Tag Archives: family

Deux Baguettes S’il Vous Plaît

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When he was eleven I asked our eldest son James to go into a bakery in a ski resort in France and buy “Deux baguettes s’il vous plaît” while I was double parked outside. I had been round the block twice and there was absolutely nowhere to park.

We sat outside the bakery for what seemed like a very long time with me saying come on you can do it and James saying he really didn’t want to. His more outgoing younger sister wanted him to hand over the money so she could go. But she didn’t need a confidence booster and I wanted him to do it. Eventually James went into the bakery and came out, beaming from ear to ear, one baguette under each arm.

I had completely forgotten this incident until James (now married with kids of his own) reminded me. He said he remembers it whenever he has to do something challenging, like public speaking.

A couple of weeks ago I decided to use the No Knead Bread recipe to make deux baguettes instead of the usual round loaf you make in a Le Creuset pot. I wasn’t sure if it would work, but decided to give it a go. Well the baguettes were amazing and I’ve made them three times since. Crisp and crunchy on the outside, soft and tender on the inside, the recipe makes two small baguettes or one very large one, which probably wouldn’t fit in my oven.

3 cups plain flour
1 heaped tsp salt
1 Tbs olive oil (optional)
¼ tsp dried yeast
1½ cups hot (not boiling) water from the tap
Extra flour
Sesame seeds (optional)

Place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix thoroughly with the blade of a knife. Cover bowl with plastic wrap or a tea towel and leave for a few hours. The amount of time you can leave it is flexible and varies a bit according to the weather. In the middle of summer it will be ready to go to the next stage in about three hours, but it’s okay if you leave it longer. When ready the dough will have doubled in size.

Sprinkle extra flour on work surface and scrape out the dough. Using a little extra flour as necessary, form dough into a non-sticky round, then cut in two and form each into a sausage shape about 30cm or 12″ long. Place side by side on a lightly greased oven tray, sprinkle with sesame seeds if liked, then leave aside while the oven heats up.

Heat the oven to 220°C. Bake bread for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and crisp all over. Cool on a cake rack. It freezes well.

Makes 2 small loaves or 1 large

Ferne’s Orange Cake

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Late last year I lost my dear friend Ferne after a short struggle with a very aggressive cancer.

We met in Canberra through a mutual friend when we all had three year old daughters. We spent many happy hours in each others houses, sipping tea – or more often wine – and swapping dress patterns, recipes and general chit chat. Meanwhile our families grew and we both ended up with three kids. They are now all grown up with families of their own. Fortunately our friendship stood the test of time. We went on overseas postings, but stayed in touch. On our return we picked up where we had left off.

Ferne was vibrant, with a wicked sense of humour. She was a dear friend and I can’t believe she’s no longer with us. Her three beautiful daughters remind me of her, each in different ways.

Several recipes on this blog came from Ferne. If you search her name you will find at least half a dozen and they are all favourites. She loved recipes which were super quick and easy, such as this orange cake. When I made it last week for the photo I realised I hadn’t made in quite a few years. I had forgotten just how quick, easy and delicious it is!

I like to make it in a fluted bundt pan and serve it with strawberries and cream for afternoon tea or as a dessert. If you need to whip up a quick dessert for unexpected guests, this is the answer.

1 large orange or 1½ if smaller
250g butter, at room temperature, cut into cubes
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 cups self-raising flour, sifted
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 180°C.

Place quartered, seeded orange, skin and all, in the food processor and process till pulpy. Add butter and sugar, process 20 seconds. Add eggs, salt and flour and process till smooth, but don’t over-process.  Stop halfway to scrape down the sides. Don’t add any extra liquid even if it seems stiff.  Bake in a buttered and floured 20cm cake pan or bundt ring for 30-40 mins at 180°C, or until evenly golden brown and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool then turn out, dust with icing sugar and serve with whipped cream and berries. Best eaten the day it is made and not refrigerated.

Serves 10-12

Fish with Rice & Tomatoes

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If you like paella you will like this easy recipe. It’s basically fish and rice, with baby tomatoes adding a touch of sweetness. I used Basa fillets, but any firm white fish will do. A handful of prawns or mussels would be a nice addition.

I had a jar of green pimento-stuffed olives which had been opened but not finished sitting in the fridge, so I used them to make the tapenade. After making this recipe I mixed the leftover tapenade with a few heaped tablespoons of hummus and served it as a tasty dip. Waste not want not as my mother, who grew up during WW2, used to say.

2¼ cups (250g) basmati rice
2 cups (500ml) water
6 Tbs green olive tapenade (see recipe below)
250g cocktail tomatoes, halved
1 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs red wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
500g white fish fillets (or 250g fish and 250g peeled green prawns)
Fresh basil to garnish
1 Tbs olive oil to garnish

Make the tapenade.

In a large deep frying pan with a lid, place the rice, water and 3 Tbs tapenade. Mix then bring to the boil. Mix the tomatoes with the olive oil and vinegar. Cut the fish into pieces about 2-3cm square and lay them (and prawns if using) on top of the rice. Carefully spoon some of the rice mixture over each fish piece, then put the lid on and simmer for 10 minutes, or until rice is cooked. Add a bit more water if the rice is not cooked and the liquid has all gone.

When rice is al dente, remove the lid and scatter the tomatoes over the top. Spoon 3 Tbs tapenade over the top. Continue to cook for a few minutes, without the lid, or until all the liquid has been absorbed.

Serve garnished with torn fresh basil leaves and a drizzle of olive oil.

Tapenade: place 1 or 2 cups pitted green olives (quantity is flexible), or pitted and pimento stuffed green olives, in food processor with a peeled clove of garlic. Start the machine and chop finely, adding olive oil through the top chute while the machine is running to achieve a chunky paste similar to pesto. Use any leftover tapenade as a dip or in sandwiches.

Serves 4

Chicken with Garlic, Capers and Anchovies

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Compared with Mediterranean countries, where they feature regularly on the menu, anchovies are somewhat underrated in Australia.

Incorporated into a dish they become almost undetectable. Even people who say they hate them can be converted. I think you will be sold on this easy dressing for Caesar Salad.

Variations of today’s chicken recipe kept popping up on my phone, so I thought it was time to give it a try. It makes a very tasty and quick mid-week dinner.

800g – 1 kg boneless, skinless chicken thighs (6-8 pieces)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
6 cloves garlic, peeled
¼ cup olive oil
5-6 anchovy fillets, chopped
2 Tbs drained capers
¼ tsp chilli flakes
Juice of 1 lemon
Chopped parsley to garnish

Trim chicken of any excess fat then season on both sides with salt and pepper. If liked you can cut each thigh in half – I didn’t. Go easy on the salt as the anchovies are salty. Heat olive oil in a large deep frying pan with a lid.. Add chicken pieces and cook for 5-7 minutes each side, or until nicely browned. Remove from the pan.

To the pan add 5 of the garlic cloves, crushed or smashed and chopped, the anchovies, capers and chilli flakes. Cook, stirring, for 3-5 minutes then return the chicken to the pan. Cover with a lid and cook for a further 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through, turning them over to coat them with the sauce halfway through.

Remove chicken from the pan. Add lemon juice and remaining clove of garlic, smashed and chopped, to the pan. Cook, stirring, over high heat until thickened and starting to get sticky around the edges. Return chicken to the pan, spoon some sauce over each piece, garnish with parsley and serve.

Serves 6

Queen Elizabeth’s Favourite Chocolate Biscuit Cake

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According to Royal chef Darren McGrady, this was the late Queen Elizabeth’s favourite cake.

McGrady cooked for the royal family for fifteen years and said that the Queen liked to have a slice of this cake with a cup of tea every afternoon. “If there was any left when we moved from Buckingham Palace to Windsor Castle we took it with us, so she could finish it there”, he explained.  “I use to travel on the train from London to Windsor Castle with the half-eaten cake in a tin on my knees.”

Make it in a six inch (15 cm) cake tin if you have one, so it’s nice and deep. For a larger tin you could double the recipe. If preferred you could use a loaf tin.

A cake that’s good enough for a Queen is definitely worth trying. We thought it was delicious.

Cake:
1 packet plain sweet biscuits such as Rich Tea or Marie (about 250g)
150g dark chocolate
150g butter at room temp
150g caster sugar
1 egg
Chocolate Icing:
250g dark chocolate

Spray cake pan with oil and line with baking paper. A small six inch (15cm) pan will result in a deeper cake but you can use an eight inch (20cm) pan if you like. A tin with removable sides or a cake ring makes it easier to remove the cake.

Break the biscuits with your hands into pieces a bit larger than almonds and place them in a large mixing bowl. Don’t crush them completely. See photo for how big. Melt chocolate in a bowl over simmering water. In another bowl, beat butter and sugar with electric beaters until light and fluffy, then mix in the egg and lastly the melted chocolate. Scrape the chocolate mixture into the bowl containing the broken biscuits and mix well so that all the biscuit pieces are covered in chocolate.

Scrape into the cake tin, pressing down so that you have a flat top and there are no air pockets. A flat-bottomed glass is useful for pushing the mixture down. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Next day, remove the cake from the pan and remove the paper. Place it on a rack over a sheet of baking paper. For the icing, melt the chocolate in a bowl over simmering water. Slowly pour the the icing  over the top and sides of the cake, using a spatula to smooth it out. Use most of the icing but leave a small amount. Allow the cake to set at room temperature.

Reheat the remaining chocolate icing (and any you can scrape up from below the cake rack) and put it into a piping bag. Pipe this over the cake, back and forth in a zig-zag pattern. When set, carefully remove the cake from the rack and place it onto a serving plate. Serve with a cup of tea and some whipped or thick pouring cream, if you’re feeling really decadent!

Serves 12

Note: if preferred, use a small amount (25g) of white or milk chocolate to do the zig-zag pattern on the cake, so you get more of a contrast.

Mango Cheesecake

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Looking for a dessert to serve on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day that can be made ahead, doesn’t involve turning on the oven and uses seasonal fruit? This recipe meets all the criteria.

Mangoes are at their cheapest and best in Australia at this time of year. Choose ones which are not over-ripe as they’re easier to slice thinly and curve for the decoration. If you’re in the northern hemisphere the recipe can be adapted to use strawberries or perhaps tinned peaches instead of mangoes.

To enhance the flavour of the mango and provide colour contrast, serve each slice with some fresh passionfruit pulp spooned over (not shown in photo). Or maybe instead of passionfruit serve the cheesecake with some raspberry coulis spooned over.

Mango Cheesecake

200g fresh mango flesh, puréed in food processor
¼ cup glucose syrup (also known as Corn Syrup)
1¼ cups plain sweet biscuits made into crumbs in food processor
75g butter, melted
500g cream cheese at room temperature
¾ cup sugar
1 Tbs grated lemon rind
2 tsp gelatine dissolved in
¼ cup boiling water, cooled
220g white chocolate, melted and cooled
1 cup cream, softly whipped
To serve:
2 mangoes extra, thinly sliced
Pulp from 2 passionfruit (optional)
Thick cream to serve

Place mango purée in a saucepan with glucose syrup. Cook, stirring over a medium heat for 15 minutes or until thickened and reduced by half. Set aside to cool.

Combine biscuit crumbs and butter and press evenly over the base of a 20-22 cm springform pan. In food processor or by hand beat cream cheese, sugar and lemon rind until smooth. Mix in gelatine mixture and melted chocolate, then fold in the whipped cream. Pour filling over biscuit base. Spoon over mango mixture and swirl through the white mixture using the tip of a knife, smoothing the top. Refrigerate 3 hours or overnight.

Serve decorated with fresh mango slices and, if liked, some passionfruit pulp. Serve thick pouring cream separately.

Serves 12

Variations: use peaches, apricots or berries instead of the mangoes. Pulp in the filling and sliced fruit or whole berries to decorate. For a Ginger Mango Cheesecake use ginger nut biscuits for the crust and mix 2-3 Tbs finely chopped crystallised ginger into the filling.

Hobz biz-zejt

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This recipe comes from Maltese-Australian chef Mark Mizzi whose restaurant and wedding venue Nanna’s Place has been serving delicious Mediterranean dishes since it opened in South Melbourne in 2018.

Hobz biz-zejt is a traditional Maltese sandwich which translates as bread with oil. But it’s much more than that. Indeed, there are so many ingredients, that when it’s ready to serve it looks more like a “burger with the lot” than a sandwich. For this reason, I haven’t put quantities: it’s basically a question of what you can fit in! An optional extra is to mash a clove of garlic into the olive oil. Sun-dried tomatoes and local cheese are also sometimes added.

Nanna’s bake their own traditional Maltese bread called Ftira, but any fresh bread – preferably sourdough – can be used. Going to Malta on holiday? This satisfying snack can be enjoyed all over the island.

1 large, crusty bread roll (size of a burger bun) or 10-15cm of baguette
Extra virgin olive oil
Tomato paste
Canned tuna, drained
Anchovies in oil drained (optional)
Diced or sliced raw onion
Diced or sliced tomatoes
Chopped parsley
Capers
Sliced pitted olives
A few canned white beans, drained (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Cut the roll or piece of baguette in two, horizontally.  Drizzle both sides with olive oil then spread a thin layer of tomato paste on both halves. Add the remaining ingredients in layers. Drizzle with a bit more olive oil. Place the lid on top, cut the sandwich in two and stick a toothpick with a whole pitted olive in the top of each half, as decoration.

If preferred, divide the filling between the two sides and make open sandwiches. They’re a bit easier to eat.

Serves one

Crunchy Granola

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Are you a cereal or a toast person? Or perhaps you have both for breakfast.

I’ve always been a cereal person and like to eat a combination of fresh fruit and plain, Greek yoghurt. topped with some crunchy granola, Lately I’ve also been adding a dollop of chia seeds, soaked overnight in milk.

Unfortunately, the granola you buy in supermarkets is mostly made up of oats and far too sweet. The ones that contain more interesting ingredients and less sugar tend to be quite expensive.

For the past few years I’ve been making my own granola and it’s so easy. You basically mix all the dry ingredients with some olive oil and a sweetener, such as honey or maple syrup, spread it out on a couple of baking trays lined with paper and bake for 30-45 minutes. Once you’ve made a batch you’ll wonder why it took you so long to do so.

The two big pluses with making your own is that you can use only ingredients you like and add as much sweetener as you want. Or leave the sweetener out altogether. And definitely no salt.

The quantities in this recipe are flexible and there’s no need for accurate measuring. Start with the oats, then add whatever you have on hand. Feel free to leave out anything you haven’t got – maybe put it on your shopping list so you have it for next time – or to add something different.  Matthew doesn’t like coconut, but as he’s a toast or hot porridge person I usually put it in anyway!

After a week or so, the slight moisture from the dried fruit can make the granola lose its crunch. To avoid this, keep your dried fruit mixture separately and add it to your bowl each morning. Or leave the dried fruit out altogether. The photo shows the muesli before adding the dried fruit.

If there’s only one person in your house who eats granola for breakfast, you might prefer to make half the recipe.

4 cups rolled oats
½ cup almond meal or ground flaxseeds (also called linseeds)
½ cup pumpkin seeds
½ cup sunflower seeds
1-2 cups roughly chopped nuts (I used almonds, pecans & walnuts)
½ cup shredded coconut
3 Tbs chia seeds
3 Tbs sesame seeds
3-4 Tbs olive oil (or vegetable oil if preferred)
3-4 Tbs runny honey or maple syrup (adjust to suit your taste) or golden syrup
Dried fruit:
2-3 cups sultanas, cranberries, dried cherries, goji berries (optional)

Preheat oven to 160°C. Line two baking sheets with baking paper. For half the recipe you will only need one.

Place all ingredients, except the dried fruit, in a large bowl. Heat the olive oil and honey or maple syrup in a small saucepan until dissolved then mix in thoroughly.

Spread the granola evenly onto the baking trays and bake for 20-30 minutes. During the baking time remove the trays from the oven every 10 minutes or so and stir the granola, moving the outer edges into the middle, so it cooks evenly. When the granola is golden brown and evenly cooked remove it from the oven and cool thoroughly.

Don’t overcook or the nuts will be bitter. Mix in the dried fruit (if using) and store in a large container in the pantry. Or mix the dried fruit and store in a separate contaienr.

Makes about 8 cups

Optional additions: vanilla essence, ground cinnamon, ground cardamom

 

Roast Pumpkin with Miso & Ginger

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Miso is a traditional Japanese seasoning.

Miso paste is produced by mixing fermented soybeans with salt and a fungus called Koji. Sometimes rice, parsley, seaweed or other ingredients are added. It can be used in sauces, dips, soups and other dishes to produce a rich “umami” intensity of flavour.

Miso paste is usually salty, but its flavour and aroma depend on the ingredients and fermentation process. It comes in either white or red, with the latter having a slightly stronger flavour. Use whichever one you have or can find in your local supermarket or Asian grocery store. Once opened it keeps for ages in the fridge.

Today’s recipe was inspired by a dish we were served at Raku restaurant in Canberra.

1 kg pumpkin
2 Tbs olive oil
Miso sauce:
¼ cup Miso paste
1 Tbs grated ginger
1 Tbs sesame oil
1 Tbs runny honey
1 Tbs water
2 tsp rice vinegar (or any other vinegar)
1 tsp chilli paste or sauce
To garnish:
1 Tbs sesame seeds, lightly toasted
Fresh coriander leaves

Preheat oven to 180°C. Leave skin on the pumpkin, remove seeds and cut into wedges about 2cm thick. Place on a baking tray lined with baking paper, in a single layer. Brush pumpkin with the olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes then remove from the oven, turn pumpkin wedges over and brush them with the remaining olive oil. Return to the oven for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile mix all ingredients for the Miso sauce in a food processor. Spoon over the pumpkin. Return to the oven for 10 minutes, or until starting to brown. It might need 15 mins. Turn the wedges over and coat them with remaining Miso sauce. Cook for a further 10-15 minutes or until nicely glazed as in the photo.

Garnish with sesame seeds and coriander. Serve hot or at room temperature either alone or with steamed rice, or as a side dish with salmon, chicken or beef.

Serves 4-6

 

Shakshuka

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Shakshuka originated in north Africa and is now popular all over the Middle East.

Serve with toasted sourdough or Turkish bread for brunch, lunch or Sunday evening supper. You probably have all the ingredients in the pantry. We had to nip out to buy one red capsicum from the corner shop.

2 Tbs olive oil
1 red capsicum (pepper)
1 onion
2 Tbs harissa, or to taste
1 tsp chilli paste, or to taste
1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
4 eggs
1 tsp sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
To serve:
4 Tbs thick Greek yoghurt
1 Tbs chopped fresh coriander

Thinly slice the capsicum and onion. Heat olive oil in a medium-sized deep non-stick frying pan and cook the capsicum and onion over medium to high heat for 5-10 minutes, or until soft and starting to caramelise. Add harissa and chilli paste to taste and cook, stirring for one minute. Add the tomatoes and sugar and cook over medium heat until the tomatoes are reduced by half, stirring often.

Season to taste, turn heat down to a simmer, then make four indents in the mixture and break an egg into each. Cover with a lid and cook for 5 minutes, or until the eggs are cooked to your liking. Test by pressing with your finger.

Garnish with dollops of yoghurt and the coriander. Serve with toasted sourdough or Turkish bread.

Serves 4 as a snack, 2 as a meal