Category Archives: American

Just Peachy Pancakes

Posted on by
2

Happy Easter! I hope you get to relax with friends and family over the break.

Right now I’m eating the biggest bowl of fresh fruit and yoghurt… and I’ve told myself that if I finish that, then all bets are off and I can rip into the chocolate. I’m sure I’ll read this post again later with chocolate stains and remorse.

Today I bring you a breakfasty brunch recipe, so if you feel like making it, you’ve still got tomorrow to try it!

This is just a simple pancake recipe – actually, it’s a pikelet recipe, which I’ve often used for pancakes. This makes hotcake-y kind of pancakes, rather than the really fat pancakes that you get with beaten egg white recipes. I served our pancakes with what may be the last peaches we eat this season.

Pancakes

25g low fat spread or buttter
1 Tbsp golden syrup (or maple)
½ cup sugar
2 eggs
¾ cup trim milk
1½ cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar

Melt the spread in a large heatproof bowl or jug in the microwave. Add the syrup and microwave again, just until the mixture is softened. Add the sugar and eggs, and whisk until they’re well combined. Whisk in the milk, then add the sifted flour, baking soda and cream of tartar and just mix until there are no more pockets of flour – as for muffins, avoid over-mixing like the plague.

Heat a large-ish frypan over medium heat and either spray with non-stick cooking spray, or melt a little butter and swirl in the pan to grease.

Drop the batter in to form pancake sized discs – I use a slightly less than full ¼ cup measure to do this. Once you have quite a few bubbles burst on the surface, gently flip the pancake. I find if you have a good non-stick spatula or fish slice you can tilt the edge up and have a peek to see whether it’s your preferred colour too. Once both sides are cooked, remove from the pan and serve.

If you’re cooking for a bunch of people, and you want everyone to eat at the same time, I keep the pancakes stacked on the bench in a folded clean teatowel, one pancake between each folded layer. This keeps them pretty warm without letting them go stodgy.

Good served with bacon/banana/maple, berries and yoghurt, light butter and syrup, or grilled fruit as below.

Grilled Peaches

Preheat the grill to 180-200 or so. Slice the peaches, cutting the flesh away from the stone, and lay the slices out in a single layer in a small lined baking tray. I suggest using metal, as it  heats up quickly and conducts heat to the peaches – ceramic dishes will take longer. Sprinkle the peaches with brown sugar and drizzle some balsamic vinegar over the top. Grill for a few minutes until tender and delicious.

Enjoy your Easter weekend!

Plum Rugelach

Posted on by
4

These little pastry creations are Rugelach. Have you ever heard of them? They are new to me, but I have fallen for them. Big time.

Rugelach are a traditional Jewish pastry – a little crescent made from cream cheese or sour cream pastry wrapped around a sweet filling. I discovered them in New York (next to the fug bahs), and have been desperate to recreate them at home.

The rugelach I bought looked more like pinwheels; they had just been rolled into a log and sliced, but all reputable recipes I’ve found have them cut into wedges, then rolled up from the wide end in – like croissants. This makes them messier and stickier but (or maybe therefore) infinitely more adorable.

Discovering the cream cheese pastry when you take the first bite is amazing. I don’t think I’ve come across proper cream cheese pastry in bakeries here, and I’ve gotta say, we are missing out, people! Especially in these rugelach with sweet, jammy fillings – it is like a toasted bagel with cream cheese and jam, but in pastry form.

I have many ideas for things to fill rugelach with (including raspberry & currant, apricot & walnut, dark chocolate, almond cream…). This time I used some of my plum & blackcurrant jam, along with a few raisins.

Plum & Blackcurrant Rugelach
Adapted from several recipes at and via kosherfood.about.com
Makes many many many.

Cream Cheese Pastry
200g butter
250g cream cheese (not spreadable or lite)
¼ cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups plain flour

Fruit Filling
Plum & Blackcurrant Jam (or any berry flavour, really)
½ cup raisins or currants

To glaze
1 egg
2-3 Tbsp sugar

To make the pastry, cream the butter and cream cheese together. Add the sugar vanilla and beat until smooth. Add the sifted flour and mix lightly. Wrap the dough in cling film and chill for at least an hour (I made mine the day before).

When you’re ready to make the rugelach, preheat the oven to 180°, and line a couple of baking trays with baking paper.

Divide your dough into four. Lightly flour a surface to roll on – keeping in mind that you need to cut the dough on it, so get a board if you’re not ok with cutting directly on your bench!. Roll your first portion out into a circle, about 3mm thick. Give the jam a good stir to loosen it up, and spread it over the circle, starting from the centre and moving outwards, and leaving about 2cm clear at the outside. Don’t spread too thickly or the pastry will be too messy to bake, and that would be tragic. Sprinkle the raisins on top of the jam.

This is where it gets sticky. Get a sharp knife and cut the circle into wedges like a pizza; I think I cut mine into 10-12 wedges. Starting from the outside (wide) edge, roll each wedge up. Ideally you end up with the point on the underside of the crescent, so you can place it seam-side down on a prepared tray. Repeat with the other three portions of dough.

Brush each pastry with a little beaten egg, and sprinkle with sugar, and bake 20-25 minutes, or until golden.

Lemon Curd Layer Cake

Posted on by
6

I made this Lemon Layer Cake a few weeks ago. I had a day of cooking and photographing food to give my blog a bit of a new look. I wanted to keep a lemon-y theme, so this was the obvious choice!

Lemon Curd Layer Cake

Cake:
8oz unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1½ cups self-raising flour
1¼ cups plain flour
¾ cup milk
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
2 tsp finely grated lemon zest

To Layer:
Lemon Curd/Honey (home-made or store-bought)
Lemon Buttercream (see below)

Preheat the oven to 180°. Grease and line three round cake tins (I lined the base and lightly floured the sides).

Cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually, and beat until fluffy (about 3 minutes in an electric mixer). Add the eggs one at a time. In a separate bowl, combine the (sifted) flours, and add to the cake mixture in four parts, alternating with the milk, lemon juice and zest, and beating well after each addition.

Divide the batter among the cake tins. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in their tins for 10 minutes, then cool completely on a wire rack.

When completely cooled, spread the first cake with lemon curd, then lemon buttercream, place the second cake on top and repeat. Ice the top cake (and you could do the sides too) with lemon buttercream, and finish with a swirl of lemon curd to decorate. Coconut would be yummy too.

Lemon Buttercream

8oz unsalted butter, softened
about 6 cups icing sugar
½ cup fresh lemon juice
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest

Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of the icing sugar, and then the lemon juice and zest. Beat until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the remaining icing sugar until the icing is thick enough to spread nicely.

Fig in a Blanket

Posted on by
10

I love trying out new bakery products. Especially when travelling. When I came across a golden little pastry in a bakery in New York (lucky, I know), and the sign said Fig Bar, I knew I had to have it. Right then. Right there.

There were two nice ladies behind the counter. I asked, “Can I please have a fig bar?”

One lady started giggling. The other bit her lip to avoid doing the same, and said, “Excuse me?”

I realised I had made a mistake. All they had heard was, “Ken Oi Pleez Hev Uh Fug Bah?”

I repeated the question in my best fudged American accent.

“Oh, a fig bar. Well of course, sugar!” came the reply.

And then, the little warm pastry roll filled with fig paste was mine. I had never tried a fig bar before, but I understand they’re very popular in the US. I think the Fig Newton is a mass produced version of the fig bar (am I right?). Anyway. This one was so good. I have set about trying to recreate it. I had a look through my books at home to see if I could find anything similar, and patched a few things together to make these ones. The pastry recipe comes from a book called “Sweet Food” that I got in a paper plus bargain bin years ago. It’s a small fat book – if you see it in a shop, buy it. It is actually full of great stuff.

I’d love to say I took this photo, but I didn’t. That credit goes to my photography tutor. Thanks, Alastair!

Back to the fig bars. They have a cream cheese pastry – slightly crisp, but not biscuit-y. The cream cheese flavour is really subtle, but goes nicely with the dried fruit mix. Instead of using just figs, I mixed in a few different dried fruits, and added a wee bit of dark chocolate. Enjoy!

Fig, Date & Chocolate Bars
Adapted from “Sweet Food”

Cream Cheese Pastry
90g cream cheese, softened (don’t use spreadable or lite stuff, it’s too soft)
60g caster sugar
1 egg, separated
3 Tbsp milk
1½ cups plain flour
pinch salt
1 tsp baking powder

Fruit Filling
220g chopped dried fruit, any mix you like*
60g dark chocolate, chopped (or dark chocolate chips)
1 tsp lemon zest
¼ cup runny honey
½ tsp mixed spice
½ tsp cinnamon

*I used mainly figs and dates, there were also a few dried apricots and raisins in there

To make the pastry, beat the cream cheese and caster sugar until fluffy. Beat in the egg yolk and milk, then sift in the flour, salt and baking powder. Mix to form a smooth dough. Wrap it in plastic wrap and chill for a couple of hours (I left mine in the fridge overnight).

To make the dried fruit filling, just put everything in a food processor and whiz until finely chopped. Best to use the pulse function here so you don’t end up with a mushy fruit sauce. I also made the filling the day before and kept it in the fridge too.

When you’re ready to make the fig bars, preheat the oven to 180°(c). These are funny things to make at this point. You need to roll really long strips of the pastry. The recipe suggested dividing both the pastry and the fruit filling into three to make this easier. So, roll each third of the fruit filling into a sausage shape about 30cm long. Then, roll each third of your pastry out to a 10cmx30cm rectangle.

Brush one long edge of each pastry rectangle with water, so it’s easily sealed when you roll it up. Then place one fruit filling rope on each pastry rectangle – closer to the side that you haven’t brushed with water. I flattened my fruit filling down a little, and then rolled the pastry over, pressing the damp pastry to seal it nicely. Get the pastry roll with the seam side down, and cut into bars, just like you cut up sausage rolls. I made mine about 4-5cm long. Then place the bars  (seam side down) on a lined baking tray.

Hopefully you kept the egg white when you made the pastry. Mix it with 1 Tbsp of water, and brush this over the bars as a glaze. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until they’re shiny and golden. Leave them on the tray for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool. It makes about 24 bars the size of mine.

On top of spaghetti, all covered in cheese

Posted on by
2

Who doesn’t love spaghetti and meatballs?

I realise I’m getting into the habit of blogging about classics that seem to have lost their appeal along the way. Meatballs are a prime (mince) example. Beef mince, pasta and a good tomato pasta sauce – what’s not to like? It seems unfair that lasagne should claim all the status points in this category. So I’m standing up and fighting for meatballs. Kia Kaha!

This meatball recipe has been around our family for ages – I’m pretty sure I used to eat it when my brother and I were at primary school. I like baked meatballs better than fried, and these ones have a really nice flavour. The recipe title has always been ’spicy meatballs’, but they’re really not spicy, so I’ve taken the liberty of renaming them.

My tomato pasta sauce recipe is very back to basics; I sometimes add extra things depending on what’s in the fridge and what I’m using the sauce for, but it’s a good base recipe. Put together, you have simple, good food. 


Bring Back Meatballs & Basic Pasta Sauce
Serves 2

250g beef mince
1 onion, very finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp mustard powder
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1 egg
chopped fresh Italian parsley
about 200g spaghetti (I used wholemeal, in case you were wondering about the colour)
½ Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp tomato paste
tomatoes*
2 Tbsp chopped fresh herbs (e.g. basil, italian parsley, oregano)
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp minced chilli
1 tsp brown sugar
parmesan and fresh herbs, to serve

*I used a tin of chopped tomatoes, plus 4-5 fresh ones (red gold!). In times of plenty, you could use all fresh tomatoes (imagine that!), or all tinned. Whatever you fancy and have on hand.

Preheat oven to 200(c). Line a baking tray with baking paper.

Combine the mince, half the onion, the first clove garlic, the ginger, mustard powder, breadcrumbs, egg and parsley, and mix until all ingredients are well combined. Shape into golf-ball sized meatballs. Place on the lined tray and bake for about 15 minutes or until cooked through.

While they bake, cook the spaghetti in salted boiling water, according to packet directions, and prepare the pasta sauce:

Heat olive oil in a frypan over medium heat. Add the garlic and remaining onion, and cook until softened (about 5 minutes). Stir in tomato paste and cook for 1-2 minutes, then add tomatoes, herbs, salt, chilli and brown sugar. Let that simmer away gently for 10-15 minutes, while the meatballs finish cooking. Check seasonings and adjust with salt, pepper and/or brown sugar.

 To serve, place the spaghetti on plates, then top with ½ the sauce (as in, 1/4 of the sauce on each plate), then add the meatballs, then the remaining sauce. Top with shaved or grated parmesan, and some extra fresh herbs.

The ultimate verdict on whether this dish is good or not:

Spicy Seafood Gumbo

Posted on by
2

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!

Huevos Rancheros!

Posted on by
Reply

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!