delicious scones

You will need:

250g self-raising flour

pinch of salt

200ml milk

60g unsalted butter

What to do:

Preheat the oven to 200'c.

In a large mixing bowl, sift together the self raising flour and salt. Use your fingertips to mix in the butter, until it has the consistency of breadcrumbs.

Mix in the milk and stir with a wooden spoon until you have a dough. Knead it gently, then roll to the thickness of between 3 - 4 cm. Use a small cup to cut rounds and lay them on a non stick baking tray.

Bake for 10 - 15 minutes until lightly golden.

Scones freeze beautifully - wrap them individually and then just microwave them for 30 seconds before serving with jam and cream. Yum yum!

blue cheese souffle

You will need:

100g good quality blue cheese
30g unsalted butter
2 tablespoons cornflour
300ml milk
2 free range eggs
a little extra flour for dusting
salt and pepper

What to do:

Preheat the oven to 180'c - 200'c.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan, over low heat. Add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon to form a paste. Slowly whisk in the milk and the seasonings and continue stirring until you have a sauce consistency. Remove from the heat and add the yolk from the eggs, and the blue cheese. Stir until combined.

Whisk the egg whites with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Gently stir the whisked egg whites into the blue cheese mixture, taking care not to lose the fluffy texture of the egg whites. Sprinkle the reserved flour into a couple of ramekins. Ladle the egg mixture in and bake for 25 - 30 minutes. Don't open the oven to check on their progress or they won't cook properly.

Would I make this again? Yes. I can't wait to keep working on this recipe. The flavour was just amazing. I used a very bitey blue, and with the fennel salad, it was a delicious entree.

cooking challenge twenty three: blue cheese souffle

One of the reasons I started this challenge was to learn to make souffles, particularly savoury ones. I was so happy with the flavour of these but I have a fair way to go technically. What they lacked in beauty they made up in taste. Mmm. I served them with a fennel salad and little croutons.
For our main course, we had a salad nicoise with salmon instead of tuna.

And for dessert, we had a rich chocolate ganache cake, topped with hazelnuts and served with double cream and strawberry coulis.

cooking challenge twenty one: chocolate tart

Here's the recipe for the deliciously gooey chocolate tart I made a few weeks ago, as a cooking challenge. This is so beautifully simple, and effective.

You will need:

300g dark cooking chocolate

250ml thick cream

60g unsalted butter, cubed

100g flour

1 egg

pinch of salt

pinch of cinnamon

1 teaspoon of cocoa

2 tablespoons icing sugar

What to do:

To make the pastry, beat the butter, icing sugar and egg together with an electric mixer until pale and well combined. Sift in the flour, cocoa, salt and cinnamon and gently combine using a wooden spoon until a soft dough forms. Knead gently on a bench until you have achieved the right consistency, then wrap firmly in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 180'c.

Use a rolling pin to flatten the dough to approximately half a centimetre in thickness and drape into a shallow cake tin. Freeze for 10 minutes then blind bake the pastry shell for approximately 20 minutes, until cooked through, then set aside until back to room temperature.

Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in a double boiler, whisking constantly. Add the thickened cream. Once the pastry has cooled, pour the melted chocolate mixture and refrigerate for 4 hours or until firmly set.

Just prior to serving, put it in the freezer for 5 - 10 minutes to firm the chocolate. Use a knife that you've dipped in hot water to slice. Delicious.

I would give this a 10/10. A sure fire hit, easy and quick to make. I have actually made a spare batch of pastry which is in the freezer, and as I always have dark chocolate in the pantry and cream in the fridge (!) I know that I can whip this up whenever I have guests coming on short notice. It is seriously delicious - the crunch of the pastry and the sweet, softness of the chocolate. Divine. Next time, I'm going to blend some crystallized ginger into the pastry mix and put some pistachios into the chocolate.

cooking challenge twenty two: coq au vin

I think there's an air of romance that surrounds this classic French recipe. It's a meal that is said to have existed since Roman times, and immediately makes me think of convivial chatter, friends around a rustic table, crusty baguettes and tasty sauce. Well, friends, the reality was somewhat of a let down. It was nice, but for the amount of preparation fiddling, I can think of a heap of other dishes that are much more satisfying and tasty. I am going to keep tweaking the recipe and my technique, to see if I can make it more to my taste.

Here's the recipe, nonetheless.

(Just a few last tips: You need to start this at least 24 hours before serving. The chicken needs to be cut into 8 pieces. I did this without poultry scissors, but it was hard work. I'd recommend getting your butcher to do this, or buy the equivalent amount of chicken pieces - breast, thighs, wings, drummies etc).

You will need:

1 organic chicken.
4 spare drumsticks
2 tablespoons browned flour
1 teaspoon each of salt, pepper and stock powder.
4 bacon rashers, diced
2 cups button mushrooms, brushed clean
2 cups schallots, peeled
2 celery sticks, sliced into 1cm thick rounds
1 litre Merlot or Shiraz
Parsley

What to do:

Boil the red wine for about 20 minutes, until it has reduced and concentrated. Cool.
Mix all the vegetables except the mushrooms, the boquet garni (I used parsley, thyme and chives) and chicken pieces in a large bowl. Season with salt, pepper and stock. Add the cooled red wine and refigerate, covered, for at least 24 hours.


Strain through a colander, reserving the liquid, then separate the chicken from the other ingredients. Pat dry with paper towel. Discard the boquet garni and reserve the vegetables. Heat some butter in a large frying pan, over moderate heat. Fry the chicken pieces until slightly browned. Remove and set aside. Fry the vegetables off in the same pan, same juices.

Preheat the oven to 180'c.

Transfer the vegetables to a large flame proof, oven proof casserole and add the browned flour. Stir over moderate heat until it has a gluggy consistency. Add 1/3 of the reserved red wine mixture and bring to the boil, stirring constantly. It will thicken and bubble. Add the rest of the wine, and the chicken, and bring back to boil. Cover the casserole dish and transfer to the oven for half an hour or so.

Meanwhile, in the same saucepan you fried the chicken and vegetables, fry off the bacon and mushrooms until crispy and browned. Add to the coq au vin right before serving, as well as the parsley.

I served this with roasted vegetables and garlic bread, as well a beautiful rice pilaf that D's mum makes (I will blog that recipe soon, it's divine!). I'd give this an 6.5/10. I would make it again, but I'd thicken the sauce more, and add something else. Let me think about it... I'll get back to you.

an ode to mum

I absolutely love my mum's style. When I last visited her, I took these snaps and, now that I have internet, I'm able to share them with you too, so you can see how homely and and country chic my mum's kitchen is.

Don't you just want to pull up a chair and have some pumpkin soup? :)

the challenges resume...

I did a cooking challenge for the first time in a long time the other night.

The cooking challenge was a dark gooey chocolate tart with a choc orange crust. I served it with caramelised orange and almond essence.

For our main course, I made a cauliflower veloute with pea puree, crushed chats and crispy skinned atlantic salmon.

I made some savoury scrolls to snack on for entree - capers, tapenade, sundried tomato and goats cheese. Very nice. I served them with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Recipes coming this afternoon!

dd.x

baked camembert

This is one of the most delicious snacks ever. Clearly, it's a heart attack waiting to happen, so we don't have it too often, but when we do, we have to fight for every last scrape of the gooey cheese.

You will need:

1 wheel camembert (or brie if you prefer)

Rosemary

4 cloves garlic

100mL white wine

Coarse sea salt

Crackers or Turkish Bread

What to do:

Pre heat the oven to 100'c.

Stab about 12 slits in the cheese. Peel the garlic and slice each in half. Stab them into the slits. Put sprigs of rosemary in the other slits. Rub a teaspoon of sea salt into the surface of the cheese and put it into a small and shallow dish. Pour the wine over the cheese.

Bake the cheese, uncovered, for 10 minutes, then cover with a lid, or alfoil, for another 10 minutes. Serve with crackers or toasted bread. It should be gooey and smooth, as above.

Absolutely. Delicious.

pomodoro passata (tomato pasta sauce)

A traditional passata would be strained through a fine sieve to remove the seeds, but I think this is a beautiful (and low fuss) way to make pasta sauce. It's hearty and robust and it lets the star of the dish really shine through. The quality of ingredients makes a difference - plump, juicy tomatoes, fresh from the vine, and cold pressed extra virgin olive oil. Last time I made this, I tossed some salty olives through at the last minute.

You will need:

10 ripe tomatoes
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
3 tblspoons olive oil
3 birdseye chillis (optional)
250 ml water
salt and pepper to season

What to do:

In a saucepan, over low heat, fry off the garlic and onion until slighty translucent. If using chilli, add here. Meanwhile, quarter the tomatoes. Add to the pan and season with salt and pepper. Add the water and cover. Cook for 20 minutes, checking every so often to make sure it's not sticking to the bottom. If necessary, add more water.

It will reduce down to a thick tomato paste, as below.

Serve with pasta and aged parmesan cheese, or as a pizza sauce.

perfect pikelets

These brought back such beautiful memories from growing up. My nanna would always have made a heap of pikelets whenever I went to stay, and she'd serve them with fresh, creamy butter. They're one of my favourite breakfasty treats, and my nephew loves them too, so what better breakfast to make when he came to stay over?

You will need:

1 cup plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 egg
3 tblspoons caster sugar
1/2 cup skimmed milk
1 tblspoon butter, melted.

Butter to serve.

What to do:

Sift the baking powder, sugar and flour into a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre and crack the egg in. Add the milk and melted butter and use a fork to slowly incorporate the mixture until smooth.

Heat a large non-stick frying pan over moderate heat. Put a little bit of butter in the pan, then use a paper towel to wipe away any excess.

Drop the batter in with a tablespoon. After a few minutes, once small bubbles have started to form, flip them over and fry the other side. Best eaten fresh, otherwise, reheat gently in a microwave before serving.