Chilli Pork and Asparagus Stirfry

I spent all of my childhood and most of my early adult life refusing to eat Asparagus and it's no wonder when my only experiences of Asparagus were based entirely on the tinned variety. You see, my mother loves Asparagus but can rarely afford to by the fresh variety so she would buy the tinned version. My father would always refer to it as 'Sparrow's Guts' and given the look, the feel, the smell and the taste of it I always agreed with him.

It wasn't until I worked in an organic fruit & vege store that I was convinced to give the fresh variety a go. I even tasted it raw and a whole new world has since opened up to me. I no longer think of the slimy looking mess that my mother eats- I think of crisp, fresh greens that are delightful with butter, great steamed and add a new dimension to a stirfry.

I can, however, understand why my mother rarely buys fresh as they can be rather expensive- unless you grow them yourself.  But given that this a stirfry- a dish that lends itself to adaption due to its great simplicity- you can vary the quantity that you use if necessary. I find that if fresh Asparagus is on special, then this is the dish I go for and I use the full quantity- 2 bunches- as suggested. If it's not on special but I feel like this dish anyway I cut down the quantity by half and substitute a handful of snow peas, sugar peas or- even cheaper- some fresh green beans and it works just fine.

Ingredients:-
1 1/2 Tablespoons of Oil- The recipe suggests Canola oil but I have an aversion to this as a lot of it is GM and I won't use it. I substitute peanut oil because it has a high smoking point and is great for stirfrys. It may add a slight nutty taste but that's just my preference
600g pork fillets, thinly sliced- I don't always thinnly slice but again that is my preference
3 garlic gloves chopped
2 small red chillies, chopped
1 Tablespoon of fish sauce
2 Tablespoons of oyster sauce
1/4 Cup of chicken stock
2 Bunches of FRESH Asparagus trimmed and sliced diagonally- DO NOT even think about using tinned Asparagus
125g cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 Cup Thai basil ( or standard basil) leaves
Steamed rice to serve- The recipe suggests Jasmine but I use Basmati purely because it has a lower GI value

Heat your wok and then add the oil, swirling to coat the sides. Add the pork in batches frying for 1-2 minutes until brown then place aside to drain. Add a little more oil and add the garlic and chilli frying for about a minute or until fragrant. Add the fish sauce, oyster sauce and chicken stock. Return the pork to the wok and stirfry until the pork is coated with the sauce. Add the Asparagus and stirfry only for a minute or two. The Asparagus should go a bright green and slightly tender. (When cutting asparagus always use your hands to snap off the ends. Let it snap naturally and you will find that you won't get any woody, stringy Asparagus). Add tomato and basil and stir fry until tomato is tender. Serve over rice with a few leaves of basil to garnish.

This recipe comes from the Woolworths Good Taste magazine and I chose it as I particularly like stirfrys because they are easy- One wok, a saucepan for the rice, a chopping board:- that's all you need. And the sauce for this one is rather nice. I have supplemented chicken for pork once just to try it but it doesn't work quite the same so I have since stuck to the original recipe- pretty much. As I said before you can- and I have- substituted snow peas, beans or sugar snap peas for Asparagus, just don't use tinned or frozen vegies for this one as it will spoil it.

Passionfruit Butter- Among other things

Given that my modem went down last week I've had a little extra time to do some cooking. I also benefited from being given a huge amount of passionfruits from a friend. Passionfruits are pretty easy to grow and, generally, those who have a vine-or two- often end a with a glut of them. The beauty of passionfruits is that the pulp can be frozen- my mother does this frequently- and the only down side is that you end up with all these little one or two portion sized containers throughout your freezer. I have sinced learned that another way you can freeze them is whole. Although this definately has the disadvantage of taking up a lot of freezer space, I'm told that it prevents the pulp separating from the seeds- something that helps when you are spreading passionfruit across, or on top of, a dessert like pavlova or cheesecake.

But like many foods there is only so much passionfruit, or passionfruit topped desserts, that you can eat before you can no longer look at a passionfruit without cringing. This is when I go in search of ways to preserve passionfruits without taking up freezer space for the rest of the year.

Once again the book 'A Year in a Bottle' by Sally Wise has come to my rescue and it is from here that I draw these next two recipes:- Passionfruit Curd ( Passionfruit Butter) and Passionfruit Cordial. As I am not a huge jam or spread fan the cordial had more of an appeal to me so I attempted that first.

Passionfruit Cordial
1 Cup passionfruit pulp
1 Cup of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of citric acid- found in most supermarkets with the bi-carb soda

Combine ingredients in a saucepan and mix well. Slowly bring to just below boiling point, stirring to dissolve sugar. Allow to cool. Strain through a fine seive then pour into sterilised bottles. This keeps for up to 12 months.

To make the cordial or even home made fizzy drink just add either water, soda water or mineral water depending on your preference. This syrup is really sweet so using it to make your own fizzy drink means that you can control the sweetness. Sally Wise also suggests using the syrup over icecream or on desserts and I imagine it would work quite well.

The only down side to this recipe is that it takes a lot of passionfruits to make up 1 Cup of pulp- not an issue if you have a shipload of passionfruits as I did- and straining the mixture through a seive does take a bit of time- not a huge amount- but the syrup is thick and you may get impatient waiting for it to drip through the seive. But it is worth it. And how cool are you going to look if you can make your own fizzy drink??


Passionfruit Butter
pulp of 6-8 passionfruits
1 Cup of sugar
2 eggs
125g butter chopped

Combine ingredients in a saucepan and whisk over very low heat until mixture thickens. Do not allow to boil. Strain to remove the seeds if desired- I leave them in to save time and I like the idea of Passionfruit Butter actually looking like it has passionfruits in it. Pour in to sterilised jars, seal and then store in the fridge for up to three weeks.

As I said I am not much of a spread or jam girl but this is quite nice. It's very sweet  so a jar will go a long way. It's also less complicated, less time consuming and less fiddly than making a jam. And, if you've grown the passionfruits yourself, you get the pleasure of turning your very own produce into product to share out amongst friends or give as gifts.

Both  of these recipes are simple ways of using an excess of passionfruits without having a huge list of ingredients. Apart from the citric acid- which can be bought reasonably inexpensively and in small quantities at the supermarket- most people would have the rest of the ingredients already to hand. Just remember to sterilise your bottles and seal your jars to preserve your butter and cordial safely. for information on how to do this see my post on Chilli Marmalade.

Bocconcini & Grilled Tomato Salad

I actually stuffed this recipe up. . .but it still turned out okay. It was supposed to be Crumbed Bocconcini & Grilled Tomato Salad but on that particular day I was rather disorganised. I had plans to go to the beach prior to the barbeque but that went out the window too. Racing around trying to get ready I had no time to prepare my salad, except for the dressing, so I threw everything into the esky and raced off to the birthday barbeque with an idea of making the salad once I got there.  I had read through the recipe several times- it didn't look all that complicated- but never-the-less I threw in my recipe folder just in case. Or so I thought.

Upon reaching my destination and unpacking the esky I discovered that I did not- in fact- have the recipe. Oh well. I had the ingredients, I had read it through a few times, I could remember what I had to do. That was until I put the boccincini in the fry pan to fry them and they all melted rather than looking like the nice, crispy balls they were supposed to be. And to top off I had forgotten the bread crumbs! Despite all this the salad was a success and only I knew that there was something wrong with it. Only I was aware that there should have been breadcrumbs mixed with the parmesan cheese and that I was supposed to quickly deep fry the balls of boccincini rather than spray oil in a frying pan and melt them.

And since I substituted English Spinnach for Rocket-I am not overly fond of rocket- I guess I have almost made up my own recipe. The original recipe came from one of the free Coles or Woolworths magazines- I think. I cut it out of the magazine a long time ago when I was getting bored with the same old tossed salads and I can't quite remember where it came from. The only problem with this salad is that you have 3 different things to make- although none of them take that long- the dressing, the salad and then the crumbed boccincini.

You will need:-
180g of boccincini drained
1/3 cup of plain flour
1 egg beaten
1 1/3 cups of bread crumbs
1/3 cup parmesan cheese shredded or grated
oil for cooking
Salad
punnet of grape tomatoes halved
4-6 thin slices of prosciutto
rocket leaves- or if like me you don't like rocket- English spinnach leaves
Dressing
1/2 cup basil leaves shredded
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
1teaspoon of brown sugar

Dust boccincini ( I quartered mine so that they were smaller- not that it mattered for me in the end because they melted) in flour seasoned with salt & pepper and then dip in the egg. Roll boccincini in combined breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese. Place on a plate & chill for 30 minutes (I missed that part out entirely- no wonder they melted). To make salad preheat oven to 180 degrees and arrange tomatoes and proscuitto on baking tray and bake until proscuitto is crisp. Break proscuitto into pieces and toss with tomatoes and rocket(or English Spinnach). To make dressing whisk together dressing ingredients till combined and then sprinkle over salad. Shallow fry crumbed boccincini- these means enough oil in the pan not a quick spray of olive oil as I did- until cheese is golden and crunchy. Drain on paper towels and the spread across salad and gently toss.

You can tell by the description of 'fry until crisp and golden' in comparison to my picture of melted, pale boccincini that somewhere I went wrong. It doesn't mean, though, that this is a difficult recipe, only that I obviously didn't read it properly and I didn't have it with me when I prepared my salad. Considering I had never made this salad before having the recipe to hand, even a simple one, would have been indispensible. However, just because a mistake is made does not mean that it is alaways going to be a complete disaster. Most things are not only salvagable, but can go on to be something different or even something better.

Next time I cook this dish- and there will be a next time- I will do it by the recipe, step by step. Only then will I be able to compare which version I like best. Or perhaps I will like both. Certainly my 'accidental' version would be lower in fat as I didn't fry my cheese but considering the proscuitto it still wouldn't constitute a low fat dish. What this experience has meant for me is that its okay to get a little creative, to adjust a recipe to suit yourself, or accidentally create something a little different than was intended. The point is that you enjoyed cooking it, you liked eating it and you come home with an empty plate.

Damper. . .with a twist.

There is nothing worse than being asked to a BBQ and thinking. . .what do I bring?? There's the usual dips and salads but you always take those. You want to do something different, yet something that is easy, scrumptious, something that does not involve you slaving over the stove for hours just to impress family and friends.

Well here is the recipe for you. I found it in Recipes + February issue under the title Cheese, Bacon & Corn Pull Apart. Personally I like Damper with a Twist because essentially that's what it is. I don't know who created this recipe but turning an old favourite into something new is a great idea. I can think of many variations of this recipe that you could use depending on your taste, your occasion and even your mood. I have images of including olives or garlic in a similar version but for the now... the cheese, bacon and corn style.
Ingredients:-

250g bacon- rind removed finely chopped
3 Cups of self raising flour
1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon of salt
40g butter chopped
125g corn kernels, drained
1/2 cup of grated cheese
1/2 cup of milk plus extra to brush

Preheat your oven to about 180 degrees and grease a tin ready for use.  You're going to need a tin big enough to take about 6 medium sized rolls.

Fry your bacon on moderate heat until brown and drain on paper towels. Sift flour, pepper and salt in a bowl Using your fingers rub in the butter. Add half the bacon, half the corn and half the cheese and stir through. Make a well in the centre and,using a flat blade knife ( if you don't use a flat blade knife nothing really bad happens- kind of like when you tear those instruction tags of your pillow cases- nothing bad happens either but the more you mix or stir this dough it seems to take the lightness out of it so this is why a flat bladed knife is suggested) stir in the milk and 1 cup of water to make a soft sticky dough.

Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead lightly. Divide into six balls and place on the outside of your tin. Brush the tops with the extra milk and then sprinkle with the remaining corn, bacon and cheese. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden.

This loaf is best served hot with melted butter. Remember that you have added cayenne pepper to the flour so there will be a slight peppery taste. If you are making this for children you could leave the pepper out or cut down the quanity. I personally think that you would need to add salt, or maybe a herb because the damper could be a little bland despite the bacon and the cheese.

You can use any grated cheese:- the original recipe did suggest parmesan and I think that would just add more flavour but if you are not keen on parmesan you could try grated cheddar and it would work quite nicely.

The beautiful thing about this recipe is that most people would have these ingredients in their pantry, it doesn't require any yeast- and no proving and no waiting for hours for it to rise and it doesn't take all that long to mix together before you toss it in the oven to bake. And who doesn't like bread with a meal??

It's simple to make, it looks great and you turn up with freshly made damper! You'll be asked to bring it again I'm sure.

Baked Rabbit Wrapped in Bacon

I'm normally a very visual person when it comes to food. That is- for me- it's all about what it looks like. Whether I'm checking out other diners meals as I'm contemplating the menu in a restaurant, choosing what to put on my plate at a buffet or selecting a recipe from a magazine or cookbook it has to look appealing. I have to look at the food and go 'Mmm that looks yummy' or I just won't bother. Even if it smells great, if I'm told it tastes good I just can't get my head around it if it looks unappetising, which is probably part of the reason that I struggled with this recipe. It's also why, even though I always include a picture, with this one I won't.

I'll be honest:- If you're thinking about a lovely roasted rabbit surrounded by baked vegies as a centrepiece for your table for your next dinner party- DON'T. While rabbit, duck, spatchcock and quail are all making a comeback you have to remind yourself why they were eaten in the first place. I know with my family it was simply because money was tight and rabbit, in particular, was in plentiful abundance as long as you had a good eye, a shot gun- and a wife who was willing to cook it.

These days rabbits are more than likely to be your children's pets and if that's the case don't cook rabbit this way. Essentially what you'll get from the oven is not an attractive, crispy skinned, white fleshed roast.  What you will get looks like a carcass you've hauled in from the forest, whacked it over the fire and slapped it down on a plate- garaunteed to send your kids crying from the table if this is not a sight that they are familiar with.

However, it did prove rather easy to cook, and my guests quite enjoyed the taste. My aunt who -as the smallest when she was a child- always got stuck with the ribcage, relished getting the leg at my table and thoroughly enjoyed it. Myself, not being over fond of the gamier meats, did not take to it so well. But if you like the taste of rabbit, if you have fond memories of eating it as a child- as many of my parents generation would- then this is one way to cook a rabbit.

I found this recipe- not surprisingly- in my Grandmother's CWA cookbook. I don't know what the date of publishing for this compilation was but I know it's old enough that most of the recipes refer to stoking the wood fired oven rather than preheating to 180 degrees. None of my contemporary cookbooks had a recipe for Roast Rabbit.

Ingredients:-

1 Rabbit
Rashers of Bacon
Roasting Fat
Seasoning

I adjusted this recipe a little bit, making use of more modern options so I left out the roasting fat and substituted an oven bag with a drizzle of olive oil instead. But the Bacon is essential.

First up you make your own seasoning. The book suggestes a combination of bread crumbs, parsley, herbs, salt and pepper and a little butter. If you have your own style of seasoning that will work just fine BUT do make an extra large amount as the cavity of a rabbit is a lot bigger and longer than a chicken. I didn't make enough and it all kind of disintergrated.

Stuff the cavity with stuffing and truss the hind and forquarters together. My grandmother used to use a bit of string or wire to 'sew' the cavity shut as an extra way of keeping the stuffing in. The cavity in a rabbit is by far more open than a chicken or turkey. Then wrap the rabbit in the bacon rashers. This is no time for dieting. Don't use the rashers that have had the fat removed as it is the fat in the bacon that prevents the rabbit drying out. Rabbit is notorious for being overcooked and dry which would truly make it unappetising.

Place the rabbit in an oven bag that contains a drizzle of olive oil and bake in the oven on a low heat for 1 1/2-2hrs. The meat won't go as grey as you might expect due to the bacon which will keep it slightly pink but it should be soft and tender and easy to detach from the bone. 

If you have pets, especially dogs, you may have to put them outside once the cooking begins. When I was little my mum used to cook rabbit and every time she opened the oven door she would have to fight to keep the family dog from jumping into the oven. For some reason the smell of cooking rabbit appeals to them over any other roast. It definately has a more gamey taste- to me not unlike lamb shanks only stronger. It is not a taste, I admit, that appeals to everybody but if you have the opportunity to cook rabbit, or like me was given a rabbit for just that purpose, it is well worth trying. Just don't expect it to look like a fabulous gourmet meal if you plan to roast it.

There are other ways to cook rabbit:- I do have a recipe for Country Rabbit in Red Wine for example that would certainly look more appetising- and the red wine would go a fair way in toning down the gamey taste. Or there is  Fricassee of Rabbit- very popular when my mother was a little girl- Rabbit Pie and Jugged Hare just to name a few. Perhaps if I were to cook rabbit again I might choose one of these instead. Certainly having the rabbit in casserole form would lend itself more to being set on the table in front of guests.

Fettucine Napoletana

I have never had much success with pasta. Sure I can make a good pasta salad or a tuna pasta casserole but I'm talking about using linguine, making a fantastic carbonara, or a creamy fettucine. I could just never get it right. Was I using the wrong pasta? Perhaps. Was the heat too high? Maybe. What I really believe is that I was simply using a recipe far more complicated than was required to make a great pasta dish.

One evening I was watching an episode of Food Safari with Maeve O'Meara- an Italian episode- and an Italian Chef- Maurizio Esposito- was demonstrating how to make a Fettucine Napoletana. I took notes, I wrote down everything that he said and I copied everything he did- except for the way he flicked his wrist to toss the sauce around in the saucepan. I tried that once and ended up with tomato based sauce all over my stove top. Not a good thing when you consider that my stove top still had the coil elements meaning that the sauce dripped right down through the coil and cooked itself onto the tray underneath. After much scrubbing later I promised to leave that arm action to the real chefs.

The great thing was that my Fettucine was a success. I could cook pasta! You know- fancy pasta. And the key to this recipe is its simplicity. . . and fresh pasta. Sure you can make your own pasta if you like- I don't have the time- but there are some fantastic brands that do fresh pasta that can be found in your refigerated section of the supermarket. The one I use is Latina Fresh, but as long as its fresh pasta that's all that matters.

Ingredients:
1 large Can or two small cans of whole tomatoes
2 gloves Garlic
Olive oil
Salt
2 shallots chopped finely
500 gFresh Pasta
Fresh Basil
Grated Parmesan Cheese

Chop garlic and throw in a pan with shallots and olive oil. Fry briefly. Using hands- and this bit does make a difference- mash the tomatoes from the can into the pan and pour in all the juice from the can. Heat on a medium heat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Meanwhile cook pasta as per instructions on the packet. Latina Fresh usually requires you to boil the water, throw in a pinch of salt and then add pasta and boil for two minutes and then drain. Remove half of the sauce and add the pasta to the pan. Splash on a generous amount of olive oil and toss through. Just before serving tear up basil leaves and toss through. Serve with grated cheese on top.

While most Italian chef's would roll in their graves if they knew- I play pretty loose with the rules of this recipe. I add or leave out things depending on my mood, what is available in my fridge or garden or who is coming to dinner. However there are some things about this recipe that I do not change.

1. Always use fresh pasta
2. Always use olive oil
3. Always put a pinch of salt in the pasta water
4. Always get a brand of tinned tomatoes that has a thicker sauce. Some of the homebrand varieties have a watery juice and, while this works perfectly well for other dishes, you need the thicker base for this one.
5. I always add the extra olive oil to the pasta/sauce mix because it prevents the sauce sticking to just the top, or bottom, of your pasta.

Other than that it's pretty much a free for all when it comes to what I put into it and, granted, its probably not a traditional Fettucine Napoletana but. . .who cares! As long as it tastes good that's all that's important.  Some of the things I do to change the recipe are:

a. I substitute onion for shallots- depending what I have available at the time.
b. I like lots of sauce so I don't always take out half the sauce before adding the pasta
c. If I'm being lazy I don't finely chop anything- I have chunky Napoletana
d. If I have meat lovers coming over I sometimes add bacon, or left over shredded roast chicken
e. I have been know to add ingredients such as English spinnach, Kalamata olives, capsicum, zucchini, corn, carrots, mushrooms- whatever left over, lonesome vegetable is in my fridge that needs using.
f. I've used dried herbs when fresh aren't available
g. I sometimes don't have parmesan cheese so I grate the block of cheddar that I do
h. I've even added chilli

It all comes down to what you like. This is a recipe that you can make your own and even the kids will like it. Best of all it's so simple that it takes about all of 15 minutes to make. In fact, I always have a can of tinned whole tomatoes in the cupboard and I always pack the necessary ingredients when I go camping.

And I thought I would never be able to cook good pasta!

Chilli Marmalade

This recipe actually came about because of two different recipes. . .and a whole load of oranges. I was given a huge amount of oranges off my uncle's tree. And one thing I will say: just because an orange doesn't look perfect on the outside doesn't mean that the orange is flavourless or juiceless on the inside. The oranges I was given had spots and marks all over them but, due to my uncle's good soil and organic principles in his garden, the oranges were the juiciest ones I had ever tasted.

Anyway; after looking up recipes for marmalade (there is only so much orange juice you can drink in any given week) I found a good one in the book 'A Year in a Bottle' by Sally Wise and I was happily boiling away, stirring the fruit in my overly large boiler when I began to wonder why was I making so much damn marmalade. I don't even eat jam at all. Sure I planned to give some away to friends and family, and I didn't want  to let the oranges go to waste, but I didn't eat jam. The only time I ever used any jam at all was for another recipe Sweet & Spicy Chicken from the '4 Ingredients Book' by Kim McCosker & Rachel Bermingham.

Sweet & Spicy Chicken was the only reason I kept marmalade in the cupboard; and I kept it in the cupboard because the recipe is so easy to do after a hard days work and you only need three ingredients. The recipe simply requires that you add chilli powder to a cup of marmalade and mix together. Place the mixture in a zip lock bag, add some chicken legs and mush all around. Take the chicken legs out and place them on a baking tray. Spoon over the chilli marmalade mixture and bake. It's a great recipe.

So I'm stirring away at my boiler thinking- well why don't I just add the chilli now. So I did. And hence Chilli Marmalade. I gave my mum a jar and told her how to make Sweet & Spicy Chicken. When she went to make it the jar of Chilli Marmalade was gone. My dad had eaten it on toast! I have since given away a lot more jars and while the women seem to use it for Sweet & Spicy Chicken, the men seem to prefer it on toast. Go figure!

So here is the recipe as found in the book 'A Year in a Bottle' plus my addition of Chilli.

Chilli Marmalade ( also known as Man's Jam)
500g oranges
1 Lemon Cups water
2 Cups orange juice
1.5kg sugar - I use raw sugar but white sugar works just as well
Chilli powder to taste- I use-for a double batch- 6 flat teaspoons. this gives it a decent bite without overriding the sweetness of the jam

Cut the fruit up very finely and place in a large pot. Add water and orange juice. Bring to the boil and cook until the fruit is soft. Add sugar and bring to the boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Add chilli powder. Boil hard for 25 minutes or so until setting point is reached. Allow to stand for ten minutes before pouring into warm sterilised jars and then seal immediately.

I have a particularly large boiler so I often do a double batch or even a triple batch. I also have a preserving unit so I can seal the jars. However you can seal the jars quite easily without one. First you need to make sure the jars and lids are sterilised. (Reuse any jars that have that pop top type lid eg Dolmio). Sterilise the jars by placing them on a tray in a cold oven with a little bit of water in the tray. Turn the oven to 110 degrees and heat the jars until that temperature is reached. Then turn the oven off and let them sit until you need them. Boil the lids, boiling for a minimum of 10 minutes.

To seal the jars place them in a boiler and cover with water and boil. Remove them from the water and as they cool the lids should suck in of their own accord. Make sure you leave space in your jar between your jam and your lid.

This recipe is a nice, easy recipe. Even without the chilli it is a particularly nice marmalade. The chopping of fruit can take time and if you have mincer you could use it to save time and effort. If you make this marmalade try it on toast but make sure you try the Sweet & Spicy Chicken too.

Black Forest Trifle

I know that I seem to only be focusing on desert recipes but we've just been through Christmas and this is when I make most of my deserts. I chose this recipe for a dinner with friends, one of whom has a particular fondness for Black Forest Cake.

Now Black Forest cake is renowned for being fiddly and when you've got someone coming to dinner that particularly likes this type of cake you want to get it right. With Traditional Black Forest Cake that's not always easy so when I found this recipe in my September 2009 issue of Super Food Ideas I knew it was going to be a good option.

Firstly, this recipe by Cathie Lonnie, is not a Traditional Black Forest Cake and therefore cannot be compared against other shop bought perfections. It will stand on its own. Secondly it's a lot easier to make. Apart from there being a few different stages to this trifle (as with all trifles) there is nothing overly difficult in it at all.

You will need: 2 x large cans of stoneless black cherries in syrup- it has to be syrup because you need it for the recipe-
                      1 1/2 Tablespoons boiling water,
                     2teaspoons of powdered gelatine,
                     500g bought chocolate cake- you can make a chocolate cake yourself as a cheaper alternative but the bought cake cuts down time-
                     1/4 C brandy- this is optional but I have made this trifle with and without and it tastes better with. The only issue is if it is going to be eaten by children as the trifle is not cooked and the alcohol content remains.
                     2/3 C cornflour
                     2/3 C caster sugar
                    2 1/2 C milk
                    200g dark chocolate- homebrand works just fine
                    2 x 250g packets of cream cheese softened- this will make it easier to work with
                    300ml thickened cream
                    1/2 C dry-roasted hazelnuts, chopped- I usually just crush them against my chopping board with the potato masher.

Okay- so here's how you make the trifle:-
           Drain the cherries, keeping 1 1/2 cups of the syrup in a bowl. Mix the boiling water, in a separate heat proof jug, with the gelatine and stir till disolved. It's important that you make sure it's all disolved otherwise it gets all chunky and rubbery in the trifle. Then stir this mixture in with the syrup.
            If you've bought a cake remove the icing and discard- or let the kids eat it, or eat it yourself. Cut the cake into chunks about 3cm squared- don't be too pedantic- and then spread them over the base of a large baking dish. Sprinkle over the brandy, spoon over the cherry syrup mixture, top with cherries and stick in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
           While you're waiting, combine the cornflour and half the sugar in a saucepan. Gradually stir in the milk until smooth and then place over medium heat. Cook, stiring, for about 5 minutes or until the mixture boils and thickens. Remove from the heat and place half of the chocolate, roughly chopped into the mixture until melted. Congratulations you have just made chocolate mouse. (Not that hard is it?) Then pour over your cherry syrup cake mixture that you put in the fridge. Set aside for about 15 minutes.
           Using an electric mixer- I used a hand whisk but it takes forever even if it is a great cardio work out- and beat the cheese and the remaining sugar until smooth. Add the cream and beat to combine. Spread the cream mixture over the chocolate mouse and cover. The recipe says to refrigerate for about 4 to 6 hours but I have eaten this fabulous creation a lot earlier than that due to poor time managemnet on my behalf. (I was just putting the trifle into the fridge as my guests turned up but it tasted just as good and hour or so later as it did the next day)
          Using a vegetable peeler cut leftover chocolate into long curls and sprinkle over the trifle before topping with nuts. Sometimes I roast the nuts sometimes I don't. It doesn't really matter much either way. And there you have it. You have just made Black Forest Trifle.

           I have to say that this recipe has now become one of my repertoire deserts. It's always popular and because its quite rich a large dish of this will serve a lot of people. It doesn't always come out of the dish in an elegant way (what trifle ever does) but it tastes so good that no one cares. The great thing is that if you like trifle you'll like it. If you like chocolate mouse, you'll like it. If you like Black Forest Cake, you'll like it.          
         As a cook you'll be able to present a variation on what is considered quite a difficult cake to make but without all the effort and the fuss and yet it will stand alone as a desert in its own right. But what I like the most about it is that it is so easy. Okay, yes, there are three different stages of layering the trifle, but none of them are hard or particularly fiddly or even time consuming. Take this to a dinner party and you'll find people are astonished that, yes, you did make the chocolate mouse all by yourself.

I've always maintained that cooking great things is not all that hard as long as you have the right recipe. This one in particularly shows that a recipe doesn't have to be complicated to be a hit.

Toffee Coated Camembert with Toasted Almonds.

I don't know who wrote this recipe (I think I got it out of one of the free Coles Magazines) but whoever came up with this idea was a genius. This simple recipe can have you turning up to a dinner, a BBQ or a party looking like a Gourmet Chef even if you have trouble boiling water.

I've tried this recipe three times now and each time I've come home with an empty plate. It doesn't get much better than that. And its so simple.

All you need is some Camembert- or Brie if that's your preference- 1/2 C Caster Sugar, 2 Tablespoons of water and about a tablespoon of toasted flaked almonds (you can toast these yourself with a minimum of fuss) and some seasonal fruit to dress up your plate.

The cheese needs to be at room temperature before you drizzle the toffee on it so place it on a plate on the sink about 30minutes before you plan to use it. Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan and heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves and then boil without stirring until the colour goes a lovely caramel colour.

Here's a tip:- Toffee burns very quickly and it will continue to cook even after you've taken it off the heat. It's best to take the toffee off the heat when it is just beginning to go a caramel colour and let it continue to cook off the heat rather than get the colour right before removing the saucepan from the stove. It may not look burnt but if it goes a really dark whiskey colour it will probably taste burnt.

Having said that, I burnt my toffee the first time around and nobody seemed to notice at all.

Drizzle the toffee over the cheese. This may sound simple but take care not to put too much toffee on. It will spill over the sides of the cheese and pool at the base. While a little of this looks fine it makes it difficult later on when your guests go to cut the cheese.

Overall a fabulous, simple recipe that looks amazing on a plate with some cherries, grapes and strawberries or even just some wafer biscuits.

It just goes to show that you don't have to be a qualified chef or even follow a complicated recipe to come up with an amazing dish.

The Christmas Cake you make when you don't like Christmas Cake

I've never been particularly fond of Christmas Cake. I have to say that dried up bits of fruit, citrus rind and glace cherries all mushed together in a cake. . . not overly appealing to me I'm afraid. But I revised my opinion when I hired out a DVD from the local library called 'Nigella's Christmas'. Watching her make this decadent, moist cake. . . even I wanted to eat it. And it looked so easy. But first I had to get a spring form pan.

I've neglected- actually more like- deliberately avoided buying a spring form pan as I believed them to be unnecessary for the home cook. Spring form pans, in my opinion, were for Chefs and those who cooked in a commercial capacity. However, after watching this DVD and seeing how easily Nigella's cake slipped from that spring form pan I decided to invest in one- from the local supermarket.(No expense spared).

And I am in love!!!! How could I not have had one of these?Why did it take me so long to buy one?Was I mad?Absolutely! A device that makes baking easier. Who wouldn't want one? It makes cooking cakes so much simpler. Thank the Lord for spring form pans and baking paper, I now say, and I really think the pan had a great deal to do with the success of my Christmas Cake- at least with its final appearance.

Now that I had my spring form pan I had to bake the cake.  The ingredients for Nigella Lawsons boiled Fruit Cake (also to be found on Nigella's Christmas DVD) are:-  In a saucepan place-2 Cups of Raisins, 1Cup of Currants, 1 packet of prunes mashed to pieces, 1 Cup of Tia Maria, 250g butter, 1teaspoon mixed spice, 1 Cup of dark sugar, 3/4 to 1Cup Honey,  the grated rind and juice of one orange and 1 Tablespoon Cocoa or chocolate and melt it all together.
Please note:- these ingredients are approximate as I had to guess as I watched the DVD- but the cake turned out fine.
Also:- a friend suggested changing prunes to figs if you have a preference for them but I haven't tried that yet.
Once this is all melted into a delicious gooey mess turn the heat off and add to the mixture 4 eggs, 2 Cups Plain Flour, 1/2 Cup of Almond Meal, 1 teaspoon of Baking Powder and 1 teaspoon of Bicarb Soda and stir in well. Then spoon the mixture into your spring form pan (or cake tin) that has been lined with baking paper- or as Nigella suggests reusable baking parchment- and bake on a low oven for approximately two hours.(Remember to preheat the oven).
Nigella's tip, which I plan to use for cooking other types of cakes, is to make sure your baking paper goes an inch or two above the rim of your cake tin. This will prevent your cake burning. I can vouch that this works. So simple, yet so practical.
All that's left to do is decorate your cake- not a neccesity but it makes it look fabulous. And all this is created using only one large sauepan, one cake tin and a few utensils. If you're like me and are cook and dishwasher all rolled into one- this is a bonus.

So, for the decoration:- some chocolate coated coffee beans (chocolate coated anything if coffee beans aren't available but I stuck to the recipe and hunted down some coffee beans- not easy in a small country town- and was pleased that I did) some gold edible glitter (available online or at Spotlight) and some gold cachous(edible gold balls). The coffee beans go in the centre of the cake- hiding any hint that the cake may have sunk upon cooling- go Nigella! (What a great idea. I could have used this tip many a time)- the glitter goes all over the top and the little gold balls go amongst the coffee beans. Larger stars or large gold edible decorations can top this off but are hard to find in some areas and can be a tad expensive. I bought my decorations online and they weren't cheap. Granted I have enough to make probably another 15 or so Christmas Cakes so I know what I'll be taking to family Christmas dinners for the next decade!

Overall, this cake was a great success. My family loved it on Christmas Day and my colleagues at work, on whom I inflicted my first, trial run cake, also liked it. Some of the ingredients can be a little pricey but you can substitute if you like. For example if you don't want to go out and buy a bottle of Tia Maria- or have a preference for other liquers, they would also work but the coffee taste does add to the cake.

Or you could do what I did and make your own Tia Maria. No not the illegal way. I found a recipe in one of a local club's fundraising cookbooks that uses a base of rum and coffee to create a coffee tasting liquer. More on that another time.

If, like me, you've never been a fan of Christmas cake- either the taste or the extended cooking times, the soaking etc etc- then maybe this is the Christmas Cake for you. Given that it tastes wonderful and moist it's sure to be a crowd pleaser and if you take a little bit of time to decorate it the cake can become the centrepiece of your table. Above all its simple and- apart from the slow baking in the oven- is relatively quick to make which is great around the Chrisrtmas season when time is often hard to come by.

Nigella Lawson, you have converted me. I think I'll borrow that DVD again and see what else I can make!!

In the beginning there was the CHERRY RICOTTA STRUDEL

I love to cook and I love to experiment with new recipes but I cannot count the amount of times that I have followed a recipe and have ended up with complete disasters.
Like the time I decided to cook Cherry & Ricotta Strudel from a magazine recipe. I read it through thoroughly before I began. I made sure I had all the ingredients to hand:- it looked simple, it looked yummy but it ended up in the bin.
You see, (this recipe in particularly helped in my discovery of this) some recipes are based on a level of presumed knowledge. Unfortunately, on this particular day, I did not have said knowledge. In my defence I did note that the cherry ricotta mixture looked a tad runny at the time but I rechecked the recipe and I appeared to be right on track. . .until the moment that I placed the mixture onto the pastry which was artfully(if I say so myself) placed on my chopping board. For a moment the mixture behaved as it should and sat in a blob in the centre of the pastry, but I turned away to check the recipe for a split second only to turn back, and to my horror, saw sticky, cherry, ricotta goo ooze over the pastry and begin to slide off my chopping board. I tried spooning some of the mixture back into my mixing bowl but I wasn't working fast enough! I abandonned the spoon and raced to the sink for a dishcloth so that I could mop it up. The goo was working its way down the front of my kitchen cabinets. Would it ever stop!
Yes it did, but it managed to reach my floor before I could get it under control. Since the goo actually tasted nice I decided to continue with my receipe and, after great difficulty rolling my strudel, I managed to get it onto a tray and into the oven.
But my strudel was not done with me yet! It continued to ooze the entire time that it was in the oven- off the edge of the tray and onto the base of my freshly cleaned oven. ( I hate cleaning my oven and, as a result, it doesn't get cleaned very often) so I was not very impressed with my strudel, nor the recipe or the person who wrote the recipe in the first place.
When I called a friend to commiserate over my cooking disaster she informed me, in between wiping away tears of laughter, that Ricoota comes in different consistencies. Apparently some Ricottas are exceptionally runny. I know that NOW!
So this blog is dedicated to all the recipes that I will continue to experiment with- the ones that work and the ones that fail miserably- hopefully more of the former- so that I can share the fun, the frustration and the joy of cooking with other likeminded people.