Recipe - Brownie in a Mug

Wasn’t sure if I believed AGFG when I saw a brownie in a mug? But … I tried and I’d do it again! Not for a dinner party out to impress but if I needed a sweet (and quick treat) for comfort, this does hit the spot!

Serves 1

INGREDIENTS

·       1/4 cup flour

·       1/4 cup sugar

·       2 tbsp. cocoa (natural, unsweetened)

·       Pinch of salt

·       Tiny pinch of cinnamon

·       1/4 cup water

·       2 tbsp. canola oil or vegetable oil (I actually used coconut oil)

·       1 to 2 drops vanilla extract

·       1 small scoop of ice cream or 1 - 2 tsps. heavy whipping cream to serve.

METHOD

·       Stir flour, sugar, cocoa, salt and cinnamon in a microwave safe mug. Use a fork to break up any clumps.

·       Add oil, water, vanilla and stir until the mixture is smooth and there are no lumps.

·       Place mug in microwave and heat on high until it is cooked through. This could take between 1 - 2 minutes depending on the wattage of your microwave.

·       HINT - start with 60 second and increase until done.

·       When cooked, the brownie should be moist not dry.

·       Let cool and serve with ice cream or whipping cream.

Recipe Source: http://www.agfg.com.au/guide/recipes/recipe/brownie-in-a-mug

Review - Macchina (Supabarn Sans Sousi)

Recently had breakfast at Macchina Espresso. Would I go back ... yes ... have they got a way to go until the settle into operating rhythm ... yes. Differences will be seen once the host starts prioritising bring you the water that you've asked for 3 times vs trying to be Mr Popular and Mr DJ (on that note pleeeease turn it down). Food is ok. Menu a bit of a mash up. Not sure why we're toasting scones ...

Review - Moon Park - Redfern

This the first time I’ve actually had Korean outside of Korea. Being lucky enough to have eaten numerous times in Seoul and surrounding areas I was particularly curious to see if it truly was the taste of Korea. It was indeed.

I try to not critique a dish if I couldn’t replicate it myself as I don’t think it’s reasonable to judge something when you don’t know what you’re talking about. So, this review won’t make any suggestions around the dishes. In saying that, knowing Korean food or not, I'd challenge anyone to say that the food isn't delicious!!!

Starting with the service, it … was … flawless. Friendly, obliging, professional … nothing was a drama at all. We were pondering the banquet but as there were a few allergies we went against it. But, had we went with it, we were told we could sub anything to accommodate the allergies.

On the menu, there were three dishes that had been altered due to a shortage of ingredients – I have a love hate relationship with this type of situation. Love that it reinforces a high turnover of ingredients which can assume the ingredients are always fresh. Hate that you get your hopes up about something that you can’t then entirely have.

We went al la carte. Across 5 people we had: cucumber kimchi, ddokbeokki, potato pancake, zucchini and prawn pancake, the quail dish … that was no longer the quail dish, mubap, charred eggplant, bbq rangers, fried chicken, green beans. Dessert was the Patbingsu and moon pie.

Everything was ah-mazing!!! 

The one thing I can tell you about the food – if you’re like me and only know true Korean food and have sculled many a jug of water trying to put out the fire, you won’t have that issue here. Even the kimchi isn’t as spicy as what you’d expect – but at no expense to the flavour.

There is one part I’m a little confused about. We ordered off the menu. You can see we had a feast. Absolutely pleasantly stuffed after and that came to $45pp including at least one pot of tea per person. So, with the banquet being $65 … I’m not sure as to what the exact benefit is in term of cost or volume of food?

Last – service finished as fabulous as it started. No issue making payment across 3 credits and cash.

Review - Sagra - Darlinghurst

Can’t stop singing the praises of here! The service was amazing and the food was truly authentic Italian … I am one very happy customer. No wonder the likes of Urban Spoon, Timeout and Eatability have featured this as a great place to eat!

I flagged my partner’s shellfish allergy through the online booking form and the level of initiative and care taken to accommodate the allergy in a way that we could both try each other’s dishes (without me missing out on my shellfish friends) … it was like being looked after by family.

We started with the zucchini flowers off the menu and the stuffed sardines off the specials. Both were fantastic – only critique is they were a little under seasoned. Next, we shared the ricotta ravioli (the pasta was made fresh just 2 hours prior). For the mains, Bryan had the spatchcock from the specials and I had the cod (they kindly quarantined the clams in a separate bowl so we could share). Last we had the rhubarb & almond tart and the peach leaf ice-cream and rock melon granita. All photo’d.

Looking at the menu, you’d think choosing would be a cinch from such a small menu, but no. Once you see the dishes floating past to other diner’s tables, you’ll find yourself in an ordering dilemma.

Noteworthy is your booking will be in a limited time frames as they do sittings.

Also, if you’re a lover of beer there’s only one on the menu.

The bill for our four courses, pre-dinner drinks and a good bottle of wine came to just $222.

Recipe - Risotto With Peas And Fish

I can’t remember what year it was at Taste of Sydney … but I attended a workshop held by the Alessandro Pavoni from Ormeggio and the topic of risotto came up. The 2 best tips I ever received were Use carnaroli rice (not arborio) & take the risotto left when the liquid is almost all absorbed (verses completely). Just did a little googling and more tips are here http://insidecuisine.com/2010/09/09/risotto-masterclass-with-alessandro-pavoni/ 

Serves 6


Ingredients

• 1.5 fish (make sure some smoked salmon is also included)

• 2 cloves garlic – finely chopped

• 2 litres chicken stock

• 125g butter – chopped

• 100ml olive oil

• 2 onions – finely chopped

• 150ml dry white wine

• 600g carnaroli or other risotto rice

• 350g peas

• 1 cup fresh mint – finely chopped

Method

1. Place stock in a saucepan, bring to a simmer over medium heat and keep at a gentle simmer
2. Heat butter and oil in a large heavy-based saucepan, add onion and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until almost soft
3. Add garlic and cook till both it and the onion are soft
4. Add wine and simmer until almost evaporated.
5. Add rice and cook for 2-3 minutes or until well coated in butter mixture. Add 1 cup hot stock and stir over medium heat until stock is absorbed.
6. Add remaining stock, a cupful at a time, stirring frequently, allowing each addition to be absorbed before adding the next. 
7. Just before adding the last cupful of stock, stir in fish and peas, and then stir for another 5 minutes. 
8. Add mint and stir for 1-2 minutes, then season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Spoon risotto into bowls and serve immediately.

Recipe - Amelia Phillips's Spiced Pumpkin Muffins

This is taken direct from http://ameliaphillips.com.au/2014/11/recipe-month-spiced-pumpkin-muffins.html#

Ingredients (Makes 12)

·       ½ cup coconut flour, sifted*

·       1 teaspoon cinnamon

·       1 teaspoon nutmeg

·       1 teaspoon all spice

·       1 teaspoon baking powder

·       5 eggs, free range

·       ½ small pumpkin or 1 cup of mashed pumpkin

·       1 teaspoon organic vanilla essence (sugar free)

·       ¼ cup coconut oil

·       ¼ cup rice malt syrup

Method

·       Preheat oven to 180°C.

·       Remove skin and slice pumpkin into small chucks. Steam, set aside to cool and mash.

·       Combine dry ingredients together in a large bowl.

·       Whisk eggs and add with pumpkin, vanilla, oil and rice malt syrup.

·       Spoon into a greased muffin tray and bake for 30 minutes or until they pass the skewer test

·       Delicious served warm with a spread of organic butter. Enjoy

Review - Vincent - Woolahra

Review - Vincent - Woolahra http://vincentfrench.com.au/ 

As tagged in www.facebook.com/PeckishByZoeRenee

The entrees we had:

·       My dish: Chicken liver terrine, orange mustard, endive

Ø  lovely … more peppery than what you’d expect

·       Celery, nashi pear, hazelnut & abondance salad

Ø  Lovely … it was a Waldolf reinvented

·       Ocean Trout, crudo, asparagus and red vein sorrel

Ø  lovely

·       Grilled Veal Tongue, nettle butter, carrot & whey caramel

Ø  lovely … more peppery than what you’d expect

The mains we had:

·       My dish: Miso glazed Barramundi, burnt apple, ‘aigre doux’, sea succulents

Ø  The fish was cooked just beautifully … only critique is the sauce was heavily dominated by a taste that was like commercial chicken stock/stock pot … and this dish was also peppery

·       Slow cooked lamb shoulder, cauliflower, eggplant and capers

Ø  excellent

·       Steak frites ‘beurre Vincent’

Ø  lovely … again more peppery than what you’d expect

The desserts we had:

·       My dish: Frozen Chocolate mousse, blueberry, lemon & elderflower

Ø  photo’d –attached

·       Drunken cherries and kouign amman, crème fraiche

Ø  Delicious – concept was a cro-nut

·       Coupe d’état – coconut sorbet, passionfruit granita and lime

Ø  Lovely

·       Rhubarb, Strawberry & Raspberry vacherin

Ø  Lovely – the table’s favourite

Recipe - Orange and Almond Syrup Cake

This is a recipe by Rachel Allen from Rachel Allen's Cake Diaries - I did tweak it a little to get some Cointreau involved J http://www.lifestylefood.com.au/recipes/22850/orange-and-almond-syrup-cake

Ingredients

·       Cake

o   200 g butter, softened, plus extra for greasing

o   300 g caster sugar

o   2 tbsp. orange zest (assume 2 oranges)

o   200 g ground almonds

o   4 eggs, beaten

o   ¼ cup Cointreau

o   150 g plain flour, sifted

o   1 tsp. baking powder

o   pinch of salt

·       For the syrup

o   2 oranges, juiced

o   ½ cup Cointreau

o   100 g caster sugar

·       For the icing

o   75 g butter, softened

o   100 g dark chocolate, in drops or broken into pieces

Method

1.       Preheat the oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Line a 20cm cake tin with baking paper and spray with Cooking Spray.

2.       Place the butter, sugar and orange zest in a large bowl and beat together until soft and creamy. Add half the ground almonds and continue to mix, then add the eggs, a little at a time, making sure they’re well mixed in. Add the Cointreau.

3.       Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt and add the rest of the almonds, folding these in until combined. Tip the cake batter into the prepared tin, spreading it out and levelling the top with a spatula or palette knife.

4.       Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out with just a small amount of moisture sticking to it.

5.       For the syrup: While the cake is cooking, make the syrup. Place the orange juice, Cointreau and sugar in a saucepan. Stir until mixed and bring to the boil. Allow to boil for just 1 minute, then remove from the heat and set aside.

6.       When the cake is cooked, take it out of the oven and let it sit in the tin for just 5 minutes. Loosening around the edges using a small, sharp knife, carefully remove the cake from the tin and transfer to a serving plate.

7.       Straight away pour the hot syrup over the cake - reheat the syrup if it has had a chance to cool down. Leave to cool completely while soaking up the syrup.

8.       For the icing: Place the butter in a heatproof bowl with the chocolate and set over a saucepan of simmering water.

9.       Leave just until melted, stirring occasionally, then pour the icing over the cake. This is a wet icing so don’t worry if it drips down the sides of the cake. Let the icing set and then decorate with pieces of crystallised orange peel, if you wish.

Recipes - Fig + Butternut Squash + Marinated Kale Salad With A Balsamic Reduction

Fig + Butternut Squash + Marinated Kale Salad With A Balsamic Reduction

Serves

4-6 as an appetizer

Ingredients

·         1 small butternut squash

·         several figs, quartered

·         a couple of tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

·         salt + pepper

·         the juice of ½ a lemon

·         a bunch of kale (about 4 cups), center ribs removed and chopped

·         1/2 cup of really good balsamic vinegar

·         a shallot, thinly sliced (preferably with a mandolin)

·         hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds

Method

Roast the butternut squash:

ü  Pre-heat the oven to 400º.

ü  Peel the butternut squash and slice it into cubes. Lightly drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

ü  Cook for 30-40 minutes until the squash is tender.

ü  Remove from the oven, and set aside.

While the squash is roasting, prepare kale and figs, and make the balsamic reduction:

ü  Place the chopped kale in a bowl, squeeze the lemon over the kale, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and massage the kale using your hands. Set aside until you’re ready to serve.

ü  Place a medium sized frying pan over medium heat and place a little bit of olive oil in the pan. Sear the figs for a couple of minutes on each side until they begin to caramelize, remove and set aside. Then, in the same pan, add the balsamic vinegar and reduce to half. It should thicken up and look like a syrup. Remove from the heat and set aside while you assemble the salad.

Assemble the salad:

ü  Place the figs, squash, and shallots on top of the marinated kale. Drizzle the balsamic reduction over top, and finish with the hemp and pumpkin seeds. Give it a little toss and serve.

This recipe is from  http://www.whatscookinggoodlooking.com/whats-cooking-good-looking/2013/10/7/fig-butternut-squash-marinated-kale-salad-with-a-balsamic-re.html

Recipe - Cauliflower & Spiced Chick Pea Salad

Ingredients

• 2 medium (about 2kg) cauliflower cut into bite sized florets
• 4-5 tablespoons olive oil
• 400g chick peas
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 2 brown onions, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 400g low fat natural yogurt
• 1 cup baby spinach leaves
• 1 cup coriander leaves, finely chopped
• 1 cup mint leaves, finely chopped
• salt and pepper

Method

1. Heat oven to 200C. 
2. Place the cauliflower on two baking trays and drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast the cauliflower until golden and starting to crisp up at the edges.
3. Roast the chick peas
4. In a dry frypan, heat the cumin and coriander until fragrant. Add some olive oil and saute the onion until golden and then add the garlic and cook for another couple of minutes. Add the spiced onion mix to the chick peas while they are still warm.
5. Cool the chick peas and cauliflower. Once cool, add the yogurt, baby spinach, coriander, mint and salt and pepper and add a drizzle of olive oil to help it come together. Toss gently to distribute.
6. Optional: squeeze lemon over

Inspired by this recipe

Recipe - Lime Syrup Coconut Cake

Lime Syrup Coconut Cake

I make this often and it never fails to be a hit J

Prep 20 mins | Cook 50 mins | Serves 8

·         250g unsalted butter, chopped (at room temperature) 

·         1 cup caster sugar 

·         1 tsp vanilla extract 

·         4 large free-range eggs (at room temperature), whisked 

·         1 cup desiccated coconut 

·         1²⁄₃ cups self-raising flour, sifted 

·         ¹⁄₄ cup milk 

·         ¹⁄₃ cup thick Greek-style natural yoghurt + extra to serve 

·         1 tsp fine lime zest

·         LIME SYRUP 

o   4 limes 

o   3⁄4 cup caster sugar 

o   3⁄4 cup water

·         STEP 1 Preheat oven to 170°C/150°C fan-forced. Grease and line a 22cm (base) round spring-form cake pan with baking paper.

·         STEP 2 Using electric mixer, cream butter, sugar and vanilla on high until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in eggs until combined. Using a large metal spoon, gently fold in coconut, flour, milk, yoghurt and lime zest until well combined. Pour mixture into pan and smooth surface. Bake for 45-50 minutes until golden and cooked through when tested with a skewer. Stand in pan for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to slightly cool.

·         STEP 3 Meanwhile, to make the lime syrup, using a vegetable peeler, remove rind from 2 limes then trim off white pith. Slice rind into thin strips. Juice all 4 limes. Combine ²⁄₃ cup lime juice, lime rind, sugar and water in a small heavy-based saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil then reduce heat to medium and simmer for 4-5 minutes until syrupy.

·         STEP 4 Place cake onto a large serving plate. Gently prick cake with a skewer then slowly drizzle over the hot lime syrup. Set aside to cool completely. Slice and serve with thick natural yoghurt.

Recipe and image taken from http://www.sydneymarkets.com.au/recipes-and-produce/recipes/lime-syrup-coconut-cake.html#.VJDqPyuUdNk

Recipe - Jamie Oliver's Epic BBQ Sauce

I tried it ... I liked it! Very rich so a little goes a long way.

Next time I make it though, I'll be scaling back the orange though as the flavour of the orange was more intense than necessary.

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/recipe/my-epic-bbq-sauce/

Recipe - Parsley Pesto

Recipe - Birthday Cake for Isaac's 7th Birthday

Isaac’s birthday cake was inspired by this image http://www.ivillage.com/sports-party-kids-birthday-cake/6-b-295586 as he loves his basketball and soccer.

The cake on the inside was simply the marble cake recipe that you can’t go wrong with https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4027749285670807303#editor/target=post;postID=1700243939101595233;onPublishedMenu=posts;onClosedMenu=posts;postNum=0;src=postname, just with the qty’s doubled as it was a large cake tin.

Spotlight came in handy for the cake board and icing – just add dye and water!

I'm content with the result as I haven't really done cake decorating before.

Getting My Paleo On - Granola

Why have I not made my own Granola before??? It is so quick and easy!

I simply put the following into a blender:
Walnuts
Cashews
Silvered almonds
Craisons
Goji berries
Dried Apricot
Desiccated coconut
Coconut oil
Maple syrup

I blended it to the consistency I like.

Into the oven to bake at 180 till it was baked to my liking.

Done!

Nb all the nuts were unsalted