Beef Wellington

Beef Wellington 

 

 

 

Crepes
2 cups (300g) plain flour
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups (625ml) milk
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 tablespoon finely chopped chives
1 tablespoon finely chopped flat leaf parsley
1 teaspoon finely chopped tarragon
50g butter, chopped
             
Sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
500g small beef bones
2 eschallots, thinly sliced
6 black peppercorns
4 sprigs thyme
1 clove garlic, bruised
1 bay leaf
80ml port
200ml red wine
500ml veal stock
80ml veal glace
40g chopped butter
             
Mushroom filling
80g dried porcini mushrooms
2 tlbs (40ml) olive oil
30g butter, chopped
2 eschallots, finely chopped
200g swiss brown mushrooms, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped flat leaf parsley
1 tablespoons finely chopped tarragon
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
             
Beef Fillet
500g beef fillet
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 large sheet puff pastry approx (30 X 32cm)
Eggwash: 3 egg yolks mixed with a pinch of salt
4-5 slices Iberico Ham            
 

For the crepes: sift flour into a bowl, add a pinch of salt. Make a well in the centre of the flour and add the eggs and a quarter of the milk. Whisk vigorously from the middle incorporating the flour, add a little more milk and continue to whisk to form a smooth thick batter, whisk in the remaining milk and melted butter to form a loose smooth batter the consistency of thick cream.  Set aside to rest for 15 minutes. Stir in herbs.
Heat a little chopped butter in a large non-stick frying pan, Ladle some of the crepe batter into the pan and quickly swirl around to cover the base to make a crepe about 25cm in diameter. Cook until the crepe is a slight golden brown, turn over and cook until golden. Remove from the pan and set aside. Repeat using the remaining mixture. You must have at least 4 crepes.

Meanwhile, start the sauce. Preheat the oven to 200C. Place a non stick roasting pan onto the stove top over a moderate heat, add oil and the beef bones, colour evenly, place into the oven for 20 minutes until caramelized and golden. Remove from the oven and tip the bones into a colander to drain away excess fat.

For the mushroom filling: Place dried mushrooms in a bowl and add just enough boiling water to cover, stand 15 minutes, drain. Rinse under running water to remove grit.
Meanwhile, heat oil and butter in a large frying pan over a high heat. Add eschallots, fresh mushrooms and garlic, cook until soft and golden. Stir in re-hydrated mushrooms, season with salt and pepper. Tip the mushrooms into a colander allow to cool to room temperature. Process mushroom mixture, parsley, tarragon and mustard in a food processor until finely chopped but not a paste.

             
For the beef fillet: Season the beef fillet with salt and pepper. Heat a lightly greased large frying pan, add beef and cook until all sides are well browned. Set aside to cool. Brush with the Dijon mustard.
             
To assemble the Beef Wellington:
Preheat oven to 200C.
Place a 40cm length of baking paper on bench top. Lay the Iberico ham slices slightly overlapping onto paper.

Place an even layer of mushroom mixture over the ham slices, then place the beef fillet on top.

Roll over to encase the beef tightly. Square off two sides of each crepe. Lay crepes, slightly overlapping on bench top, top with beef roll and roll to encase tightly.

Wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Rest in the freezer for 10 minutes, making sure it is cool and firm making it easier to handle.

Remove plastic wrap from beef roll, place beef roll in the centre of the pastry sheet. Cut four small corners out of the pastry so it creates a large thick cross shape, ensuring it is long enough on all sides to enclose the fillet completely. Carefully lift side flaps of pastry up over the beef roll so they just overlap, trimming as necessary. Seal with egg wash. Carefully lift remaining pastry flaps, so they just overlap, trimming as necessary. Seal with egg wash. Place on a baking paper-lined non stick roasting tray, making sure that the seam is at the bottom. With extra pastry, cut a 6cm disc and place in center of beef roll. Cut a 1cm whole in top of pastry for air.. Egg wash the top and sides evenly removing excess egg wash with the pastry brush, place in freezer for 10 minutes to cool the pastry. Repeat eggwash and freezer process. Bake for about 35 minutes. Use a meat thermometer to check the temperature of the fillet inside. It should be around 46-52C or just warm to the top lip for a perfect medium rare. Allow the beef wellington to rest for 15 minutes before carving.
Meanwhile finish the sauce. Place the drained bones into a large saucepan add the sliced eschallots, peppercorns, thyme, garlic, bay leaf and season with salt. Cook, stirring until eschallots are golden. Add the port and red wine and reduce by two thirds. Add the veal stock and glace. Bring to the boil and skim away any scum or impurities that rise to the surface. Turn the heat down to a gentle simmer and cook for 20 minutes or until reduced to a sauce consistency; season to taste. Strain the sauce through a muslin-lined sieve into a clean saucepan to remove any sediment. The sauce should be viscous enough to sit on the plate well without being too runny but not too thick to be sticky, you may need to reduce it further after straining. Then slowly whisk in enough small cubes of butter to add shine.
To serve, carve beef wellington and serve with the sauce.

Enjoy!

Pandan Chiffon cake

Pandan Chiffon Cake

 

 

Chiffon cake is loved in Malaysia. Pandan is the vanilla of South East Asia and is used in Malaysian cooking.  Put these two together, and Pandan Chiffon Cake is much loved by most Malaysians!

 

My good friend, Monique, gave me this recipe that she learnt from a famous Chiffon Cake Bakery.

 

My daughter has been providing the family with cakes in the past year, however, she has been under the weather. She asked me to make her an ombre pandan chiffon cake, for her last birthday in her twenties.

 



Pandan Chiffon Cake:

Ingredients:
7 egg whites
75 g castor sugar
1/2 tsp cream of tartar

6 egg yolks
75 g sugar
90 g corn oil
130 g santan/coconut milk
1 tsp pandan paste (from Asian grocery)
175 g flour
2 1/2 g baking powder
pinch of salt

Whisk the first 3 ingredients together till firm.

Mix the remaining ingredients to form a paste. 
Gently fold in 1 tablespoon of the whisked egg whites into the green paste. 
Then carefully fold in the rest of the paste into the egg white mixture, until well folded.

Pour into a 19 cm chiffon cake tin (with a tube in the middle, and with a removable base).  Make sure that the tin is not greased, as the mixture adheres to the sides.

Bake at 170 Celcius, for 35 mins or until cooked.

When ready, turn the cake upside down till cool. (Make sure that the cake is very cool before leaving it the right way up, or else it will sink rapidly). It will rise approximately 9 cm.

Push a pliable knife around the wall of the cake tin, as well as around the centre tube.  Remove the cake (still on the base), from the cake tin.  Run the knife along the base of the tin.  Turn out the cake on a plate.

For ombre cake, I used:
5 small egg whites
2 oz castor sugar
1/4 tsp cream of tartar

4 small egg yolks
2 oz corn oil
3 oz santan
pandan paste
1 1/2 oz castor sugar
4 oz flour
pinch of salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder

As I wanted a flatter cake, I used a larger cake tin (24cm), and half the initial ingredients.

I repeated the process 4 times, increasing the amount of pandan paste used, to give the shading of colours.

I used whipped cream with vanilla in between the cakes, as well as to cover the cakes.  I used fresh roses from the garden, as I am not the world's most creative person!

It actually looked fabulous, and tasted great.

Enjoy!

Bolognese sauce

Bolognese Sauce

Spaghetti Bolognese is one of Australia's comfort food.  Anything that resembles noodles entices my salivary glands.  This recipe from Ferran Adria's (from the legendary elBulli restaurant)  'The Family Meal' is my favourite.  It has a great depth of flavours.  Absolutely triple yum!  Howevever, I forgot to take a photo of the finished product. 

Ingredients
225 g butter
1.2 kg minced beef
350 g pork sausage meat
500 g onions
150 g celery
400 g carrots
150 ml extra virgin olive oil
12 g tomato puree
1.6 g chopped tomatoes
1 pinch sugar


Method:

Put a large pan over a medium high heat, then add the butter and let it melt.  Add the beef mince, fry until it has changed colour, then add the sausage meat.

Cook for a few more minutes, season with salt and pepper, then cook for 15 minutes longer, stirring frequently, until dark golden brown.

In the meanwhile, finely chop the onions and celery.  Finely chop the carrots.  Or if you have a thermomix, throw them together on speed 8, 30 seconds.

I had a big harvest of yellow bell tomatoes, so I processed them in the thermomix speed 8, 30 seconds.

Put another pan over a low heat, then pour in the olive oil.  Fry the vegetables gently until softened, about 12 minutes.

Add the meat to the vegetables and mix everything together well.

Add the chopped tomatoes with the tomato puree.  Season with salt, pepper and sugar.  Simmer the sauce for 1 1/2 hours until the meat is very tender.

This bolognese sauce will go well with spaghetti or lasagna.

Do try this.  It is very delicious!

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!