Monthly Archives: July 2011

Sailboat Baby Shower

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One of the lovely ladies in my office is expecting a baby boy next month. Not wanting to miss any opportunity to get clucky, the rest of us organised a surprise baby shower for one of her last afternoons at work. We brought beautiful china teacups into the office, and had a proper ladies’ afternoon tea.

There was a sailboat theme – little sailboats on the invitations, a sailboat card, sailboat biscuits, and sailboat table decorations – one of my clever colleagues made little sailboats out of gorgeous patterned paper in nautical colours. We had a pretty coffee table set with fresh flowers, our afternoon tea delicacies, and beautifully wrapped gifts (I didn’t get any pictures of the set table, so  you’ll have to imagine it. Ready? - ok….. now!). We had dainty club sandwiches, chocolate macaroons, mini savoury muffins and cupcakes decorated in blue. I iced some gingerbread biscuits – baby rattles and sailboats!

I actually used the same recipe as for my Ninja-Bread Men. It’s the best recipe I’ve found for biscuits that really need to hold the cutter shape well. Some biscuits get a bit enthusiastic about rising up or spreading out, and the shape isn’t as clear as you’d like once they’re cooked. Here’s the recipe again. This is a halved mixture – it made about 20 biscuits.

Iced Gingerbread Biscuits

60g butter, softened
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup golden syrup
1 1/4 cups plain flour
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp baking soda

Preheat the oven to 190(c). Line two baking trays with baking paper.

Soften the butter if it’s been in the fridge (but don’t melt it), and cream it with the sugar until light and creamy. Add the golden syrup and sifted dry ingredients. Mix to a smooth dough. Wrap in cling film and chill for 10 minutes or so, until it’s firm enough to roll out.

Roll the dough to about 4mm thick, and cut out shapes. Place carefully on baking trays (I have one of those baby silicon fish slice type tools, was maybe $4 or $5 – and it is so good for moving dough biscuits without warping their shape). Bake for about 10 minutes, or  until golden brown, and slightly darker around the edges than in the middle. Leave them to cool on the trays.


I just iced them with plain white icing (icing sugar, lemon juice and hot water); you could use a royal icing with egg white if you wanted something a bit fancier.

The mother-to-be in our office was over the moon about the afternoon tea! We sipped tea, and talked about how different her life will be in another month… and clucked over the tiny hats, booties and clothes as she unwrapped them. Awwwwwwwwwwww.

Best winter lunch…French Onion Soup

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French Onion Soup seems to have been popping up all over the place for me this winter. I’ve been seeing it in magazines, on blogs, on menus… must be the soup du jour this year. We had it for Sunday lunch this weekend – it’s now on my favourite food list for winter.

French Onion soup recipes don’t seem to have a lot of variation – basically heat olive oil, add thinly sliced onions and cook them gently until they soften and brown, add beef or vege stock and a bit of white wine, and simmer for 30-40 minutes. Quantities are pretty much all to taste! I followed an Alison Holst recipe which also had a splash of balsamic vinegar and fresh thyme over the onions as they started to brown. Cooking the onions nicely is the important bit – it’s where all the yummy flavour comes from.

As for the croutons, I sprayed one side of slices of french stick with cooking spray and grilled for a few minutes. Then took them out, turned them over, and sprinkled liberally with cheese (I only had parmesan but gruyere is the holy grail). Grill them on that side and plonk them in the soup. Voila!

We had a beautiful day in Wellington today – not just sunny, but also mild! This was the view from near our house.

Bread and Butter Pudding – Mach II

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I felt my last bread and butter pudding was yummy, but had too much custard mixture. So this week I tried again, using less custard mixture, and different fruit. I’d definitely repeat the hot nectarine and tamarillo filling, but this time the pudding had too little custard! What am I, Goldilocks?

Hopefully Mach III will be the ultimate.

Meantime, here’s Grilled Fruit Bread and Butter Pudding. For four serves, you need -

4-6 slices fruit bread
apricot jam or marmalade, to spread
fruit for grilling – stone fruit works best
a little brown sugar and balsamic vinegar
2 eggs
2-3 Tbsp caster sugar
150ml evaporated milk
custard, to serve

I know nectarines aren’t in season at the moment. But the ones imported from the US are really cheap. They’re NOT nice to eat - I find them floury and yucky - but if you cook them up, they’re good dessert fare. I sliced up 3 nectarines and 2 tamarillos, sprinkled with brown sugar, splashed with balsamic and grilled for a few minutes until they were hot and softened.

Spread the fruit bread with jam. Put half the slices in the bottom of a ceramic baking dish, jam side up (cut them to fit). Place the grilled fruit over the bread, and cover with the remaining bread (jam side down this time).

The custard mixture is adapted from a Healthy Food Guide recipe. Whisk the eggs and sugar together well, add the milk and whisk again. Pour this over the pudding and bake for 30-35 minutes at 160. When it’s done, the bread on top will feel firm and there won’t be any runny egg mixture racing around. Sprinkle with icing sugar, and serve with custard.

Watch this space for Mach III.

Some days, you just need a toastie.

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In fact, most days at the moment, you need a toastie. Like a club toastie with cranberry sauce, leftover roast chicken and brie!

Yep, a triple deck toastie. Also suggest smoked chicken with pistachios or walnuts, or pesto, or tomato, basil and mozzarella, or bacon, or update the old ham and pineapple classic, or … anything really. The world of toasties knows no bounds.

No recipe today, just toastie inspiration. To compensate, I thought you might like to see my parents’ pet sheep, Jack and Vera, at home in Dunedin. Awwwww.  More interesting recipes to follow later in the week!

Cranberry, Orange and Almond Biscuits

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I’m not very experienced at concocting my own recipes, but I seem to have stumbled on something special here. I wanted to make some cranberry and white chocolate cookies. Kind of because I wanted to open the packet of white chocolate buttons and eat some. But I rummaged through the pantry and we were out of white chocolate buttons. Probably because last time I made something with white chocolate, I ate the rest of the packet. Sigh.

I was still determined to use cranberries. I wanted to make an oaty cookie of some sort, and this was the result.

I’m not sure whether it was the cranberries, orange, almonds or vanilla, or by their powers combined, but these may be the best smelling biscuits I have ever come across. The whole kitchen filled up with a sweet smell, and you could even smell them through the container the next day at work. Recommended!

Cranberry, Orange and Almond Biscuits

1/2 cup plain flour
1/2 cup wholemeal flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup cranberries, roughly chopped
1/2 cup blanched slivered almonds, roughly chopped
1 tsp finely grated orange rind
100g butter
2 Tbsp golden syrup
2 Tbsp hot milk
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla essence

Preheat the oven to 180 (c), and line 2-3 baking trays with paper.

Mix together the flours, sugars, oats, cranberries, almonds and orange rind, and set aside. Place the butter and golden syrup in a medium saucepan. Stir over a low heat until the butter and syrup melt together. Dissolve the baking soda in the hot milk, and add to the butter mixture. It will foam up a bit – stir it over the low heat until it’s well mixed, then pour it over the dry ingredients.

Mix together to form a crumbly dough. Form heaped teaspoonfuls into small balls and place on (cold) baking trays. Bake for 12 minutes, or until golden. They won’t be firm when you take them out of the oven. Leave them to sit on the trays for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool. Makes about 40.


Spicy Seafood Gumbo

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I saw a seafood gumbo on the Food In A Minute show a few weeks back and was reminded that it’s not something I’ve ever got around to making. The restaurant I used to waitress in while I was at university had an awesome gumbo on the menu, so I’m not sure why. Anyway here is my take on the dish…

Spicy Seafood Gumbo

for the stock:
trimmings from vegetables
prawn tails
1-2 fish heads
2 cloves garlic, peeled
sprig fresh rosemary
bay leaf
1/2 tsp fennel seeds

for the gumbo:
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely sliced
2 large cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 long red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely sliced
1 carrot, finely diced
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp ground white pepper
1/2 tsp cumin
1 chorizo sausage, sliced
about 5 cups fish stock (see above)
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 400g tin chopped tomatoes (I used Mexican flavoured)
seafood – use firm white fish pieces, prawn meat, scallops, mussels, squid -  or buy marinara mix
spring onions and/or Italian parsley to garnish

Stock
Start by chopping up all your gumbo veges – the onion, garlic, celery, carrot and potato. Throw all the peels, ends, leaves and whatever else is left into a big pot as you go. Put the prepared veges away for later. If you’re using prawns in the gumbo, and they’ve still got their tails on, take the tails off now and throw those in the pot too. I also bought a snapper head from the supermarket. It was only about $2.50 but I think it made the stock. So if you’ve got a fish head, pop that in too. Add an extra clove of garlic and whatever herbs you have handy. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Simmer for a couple of hours. Strain the stock through a sieve – line it with a tea towel if you’ve used fish heads, to stop any tiny bits getting through – and set aside for use in the gumbo. Once it’s cooled down, skim any fat off the top.

If you can’t be bothered to make the stock … no probs! You could use chicken or vege stock instead.

Gumbo
Heat the oil in a large saucepan or stock pot. Add the onion, garlic, celery, carrot and potato and cook for 5-10 minutes until the onion and celery have softened. Add the spices and chorizo and cook for a further minute. Add the stock, tomato paste and tinned tomatoes. Bring to the boil and simmer for 30-40 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and the soup is tasty.

Add any seafood that will be cooked in the soup – so fish, scallops, calamari, prawns, and gently simmer for a few more minutes until the seafood is just cooked. I also used fresh mussels – but steamed them separately and just added them to the soup in the serving bowls.

Serve with crusty garlic bread – I toasted some sourdough and rubbed it with a cut clove of garlic while still hot. Yum!

Vintage Cooking: Jam Drops

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My family is very good at hoarding stuff treasuring our possessions. I am very glad that among our treasures are my grandmother’s and great-grandmother’s handwritten recipe books. These two ladies lived and worked on farms in Otago, and their recipe books are typical of the times. My great-grandmother’s cooking dates mainly from the 1920s-40s, and my grandmother’s from the 1950s-70s. I also have my mum at the end of the phone, and my Nana at the end of an email – so plenty of handed down cooking inspiration!

Some of the recipes are family favourites that I remember from when I was small; others I’m unfamiliar with. I’m working through the books and planning on trying some of the more tempting and interesting recipes, updating them where they need it, and posting them on this blog. So stay tuned for a little nostalgia. By the way, I’d love to hear your favourite old-fashioned recipes, so leave a comment or drop me a line :)

These Jam Drop biscuits are my lovely Nana Coll’s recipe. She calls them ‘plain biscuits’ – I think because this biscuit dough can turn its hand to just about any task you assign it. These jam drops are very easy and quick to make, and very cute. They’re not over-the-top – just a good, reliable treat with a nice cup of tea.

Nana Coll’s Jam Drops

8 oz butter
8 oz sugar
1 egg
12oz flour
1 tsp baking powder
small amount jam (I used last week’s Plum & Blackcurrant  Jam, but raspberry is the standard)

Preheat oven to 140(c) with fan bake (160 without). Line two trays with baking paper.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat again. Add sifted flour and baking powder, and mix to a dough. Roll into small balls (I don’t believe in biscuits the size of CDs), and flatten a little with the back of a soup spoon. Using the handle end of a wooden spoon, make small indentations in the top of each biscuit (dip the handle in flour often to stop it sticking). Spoon a small amount (about 1/4-1/2 tsp) of jam into each indentation.

Bake for 20 minutes, rotating trays halfway through. Dust with icing sugar to make ‘em pretty :)

Baked Brie Portabello Mushrooms

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I love mushrooms. And pesto. And cheese. So how could I go wrong?

Baked Brie Portabello Mushrooms (serves 4 as a starter)

4 portabello mushrooms
2 Tbsp pesto
4 large slices brie

So, this isn’t really a recipe. Smear 1/2 Tbsp of pesto on each mushroom and plonk a slice of brie on top. Preheat the oven to about 200 (C), force fan if you can, and bake for 5-10 minutes. Drizzle with olive or avocado oil to serve.

Huevos Rancheros!

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Huevos Rancheros is a bit of a tex mex thing. Eggs, tomatoes and tortillas. Great for weekend brunch! Most recipes have the eggs fried separately, and served over a tortilla with tomato mix. I like recipes that poach the eggs in the tomato sauce itself, then you pour the eggy tomato-y mix over your warm tortilla. Mmmm.

Huevos Rancheros – serves 2

1 tsp olive oil
1/2 an onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
pinch – or more if you like – chilli powder
1/2 tsp dried oregano
dash of hot chilli sauce (optional)
400g can tomatoes
pinch salt
2-4 eggs, depending how many you want
tortillas
chopped coriander & freshly ground pepper

Heat the oil in a fry pan and gently cook onion and garlic until soft. Add your cumin, chilli powder and oregano and cook for a minute or two.

Add the tinned tomatoes and chilli sauce, if you’re using it. Let this tomato mix simmer for about 5 minutes. Make little wells in the mixture for your eggs, and carefully break them in.

Cover the pan and let the eggs cook for 4 or 5 minutes, depending on whether you like the yolks still runny, or longer if you want them hard poached.

Warm your tortillas up in the oven or microwave, and get them ready on the plates. Once the eggs are cooked, spoon the mixture over your tortillas and serve with coriander and lots of pepper. Delicious!

Pleasant Bit O’ Pheasant

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I had never cooked nor eaten pheasant before last week. But I happened to come across some free range pheasants going spare, so gave it a go!

This recipe is inspired by one that came with the purveyor of pheasant. Balsamic and cherries are goooooood.  Might have to work on a recipe with them that has a wider application.

Roast Pheasant with Cherries
Serves 4

2 pheasants, cut in half*
sea salt and black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 large onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
3 bay leaves
1 1/2 cups tawny port
680g jar pitted morello cherries, drained and liquid reserved
1/2 tsp mixed spice
3 whole cloves
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup brown sugar

*The pheasants I got came whole, so I did a bit of research and halved them myself. I did take photographs, but they are little gruesome and I’m in two minds about whether to post them. If you have strong feelings either way, please leave a comment! Or I’m happy to send you the pics and instructions if you contact me directly. If you also happen to come across free range pheasants going spare. Common I know.

Rinse the pheasant halves and pat them dry with paper towels. Rub them all over with salt and pepper, and place them in a shallow ceramic dish.

In a bowl, mix together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, onion, garlic, bay leaves, port, the cherry liquid (should be about 1 1/4 cups), mixed spice and cloves.

Pour this marinade over the pheasant, and leave to marinate in the fridge for 24 hours, turning and basting at least 2-3 times.

Preheat the oven to 160 (c). I transferred the pheasants and marinade from the ceramic dish to a metal roasting dish for better heat. Mix together the hot chicken stock and brown sugar, and pour this over the pheasants.

Cover the roasting dish with tin foil and place in the oven for about an hour. Take the cover off and turn the oven down to 150, and cook for another 30 minutes, basting every 10  minutes. Remove from the oven, and set the pheasants aside to rest for 20-30 minutes before serving. Meanwhile, make a sauce by thickening the pan juices. Either start with butter and a bit of flour and make a roux, and gradually add pan juices until you get to the right consistency, or I just heated a cup or two of the juices and stirred in 1 Tbsp of cornflour mixed to a paste with 2 Tbsp water. Either way, add about 1 cup of the cherries from the jar. Adjust seasoning with brown sugar (or add more pan juices if it’s too sweet). Place a pheasant half on each plate and spoon the sauce over them.

I served my pheasant with crushed roast potatoes, steamed baby carrots and a minted broad bean mash.

They were pretty good! I think it’s quite hard to get them as tender as chicken, but they have a distinctive flavour and were overall very … pleasant!