Accountant's Choc Hazelnut slice

Accountant's Choc Hazelnut Slice

 

taken from "Rachel's Kitchen"

 

 

Need a slice in a hurry?  This recipe is from a very accomplished chartered accountant who is also CEO of her own company.  Always willing to share a slice, this is the 'go-to' recipe when she has 1 hour to get this slice to her next appointment. 

 

 

 

Ingredients:

1 block choc hazelnut

60 grams copha

1 packet Milk Arrowroot, crushed

125 grams butter

2 tablespoons golden syrup

125 grams flaked almonds

3/4 cup condensed milk

 

 

Method:

Melt butter, golden syrup and condensed milk on low heat until combined.

Add melted ingredients to biscuits.

Stir through almonds.

Press into lamington slice tin.

Refrigerate for 1 hour (or less in freezer).

Melt chocolate and copha together.

Pour over base and refrigerate until set.

 

 

 

Enjoy!

 

Orange Muffins

 

 

 

Orange Muffins

Do you need a no fail, no fuss, 'pass down from a great baking family' recipe?  Coming from a non-baking background (my grandparents did not bake), I count it a great privilege to come across friends who are willing to share family recipes with me.  This one is from a Castle Hill renowned baker, Joanne. 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

1 orange (skin included)

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

125 grams butter

1 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

 

 

 

 

Heat oven to 200 Celcius.

Grease muffin tray.

Cut orange (skin included) into 8 pieces, and place into a food processor.

Add sugar and process until creamy.

Melt butter in the microwave.

Add to processor, the egg, milk and melted butter, and process well.

Add flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda, the pulse (2-3 times) to mix through gently.

Bake for 15 minutes.

 

 

 Dust with icing sugar to serve.

 

 

Enjoy!

 

Optional:

Add 1/2 cup sultanas (at the very end after the bicarbonate of soda)

or 1/2 cup dates (together with the orange)

 

 



Peking duck pancakes

  Peking Duck PANCAKES

 

My daughter was coming for dinner, I wanted to make something nice and different, so I took the duck out of the freezer.  Now, I had to look for a good recipe...

Billy Law, one of the contestants from MasterChef Australia had put out a book "have you eaten?"  (Darn, he stole my line, because that is the typical Chinese greeting.)  He is also from my hometown, so, I had to buy his book!

The pancakes..... absolutely delicious!  I did not take photos from the beginning, because I did not think they would be wonderfully successful.  My daughter started taking photos when she arrived.  I am never buying pancakes for Peking duck again.  This is such an easy recipe, and it works!!!!!

Makes 20

Ingredients

300 g plain flour

pinch of salt

2 tablespoons caster sugar

250 ml boiling water

sesame oil, to brush

Method

Combine the flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl.  

Make a well in the centre and pour in the boiling water.

Using a fork, draw in the flour until just combined.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes, or until smooth.

(I placed all the ingredients in the Thermomix and kneaded for 5 minutes.  Fabulous!)

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and set aside to rest for 20 minutes.

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface into a log about 2.5 cm thick.

Cut the log into 20 even pieces, then roll each portion into a ball.

Flatten each ball in the palm of your hand to a 6 cm round disc.

Brush the top of one piece of flattened dough with sesame oil, place another piece on top and press lightly to join them together.

Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough to a 15 cm pancake, about 2 mm thick.

Repeat with the remaining dough balls.

Stack the pancakes between sheets of baking paper.

To cook the pancakes, heat a large frying pan over low-medium heat (do not add any oil to the pan).

Cook each pancake gently for 30 seconds on each side until it is puffed up slightly and starting to colour on a few spots.

It should be cooked but still soft and malleable.

Remove from the pan and, using your fingers (take care as the pancakes are hot), peel to separate the pancakes.

Place the cooked pancakes on a plate and cover with a clean tea towel to keep them warm and prevent them from drying out.

Repeat with the remaining pancakes.

To eat with roast duck: slice the skin off the duck into thin strips, then shred the duck meat into bite-sized pieces.

Place the skin and meat on a platter with the cucumber strips and spring onions.

To serve, smear a spoonful of hoisin sauce on a pancake, top with duck meat and skin, garnish with cucumber and spring onions, then wrap up like a crepe.

Enjoy!

Roasted Pears with brie wrapped in proscuitto

 

 

Roasted Pears with brie wrapped in prosciutto

This deliciously easy recipe is from Easy Recipes for Families.  Check it out for more recipes!

 

I love pears.  I love brie.  I love prosciutto.  What a combination!

 

This is such an easy recipe, but the contrast in flavours is delightful! Oh Yummmm....

 

  

Ingredients

18 small pears - not quite ripe and still a little hard

3 tablespoons sugar

1 cup rice bran or olive oil

 

80 grams of brie cheese

80 grams blue vein cheese

5 slices of pancetta or prosciutto

18 sprigs of parsley leaves

 

Preheat the oven to 200C.
Halve the fruit and toss them in a bowl with sugar and oil, till pears are well coated.
Roast in a paper lined roasting tray for 20 minutes till lovely and golden brown. Allow to cool.

Using a pair of scissors, cut each slice of prosciutto into 4 then halved again , so that there are now 36 to 40 ribbons of pancetta.
Tear the parsley so you have a supply of 36 small sprigs. Lay the leaf onto each roasted pear half.

 

Using a small knife slice the cheeses into small half teaspoon sizes. Lay the tiny serve onto the leaf so that it sits elegantly on the roasted fruit.  Repeat.

 

Wrap the ribbon of pancetta/prosciutto around the cheese and pear tucking in the ends at the base of the fruit.

 

Enjoy!

 

Banana Cake

" The best banana cake in the world" by Poh Ling Yeow

 from "poh's kitchen, my cooking adventures"

 According to Poh Ling Yeow, who was runner-up of MasterChef (Australia) 2009, this is the fluffiest, most moist banana cake, you'll ever taste.  Paired with lemon icing and a sprinkle of chopped hazelnuts (I used pecans).

It was my sister's birthday, and she is the queen of banana cakes, and has her own food blog! No pressure! I'm either stupid, or courageous!

 

 Cake ingredients

125 g unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup (115g) brown sugar, firmly pressed down

1/2 cup (115g) caster sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or natural vanilla extract

2 large free-range eggs

1 1/2 cups (185g) plain flour, sifted

2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder, sifted

1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda), sifted

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup (60ml) full cream milk

3 overripe bananas, mashed

Icing ingredients

50 g good quality salted butter, softened

1/2 cup (60g) icing sugar

2-3 tablespoons lemon or lime juice

1/4 cups (35g) roasted pecans, chopped

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160 Celcius (150 C fan forced).  Line a 20 cm round cake tin with baking paper or grease and flour your tin.
2. With an electric mixer, cream the butter, both sugars and vanilla until pale and fluffy.  
3. Add 1 egg at a time, mixing thoroughly each time.   
4. Add the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt, and fold in with a wooden spoon until fully incorporated.
5. Add the milk and banana, and fold in.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake on the middle shelf for about 40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.
7. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before running a knife around the tin to release.
8. Cool on a wire rack.  If you have used baking paper for the base and sides of the tin, the cake will easily fall out.

 

1. To make the icing, combine butter, the sugar and lemon juice in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy.  
2. Spread over the top of the cake. (It won't seem much, but it is the perfect amount) and sprinkle with the pecans.
3. Enjoy!
   

 

 

Lots of biscuits

Lots of Biscuits

 This is a great basic biscuit recipe, from my very dear friend, the late Mrs Pat Newey.  To make different flavours, add choc bits, corn flakes, ginger, sultanas or whatever grabs your fancy.   This is our all time family favourite choc chip cookie recipe.

Ingredients

500 g butter

1 1/4 cups caster sugar

1 tin condensed milk

5 cups self raising flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

Pinch of salt

500 g choc chips/MMs/smarties/leftover choc slabs

Method

Heat oven to 180 Celsius.

Grease oven trays or use baking paper.

Cream butter and castor sugar till light and creamy.

Add condensed milk and beat well.

Mix in self raising flour, vanilla and salt.

Mix in choc chips.

 

Roll into balls (or using a ice cream scoop, scoop up a ball of dough, and roll into balls).

Decorate with hundreds and thousands or MMs. Place on oven tray.

Cook for 20 mins.

Enjoy!

Spaghetti with steak and baby spinach

Spaghetti with steak and baby spinach

 I had left over steak, so how was I going to reinvent a meal with it? Spaghetti! Our favourite! We are Chinese, so we love anything that looks like noodles!

Ingredients

 1 packet Spaghetti

1 teaspoon garlic, diced

1 brown onion, diced

1 can crushed tomatoes

1 tablespoon tomato paste

3 handfuls of baby spinach

100 g left over steak, sliced

salt and pepper to taste

oil 

Method

 Cook spaghetti.

While spaghetti is cooking, start on the sauce.  

Heat oil in a frypan, brown garlic and onions.

Add crushed tomatoes and tomato paste.  Simmer over very low heat.

When spaghetti is cooked to al dente, place it into the sauce, adding some of the water that the spaghetti is cooked in, if you think that there is not enough sauce/liquid.  Stir in baby spinach and slices of steak.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

Steak Tartare

 Steak Tartare

from Guillaume Brahimi's Food for Friends

 Steak Tartare is my daughter's absolute favourite meal.  Thankfully my son and his fiancee just bought me Food for Friends and there was the recipe, on page 206! 

Ingredients

320 g beef tenderloin, cut into 5 mm dice

5 cornichons, diced

3 golden shallots, diced

2 teaspoon capers, diced

2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

3 egg yolks

sea salt and freshly ground white pepper

 Tartare dressing

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon Cognac

3 tablespoons tomato sauce

3 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

dash of Tabasco

60 ml vegetable oil

 

 

Whisk together all of the ingredients for the tartare dressing until well combined.

Place the beef, cornichon, shallot, capers, parsley and egg yolks in a large bowl. add the dressing and mix with a spatula until the beef is coated.  Season with salt and pepper.  

Enjoy!

 

 

Birthday cake by my very talented daughter!

 

Birthday Cakes!

 

My very talented daughter made these red velvet cupcakes for her friend, Denise's birthday! (Denise loves shoes)  Daughter is now the official family birthday cake supplier!  It feels so good to be superseded by my own daughter!  I wonder how she can out do this for her father's birthday next week.  Make sure you visit this site for the latest news!

 

 

 

Hope you had a great birthday, Denise!

 

 

 

Home made iced graham crackers.

 

Home made iced red velvet cupcakes.

 

 

Close up of the greeting.

 

Close up of the details.

Vegetable and Feta Frittata

Vegetable and Feta Frittata

Oh yum, I love frittata!  This recipe is so easy.  This was demonstrated in a Miele Cooking Class.

 

 

 

2 cups baby spinach leaves

150 g diced feta

1 zucchini, thinly sliced

1/2 punnet cherry tomatoes, halved

8 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup pouring cream

black pepper

1/2 cup grated tasty cheese

 

1. Place spinach in the base of a lightly greased 25 cm flan dish.
2. Arrange feta, zucchini and tomatoes over the spinach.
3. Combine eggs, cream and pepper.
4. Pour egg mixture over vegetables and sprinkle with cheese.
5. Bake on Fan Plus at 180 C for approximately 25 minutes or until set. Enjoy!

(I didn't have any zucchini.  You can add any vegetables that you have in the fridge.  For a lower fat version, use milk or water instead of cream.)



Raspberry Tarts

 

Raspberry Tarts

I am not much of a sweet person, but this was pretty good.  My husband and son, had seconds -now, that is a good sign.  This is a super easy recipe that was demonstrated in the Miele classes, and they adapted this from Women's Weekly. 

 

 

Makes 24

 

200 g butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup caster sugar

1/2 cup almond meal

1 3/4 cups plain flour, sifted

2 cups frozen raspberries

1/3 cup flaked almonds

 

1. Pre-heat oven at 170 C.
2. Lightly grease a 24 hole mini muffin pan.
3. Cream butter, vanilla and sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy.  Stir in almond meal and flour.
4. Reserve 1/3 of pastry to use for topping.  Fill each mould with pastry and press down firmly.
5. Sprinkle raspberries evenly over base, top with remaining crumbled pastry and flaked almonds.
6. 
   Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden.  Cool in tray before removing.  Enjoy!

Floating Islands

Floating Islands

Poached meringue on Crème Anglaise with Almond Praline

 

This recipe from Rachel Khoo looked so easy, so I had to try it when my neighbours came for dinner!  It was my first time poaching meringues, and I obviously need more practise, though it was easy enough.  Every thing was easy! And my husband (the litmus test) told me that it was restaurant level!

 

Preparation time: 45 minutes, resting time: 4 hours, cooking time: 30 minutes

 

For Almond Praline

75 g sugar

25 ml water

50 g slivered almonds

1. Line a baking tray with baking paper.  Put the sugar and water into a large pan, heat gently until the sugar dissolves, then increase the heat to high.
2. 
   When the mixture starts to bubble, add the almonds and stir continuously for 5 minutes to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pan and burning.
3. 
   Once the sugar and nuts have become a dark golden caramel colour, pour on the prepared tray and spread as thinly as possible with a palette knife (be quick as it sets pretty fast).  Leave to cool.

 

For Crème Anglaise

4 egg yolks

80 g sugar

1 vanilla pod

500 ml milk

 

1. Mix the egg yolks and sugar together in a bowl.  Split the vanilla pod in half lengthways and scrape out the grains.  Place the pod and grains in a pan with the milk and bring to boil.  Remove the pod, then pour a little of the hot milk onto the egg yolks and sugar, whisking continuously. 
2. Gradually whisk in the rest of the milk, the pour the mix into a clean pan, set over a gentle heat and whisk constantly.  Do not let the custard simmer at any point or it will split.  After 5 minutes, it will begin to thicken slightly and become the consistency of single cream (it will thicken more when it cols down). 
3. Transfer to a bowl and chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours.

 

For the Islands

2 egg whites (60 g)

45 g icing sugar, sifted if lumpy

a couple of drops of lemon juice

a pinch of salt

 

1. Put half of the egg whites into a clean glass or metal bowl.  Add the sugar, lemon juice and salt and whisk until snow white.
2. Add the rest of the egg whites and continue whisking until the meringue forms stiff peaks.
3. Gently drop 6 spoonfuls of meringue into a large pot of simmering water and simmer for a few minutes or until they are slightly puffed up and just set.
4. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a sheet of baking paper until needed.

(If you prefer you can cook the islands in the microwave.  Spoon 6 small heaps onto a plate, leaving at least 2 cm between each one, and microwave on medium-high for 30-60 seconds.

 

Assemble Floating Islands

 

1. Pour a ladleful of Crème Anglaise into each of 6 glasses and gently place a meringue in the centre.
2. Snap the praline into small pieces and sprinkle on top.

Quiche Lorraine

 

Quiche Lorraine

I love quiche, and it loves my hips too!  Recipe from Rachel Khoo's "The Little Paris Kitchen".  Easy and absolutely yum! 

 

 

Prep time 30 min, resting time 1 hour - overnight, baking time 30-40 mins.

Serves 6

 

 

90 g soft butter

1 tsp sugar

a pinch of salt

180 g plain flour

2 egg yolks

ice cold water

 

150 g cubed bacon

4 eggs plus 2 egg yolks (save the whites to brush the pastry)

300 g cream

1 tsp salt

pepper

 

1. Make the pastry.  Using a wooden spoon, beat together the butter, sugar and salt until soft and creamy.  Mix in the flour followed by the egg yolks and 2 tabsp ice-cold water.  Mix and bring together to make a smooth ball, adding a little more water if the pastry is too crumbly (only knead as much as necessary to bring the dough together). Wrap the dough in cling film and refrigerate for a minimum of an hour (best overnight).
2. Remove the pastry from the fridge 30 minutes before using.  Roll out the pastry between 2 sheets of baking paper until it is 5 mm thick, and use to line a 25 cm quiche tin that is at least 3 cm deep.  Brush the pastry base with egg white.  Refrigerate while preparing the filling.
3. Preheat the oven to 180C.
4. To make the filling, fry the bacon in a non-stick fry pan until golden brown, then lift out with a slotted spoon and leave to cool on paper towels.  Meanwhile, lightly beat the eggs and egg yolks in a bowl, and the cream and seasoning and continue to beat until mixed together.  Scatter the bacon in the pastry case and then pour in the egg mix. 
5. Bake for 30 - 45 mins or until the filling is golden brown and set. 
6. 
   Serve hot or cold.  Enjoy!
 

Sponge Cake

Sponge Cake

This is a basic sponge cake recipe.  I was looking for a sponge cake recipe, and there are so many in googleland!  I decided to pick this from Gourmet Traveller September 2009.  There was a reason why I kept this magazine!

 

It turned out fluffy with a good crumb.  Being a non cream lover, I had a thin layer of cream, but the average Australian, I think, would expect more.  Thank you, Sonda for the duck eggs - the reason for the sponge cake.

 

Prep time 20 mins, cook 25 mins (plus cooling)

Serves 8-10

 

80 g butter, melted and cooled, plus extra for brushing

240 g plain flour, plus extra for dusting

6 duck eggs (or 8 large eggs), at room temperature

220 g (1 cup) caster sugar

scraped seeds of 1 vanilla bean

 

Strawberry jam

Whipped cream

 

1. Preheat oven to 180C.  Brush two 20cm diameter cake tins with melted butter, line bases with baking paper, dust sides with flour.

2. Triple-sift flour and set aside.

3. Whisk eggs, sugar and vanilla seeds in an electric mixer til thick, pale and tripled in volume (7-8 minutes).  Transfer to a mixing bowl.

4. Sift over flour in three batches, folding each batch in with a large metal spoon.

5. Fold in melted butter.

6. Divide evenly between tins, bake until light golden and centre springs back when pressed lightly with your fingertip (20-25 minutes).

7. Pull cake gently away from sides of tin with your fingers or carefully loosen with a knife.  Turn onto a wire rack, remove baking paper, turn back over, then cool completely.

8. Brush one cake with strawberry jam, spread with cream, sandwich with remaining cake, dust with icing sugar.  Serve and enjoy!

Sticky Pork Ribs in Chilli Caramel

 

Sticky Pork Ribs in Chilli Caramel similar to those from Longrain.

 

 

This recipe is from Gourmet Traveller.

 

Prep time 20 mins

Cook time 1 1/2 hrs

 

Serves 4

 

270 g caster sugar

120 ml water

80 ml (1/3 c) fish sauce

5 red shallots, thinly sliced

3 small red chillies, thinly sliced or to taste plus extra to serve

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 kg pork ribs, separated into double rib pieces

Juice of 2 limes

30 ml rice vinegar

Vietnamese mint, coriander, bean sprouts, fried shallots to serve

Steamed jasmine rice, to serve

 

Stir sugar and 60 ml water in a large frying pan over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves, then bring to the boil and cook, swirling pan so it colours evenly, until dark caramel (4-5 mins).

Carefully add another 60 ml water, then fish sauce (Be careful, hot caramel will spit) and simmer for another minute to infuse flavours.  Add shallot, chilli and garlic, simmer until starting to soften (2-3 mins), then add ribs and cook, turning occasionally, until glazed all over (4-5 mins). 

Reduce heat to the lowest possible and simmer for 1 hour or till tender.

Stir in lime juice and rice vinegar and serve scattered with herbs, sprouts and chilli.

(I did not have the herbs, sprouts and chilli, but it still tasted fantastic!)

 

Enjoy!



Simple Ipoh Fried Kway Teow

 

Simple Ipoh Fried Kway Teow

 

1 packet Kway Teow/ flat rice noodles

1 packet bean sprouts

2 chinese sausages/ lap cheong, cut diagonally finely

2 eggs

Chopped Garlic

 

Oil

Oyster Sauce

Black sauce (Molasses thick black sauce)

Soy Sauce (Premium Kikoman)

Sambal if required

 

Heat oil in a hot wok.  Fry garlic and chinese sausage till fragrant. 

Add Kway Teow and fry to break up the noodles.  Add oyster sauce, soy sauce and black sauce.  Add sambal, if chilli is required.  Make sure that you fry the noodles through, so that the sauce coats each strand of noodle.

Make a hole in the middle of the noodles.  Break the eggs in the middle, and allow the eggs to slightly cook.  Allow the eggs to be a bit runny.  Using the stirrer, or 'wok chan', mix the eggs through the noodles.

Add bean sprouts.  Mix and remove from heat.  The heat of the noodles will continue cooking the bean sprouts.

 

Enjoy!

 

Easy Tomato Salad ala Sophia

 

 

 

 

Easy Tomato Salad ala Sophia Brown

 

2 punnets cherry tomatoes

1/2 Spanish onions

Salt, pepper

Balsamic Vinegar

 

 

Halve cherry tomatoes and place on a plate.

Chop Spanish onion and scatter on top of the tomatoes.

Sprinkle freshly ground salt and pepper on top, and drizzle with balsamic vinegar.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

Mochi

Mochi

This is a simple Japanese dessert.  Recipe was given by Kathy Chua.  It lasts at room temperature for up to 3 days.  Delicious!

Prepare the filling first. Cold peanut butter balls are easier to handle when placing them in the middle of the soft batter.

Filling

Peanut butter

Sesame seeds

Coat 1/2 teaspoon of peanut butter with sesame seeds.  

Place in the fridge while preparing the mochi.

 Mochi Batter

Ingredients

1 packet (500g) glutinous rice flour

1 tablespoon (15 g) rice flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

425 ml tin coconut milk (santan) preferably Kara brand

425 ml water, plus 1 tablespoon water

Mix all together.  Sieve if necessary.

Pour a shallow layer into a tray, and steam for 20 minutes.

Prepare your utensils for making the mocha.  

Coat 2 dessert spoons with rice flour.  

Also place some rice flour on a plate.  

Use Cling Wrap to mold the mocha.

While still hot, use the 2 spoons to spoon out about 4 cm of dough.   

Place on cling wrap.  

Place a knob of peanut butter in the middle of the dough.

  

Using the cling wrap, join the edges of the dough together to cover the peanut butter.

  

Roll the dough in a thin layer of rice flour.

 Place onto cupcake paper moulds.

Enjoy!