French Almond Macaroons

Indulge in your very own macaroon madness with these gorgeous French almond macaroons. For my first try I was pretty happy with the results. 

Makes

50

Ingredients

         300g icing sugar

         300g ground almonds

         5 eggwhites (from 59g eggs)

         Pinch of cream of tartar

         1/3 cup (75g) caster sugar

         Red and yellow food colouring

Fillings

         250g unsalted butter, softened

         150g icing sugar, sifted

         2 tsp finely grated mandarin rind

         1 tsp orange blossom water

         1/2 cup raspberries

         1 tsp rosewater

Method

1.            Using a fine sieve, sift icing sugar and almonds, pushing through with a wooden spoon. Using an electric mixer, whisk eggwhites until foamy. Add cream of tartar and whisk until soft peaks form. Add sugar, 1 tbs at a time, and whisk until dissolved. Stir meringue into almond mixture (mixture will be stiff), then halve. Tint one half pink, the other half orange.

2.            Spoon 1 mixture into a piping bag fitted with a 5mm piping nozzle. Pipe (or spoon) 1.5cm rounds on to baking paper-lined oven trays*, then repeat with other mixture. Set meringues aside, uncovered, on trays for 1 hour (this will help minimise cracking).

3.            Preheat oven to 150°C and bake macaroons, 2 trays at a time, swapping trays halfway through cooking, for 20 minutes or until firm to the touch. Remove from oven and cool on trays. Slide a knife under each macaroon to release from paper, then store in an airtight container until ready to fill.

4.            For fillings, using an electric mixer, beat butter until pale and fluffy, then gradually beat in icing sugar until combined. Transfer half the mixture from the bowl to another bowl and add mandarin rind and orange blossom water. Stir to combine. Add raspberries and rosewater to remaining mixture in mixing bowl and, using the electric mixer, beat until well combined. Sandwich pink macaroons with raspberry filling and orange macaroons with mandarin filling. Serve.

Notes

To create a perfectly smooth top on your macaroons, dip a finger into a    bowl of water and gently smooth out any peaks.

Chocolate Cremeux with Citrus Gelee

Chocolate Cremeux with Citrus Gelee

 I had a dinner party some great friends over the weekend. I wanted a dessert to impress. Well I think this one did!

Chocolate crémeux

Yield:  up to 6 servings

½ Cup	(4 oz)	Heavy Cream	120 g
1Cup	(8 oz)	Milk	240 g
3	(3)	Egg yolk	3
5 Tablespoons	(2.5 oz)	Extra fine granulated sugar	75 g
6 oz	(6 oz)	Cadbury Cooking Chocolate	180 g

Follow the method and temperatures closely to obtain perfect smooth result.

1.            Bring the cream, milk and about half of sugar to a boil in a small saucepan. Meanwhile in a bowl, whisk the egg yolk smooth and very rapidly whisk in the remaining sugar. Make sure no egg yolk and sugar lumps are still visible.

2.            Pour a quarter of the boiling milk into the egg yolk mixture and whisk quickly.

3.            Pour the tempered egg mixture into the heated milk and on low heat stir the mixture to 183⁰F (81⁰C) while CONSTANTLY stirring using a rubber spatula. Remove from heat and pour into another bowl to stop the cooking process.

4.            Add the chocolate and using an immersion blender or whisk make the mixture smooth. Allow to cool until lukewarm before pouring into glasses. Place in a refrigerator.

This is where you can chose to have the Chocolate crémeux flat in the bottom of the glass or set on the slide. To set on the side sit glasses in a muffin tray on an angel and pour in and allow to set. Creates an awesome effect!

Citrus gelée – gelée agrumes

Yield: 6 servings

¼ Cup	(2 oz)	Lime juice	60 g
¼ Cup	(2 oz)	Lemon juice	60 g
¾ Cup	(6 oz)	Ruby Red grapefruit juice	180 g
5 Tablespoons	(2.5 oz)	Extra fine granulated sugar	75 g
2	(2)	Gelatin sheets	2

1.   In a sauté pan bring the citrus juices and sugar to a boil. Remove from heat and let cool to below 180°F (80°C). Meanwhile bloom the gelatin sheets (Place in ice cold water for 5 minutes)

2.   Squeeze the gelatin sheets to remove water and add to above mixture. Add the liquor.

3.   Let cool to slightly below 70°F (20°C) and pour into the cremeux filled glasses.

4. Allow to set before serving ( 4 hours)

To serve half up a Red Ruby Grapefruit and coat slice in sugar. Add white chocolate shards to serve.

Meringues for Mothers Day!

Meringues

Ingredients

1. 4 egg whites, at room temperature
2. 220g (1 cup) caster sugar
3. 2 tsp cornflour, sifted
4. 1 tsp white vinegar
5. 4-5 drops pink food colouring
6. 5-6 drops green food colouring
7. Coloured sprinkles, to decorate

Method

1. Preheat oven to 100°C. Line 2 baking trays with non-stick baking paper.
2. Place the egg whites in a large clean, dry bowl. Use an electric beater to whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form.
3. Gradually add the sugar and whisk until the sugar dissolves. Continue beating for 2 minutes or until the mixture is thick, glossy, all the sugar dissolves and a long trailing peak forms when the beater is lifted from the mixture. Add the cornflour and vinegar, and whisk until just combined.
4. Divide meringue between 2 bowls. Stir pink colouring into 1 bowl and green into the other.
5. Place the pink mixture into a clean piping bag fitted with a fluted 1.5cm diameter nozzle. Pipe twelve 5cm (base measurement) meringues, about 3cm apart, onto 1 lined tray. Sprinkle with some of the sprinkles. Clean the piping bag and repeat with the green mixture and remaining tray.
6. Bake in preheated oven for 2 1/2 hours, swapping trays halfway through cooking, until meringues are crisp and sound hollow when tapped on base. Turn oven off and leave in oven for 3 hours or until cool.

Salt & pepper squid

I love seafood however have never tried to cook squid- this recipe is really easy & taste great!

Ingredients (serves 4)

1. 3 (about 600g) large cleaned squid hoods
2. 1L (4 cups) vegetable oil
3. 40g (1/4 cup) plain flour
4. 40g (1/4 cup) corn flour
5. 1 tsp salt
6. 1 tsp ground white pepper
7. 1 tsp Chinese five-spice
8. 1/2 tsp chilli powder
9. Lemon wedges and soy sauce with
10. sliced fresh red chilli, to serve

Method

1. Use a sharp knife to cut through 1 side of each squid hood lengthways. Open out flat with inside surface facing up and score surface diagonally. Cut into triangle shapes.
2. Heat the oil in a large wok over medium heat until it reaches 190°C on a confectionary/oil thermometer. (Or, add a 5cm cube of bread to the oil - it should turn light golden in 10 seconds.)
3. Meanwhile, combine the flour, salt, pepper, Chinese five-spice and chilli in a medium bowl. Add the squid and toss gently to coat.
4. Remove half of the squid from the flour mixture and shake off any excess. Add to the oil and cook, turning with a slotted metal spoon, for 2 minutes or until the squid just turns golden and curls. Use the slotted spoon to transfer the squid to a large plate lined with paper towel to drain. Reheat the oil in the wok to 190°C. Repeat with the remaining squid.
5. Serve immediately with the lemon wedges and chilli soy sauce.

Chocolate Mousse

Growing up as a child I loved chocolate mousse! This recipe easy and quick for a great dessert!

Ingredients (serves 6)

300g good-quality dark chocolate, roughly chopped

3 eggs

1/4 cup (55g) caster sugar

1 tbs good-quality cocoa powder, sifted

300ml thickened cream, plus extra whipped cream to serve

Grated chocolate, to serve

Extra Chocolate for Chocolate shards ( 300g of Milk Chocolate)

Mousse Method

1. Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of gently simmering water (don't let the bowl touch the water). You can also melt in the microwave 10 seconds at a time checking that the chocolate doesn’t burn.Stir until melted. Remove bowl from heat and set aside to cool slightly.
2. Place eggs and sugar in a large bowl and beat with electric beaters for 5 minutes, or until mixture is pale, thick and doubled in volume. Fold in cooled chocolate and cocoa powder until combined.
3. In a separate bowl, whip cream until thickened (be careful not to over-beat). Use a large metal spoon to carefully fold the cream into the chocolate mixture, trying to keep the mixture as light as possible. Spoon into 6 serving glasses and chill in fridge for at least 1 hour. Remove from fridge 15 minutes before serving, then top with extra whipped cream and grated chocolate to serve.

Chocolate Shards Method

1. Melt chocolate as per Mousse Method.


2. Lay out baking paper of the bench around 50cm.


3. Pour chocolate onto baking paper & smooth out over paper to ensure a thin covering


4. Place another piece of baking paper on top. Using a rolling pin roll the paper around the rolling pin till all baking paper and chocolate is wrapped around it
5. Cover and clean wrap and put in the fridge for at least 1 hour
6. When ready to serve unroll and break pieces off as needed

Serve with fresh cream to balance the chocolate out.

Sand Crab Lasagne

We all love a simple tomato based Lasagne. But as Aussies we also love seafood. This dish bring the best of both in a simple but elegant meal.Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS 

600g crab meat (can be canned of fresh)

60g butter 


1/3 cup flour 


2 cups milk 


1/4 cup parmesan cheese 


Salt and pepper 


2 tablespoons oil 


1 diced onion 


1 clove garlic crushed 


800g can whole peeled tomatoes 


1 tsp sugar 


1 tsp freshly chopped basil 


1 tsp Italian parsley 


1 teaspoon oregano 


Instant Lasagne sheets 


TOMATO CREAM SAUCE INGREDIENTS 

1 litre fish stock 
120 ml white wine 
800 ml cream 
3 tsp tomato paste ( you can half this recipe as the sauce is strong

METHOD 

Melt 60g butter and stir in 1/3 cup flour, cook 1 min. 
Remove from heat and gradually whisk in 2 cups warmed milk. 
Stir over low heat until mixture boils and thickens. 
Boil constantly for 1 min. 
Set aside and cool for 5 mins. 
Stir in 1/4 cup parmesan cheese and season. 

Heat oil in saucepan and cook 1 diced onion and 1 clove crushed garlic over medium heat until soft. 
Add 1x 800g can whole peeled tomatoes, undrained and mashed. Simmer 20 mins. 
Add 1 tsp sugar and 1 tsp freshly chopped basil, Italian parsley and oregano. Season. 

Stir 2 tbsp white sauce through 600g crab meat. Spread thin layer of tomato sauce over bottom of ovenproof dish, top with instant lasagne sheets, crab mixture and white sauce. Repeat layers, ending with white sauce. 

Bake 180C for 30mins. 


TOMATO CREAM SAUCE - METHOD 

Combine 1 litre fish stock and 120ml white wine in a pan and boil to reduce to a glaze. 
Add 800ml cream and reduce to a sauce. 
Whisk in 3 tsp tomato paste and season.

Spoon Tomato Cream Sauce over to serve. 


Steamed Sword Fish with Bercy Sauce

This maybe one of the most interesting sauces i have made! Its a sauce within a sauce for the topping of this steamed sword fresh.  Its a little bit of work - but worth the effort! Enjoy

Bercy Sauce 

The Bercy sauce, named after a district in the east of Paris, is a finished sauce for fish and seafood dishes. It's made by reducing white wine and chopped shallots and then simmering in a basic fish velouté.

To make the  fish velouté you need:

3 cups fish stock ( can be made from scratch or brought

1 Tbsp clarified butter

1 Tbsp all-corn flour

Preparation:

1. Heat the fish stock to a simmer in a medium saucepan, then lower the heat so that the stock just stays hot.
2. Meanwhile, in a separate heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt the clarified butter over a medium heat until it becomes frothy. Don't let it turn brown, though — that'll affect the flavor.
3. With a wooden spoon, stir the flour into the melted butter a little bit at a time, until it is fully incorporated into the butter, giving you a pale-yellow-colored paste. This paste is called a roux. Heat the roux for another minute or so to cook off the taste of raw flour.
4. Using a wire whisk, slowly add the hot fish stock to the roux, whisking vigorously to make sure it's free of lumps.
5. Simmer for about 30 minutes or until the total volume has reduced by about one-third, stirring frequently to make sure the sauce doesn't scorch at the bottom of the pan. Use a ladle to skim off any impurities that rise to the surface.
6. The resulting sauce should be smooth and velvety. If it's too thick, whisk in a bit more hot stock until it's just thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
7. Remove the sauce from the heat. For an extra smooth consistency, carefully pour the sauce through a wire mesh strainer lined with a piece of cheesecloth.
8. Keep the velouté covered until you're ready to use it.

To create the Bercy Sauce you need:

1 pint fish velouté

¼ cup white wine

2 Tbsp chopped shallots

1 Tbsp chopped parsley

1 Tbsp butter

Lemon juice, to taste

Preparation:

1. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the wine and shallots. Heat until the liquid boils, lower the heat a bit and continue simmering until the liquid has reduced by a little more than half.
2. Add the velouté, then lower heat to a simmer and reduce for about 5 minutes. 
3. Stir in the butter and chopped parsley. Season to taste with lemon juice and serve right away.

Steaming Fish

Simply rub the fish with a little butter and cut some small lines in the fish and insert ginger, garlic and sit lime slices on the top.

Now you can steam it in many ways but the general rule is 10 minutes for fish 1 inch thick. Check how this video for some more details:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=594uPZCjPi8

Simply serve the fish with any simple veggies and spoon on some of the your Bercy Sauce. 

La Jolla Prawn & Crab Stack

La Jolla stacks are a layer upon layer of fruits and veggies and then tops off the tower with a handful of fresh crab or prawn meat. A final drizzle of make-ahead ginger dressing gives this piled high stack a punch of far eastern flavour.
So grab your knife and get ready to slice and dice your way to an impressive dish.

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 Tablespoon sugar
6 Tablespoons lime juice
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
¼ cup water
1 cup pea shoots
1 cup diced Roma tomatoes
1 cup thinly sliced cucumber
1 cup diced red onion
1 cup diced Rockmelon
1 cup diced avocado
1 cup fresh crab meat ( Fresh or canned)
2 Cups of Prawns

Directions

Prepare the dressing by whisking together the ginger, sugar, lime juice, garlic and water. Refrigerate the dressing overnight.

Now here I have chosen to cook the prawns myself in a little lime juice in a hot frying pan, so they are fresh and slightly brown.

Dice all the ingredients up, prawns can stay whole, crab meat with naturally fall apart.

Assemble each of the four prawn & crab stacks by tightly layering together in a mold one fourth of each of the pea shoots, tomatoes, cucumbers, prawns, rock melon, crab meat, avocado and finish off with a whole prawn (If you don't have a mold, you can use any hollowed-out aluminum can or circular bottle).

Press down on the top layer while slowly removing the mold to reveal the freestanding crab stack. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to form a total of four crab stacks.

Drizzle the crab stacks with the ginger-lime dressing and serve.

Thai Red Curry

I have so loved experimenting in making curry pastes I think this one is really quiet good ENJOY!

Ingredients:
1 stalk lemongrass
1-3 chillies ( red)
1 shallot
4-5 cloves garlic
1 thumb- size piece ginger
1/2 cup chopped of fresh coriander
1/2 cup chopped of fresh basil
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground white pepper
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
3 tbsp. fish sauce
1 tsp. shrimp paste or 1/2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. lime juice
1 tsp. brown sugar
3-4 tbsp. coconut milk ( enough to blend ingredients together)
500 g Chickens
mixed of vegetables
Rest of the can coconut milk

Preparation:
1. Place all ingredients in a food processor, chopper or blender
2. Process well to form  a fragrant Thai red curry paste. Taste-test it for salt and spice. If too salty, add a squeeze of fresh lime or lemon juice. Add more chilli for more heat. Your curry paste is now ready to be used. You can bottle up any leftovers and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Method for Curry:
Heat a wok or large frying pan or pot over medium heat. Add 2-3 tbsp. oil and swirl around, then add the red curry paste. Stir-fry until fragrant (1 minute), then add meat ( chicken)& vegetables in allow to simmer until vegetables are cooked. Add in the rest of coconut milk and allow to simmer for 5 mins & serve on a bed of rice.

Fresh Curry Powder

Everyone knows the supermarket Curry powders which often don't pack much of a punch. Why not make your own. This is a great mix of fresh spices that will add a fresh flavour to your curries.

Ingredients
3 Tablespoons coriander seed
2 Tablespoons cumin seed
3 whole dried red chillies
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
2 teaspoons black mustard seeds
1 teaspoon turmeric powder


* double/ triple the ingredients to make more to store


Method
1. Combine the first 5 ingredients together and dry roast till light browned and fragrant.


2. Thoroughly mix all together ( ideally with a food processor) and store in a air tight container.


Now ready to use in any dish that you need it for.


*Note- Its a lot cheaper to buy the spices from a asian supermarket as you will be able to get large amounts the spices for a half the price of Coles or Woolies.

Lamb with Rosemary Polenta Chips

Who doesn't love Chips! This is a great alternative for a light summer meal.

Ingredients 
2 1/2 cups ( 625ml) Vegetable Stock
1 cup (150g) Polenta 
2 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs of Balsamic Vinegar
600g Lamb (small roast work well)
3 cups (90g) mixed lettuce leaves
1/2 cup semi dried Tomatoes
1/2 cup Kalamata pitted olives
100g of Danish Fetta
Balsamic Glaze


Method
1. Line base and sides of an 18 cm ( base measurement) square cake tin with foil, ensuring foil stands 1 cm above the rim on all sides.


2. Bring stock to the boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Gradually add polenta in a thin, steady stream, whisking constantly. Add rosemary and cook, stirring, over low heat for 5 minutes or until thick. Spoon mixture into prepared tin and smooth the surface. Refrigerate for 10 minutes or until firm.


3. Meanwhile, whisk 2 teaspoons each of the oil and vinegar in a shallow glass or ceramic bowl. Add lamb and turn to coat Set side.


4. Turn out polenta onto a chopping board, Discard foil. Cut polenta lengthways into 8 even slices, then cut each alive in half crossways to make 16 fingers. Lightly spray a large non-stick frying pan with oil and heat over media-hight heat. Cook polenta for 5 minutes each side or until crisp and lightly browned. Transfer to a plate cover to keep warm.


5. Reheat pan over medium-high heat. Cut lamb in 5mm slices ( if Lamb as been frozen half defrost and cut) and then finish defrosting Cook lamb for 1 minute on each side so its a little pink in the middle.
6. Place salad on plate with polenta chips and Lamb. Finish with Balsamic Glaze as little or much as u like.