan cheese
3-4 slices prosciutto
¼ cup semi sun-dried tomatoes, drained and finely chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper

What to do:

Preheat oven to 180°C and grease and line a small baking tray with parchment. My preferred tray is a rectangular glass pyrex dish measuring 16 x 26cm. If you are making a large quantity, you can double the recipe and use a lamington tray.

Trim the ends from your asparagus if they are fibrous and blanch for a minute in lightly salted, boiling water. Rinse under cold water and drain.

Combine the cream and eggs in a jug and whisk to combine. Season with salt and pepper and stir through the parmesan cheese.

Place the asparagus in your prepared tray. So that the slices of frittata look pretty when you cut and serve them, you want to make sure that the spears are all placed lengthways, evenly in a single layer, and you will need to alternate the ends and tips. Pour the egg mix over the asparagus and bake the frittata in the preheated oven about 20 minutes until firm. Allow the frittata to cool in the pan.

Meanwhile, fry the prosciutto in a non-stick pan over medium heat for a few minutes until crisp.

To assemble, trim the edges of the cooled frittata and cut into squares about 1 ½ inches in size. Break the crispy prosciuitto into small pieces and top each frittata square with a piece of the prosciutto and a dollop (about ½ tsp) of the chopped semi sundried tomato.

Serve your delicious and elegant canapés to your awed guests and feel smugly pleased with yourself!

* * *

NOTE:

Obviously this one is adaptable for vegetarians - simply omit the prosciutto or substitute with a suitably vego topping.

Simple Sides: Herb Roasted Ruby Radishes and Sweet Eschallots

2010-09-29T17:08:00.003+10:00

Recently I was on the telephone with my mum, discussing the fruits of her marvellous veggie garden, and the topic of radishes arose. I don't know about you guys, but radishes don't feature much in the W&W household – only making an appearance in the odd salad. As a child, I would eat them dipped in a little salt, relishing the crisp, clean peppery flavour. However, the things I loved as a child have gone a little by the wayside as I have established my own home and cooking routine, and have developed my adult palate. Little by little I'm trying to revisit the things I enjoyed in my youth, but some things lay forgotten.

Mum and I were considering what we might do with radishes beyond the usual slicing in salads and on a crispy baguette, and we turned out minds to roasting. I must confess to having never thought of radishes of being roast-friendly, although upon reflection, I can't for the life of me see why not. Radishes remind me of little turnips, which is probably as they are all a part of the same Brassica family, and little turnips are delicious when roasted! Googling "roast radishes" didn't bring much excitement, so in the end I treated them as little turnips, tossing them in olive oil, fresh herbs and seasoning them generously and roasting in a hot oven until tender.

Herb Roasted Radishes and Eschallots

Serves 2 as a side dish

Once roasted, the radishes are transformed into a regal collection of ruby gems, bright pink and glistening on their outsides with a gorgeous, creamy coloured centre. The radishes become sweeter in the roasting, but retain an underlying pepperiness, whilst the French Shallots, always a friend to the roasting pan, are sweet, sticky and caramelised. Admittedly the radishes lose their crunchy texture, but none of the crisp flavour – this side dish makes for a lovely, light accompaniment to grilled or roasted meats and a great alternative to roast potatoes in the warmer months.

I have no real recipe for you in this instance, as this is really a slapdash side dish. Go with your instincts and you will be well satisfied!

What you need:

A bunch of radishes, trimmed of the leaves and scrubbed
A handful of eschallots (French Shallots), peeled and trimmed
A good glug of olive oil
A tablespoon or two of chopped fresh herbs (eg rosemary or thyme)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

What to do:

Preheat your oven to 180°C.

Halve the radishes lengthways if they are large, and toss them along with the peeled eschallots in a generous glug of olive oil. Season well with salt and pepper, add the herbs and toss to combine. Transfer to a baking dish and roast for 45 minutes, checking on them from time to time and giving them a little toss in roasting pan during the cooking.

Serve immediately.

Zingy Blue Swimmer Crab Linguine with Tomato, Basil & Chilli

2010-09-27T13:24:00.003+10:00

Some weeks ago we spontaneously decided to eat out and made a last minute booking at Coast, overlooking Darling Harbour. Coast has a nice air about it and is set in a great location (albeit in a busy, touristy part of town). The menu is Italian-inspired, the restaurant has a reasonable wine list with many Italian wines on offer. The wait staff are pleasant and helpful and, importantly for us on this particular occasion, Coast features in the Entertainment Book!

Truth be told, I have found the menu at Coast to be a bit hit and miss. I've eaten here twice now, and have had a few standout dishes and a few disappointing ones. The standouts and the Entertainment Book discount (of one complimentary main meal) mean that I will probably dine here again, but only when I get the new edition of the Book next year!

I had a great black pepper risotto the first time we dined at Coast and it really packed a punch, there were bags of flavour - I've been wanting to replicate it ever since. This time, my standout dish was a starter of Spanner Crab Spaghetti which just about knocked my socks off. The crab was plump, sweet and succulent, there was a hint of chilli heat in amongst juicy tomatoes and a waft of the heady basil. The whole thing was tied together with the most delicious, zingy lemon sauce that had my tastebuds singing for joy. It was simple food done very well, and I knew that I had to attempt it in the W&W kitchen.

The end result is a good one - I used blue swimmer crab as, whilst it doesn't come away in the same firm lumps as spanner crab, the meat has a delicate sweetness that can't be beaten. I think I achieved the right balance of tangy lemon, aromatic basil and the warmth from the chilli - the mix is certainly a winner for my palate. The great thing about this dish, however, is that you can adjust it as you please - a little more spice, a little more zing, a little sweetness - this is all fairly simple to manage.

Zingy Blue Swimmer Crab Linguine
with Tomato, Basil and Chilli
Serves 4 as a starter
(or 2-3 extremely hungry gluttons as a main meal)*

What you need:

200-225g crab meat*
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
375g cherry tomatoes, mostly halved but a few left whole
extra virgin olive oil
½-1 tsp (or to taste) dried chilli flakes*
½ tsp sugar
1 tbs finely shredded basil leaves (plus extra to garnish)
juice and zest of 1 small lemon
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
approx 300g linguine*

What to do:

Heat a splash of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat and add the garlic. Cook 1-2 minutes, ensuring the garlic does not burn, before tipping in the cherry tomatoes. Allow the tomatoes to saute for about 5 minutes before adding the sugar, chilli, 1tbs of basil and season with salt and pepper. Allow the sauce to bubble away for another 5 minutes whilst you are waiting for the pasta to cook.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to packet directions until al dente. Drain, reserving 2 tbs of the cooking water.

Stir the crabmeat through the sauce being careful not to break up any lumps of crabmeat. Add the cooked pasta, lemon juice and zest and stir to combine. If the pasta is a little dry, add a splash of the reserved cooking water as required.

Serve in bowls topped with a little extra shredded basil, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a good grinding of black pepper.

* * *

NOTES:

Crab Meat: As noted, I use blue swimmer crabs for this recipe. The flesh is delicate and sweet and balances nicely with the zingy lemon and the heat of the chilli. You might like to use different crab meat and by all means do so. I prefer to buy the whole, cooked crabs and pick the meat myself. Two reasonably sized blue swimmers cost me under $10 and give me plenty of meat for this dish (and it's much cheaper than buying the already picked crab meat from the market). I often see the little tubs of Crab meat from Phillips at the fish market - you might try that in this recipe as well. I haven't used it myself, but can't see why you couldn't drain the meat and use it in lieu of the fresh stuff.

Chilli: I prefer to use dried chilli (red pepper) flakes in this recipe as I find it brings a nice warmth without taking away from the delicate flavour of the crab. By all means use fresh chilli, either a long red chilli, thinly sliced (seeds removed if you want a milder flavour) or the hotter birds eye chilli which I suggest finely dicing.

Pasta: I usually make my own fresh pasta for this delicate sauce, but store bought dried linguine is fine as well.

Yield: The two of us tuck into this dish as a big, satisfying main meal. There are some scant leftovers, but we pick out all the good stuff (well, the crab). You would serve 4 people as a substantial but fancy starter.

Individual Chocolate Fondant Puddings - The W&W Signature Dessert

2010-09-18T21:57:00.006+10:00

When I first went out with Mr W&W I hadn’t been to too many restaurants. In my family, if we wanted nice meals, we would buy nice produce and cook them at home. We have always cooked, and only in recent years have my family really enjoyed the restaurant scene. This meant of course that when Mr W&W and I first started seeing each other, the only way I knew to win him over was to cook for him, and to cook from the heart. He dined out a lot, so he had pretty high standards.

I distinctly recall the first meal I cooked for Mr W&W – lobster mornay, followed by my fail-safe chocolate fondant puddings. I like to think I won him over with this meal, and even today his eyes light up at the mere thought of these chocolate puddings. Lobster Mornay is very much appreciated, but is a luxury reserved for birthdays and special occasions. These puddings, however, make a regular appearance on the W&W Dinner Party Menu. They are rich, but not too sweet, filled with top quality chocolate, almost cakey at the edges and deliciously gooey in the middle. My chocolate fondant puddings are a mousse, a clafoutis, a cake and a souffle all in one. I promise you this dessert will be your saving grace! If you are like me you will have everything (with the exception of perhaps a strawberry garnish) on hand, and they are ridiculously easy. Plus, you can always make these ahead of time – just stick them in the fridge until you are ready to serve and bring them to room temp before putting in the oven. Ramekins are scraped clean whenever I serve these puddings at dinner parties and I bet your guests will gush about them just as much as mine.

Chocolate Fondant Puddings
Serves 4

You will need:

125g best quality dark chocolate (70% cocoa)
125g unsalted butter
3 eggs
¼ cup caster sugar
2 tbs plain flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
Double cream and fresh strawberries to serve

What to do:

Preheat oven to 180° and grease 4 ramekins (around 6cm in diameter) with butter or a little olive oil spray.

Place chopped chocolate (or break it into squares) in a heatproof bowl with the butter. Rest the bowl over a saucepan of lightly simmering water (making sure that the base of the bowl does not touch the water). Allow to melt, stirring occasionally. Remove chocolate mix from the heat.

Meanwhile, whisk the eggs, sugar, flour and vanilla until smooth. Stir in vanilla. Carefully stir in chocolate mix (adding it in a thin stream and whisking immediately to prevent the eggs from scrambling!).

Pour the chocolate mix into ramekins, distributing mix evenly, and cook about 10-12 minutes until just set on the outside but still runny in the middle.

Serve with thick cream and strawberries.

Pumpkin, Sage & Ricotta Lasagne

2010-09-15T13:48:00.004+10:00

Readers, I have a secret.

I must confess that, for a seemingly inexplicable reason, I spent a period of time in my teenage years as – I can barely say it – well, as a vegetarian. I turned my nose up at the meat component of the evening meal and would devour only the vegetable portion of anything put in front of me. There were some limited exceptions, but largely I eschewed all things meat, chicken or fish-related. I can’t recall what inspired this attitude. There were no religious, moral or family reasons – I was the child of two very devoted carnivores! It is not as if I was particularly squeamish about meat, nor was I crusading for animal rights. It may have had something to do with being fed offal and all sorts of unusual meats from an early age – perhaps I’d overdosed on all things glutinous and gristly and needed a change!

Rest assured, the Omnivorous Period in my gastronomic history was not lengthy and has faded into distant memory, for as I approach my thirties you will be pleased to hear that I have embraced offal, game and charcuterie, have learned to appreciate a piece of beef cooked to the perfect shade of ‘blue’ and I attack a plate of seafood with great gusto!

However much I jest, I will say that this vegetarian stage has left me with something for which I am grateful, and that is my love for the humble veggie. I adore fresh produce, and love to visit the farmers market on weekends or, even better, come home from holiday visiting my parents with bundles of fresh greenery from my mum’s garden. There is so much to be done with a supply of glorious veggies.

Fortunately, I have also married a man who is happy to eat what is put in front of him, whether animal, vegetable or mineral (or, more likely, pulse and grain), and the end result is that whilst we are avid carnivores in this household, a large percentage of the midweek menu at Whisk & Whimsy HQ are meals served sans meat. This come as a surprise those of you who read my Piggy Post!

One of our favourite light and delicious (and vegetarian-friendly) dinners is this tasty lasagne, packed full of delicious, sweet butternut squash – it serves 6 with some leftovers, so it does us for a few lunches following the main event. Admittedly it is not a quick meal and does involve a little bit of preparation, but it's definitely worth it and produces delicate but complex flavours.

Pumpkin, Sage and Ricotta Lasagne
with Walnut Brown Butter
(serves 6)

What you need :

375g pkg fresh lasagne sheets*
1.5kg butternut pumpkin (or a combination of butternut and jap or queensland blue), peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
a good glug of olive oil - abbout 2 tbs
inch of sugar
½-1 tsp dried chilli flakes
2 tbs chopped sage, plus about ¼ cup whole sage leaves to serve
500g ricotta cheese (I use full fat – it’s up to you on this one)
½ cup grated parmesan cheese (plus extra for the topping)
¼ cup mascarpone (or cream cheese)
½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
2 small eggs or 1 jumbo egg, beaten
100g unsalted butter
¼ cup roughly chopped walnuts

What to do:

Preheat oven to 180° fan-forced (a little hotter if conventional).

Place the pumpkin in a bowl with olive oil, sugar and chilli flakes, season with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Transfer the pumpkin to a baking tray, cover with foil and roast for approximately 30 minutes, or until pumpkin is tender when pierced with a fork. Allow to cool slightly. In a bowl, mash the pumpkin (and the roasting juices) with a fork until reasonably smooth (but a few lumps are fine -it doesn't need to be perfect!). Taste and adjust seasoning if required. Stir through the chopped sage leaves and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, combine the ricotta, mascarpone and ½ cup parmesan cheese with a little salt and pepper. Stir through the beaten egg and nutmeg. If you want a smooth cheese mixture, you can pulse this mix in a food processor, but I am just as happy to combine it with a fork – my lasagne might just be a bit more rustic than yours!

Lightly grease a deep (approx. 25 x 30cm) lasagne dish and begin layering the lasagne. Start with lasagne sheets on the bottom (you might need to cut them to fit the dish) and add half the pumpkin mixture. Add another layer of lasagne sheets, and then use half the cheese mixture and spread it evenly on top of the pasta. Continue with the layering, using the remaining pumpkin and cheese mixtures and finishing with the cheese mixture on top. Grate a little extra parmesan cheese over the top of the final cheese layer.

Cover with foil (you may need to tent the foil a little so that it is not directly touching the cheese). Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove the foil and bake uncovered for a further 20 minutes or until a lovely golden brown colour. Let the lasagne stand for about 5 minutes before slicing, in which time you can make the butter sauce.

For the browned butter:

Melt the butter over medium heat and, once the foaming has subsided, tip in the sage leaves and walnuts. Allow to sizzle for about 2 minutes, keeping an eye on the walnuts and making sure they do not burn. You want the butter to take on a light golden brown shade (but not to burn!), and your sage leaves will be deliciously crispy.

Serve slices of the lasagne topped with a drizzling of the sage walnut butter.

Enjoy!

* NOTE: You will have some leftovers of the lasagne sheets. How much you use will depend on the size of your lasagne dish, but I usually have a few sheets left over which I wrap in plastic and freeze for later use.

Wild Mushroom Macaroni Gratin

2010-09-02T17:50:00.001+10:00

Macaroni and Cheese is a simple dish that conjures memories of comfort and special times for me, as my Mum would sometimes treat me to it when I was home from school, on a sick day. It was a rare and special delight.

These days, if I’m having a bad day at work or the pressures of life are weighing down on me a bit, I yearn for those simpler times without burden or responsibility, when I was at home being nurtured by Mum, having 'our' time, sharing a pot of tea and partaking in the joy of mac and cheese. The days seemed magical when we were stealing precious moments whilst Dad was off at work and the rest of the world was oblivious, carrying on their ordinary, everyday tasks. I would paint and draw to my little heart's content, I would play with the treasures in our button box and let my imagination go wild with my grandmother's fabric scraps. Sometimes, if I was particularly lucky, Mum would indulge me and would make little outfits for my stuffed animals and let me help with the sewing. Obviously you can see the appeal, why I might yearn for these uncomplicated times when pressures and responsibilities of adult life mount up!

Invariably when I’m in such a rut I’ll rush home and whip up a batch of Macaroni & Cheese, hoping to be transported to those moments of calm and serenity from my childhood. Unfortunately, each time I do such a thing I discover that my grown-up palate finds the humble cheesy pasta bake to be more than a little bland and stodgy – I am continually disappointed.

Recently, I received in the mail a copy of the San Francisco Chronicle Cookbook, which had been on my Amazon.com Wishlist for almost two years before I finally gave in to temptation and hit “add to cart”. I've spent many hours it seems flipping through its pages, plotting and scheming. There are countless great recipes in this book, particularly if you are after vegetarian meals – I wholeheartedly recommend it, there is so much within the pages that I want to cook, and that I want to eat. One such recipe which caught my eye was a Mushroom Macaroni Gratin, by renowned San Francisco chef Gerald Hirigoyen. It was a little lighter than what I would prefer in a baked pasta dish (particularly as we were in the cooler months here whilst I was toying with this recipe), involving a simple sauté of mushrooms, tossed through pasta cooked to al dente and topped with a grating of gruyere, before being subjected to some baking time. Nevertheless, the cogs and wheels of my mind were set in motion and I considered tinkering with the humble Macaroni and Cheese, to bring the comfort of my childhood in line with my grown-up tastes.

The end result is definitely a good one! My grown up Macaroni with a grown up name, Wild Mushroom & Macaroni Gratin, is still cheesey and a little bit creamy, reminiscent of the traditional variety, but it is given substance and texture with delicious earthy wild mushrooms and strong, hearty greens. It provides the coziness and security of the simple Mac and Cheese I fondly recall, but the veggies cut through the stodge and add bags of flavour. Even better, it satisfies another requirement of our busy lives at W&W HQ - it’s delicious heated up the next day for lunch at work! Hooray!

Wild Mushroom & Macaroni Gratin
(serves 6)

What you need:

350g dried macaroni or small elbow pasta
2 cups silverbeet (swiss chard)*, washed and roughly chopped - I use the yummy stems as well
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 eschallots, finely chopped
a knob of butter (about 20g)
600g mixed wild mushrooms, roughly sliced about 1-2cm thick (depending on variety)
½ cup dry white wine
2 tbs chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the sauce -
20g butter
20g plain flour
1 tsp porcini powder (optional)
1 ½ cups milk
½ cup each of grated parmesan and gruyere cheeses

For the topping -

¼ cup extra grated cheese (again, I combine gruyere and parmesan)

What to do:

Preheat oven to 165°C.

Melt the knob of butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Once the butter is foaming, add the eschallots and cook for a few minutes until translucent but not colouring. Toss in the mushrooms and garlic and stir to ensure an even coating of butter and shallot mix. Saute for about 5 minutes before adding the wine. Simmer uncovered for a further 5 minutes or until the wine has been almost completely reduced and absorbed by the mushrooms. Season generously with salt and pepper and stir through the parsley. Remove the mushrooms and their juices to a bowl and set aside.

For the sauce, I like to use the pan in which I cooked the mushrooms, to maximise the mushoomy flavour. Obviously, you can just use a saucepan. To make your earthy bechamel, melt the 20g butter in the saute pan over a medium-low heat until foaming, and stir in the flour. Cook the flour slurry (it's called a 'roux') whilst stirring for a few moments until it starts to bubble and turn a slightly nutty brown colour. Remove from heat. Using a whisk (I like a balloon whisk), add the milk in a slow and steady stream whilst continually whisking (this prevents lumps). Return the sauce to the heat, continue stirring and allow it to come to the boil. It will thicken as it boils. Turn down the heat once it has boiled and stir through the grated cheeses and porcini powder (if using). Taste and season with a little salt as necessary.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the packet directions. Here you want to make sure your pasta is a little bit firm - on the slightly uncooked side of al dente. Remember, you're going to swathe the little elbows in your delicious sauce and bake it in the oven. If your pasta is perfectly cooked when you finish boiling it, you will have overcooked it by the time it comes out of the oven and it will fall apart.

If you are using silverbeet, toss this into the pasta water for the last 7 minutes or so of the pasta's cooking time (this timing is reasonably flexible - don't worry too much about watching the clock. You just want to give the silverbeet a good blanching remembering that, like the pasta, this will continue to cook in the oven). Drain the pasta and spinach well.

Combine the pasta, silverbeet and reserved mushrooms (and their juice which will have accumulated in the bottom of the bowl). Stir through the cheesy bechamel and tip the whole lot in an appropriately sized baking dish (I use my standard lasagne dish), which has been lightly greased. You could make individual gratins in ramekins.

Sprinkle over the reserved ½ cup cheese and bake in the preheated oven for about 35 mins until bubbling and browned on top.

I like to serve mine with some steamed green veggies as below, but a salad would also be lovely!

Weekend Pig-Out - a Porky Spit Roast

2010-08-31T23:22:00.002+10:00

Sorry, friends, I've been a bit preoccupied with life and haven't found the time to blog of late. I'm back, however, and have lots to report in the coming posts.

For instance, I spent the weekend with my parents in the country and happily gave a trial run to a ginormous joint of pork on the spit! This was a practice run as Mum and Dad had pulled the spit out of storage with a plan to bring it into action for an upcoming event. We visited the local abbatoir, picked up our fresh piece of piggy, and spent an afternoon determining how to skewer him 'just so'. It was not for the faint of heart, and took four of us to impale the little fellow on the rotisserie, but it was well worth it in the end. There were times when I thought I was on the set of a horror film, but I pushed those thoughts aside and instead concentrated on the crackling I was about to receive.

Look away now if you don't want to see half an animal impaled on a giant steel spike, because here are some great progress pictures:

Impaled! Piggy is receiving a nice olive oil massage.

and now a salt rub, to promote a crispy crackling...

after a couple of hours' rotation, our headless Piggy is looking nice and toasty...

Piggy is done! But it takes two strong men with girly oven mitts to lift piggy off the spit...

Our finished product awaits carving.

We simply slathered the poor chap in plenty of olive oil and salt before the wheels started turning on the spit. It took a good 7 hours, which was more than a little torturous as there was a delectable roast piggy smell wafting around the house for the whole afternoon and evening! Cruel and Unusual Punishment, indeed!

In the end, the meat was deliciously moist and tender, and the crackling was flavoursome and most of it was perfectly crispy. There were a few hard and chewy bits that didn't crackle, but these were brought up to perfection in the oven later. I must confess I gorged myself and proved that too much of a good thing really is too much of a good thing, and I'm not sure when I'll be ready to face another roast pork meal. There was certainly plenty of pork to go around and I'm sure this will be a crowd pleaser. In the meantime, however, my fridge is packed with curry made from the pork leftovers and the freezer has numerous packages of sliced pork for future meals. Even Camilla has been partaking in a few porky dinners!

This is how Piggy ended up, a veritable feast on my plate,
with roasted potatoes, carrots and pumpkin, silverbeet and cauliflower cheese.
Did I mention the bit about too much of a good thing?? Definitely Feasting Food.

We really pigged out. Ha! (Sorry, couldn't resist).

Storecupboard Baking: Black Cherry & Almond Slice

2010-08-09T21:31:00.006+10:00

I love my little kitchen at Whisk & Whimsy HQ - largely because it is my kitchen, my little place in the world - but if there is one criticism I could make of it, it is that my kitchen really lacks storage space. I will admit that this is partly my fault as we elected to chop out a cupboard in order to fit the 900mm freestanding Ilve Cooker of my heart's desire into a tiny little apartment kitchen, but even before those renovations, the W&W kitchen still lacked a pantry cupboard. We have tried to utilise some space in the laundry for pantry storage, but much of that room has been taken up with a second fridge/freezer (yes, there are only two of us living here!) and I am left with one tiny little shelf where I can store the tinned tomatoes I purchase by the case. You can imagine this lack of space came as quite a shock to me, as I come from a family home in which there was, attached to the kitchen, a purpose-built pantry room constructed by my dad which was larger than my childhood bedroom.

My solution has been to take one section of under-bench space and try and stuff as many pantry items in there as possible - tins, canisters, bags of pasta, the potato and onion basket, little packages of cereals, flours and grains - you name it, it's in there. Somewhere. Which leads me to the problem - being able to actually find anything when I need it!

After struggling, on hands and knees, to drag out the jar of caster sugar and being showered with little bags of leftover dried fruit one too many times, I snapped, and took a trip to my local supermarket to stock up on plastic storage containers. I spent an afternoon cleaning the pantry, finding long forgotten ingredients and tossing things well past their use-by date, and marvelling at how many things I'd bought new when I hadn't finished the last lot. It was very satisfying, and my 'pantry' is now pretty neat and manageable. I can find most things easily, but still need to get down on all fours to reach the stuff at the back!

After discovering about eight half-packages of flaked almonds, some of which had been there for quite a while, it was clearly time I actioned some almond-cookery to use up the forgotten little morsels in one fell swoop. Other than browning them in butter and tossing the whole lot through piles of steamed, vibrant brocolli florets (which I suspect might account for the large number of half-packages of almond flakes in the first place), I could think of no better use for my almonds than this slice, inspired by a Bill Granger recipe, which serves as a tasty treat with afternoon tea or coffee, or a low key dessert in the warmer months, served with a dollop of cream.

Black Cherry and Almond Slice
Makes about 20 squares
(depending on how big you cut them...)

What you need:

150g butter (preferably unsalted), softened

100g caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

225g plain flour

40g cornflour/cornstarch

175g good quality black cherry jam* (with the fruit bits in it!) - I use St Dalfour, usually

For the almond topping -

60g butter

60g caster sugar

1tsp vanilla extract

200g flaked almonds

40ml milk

What to do:

Preheat oven to 180°C (or 160°C if your oven is fan-forced). Grease and line with baking paper a 20cm x 24cm lamington tray**.

Place the almond topping ingredients in a suitably sized saucepan and cook over low heat until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, whisk the flours together in a bowl to ensure they are evenly combined. In a separate bowl, cream the 150g butter and 100g caster sugar together with the vanilla - you can use electric beaters for this step. Slowly add the combined flours (you might need to do this in batches) and beat until combined. If you are using electric beaters, be sure to do this on low speed or you will be showered with flour!

Press the dough into the prepared baking tin and bake for about 15 mins or until the base is a light golden brown. Allow to cool for 10 mins.

Spread the jam over the slightly cooled base ensuring even coverage right to the edges. Top with the cooked almond mixture (again, ensuring an even coverage).

Return the slice to the oven for a further 25 mins or so, keeping a close eye towards the end - you want the almonds to turn a lovely, caramelised golden brown, but you do not want them to burn.

Cool in the tin before cutting into squares. If desired, dust with icing sugar before serving.

* * *

NOTES:

These tasty treats are best enjoyed within a day of being baked, but they do keep reasonably well for a few days in an airtight container.

*Also, quite obviously, you don't have to make 'cherry' slices - you can substitute any jam that takes your fancy - cherry is my favourite, however!

** I confess that I do not have a 20x24cm tin as required by my own recipe. If you find yourself in the same boat, you can do what I do and use a larger tin (mine is 26x30cm, I think) press the dough in as far as it will go, leaving a blank strip along the shortest edge (for me it is a strip somewhere around 8cm wide) and chock the gap up with a bit of foil, folded over a few times at the edge closest to the dough to make a sturdy barrier.

Conquering my Fear of Frying - Ricotta Stuffed Zucchini Flowers

2010-08-08T18:44:00.000+10:00

For a long time I refused to engage in any kind of frying in the kitchen. By frying, I mean the sort of cooking that involves a reasonable pool of oil to be in the pan, bubbling and spitting like Mount Vesuvius, mid-eruption. Chips, for example, do not form a part of my repertoire. Generally, at W&W HQ, if we have a hankering for something fried, then we must eat out.

I have found deep-frying in particular to be an altogther stressful experience, invariably resulting in oil spatters on my kitchen floor, stains on my clothing and burns up my arm. There are too many things happening all too quickly, and I have a tendencey to get a little sloppy in the execution. There have been tears on some occasions - sometimes from the pain but mainly out of frustration.

We owned a deep fryer for a while there, but it took me three years to use it and, when I did, it transpired that the temperature gauge was faulty and I wasted my entire batch of salt and pepper squid by throwing it into tepid oil.

Clearly, my relationship with frying has been rocky from the outset, which is a real shame because I can't deny that there are few more enjoyable things in this world than the perfect potato chip or an earth shatteringly crisp, crunchy batter.

However, do not lament for me, friends, for I have recently discovered the secret of frying! Ever since the grand discovery, the W&W kitchen has been a hive of oil-centric activity, with salt and pepper prawns and fried chicken morsels aplenty, and never a tear in sight! My secret? Teamwork. That's right, readers, I concede that I need help, that there is something I can't do on my own. I think it was a desperate attempt on the part of Mr W&W to get me to cook him things from the Blue Eye Dragon cookbook that led him to offer assistance. We now have the whole procedure down pat, like a well-oiled machine (har har). We use a giant stockpot with minimal oil. He gets the oil temperature just right, I get the food in the batter or cornflour or whatever coating is being used. I ease the food in, he pokes it around a bit in the bubbling oil, whilst my extremities are kept a safe distance away (I am still recovering from previous frying-induced burns...). It's a seamless production line, and we have had much success.

I'm glad to have conquered the fear of frying as I can finally replicate favourites such as these:

Ricotta Stuffed Zucchini Flowers
serves 4 as a starter

My love for the fried zucchini flower stems back to a memorable evening we had at Roberts Restaurant in Pokolbin about 4 or 5 few years ago, back when Roberts was at Peppers Convent and Robert and Sally Molines were still at the helm. We had an amazing meal but, as luck would have it, the kitchen lost track of us halfway through. Mr W&W and I were oblivious, deep in conversation and happily halfway to the bottom of a bottle of the finest Margan Cab Merlot. The staff, however, were extremely apologetic over the delay and we were each presented with a little stuffed courgette blossom to 'tide us over'. This was a thing of beauty - a crispy, crunchy batter, a creamy goats cheese and herb filling, a little pool of a roast tomato reduction on the side. It was glorious and cemented within me a love for the humble zucchini flower.

Sometimes fried blossoms can be a bit of a disappointment - either the filling is under-seasoned and the whole thing a greasy, flabby lump, or else the filling is so flavoursome that it overpowers the delicate flavour of the blossoms themselves. I think this recipe achieves a nice balance - creamy ricotta and mascarpone are given depth of flavour by the addition of parmesan, the chopped olives and some delicate herbs. Anchovies would work well in lieu of the olives, I imagine, but I have not tried this as yet. The batter is light and crisp, and the whole thing is set off by a little squeeze of lemon. The blossoms can be stuffed on their own, but if you can find the ones with the little stems attached, then buy these (these are the male zucchini blossoms). The little stems are in fact baby zucchinis and are deliciously sweet. (They also operate as helpful little handles whilst you dredge the blossoms in the batter!).

What you need:

12 - 16 Zucchini/Courgette Flowers (stems attached if possible)

For the filling -
300g fresh ricotta cheese
2 tbs mascarpone cheese
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tbs chopped fresh herbs (eg parsley, chives, thyme - your choice)
¼ cup finely chopped green or black olives (or substitute a couple of spoonfuls of tapenade, to taste)
½ tsp nutmeg
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the batter -
½ cup cornflour
½ cup plain flour
1 cup cold sparkling mineral water

Vegetable oil for frying
Sea salt flakes and lemon wedges to serve

What to do -

Rinse the blossoms carefully to remove any grit and pat dry with kitchen towel. Open up the blossoms, being careful not to tear the delicate 'petals', and remove the stamen from inside (you can snap it off with your fingers) - discard this. If your blossoms have the stem attached, trim these to an even length, about 1½ inch.

Meanwhile, combine the ingredients for the filling, mixing well with a fork and seasoning with salt and pepper. Taste the mix to check the seasoning and adjust as necessary.

Open out the flowers once more and stuff with the filling using about 2 teaspoonfuls of the cheese mixture for each flower, being careful not to overfill. Twist the ends of the petals areound to enclose the mixture. (The flowers can be prepared earlier in the day to this point).

For the batter, just before you are ready to fry, whisk the two flours together in a bowl to combine, before mixing in the mineral water. Don't worry too much about removing lumps - small lumps are good as they will create crunch in the finished product as they form little air pockets in the batter.

In a deep sided heavy based frypan or saute pan (or a big saucepan if you have neither), add vegetable oil to a depth of about an inch. Heat the oil to 185°C (check with a candy thermometer, or test with a cube of bread - the oil is hot enough if a cube of bread sizzles gently when dropped in the oil and turns golden brown within 30 seconds).

Dredge each stuffed blossom through the prepared batter until evenly coated, and carefully drop in the hot oil. Fry for about a minute each side, or until a lovely golden colour. You will need to fry these in batches so that they do not stick together and to prevent the oil from cooling down too much in the cooking process. I do about 3 at a time, but this will depend on your pan-size. Scoop the cooked blossoms out of the oil with a slotted spoon and place on a paper lined tray or a wire rack set over kitchen towel. Repeat as necessary (if you have quite a few batches to do, have the oven on low and transfer the cooked blossoms to the oven whilst you finish frying).

Serve 3-4 blossoms per person (depending on size, and whether the stem is attached) as a starter, sprinkled with sea salt flakes and with a wedge of lemon on the side.

* * *

A note on the yield:

This recipe makes sufficient filling for a starter to serve 4 people (usually around 12 blossoms, 3 each). I make this dish for my husband and I and just use 6 blossoms, but I still make the full quantity of filling. The filling is excellent to stuff inside pasta - ravioli or tortollini, for example, or inside little cannelonis.

A New Direction for W&W

2010-08-08T14:12:00.006+10:00

You might have noticed things are looking a bit different around here, and that's because I've decided to give Whisk & Whimsy a bit of a facelift. At the same time, I am pointing this blog in a new direction - well, sort of.

If you know me or have been following this site from its inception, you may recall that I started it last year out of my love for the domestic side of life. I love to cook, to sew, to craft, to crochet. I'm inspired by design, I frequently feel the urge to create. I have a love for fashion, and I'm also on a quest to make my new apartment into a 'home'. In short, I started Whisk & Whimsy with no one path in mind, but I wanted a place where I could ramble about all of these things that define me. I also wanted to find some new friends in blogland who are similarly minded.

Increasingly, however, it has become clear to me that my main focus with Whisk & Whimsy is life in the kitchen - documenting favourite recipes, reviewing cookbooks and discussing kitchen tools and the like. It seems that this is what many readers of this blog are after as well - my Feedjit Live Feed tells me that most of my random visitors have come along on the search for various recipes.

For a while now, I've wanted to set a clear direction with this site and I've been in a bit of a dilemma about the whole thing. You see, food is my big love - it's what I talk about, think about, read about (and, you'd probably not be surprised to hear, I also frequently dream about it..). However, I have other things to say, and other people to whom I wish to say them. I still want to use my blog to keep in touch with blog-friends through a means which represents the other facets of me, plus I like to have a little site where I can document the things I make and do to show my Mum, who lives in the country. For me, the world is a much smaller place through blogging.

So, to cut a long story short, I have elected to redesign Whisk & Whimsy. This weekend has been a perfect one to do so, as both Mr W&W and I are ravaged by the flu, and I have been able to spend some time learning new html tricks and ~~losing my temper with~~ finding my way around Photoshop. I think I am finally happy with the end result, which is of course that I now have two blogs. This one, my main blog, will remain titled Whisk & Whimsy, and this will be totally food-centric - I have grand plans for it! All non-foodie posts have been removed and these have been transferred to my other place on the worldwide web, Whisk & Whimsy: Beyond the Kitchen. The latter is a new blog which I have set up to document the other facets of my life, matters which - as the name suggests - extend beyond the kitchen.

What it means for you guys is that if you are a follower of this site, you will need to pop on over to Beyond the Kitchen and add yourself as a follower there as well - otherwise you won't see any of those updates in your reader. That's if you're interested in my other ramblings, of course! If there is anything truly significant to report, I will make mention of it between blogs, but otherwise I plan to keep the two quite separate.

You can always find your way to Whisk & Whimsy: Beyond the Kitchen by clicking on the button below, which has a permanent place in the sidebar on the right (along with a teaser of the latest post):

If you pop on over there now, you can check out my Luxury Liberty Scarves!

Meanwhile, I'd love it if you left me a comment and let me know what you think of the new design - it's only taken me the whole weekend (and there is still lots to do, like finishing the content for some of the sidebar links)!

Slow Cooking Sunday - Indian Butter Chicken

2010-08-01T21:08:00.004+10:00

This weekend, the need for slow cooker comfort food has once again hit W&W HQ, for I'm not only battling a razorblade throat suggestive of tonsilitis, but I have also managed to fall over on my tiled floor with a complete lack of grace and agility and my hip is now black and blue (and a distressing shade of purple) all over. It may or may not have had something to do with wearing fluffy bedsocks around the house and shimmying around in the style of Tom Cruise in Risky Business, all in the vicinity of the spot where I do my ironing and spray Fabulon liberally. Let me just say that I have been feeling pretty sorry for myself (and you can stop laughing now, thank you..).

You know there is trouble when you can't even summon the energy and interest to get Indian takeaway, and that's how I felt last night. Yes, this is supposed to be Slow Cooker Sunday, but I don't mind telling you that we dined in this manner in our trackies in front of the rugby on the tv last night (clearly a wild Saturday night for the W&W family!).

Last night this was the ultimate in comfort food - a warming, tasty curry at home in front of the telly, and it was just what I needed to counter my misery.

Now, about Butter Chicken - I suspect this must be as authentic Indian food as, say, Sweet and Sour Pork is authentic Chinese, but there is something about it that I love. Rich, creamy, full of exotic spices - warming and delicious. We eat Indian food rarely at the W&W household, maybe twice a year we will go out to an Indian restaurant, although I will whip up a veggie curry every so often in an attempt to clean out the fridge. When dining out, though, our order is usually the same - tasty, crispy onion bhajis to start, then some kind of hot vindaloo arrangement for my husband, and butter chicken for me (we share, obviously, but I don't handle the spice as well as the Mr does). I am pleased to say that the slow cooker version of butter chicken is rather a success and will probably be cooked in our household more frequently than we go out for a curry; and, fortunately, it is a bit more healthy than the curry-house version. Yes, it obviously contains butter (and please don't substitute margerine!), but in an attempt to inject a slight level of health I have used yoghurt to create the sauce rather than the more commonly used cream.

This is a winner in our book, and we hope you like it too.

Slow Cooker Butter Chicken
serves 4, or 2 hungry gluttons (with leftovers)

What you need:

1 kg boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into 2 or 3 pieces depending on size
vegetable or olive oil for browning
2 brown onions, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 tbs butter
1 tbs freshly grated ginger
4 tbs garam masala
2 tsp sweet paprika (not the spanish smoked variety)
4 tsp ground coriander
½-1 tsp chilli powder (to taste)
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp ground cardamom
¼ cup tomato paste
2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes (I prefer tinned whole cherry tomatoes but these can be difficult to find sometimes)
2 tbs caster sugar
salt and freshly ground black pepper to season
1 cup yoghurt plus extra to serve
picked coriander leaves to serve
steamed basmati rice to serve

What to do:

Heat a splash of oil in a large frypan or saute pan over medium heat and brown the chicken in batches. Transfer the chicken to the slow cooker crock.

In the same pan, add another splash of oil and cook onion and garlic over medium until the onion begins to soften. Add the butter, the ginger and the spices and cook for about 3 or 4 minutes until the spices are fragrant. Stir in the tomato paste, tinned tomatoes, sugar and salt and pepper, simmer until thickened - about 8 mins. Stir in the cup of yoghurt and ensure it is well combined.

Transfer the sauce to the slow cooker base and ensure the chicken is evenly coated. Cook on the high setting for about 3 hours until chicken is tender and falling apart. Stir a few times during the cooking. Taste the sauce for seasoning, and adjust as necessary. If your sauce is quite thin, you can thicken it with a teaspoon of cornflour mixed with a small amount of cold water to make a paste. Stir through the curry about 10 minutes before serving.

Serve the butter chicken topped with fresh coriander and extra yoghurt if desired, along with some steamed basmati rice.

We like to have these with pappadums, but you can pick up a few store-bought naan if you like to mop up the delicious gravy (but we find the store-bought naans are just not the same as the ones in the restaurants!).

Best enjoyed in comfy clothes, curled up in front of the telly! :)

***

Edited to add-

Instructions for cooking in a conventional oven: You can still make delicious butter chicken without a crock pot! Donna has commented on this post to say that she would have to adapt the recipe as she does not have a slow cooker. I haven't tried this any other way than in my slow cooker, but I would suggest following the recipe above in terms of browning the chicken and making the sauce in a frypan/sautepan, and then transferring the lot to an ovenproof casserole. Bake the casserole, covered, for about 1½ hours in a preheated 165°C oven until the chicken is tender and easily pulls apart with a fork.

Mastering the Art of Beef Burgundy

2010-07-27T18:34:00.011+10:00

A few years ago I purchased Julie Powell's now acclaimed "Julie and Julia" from the remaindered pile at the Co-Op Bookshop, presumably in a fit of distraction when I was supposed to be ticking textbooks off my reading list for one of my university subjects. I had a feeling the story would be right up my alley and I have been saving it - to 'savour' it - waiting for just the right cosy weekend afternoon to curl up with a cup of tea and a biscuit and delve into its pages. That perfect weekend only came about recently, though in the meantime the book had been collecting dust on my shelf and the story became a worldwide hit, largely due to the film starring Meryl Streep. (Incidentally, the DVD has similarly been sitting on my TV unit since its release, still wrapped in plastic and waiting for me to find 'the right time' to watch it! You would be right to suspect a pattern).

With these great expectations, imagine my disappointment when, upon finally turning the pages of the book, I just couldn't get into it. More than that - I will go so far as to say that I found Julie Powell's 'character' to be completely disagreeable. I will admit to being slightly more conservative than my contemporaries, but I suspect I would not be the only reader to find the overuse of profanity more than a little jarring. I found the character whiny, self-absorbed and abrasive, particularly having regard to some of the conversations recounted with her husband and her family. What most offended me, however, was the condescension and derision with which she discussed working with families of 9/11 victims. I thought I'd be reading an interesting account of a young woman's cooking journey, but what I found was entirely unpalatable drivel. Maybe I gave up too soon, but Ms Powell's book lost me a third of the way in.

However, something great came of my disappointment at Julie and Julia and that is my rediscovery of the text upon which it was based - namely, Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. My mum received this for Christmas and, after spending my holidays with my nose in her copy of it, I purchased my own in the post-Christmas sales. This has quickly become a classic cookbook in my collection and already bears the evidence of use - dogeared corners and stained pages. There are complex recipes and there are simple ones, there are many variations to be applied to the recipes within. There are no photographs, but with Julia Child's descriptions of the dishes these are not missed - my imagination runs wild with thoughts of all the gourmet menus I could prepare! In terms of technique and preparation, there are illustrations to assist and the method is very clearly explained.

Recently, I cooked Julia Child's famed Boeuf Bourgignon, or Beef Braised in Red Wine. In my relatively shortly time, I have cooked (and eaten) many a beef stew, a large number of which have purported to be a Beef Burgundy of sorts. However, this particular recipe has produced what is by far and away the most successful beef stew I have ever prepared. Whilst a comforting beef stew is not ordinarily associated with elegant dinner party food, this is something which I would be proud to serve to dinner party guests when I am out to impress for it is, quite simply, a thing of glory.

Boeuf Bourgignon (Beef Burgundy)
adapted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking
by Julia Child, Simone Beck & Louisette Bertholle

Serves 6

What appears below is my tweaking of the original recipe (which of course can be found in Julia's book as well as on this site, as reproduced by the cookbook's publisher). It is true that there are a number of steps in the preparation, but they are well worth the effort. Having said that, I confess to skipping one particular step prescribed by the writers, which is to boil the piece of bacon - I feel this unnecessary and I feel it would detract from the dish a little - much of the bacon to be found these days has precious little flavour as it is, let alone once it is par-boiled. However, I wholeheartedly recommend sauteing the mushrooms separately and brown-braising the onions, as to do so gives these separate components their own, deeply rich flavour that, when teamed with the succulent beef, will have your tastebuds singing with joy.

What you need:

1.5 kg beef chuck, cut into 4-5cm cubes
150g piece of bacon or pancetta, cut into lardons (strips about ½cm thick)
olive oil for browning
2 carrots, peeled and sliced diagonally (about 1cm thick)
1 brown onion, peeled, halved and thinly sliced lenghways
2 tbs plain flour
3 cups medium bodied red wine, such as a chianti or merlot
2-3 cups beef stock
2 tbs tomato paste
2 cloves garlic, very finely chopped
a few sprigs of fresh thyme
2 dried bay leaves
a few sprigs of parsley, chopped, and mashed potato to serve

Sautéed mushrooms:

500g button mushrooms, halved or quatered if large
4 tbs butter
2 tbs olive oil

Brown Braised Onions

8 -10 small brown onions (see notes below), peeled and halved or quartered
1 tbs butter
1 tbs oil
1/2 cup red wine or beef stock
a few sprigs of parsley, a sprig of thyme and a bay leaf tied together in a bouquet garni (or wrapped in muslin).

What to do:

Preheat oven to 220°C.

In a large flame proof, oven proof casserole (a cast-iron cocotte is perfect), fry the bacon in a splash of oil over medium heat until crisp and lightly browned, before removing to a separate dish with slotted spoon ( reserving the oil) - set aside. In the same pot, brown the meat on all sides for a few moments in batches (remember, you are simply sealing the surface of the meat, you are not trying to cook it!). Add oil between batches as necessary. Remove the browned meat from the pan and set aside.

Using another splash of oil if necessary, tip the sliced carrots and the sliced onions (not the ones for brown-braising) into the pot. Cook these for about 10 minutes over medium heat until they start to colour a little, and then return the bacon and the beef to the casserole. Season with sea salt and a good grinding of black pepper and sprinkle over the flour, stirring a little to ensure a reasonably even coating.

Place the uncovered casserole in the hot oven for 5 minutes, before removing to give the contents a stir and return to the oven for a further 5 minutes. This will give the meat and veg a little crust, which helps to make the meat a little more tender and adds flavour to the sauce (as well as assisting in thickening it later on). Remove the casserole from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 150°C.

Add the tomato paste, herbs and garlic to the casserole, along with the red wine and give a stir. Pour in enough beef stock so that the meat is just covered, before bringing the liquid to a boil over medium heat on the hob. Cover the casserole and return it to the 150°C oven and allow to cook for about 2½-3 hours (mine tends to take 3) until the meat is tender and easily pulls apart with a fork. Give the pot a couple of stirs through the cooking process.

Whilst the beef is bubbling away in the oven, you can prepare the onions and mushies.

For the mushrooms, cook these in two batches. Don't try and save time by bunging them all in the pot together, this will overcrowd the pan and stew the mushrooms in their own juice - you want to fry them lightly and preserve the juice and flavour inside the mushroom. In a large saute or fry pan, melt 2tbs of the butter with 1 tbs of the oil over medium heat. When the butter has stopped foaming, tip half the mushrooms in - don't do it any earlier or else the oil will not be hot enough. Quickly give the mushrooms a stir to ensure an even coating. They will absorb the oil like little sponges before slowly releasing it again as their surfaces start to brown. The mushrooms will take about 5 mins per batch to cook and should be removed from the heat when lightly browned at the edges. Repeat with the remaining butter, oil and mushrooms and set aside.

For the onions, melt the butter and oil over medium heat until bubbling, before carefully adding the onions. Roll them about in the oil a little to ensure an even coating, and allow to cook for about 10 minutes, until the onions have started to colour in parts. Reduce heat to very low and tip in the wine and bouquet garni. Allow the onions to braise for up to 30 mins, until there is virtually no liquid in the pan. Set aside.

To serve:

[How much of this stage you wish to do is up to you, but for me I take the 'in for a penny, in for a pound' approach and finish it properly. You can, of course, just tip your reserved onions and mushrooms into the pot, allow them to warm through and serve with parsley and mash. Otherwise, continue as follows]-

Remove the meat and carrots to a separate bowl and strain the sauce through a sieve making sure you scrape the debris around in the sieve to extract all the goodness. My sauce is usually a good thickness at this point, but if yours is too thin you can reduce it in a pot on the stove. Return the meat to the casserole (or a serving dish) and add the reserved mushrooms and onions. Pour over the strained sauce, and give a little stir to combine. The heat from the meat and sauce should be sufficient to warm your mushrooms and onions, should you have let them sit out for a while.

Serve, garnished with chopped parsley, alongside creamy mashed potato and crusty bread on the side. Your guests will be very eager by this stage as the house will have been filled with amazing aromas for the preceding three hours!

And that's it! Phew! Just looking at it makes me feel exhausted, but trust me, whilst that reads pretty labour intensive, it's only a few extra steps and most of the cooking is taken care of by the oven whilst you spend your afternoon doing other things. Please give this a whirl, it is definitely something special.

* * *

NOTES:

About the wine: this recipe uses a whole bottle. Once you pour the three cups into your stew, you'll be left with around a half a cup which is perfect for the brown braised onions.

About the onions: The original recipe calls for pearl onions, but these are very difficult to find in my area, so I buy the smallest brown onions I can find and halve them (or quarter them if absolutely necessary, trying to leave as much of the root in tact as possible to prevent the onion separating)

Exciting new toy!

2010-07-19T13:45:00.006+10:00

Hello friends, sorry for the little haitus in posting - I've had a busy couple of weeks again. Never fear, though - I've not been too busy to cook! I have plenty of delicious things to tell you about, they just remain banked up in my mind like a peak hour traffic jam, impatiently waiting for me to find a moment to write. So much to say, so little time!

First, though, in exciting kitchen equipment news, my friendly day-job employer recently went on a holiday to the USA (his absence accounts in part for my delay in posting here - work was particularly busy during his period of vacation, and let's just say there were some challenging times for anxiety-prone me). I was very jealous of his trip, which took in Hawaii and the city which will forever hold my heart, New York, and I spent many a day scowling in envy. Imagine my extreme gratitude and excitement, though, to be presented upon his return with this wondrous souvenir from the Mecca of glorious home and kitchenware items, Williams Sonoma:

Behold the majesty of my* Fine Mesh Grill Pan!

Isn't it marvellous? I was ecstatic and - in case he is reading this - thank you once again to my friendly day-job employer for your thoughtfulness and generosity (and for our other great American goodies - though I'm not so sure about the Twinkies!).

After I got home from work with my American grill pan, I sat, in a moment of calm after the initial excitement, grill pan clutched to my chest, and thought of all the possibilities: Prawns and scallops! The marinated baby octopus in my freezer! Mediterranean grilled veggies! Little bundles of asparagus, wrapped in proscuitto! I had a menu planned in no time. Unfortunately I have been unable to give the grill pan a test run as yet. We are having work done to the facade of our apartment building, with the regrettable result that our bacony receives a daily shower of concrete dust and little meteorites of brickwork. Typically, the workmen did not think to let us know when they would be working above us, and the barbecue was uncovered at the time the drilling and chipping and grinding commenced. 'Not happy' is a bit of an understatement! Our grilling zone is off limits until the work is finished and we are able to do one giant cleanup.

In the meantime, I am collating a list of things to cook in the grill pan, and I'll let you know how I go. Suggestions would be welcome!

As an aside, is anyone off to the States anytime soon? I'd pay a worthwhile commission to have one of those Lattice Pocket Pie Moulds on the WS website brought back for me! :) Aren't they adorable? I do yearn for the day when more American online stores introduce international shipping (although it's probably best for my finances that they do not!).

* Obviously this image is not of my actual grill pan, it is the advertising image from the Williams Sonoma website.

Slow Cooking Sunday - Chicken Chasseur

2010-06-27T21:42:00.001+10:00

Increasingly I am finding that on Sundays in winter I am inclined to engage in a little slow cooking - either in my le creuset cast iron casserole cocotte or in the slow cooker.

My parents gave me a slow cooker for the Christmas before last, and I must confess shamefully that it was not until January this year that I managed to pull it out and take off the plastic. Mum had been telling me about the Pea and Ham Soup she had made in the crockpot and I was pretty inspired, plus I had a whopping great ham bone to deal with. I'm very attached to my le creuset cast iron pots (actually, most of mine are the cheaper imitation, but they do the job!) I use these frequently for stews and soups, but sometimes, particularly on wintery sundays, I have been bunging things in the crockpot and letting them bubble away for much of the day. There is nothing more comforting that having a cosy Sunday afternoon in, with a good book or a movie on the telly, all the chores done and dinner taking care of itself. All that's left is to mash some potatoes and open a bottle of red!

Last Sunday I had a real hankering for a favourite dish from my youth, Chicken Chasseur, and I thought I'd team it with my new Sunday slow cooker tradition. I'm not sure how it came about that we would eat such a meal, but my mum would cook us chicken chasseur from time to time and this became my very favourite thing as a teen, something I would request for birthday and special meals. Only recently did I discover that she frequently made it from a packet (the shock!). Growing up, I would request this with chicken breast meat, despite Mum's protests that it would be tough and dry - I had a real aversion to 'grey meat' in my chicken and would never touch a fatty, gristly thigh. I must confess to still being a bit iffy about chicken thigh meat but I have come to learn that, in much the same way the tougher cuts of beef turn into something deliciously soft and sticky when cooked slowly, chicken dishes which are slow cooked are much tastier and deliciously moist if made with the thigh cut. It doesn't stop me turning my nose up a little in the preparation, however!

Slow Cooker (or, Slow Cooked in the Oven) Chicken Chasseur
serves 4-6

This is kind of like the classic French dish, Coq a Vin, but made with white wine instead of red wine. Chasseur is the French word for 'Hunter', and this sauce is so called as it is frequently teamed with game, like venison or rabbit or game fowl. I consulted Julia Child's bible before launching into this experiment, and she teams it with Veal, which is wrong in my world for Chasseur sauce has always accompanied Chicken for me (but I imagine rabbit would be delicious...)

By the way, you don't need a slow cooker for this one, it's just the way I put the recipe together. By all means keep it on the hob for a couple of hours or put a casserole in a moderate oven (see below for a discussion on this).

What you need:

1kg boneless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into 2 or 3 pieces, depending on size
6 rashers bacon, chopped
vegetable or olive oil for browning
600g mushrooms, sliced or quartered, depending on size (I use both button mushrooms and field mushrooms, and I quarter the buttons and slice the field mushrooms about a half cm thick)
2 red onions, peeled, halved lengthways, sliced 1/2cm thick lengthways
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
2 tbs tomato paste
400g tin diced tomatoes (and their juice)
2 cups chicken stock (low salt, if you are using bought stock)
7g dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in 1/4 cup warm water for 20 min and then chopped (juice reserved) - or 2 tsp porcini powder
1 tbs fresh thyme leaves
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes
1/4 cup plain flour
1/4 freshly chopped Italian flat leaf parsley.

What to do:

In a saute pan, cook the bacon over medium-high heat about 8-10 minutes until browned and crispy. With a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to the crockpot bowl, reserving the bacon fat. In the same pan, using the hot bacon fat over medium high heat, brown the chicken both sides, in batches, and season with salt and pepper whilst doing so. Transfer chicken to slow cooker.

Returning the same saute pan to the heat, use any leftover bacon fat (or top up with 1-2 tbs vegetable/olive oil) and saute mushrooms with onion and garlic and a pinch of salt for about 10-15 minutes until mushrooms have started to brown and the onions have softened. Stir in wine and the tomato paste and allow to bubble away for a little while until the wine has reduced by half (about 7-10 min). Add to the crockpot, together with the tomatoes, 1 & 1/2 cups of the stock, porcini mushrooms and their reserved liquor (if using porcini powder, just mix this into th stock before adding to the slow cooker pot), thyme, bay leaves and chilli. Cover and cook on low for about 4 hours until chicken is tender.

Remove chicken from the slow cooker and place with a slotted spoon with some of the veggies into a serving dish. Cover to reserve heat.

Combine the flour with the remaining 1/2 cup stock and whisk until smooth. Stir into the reserved sauce in the crock pot, cover and allow to bubble away about 20 mins further until sauce has thickened and the flour has been cooked (if you taste the sauce, it is done when it no longer tastes 'floury'). Season to taste with salt and pepper and stir through the parsley.

To serve, spoon the mushies/onions over the chicken and spoon over some of the sauce. Serve with creamy mash and crusty bread, and pass a little jug of extra sauce around the table.

* * *

If you are in a hurry - you could probably bung all the ingredients directly into the slow cooker without browning (except for the flour and 1/2 cup stock, and the parsley, adding these at the end as instructed above). I am sure it will be tasty, but I don't think it would be nearly as rich a flavour doing it this way, so I urge you to take the extra time and go through the browning and sauteing stages I have indicated above.

Also, as mentioned, you don't need to do this in a slow cooker. You can brown and saute the ingredients in an oven proof, heat proof casserole according to the directions above, but return all the browned ingredients to the casserole with the tomatoes, stock, porcinis, herbs and chilli. Reserve a 1/2 cup stock and the flour and parsley. Bring the casserole contents to the boil on the hotplate, before covering and transferring to a 150 degree oven for about 2 hours until chicken is tender. Follow the directions above with regard to the remaining 1/2 cup stock and flour mix, and the parsley.

Moroccan-Inspired Lamb Shanks

2010-06-26T15:57:00.010+10:00

My relationship with lamb is a funny thing. I love a little loin chop on the barbecue and I grew up on crumbed cutlets, which will forever have a special spot in my heart. On the whole, however, I'm not really a big fan of lamb, which is very peculiar since there is not a lot in this world that I will not eat. I love all sorts of meats, veggies, eggs and dairy, everything seafood related, I'll even eat offal. Sometimes, however, I find even the smell of a joint of lamb, either raw or in the cooking phase, is enough to make my stomach go flipperty gibberty - I can't really pinpoint why. I have no aversion to eating animals, baby or otherwise, so it's not for any kind of moral or emotive reason! Sometimes, I guess, we're just not very good friends.

As a result, lamb tends not to feature very much in my kitchen, and it's usually not until the cold, dark days of winter set in that I recall another cut of lamb which I do actually enjoy, and that is the humble shank. I like pretty much anything if it's slow cooked, and I think a shank cooked for a decent amount of time in a lovely, rich sauce renders a delicious, cheap dinner.

This recipe is one my mum used to cook when I lived at home, and was what she cooked the first time I ever ate lamb shanks. It's definitely a comfort-recipe for me. I say it's 'moroccan inspired' since it features such exotic ingredients as dates and cinnamon quills, but it's really not all that fancy. If you want to carry on the Moorish theme then you might want to serve this with some cous cous, but I like it the way I enjoy everything slow cooked, which is with smooth and creamy mashed potatoes!

Moroccan Inspired Lamb Shanks
Serves 4*

By the way, this is a recipe that you can do in the slow cooker if you have one, or you can leave bubbling away on the stove for just short of an hour. I do it both ways, depending on what day of the week we are up to and how much time I have. The one in the pictures were thrown in my slow cooker.

You will need:

4 big lamb shanks (or 8 if they are a bit scrawny), French trimmed
plain flour to coat
2 tbs vegetable oil
1 brown onion, finely chopped
about 700g pumpkin (I use jap or Qld blue), peeled, deseeded, cut into big chunks
3 cups chicken stock
1 cup dry red wine
1 x 400g tin whole peeled tomatoes, crushed
1 cup whole pitted dried dates, halved
1 cinnamon quill
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbs chopped fresh flat leaf parsley (optional)

What to do:

Coat the shanks in flour and shake off excess. Heat oil in a large casserole dish (a le creuset style pot is great for these) over medium high heat and brown the lamb in batches. Remove from pan and set aside.

Add onion to the same pot (you might need to add a little more oil) and cook, stirring 2-3 mins until the onion begins to soften. Return shanks to the pot with the stock, red wine, tomatoes, dates and cinnamon and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, about 45 minutes until pumpkin has softened and sauce has thickened slightly. Season to taste and stir through the parsley. Serve one shank per person (or two if you're using the scrawny ones) on deliciously creamy mashed potato, with the sauce and pumpkin spooned over.

I don't normally serve anything else since you have lots of pumpkin to devour, but you might want to do some green veg, maybe some sprouts or some brocollini if you feel the need.

For a slow cooker:

If I have a bit of time on the weekend I'll sometimes throw these in the slow cooker, which makes for a more tender bit of lamb and a much richer flavour in the sauce. That's not to say it's not delicious on the hob, as directed above, but you'll achieve a deeper flavour in the slow cooker simply because you are cooking the dish for much longer.

I guess you could just bung all the ingredients in your slow cooker, but I don't - I brown the shanks as above, in a frypan on the stove, and then put them in the bottom of the slow cooker crock. I'll also saute my onions in the frypan before putting them in the slow cooker crock as well. Thereafter I add all ingredients except the parsley, salt and pepper, and cook on high in the slow cooker for 4 hours. Season to taste and stir through the parsley as noted above.

A note on the yield: My husband and I generally have one shank each, sometimes he will be greedy and eat two. This depends on your personal preferences and, if you have a bigger appetite than we do then you will need to adjust the recipe accordingly. I have suggested four shanks serve four people, but I am talking about nice, big, plump shanks from the butcher. If your shanks are more scrawny ones from the supermarket, you might want to double the yield. I generally keep the sauce ingredients at the same quantity, but add a bit extra stock and pumpkin.

Return to Blogland, Blog Redesign and Crafting for 'Baby'

2010-06-21T22:44:00.001+10:00

Hello friends!

I've had a little break from the blog as I've been busy studying for exams in my masters degree. I've finally finished my last exam for a while and have a little bit of breathing space for the minute. If all goes according to Hoyle, in that I pass all subjects for which I have recently been assessed, then I will have only one subject left in the degree before I am a Master of Laws. Keep your collective fingers crossed for me, I'm well and truly sick of the student life. My husband and I worked out only the other day that I have horrifyingly spent the last ten - yes, 10! - years, without a pause, studying at university in one form or another. As you can imagine, I'll be glad to finish up by the end of the year!

I've also returned to discover I have a fabulous 10 followers, which is quite an achievement for my quiet little blog! Welcome, new friends!

Anyway, since my last post I have done a lot of cooking, about which I plan to blog over the coming weeks. I've also slowly gotten back into the world of craft - taking baby steps. I have big plans but am easing my way into it with a few crocheted granny squares and the rediscovery of my sewing machine.

This last weekend, for example, I wiped the dust off my machine and set about making a blanket for Camilla the Cat. Before you all laugh at me, let me just say that my little cat has been with us for almost 7 months now, and, for 6 1/2 of those months, has refused to sleep on anything resembling a designated pet bed, instead sprawling on the sofa, the kitchen table or - shock! - our bed. Otherwise, if locked out, she will sprawl on the cold tiles outside our bedroom door and howl for hours. When we first talked about getting a cat, the one thing I said at the time in a vehement voice was that I Will Not Have a Cat Sleeping On My Bed. Unfortunately the little grey minx had different ideas, and I am of a weak character. We bought her the super-dooper Cat Igloo, which she hates. We tried to make it more appealing with the addition of a hot water bottle and a blankie - she continues to hate. It is now gathering dust. The other week, after saying that she would have to learn to love the Igloo, I caved, and bought her a $12 leopard print bed from Lincraft. I really thought this might be it, but the effect was amazing. It was as if the new Lincraft bed was comprised of hot coals, such was the reaction she had any time I sought to plonk her on it. Her paws had no sooner made impact before she was leaping away in horror and disgust. Finally, in my last, half-hearted attempt, I flung a scungy old bath towel over the cheap bed, a towel we've had since moving in together, faded and complete with bleach spots as a lasting reminder of my husband's overzealous bathroom cleaning attempts. And, amazingly and miraculously, the obnoxious spoilt grey cat finally slept in her cheap Lincraft bed! On top of the towel. Alas, I apparently have a snobbish cat, afraid of synthetic materials.

In an attempt to make the whole arrangement slightly more aesthetically appealing, I sought to make her a cosy little blankie (which would look a lot nicer than her oversized, multicoloured towel). Also at Lincraft, I recently picked up a couple of metres of snuggly soft 'minky fleece' in a light beigey-coffee colour, and some rich brown blanket binding. I simply sewed a couple of squares of the fleece wrong sides together, before enclosing the edge seams in the satin blanket binding and finishing the edges wtih my machine's blanket stitch (but a zig-zag would be fine). Easy to do, for cat or for baby!

I had spoken to my mother on this project prior to starting it and I could hardly talk to her, such were her hysterics at my 'sewing for baby'. She was, in between guffaws, curious if I had bought fleece complete with nursery prints, before suggesting I should source some blanket fleece decoratedwith little fish images. Oh, har har, have your fun. (I did remind her only half in jest that as yet I haven't any children to sew for, so I have to make do!) Anyway, whatever the case, I think Camilla likes her little snuggly 'baby' blanket:

It's lovely and soft - I'd rather like one in human-size, to curl up with on the sofa whilst watching the telly!

Otherwise, I spent some of the weekend just gone playing around with the new 'Template Designer' in Blogger, before cursing myself for changing something with which I was already happy! After spending hours trying to fix my changes and then redevelop design into something resembling the picture in my mind, I think I'm finally satisfied with the end result. There are still a few things to tweak and a few static pages under construction, but you get the gist of it. What do you think? For those of you who look at this blog in Reader or similar, click here and have a look. Tell me what you think :)

Meanwhile, back to the recipes tomorrow - with luck!

Hearty Winter Dishes: Rich Lentil Cottage Pie

2010-06-07T20:45:00.002+10:00

The weather was bracing as I left the office this evening and it's yet another night for a hearty, delicious winter meal. As it turns out, my husband is coming down with the cold and is feeling sick and sorry for himself, so comfort food is once again needed in our household. All things considered, I thought it best to tell you all about another favourite mid-week comfort meal at Whisk & Whimsy HQ.

This little favourite is vegetarian, although we clearly are not! I'm not a big fan of mincey meals, I don't particularly like using ground meat although I will, on occasion. For that reason, traditional cottage pie has never had an appeal. I've tried and tested and modified and developed a vego lentil cottage pie from a Delicious magazine recipe and in its final form this has become a W&W staple. The base is so rich and tasty, and it is a great way to sneak fibre into your diet. My husband is the second least vegetarian person I know, with the least vegetarian person being my Dad, and both subjects have given their approval to this dish with rave reviews.

Rich Lentil Cottage Pie

(serves 6)

There is no pretty way to photograph this dish so you will just have to trust me that it's scrumptious and the perfect thing to curl up with on the sofa on a cold night. This is a big warm hug in a bowl. [Actually, I guess there may be a way to photograph this dish so it looks as appealing as it tastes, but I seem to have neither the time, skill nor props to be able to do it. One day!].

Anyway, let's get to the important stuff:

What you need:

For the filling -

A glug of olive oil

2-3 celery stalks, sliced about a half cm thick

2 large carrots, peeled and chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1/2 cup (loosely packed) chopped semi sun-dried tomatoes

1 tin chopped Italian tomatoes (double this for a richer sauce)

1 tbs tomato paste

1 tsp sugar

1 bay leaf

few sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves picked

1 cup vegetable (or chicken) stock

2 x 400g tins brown lentils , rinsed and drained (or you could use an equivalent quantity of dried lentils soaked overnight, although I don't)

Topping -

About 800g potatoes, peeled and diced

100g unsalted butter

1/2 cup milk

100g grated cheddar cheese

2 egg yolks (- as an aside, you don't need the eggwhites, but don't chuck them! Put them in a ziplock bag and freeze them. You can use them for a meringue or a pav another time).

What to do:

Preheat oven to 200C.

Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat and cook onion for a couple of minutes, before adding the garlic. Cook 1-2 minutes but be careful to ensure garlic does not burn. Add the celery and carrots and stir for a minute to coat in the oil and garlic, then add all remaining filling ingredients except the lentils. Allow to simmer gently for about 20 minutes until the veggies have softened. Stir through the lentils and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Transfer the filling to an appropriately sized deep baking dish (see below for tips on excess filling).

Meanwhile, cover potatoes in cold, salted water and bring to the boil, allowing to continue boiling until potatoes are tender. Drain potatoes and mash them in the saucepan. Stir in the butter, milk, egg yolks and cheese. Spread over the filling and drag a fork over the potatoes to roughen them a bit - the rough parts will get crispy in the oven.

Bake 15 - 20 minutes in the preheated oven until bubbling and the potato is golden.

* * *

As an added bonus, the filling freezes very well - if you have leftovers you can put them in a freezer-safe ramekin and wrap well with plastic wrap. Plonk them in the deep freeze for those days when you have some mashed potato left over and you have an instant easy, delicious, meal. In such circumstances, I defrost the filling through the day and bake with leftover mash on top (I just use 'straight' leftover mash for these, rather than with the egg and cheese etc) for about 15 min or so until toasty on top and heated through.

Sticky Bourbon & Maple Glazed Pork Spare Ribs

2010-06-07T18:42:00.001+10:00

We live very close to a wholesale meat market and I have been known to get a bit excited when there is space in the freezer and I have need to visit the butcher. Usually, we will go there for just one thing - a tray of lamb loin chops, for example - and I will leave with four bags of other things, useful stuff, like lamb shanks, beef chuck, wagyu striploin, big slabs of aged rump steak, and, most recently, trays of American Style Pork Ribs. Needless to say, there are lots of little treasures contained in my deep freeze, and sometimes I don't get to things as quickly as I should.

In an attempt to curtail expenditure and spend some weekends at home, Mr W&W and I have been making a conscious effort to Use What We Have, to Make Do, and to forge a delicious dinner from already purchased pantry and freezer items. On Sunday night, after flipping through one of my little handwritten books containing recipes and food ideas, I stumbled upon my notes for Maple & Bourbon Glazed Pork Ribs, and realised I had most of everything I needed to bring this together (and could substitute for those things I did not have).

These were scrummy - really, satisfyingly, tasty. I love a smokey barbeque rib like the next person, but these babies are delicious in their own, sweet, sticky, alcoholic way. They are poached before baking to ensure a soft, tender flesh, and the syrup and alcohol in the glaze only serves to caramelise in the oven. Just make sure you wrap your baking tray in plenty of foil and parchment to ensure an easy cleanup, because otherwise these little chaps are messy!

Bourbon Maple Glazed Pork Spare Ribs

(Serves 2 hungry gluttons - use 1.5-2kg ribs for 4 people with side dishes)

What you need:

1-1.5kg American style pork spare ribs, cut into 5 or 6 ribs per portion

For poaching -

1 tbs whole black peppercorns
4 whole garlic cloves, bruised with the side of a knife
2 bay leaves
cold water, to cover ribs

For glaze -

1/2 cup maple syrup
2 tbs runny honey
1/2 cup bourbon
3 tbs tomato paste
1 tsp cayenne pepper

What to do:

Place the ribs in a big pot with the poaching ingredients and enough cold water to cover the meat comfortably. Bring to the boil and then turn down heat to low, allowing the ribs to simmer gently for about 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the glaze ingredients and preheat oven to 200C.

Remove the poached ribs from the poaching pot and dip into the glaze, coating the ribs thoroughly on both sides. Place in a single layer on a lined baking dish and bake 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Baste the ribs on both sides with the remaining glaze and return the ribs to the oven for a further 10-15 minutes until the glaze has caramelised.

I will leave side dishes up to you, but I served these with some steamed brocolli to add some nutrition to all this sticky, porky gluttony!

* * *

I was glad to make this recipe as it used up the tiny bottle of bourbon which had been collecting dust in the kitchen cupboard for about 5 years. We clearly aren't big on spirits in the W&W household! Now I just need to find some use for the numerous bottles of scotch and the little flask of Irish Whisky. Any ideas? Food wise I mean, not to drink!

My take on Kylie Kwong's Mussels with Black Bean & Chilli

2010-06-06T17:34:00.007+10:00

My husband and I had cause to be in Surry Hills the other week for my girlfriend's birthday celebrations, which did not start until around 7.30 in the evening. We've been speculating and wondering about Billy Kwong for a long time now, both of us being avid fans of any kind of asian cuisine, but particularly modern asian food, and certainly something a bit different from the standard Sweet & Sour Pork at your local Chinese. We'd never managed to get to Billy Kwong as they don't take reservations. [As a brief aside: ARRGH! What is it about restaurants that don't take reservations? Do people not like to be organised??? Maybe it's the time-accounting lawyer in me, but I like to be organised and allocate my time amongst various pre-planned events!]

Anyway, it was a rainy, miserable Friday, we were ready to go out not long after my husband got home from work and we decided we just might have a chance of getting a table at Billy Kwong if we got a cab to the Hills of Surry super early. After walking the wrong way up Crown Street for a whole block due to my husband's total lack of bumplification, we managed to arrive at the restaurant at about 6.12pm (which is extremely early for eating in the Whisk & Whimsy household) and we were shown to a small table in an already half full restaurant in quick time. I use the term 'restaurant' loosely.. yes, the staff were friendly, knowledgeable and efficient. Indeed, the standard menu was interesting, although the handwritten house specials were incomprehensible and the restaurant ought consider printing this daily menu in Times New Roman or something similarly easy to read, rather than something which might have been penned by my local GP. Unfortunately, however, the tiny little room which passes for a restaurant is cramped with miniature food-court style tables and extremely uncomfortable stools. Patrons are packed in like sardines in a dining space lacking in atmosphere. I must confess to feeling as if the discomfort was intentional, so as to ensure tables were turned quickly for the next round of diners who were forced to leave their names and numbers at the door. I had the misfortune of being seated on the 'outside' of the table which meant that every waiter or customer that needed to move through the aisle brushed against my shoulder in passing. NOT what I call comfortable dining. We would have left the place if it wasn't for the food. Which, I grudgingly have to concede, was OUTSTANDING.

We started with little prawn dumplings, and these were yummy concoctions, rich with chunks of fresh prawn and aromatic with ginger and lemongrass, served with a sweet, house made chilli dressing. We then had homestyle wok fried eggs with XO sauce, which totally took my breath away. Crispy, blistered eggwhite, oozing yolk, chilli warmth, rich house made XO. I could have taken a dive into that dish and been happy for eternity. We followed with Black Bean Mussels, and again, I was overwhelmed with joy. I am a BIG fan of the humble mussel (so cheap! so under appreciated!) and, having cooked them a million times over in a rich tomato sauce or moules mariniere, I'd never actually considered them a la black bean. I was such a happy vegemite, and half way through the giant platter of bivalves I was hit with a sense of de ja vous - I had this recipe! At home! In my own little handwritten recipe book! The joy these mussels brought was indescribable. Plump, juicy shellfish, aromatic, rich sauce. Heaven! We finished with a house special duck with orange, star anise, cinnamon, which was stunning.

My first Billy Kwong experience was unexpected - the design and atmosphere was something I would ordinarily hate - I am extremely uncomfortable being cramped in alongside my dining neighbours, being brushed about by the wait stafff, eating off a table suited for a single (child-sized?) diner, particularly when there are two of you and many dishes to share. It was everything we would normally hate at Whisk & Whimsy HQ. However, we had to concede that the food was fantastic, and we would, unfortunately, be back. (No photos of the restaurant meal due to my husband who remains embarrassed when I start snapping images of dishes!).

A week after our Billy Kwong experience and I was still thinking about those mussels. As it turned out, serendipity stepped in when Miss Kitty Cat got in touch with a proposal to visit the Fish Markets. We had a cheerful afternoon at the markets, discussing restaurants, food, recipes, life in general and her recent trip to the States. I also managed to pick up a kilo of black mussels and dug out my Kylie Kwong black bean recipe upon arriving home, and a gourmet Friday dinner was born:

Wok Fried Mussels with Black Bean and Chilli
(adapted from Kylie Kwong, original recipe here)

What I used:

1kg live black mussels, cleaned and debearded (I used a bag of these)
1 small-medium red capsicum, seeded and cut into 1" strips
2 long red chillies, seeds removed and quartered, lengthwise
1 small bunch spring onions, trimmed and cut into 5cm lengths
1 red onion, peeled & halved, cut into wedges
1/2" bit of fresh ginger, peeled and cut into thin slices
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 cup peanut/ground nut oil
2 tbs salted chinese black beans (available from chinese grocers)
1/4 cup Shoaxing Rice Wine (available at chinese grocers - or substitute dry sherry)
1/3 cup chicken stock (or water)
2 tbs oyster sauce
2 tsp caster sugar
a big splash (about 1/2 tsp) sesame oil
2 tsp malt vinegar
1 small red birds eye chilli, thinly sliced (add an extra one if you like it quite hot!)
a small handful coriander sprigs, leaves picked
steamed white rice to serve.

What to do:

Add mussels to a wok with 1 & 1/2 cups cold water. Cover and allow to steam over high heat for about 2-3 min until shells are opening. Remove mussels to a bowl (discard any shells which have not opened - these were dead upon cooking and are not safe to eat). Discard cooking liquor.

Wipe the wok out with kitchen towel and add peanut oil, heat until oil starts to shimmer slightly. Stir fry onions, spring onions, capsicum, long red chilli and black beans for about 3 minutes, until fragrant. Return mussels to the pan, and stir fry further 2 minutes. Pour in Shoaxing rice wine (or sherry) in a circular motion around edge of the wok, stir in stock, oyster sauce, sugar, sesame oil and birds eye chilli, stir fry about 3 minutes to create a rich sauce. Finally, add the malt vinegar and serve immediately, garnished with the coriander leaves.

Serve with plenty of steamed white rice to soak up the delicious black bean juices!

* * *

This is definitely a winner in the W&W household and will form part of our regular weekend dining rotation. It's cheap (owing to mussels still being a paltry $6.99 a kilo - shhh, let's keep their wonder a secret!), delicious and light, but simple to execute one you have all mise en place in order, which I try to make a habit of doing!

I'm Still Alive! (plus Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies...)

2010-05-30T15:37:00.008+10:00

Hello friends!

When we last met a couple of weeks back I'd just been hit with the dreaded lurgy and was feeling sick and sorry for myself. My cold stuck around for a few days and then we had unexpected houseguests for part of the week - my parents-in-law came to stay whilst they were having tiles laid in their apartment - and then work and uni have both been ultra hectic. The good news is that I've found my cooking mojo again, which means I'll be reporting on a few recent meals over the next few posts, but the bad news is that I haven't had time to drag out the sewing machine and get crafting, despite having a number of projects twirling around my mind and the new city Lincraft store having opened up mere steps from my office building! Realistically I don't think I will find the time until I have my evenings back, which will happen in a few weeks once teaching finishes for the semester.

Meanwhile, I was going to tell you about my lifesaving freezer tip for unexpected guests. On the weekend of my last post, my parents-in-law called in for a cup of tea (this was before we all realised they would have nowhere to stay during the tiling of the apartment). I must confess to being surrounded by a pile of tissues right up until 5 minutes before their arrival, and then I motored into action just in time for them to walk in the door. Normally, if someone pops in for a cuppa I like to have something tasty to serve - a slice of cake, a scone, some shortbread. Something! This day, however, I had nothing and in my foggy flu-addled state hadn't thought even to nip to the shop to get a packet of biscuits. Fortunately, I recalled the freezer tip - which is to have stored in the freezer a roll of cookie dough for easy baking in precisely these circumstances!

Actually, I am more likely to resort to my little freezer biscuit rolls when it's getting late on a mid-week night and I have the munchies for something chocolately, but this was certainly a lifesaver when I was feeling too ill to be bothered making anything from scratch.

Usually, I will make a batch of cookies and bake only half, to avoid the overeating which would otherwise follow, and then roll the balance dough into a log, wrapping in greaseproof paper and then plastic wrap, remembering always to label your little cookie roll with the baking instructions! I was talking to Miss Kitty Cat about this on Friday and she freezes hers in little balls, on a tray, until they are solid before putting them in a bag or container. I think I might try that method with the next batch I make.

For these cookies, I adapted a recipe found on AllRecipes some time ago and they are something special - beautifully chewy but with a crisp shell, bursting with vanilla and chocolate flavour. They are also pretty quick and easy, although they do go against all I have understood about cookie-making by eschewing the usual creaming of butter and sugar!

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
175g unsalted butter, melted
200g packed brown sugar
75g caster sugar
1 tbs vanilla extract
1 egg plus 1 egg yolk extra
275g chocolate chips* (I used a mix of dark & white in these cookies)

* clearly you can substitute other ingredients for the choc chips - maybe some nuts, some dried cranberries - your choice!

Have your oven preheated to 160C and grease/line a couple of baking trays.

In a medium bowl, mix the melted butter and sugars until well combined (I use electric beaters for this) and stir in vanilla. Beat in egg and the yolk and beat until light and creamy. Fold in sifted dry ingredients and stir through chocolate chips. If you are freezing some dough for later, now is the time to either roll the dough into a log and wrap well in baking paper and plastic wrap and label your cookie roll as to baking intstructions.

Bake 1/4cup fulls (I use my icecream scoop!) - or slices of your cookie log if using from the freezer - positioned about 3cm apart on the prepared cookie trays for about 18 minutes or until the cookies are starting to brown and crisp at the edges. Cool on wire racks if you can exercise self control...

* * *

Comfort Food Needed! Creamy Wild Mushroom Barley Risotto

2010-05-15T21:58:00.002+10:00

Fortunately, the chilly weather for which I have been longing has finally come to Sydney - the mornings are bracing, the days are crisp, the nights are cosy under the doona. Unfortunately, the change in the weather has also brought me a touch of the cold, and I've been feeling pretty under the weather for the last two days, hacking and wheezing and surrounded by a growing pile of tissues.

Such circumstances have called for comfort food - bowl food. On a recent trip to the fish markets deli I bought a bag of Italian pearled barley with the thought of making a risotto. I was reminded of it yesterday as I sniffled my way through the local IGA, and I found myself piling packages of mixed mushrooms into my shopping basket.

I must confess that I am not the greatest fan of regular risotto - you know, the 'proper' type, made with arborio or carnaroli rice. I have never been one to enjoy what I call 'soggy' textures, and for this reason I have never warmed to things such as rice pudding, porridge, bread and butter pudding, for example. Risotto causes a similar struggle - or so I thought, until I had the most delightful Truffled Spelt Risotto at Bilsons a year or two ago. The use of spelt was such a revelation to me - the joy of risotto but with a firmer texture, much more to my liking.

I've subsequently become a bit of a risotto monster, substituting other grains such as farro and spelt for the rice in many risotto recipes. As far as grains go, however, barley, is my clear favourite - if one can have such a thing as a favourite grain! I got hooked on barley from an early age, thanks to my very Scottish Nanna feeding me bowls of her Scottish Broth filled with to the brim with the stuff. These days I use it in soups, stews, salads - to be honest, I'll use it anywhere I can manage to throw it - but I particularly love it when cooked 'risotto-style'.

Creamy Wild Mushroom Barley Risotto
Serves 4

I must warn you, barley takes much longer to cook than rice, so this risotto can have you standing at the stove for an hour, adding stock and stirring. If you're anything like me, however, you might find there is nothing more comforting than staring into space whilst stirring a pot of delicious home cooked goodness. To me, this is comfort food not only in the eating, but also in the preparation.

You will need:

1 1/2 cups pearl barley
a knob of butter
2-3 eschallots (french shallots), finely chopped
2 cloves garlic
3/4 cup dry white wine
4-5 cups chicken stock (low salt, if you are using store bought)
500g mixed mushrooms, roughly chopped (I used a couple of field mushies and some oyster mushrooms and shiitakes)
1-2 tsp porcini powder* or 7-10g dried porcini mushrooms
1-2 tbs mascarpone
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (plus extra to serve)
2-3 tbs finely chopped italian flat leaf parsley
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
truffle oil to serve (optional)

What to do:

If you are using dried porcini mushrooms, reconstitute these for about 20 mins in some chicken stock and then chop the porcinis roughly and add to your other mushrooms. Reserve the porcini 'stock' - you will be adding this to your risotto later.

sauteing mushrooms

In a large, heavy based saucepan (I find a big cast iron one works a treat for this dish), add a knob of butter with 1 of the garlic cloves, crushed, and the chopped mushrooms. Season to taste and saute a few minutes until the mushrooms have softened and reduced. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a separate saucepan, heat the chicken stock to simmering and keep on a low simmer. If you are using porcini powder, add this to your stock.

In the same heavy based pan in which you cooked your mushrooms (don't wash it!), add another knob of butter, or use some olive oil if you prefer, and throw in the chopped eschallots and the other clove of garlic, which you will need to crush. Stir for a few moments until the shallots have softened, and then tip in the barley. Stir the grains for a few moments so that they are coated in the butter/oil.

Coat the grains

Add the wine and allow it to bubble and fizz, before stirring and scraping the bottom of your pan to ensure the grains don't stick. Once the wine has been completely absorbed by the barley, you can start adding the stock a ladleful at a time - no more! - ensuring that each ladleful is completely absorbed by the grains before adding the next. Be sure to add your mushroom stock if you used dried porcinis. Stir regularly. You will need to continue this process until most or all of the stock is absorbed and the grains are tender - it will take a while, about an hour of stirring and ladling.

Add mascarpone and mushies

Once the grain is tender and your risotto is almost done, add your reserved mushrooms and stir in the mascarpone to taste, as well as a grating of parmesan (just don't do what I did and grate your knuckle off in haste - ouch!). Stir in most of the parsley and lots of freshly ground black pepper, and some sea salt to taste (it may not need it, depending how well you seasoned your mushies and if you have salty stock).

Serve in bowls topped with a little extra parmesan and a sprinkling of parsley.

If you're feeling indulgent (or you just had some on hand, like I did) you can drizzle over a little truffle oil at the end.

Voila!

* Porcini Powder is, as the name suggests, a powder made from dried porcini mushrooms. I have a small jar from the Essential Ingredient, and it is useful for situations where I have forgotten to pick up some dried porcini mushrooms (which is what I would normally add to this risotto). It's a great thing to have on hand to add a bit of extra flavour to stocks and sauces and soups and stews as well.

Indulgent Winter Meals: Thyme Roast Pork Belly

2010-05-15T12:11:00.004+10:00

I think my little 'winter' dance in the last post may have had the desired effect, as the weather in Sydney has turned chilly! Yippee, winter is on its way!

Given we are now experiencing the appropriate weather for heavy-ish yummy roasts, let me tell you about my cooking adventures of last weekend. We had a great weekend as my parents were staying with us for a few days. As readers of this blog may know, my mum and dad retired to the country a few years ago and, being that I am an only child we are extremely close, I miss them a lot. As such, their infrequent trips to the city are very eagerly anticipated, and usually well planned, particularly in terms of eating out!

This time, however, we were all attending a show at the State Theatre on Saturday evening, so we elected to spend Friday night in. This led to the obvious question - what to cook!?

I had planned to visit Chinatown on Friday morning to pick up a bunch of stuff for my mum from the asian grocer (apparently there is a dearth of supplies for her favourite asian dishes in the country!) and since it was chilly and I had a yummy dinner to cook, I made a visit to my favourite Chinese Butcher, Emperor's Garden Meat Market (details below), and picked up some belly pork. I think the Chinese butchers have the best pork belly - beautiful creamy fat, plump ribbons of meat within, and a nice selvedge of skin for crackling to perfection! PLUS, it's incredibly cheap, certainly compared to some of the more upmarket butchers I have been known to frequent.

I'd been raving to my dad about my roast pork belly for some time, especially since he was the one who initially suggested I roast it when I found myself with a piece and was looking for something to do with it. So, all things considered, my perfect roast pork belly was just the ticket for our Friday night dinner at home. Comforting and indulgent, all at once.

Perfect Thyme Roasted Belly Pork

A lot of people are frightened of pork belly. "All that FAT!!", they shriek. Often, people have the misconception that a bite of belly pork is like gnawing on a mouthful of spongy, chewy fat - but this is not so! Now I'm not going to lie to you and say that this dish is health-central, but please forget any preconceived notions you have about pork belly being nothing more than a lump of flab. In this recipe, much of the fat renders in the cooking process - meaning that it liquifies and runs out of the meat - leaving you with the most amazing succulent, tender meat and golden, crispy shards of crackling. This is a luxurious dish which can be made on a budget, and is certain to impress.

Another thing to bear in mind if you're still a bit frightened about belly pork, is that you don't actually have that much of it as the roasted meat is quite rich (just ignore the massive portion photographed above - I wasn't really paying attention to the fact it would serve two when I plated this up to photograph!).

I cook my pork belly the Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall way - which is to say I use a lot of salt and pepper and fresh thyme - nothing else - and I serve my pork belly with a tart applesauce (my mum's recipe, not Hugh's).

What you will need:

• 1 piece boneless pork belly (I used a piece about 1kg for four people - it shrinks a bit in the cooking process)

• sea salt and freshly ground pepper

• fresh thyme leaves

For the Apple Sauce (not pictured)

• 2-3 granny smith apples, peeled, cored, halved and thinly sliced;
• squeeze of lemon juice and 1 tsp of grated zest
• 1/2-1 tbs caster sugar (or to taste - depending on how sweet your apples are and whether you like your applesauce sweet or tart)

As you can see, I served mine with some mashed potatoes and wilted spinach, but I will leave the choice of sides up to you.

What to do:

Preheat your oven to 220C, and have your meat near or at room temperature.

Rest your piece of pork belly on a work surface and pat the skin dry with a piece of kitchen towel. Using the sharpest knife you have, very carefully score the skin. I like to score mine in thin strips straight across the joint of meat. Be careful not to cut too deeply - you just want to cut through the skin and expose the fat. Here is my secret to the best crackling:

No, you are not mistaken - that is a scalpel! Some chemists have these on display, otherwise you may have to ask at the pharmacy. Be prepared to be looked at strangely when you ask for a scalpel - I tend to receive wary looks, as if the person serving me thinks I might keep corpses in my freezer. The strange looks don't change once I explain I need it to score the skin on my roast pork, either. If you can't get your hands on a scalpel, a Stanley Knife works pretty well also (a box cutter, for my American friends). Either way, you want something dangerously sharp (which means, please take extreme care!).

Place the pork in a baking tray and rub sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and the thyme leaves into the scored skin, making sure the seasoning gets down in the cracks where you have scored. Because you have exposed the fat under the skin, you will not need to rub any oil into the skin or oil your meat in any way - this type of meat joint does all that work for you.

Place the pork in the hot oven and roast for 30 minutes. The skin should start blistering and crackling in this time. After 30 minutes, turn the heat down to 180C and roast for another 45 minutes or so, until the juices run clear when the meat is pierced with a skewer at the thickest part. Sometimes when I do this, the skin is reluctant to crackle in the first stage of cooking - never fear, you can leave the heat up for a bit longer until the blisters appear or, if you wish, you can remove the crackling at the end of cooking and place it under the griller (I prefer just to keep the meat in the oven at a high temp until the skin has crackled - the benefit of having this cut of meat with its thick layer of fat means you can't really overcook it).

Once your meat is done, remove it from the oven and leave to rest in a warm place (I don't cover the meat during this time because I like to serve mine with the crackling still attached, and I don't want the crispy crackle to get soggy). If you like, you can drain off the fat from your baking tray and make a little gravy like I have in the picture above. Simply add a tablespoon or so of flour to your pan juices and mix in a splash of wine or verjuice or stock. Be sure to scrape the bottom of your pan to get all the tasty bits into your sauce! Allow the gravy to reduce a little, season to taste, and serve on the side.

I serve my roast belly pork in slices, with some creamy, buttery mash and English spinach leaves which have been wilted in some butter and garlic (but you can be much more healthy than me and have some steamed greens, if you prefer!)

As for the apple sauce, I guess everyone has their favourite way of making it, but mine is a variation on my mum's. Simply toss your slices of apple into a saucepan and add a small amount of water - not enough to cover the apples, but maybe a half a cup, if that. Add the lemon juice and zest and sprinkle over the sugar. Stir together lightly to combine and allow the sauce to sit, covered, over low heat for about ten minutes (checking to make sure it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan and stirring a few times) until it softens to a rough puree. Taste it at this point and test for sweetness/tartness - you may need to adjust for your taste by adding a little sugar. Keep the sauce warm, or reheat before serving.

This was a hit with Mum and Dad last weekend, and it remains one of Mr W&W and my favourite weekend indulgences, when we want top quality food but don't feel like stepping out of the door - perfect for cold, lazy, wintery weekends!

* * *

Emperor's Garden Meat Market is located at 211 Thomas Street, Haymarket, Sydney (over the road from Market City) - Telephone 02 9281 2206.

Winter Yearnings and a Big Fat (Duck) Thankyou

2010-05-11T13:03:00.008+10:00

Winter has all but set in at Whisk & Whimsy HQ. I’ve stocked the larder full with wintery things: lots of beans and grains in readiness for hearty stews and soups, the perfect comfort food for a dark, chilly night. I’m yearning for sweet pies and crumbles doused in thick, ‘proper’, custard. I have been thumbing through favourite pages of cookbooks, the ones full of delectable and satisfying roasts, plotting, scheming. I have flipped the underlay on our mattress over to the comfy, fluffy side. I’ve bought new cosy bedlinen and pulled the warm cat-bed out of the cupboard for Camilla the Cat (which, typically, she shuns). The heater is ready and waiting to replace the fan in the living room.

Unfortunately, nobody has bothered to tell the weather in Sydney that here at W&W, we are ready for winter! At the moment we start our days with a cool crispness that brings promise of blustery times ahead yet, as the morning progresses, the sun begins to beam with intensity and I find that I cannot stand my long sleeves. I grudgingly change into a tee shirt and curse the warmth that seems to bring joy to all those around me.

Dear friends, I just adore the winter months. They cannot come quickly enough for me – at the office, I’m sometimes referred to as Wednesday Adams, such is my affection for the dismal days. I love the icy mornings and damp evenings. I love the dark nights and the lazy weekends. I love the hearty and comforting foods that go hand in glove with the chilly season. I love the rain lashing against the windows as I’m snuggled under the covers at night. I love to rug up, revelling in winter fashion. I love to wear tights under everything and snuggle into my coat and scarf, cheeks pink from the cold. It’s by far and away my favourite time of year, but the crispness I yearn for is lagging, for winter is still some time away it would seem.

I also love the wintery flowers appearing at my local fruit market. I am often bringing flowers home to brighten our little apartment (although my husband thinks it wasted expenditure), and I have been excited to find bunches of ornamental kale. Aren’t they darling, these adorably sweet little miniature cabbages? Last week I had a bunch of soft pale green ones, teamed with gloriously perfumed stocks, and this week I was thrilled to find they had bunches of these magnificent purple beauties. I’m constantly admiring them.

I am not sure if this is the correct procedure, but when I unceremoniously dump cut flowers into a vase, I follow the advice of my old suburban florist - to always chop an inch of the ends of the stems at a diagonal, and then plunge them into an inch of boiling water for a minute, before adding to a vase of tepid water. I followed this course with my ornamental kale and was amazed at the strong scent of cabbages they emitted! It’s quite logical really, since they are all part of the same family, but I felt the urge to nip down to the shop and buy some Brussels sprouts and pancetta and whip up a bit of a hash!

Meanwhile, has anyone noticed what my cabbage vase is resting upon? How about a closer look? (Camilla was also curious)

Recently (by which I mean some months ago), I was extremely lucky to receive a copy of the Fat Duck Cookbook in a competition run by the inspirational Not Quite Nigella. Surely everyone knows NQN by now, but if not, quickly go take a look at her blog. Actually, no - wait 'til you have finished with my post, because once you get to Lorraine's blog, you won't be coming back here anytime soon.

Let me just tell you what a treat this book is to own! To be perfectly frank, whilst I love Heston Blumenthal and dream of dining at the Fat Duck one day, this is not a book I would have thought to purchase for myself, since I usually buy cookbooks based on the number of recipes within that I am likely to cook. I had also been somewhat dissuaded by the hefty price tag attached to his earlier publication, "The Big Fat Duck Cookbook" (this one is a smaller version, although the content is, I understand, the same).

However, this is a fabulous publication! It is most definitely a Coffee Table Book, much more so than it is a cookbook, at least in my opinion. In fact, it's a cracking good read as well - I turn the pages for a moment and suddenly half an hour has passed me by. The book is divided into three parts - a bio/restaurant history, recipes for signature dishes (the infamous Snail Porridge and Bacon and Egg Ice Cream are included, for example), and then the third part of the book is devoted to the science of Heston's cookery. The photography and illustrations are stunning. The window we are afforded into Heston's world causes the mind to boggle - he does strike me as the Mad Scientist. I say that it is not so much a cookbook to me because I am unlikely to attempt many of these recipes in my home kitchen (although not all of them require a supply of liquid nitrogen, or sous vide equipment,it must be said). It has, however, brought me incredible enjoyment - it is quite an insight into the dominion of someone I find quite inspirational, especially considering Heston is largely self taught. The Fat Duck Cookbook certainly has my recommendation.

So, a very big (and belated) thank you to Lorraine at Not Quite Nigella for plucking my number out of the hat, or however it was that winners were decided, for I am a very happy Vegemite indeed!

Returning to the Land of Blog and Black Bean Beef Fillet

2010-05-10T20:35:00.002+10:00

Life at Whisk and Whimsy HQ came to a grinding halt recently, as I was compelled to get my head out of the clouds and attend to some pressing business: namely, the 10,000 word essay for one of my masters subjects that I'd managed to push to the back of my mind and, unfortunately, to the very last minute. It was a tedious topic and now I know rather a lot about the impact of the proportionate liablity regime on contractual risk allocation, but I've also lost a couple of weeks of my life.

I missed telling you all about my dad's 60th birthday celebration at Rockpool Bar & Grill, for example. In the words of this inspirational blogger, it was "11/10". The Wagyu was something special - which you'd hope, at $110 a pop. We all had it. My dad had a starter of roasted calamari & pork belly which we all picked as the winner - I want to know Neil's secret! It was all very impressive and I wish I'd blogged it the next day, as I had so much to say about it all. That was at Anzac weekend, however, and too long ago now for me to recount. In any case I wasn't allowed to photograph the event, my husband gets embarrassed when I whip out the camera in the middle of dinner!

* * *

Meanwhile, enough of my whinging. Let me show you what I cooked the other friday night. I had been wandering through my local Supa IGA and discovered a couple of nice little portions of beef tenderloin, or eye fillet. I was craving some kind of asian food at the time, and was reminded of a recipe I'd seen in Mum's copy of Donna Hay's "Seasons" book when I was visiting at Easter. I made a couple of very minor variations, but this one is very much based in Donna's recipe:

(Excuse the lack of food styling. I'd had a few wines by this point, and we were hungry!)

Black Bean Beef with Asian Greens
(adapted from Donna Hay, "Seasons")

500g beef eye fillet, trimmed
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
1/4 cup salted black beans, chopped
2 tbs soy sauce
1 heaped tsp oyster sauce
1/2 cup water
freshly ground black pepper
bunch choy sum or gai larn or other asian greens, trimmed and blanched.
steamed rice, to serve.

Place beef in a non-reactive dish with the garlic, ginger, a few grindings of black pepper, oil and black beans. Using your hands, rub the marinade into the beef. Cover, and allow to marinate at least 30 mins. When ready to cook, have your oven preheated to 200C.

Beef, marinating

Heat a medium non-stick fry pan or saute pan over high heat. Do not oil the pan! Once the pan is hot, add the beef, reserving the marinade, and sear all over, a couple of minutes each side or until browned.

Remove from the pan and place the beef fillet in a baking tray and cook until your preferred level of done-ness (I cooked mine for about 15 mins for medium-rare).

When your beef is almost done, add the reserved marinade to the frypan/saute pan in which you browned the beef. Add the soy sauce, oyster sauce and water to the pan and allow to bubble over high heat for a minute or two until it reduces a little. Toss in your blanched asian greens and cook a couple of minutes until tender.

To serve, slice the beef and serve alongside the greens with black bean sauce. You might want to spend a bit more time on presentation than I did....!

(I served mine with steamed rice).

This yummy dish does not compare to my favourite ever asian beef dish, the Eye Fillet in House Black Pepper Sauce from Blue Eye Dragon in Pyrmont, but it's pretty tasty for a friday night asian fix at home, and relatively simple and fast. It's a keeper, in my book.

Impressive and Speedy: Apple Galettes

2010-04-19T18:36:00.006+10:00

Sometimes I plan the evening meal to include multiple courses, gourmet style. More often, however, I spend some time in front of the fridge, gazing at the contents within and trying to work out which ingredients will make happy bedfellows, with mixed results. Once in a while, though, momentum kicks in and what started as a simple dinner will be something more involved and inviting and a little bit more special than I'd initially planned. When that occurs, I often wish that I'd thought to make a dessert, something to complete the meal with style.

Recently this occurred when I was using up some seafood stored in the deep freeze. The meal was coming together in an altogether exciting manner and I yearned for a dessert, wishing I'd taken the time to plan ahead with an amazing pudding or pastry. As I was glumly reaching for the stash of boxed chocolate in the pantry cupboard, I was struck with the image of a gleaming disc of pastry topped with beautifully scalloped apple slices, which I recalled seeing somewhere in one of my old cooking magazines: an apple galette! I had puff pastry, I had an apple rolling around the crisper, desperately in need of use, and I had a tub of French vanilla ice cream in the freezer. Snap!

Apple Galettes

These gloriously speedy little friends manage to look exceedingly complex to the uninitiated, making them perfect last minute dinner party fodder. It's especially helpful if you have a mandolin on hand so as to reduce the apple to a pile of little slices in a matter of minutes, just enough time to allow your pastry to thaw out to the point of being able to cut a disc.

Here's what you need for two:

1 sheet store bought frozen puff pastry

1 granny smith apple, peeled, cored, quartered and thinly sliced

half a lemon

1 egg, lightly whisked with a fork

2 tbs butter, melted

2 tbs plus 1 tsp extra caster sugar *

good quality vanilla ice cream to serve

Preheat oven to 180C. Toss your apple slices in the juice of 1/2 lemon to prevent discolouring.

Cut two 10cm rounds from your pastry sheet (just cut around a suitably sized round thing - I used the big cutter from my pie maker which was about the right size). Place pastry discs on a lightly greased baking tray (or on a parchment lined tray).

Brush pastry lightly with eggwash, then proceed to layer apple slices in a circular pattern, overlapping slightly and tucking the final apple slice under your first one so that it appears seamless.

Brush each apple covered pastry disc generously with butter and sprinkle the 2tbs caster sugar evenly over (reserving the final 1 teaspooon).

Place in the hot oven for around 18 minutes before sprinkling the last teaspoon of sugar over the two pastry discs. Return the galettes to the oven for a further five minutes until each pastry is golden and crisp. You can see mine was a little bit too crisp, but no matter - it tasted fabulous!

Allow to cool on the tray for a couple of minutes before finishing with a generous scoop of best vanilla ice cream.

Prepare to receive much adulation from your excited guests upon serving.

* I have subsequently considered that it might be nice to mix a little bit of cinnamon in with the caster sugar before sprinkling - I'll be giving that a go the next time I whip up these little treats.

Easter Relaxation

2010-04-09T12:35:00.010+10:00

So much to say, so little time to blog! I've had a number of posts stored in my addled mind for the last week but haven't found the time to form thoughts into words (or download images from the camera!) until now. The Day Job has been excruciatingly hectic (I was in the office on my precious Housewife Friday, yikes!) and I feel like I've been chasing my tail, but finally a chance to pop in and say hello.

My Easter weekend was sublime. Unfortunately it is now a distant memory with the general busyness of life having once again consumed me, but, nevertheless, a little recap is in order.

We drove to the country this Easter to visit my parents who now enjoy an idyllic retirement in a glorious little rural town on the New South Wales South Coast. I have mentioned it previously...

The week before Easter was a massive rush, trying to tie up loose ends, certainly not assisted by my late realisation that an assignment was due for submission as part of my Masters degree. Our plans to take the cat to the cattery whilst we were away were thwarted:

Clearly someone wanted to come too. We were suckered in by her cute little expression and uncharacteristically loving behaviour and cancelled the cattery, deciding to bring little Camilla along for the journey. We were deceived. Little grey cats seemingly do not like 5 hour car journeys. (However, rescue remedy worked a treat on the return trip!).

We arrived sometime after 1 in the morning after a particularly gruelling 5 hours in the car, listening to the Howling Cat soundtrack for the entire journey and having to avoid the idiots on the road that only seem to venture out at Easter. I think Mr W&W may also be receiving a speeding ticket in the mail shortly - worst luck, double demerit points. However, in the end the trouble was all worth it when I woke up on Good Friday morning, padded out to the kitchen in my jimmy jams and was greeted with this view:

Honestly, I think there is something in the country air that puts me instantly at ease. I immediately felt the weight being lifted off my shoulders and all the troubles of the past few weeks suddenly felt bearable.

The weekend was pretty uneventful in a sense, but I loved every minute of it. There was a lot of wandering around the property with my Dad, seeing what he'd done since I was last there.

There was time to play with the dogs, throwing the ball and playing tug of war. Meet Milo, she is the newest hound to join the family:

She is an endearing creature, she's not the sharpest tool in the shed, but she's slowly settling in and learning the way of the world. My parents adopted her last year when she was still a puppy, as someone found they couldn't look after her any more. We have another labrador, Sally, a big old yellow lab who is getting on in life and didn't want to pose for photos. Sally is highly intelligent, and incredible sneaky. She spends most of her days scheming and plotting ways to steal extra food. She has mastered the art of opening zipper dry good bags with her teeth. Sally has now started teaching Milo some bad habits.

There was plenty of reading to be done:

I am not entirely sure why a little country town newsagent is stocking "Apartment Style", but I snapped it up nevertheless (disapppointing, however). I'm big on the escapism of the Detective novel at the moment, so I spent most of the weekend with my nose in my Michael Connelly omnibus following the antics of Detective Harry Bosch.

I also engaged in one of my favourite holiday past-times, stripping my Mum's library of recipe books of inspiration, and recording my thoughts in one of my volumes of handwritten cooking notebooks:

At some point, the Easter Bunny came:

I also baked a ham:

Excuse the lack of food styling, I was already frazzled trying to cook in mum's shocking oven. It worked a treat. Dad bought a ham on sale at Christmas and threw it in the freezer until Easter time. They have one of those disturbingly large chest freezers in which you might imagine are stored grisly bits of bodies. Mum and Dad store bodies in their freezer, but they are animal carcasses from the farm! Anyway, I was charged with the task of the ham and used my favourite glaze comprising brown sugar, orange juice and hot english mustard. It might not look pretty but it sure was delicious (and don't get me started on how good the ham slices were for breakfast on the barbecue....!)

Mum baked a banana cake, which I managed to hoover up pretty quickly:

She used our standard recipe. We do love a banana cake and the recipe we use is from one of those little cookbooks put out in country towns to raise money. We call it "the Gerringong Book" because it was issued as a fundraiser by a retirement village in Gerringong, on the NSW Coast. I don't know why we have the book - it's ancient, and I have my Nanna's copy. It's from more naive times, including such things as "Oriental Stir Fry" (which includes authentic asian ingredents like 'tomato sauce'!) and contains the completely politically incorrect gem, "Werry Nice Chow Mein". Hmmm. Werry Nice indeed.

I guess you all have your own favourite banana cake recipes, but in case someone is in need of a winner, this is our preferred recipe:

Best Banana Cake

4oz butter
3/4 cup caster sugar
dash vanilla extract
grated rind of half a lemon
2 eggs
3 medium over ripe bananas,mashed with a fork*
1 1/2 cups self raising flour
1 tsp bicarb soda
pinch salt
2 tbs milk
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 170 C (not fan forced).

Cream butter, sugar, vanilla and lemon rind; add egg one at a time, beating after each addition. Beat in bananas. Fold in sifted flour and salt; stir through the walnuts. Dissolve the bicarb soda in the milk and add to the mixture. Bake in a 8" round cake tin for 50 mins in the preheated oven.

Allow to cool on a rack and, if desired, frost with your favourite cream cheese icing.

* I store a bunch of bananas in the freezer so that banana cake is always possible. Buy them when they are ripe, freeze them, and by the time you come to peel them they will be that revoltingly gloopy consistency perfect only for Banana Cake or Bread.

* * *

All in all it was a marvellous weekend secluded from the world. I really felt as if the batteries were being recharged - I definitely needed a break from city life!

Let me leave you with this picture of Milo. She sits like this for ages, gazing at the steers. See them there, standing in the dam? Milo thinks that is her private swimming pool and she is very distubed that the steers are invading her favourite swimming spot...

The time has come, the Walrus said...

2010-02-11T20:53:00.004+11:00

Last weekend I made that underappreciated and mostly forgotten wonder of Australian cuisine from the 70s, the Carpetbag Steak. I had promised my husband this treat, who promptly organised for his mate to come over and enjoy the spoils. Their telephone discussion was comical -

Mr W&W, into the phone: "What is it? Well apparently, so she tells me, it's a steak, but it's stuffed with oysters! - [pause] - Ok, so we'll see you for dinner then?"

Anyway, I did photograph this little gem, which was like a lump of dinosaur meat on a plate, topped with a generous disc of Maitre d'Hotel Butter, but I am too embarrassed to show you as it really does look like a heart attack waiting to happen.

Let me just tell you that it was absolutely delicious and I don't know why we shun this little wonder in modern times.

Meanwhile, I was subsequently left pondering what precisely to do with the remaining half jar of oysters I had in my fridge. [Incidentally, I must say that I would never buy bottled oysters again to serve a la carpetbag - I really had to work hard with the seasoning to make them taste their briny best. Next time I will just get them in the shell having not been tainted by a soak in fresh water, which is how I normally buy oysters - I am perplexed as to why I did otherwise for this dish].

Anyway, I rang my mum, who told me to make a fish soup. [In this day and age we might call it a 'seafood chowder' or a 'bouillabaisse', but my mum is a proper Australian cook and calls it as it is: Fish Soup]. As I didn't have all of the items required for a fish soup, I gave that a miss as my aim was to use what I had rather than buy a whole bunch of other stuff which I'd later need to use up in the same manner. I thought briefly about fish pie, since I did have some smoked cod in the freezer, but I still would need to buy a few bits and pieces - so that was out also. Dad then told me that my much loved Aunty Margot would sometimes make an Oyster Omelette, which was one of her very favourite things. As I had plenty of eggs which my parents had brought me from the hen shed on their last visit to Sydney, my interest was piqued; Dad was on to something, an Oyster Omelette might just be the ticket!

The type of omelette my Aunty Margot would prepare was more the french style of omelette, a simple basic omelette to which the oysters were added at the very end and enveloped in a fluffy, eggy blanket when the omelette was folded over them. The oysters were there long enough to just be warmed through, but not cooked.

I wasn't sure how well I could pull that off with my watered-down bivalves, so I took to the internet for inspiration. After trawling through a number of complex recipes for hawker style pancakes requiring ingredients not in my pantry, I came up with this, and I'll definitely be making it again (perhaps varying it for those more common times where one does not have oysters on hand - maybe using other seafood, or some yummy mixed mushrooms!):

Asian Style Oyster Omelette
** see below for serving size

You will need:

3 tbs cornflour
300ml cold water
4 tbs oil
3 large eggs (4 if smaller), beaten
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
3/4 cup small raw oysters
3 tsp oyster sauce
1 fresh red chilli, thinly sliced
1 tbs thinly sliced fresh spring onion

What to do:

Combine cornflour and water and ensure there are no lumps. In a separate bowl, season the eggs wtih salt and pepper and whisk briefly to combine.

In a small bowl, mix the oysters with the oyster sauce.

Heat a large flat frypan over high heat and add half the oil. Once the pan is hot, add the cornflour/water mixture. Allow this mixture to bubble and thicken for a few minutes until it starts to brown underneath and then pour over the egg mixure. Using a fork, mix the egg into the cornflour mix a little to ensure the integration of ingredients.

When the omelette has just set, flip the whole thing over to brown the other side, using the extra oil if necessary. When the omelette is golden on both sides, cut into pieces with a spatula. Add the oysters which have been mixed with the oyster sauce and stir fry for about 30 seconds.

Sprinkle with chilli and spring onions and serve at once.

** A note about the yield: My husband and I tucked into this just ourselves and it is unsurprisingly quite rich. Whilst it is sufficient to serve two people for an evening meal with a spot of steamed rice on the side, you might consider serving the same quantity to a few extra people as part of a banquet, with other dishes to share. The addition of some steamed veggies would be welcome. We enjoyed it very much, but it must be said that this is a rather luxurious concoction.

"O, Oysters," said the Carpenter,
"You've had a pleasant run!
Shall we be trotting home again?"
But answer came there none--
And this was scarcely odd, because
They'd eaten every one.

- Lewis Carroll, "The Walrus and the Carpenter"

A Cake Tale

2010-02-11T17:57:00.000+11:00

Here is a little story for you all:

There once was a teeny weeny little law office in the middle of the Sydney CBD. The little law family comprising the office was only four - three yappy girls and the poor chap who employed them (and had to put up with their yapping).

One of these girls - let's call her E - had an affliction, a flaw, if you will. She was addicted - enslaved to those dreaded batons of death called Cigarettes. The two other girls were horrified at her unhealthiness and frequently described to her the effects those wretched cancer sticks had on her body, all in the hope of persuading her to break free from the addiction. The big boss had given up on that tactic some time previously and now simply resorted to telling E to give up or face death.

Despite the vain attempts of the three unafflicted ones, it was to no avail. E would simply retort - "I know these are bad for me but I enjoy smoking". The others shoook their heads in confusion and disbelief, and years went by with Our Girl E having to withstand the stories of death and destruction told to her by the rest of the little law office family. She even watched the beastly addiction claim the livelihood of loved ones and acquaintances, yet the attraction of the drug was too strong - she could not break free!

One day, however, after a long summer holiday, Our Hero E returned to the little law office all grouchy and miserable. The others were refreshed and cheerful after their holidays in the sun and could not understand her attitude. E scowled at them and told them she had been ailing and anguished for the entire time they were apart. She explained that whilst she was away, she had experienced an epiphany. It had little to do with the stories of horror told to her by her law office family and everything to do with her adorable 6 year old son, whom we shall call the Little Train Driver. She realised that her addiction was a selfish one - whilst she enjoyed partaking in the loathsome activity of smoking, the ultimate impact and effect of her actions rested not with her, but rather with the Little Train Driver who might as a result have to watch his mum suffering, who might even see his mum leave him, prematurely, at the hands of the dreaded cigarette. Our Hero told the little law family that she made the decision to give up her addiction, and consequently spent the whole time she was on holiday unwell due to the effects of the medication helping her break free from the shackles of smoking. She also told them that the only thing which made her feel better was eating: she was perpetually starving!

Whilst slightly put out that their years of encouragement had no influence on E's decision, the little law office nevertheless rejoiced at the new and improved E. They applauded her decision and supported her the best way they knew how - with food. E is a little slip of a thing, and she needed fattening up anyway. So Our Girl E was showered with macarons by the big boss, and the other two girls (hmm, lets call them W&W and Little Case) took turns making goodies to bring to the little law office to stave off E's cravings. W&W made White Chocolate and Macadamia Nut Biscuits (the subject of another, future post) and Little Case made the best ever Flourless Hazelnut Chocolate Cake. (Little Case is restricted to gluten free things and is frequently subjectd to jeering from W&W about her 'fun-free' food. Little Case has now put W&W in her place with this cake).

To my dear friend 'E', we are so proud of you! Keep up the good work and I promise to make you more food soon!

In the meantime, Little Case was kind enough to share her recipe for the fun-free cake and, because it was so fantastic, I baked it last weekend with some minor variations (and it found another fan in my husband). It's pretty quick and easy and absolutely delicious, excellent for an indulgent treat as well as an elegant dinner party dessert - go and make it right now :)

The Very Best Flourless Hazelnut & Chocolate Cake
(slightly adapted from Little Case's recipe)

You will need:

100g unsalted butter, chopped
175g best quality dark chocolate, chopped
1 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup brown sugar
pinch of salt
1tbs cocoa powder
150g hazelnuts
4 big eggs, separated and at room temperature
cocoa powder extra, to dust

Preheat your oven to 180C and butter a 20cm springform pan. Line the base of the pan with baking paper.

Combine butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl and place this over a saucepan of simmering water. Ensure the base of the bowl does not touch the water so that the chocolate does not get too hot and separate. Stir chocolate and butter occasionally until melted and combined. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, place hazelnuts in a food processor and grind to a fine crumb. [I like to do this in two batches and have one batch slightly coarser than the other, to ensure a little crunch to the mix. You can of course just use 150g hazelnut meal, but I prefer this method as I like the texture it produces in the cake].

Into the chocolate mixture, stir the vanilla, egg yolks, sugar, salt, cocoa and hazelnut meal.

With an electric mixer, whip eggwhites in a clean, dry bowl to firm peaks. Add a big spoonful of the eggwhites to the cake battter and fold through to loosen the mix before carefully incorporating the rest of the whites. Fold the batter carefully to avoid losing volume.

Spoon mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 45mins. Allow to cool in the tin and chill in the refrigerator until firm.

You can serve this cake as is, dusted with cocoa powder and accompanied by a generous scoop of the very best French Vanilla Icecream, at room temperature with cream or, as Little Case does, iced with a rich and velvety ganache.

Enjoy!

Rainy Day Weekend

2010-02-06T20:44:00.006+11:00

Gosh, the rain keeps tumbling down this weekend in dreary old Sydney! I had cause to be at the Intercontinental Hotel this morning and, whilst waiting for my appointment, did a spot of people watching from the lobby lounge. I felt slightly sorry for all the posh international guests trying to see a spot of Sydney in amongst all this miserable weather! (I say 'slightly' sorry as I'm presently planning another trip to the UK this coming Christmas/January, so I'm sure I'll be that miserable tourist braving the weather to see the sights!). Sydney is a beautiful city when the sun is shining (and I think it's beautiful anytime) but I'll admit a bit of the lustre is lost when rain is coming down in sheets. Today has certainly not been the day for sight-seeing.

As I've mentioned before, my parents live in the country and they have rather a bit of land on which they keep some cattle and they've been so anxious for the rain for as long as they've lived there. At Christmas the dams were dry as a bone and the cattle had little to eat or drink. They've also had to buy water in recent times (the property is only on tank water - not sewered - so they are very dependent on the weather) - trucks come to their property and pump water into the tanks! Last night, however, Dad told me that they'd had 8 1/2 inches of rain overnight and the storage shed had flooded. The tanks are all now full and the dams are replenished and they now have a new river of water flowing at the base of the property! It's all come so quickly and unexpectedly that it's caused quite a problem and he has a few insurance claims as a result, but they are just so thrilled to have the rain.

In the city though it's all pretty dreary, so instead of showing you pictures of today, I shall recount my adventures from last weekend.

Weekend days at Whisk & Whimsy HQ usually involve me pottering in the kitchen or doing some sewing or crochet and whinging at Mr W&W to entertain me in some manner. "Let's go out!", "I'm bored" and "What can we dooooooo?" are all uttered by me at some point. Mr W&W is much happier perched in front of B grade horror movies (more like Z grade, they are so bad!) on the TV. He needs no other entertainment. SO, imagine my excitement upon waking last Sunday to have Mr W&W say, before I'd even thought about getting ready for the day, "let's do something! Let's go to Woolloomoolloo and have a look around!". I got ready, quicksmart.

Woolloomooloo is in Sydney's east, within walking distance from the CBD and whilst traditionally a working class area of town, it has in recent years undergone an urban gentrification with the redevelopment of the finger wharf and surrounding areas. It's prime real estate, right on the harbour, a short walk to the spectacular Botanical Gardens and in the shadow of our beatiful CBD skyline (see the first picture!) - it's only a matter of time til it's The Place To Be. In fact, when Mr W&W and I were looking to move to town, Woolloomooloo was one of the places we were interested in - but we found a happier little spot on the other side of town in the end.

Now that Mr W&W and I live in the city, we enjoy wandering to different parts of our town and exploring the areas with which we aren't familiar. We like to walk to (or take a cab more like!) to different parts of town and explore the city streets. I must confess, however, to still finding Woolloomooloo a bit of a dump - I enjoy wandering along the fingerwharf (and would happily lunch at Otto...), and I've been to a few Open Days at Garden Island (the Navy Base in Sydney) which were most educational, but otherwise it is not my favourite part of the world. Having said that, I had a great Sunday walking around My City. We hiked from the finger wharf all the way up to William Street, around Kings Cross (which really is a pathetic sight by day) and completed the loop down through Potts Point and back to the navy base. It was a 30 degree plus day and the crowds were about, but we really had a nice amble around our city.

Finger Wharf, Woolloomooloo

We were tempted to lunch on the fingerwharf but thought better of it - we are in Mad Saving Mode (see earlier comment about UK holiday..) and instead hiked it back to the Rocks where we had a yummy pub lunch at the Lord Nelson for a song...!

In the evening, after a little nanna nap to recover from my activity filled day, I cooked this, with my posh pasta from Fratelli Fresh in Potts Point:

La Bandiera

(adapted from "The Food of Italy: a Journey for Food Lovers"
by Sophie Braimbridge & Jo Glynn)

To paraphrase the words of Faux Fuchsia, whose fabulous blog has recently been brought to my attention, 'those afraid of carbs, look away now'! This one has pasta AND potatoes (but is, of course, delicious)! So named because its colours of green, red and white are reminiscent of the original "la bandiera", the Italian national flag.

The addition of potatoes adds bulk and substance to this dish, whilst the tomato sauce is fresh and almost tangy. The pepperiness of the rocket cuts through the acidity of the tomatoes and small pieces of the potato break away to form a creaminess in the sauce which makes the whole arrangemet incredibly moreish. As it seems I'm so eager to photograph things that I forget to clean the edges of the bowl, you'll have to trust me that this one looks pretty good too!

You will need:

2 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1.5cm cubes
300g small dried pasta such as ditali or penette*
4 tbs olive oil
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp minced anchovy fillets*
2 x 400g tins Italian chopped tomatoes
pinch sugar
2 tbs chopped basil leaves
handful (about 40g) rocket leaves (torn into small pieces if large)
2 tbs grated pecorino plus extra to serve.

What to do:

Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. I emphasise 'large' as I invariably use two saucepans - one which I grab because I am lazy and it is convenient, and one which I dig around for because the first one is not big enough! Once boiling, add 1 tsp salt and then your potatoes. After the potatoes have been boiling about 3-4 mins, add the pasta and cook til al dente.

Meanwhile, heat your oil over low heat in a large saute pan or sauce pan and add the garlic and anchovies. Let the anchovies melt but do not allow the garlic to burn. After about a minute, add your tomatoes, sugar and basil and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Allow the sauce to simmer until the pasta and potatoes have finished cooking.

Once your potato is tender and your pasta cooked, drain (reserving a small ladleful of cooking water). Add the pasta and reserved water back to the pan and swish about a bit before adding to the sauce. Add in the pecorino and rocket, toss around to ensure even distribution and then serve in a large bowl with a few shavings of pecorino on top (have a little extra on the side).

This one is also great for lunch the next day :)

* As to the pasta: I have used some kind of miniature rigatoni. I chopped the label off the packet before taking the name. As to the anchovies: please use them! I must confess to having quite an aversion to anchovies, but I WILL use them in pasta sauces as they melt into the sauce so you don't encounter the 'furry' bits, and they add a real depth of flavour. USE THEM! Trust me, I hate those hairy little fishes, but the flavour of them in this dish is not identifiable in any way, their addition just adds a little something special.

Storecupboard Spaghetti All'Amatricia

2010-01-27T20:53:00.008+11:00

Given that I've just stuffed myself to the brim with a bowl of this delicious goodness this very evening, it's fitting that I now tell you about the most requested mid-week meal at Whisk & Whimsy HQ, my Storecupboard Pasta All'Amatriciana or, as Mr W&W insists on calling it, "Bacon Pasta" (bless!). Honestly, I can serve him up a lobster or something similarly indulgent and delicious, but if I were to ask him what he'd like to eat at any given moment, I can guarantee you that his reply would be 'bacon pasta'. (Either that or my chocolate puddings which will be the subject of another, later, post..!)

This may not be entirely authentic - the 'proper' one uses dried pork cheek and pecorino - but it's bloody good and super easy for a mid-week meal. PLUS - and what's even better - is that you usually have pretty much everything required for this dish in your pantry (hence the very creative title). You might need to pick up some bacon or pancetta or similar, but if you're anything like me you will have a few rashers stashed in the freezer a la Nigella, for that perfect piggy snack... !

OK, so here is what you need to serve four (or to serve two very hungry people with some leftovers for your work lunch!):

1 tbs olive oil
4 bacon rashers, rind removed and roughly chopped
1 brown onion, peeled and finley chopped
1 small red chilli, finely sliced (or chilli flakes to taste)
100ml white wine or verjuice
410g tin chopped tomatoes
1 tbs tomato paste
1 tsp white sugar
sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
400g bucatini or spaghetti
grated parmesan or pecorino to sprinkle.

Now, clearly in the picture above I have greater quantities of the ingredients than required, but I like to increase the recipe as we are two hungry people who also like to take delicious lunches to work for a few days running! Also, I frequently interchange the pastas - spaghetti, rigatoni, penne and, tonight, freshly made fettucine as I had some time up my sleeve and some pasta dough in the freezer. It's all pretty much up to you.

Right, so what do you do? It's simple:

Heat your oil in a large frypan or saute pan over medium heat and fry bacon about 5 min until crispy. Add your onion and chilli, reduce heat to low and cook until soft, about 8-10 minutes. Add the wine/verjuice and let it bubble and reduce, then add the tinned tomatoes and their juice, tomato paste, sugar, salt and pepper. Gently simmer about 15 min or so.

Meanwhile, cook your pasta according to the packet directions until al dente. Reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water and set aside. Drain pasta, return to pan with the reserved cooking water and then add the whole lot to the sauce. Toss for a couple of minutes in the pan over high heat to ensure the pasta is properly coated in the sauce.

Serve in bowls topped with a generous grating or shaving of parmesan or pecorino cheese.

Note: if you are lucky enough to have a pasta machine and make your own pasta, this is one of those sauces which is particularly good with fresh egg pasta. Something simple and delicious is totally transformed to 'out of this world' and really, what more can you ask for in the middle of the week...!

Our new addition

2010-01-20T19:50:00.003+11:00

I really need to build momentum in terms of blog posting for 2010! I started out with the best of intentions, but time has escaped me.

A lot of my time has been taken up by this little creature:

We picked up our little girl Camilla on the way home from our Christmas holiday, so she's been with us for a couple of weeks now and has gone from a tiny, timid little kitten to a snooty furball with attitude! She refuses to sleep in the expensive Igloo bed I bought her, she refuses to eat the cheaper food I've bought, preferring the premium (expensive!!) brands that only come in tiny little portions. (My husband says that it's not surprising she turns her nose up at the processed foods, she is our cat after all...). She's developed a fascination with our vertical blinds (but fortunately not tried to climb them - yet), she's put a few scratches in my leather sofa. She has completely shunned the pricey cat toys I've brought home for her, instead finding hours of entertainment in a scrunched up bit of paper tied to a length of string. She drives me a bit crazy at times, but she's lovely. And anyway, I get my revenge for her crazy ways each Friday, which is bath day bwahhahaha :)

She's also just discovered her aquatic siblings, yikes! -

Individual Balsamic Berry Pavlovas

2009-12-18T17:16:00.006+11:00

These are my new favourite dinner party desserts to bring out in the summer season. I did them once for hubby and I on a whim and they've now worked themselves into regular rotation when it comes to entertaining our friends and family. They are a handy dessert to have in your repertoire since they are visually impressive but they really don't take that much work, plus you can prepare most of the components well and truly before your guests arrive.

I must admit my Mum did turn her nose up at these when I was telling her over the phone - she didn't say as much but I could tell from her tone she was pretty unimpressed with me tinkering with the good old Aussie Pav. Mum is from the Traditional School of Pav where your meringue must be topped with copious amounts of banana and kiwifruit slices and drizzled with fresh passionfruit pulp (or, at a pinch, the tinned stuff). Even after I'd run through the balsamic berry aspect, she still told me "don't forget to finish it with a tin of passionfruit".

Whilst you might be like my Mum and happy with the old faithful passionfruit pavlova, maybe you're not completely tied to it and you're willing to try something new. If so, I urge you to give these little chaps a go. Please make the time to make your own meringue nests, by the way. They take hardly any time at all but they are so much nicer than the store-bought version. These are crispy on the outside, not too sugary and deliciously chewy in the middle... YUM.

Individual Balsamic Berry Pavlovas
(makes 4)

Meringue -

2 egg whites
1/4 cup caster sugar
1 dessertspoon cornflour
splash of white vinegar (use lemon juice if you don't have any - this addition makes your meringue lovely and chewy)
Berry Compote -

1 cup frozen mixed berries
1 tbs caster sugar
1 tbs good quality balsamic vinegar (I use a caramelised balsamic from Pukara Estate in the Hunter Valley - they also do a fabulous blackcurrant balsamic which goes well in this dish)
To Serve -

Thickened cream, whipped (double cream if you are feeling indulgent - but never use that abominable whipped cream from a can - if you use this stuff you might as well not bother wtih making your pavs from scratch)
A handful of strawberries, depending on size, about 6 (or 8 if small) hulled
Splash balsamic vinegar
Good quality dark chocolate, for grating

Firstly, cut your strawberries in thin slices lengthways (or quarter them, depending on size and how you wish to present them). Place in a small bowl with the splash of balsamic and refrigerate at least half an hour (and overnight if you are planning ahead) to allow juices to mascerate.

Preheat oven to 130C (not fan forced).

To make your meringues, place your egg whites in a clean, dry bowl and whip with electric beaters or in an electric mixer until soft peaks form. With beaters running, gradually add the sugar and cornflour and continue to beat until glossy and firm. With a spatula, stir through the white vinegar, being careful not to deflate your eggwhites.

Spoon your sticky meringue mix onto a baking paper-lined baking sheet and form four evenly sized circles. Make a little impression in the centre of each with the back of a spoon. Or, to be precise, you might draw four circles in pencil by tracing the edges of a 6cm ramekin (or similar circular object) on your baking paper. Flip the paper over so the meringue does not touch the pencil. You might also like to use a piping bag and pipe some of the meringue around the top edges of your meringue circles to form a nest shape. However you do it, work swiftly so that you are not playing around with your meringue too much - or else it may deflate.

Bake in the slow oven for around 50 mins or so (this will largely depend on your oven) until each meringue is a pale pinkish brown. Do not be alarmed if your meringues crack on the top - this makes for a great pavlova! Remove your mini pavs from the oven and allow to cool. You can now store them in an airtight container and use the next day if you're planning ahead.

For the berry compote, place frozen berries in a medium sized heavy based saucepan over low heat (I throw them in straight from frozen). Sprinkle sugar over and the 1 tbs balsamic. Allow to come to a boil and simmer a few minutes until the berry juices are reducing to form a syrup. Remove from heat and set aside until required (again, this is fine to prepare the day before).

When you are ready to serve, place a dollop or two of cream in the well you created in your meringue nest and spread evenly. Using just over half of your strawberries, divide them equally among the four nests and then spoon over some of the berries and syrup, allowing the syrup to run down the edges of your mini pav. Top with remaining strawberries (and perhaps a sprig of mint if you're feeling fancy) and lightly dust with a fine grating of best quality dark chocolate.

Proudly serve to your very eager guests !

** Note, you can make one big pavlova by doubling the meringue recipe and making a larger pavlova circle (eg, draw around a cake tin on your baking paper). You will need to bake it longer in your slow oven though, around about 1 hour and 30 mins or thereabouts (again, this will depend on your own oven).

Oh! Oh! :)

2009-12-10T10:35:00.005+11:00

I just booked tickets to see Jamie Oliver in Melbourne! I didn't even know he was putting on a show but I checked my email moments ago to see a promo from a food magazine to which I subscribe offering vip tickets... Hubby said we could go so I have snapped up a couple of seats! *jumps for joy!*

Ooooh now a weekend in Melbourne to look forward to! What to do, what to buy? Where to eat??? Hooray!

They don't make them like they used to.... Or do they?

2009-12-09T22:14:00.002+11:00

Recently I was ambling through the kitchenware department of David Jones, minding my own business, daydreaming happily, when I was stopped in my tracks. The reason for my astonishment was the sight of this little item on one of the shelves (with a price tag upwards of $25.00):

"So what?", you'd be forgiven for asking. Well it is pretty super in its own right. The item in question is a cooks dry measure and has handy markings inside the funnel for various weights of dry ingredients, such as grains and flours and cocoa and sugar. It's a neat little item in the popular style of all things vintage.

However, it was not the clever little item itself which caused my shock and awe, but rather the fact that on top of my fridge sits this:

A 'proper' vintage cook's measure. Look, it's identical! Except for the fact that mine was my grandmother's and was from the fifties. I was visiting my parents at Easter and mum was cleaning out her kitchen cupboards and asked if I wanted this particular item of my Dad's mum's. I jumped at the chance as I love vintage kitchen items but particularly ones which have been owned and loved by older family members. I was so amazed that not only were these little gems still being made, but that they'd been brought out in the identical design as the one my granny had. I must say, I prefer my one, it's all dented and pushed out of shape and some of the writing has worn from age and use. Mind you, it only sits on top of the fridge as a bit of vintage whimsy in my thoroughly modern kitchen - I have a set of perfectly good electronic kitchen scales for my weights and measures!

I'm sure I looked quite the sight in the middle of David Jones snapping a picture of the cook's measure on my mobile phone so I could show my Mum! She will be shocked...

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

2009-12-07T16:12:00.012+11:00

Christmas has well and truly set in at Whisk & Whimsy HQ with our living and dining room looking very festive indeed. I must confess to having had Santa's little elves set up early as I was pretty anxious to get things underway for our first Christmas in the new apartment. Much to the horror of Mr W&W, decorations went up on the second last weekend of November! Upon his discovery of the Christmas elves' work one Friday evening, the scene went something like this -

Him (aghast): But you CAN'T put the decorations up yet, it's too early!
Me (jittery with excitement): But why not? Isn't it WONDERFUL?
Him: Because the tree doesn't go up until the first of December! It's the rule! The rule!
Me: What's going to happen? Will Santa shoot lightning bolts down at us? I don't think so... And anyway, even if there was a rule about putting up the tree in December, there is a clear exception to the rule if you're going away on holiday and therefore cannot enjoy the tree for a week and a half. AND since we'll be away for Christmas, I need to put the tree up early to fully appreciate it. So there! Not that there is any such rule, anyway.
Him: (muffled sounds of defeat)

Meanwhile, can you see that little fellow, hanging from the bookcase? Let's get closer:

Last year I taught myself to crochet in order to work on a blanket. The blanket has been thrown aside for the moment, however, as I've found much more exciting things to work on like these little hanging birdies from Attic24's wonderful tutorial. I made this little chap as a robin red breast and it has caused my husband much bemusement. For starters, he didn't know a creature such as a Robin Red Breast existed. Mind you, he has a point here - living in Australia, the closest we come to little red robins at Christmas is on the "Across the Miles" cards we receive from Aunty Dora in Scotland. He also marvels at the very long legs (to which I reply "It's meant to be whimsical, Fool!"). Whatever the husband might say, I love my little crafty red robins and hope to make a bunch of them, to string up in a flock around the living room!

We love Christmas around these parts and have been hoarding little decorations for quite some months in anticipation. I have silver glass trees ('spikes', according to that philistine husband of mine) adorning the table, stockings hanging from the buffet, bowls of baubles and nutcrackers all over the place. On the tree are more nutcrackers, and I'm beginning to sense a bit of an obsession.

I just love these little wooden men with their axes and swords and drums, and their sinister little expressions! Such cranky little fellows. They remind me of a collection of stories from my childhood, which featured 'Grimmity Gree', a little man who lived in a doll's house and who was at Christmas time strung up on the tree with the baubles.

Also featured front and centre is this little one from our friends Dina & Jimmy in New York, given to us when we visited them in 2006/07:

A new addition is this sorry little chap, which was purchased with great excitement as we pick up our little kitten in a couple of weeks. Others have 'Baby's first Christmas' decorations - I have ragged felt "Cat" ornaments in anticipation of the new feline baby...

Well, the decorations are sorted - if only I was so organised with the Christmas shopping! Actually, you can see from those piling up under the tree that I've made a fair stab at it so far, but I need to get hubby organised to go shopping for his family - easier said than done!

The Best Kind of Friday and the Secret Joys of Soup

2009-12-06T12:33:00.010+11:00

Whilst a number of my friends have been relegated to a four-day working week in these difficult economic times, I have been lucky enough in my job to do so as a matter of choice, in pursuit of a better work-life balance.

After having found myself in the position of having too many irons in the fire earlier in the year when I was juggling my day job, teaching a couple of nights a week and trying to finish a Masters degree, as well as all that general life stuff, I had a partial meltdown in the office and my very kind day-job boss agreed to give me a chance at being a part-time lawyer. The end result is that I'm in the office Monday through to Thursday and I have what I think of as Sacred Fridays reserved just for me. Friday is my secret time, my special day to get things done, to get on top of life and to play housewife for the day. It's useful for cleaning, for groceries, for appointments, for putting up Christmas decorations secretly whilst the husband is at work (teehee) and for my studies when the masters degree is in action. My friends refer to this as Housewife Friday!

Lately Fridays have consisted of getting the apartment ready for the various streams of visitors we have had coming up to the holidays, running around to appointments or nipping into town for some Christmas shopping (and some trips to the office, grr!). However, let me tell you about my perfect kind of Friday.

The Best Kind of Friday involves a miniature sleep-in. This is where my husband waits 'til he jumps out of the shower before waking me and I’ve had an extra half hour snooze. Hubby has recently gotten into the habit of rushing off to work straight away, but the best kind of Friday involves a cooked breakfast. I love to whip up a couple of poached eggs for us to chomp on in quiet contentedness whilst watching morning TV before Mr W&W chuffs off to work.

After brekkie, there will be cleaning. For example, there is always cleaning my stovetop - I put in a big Ilve stove when we bought our apartment and I have become obsessive about making the hobs of the glorious being shine! There will also be dull cleaning, like the bathrooms, some mopping and vacuuming. Don’t worry, it’s not the cleaning that makes for a top Friday, but what comes after: the quiet satisfaction have having done it all! Once the cleaning is done, I love to flop on the sofa in a sense of achievement and tuck into a comforting lunch, usually in front of the Martha Stewart show, or Barefoot Contessa or something similarly inspiring, and revel in the glory of a clean apartment. After lunch there is a trip to the gym in my building and then maybe a trip to the Fish Markets to pick up supplies for dinner. When I amble back home, it’s usually pushing 4pm and time to start the evening meal and on Fridays I like to try something new, to surprise myself (and hubby) by pulling out all stops. There are usually multiple courses.

I'll no doubt be blogging about my Friday Evening Attempts at Gourmet, but let me just take you back to lunch for a moment, and the Best Kind of Friday Lunch which is soup. I usually have loads of soup stuffed in all sorts of spots in the freezer, just hanging out waiting for my secret sacred Fridays. Soup is a familiar friend, a comforting hug - it reminds me of my family, of home, and it is super easy to whip up. Oh so simple - just bung a bunch of things into a pot and you have a nutritious and delicious little bowl of heaven and a big smile on your face.

The Best Kind of Friday Lunch - Vegetable Soup with Farfalle and Crusty Bread

Certain friends of mine profess not to be able to cook the simplest of things, but honestly, even if you can’t boil an egg, you will be able to turn out a fantastic and comforting bowl of soup. Sure, you can make your simple soup into a fancy vichyssois or whathaveyou with some blitzing and pureeing and adding bubbling little gruyere crouton goodness, but that is for another post and another time. This one is all about the simplest of soups, the humble veggie soup.

When I made the soup up at the start of this post, I had very little in my fridge and had run out of my frozen soup portions. What was a girl to do but make an emergency batch. It struck me when doing so that so few people bother to make a pot of soup, opting instead to buy the pre-made rubbish and, whilst what follows might be extremely basic for many people, it's sometimes worth mentioning the simple things - even if it only serves as a reminder.

My Very Basic Veggie Soup
(to which you can add all kinds of things and make many variations)

First you must start with the very basis of any good soup, what the French call a mirepoix. This is simply a combination of onions, carrots and celery, all chopped into little bits. I like my soups chunky, so I'm not particularly gentle with my chopping, and I just bung it all in a reasonably big pot with some oil or butter and fry gently over a medium heat until veg start to soften and colour a little. I think the celery really does make a difference to the flavour, but to be perfectly honest I have done this without celery when I've had none to hand and still ended up with a tasty concoction.

Once you've done this, you might think about adding some more flavour if you want to vary your veggie soup. Maybe you want some garlic, or some chilli, perhaps some leeks, a bit of bacon or pancetta - add it to the pot. Add some root veggies now, whatever you have on hand (eg, turnip, parsnip, potato, or some pumpkin). If I am thinking ahead about making soup, I'll make sure I have some turnip on hand - it just adds something extra special. For the root veg, I will cut these into chunks but also grate some of the vegetables directly as it really gives your stock some depth.

Next comes the stock or water - I usually put in about 6-8 cups of water or stock and bring it to the boil. I generally use stock rather than water since I have it in little frozen portions ready for making soups, but you will do just as well with water or store bought stock or a combination of both. I'd steer clear from the little stock cubes you can buy though, I find the flavour a bit distorted and they are quite salty.

Once your soup comes to the boil, turn down the heat a bit and partially cover the pot. Go off and do something else for a while but remember to stir the pot every so often. In about 15-20 minutes your veggies will be softened and the contents of your pot will start to look soupy, not just like veggies and water. Taste it now and adjust your seasoning - you'll need salt and pepper, but the amount of salt will depend on the stock you have used and whether you have added bacon or pancetta. If you want to add a bit of bulk to your soup you can stir in some pasta (small pasta, like risoni or small macaroni or, as in the image above, little bow ties) or maybe some rice or a drained tin of white beans, or, if you're happy to let it boil for a bit, some pearl barley.

Once your 'bulk' is ready - your rice or your pasta tender - you're pretty much done. I like to finish with a handful of frozen peas some chopped flat leaf parsley, but that's all the icing on the cake. Let it cool down a little before ladling into a bowl and serving with some crusty bread.

Objects and Purposes

2009-12-05T16:34:00.005+11:00

A sense of apprehension accompanies this inaugural toe-dipping into the great seas of Blog and I must confess to having taken some time to find the courage and gather my thoughts for the first post. I’ve compiled a collection of photos for future posts and thoughts are perpetually swimming about my head as to things I might write here, however actually getting started has been the stumbling block.

I think the main concern comes not from airing my thoughts publicly on the internet, but rather the realisation that probably not many people out there will read them! At this early stage it’s just me and the great ether. I guess these things take time, but I’m anxious to join the great blogging community and make some new friends!

However, onward and upward to the objects and purposes of this weblog. By way of a brief introduction, I’m a late twenties girl with a good job in a professional career. I have a couple of degrees and the ability to progress up the career ladder should that be my desire. All well and good and of course I am pleased with my station in life, however I have a deep yearning. What for, you may ask? Well, the simpler things in life. The domestic side of life. I married my true love eighteen months ago and at the start of this year we bought and moved into our first home together. We lived together before we were married (shock!), but this new home was all ours, something we worked hard to achieve together, and finally we have our own little piece of the world. And little it is, as we only have an inner city apartment, but it’s a start and we love it just the same.

Since this momentous event, I’ve taken an interest in keeping house, improving the appearance of our home, crafting for our home, cooking in our home (well, I always had the interest in cooking…) and I’m embarking on a quest. My mission? Not to crack that glass ceiling, but to receive the revered title of Domestic Goddess. I want to revert to a simpler life of domestic bliss. I want to cook like Nigella and craft like Martha! I hope to document this journey through various foodie and crafty posts with little bits of life in between. It won't all be food and craft - in fact it will probably be more food than craft - but I have other interests too which will no doubt be revealed in good time.

In the meantime, please bear with my whilst I learn the ropes with all this blogging stuff. It might take a little while!

Now, let me leave you with a peek at my pretty geraniums. Just look at them up there in that dark picture (hey, I'm still learning!)! I love these bright red geraniums which I have in a pot on my balcony. These simple, olde-worlde plants remind me of my childhood – just a whiff of the distinctive smell of the foliage takes me right back to running around the backyard at Gran’s! And sometimes, when I’m sitting with a coffee outside, looking at my little container plants, I’m transported from my inner Sydney abode to a quaint Parisian studio with cheerful red geraniums popping out from window boxes…. splendide!