Come Dine with Me (5) - Soba Noodle Soup with Five-Spice Duck; Broad Bean, Pea & Prosciutto Pasta, Spiced Mussel Pilaf, Linguine w Red Mullet

Be it noodle, pasta or rice, they dominate our dinner tables. These one-pot wonders are well loved by my family. Here are four recipes that I have cooked recently and enjoyed them a lot and I am happy to share the recipes with you.

Soba Noodle Soup with Five-Spice Duck Recipe
(Adapted from Delicious Magazine September 2009 issue)
Serves 4

I am often quite skeptical about Asian recipes found on Australian magazines but there are some rare gems hidden in them if you have a closer look into the recipes. This is one of them that caught my eyes and I was surprised how easy it is to make the five-spice duck and what a great companion to a big bowl of hot soupy noodles.

Ingredients

Pinch of dried chilli flakes
1/4 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
1/2 tsp sugar
2 duck breast fillets, skin removed
2 L (8 cups) chicken stock
5 cm piece fresh ginger, cut into thin matchsticks
2 tsp sunflower oil
270 g dried soba noodles, cooked to packet instructions, drained
1 long red chilli, deseeded, thinly sliced
50 g bean sprouts, trimmed
1 bunch bok choy, roughly chopped
8 spring onions, trimmed, thinly sliced on an angle
1/4 cup fresh coriander leaves
Soy sauce, to serve

Method

1. Mix chilli flakes, five-spice and sugar with some salt and pepper. Lightly coat the duck breasts in the spice mix. Stand for 10 minutes to allow the flavours to infuse.
2. Meanwhile, bring stock and ginger to a simmer over medium heat. Keep hot.
3. Heat oil in a fry pan over medium heat. Cook duck for 3-5 minutes each side for medium-rare or until cooked to your liking. Cover and rest for 5 minutes.
4. Divide noodles among bowls. Add chilli, sprouts, bok choy and half the spring onion, then ladle over the hot stock.
5. Thinly slice the duck on an angle and place on top of the soup. Scatter with remaining spring onion and coriander and serve with soy sauce with sliced red chilli, if desired.

Broad Bean, Pea & Prosciutto Pasta Recipe
(Adapted from Delicious Magazine September 2009 issue, Recipe by Ben O'Donoghue)
Serves 4

It's spring time in Sydney. It's the season for fresh peas and fresh broad beans. To me, spring means more outdoors and less cooking. Here comes this simple yet delicious spring pasta.

Ingredients

8 slices prosciutto
80 g unsalted butter
4 spring onions (with bulb), bulbs and 10 cm stalks thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 cup (250 ml) chicken stock
300 ml thickened cream
100 g fresh podded or frozen broad beans, outer skin removed
200 g fresh podded or frozen peas
400 g orecchiette (or other short pasta)
1 cup (80 g) grated Parmesan
1/2 cup mint leaves, roughly chopped, plus extra leaves to serve

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C and line a baking tray with baking paper. Lay prosciutto slices on the tray and bake for 8-10 minutes until crisp. Allow to cool, then break into shards (If you prefer, just chop up the uncooked prosciutto and toss it through the sauce at the end)
2. Melt butter in a pan over medium heat. Cook spring onion and garlic for 3-5 minutes, stirring, until soft and translucent. Pour in stock, bring to a simmer, then whisk in cream. Simmer for 8-10 minutes until reduced by half.
3. Add beans and peas to the sauce, stir well and cook for 5-6 minutes (3-5 minutes for frozen), until tender.
4. Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to packet instructions. Drain, then add to the sauce with cheese, mint and prosciutto. Season, then divide among bowls and garnish with mint leaves.

Spiced Mussel Pilaf Recipe
(Adapted from Delicious Magazine July 2009 issue)
Serves 4

This recipe is a little out there but the mussels work surprisingly well with the spices. It's interesting to have found this interesting mussels recipe other than using them in the usual paella and pasta dishes.

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp ground turmeric
2 cinnamon quills, lightly bruised
2 cups (400 g) basmati rice
2 cup (500 ml) salt-reduced chicken stock
1 kg mussels, scrubbed, debearded
1 cup (120 g) frozen peas
2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, chopped garlic, ground turmeric and cinnamon quills, then season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring, until the onion has softened.
2. Add the rice, then stir for 1 minute to coat the grains well in the onion mixture. Add the chicken stock and bring to the boil over medium-high heat, then cover and cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Add the mussels and frozen peas and give everything a good stir to combine. Cover again and cook the pilaf for a further 10 minutes until the rice is tender and the mussel shells have opened (discard any that haven't opened after this time).
3. Remove the saucepan from the heat, then stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Stir in the chopped coriander leaves, then divide the pilaf among bowls and serve.

Linguine with Red Mullet Recipe
(Adapted from Vogue Entertainment + Travel Magazine December/January 2010 issue, Recipe by Armando Percuoco)
Serves 8 for a pasta course or light lunch

Have you tried frying capers until they are crisp? It gives you a nice crunch and then 'pop' comes the flavour. I made this pasta dish because I was curious how the fried capers taste. We really liked them and they compliment the fish and linguine really well. I am sure this pasta will be on our dinner table again and again.

Ingredients

100 g (1/2 cup) baby salted capers
245 ml olive oil
9 x 14cm-long red mullets, cleaned, filleted (I used Spanish mackerel)
600 g linguine
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 large roma tomatoes, halved, seeded, finely chopped
4 sprigs flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked, torn
Chilli oil (optional), to drizzle

Method

1. Soak capers in warm water for 1 hour. changing the water halfway, then drain and pat dry with paper towel.
2. Heat 80 ml (1/3 cup) oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. fry capers for 1-2 minutes or until crisp, then drain on paper towel.
3. Cut 8 red mullet fillets in half lengthwise and and reserve, then cut remaining fillet into 2cm pieces.
4. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Add 2 tbsp sea salt and bring to the boil again. Add pasta and cook, stirring frequently, for 6 minutes or until al dente.
5. Meanwhile, heat 125 ml (1/2 cup) oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 1 1/2 minutes or until golden. Add chopped fish and toss for 1 minute, then add tomatoes, reduce heat to low and cook until the tomatoes become pulpy and the fish flakes. The sauce will look oily at this stage, but the oil will be absorbed when the pasta is added.
6. Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp oil in a large, non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Season reserved fish fillets and cook, skin-side down first, for 2 minutes each side or until just cooked. Drain on paper towel.
7. Drain pasta, reserving 80 ml (1/3 cup) pasta water. Add pasta with reserved water to the sauce. Increase heat to high and gently combine ingredients for 3 minutes or until heated through. Season with sea salt.
8. Divide pasta mixture among bowls and top each with 2 pieces of fish. Serve immediately, scattered with capers and torn parsley, add drizzled with a little chilli oil, if desired.

Edible "GLEE" Sugar Cookies - Daring Bakers' September 2010 Challenge

I had a grand plan for making "Glee feat, Lady Gaga-themed" sugar cookies but a small mishap occurred while making this month's Daring Bakers' Challenge.

I am a Gleek (Glee fan) like many of you and my favourite has to be the Lady Gaga episode. I also love this video of the Glee cast performing "Bad Romance" live in Phoenix, Arizona!

What caught my eyes were the silver shoes inspired by Alexander McQueen's Armadillo Shoes that Chris Colfer (Kurt Hammel) wore during the live performance (at 1:48). It was the stand out! So my plan was to create both Glee and THOSE shoes!

"What happened then?" You might think.

Look at these unbaked cookies. They are perfectly shaped with a G and double E for Glee + THE Alexander McQueen's Armadillo Shoes which Lady Gaga wore on numerous occasions. Sadly, after baking them, someone came back from work, hungry, and picked up two pieces of the cookies. They subsequently vanished into his stomach within seconds... Mr J thought they were a leftover because he doesn't listen to pop nor is he into avant-garde fashion. Hence, he had no idea those were a pair of SHOES!

There went my grand plan to make a pair of Edible Armadillo Shoes. I was too devastated to make them all over again and went ahead with what was left on the plate.

I made the cookies and Miss C helped with the decorations. It was nothing fancy really, we simply smeared a layer of royal icing and sprinkled heaps of pink sugar crystals on them. Miss C had the most fun making them and eating them!

And me.... still angry with the hungry wolf destroying my only pair of Alexander McQueen's Armadillo Shoes!

The September 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Mandy of “What the Fruitcake?!” Mandy challenged everyone to make Decorated Sugar Cookies based on recipes from Peggy Porschen and The Joy of Baking.

Basic Sugar Cookies Recipe
Makes Approximately 36x 10cm / 4" Cookies

Ingredients

200g / 7oz / ½ cup + 6 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
400g / 14oz / 3 cups + 3 Tbsp All Purpose / Plain Flour
200g / 7oz / 1 cup Caster Sugar / Superfine Sugar
1 Large Egg, lightly beaten
5ml / 1 tsp Vanilla Extract / Or seeds from 1 vanilla bean

Method

1. Cream together the butter, sugar and any flavourings you’re using. Beat until just becoming creamy in texture. (Tip: Don’t over mix otherwise you’ll incorporate too much air and the cookies will spread during baking, losing their shape.)
2. Beat in the egg until well combined, make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
   Add the sifted flour and mix on low until a non sticky dough forms.
3. Knead into a ball and divide into 2 or 3 pieces.
4. Roll out each portion between parchment paper to a thickness of about 5mm/1/5 inch (0.2 inch)
5. Refrigerate for a minimum of 30mins. (Tip: Recipes commonly just wrap the whole ball of dough in clingwrap and then refrigerate it for an hour or overnight, but by rolling the dough between parchment, this shortens the chilling time and then it’s also been rolled out while still soft making it easier and quicker.)
6. Once chilled, peel off parchment and place dough on a lightly floured surface.
7. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters or a sharp knife.
8. Arrange shapes on parchment lined baking sheets and refrigerate for another 30mins to an hour. (Tip: It’s very important you chill them again otherwise they’ll spread while baking.)
9. Re-roll scraps and follow the above process until all scraps are used up.
10. Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C Fan Assisted) / 350°F / Gas Mark 4.
11. Bake until golden around the edges, about 8-15mins depending on the size of the cookies. (Tip: Bake same sized cookies together otherwise mixing smaller with larger cookies could result in some cookies being baked before others are done. Rotate baking sheets half way through baking if your oven bakes unevenly.)
12. Leave to cool on cooling racks.
13. Once completely cooled, decorate as desired. (Tip: If wrapped in tinfoil/cling wrap or kept in airtight containers in a cool place, un-decorated cookies can last up to a month.)

Royal Icing Recipe

Ingredients

315g – 375g / 11oz – 13oz / 2½ - 3 cups Icing / Confectioner’s / Powdered Sugar, unsifted
2 Large Egg Whites
10ml / 2 tsp Lemon Juice
5ml / 1 tsp Almond Extract, optional

Method

1. Beat egg whites with lemon juice until combined. (Tip: It’s important that the bowls/spoons/spatulas and beaters you use are thoroughly cleaned and grease free.)
2. Sift the icing sugar to remove lumps and add it to the egg whites. (Tip: I’ve listed 2 amounts of icing sugar, the lesser amount is good for a flooding consistency, and the larger amount is for outlining, but you can add even more for a much thicker consistency good for writing. If you add too much icing sugar or would like to make a thinner consistency, add very small amounts of water, a few drops at a time, until you reach the consistency you need.)
3. Beat on low until combined and smooth.
4. Use immediately or keep in an airtight container. (Tip: Royal Icing starts to harden as soon as it’s in contact with air so make sure to cover containers with plastic wrap while not in use.)

Come Dine with Me (4) - Chicken, Almond and Olive Tagine; Beef Brisket Stew with Winter Vegetables; Rosemary Lamb Shanks Braised in Red Wine

It's already spring in Sydney and I still have a list of winter dishes that I did not get a chance to post yet. I love to cook casserole and curry dishes during winter. These are a few of the slow-cook dishes that I indulge in during the cooler months.

Chicken, Almond and Olive Tagine Recipe
(Adapted from Daily Telegraph Taste, recipe by Sarah Hobbs)
Serves 4

This is one of Mr J's favourite chicken dishes that he often requests me to cook. The other one is Greek Style Pot Roasted Chicken. I prefer to use slivered almonds instead of the chunky whole almonds.

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
4 chicken marylands
2 brown onions, cut into wedges
1 cinnamon stick
3 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
2 cardamom pods, bruised
4 cups chicken stock
2 tbsp honey
1 cup green olives
1/2 cup toasted blanched almonds (I use slivered almonds)
Coriander leaves, to serve

Method

1. Preheat oven to 160C. Heat oil in a flameproof casserole dish over high heat. Add half the chicken and cook for 2-3 minutes each side or until golden brown. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining chicken. Add the onion and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until soft. Add cinnamon, cumin, paprika, ginger, turmeric and cardamom and cook for 1 minute or until aromatic. Return the chicken with the stock and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat.
2. Bake in preheated oven, covered, for 1 hour or until chicken is cooked. Add honey, olives and almonds and stir to combine. Taste and season with salt/pepper.
3. Spoon the chicken and juices among plates. Serve with couscous if desired.

Beef Brisket Stew with Winter Vegetables Recipe
(Adapted from Delicious Magazine July 2009 issue, recipe by Curtis Stone)
Serves 6-8

If you like the Chinese version of brisket stew, this is a great variation of that dish with a little French touch in the ingredients and herbs used in this clever recipe.

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
2 kg trimmed beef brisket or chuck steak, cut into 4 cm piece
2 onions, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tbsp chopped rosemary leaves
2 tsp chopped thyme leaves
2 tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 1/4 cup (310 ml) dry red wine
3 cups (750 ml) beef stock
2 parsnips, peeled, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 turnip, peeled, chopped

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole over medium-high heat.
2. Season the beef, then brown in batches for 4-6 minutes, turning until the meat is browned all over. Remove beef with a slotted spoon and set aside.
3. Add the onion, garlic, rosemary and thyme to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring, until slightly softened.
4. Add the tomatoes and wine, stirring to scrape up any browned bits on the base of pan. Simmer over medium heat for 8-10 minutes until reduced by about half.


5. Return the beef and any juices to the pan. Add enough stock to cover, bring to a gentle simmer, then cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 1 1/2 hours.


6. Add the parsnip, carrot and turnip, cover, and continue to simmer for 45-50 minutes until the beef is tender enough to cut with a spoon. Use a slotted spoon to transfer beef and vegetables to a bowl.
7. Increase the heat to high. Bring the cooking liquid to the boil, then simmer for 18-20 minutes until reduced by half.
8. Reduce the heat to low, return the beef and vegetables to pan and simmer gently for 2-3 minutes until heated through.

Rosemary Lamb Shanks Braised in Red Wine Recipe
(Adapted from Daily Telegraph Taste, recipe by Sarah Hobbs)
Serves 4

The picture of this dish shows how unflattering a dish can be when it's not styled properly and taken in a low light situation. I do have lazy days when I feel uninspired. Regardless of the quality of the photo, this is a simple but great recipe for lamb shanks.

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil

4 french trimmed lamb shanks

2 brown onions,coarsely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 cup (500 ml) dry red wine

2 x 400 g cans diced tomatoes

2 tbsp rosemary sprigs

4 cups chicken stock

Method

1. Preheat oven to 160C. Heat the oil in a large flame-proof casserole dish over high heat. Add half the lamb and cook, turning, for 5 minutes or until brown all over.
2. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining lamb. Add the onion and garlic to the pan and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until onion softens. Return the lamb and pour over the red wine. Bring to the boil.
3. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until wine reduces by half. Remove from heat. Add the tomato and rosemary. Bake, covered, for 1/2 hours or until lamb is almost falling off the bone.

Slow-Briased Pulled Pork Pasta with Oven Roasted Truss Tomatoes

I have come across a lot of excellent pulled pork recipes and I absolutely love pulled pork sandwich for lunch. A few weeks ago, I had this thought, "Why don't I cook a pulled pork dish for dinner, with pasta, instead of bread roll?"

I went on to research for pulled pork recipe and landed on a kid (young goat) ragu recipe by Curtis Stone. I did some changes such as using white wine instead of red, replacing orange juice and zest with cider vinegar. It has resulted in a meltingly tender moist pulled pork with flavoursome stock to be soaked up by the pasta. The sweet and juicy oven roasted truss tomatoes are the only component you need to round up this terrific dinner dish.

I was a little disappointed with the photos. This dish was served and photographed on a cold and dark winter evening but it's such a wonderful dish that I want to share with all of you.

Slow-Braised Pulled Pork Pasta with Oven Roasted Truss Tomatoes Recipe
(Inspired from Fresh Taliatelle with Ragu of Kid by Curtis Stone in Surfing The Menu Again)
Serves 4

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
1.4 kg pork shoulder, bone in
4 shallots (eschalots), roughly chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 carrot, roughly chopped
1 celery stick, roughly chopped
250 ml / 9 fl oz white wine
1 L / 1 3/4 pints chicken / veal / pork stock
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 sprigs of thyme
1 sprig of rosemary
3 bay leaves
10 sage leaves, chopped
12 small truss tomatoes
400 g / 14 oz linguine / fettuccine / tagliatelle
2 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp finely chopped flat leaf parsley
120 g / 4 1/4 oz aged pecorino, shaved

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 150C / 300 F.
2. Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole dish and brown the pork shoulder on all sides over medium heat. Remove the pork shoulder and add the shallots, garlic, carrot and celery and sweat until light brown. Return the pork shoulder to the casserole dish and deglaze with the red wine. Add the stock, cider vinegar, thyme, rosemary and bay leaves. Cover and place in the oven for 2 1/2 - 3 hours or until the meat is falling off the bone. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
   

   

3. Using your hands, pick all the meat from the bone, discarding any fat and sinew. Strain the vegetables and bones from the stock. Combine the stock with the meat and add the sage. If you prefer a thick sauce, you can stir in some cream at this stage to thicken the sauce.
4. Increase the heat of the oven to 200C / 400F and roast the tomatoes (stems still attached), on a baking tray for 5-10 minutes until soft and the skins split. Remove and set aside.
5. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Transfer the pasta to a large warmed bowl and toss through the extra virgin olive oil, parsley and meat. Serve in warm pasta bowls and garnish with the pecorino and tomatoes.

Giveaway Winner: Cadbury Chocolate

The winner of Cadbury chocolate giveaway has been decided.

Gloria has won the prize (Cadbury chocolate to a value of AU$50.00) with their answer to the question "Why are you in love with chocolate?"

"Why am I in love with chocolate? Isn't it:
the best nutrition source in those days burning mid-night oil;
the best tranquilizer when you are sad;
the best party food to share with your friends;
the best gift to show your affection to your loved ones; and above all, the best choice for pampering yourself, just enjoy it anytime, anywhere?!"

Congratulations to you Gloria. Can you please send your name and address to almostbourdain[at]gmail[dot]com so I can arrange the prize to be mailed to you.

* The winner has contacted me to claim the prize. Thank you to all of you who participated in this giveaway.

Rainbow Swirl Cake

Are you one of my Twitter followers? If not, you might have missed out a little bit of the fun last Thursday. It was an ordinary day until my tweet stream suddenly filled up with double rainbow sightings across Sydney.

• @katreeeena Yay! Rainbow! (R) http://twitpic.com/2mn2cv
• @nathanrodger Photo: Double rainbow, not quite all the way. http://tumblr.com/xuji1cghy
• @mlledelicieuse double rainbow!!! http://yfrog.com/n62bmkj
• @KewpieLovesYou Lovely rainbow this evening http://yfrog.com/bdyf6mj
• @InnerCityChic @sarahhazelton @jezfletcher Double rainbow: http://twitpic.com/2mn9fa

To me, rainbows bring hope. I had a small meltdown the day before Thursday, as I am struggling to come to terms with what I can do and what I cannot do due to my ongoing back problem. With all the rainbow sightings flooding my tweet stream, I was reminded of this poem:

"Rainbows appear after mighty storms,
When things look their very worst,
Just when the skies are darkest grey,
Look for the rainbow first.

The rainbow is a sign of God's promise,
That He will guide us through any storm,
That He will see us through all our troubles,
No matter what their form.

When you feel battered by life's storms,
And you are filled with doubt and dismay;
Just remember God's rainbow is coming -
It's only a prayer away."

It also reminded me that it had been a while since I baked this rainbow swirl cake with little Miss C. I started baking rainbow swirl cakes with Miss C after seeing these beautiful rainbow cakes made by Suze and Steph: Mario Mushroom Rainbow Cake, Rainbow Cake, 20 Layer Rainbow Cake and Double Rainbow Malt Cake.

We always have lots of fun making rainbow cakes and it's definitely a great bonding time for us. Since she has turned 8 three weeks ago, I told her she could make the rainbow cake all by her self with minimal supervision from me. Of course, I still helped her with getting the cake in and out of the oven.

She started with the cake. It's always going to be her favourite vanilla butter cake (recipe HERE).

The fun starts now. To make a rainbow cake with perfect gradual swirl, you have to weigh the cake mixture and divide it into 7 equal portions. Miss C loves mixing the portions with all the different rainbow colours. I use liquid food colouring to achieve pastel like rainbow colours. If you want the vivid and intense rainbow colours, you will need to use gel food colouring.

Next task is to grease and flour the cake pan and to start dropping the cake mixture in the centre of the cake pan one colour at a time. To achieve the perfect gradual rainbow swirl, I usually bang the cake pan gently on the kitchen bench a few times after every colour. It will make the swirl look even and beautiful.

How to get a flat top rainbow swirl cake? A rainbow swirl cake is not like a normal cake where you can scrap off the top bit to flatten the cake and then cover it with icing. You can't do this with a rainbow swirl cake because it will ruin the pattern. So to bake a flat top cake, the trick is to wrap the cake pan with a wet tea towel before putting in the oven.

This trick will result in a beautiful flat top cake.

The finishing touch is to dress up the rainbow. I go for the plain vanilla butter icing (recipe HERE) with vanilla pashmak (Persian fairy floss). The focus point of the rainbow cake really is the rainbow swirl pattern within the cake, so sometimes less is more with the decoration. I like the contrast between the starkly white and the colourful rainbow swirl just the same as Red Velvet cake.

And then, simply slice and serve.

Come Dine with Me (3) - Sauteed Peas with Mint & Smoked Bacon; Green Bean & Walnut Salad; Avocado & Corn Salad; Lettuce, Tomato, Avocado & Basil Salad

We love our greens but I seldom blog about the salads and vegetable dishes that I cooked. Perhaps I thought many of you won't be interested in what greens we eat. May be I was wrong. So, here are some of the vegetable / salad side dishes that I like and cooked recently. They are delicious with any mains and extremely easy to make.

Sauteed Peas with Mint and Smoked Bacon
(Inspired from Sauteed Fresh Peas with Mint and Jamons in Gourmet Traveller September 2009 issue)
Serves 6

The original recipe calls for jamon but I used smoked bacon because I have some leftover smoked bacon in my fridge.

Ingredients

60 ml (¼ cup) extra-virgin olive oil
½ onion, finely chopped
50 gm smoked bacon, cut into batons
150 gm (2 cups) frozen peas
Coarsely torn mint, to serve

Method

1. Heat olive oil in a saucepan over low heat, add onion and sauté until pale golden and soft (4-5 minutes), add the bacon and cook a minute. Meanwhile, cook peas in plenty of boiling salted water until just tender (4-5 minutes), drain and add to onion mixture, season to taste, stir in mint and serve hot or at room temperature.

Green Bean and Walnut Salad
(Adapted from Gourmet Traveller Magazine March 2008 issue)
Serves 6

The interesting part about this recipe is that instead of crushing or chopping the walnuts, you grind them into a paste. The look of this dish can be deceiving. It tastes wonderful.

Ingredients

750 g green beans, trimmed
60 g walnuts
¾ cup (loosely packed) flat-leaf parsley leaves
3 cloves of garlic
40 ml (2 tbsp) cider vinegar
40 ml (2 tbsp) each of walnut and sunflower oil
1 tsp brown sugar

Method

1. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil, add beans, reduce heat to medium and simmer until just tender (about 3-4 minutes). Drain and refresh under cold running water, then pat dry with a tea towel.
2. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 180C. Spread walnuts on an oven tray and roast until golden (about 7 minutes), then cool.
3. Using a food processor, pulse walnuts, parsley and garlic until finely chopped. Transfer to a large bowl and stir through remaining ingredients. Add beans, season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and serve.

Avocado and Corn Salad
(Adapted from Daily Telegraph Taste)
Serves 6

I love to pair this salad with roast chicken. Avocado and chicken always go well with each other. The addition of corns makes this side dish more exciting than the usual corn on the cob.

Ingredients

2 firm large ripe avocados, halved, stones removed, peeled, finely chopped
1 x 410g can corn kernels, drained
3 shallots / green onions, ends trimmed, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Method

1. Combine the avocado, corn, shallots, coriander and lemon juice in a medium bowl. Serve.

Lettuce, Tomato, Avocado & Basil Salad
(Adapted from Delicious Magazine September 2010 issue, recipe by Rick Stein)
Serves 2

This is such a classic Italian salad. The brilliant part is the dressing. How many time have I told that I adore Rick Stein? He is waving his magic again on this simple but elegant salad.

Ingredients

2 vine-ripened tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 little gem lettuce, quartered, leaves separated (* I used baby cos lettuce)
1 avocado, cut into small cubes
4 basil leaves, finely shredded

Dressing:

2 tsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp sugar
Pinch of English mustard powder

Method

1. For dressing, whisk all ingredients in a bowl and season to taste.
2. Arrange tomato in a circle on 2 plates. Top with lettuce leaves, then scatter with avocado and basil leaves. Drizzle with dressing, season, then serve.

Pistachio and Lemon Syrup Cake

Friendship is not a big thing. It's a million little things. It is the hardest thing in the world to explain. It can't be forced and it won't be instant. Friendship that is formed naturally over a long period of time will often last a life time.

When we moved to Australia 10 years ago, we left behind all our dear friends in Malaysia and Holland. I was a little nervous whether we will be able to meet new friends in a new country that is foreign to both of us.

When I was 6 month pregnant with Miss C, we bought our first home in Australia and moved to a quiet suburb on the North Shore of Sydney. Never did I know that having a kid would open up a whole new world to me. Some new firm friendship was found that last until today.

Lately I have not been able to spend a lot of time with all my friends because I am still recuperating from a painful back injury but I know from our constant phone calls, texts, emails, chats, they are always there for me, with me and they are friends whom I can count on when helps are needed.

A few particular ones who are constantly on the receiving end of my baking and cooking are my closest and dearest. They know who they are. This cake is no exception. It went to a dearest friend's home and to be shared by many others.

P/S: Thanks for all your well wishes and kind wards. My back is recuperating and I am coping well. With all back related injuries, it takes a long time for the body to heal.

Pistachio and Lemon Syrup Cake
(Adapted from Delicious Magazine September 2010 issue)
Serves 6-8

Belinda Jeffery - "This recipe was given to me by the lovely food writer and cooking teacher Elise Pascoe, and I've made it time and time again. It's a gorgeous, simple cake - light and lemony, and so eye-catching with its pale green hue and mantle of pistachios

Ingredients

1/3 cup (50 g) plain flour, sifted
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup (75 g) pistachio kernels, finely ground in a mini food processor
Finely grated zest of 2 lemons
3/4 cup (90 g) almond meal
180 g unsalted butter, at room temperature, chopped
150 g caster sugar
3 eggs, at room temperature
softly whipped cream or thick Greek-style yoghurt, to serve

Pistachio and lemon syrup:
1/4 cup (55 g) caster sugar
Juice of 2 lemons
1/3 cup (50 g) slivered pistachios (I used chopped pistachios)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170C. Grease a 20cm round cake pan and line the base and sides with baking paper.
2. Place the flour, baking powder, ground pistachio, lemon zest and almond meal into a bowl, and whisk together until combined. Set aside.
   

   

3. Place the butter and sugar in an electric mixer and beat on medium speed for 4-5 minutes, stopping and scraping down the sides occasionally, until the mixture is thick and pale. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. (Don't worry if the mixture looks a little curdled after adding the last egg - it will come together again when you mix in the flour.)
4. Add the flour mixture and beat everything together on low speed until just combined - be careful not to overmix it or the cake will be tough. Scrape the batter into the prepared cake pan and level the top with a palette knife.



5. Bake in the oven for 40-50 minutes until it springs back when lightly pressed and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool in the pan on a wire rack.



6. When the cake is lukewarm, place the sugar and lemon juice in a small pan over low heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Add the pistachio, increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to the boil. Remove from heat.
7. Turn the cake out onto the rack, peel away the baking paper, then invert the cake onto a serving plate. Slowly spoon the hot pistachio syrup evenly over the top, then leave it to cool completely.
8. Slice and serve with cream or yoghurt.

Fried Egg, Sunny Side Up Dessert (Ginger and Cardamom Panna Cotta with Orange Gelee)

I like to play with food. I like to create food that is fun yet classy and elegant but not tacky.

Take the scenario in which you are hosting a dinner party. "Fried Egg, Sunny Side Up" is written on the the dessert menu. All your guests are so intrigued and excited by it.

Time to bring out the dessert. It's greeted with Ohh's and Ahh's....

And followed by: "How did you come up with this idea?"

Silence. Guests tuck into the dessert, with dessert spoons, not knives and forks.

"I taste orange."

"The yolk is made of Orange Gelee!"

"Did I taste ginger?"

"There is something else in it. A kind of spice?"

"It's cardamom!"

"Ginger and Cardamom egg white!"

The host announces: "It's Ginger and Cardamom Panna Cotta with Orange Gelee."

With a bit of wit, you too can play Heston's Feast at home without needing liquid nitrogen, a food lab or Heston Blumenthal.

Ginger and Cardamom Panna Cotta with Orange Gelee Recipe
(Inspired from Mandarin Saffron Panna Cotta by A Table For Two)
Serves 4

Ingredients

Orange Gelee:
150ml orange juice (you can replace it with mandarin, tangerine, mango or passionfruit)
½ tbsp gelatin powder
3 tbsp cold water
60 g caster sugar

Ginger and Cardamom Panna Cotta:
250 ml thickened (heavy) cream
350 ml full fat milk
110 g caster sugar
1 tsp grated ginger
1 cardamom pod, slightly bruised
1 tbsp gelatin powder
4 tbsp cold water

Method

1. Put orange juice and sugar into a saucepan over medium heat and bring it to boil or until all the sugar dissolved. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve.
2. Sprinkle the gelatin powder into the cold water in a bowl and let it soften for 5 minutes.
3. Add the soften gelatin into the mandarin mixture and stir until all dissolved completely.
4. Pour over 4 cocktail glasses or ramekins and let it set in the fridge (around 30-45 minutes).

   

5. Add cream, milk, sugar, ginger and cardamom into a saucepan with medium heat and bring it up to just below boiling point until all sugar are dissolved.
6. Let it infused for 5-10 minutes and strain it through a fine sieve.
7. Add gelatin powder into the cold water and let it soften for 5 minutes.
8. Add the soften gelatin powder into the mixture and stir until all dissolved then let it cool
9. Pour the mixture slowly into the glass with the set gelee.

   

10. Let it set in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

Come Dine with Me (2) - Spice Temple's Steamed Eggplant w 3 Flavours; White Tomato Soup w Goat's Cheese Tortellini; Brodetto

I don't often blog about what I cook for our family dinners. It's usually a rush in the evening with Miss C's homework and her after school activities taking priority. Sometimes, I have to deal with late dinner when Mr J comes home from work late. Often, I am too lazy to style the dinner dishes that I cook and late dinner means low lights and less than satisfactory photographs.

However, Mr J suggested for me to take one picture of every dinner dish that we like and combine these into a "Come Dine With Me" series. If you are curious what I cook for dinner, here are some of the dishes we had last week.

Spice Temple's Steamed Eggplant with Three Flavours
(Adapted from Gourmet Traveller September 2010 issue)
Serves 4 as a side dish

Mr J loves to cook and sometimes he takes over the kitchen when work is not too busy. A Chinese proverb says, "A mountain can't have two tigers". When he is in the kitchen, I will retreat to somewhere else as we both have a very different style of cooking and can easily get on each other nerves. When he cooks a dish from a recipe, he follows every single step religiously. For example, he made this gorgeous dish from Neil Perry's Spice Temple and he would call me at least 8 times to check and ask questions like: "What is a slotted spoon?"

Ingredients

2 eggplants (I used 3 Japanese / baby eggplants)
12 garlic cloves
30 ml peanut oil
400 g coarsely minced pork
80 g (1 /4 cup) sweet bean paste (available from Asian grocers)
350 ml chicken stock
120 ml dark soy sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil
2 cup (loosely packed) coriander, coarsely chopped

Method

1. Place eggplant in a colander, scatter with 2 tsp fine sea salt, set aside to drain (1 hour). Lightly rinse eggplant under cold running water, drain and pat dry with absorbent paper. Steam in a single layer in a large steamer placed over boiling salted water until soft (12-14 minutes), keep warm.
2. Meanwhile, blanch garlic in a boiling water until tender (3-5 minutes) and immediately refresh with ice cold water. Drain, cool, finely chop and set aside.
3. Heat peanut oil in a wok over high heat, add pork, stir-fry until golden (3-5 minutes), remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add bean paste to wok, stir-fry until fragrant (30 seconds - 1 minute), add stock, soy sauce and pork and simmer until thick (5-7 minutes), then stir through sesame oil.
4. To serve, scatter eggplant with garlic, pork and coriander and serve hot.

White Tomato Soup with Goat's Cheese Tortellini
(Adapted from Gourmet Traveller September 2010 issue)
(Serves 4 as an entree and 2 as main)

This is a wonderful vegetarian dish from Collins Kitchen at Melbourne's Grand Hyatt. Mr J is a carnivore. He loves his meat for dinner. There are not many vegetarian dishes that win praise from him. This is one of them. It's amazing to have great flavour from a dish made from such simple ingredients.

The tomatoes used in this recipe are the normal red tomatoes, not the white tomatoes. The name "white tomato soup" refers to the technique used in this recipe. The red tomatoes are pureed and drained through a muslin cloth overnight to obtain the clear broth-like white tomato soup. It sounds like a lot of work but it's really not. You just need to be a bit organised in order to puree the tomatoes one day ahead and the the rest is pretty easy. The result is extremely rewarding.

I have made some modifications on the recipe to save time. I used canned cannelloni beans instead of dried cannellini beans. I used dumpling wrappers for tortellini instead of making fresh pasta from scratch.

Ingredients

2.7 kg vine-ripened tomatoes
1/2 cup (loosely packed) basil leaves, plus 2 tbsp finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 can cannellini beans, drained (I forgot to check the weight)
100 g goat's cheese (I used Spanish goat's cheese)
Baby basil leaves, to serve
12 round dumpling wrappers

* Note: You will need to start this recipe a day ahead.

Method

1. Coarsely chopped tomato (reserve one whole for garnish) and process with basil leaves and garlic in a blender until smooth. Pour into a coarse sieve lined with muslin placed over a large saucepan or deep bowl and refrigerate overnight to drain (do not press solids). Season liquid to taste (discard solids), and set aside. Makes about 1 litre.
2. Combine goat's cheese and chopped basil in a bowl, season to taste.
3. Place a tbsp of goat's cheese mixture in the centre of each dumpling wrapper, lightly brush edges with water, fold over to form a semicircle and press edges to seal. Brush corners lightly with water, bring together, then pinch to seal.
4. Heat tomato stock over medium heat until hot, add beans and stir occasionally until warmed through (5-7 minutes). Meanwhile, dice remaining tomato and set aside.
5. Cook tortellini in a large saucepan of salted water until al dente (2-4 minutes). Remove with a slotted spoon, divide among serving bowls, ladle over soup, scatter with diced tomato and baby basil leaves, season to taste and serve.

Brodetto
(Adapted from Delicious Magazine September 2010 issue)
Serve 4

I can now confidently say that I have not had a bad dish cooking from Rick Stein's recipes. He is my food hero. This is his version of the famous fish stew from the Adriatic coast, originally cooked by fishermen using the odd small fish left over from the day's catch. You need the best sourdough bread you can get to mop up the gorgeous sauce.

Ingredients

2 vine-ripened tomatoes
1/4 cup (60 ml) olive oil, plus extra to brush
200 g fresh squid tubes, cut into rings
8 green prawns
4 garlic cloves, sliced, plus 1 whole garlic clove
4 spring onions, thinly sliced
Pinch of dried chilli flakes
200 g skinless white fish fillet (such as blue-eye), cut into 3cm pieces
1 tsp tomato paste
Pinch of saffron threads
1/2 cup (125 ml) white wine
2 cup (500 ml) good-quality fish stock
4 slices sourdough bread
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Method

1. Cut a small cross in the base of each tomato. Plunge into boiling water for 30 seconds, then refresh immediately in iced water. Peel, then halve. Scoop out and discard seeds, then cut the tomato into thin strips. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a wide shallow saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook squid and prawns for 3 minutes or until they start to colour. Reduce heat to medium, then add sliced garlic, spring onion and chilli. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Add fish, tomato, tomato paste, saffron, wine and stock, and season. Bring the mixture to the boil and simmer for 2 minutes or until the seafood is cooked through.
3. Meanwhile, heat a chargrill pan over medium-high heat. Brush both sides of bread with oil, then grill for 2 minutes each until charred. Rub each side with the whole garlic clove, then divide among warmed serving bowls. (* I toasted my bread, buttered and rubbed with garlic.)
4. Life the fish and shellfish out of the pan and place on the toast. Boil the sauce rapidly for 4-5 minutes until reduced by half. Pour over the seafood and bread, then sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Cadbury's Bar of Plenty + Giveaway: Win AU$50 Worth of Cadbury Chocolate

This post is sponsored by Nuffnang and Cadbury

** This giveaway is now closed and the winner has been announced. Please read this POST for details. **

For a change, this post is not about a recipe - but of course it is still about delicious food! Why don't you sit back and relax, be Charlie for a moment, and I will take you through a visual chocolate tour - Willy Wonka style.

I don't cook or bake everyday. There are days that I just laze around, read a book, have a coffee and something sweet to go with it. On days like these, my indulgence often is to reach for a bar of chocolate. Curious as I am, I am always on the look out for new flavours and recently I found some amazing ones.

So today I am introducing you to two new flavours of great Cadbury chocolate. Cadbury's new Bar of Plenty combines interesting combinations of naturally delicious ingredients, all covered in smooth and creamy Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate.

Bar of Plenty is available in two different flavours:

1. Summer Berries and Crunchy Vanilla Shortcake

Imagine the crumbly buttery vanilla shortcake, the deliciously fresh summer berries and smooth & creamy Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate all in a bar:

2. Oven Roasted Hazelnut and Cashews gently flavoured with Honey.

Why choose when you can have them all in one bar?

And you don't have to travel far to get these bars. You can find them when you do you daily groceries at your local Coles, Woollies or IGA (and some other selected outlets).

Take a break. Have a cuppa. Have a Bar of Plenty. Let me know what you think.

http://cadburybarofplenty.com.au/

Thanks to the lovely people at Nuffnang, I am giving away Cadbury chocolate to a value of AU$50.00.

All you have to do is to leave a comment and answer this question: Why are you in love with Chocolate?

Terms & Conditions:

1. Information on how to enter form part of these conditions. Entry into the competition constitutes acceptance of these terms and conditions.
2. The name of the person conducting it (the promoters name, address and telephone number). The competition will be conducted by Nuffnang Australia. Nuffnang Australia’s head office is located at 28 St Edmonds Road, Prahran VIC 3181. Please contact Nuffnang Australia via (03) 8517 2000 or support@nuffnang.com.au
3. Eligibility requirements (including minimum age of participants). Entrants must live in QLD, WA, ACT, NSW, TAS or VIC to be eligible. The winner will need provide Nuffnang with their contact details in order to be eligible. Participants must be aged 14 and over.
4. How to enter. To enter the competition:
   * Participants need to leave a comment on the competition post published on this blog participating in the competition: almostbourdain.blogspot.com
   * The comment must answer the question "Why are you in love with chocolate?” The most creative and practical answer will be chosen as thewinner
5. Description and retail value of each of the prizes (including conditions, if any, relating to receiving, accepting or using the prizes) The prize will be Cadbury products worth up to $50.
6. Closing and drawing dates and time for the receipt of entries in the lotteryThe competition closes on 5pm EST on 20 September 2010.
7. The place, date and time of the lottery draw. On Tuesday 21 September 2010, the blogger will choose their own winner and inform Nuffnang Australia.
8. The method used to decide prize winners The winner will be the entry judged most creative and practical by the judges.
9. How prize winners will be notified (face-to-face, email, phone or mail) The winner will be notified via the blog they used to enter the competition, and will be asked to provide their email and contact phonnumber at that time. If they do not respond to the comment within 48 hours, Nuffnang reserve the right to select another winner.
10. How prizes will be awarded Once the winner has been notified, Nuffnang Australia will liaise with the winner to have the prize pack sent to them.
11. The method for claiming prizes (including requirement for entrants tbe present at the draw). To claim the prize, the winner must reply to the winner notification and accept the prize within 48 hours of the blog notification, as well as indicate their preferred address for the product to be sent. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, they will forfeit the prize, and another winner will be selected using the same judging process.
12. Whether results will be published and, if so, the way they will be published. The results will be published on the respective bloggers’ blogs and Twitter (if applicable). Nuffnang Australia also reserve the right to publish the results, including a photo of the winner, in the media.
13. Whether the prize will jackpot or be redrawn if the winning player is not present or does not claim/cannot be found (must keep for 3 months if ). Nuffnang Australia will make all reasonable efforts to contact the prize winner. If the prize winner is uncontactable or does not respond to accept the prize within 48 hours of notification, another winner will be selected using the same judging process.
14. Who cannot participate Nuffnang Australia’s business directors, management and employees, their immediate families, their retailers, suppliers, associated comapnies and agencies are ineligible.
    
15. Changes to Terms and Conditions. Nuffnang Australia reserves the right to change these terms and conditions. If any changes are made Nuffnang Australia will notify the public via its website.