The Cookbook Challenge No. 19: Rice

Wow, the weeks are flying by so fast at the moment and I can't believe it's already week 19 of the Challenge!

I had originally planned to cook a Pumpkin Rice Laksa by Jamie Oliver, but my sweet tooth took over and I ended up with this.....

Lemon Rice Pudding with Roasted Peaches
Cookbook: Apples for Jam
Author: Tessa Kiros


I know, I know....the Apples for Jam cookbook once again, but I swear that it was the gorgeous peaches that I picked up while I was down the Mornington Peninsula on the weekend that confirmed I was going to use this cookbook, and not some strange obsession I have with this cookbook!

2 tbsp olive oil
200g short-grain rice
1.25 litres milk
250 ml cream
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1/2 vanilla bean, split in half
Freshly ground nutmeg
50g caster sugar
Soft dark brown sugar, for sprinkling
3 peaches pitted and halved
6 small blobs of butter

Preheat the oven to its highest temperature. Heat olive oil in a heavy-based pan add the rice and stir gently to warm it. Add the milk, cream, lemon zest, vanilla bean and nutmeg and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer steadily for about 10 minutes, stirring quite often to make sure it doesn't stick. Add the caster sugar and simmer for another 10 minutes, stirring as before.

Meanwhile put the peaches in a baking dish, cut side up. Scatter about 1/2 tbsp of brown sugar over each peach half and top with a small blob of butter. Roast without turning until the tops are golden brown and the peaches are still in shape but with some juices bubbling.


Just as the rice is tender and creamy, but with quite a bit of milky liquid left, remove it from the heat and dish up into flat bowls. Serve with the peach halves. This is good warm or cold.


Mmmmmm......I thought this might have been a little heavy, but it wasn't at all. The lemon really lifted the flavour (not overpowering though), and the nutmeg brought back memories of the Baked Custard Tarts I made a few weeks ago.


Would I make again...YES SIR! Especially with winter on it's way (thank God!), this dessert will be perfect snuggled up under a blanket with a good book. My kinda bliss!

Day Trip....

What a wonderful weekend!

With the gorgeous weather we had on Saturday, we headed down the coast to the Mornington Peninsula to go strawberry picking...what a hoot! I'd highly recommend it.

Before hitting the strawberry fields, we decided to build up our strength by having lunch at T'Gallant....all I can say is HEAVEN....


Sitting under the shade of beautiful trees, looking out at valleys of vineyards, chomping on crispy wood fire pizzas, whilst sipping yummy pinot grigio, was the most perfect way to start the day. I really felt like I was back in Italy and could have easily stayed there all afternoon, however, my sweet tooth was calling.


We headed across the road to Sunny Ridge where we were able to head out into the fields to discover the most sweetest tasting strawberries that I've ever had.


Once the hard work was done (well, not really that hard actually), we treated ourselves with a fresh strawberry parfait....check out this little baby...


Apart from lots and lots of fresh strawberries, it was topped with mounds of fresh home-made strawberry ice-cream and home-made strawberry sorbet...as you can see I enjoyed it!



Now what to make from all the gorgeous strawberries I brought home with me...decisions, decisions.

The Cookbook Challenge No. 18: BBQ

I had to giggle when I saw the theme - BBQ, because as you can see my BBQ is a little pathetic...but very cute all the same. It's only slightly larger than my wok, which is probably a good thing as my courtyard couldn't take anything larger.

Things have been a little hectic at work at the moment, and also due to the size of my BBQ I decided to keep things simple and quick....


Flatbread Pizzas
Cookbook: Forever Summer
Author: Nigella Lawson


Nigella points out that these are not your Italian style pizzas, but evoke more the style, the way of eating.

For the za'atar flatbread:
1 tbsp of za'atar
1 tbsp olive oil
1 flatbread

Mix the spice in the oil, and pour over the flatbread. Place on a sheet of foil and cook for 2-3 minutes on a hot, preferable lidded, barbecue, in the hot oven or under the grill.


For the chilli and coriander flatbread:
1 flatbreat
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
small handfull fresh coriander, chopped

Mix the ground coriander and chopped chilli in the oil and spread over the flatbread, spreading with your fingers. Cook as above, and once it is blistering hot, remove to a plate - or just to your hands - and sprinkle over the fresh coriander.


I have to say, these were really good. The chilli and coriander flatbread had a real fresh and lively taste which definitely woke the taste buds up.

The surprise one for me though was the za'atar flatbread. I had originally thought that it would come out a little dry and plain tasting, but the zing you get from the spice mixed with the olive oil (especially when it runs down your hand) was a real winner.

Word of Warning: Don't over cook the flatbreads (which is what I originally did thinking they needed to be extra crunchy), as they shatter when you try to cut them. I found that by just browning them and chopping them straight away while still hot to be the cleanest method.

Would I make again. Definitely. Hardly any prep time or cooking time needed, and they were a nice change from the usual cracker....not that there is anything wrong with a good old cracker!

A big welcome to my new little Grand Niece who was born this month.

Wow....I'm feeling very old right about now (way to young to have anything with the word 'Grand' in front of it).

But she is definitely a cutie!
xox

The Nibble Club......

What a perfect day to laze the afternoon away in a gorgeous park...the sun shining, the birds chirping, lots of food to eat, and of course, some great conversations.....welcome to the next 'Nibble Club' instalment.....

Hoorah to Summer....Hello Autumn!

Although, technically the weather today proved to be more Summer than Autumn, except for the leaves falling on us throughout the day.


I started the 'Nibble Club' as a way to try new recipes and see what sort of reaction they received...whether they're a winning recipe (to be made again and again), need improving (a few tweaks here and there), or need to be crossed off the list for good.

Here's a little sneak peak of recipes tried....

We started with......

Roasted Pumpkin, Pomegranate, and Walnut Mini Pies


{original recipe from Sunday Suppers}

Followed by..........

Pear, Blue Cheese, and Prosciutto Wraps


{original recipe courtesy of Honey and Jam}

....and then.....

Creamed Potato and Fennel Soup Shots


{original recipe courtesy of Sunday Suppers}

Followed by some simple.....

Cheese and Cracker Bites topped with Pear Paste

For those with a sweet tooth.....

.....we had....


Cardamom Pear Crumble


{original recipe courtesy of Sunday Suppers}

As well as some....

Lemon & Goats Cheese Mini Cheesecakes

{original recipe courtesy of Tartelette}

Thank You...

Everyone who participated on the day didn't leave empty handed...a little box of Easter goodies to take home for all to enjoy.


Thank you so very much to each and everyone of you for your wonderful feedback and enthusiasm in making the day so very much enjoyable.

Bon Appetite!
xx

I'm not magic like the Easter Bunny....

At the request of my 8 year old niece, we spent the day (along with her cheeky little brother) making Easter Eggs!


I covered my dining table in tea towels expecting to find chocolate absolutely everywhere, but they were actually impressive in keeping my home and themselves relatively clean (I haven't looked everywhere though, so I'm still expecting to find chocolate in the least expected place).

My five year old nephew's answer to the fact that his eggs didn't join up properly is that he's not magic like the Easter Bunny so his wouldn't be as perfect, and that only Santa and maybe the Tooth Fairy could do it as good as the Easter Bunny....very cute!


It was a lot of fun, and something that we've decided we'll do each year (adding to our collection of moulds each time).


Enjoyment at its best!

Sunday Nibble Club....

Photo courtesy of: Honey and Jam

The Autumn Sunday Nibble Club is almost here...stay tuned for some new recipes I've been practicing...

The Cookbook Challenge No. 17: Vietnamese

For this week's challenge, I decided to use a cookbook I've had for quite awhile, but never ever cooked from. It was one of those cookbooks I bought purely for the front cover...gorgeous isn't it!

Vietnamese Beef Pho with Star Anise and Aromatic Herbs
Cookbook: Blue Eggs and Yellow Tomatoes
Author: Jeanne Kelley


2 quarts beef broth
1 1/4 pounds beef neck or shank bones
8 green onions
2 inch piece fresh ginger, sliced
3 large whole star anise
Salt and pepper
1 package dried rice stick noodles
2 cups mung bean sprouts
1 bunch coriander, trimmed
1 bunch mint, trimmed
1 bunch Thai basil, trimmed
2 chillies, thinly sliced
Lime wedges
3/4 pound rib-eye steak, fat trimmed, very thinly sliced

Serves 6


Combine beef broth, bones, 4 of the green onions, ginger, and star anise in a heavy large pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer the broth very gently for 3 hours. Remove the bones and onions from the broth and discard. Season broth to taste (can be prepared up to this point 4 days ahead. Cool, cover, and refrigerate.)

Soak noodles for 3 minutes in a bowl filled with enough hot water to cover. Drain.

Slice remaining green onions and place on a platter. Arrange the bean sprouts, coriander, mint, basil, chillies, and lime wedges on the same platter.

Bring broth to a boil. Add the noodles and cook until tender, about 2 minutes. Add the steak slices and simmer until they are just cooked, about 1 minute. Ladle the soup into bowls. Pass the condiments separately.

The only slight difficulty I had with this recipe were the measurements (as it's an American cookbook), and the fact that I really couldn't be bothered changing them all over to the exact measurement....I decided to add ingredients based on taste...what can I say, it's a long weekend and I'm feeling very lazy at the moment!


I really enjoyed the taste of this dish - very fresh and light, although I wasn't a huge fan of the texture as I found the noodles too soft. I actually think anything except a rice noodle would work better, especially when I re-heated a bowl later in the evening and found the noodles no longer held their shape as they'd absorbed most of the liquid.

This is definitely a dish to be served immediately.

Not sure if I'd make this again as it just didn't 'wow' me after a fair amount of work went into its preparation.

The Cookbook Challenge No. 16: Noodles

As you know, I struggled a little last week trying to find any Japanese recipes, and of course as luck would have it, as I opened a cookbook to flick through for this week’s theme, what did I find…..about 10 Japanese recipes…Oy!

For noodle week I found many ‘stir-fry’ recipes, however I really wanted to try something a little different from the norm, so I decided on the following two………..

Prawn, Noodles, and Nori Parcels
Cookbook: Kitchen Classics - Party Time
Author: Jane Price


1kg raw prawns, shelled and de-veined with tails intact
250g dried somen noodles
2 sheets nori
60g plain flour
2 egg yolks
Oil, for deep-frying

Dipping Sauce
80ml tonkatsu sauce or barbecue sauce
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp sake or mirin
1-2 tsp grated fresh ginger

Makes about 24

Using a sharp knife, cut the noodles to the same length as the prawn bodies, to the base of the tail. Keep the noodles in neat bundles and set aside. Cut the nori into 2.5cm wide strips.

Sift the flour into a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Mix the egg yolks with 3 tbsp water and gradually add to the flour, whisking to make a smooth, lump-free batter. Add another tbsp of water if the mixture is too thick.

Dip a prawn in the batter, letting the excess run off, then roll the prawn lengthways in the noodles to coat it with a single layer of noodles. Secure the noodles by rolling a nori strip around the centre of the prawn and securing the seaweed with a little batter. Repeat with the remaining prawns, noodles, and nori strips.

Fill a heavy-based saucepan or wok 1/3 of oil and heat to 180 degrees. Fry 2 or 3 coated prawns at a time, for 1-2 minutes, or until the prawns are cooked. Drain on crumpled paper towel.

Serve with the dipping sauce.


I’m not usually a fan of any type of fried food, however, I really enjoyed these. They stayed nice and crispy and the dipping sauce was delicious. The only negative point to this recipe is that I’m still finding little bits of broken dried noodles everywhere from when they shattered as I cut them into shape. My tip - keep the vacuum close by!


I probably wouldn’t make these very often due to the deep frying aspect, but they’re definitely a ‘wow’ factor dish which would go great with a crisp, chilled white wine…or two.

* * *
For my second recipe, I made another ‘nibble’ type dish using prawns…

Cucumber & Prawn Rolls
Cookbook: Delicious: Let’s Entertain

Makes 25
2 tbsp mirin
2 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
25 cooked prawns, peeled, de-veined, tails intact
100g vermicelli rice noodles
4 Lebanese cucumbers
24 Thai basil leaves
Sweet chilli sauce, to serve

Place mirin, vinegar and prawns in a bowl, toss to combine.

Soak noodles in water for a few minutes, and drain thoroughly. Slice cucumbers lengthwise into paper-thin slices. Lay each cucumber slice on the workbench, place a basil leave at one end, top with a small bundle of noodles, then a prawn. Roll up to enclose the filing and secure with a toothpick. Pile onto a platter and serve with a sweet chilli sauce.


Yum, yum, yum! These were so fresh tasting and easy to make, although it did take a few tries to keep the noodles from escaping. I’d definitely make these again and again and again!