passionfruit marshmallow hearts

I remember the first time I realised marshmallows don’t have to come in a package but could be made, fresh, at home.

And after Jonas and I experienced the most exquisite passionfruit marshmallows at Rockpool, I put it on my to-do list with awe but never dared attempt it myself.

So this year I made it one of my 2010 Food Challenges to make sure I stopped living in fear.
The big day came for my friend’s hens night and I pulled them off.

Soft and pillowy, tangy with tropical passionfruit and then topped with 70% dark chocolate.

Delicious!

Passionfruit Marshmallows

Recipe by Rockpool via Australian Gourmet Traveller. Makes 50 squares.

Ingredients:
180ml strained passionfruit juice (about 10 passionfruit)
20g powdered gelatine
500g caster sugar
2 eggwhites
Snow sugar, for dusting

Method:

1. Lightly grease and line a 17.5cm x 25cm shallow cake pan and dust base liberally with snow sugar.

2. Combine passionfruit juice and gelatine in a bowl and set aside.

3. Combine caster sugar and 1 cup water in a saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring, until sugar dissolves, then increase heat to medium and cook for 5-10 minutes or until syrup reaches 125’C on a sugar thermometer.

4. Remove from heat, add passionfruit mixture to syrup and stir until gelatine dissolves.

5. Meanwhile, using an electric mixer, whisk eggwhites and a pinch of salt until frothy.

6. Gradually add passionfruit mixture, whisking continuously on medium speed until mixture has doubled in size, then slowly decrease speed and mix until mixture is warm (about 40’C).

7. Pour into prepared cake pan, and, using a lightly oiled spatula, spread evenly, then dust top liberally with snow sugar. Stand at room temperature for 3 hours or until firm.

8. Using a sharp knife, cut marshmallow into 2.5cm squares and roll in snow sugar to coat. Store in an airtight container between sheets of baking paper at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

Note: to make heart shapes I used an oiled cookie cutter and all the leftover bits and pieces were turned into rocky road.

I remember the first time I realised marshmallows don’t have to come in a package but could be made, fresh, at home.

I put it on my to-do list with awe but never dared attempt it.

So this year I made it one of my 2010 Food Challenges to make sure I stopped living in fear.

The big day came for my friend’s hens night and I pulled them off. Soft and pillowy, tangy with tropical passionfruit and then topped with 70% dark chocolate.

Delicious!

And if you want to try your own marshmallows, how about some of these:

• Beetroot

• Candied Sweet Potato

• Champagne & Rose

• Cherry

• Choc Chip

• Chocolate
• Cinnamon
• Lemon
• Orange Blossom
• Peanut Butter & Jelly
• Peppermint
• Raspberry
• Root Beer
• Strawberry
• Ube
• Violet

These marshmallows are my contribution to Weekend Herb Blogging with passionfruit as my theme ingredient. If you want to learn more about passionfruits I wrote a post about them back when I blogged this passionfruit curd.

Our host this week is Graziana from Erbe in Cucina (Cooking with Herbs). Be sure to visit for the round-up.

drunken cinnamon cake

When the weather is cold I love to indulge in warm desserts, especially those that are moist and laced with spices.

This Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe ticks all the boxes with its intense cinnamon flavours, sticky texture and the boozy syrup it’s soaked in. All delightfully good.

It’s dead simple to make and would easily work cold in warmer weather (mental note: remember this for a southern hemisphere Christmas).

But in the meantime, as we await the warm weather again, I’ll just sick back and intoxicate myself in sweet, wintery goodness.

Drunken Cinnamon Cake
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe. Serves 6 .
Ingredients:
4 eggs, at room temperature
200g raw caster sugar
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon, plus extra to serve
120g plain flour
80g almond meal
50g butter, melted and cooled
110g (½ cup) raw caster sugar extra
125ml sweet sherry
3 cinnamon quills
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 160C. Grease six 1 cup metal dariole moulds or one large baking tin.
2. Whisk eggs, sugar and cinnamon in an electric mixer until triple in volume (12-15 minutes),
3. Sieve in flour and almond meal then fold in with a metal spoon, followed by the melted butter.
4. Fill baking tins and bake until risen and golden (25-30 minutes), turn off oven and cool cake with oven door open for 5 minutes, then cool on a wire rack.
5. Meanwhile, for sherry and cinnamon syrup, combine sugar and 120ml water in a saucepan and stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves.
6. Bring to the boil and cook until syrupy (2-3 minutes), add sherry and cinnamon quills and cook for another 2 minutes.
7. Pour over cakes (discard quills) and serve dusted with extra cinnamon.

cock the hammer, it's time for coq au vin

To say Coq au Vin is just chicken in red wine is to say that foie gras is just fried liver.

Yes, it is essentially chicken cooked in red wine, but the results are something much, much more wonderful.

While France celebrated Bastille Day in the sun, Jonas, Shamu, TomBob and I huddled together for warmth over a plate of this delicious French stew.

Jonas has recently started eating chicken and that fact is simply marvellous.

He cooked this recipe, following it to the letter, and the results were superb.
I highly recommend it.
And a husband who can cook it.

The recipe apparently served four, but in our experience it easily stretched to six, especially with the cream infused potato base.

Do try it.

Coq au Vin (Chicken & Red Wine)
 
Recipe from Australian Gourmet Traveller. Serves 4.
 
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
90g butter, coarsely chopped at room temperature
1.6kg free-range chicken, jointed
150g piece of pancetta, cut into 1cm pieces
12 small pickling onions
125ml (½ cup) brandy, warmed
750ml (3 cups) Beaujolais
500ml (2 cups) chicken stock
3 parsley stalks
2 fresh bay leaves
2 sprigs of thyme
2 small heads garlic, halved lengthways
1 tablespoon plain flour
200g mixed small mushrooms such as pine, Swiss brown and button, trimmed
¼ cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1kg desiree potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
50g extra butter, coarsely chopped
125ml (½ cup) pouring cream

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 160’C.

2. Heat oil and 20g butter in a large casserole over medium-high heat, add chicken pieces and cook for 10 minutes, turning until golden, then transfer to a plate and keep warm.

3. Add pancetta and onions and cook for 5 minutes or until golden, drain off excess fat.

4. Return chicken to pan, pour over brandy and ignite with a long match.

5. When flames are extinguished, add wine, stock, herbs and garlic and season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

6. Bring to the boil, cover and place in oven for 1 hour or until chicken is tender and cooked through.

7. Transfer chicken, onions and pancetta to a warm dish, cover with foil and keep warm.

8. Strain cooking liquid through a fine sieve, discarding herbs and garlic.

9. Heat sauce in clean casserole over medium heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until reduced to 2 cups.

10. Combine flour and 20g butter into a paste, whisk into sauce and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until sauce has thickened and coats the back of a spoon.

11. Meanwhile, heat the 50g of extra butter in a frying pan over medium heat, add mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes or until golden, season to taste and set aside.

12. For mashed potato, cook potatoes in boiling water for 15 minutes or until tender, drain and pass through a potato ricer into saucepan, add butter and cream, season to taste and stir to combine.

13. To serve, return chicken, pancetta, onions and mushrooms to sauce and cook for 5 minutes, turning to coat and warm through.

14. Serve chicken and sauce scattered with parsley, with mashed potato on the side.

sticky date pudding & butterscotch sauce

When I eat sticky date pudding I think of three people: my mum and my two stepsisters Shamu and Stinky.

In the 1990s, between mosh pits at angsty grunge concerts, I would visit local cafés with my mum and sisters and gorge on this delicious cake. We’d even do cake runs on Saturday nights!

In fact, you’d be hard pressed to find someone from Sydney who didn’t overload on sticky date pudding in the 90s. It was the dessert of choice and pretty much every café and restaurant served it.

These days it’s been replaced by newer fads, but I still have a soft spot for this moist, rich cake so I made it for a friend's BBQ where it followed Tim's amazing crispy pork belly (soon to be posted for your viewing/eating pleasure).

I found this recipe in Australian Gourmet Traveller’s 40th Anniversary Issue in the 1990s section. It’s a particularly good version.

Sticky Date Pudding

Recipe from Gourmet Traveller (August 2006). Serves 8-10.
 
Ingredients:
170g dates, pitted & chopped coarsely
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
60g butter, softened
170g (¾ cup) sugar
2 eggs
170g (1 cup) self-raising flour
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Butterscotch sauce (see recipe below), to serve
Double cream, to serve

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 160’C. Grease and line cake tin.

2. Combine dates and 300ml water in a saucepan and bring to the boil over medium-high heat.

3. Remove from heat, add bicarbonate of soda and stand.

4. Beat butter and caster sugar with electric beaters until pale and fluffy.

5. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

6. Add flour, date mixture and vanilla and mix to combine.

7. Spoon into a cake tin and bake for 30-40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre withdraws clean.

8. Remove from oven and pour a quarter of butterscotch sauce over warm pudding then return to oven for 2-3 minutes so sauce soaks into pudding.

9. Serve pudding with extra butterscotch sauce and double cream or vanilla ice cream

Butterscotch Sauce
 
Recipe from Gourmet Traveller (August 2006). Makes approx 500ml.

Ingredients:
200g (1 cup) brown sugar
125ml (½ cup) thick cream
130g butter, coarsely chopped
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Method:

1. For butterscotch sauce combine all ingredients in a saucepan

2. Bring to the boil over medium-high heat, reduce heat to medium and simmer or 3 minutes.

The date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) is a miraculous plant, providing so much to the people that rely upon it.

Dates have been part of the Middle Eastern diet for thousands of years and archaeological evidence shows cultivation as far back as 6000 BCE. They probably came from the Persian Gulf and spread though Mesopotamia into prehistoric Egypt

Dates are so important to the Middle Eastern diet that all four stages of the ripening process have their own word in Arabic: kimri (unripe), khalal (full-size, crunchy), rutab (ripe, soft), tamr (ripe, sun-dried).

Wikipedia lists over 40 different kinds of dates and not surprisingly, the Middle East leads the way in date output with the world’s top five producers being Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iran and the United Arab Emirates.

Date palms can take up to 7 years before they bear fruit but once they do they can make up to 120kg (264lbs) per harvest. They are not only the source of palm sugar but they also can be used to produce syrup, honey, vinegar and alcohol. There’s even sparkling date juice!

Apart from the fruit, young leaves and the palm heart can be cooked as a veggie, ground seeds make flour or flavour coffee and the flowers are added to salads.

And you don’t even need to eat date palm products. You can make soap from the sap; cosmetics from the oil, specialist charcoal and beads from the seeds; brooms from the fruit stalks; thatching, mats, screens and baskets from the fronds; and even a leather waterproofing agent from the syrup.

Dates can be eaten fresh once soft or also eaten dried. Fresh dates are high in Vitamin C but it’s lost in the drying process.

Dates are an amazing 80% sugar and the rest is protein and fat. They are high in fibre and potassium. Their high tannin content makes them useful in treatments for sore throat, colds and fever relief.

Date by-products are also used for treating diarrhoea, urinary problems and toothaches and in Nigeria the fruits are added to flavour beer because its believed they counteract intoxication.

Dates are my Weekend Herb Blogging theme ingredient this week, hosted by Graziana from Erbe in Cucina (Cooking with Herbs).

Other recipes using dates:
Bacon-Wrapped Date 'Cannolis' w Pine Nuts - DISHtrict
Banana-Date Smoothie - Pink Bites
Bengali Date & Tomato Chutney - Ahaar
Date & Coconut Burfi (Indian fudge) - Laws of the Kitchen
Date & Earl Grey Madeleines - The British Larder
Date & Ginger Charoset (sweet Syrian paste) - I Heart Kale
Date & Walnut Loaf - More than Words
Date, Molasses & Cardamom Cake - Arabic Bites
Date Scones - Vicious Ange
Drunken Date & Blue Cheese Flatbread - Choosy Beggars
Kharjura Payasa (Indian date dessert) - Monsoon Spice
Kobz Abraj (North African breakfast pastries) - Kitchen Chick
Lärabars (date, nut & cocoa bar) - Chocolate & Zucchini
Mandarin-Date Sweet Potatoes - The Gluten Free Hippie
No-Cook Apple, Date & Onion Chutney - The Cottage Smallholder
Persimmon Fruit Salad - Morsels & Musings
Pistachio Stuffed Dates - Elana's Pantry
Pumpkin-Date Loaf - Culinary in the Country
Sesame-Date Muffins - I Think I Have A Recipe For That

From the M&M archives:
2008 - finger lime martini
2007 - kimchi jjigae (Korean spicy cabbage stew)
2006 - artichokes w lemon & garlic

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Date_Palm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Freshdates.JPG
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kajur.jpg

duck w cherries

This recipe came from Australian Gourmet Traveller’s 40th Anniversary Issue where they reprinted some of the recipe over the years in a decade-by-decade history of food trends.

Duck w Cherries was firmly wedged in the 1960s along with Black Forest Cake. From the 1970s we got steak tartare and fondue, the 1980s gave us flaugnarde and neenish tarts and the 1990s was all about laksa, pannacotta and sticky date pudding.

Ahhh the memories (OK, so I’m only old enough to have memories of 1½ of those decades, but you get the idea).

I love sweet fruit sauces with meat, as you’ll see in a few weeks when I post a recipe for pigeon & plums or my archives of kangaroo & quandong, emu & rosella, venison & blueberries and pork w prunes & apples.

But for now enjoy the duck!

Duck w Cherries
Recipe from Gourmet Traveller (August 2006). Serves 4.
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter
1.8kg duck, quartered
125ml light-bodied red wine
500g cherries
1½ teaspoons cornflour
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Method:
1. Melt butter in a large casserole over medium heat.
2. Add duck and cook for 4 minutes on each side or until browned.
3. Add wine and season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4. Cover and simmer over low heat for 1 hour
5. Drain excess fat from pan and add cherries, cover and cook for 30 minutes.
6. Combine cornflour in 1 tablespoon of water and mix until smooth.
7. Remove duck and cherries from pot then bring juice to a boil over a medium heat
8. Add cornflour mixture, whisking continuously for 1 minute or until thickened. Strain.
9. Divide duck and cherries among serving plates then spoon sauce over.
Note: frozen cherries can be used, but should be added 5 minutes before the end of cooking.

The area of Turkey, today called Giresun, was once known to the ancient Greeks as Kerasous and is the origin of most European words for cherry.

Greeks and Romans imported cherries from this area of Anatolia and called the fruits κέρασος (Greek) then cerasum (Latin) and eventually cereza (Spanish), cerise (French), kirsche (German) and cherry (English).

There are two main types of cherries: wild cherries (prunus avium) and sour cherries (prunus cerasus). Although they originate in the same place, they don’t cross-pollinate.

Cherry trees have silver-grey bark, long slender leaves and, in spring, beautiful pink and white blossoms. The Japanese have made an art out of cherry blossom enjoyment (hanami).

The peak fruit season depends on your location and those in the northern hemisphere enjoy them around June and July whereas in Australia they are best from November to January.

Cherry anthocyanins (red pigment) are potent antioxidants and they are an excellent source of vitamin C, vitamin E and dietary fibre. They are also being researched for their suspected benefits in combating the progression of cancer, chronic inflammatory conditions, neurological diseases, ageing, cardiovascular disease and allergic conditions (for instance asthma, hay fever, eczema and hives).

Our Weekend Herb Blogging host this week is the lovely Haalo from Cook (almost) Anything At Least Once. If you haven’t visited this blog before, please spend some time reading over Haalo’s recipes: it’s one of my all time favourite blogs out there.

M&M's cherry recipes:
Cherrylicious (cocktail)
Meggyleves (Hungarian sour cherry soup)
Schwarzwälderkirschtorte (German black forest cake)

Other cherry recipes from the blogosphere:
Beef Short Ribs w Cherry Balsamic Sauce - Mrs Glaze's Pommes d'Amour
Black Cherry Iced Tea - Appetite for China
Blue Cheese & Dried Cherry Meatloaf - A Year of Slow Cooking
Cherry Champagne Jellies - Cook (almost) Anything At Least Once
Cherry Hazelnut Loaf Cake - Chocolate & Zucchini
Cherry Jam - David Lebovitz
Cherry Mallow Salad - Eat Me Daily
Cherry Marzipan Tart - Nami Nami
Lamb Chops in Cherry & Port Sauce - Closet Cooking
Macaroon Cherry Tart - 101 Cookbooks
Persian Cherry Pilaf - Tigers & Strawberries
Sour Cherry Almond Frozen Yogurt - Always Order Dessert
Sour Cherry Barbecue Sauce - Habeas Brûlée
Sweet Cherry Pie - Smitten Kitchen
Venison w Cherry Mostarda & Chanterelles - Cook Eat Fret
Warm Cherry Port Sauce - Je Mange la Ville
Zucchini w Sour Cherry Couscous - Fig & Cherry

From the M&M archives:
2008 – Ecuadorian tuna & yuca soup
2007 – garlic scape pesto
2006 – mangosteen sorbet

Reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherry
http://www.cherries.org.au
http://www.freshforkids.com.au/fruit_pages/cherry/cherry.html

fig, hazelnut & chocolate fudge cake

 

This is my 400th post. Yippee!

It's also the Three Year Anniversary of Weekend Herb Blogging, my favourite food blogging event.

We have been asked to post about our favourite herb, fruit or vegetable for 2008 and I have decided to go with a recently found love: figs.

This year I have managed to access a bounty of delicious, fresh figs for eating as well as chowed down a load of quality dried figs. I also made the best jam I've ever tasted, as well as this ridiculously good cake.

This cake was part of a feast I prepared for some former colleagues and the recipe, which I found in Australian Gourmet Traveller, was simply exquisite.

I love dried figs and chocolate. I think it's a match made in heaven. The nutty richness of the figs combined with the bittersweet chocolate is just superb.

I can highly recommend this sticky, nutty cake. It certainly has a fudge-like consistency and would be excellent alongside a tokay or, even better, a glass of pedro ximenez sherry.

Fig, Hazelnut & Chocolate Fudge Cake

Recipe from Australian Gourmet Traveller, July 2007. Serves 14.

Ingredients:

Cake:
250ml Muscat (or brandy)
300g dried figs, coarsely chopped
420g hazelnuts, roasted & peeled
250g unsalted butter
300g caster sugar
6 eggs
250g dark chocolate, melted
35g fresh breadcrumbs

Ganache:
75g white sugar
125ml pouring cream
150g dark chocolate, chopped

Method:

1. Combine Muscat & figs in a saucepan. Bring to the boil then reduce heat and simmer for 10 mins or until figs have softened and absorbed some Muscat. Cool.

2. Preheat oven to 160’C. Grease 26cm spring-form cake tin. Line with baking paper.

3. Process hazelnuts in a food processor until coarsely ground.

4. With an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until pale and creamy.

5. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition to ensure they are completely combined.

6. Add fig mixture, hazelnuts, chocolate and breadcrumbs and stir to combine.

7. Spoon mixture into cake tin and bake in oven for 55 minutes or until an inserted skewer withdraws clean.

8. Cool in pan, remove and place on a wire rack over a tray.

9. To make the ganache, place sugar in a heavy-based saucepan and melt over a low heat without stirring.

10. Add cream and stir.

11. Add chocolate and stir over a low heat until melted and mixture is smooth.

12. Pour over cake, smoothing with a palette knife. Cool.

13. Serve cake at room temperature with double cream and candied oranges.

Note: I used 200g hazelnuts and 220g pecans.

The genus ficus (from the family Moraceae) contains about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs and vines.

Distant cousins of the mulberry, breadfruit and jackfruit, figs are believed to originate in Western Asia and taken by humans throughout the Mediterranean.

The genus ficus is at least 60 million years old and possibly as old as 80 million years. According to Wikipedia, there is evidence that “the Common fig (F. carica) and Sycamore fig (F. sycomorus), were among the first - if not the very first - plant species that were deliberately bred for agriculture in the Middle East, starting more than 11,000 years ago. . . . This find predates the cultivation of grain in the Middle East many hundreds of years.”

In Ancient Egypt, latex from the soft fig wood was used for mummy caskets whereas in present-day Uganda it can produce barkcloth as well as decorations in Cambodian architecture.

The figs that we eat are consider fruit, but they are technically the flower of the tree.

Figs have a unique pollination system involving wasps who crawl into the fig fruit to lay their eggs. The wasps hatch inside the fruit and the larvae are nourished on the flesh before emerging, covered in pollen, to fly off and pollinate other trees. Scientists believe figs and wasps are an example of coevolution.

I learnt this as an eleven year old child and ever since have always cut fresh figs open to check for wasp larvae. I have never found any, mind you!

Figs must be allowed to ripen fully before they are picked as they will not continue ripening if picked immature. It’s interesting to note that any rain during the period of fruit development causes the fruits to split and spoil.

There are so many varieties of figs, and some have some cute names like Archipal, Flanders, Brown Turkey, Spanish Dessert and Persian Prolific.

A high energy food and an important food source for many wild animals, figs have always been at the centre of religious practices. In the Torah they are listed as one of seven important foods to be found in the Promised Land, figs are one of the two sacred trees of Islam, Siddhārtha Gautama (Buddha) found enlightenment meditating under a Sacred Fig (F. religiosa) and in Hinduism the Ashvastha, or "world tree", was a fig.

Other famous fig fans include Cleopatra, Odysseus, Adam & Eve (for clothing purposes) and the Greek god Dionysus.

Figs are grown in many places such as Iran, the Mediterranean, USA, Mexico, Australia, Chile and South Africa. In 2005, Turkey (285,000 tonnes) and then Egypt (170,000 tonnes) were the world’s top fig-producers, followed by other Mediterranean countries.

Figs have a good source of calcium and fibre and dried figs have excellent levels of copper, manganese, magnesium, potassium, calcium, vitamin K and antioxidants.

Figs are keystone species to many rainforest ecosystems, being a main food source for fruit bats, monkeys, birds, caterpillars and beetle larvae.

Interesting, two types of ficus (Weeping Fig F. benjamina; Indian Rubber Plant F. elastica) are proved powerful air-cleaning plants from the NASA Clean Air Study.

It was very interesting to learn that the word “sychopant” comes from the Greek words σῦκον, sýkon, "fig", and φαίνω, phaínō, "to show". It was used in Ancient Athens for the people who informed against fig exporters, since figs were so valuable that all fig growers were forced to sell their crop to the state. To accuse someone falsely was a method of defamation and potential personal gain.

This has been my contribution to Weekend Herb Blogging for another week. It's also WHB's Three Year Anniversary so you can vote on your favourite herb, fruit or veggie for 2008. Check out the recap by WHB founder, Kalyn, at Kalyn's Kitchen!

References
http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/fig.html
http://foodforest.com.au/figFactSheet.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fig
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Fig

Tags: morsels and musings food blog food and drink australia recipes weekend herb blogging whb dessert chocolate chocolate cake fig hazelnuts cake dessert recipes cake recipes hazelnut recipes fig recipes chocolate recipes

pink grapefruit syrup cupcakes

It's Sugar High Friday and I am feeling particularly sweet and ever-so high since I started my spiffy new job earlier this week.

In celebration, I think it's time to break out the cakes. Cupcakes that is!!!

And how convenient, since the Sugar High Friday theme this month is cupcakes!

Happily, I have now converted my dislike of grapefruit into a contented affection. Like many other food items (asparagus, oysters, olives, brussel sprouts), through sheer force of will, I have made myself like grapefruit, especially in a sweet context.

So in honour of my newfound citrus friend and my brilliant new job, I give you:

Pink Grapefruit Syrup Cupcakes
Based on recipe from Australian Gourmet Traveller. Makes 12.
Ingredients:
Cupcakes
140gm butter, softened
160gm caster sugar
Finely grated rind of ½ pink grapefruit
3 eggs
290gm self-raising flour, sieved
200ml milk
Syrup
200gm caster sugar
150ml pink grapefruit juice
Rind of ½ pink grapefruit, thinly removed with vegetable peeler
Method:
1. For syrup, using a small knife, remove as much pith as possible from rind and discard.
2. Tear rind into thin strips, blanch in boiling water, drain.
3. Combine with remaining ingredients in a saucepan, bring to the boil and cook over high heat until rind is translucent (1-2 minutes). Cool.
4. Preheat oven to 170’C.
5. To make cupcakes, beat butter, sugar and grapefruit rind in an electric mixer until pale and creamy.
6. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.
7. Next add flour and milk and beat until smooth.
8. Divide among 12 muffin tips, greased and lined with cupcake holders.
9. Bake until golden and centre springs back when lightly pressed (25-30 minutes).
10. Cool for 10 minutes in moulds, then turn onto a wire rack placed over a tray.
11. Using a skewer, pierce a few holes in tops of cakes. Drizzle with syrup while still warm
12. Decorate with strips of rind and serve immediately.

I have made some other interesting cupcakes since I started this blog, so feel free to check these out too:
Glacé Apricot, Chocolate & Poppy Seed Cupcakes
Ricotta, Strawberry & Choc-Chip Muffins
Rosewater Cupcakes
Yoghurt & Orange Blossom Cupcakes

Or better still, check out the extensive cupcake SHF round-up by Fanny from Foodbeam.

Tags: morsels and musings food blog food and drink australia recipes dessert cakes citrus grapefruit cupcakes dessert recipes cake recipes citrus recipes grapefruit recipes cupcake recipes

berry zabaglione

This Nutriferia event is called Berrylicious and aims to collect all the delectable berry recipes out there in the blogosphere.

My recipe is straight out of a Australian Gourmet Traveller magazine from years ago and is a twist on the old Italian classic.

I had a similar version using Brachetto d’Acqui instead of prosecco (at the 2006 Vinitaly wine fair in Verona) and that was pretty tasty, but since Brachetto d’Acqui is pretty rare in Australia I recommend sticking to the prosecco.

Berry Zabaglione 
Recipe from Gourmet Traveller. Serves 4.

Ingredients:
400g mixed berries
6 egg yolks
100g caster sugar
60ml grappa or Marsala
125ml prosecco or other sparkling wine
4 savoiardi, quartered (can also use sponge fingers or biscotti)

Method:

1. Process the berries in a food processor until puréed, then push through a fine sieve over a bowl to remove seeds. Makes about 1 cup of purée.

2. Combine egg yolks and sugar in a heatproof bowl and whisk until well combined.

3. Add berry purée, grappa and prosecco.

4. Place bowl over a saucepan one-quarter filled with simmering water and, using a hand held balloon whisk or electric whisk, whisk to 5-8 minutes or until mixture is thick and frothy and holds a trail.

5. Divide the quartered savoiardi among four 1-cup-capacity glasses. Top with zabaglione and serve immediately with extra biscuits passed separately.

Note: if you want to make something similar but you’re far too lazy, you can cheat: purée berries with some icing sugar and heavy cream and serve with savoiardi.

Tags: morsels and musings food blog food and drink australia recipes desserts berry zabaglione

zabaglione zabaione berries custard savoiardi savoiardi recipes zabaione recipes zabaglione recipes custard recipes berry recipes dessert recipes italian recipes italian food italian cuisine

apricot & chocolate tart

On the last day of the Sydney Easter holidays I wanted to share this delicious chocolate tart that I made for my family on Easter Friday.

Not too many are aware, but in Northern Europe the celebrations of the death of Jesus coincided with the pagan spring equinox festivities, marking the end of the winter and celebrating an increasing amount of sun as the days grow longer.

The clever early Christians simply adopted the pagan festivals and absorbed them into the resurrection celebrations in order to make Christianity more widely appealing. Makes sense and you have to give it to those missionaries, they were very good marketers.

In fact the etymology of the English word Easter comes from Anglo-Saxon festival for the goddess Eostre, who symbolised the dawn and sun rising from the east. Eostre was similar to other more well-known dawn goddesses such as Eos (Greek) and Aurora (Roman).

I’m not Christian, but I do see Easter as a time to celebrate with family and reflect on new beginnings. Chocolate just makes that symbolism a little sweeter.

I first discovered this tart recipe in the March 2007 edition of delicious magazine (Australian version), but since found the same recipe listed on this website. It comes from the team of Sam and Sam (!) Clark, the chefs of London’s famous Moro Restaurant.

Like most of their dishes, this tart is a contemporary take on Moorish cuisine. For the uninitiated this means the flavours of the Muslim Mediterranean, which strongly influenced the food of southern Spain.

The recipe uses vibrant flat sheets of dried apricot called qamar el-deen or amardine. Also known as fruit leather, these are dried apricots flattened into flexible sheets that can be melted down. Above is the qamar el-deen cut into strips and moistened with a little lemon juice.

In the Middle East qamar el-deen is often used to flavour ice creams or mixed with boiling water to make a sweet drink taken before and after fasting during Ramadan.

Qamar el-deen was an ingredient I challenged myself to cook with for my 2008 Food Resolutions.

If you can’t find qamar el-deen (in Middle Eastern speciality stores), then you can substitute with good quality dried apricots.

For the tart shell, I used cookie crumbs mixed with melted butter to form a mixture that I pressed into the tart base, however the original recipe calls for your own pastry, which is listed below.

Apricot & Chocolate Tart

Recipe by Sam & Sam Clark of Moro Restaurant. Serves 8.
 
Ingredients:
180g qamar el-deen (or dried apricots), cut into strips
4 tbsp water
1 tbsp lemon juice
125g unsalted butter
100g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), broken into pieces
2 eggs
50g caster sugar
creamy yogurt, or crème fraîche, to serve
200g plain sweetened cookies
80g butter, melted

Method:
1. In a food processer, turn the cookies into crumbs.
2. Transfer to a bowl and mix with 80g melted butter to create a loose mixture.
3. Tightly press cookie crumbs into a tart tin and refrigerate until needed.
5. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas 4.
6. Put the apricot paste in a saucepan over low heat with the water and the lemon juice, and stir until a smooth paste is formed. The mixture should taste slightly tart.
7. Spread the purée over the base of the tart shell and leave to cool for a little while until a slight skin is formed.
8. Meanwhile, melt the butter and the chocolate in a bowl set over simmering water, stirring to blend.
9. When the chocolate has melted, whisk the eggs and sugar for 3-4 minutes until pale, light and fluffy.
10. Fold the eggs and chocolate together and pour into the tart shell and even out with a spatula. Bake on the middle shelf for about 25 minutes. The filling should be a little wobbly when you take it out and have a very thin crust on top.
11. Serve with creamy yoghurt or crème fraîche.
Note: The original recipe uses the below pastry recipe instead of a cookie crumb base.
You can substitute qamar el-deen with finely chopped dried apricots, which you simmer for 5 minutes with the same amount of water and lemon until soft, then blend to a purée in a food processor.

Sweet Pastry

Ingredients:
140g plain flour
30g icing sugar
75g chilled butter, cut into small pieces
1 egg yolk
Method:
1. Sift the flour and icing sugar together.
2. Rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
3. Add the egg yolk and mix with a fork until the mixture more or less comes together. If the pastry seems too dry, add a splash of milk or water.
4. Form into a ball and flatten slightly. Cover with cling film and leave in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
5. Preheat the oven to 220’C
6. Grate the pastry (it can be quite hard) on a coarse grater and press it evenly around the edges and base of baking tin, to a thickness of 3-5mm.
7. Prick the base and leave to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
8. Bake the tart shell on the top shelf of the oven for 10-15 minutes until light brown. Remove and cool on a rack.

Since I made this tart for my family's Easter Friday dinner, I thought I'd enter it into the Easter Cake Bake event over at Slice of Cherry Pie. It's Julia's second year hosting this event, so I think it's safe to say it's an annual affair.

Happy Easter and may you enjoy all your new beginnings.


Tags: morsels and musings food blog food and drink australia recipes desserts cakes tarts chocolate amardine apricotapricot leather qamar el-deen qamar el-deen recipes apricot recipes amardine recipes cake recipes chocolate recipes tart recipes easter recipes dessert recipes moorish recipes moorish food moorish cuisine

ceviche mixto del mar

More raw food!

I adore raw fish, and raw beef for that matter, but fish is much easier to prepare at home.

This time I tried out a Cubanesque recipe for ceviche mixto and was more than pleased with the results.

To be honest, I’m not sure whether this recipe is Cuban or not, but the recipe book said it was so I’m sticking to it!

Ceviche is said to have originated in Peru and spread quickly throughout Latin America. It’s easy to see why: crisp, clean flavours and fresh fish, what more could you ask for?

Apparently Cubans like to add allspice and habenero chillies to their ceviche, but since habeneros are impossible to find fresh in Australia, a jalapeno was listed instead.

This recipe also brought in a touch of sweetness in the form of mango and called for a garnish of spiced popcorn. I was too lazy and omitted the popcorn, but apparently this is a common ceviche garnish in some countries.

Strange but true.

Ceviche Mixto del Mar (Cubano)
Recipe by Victor Pisapia (Gourmet Traveller Modern Salads). Served 6-8 as a starter.
Ingredients:
300g small green prawns, peeled and cleaned
300g scallops, halved or quartered depending on size
300g salmon fillet, skinned and pin-boned
1 tomato, chopped
1 mango, peeled and cubed
¼ red onion, chopped
1 jalapeño chilli, seeded and finely chopped
250ml lime juice (1 cup)
150ml orange juice
½ cup loosely packed coriander leaves, chopped
1 tablespoons caster sugar
1 large orange or pink grapefruit, peeled and segmented
Popcorn, seasoned with chilli, cumin and salt
Method:
1. Boil water. Blanch prawns for 30 seconds then transfer to ice water immediately. Drain.
2. Combine all seafood with tomato, mango, onion and chilli in a large bowl and cover with lime and orange juice. Toss gently and ensure all seafood is submerged in juices.
3. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours.
4. Drain seafood and discard marinate.
5. Add coriander, sugar and orange/grapefruit, season to taste.
6. Spoon into serving bowls and top with coriander. Pass popcorn separately.
Note: I used Moreton Bay bugs instead of the salmon.

This week I’m again using my favourite herb, coriander. I can’t believe how much I’ve adopted this herb after such violent reactions against it during my youth.

Ahhhh, the joys of an adaptive palate!

This Easter WHB is being hosted by the lovely Anh from Food Lover’s Journey. Be sure to check up her recap, as well as the wonderful Vietnamese recipes she has on her blog.


Tags: morsels and musings food blog food and drink australia recipes weekend herb blogging whb entrée starter ceviche mixto del mar ceviche mixto ceviche chilli prawns tomatoes mango seafood seafood recipes scallops salmon cuban recipes cuban food cuban cuisine cuba

khizzou – moroccan style carrots

It’s said that carrots in a new bride’s kitchen brings good luck so here I am munching away.

The carrot is the taproot of a biennial plant that comes from the Umbelliferae family (parsnips, fennel caraway, cumin and dill). These plants all have umbrella style flowers, hence the name.

This wonderful recipe brings out the natural sweetness of carrots and I love to roast thin, young carrots without peeling them much at all.

I've never been big on Moroccan food because of the regular use of cinnamon in a savoury context. It's a little bit perverse of me, since cinnamon is my favourite spice, however I only like it in sweet dishes, but this recipe works wonderfully alongside the honey and pinenuts.

Khizzou – Moroccan-Style Carrots
Recipe from Australian Gourmet Traveller’s Modern Salads. Serves 4-6 as side dish or mezze.
Ingredients:
3 bunches baby carrots, peeled and tops trimmed
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons chopped coriander
4 tablespoons olive oil
60g roasted pinenuts
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 190’C.
2. Combine carrots, honey, cumin and half the olive oil in a roasting pan. Toss well and season with salt and pepper.
3. Bake for 20 minutes until carrots are tender and slightly browned.
4. Dry fry paprika and cinnamon until fragrant. Combine with remaining olive oil and lemon juice then add to carrots.
5. Add herbs, mix then transfer to platter.
6. Serve warm or at room temperature, topped with pinenuts
My WHB ingredient this week is obviously carrots.

Carrots are high in vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, dietary fiber and potassium. They are also chock full of antioxidants and pro-vitamin A carotenes, protecting against heart disease and cancer and also promote good vision, especially night vision.

The high levels of beta-carotene in carrots helps to protect vision, especially night vision. In the liver beta-carotenes are turned into vitamin A which then moves to the retina where it becomes rhodopsin, a pigment used for night-vision. The antioxidants in beta-carotene protects against macular degeneration and the development of cataracts in the elderly.

Carrots were first grown in the Middle East and Central Asia and were originally purple in colour. Before Ancient Greece was even worth mentioning an Afghani carrot came out yellow and became the ancestor of today’s orange taproots.

In Rome and Greece, carrots were used as medicine and it wasn’t until the Renaissance that European caught on that carrots could be part of your daily meal.

Carrots have been used to treat digestive problems, intestinal parasites, tonsillitis and the Mohegans (Native Americans) used a tea of carrot blossoms to treat diabetes.

In the 1800s carrots were the first commercially canned veggie and today the US, UK, France, Poland, China and Japan are avid carrot growing nations.

The negative aspect of eating too many carrots is a condition called carotoderma, where the skin is tinged yellow and then orange from consumption of too much carotene.

It seems consumption of too much carotene overloads the liver which can’t convert it to vitamin A. The excess is then stored, in the weirdest of places, in the palms, soles and behind the ears.

There are a lot of carrot festivals around the world including Holtville, California (USA); Bradford, Ontario (Canada); Ohakune (New Zealand); Croissy sur Seine (France); Aarau (Switzerland); Schenectady County, NY (USA); Creances (France); and Beypazarı, (Turkey).

In Australia there is even a kooky musical group, Flute‘n’Veg, who make musical instruments out of carrots. It’s bizarre and intriguing all at once.

And here are five carrot facts to whet your whistle before you make your own carrot flute!
• Mel Blanc, the voice of Bugs Bunny, did not like carrots
• If cows eat too many carrots their milk tastes bitter.
• in 2005 carrots were Britain’s third favourite vegetable
• In EU agricultural regulations fpr fruit jams/jellies carrots are considered a fruit as well as a vegetable since the Portuguese have a traditional carrot jam.
• The world's largest carrot was grown in Alaska in 1998 weighing 8.614 kg (18.99 pounds).

This week the WHB host is Kate from Thyme for Cooking. Be sure the visit the recap to see what's going down in the world of herbs.

References: http://www.carrotmuseum.co.uk
http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=21
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrot

Tags: morsels and musings food blog food and drink australia recipes weekend herb blogging whb salad side dish carrotspinenuts roasted carrots carrot recipe moroccan recipes moroccan food moroccan cuisine moroccan morocco