Tag Archives: lunch

Quick Raspberry Ice Cream with Raspberry Compote

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Everyone is short of time.  So while I love to cook, I’m always looking for ways to produce delicious food in record time.  This ice cream recipe, which can be adapted and varied with different berries, is a real winner.  Whip it up a couple of hours before dinner and by the time you reach dessert time it will have firmed up enough to scoop.  You can use fresh raspberries instead of frozen, but the advantage of frozen berries is that it turns the rest of the ingredients into instant ice cream.  I have put 500-600g of raspberries so you know that if your supermarket sells them in half kilo bags you don’t need to buy two!

Quick Raspberry Ice Cream with Raspberry Compote

Ice Cream:
500-600g frozen raspberries
600ml thick Greek-style yoghurt
300ml cream
1 cup icing sugar, or to taste
Raspberry Compote: 
2-3 cups frozen raspberries
¼ cup sugar, or to taste

Place all ingredients for ice cream in food processor and process until mixed. Leave it a bit chunky with some bits of raspberries still visible. Place in freezer for an hour or two or until firm enough to scoop into balls with an ice cream scoop dipped into hot water.  If left in the freezer for longer you will need to remove it about 10 mins before serving so it’s not rock hard.  For the compote, mix raspberries with sugar and leave to thaw, stirring from time to time.  Serve chunky or if preferred, push through a sieve and serve as coulis.

Makes about 1.5 litres of ice cream

Finnish Salmon Pie with Cucumber Salad

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I learned how to make this Finnish Salmon Pie at a cooking demonstration given by a Finnish diplomat’s wife over 30 years ago.  Back then fresh salmon was not so readily available and everyone used tins.  In fact I don’t think I tasted fresh salmon until I was in my twenties!

The original recipe used two large tins of salmon.  I now make it using a combination of fresh and tinned.  If preferred use just salmon. The butter and dill sauce is an optional addition.  Not on the agenda if you’re watching cholesterol levels, but quite delicious.  The cucumber salad is a perfect accompaniment.

If you’re not sure what a Swiss roll tin looks like have a look at these images on Google.  Mine is about 25x30cm.  If your tin is bigger just roll out the pastry to about this size.

Finnish Salmon Pie

Ricotta Cheese Pastry:

150g self-raising flour
125g butter
125g soft ricotta cheese
1-2 Tbs cold water
Filling:
500g fresh salmon
1 x 415g can pink salmon, drained
2 Tbs chopped fresh dill
2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
50g long grain rice, almost cooked
3 Tbs cream
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 egg, beaten

Sauce:
100g butter, melted
2-3 Tbs chopped dill

Pastry: Place flour and butter in food processor and process until it forms crumbs.  Add cottage cheese and process.  As soon as the pastry starts to stick together add just enough water so that it forms into a ball – you may not even need any water, depending how wet your ricotta is. Stop motor immediately, tip out, wrap in plastic wrap and chill while you prepare the filling.

Filling: Cook rice and eggs together in boiling water to cover for 10 minutes. Tip into a sieve and allow the rice to drain.  Put the eggs back in the pan, cover with cold water and leave until cool enough to handle, then peel.  Remove skin and any bones from fresh salmon, then cut into 1-2cm dice.  Place in a bowl with the canned salmon (discard skin and bones), the rice, dill and hard-boiled eggs, roughly chopped.  Mix well and season to taste.

Place a piece of baking paper on a Swiss roll tin – not essential but makes washing up easier.  On a floured surface roll out pastry to the size of the Swiss roll tin, then place on the baking paper, folding it to make it easier to move.  It doesn’t matter if the edges are ragged, you won’t see them once the pie is finished. Place salmon filling down centre in the shape of a log or loaf and covering about a third of the pastry surface.  Cut diagonal slits in pastry every 2cm down each side, from the edge of the pastry as far as the filling. Fold in the two ends, then bring up strips from alternate sides, overlapping them slightly, to form a pseudo-plait. Use your hands to push everything firmly into place.  Can be refrigerated at this stage if you like.   Paint with beaten egg and bake for 30-40 minutes at 200°C. Serve warm, cut into slices and drizzled with the sauce.

Sauce: Melt butter and mix with chopped dill.

Variations: use white fish and canned tuna instead of the salmon.

Cucumber Salad with Dill

4-5 Lebanese cucumbers (about 15cm long) or 2 longer telegraph cucumbers
1 medium brown onion
1/3 cup vinegar (cider or white wine)P1060250 - Copy
¼ cup water
1-2 tsp salt, to taste
¼ cup sugar
½ cup thick sour cream
½ tsp hot English-style mustard
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill, firmly packed

Peel onion, cut in half and slice thinly. Slice unpeeled cucumbers thinly and mix with onions. The quickest way to do this is with the slicing blade of a food processor.

Mix vinegar, water, salt and sugar. Pour over onions and cucumbers, mix well and leave for 1-2 hours at room temperature, mixing from time to time. Drain cucumbers and onion in a colander or large sieve. Discard the juices. Put the colander in a bowl, so it continues to drain, then put it in the fridge, covered and leave it there draining till serving time. In a small bowl, mix sour cream, mustard, fresh dill and pepper to taste and refrigerate till serving time.

To serve, mix well-drained cucumbers and onions with the sour cream dressing. Garnish with sprigs of dill.

This salad goes well with most fish dishes, especially salmon. It’s also a good addition to a buffet or BBQ.

Twice-Baked Blue Cheese Soufflés

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Last year the American supermarket chain Costco opened stores in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra. It costs $60 for an annual membership, but it’s well worth it.  A good addition to the Canberra shopping scene. Some people are put off joining, because they think they’re going to have to buy huge quantities of everything, which is not the case.  You do however have to buy a kilo of most fresh things, such as meat and cheese.  You can buy almost anything in Costco, from diamond rings to car tyres.  However, someone told me there are two things they aren’t allowed to sell in Australia which they sell in the USA – coffins and guns.  I’m not sure if this is true, but it makes a good story!

About a month ago I wanted to make a pear, walnut and blue cheese quiche and remembered having seen a kilo of Italian Gorgonzola for under $16 at Costco, which is much cheaper than anywhere else.  Now a kilo of blue cheese is rather a lot for two people, but I reckoned at that price it wouldn’t be the end of the world if I ended up throwing some out.  However, to be honest my War Mentality, inherited from my mother, means I don’t throw food away unless I really have to.  We have a compost heap and I often wish I kept chickens, then I wouldn’t have to throw anything away.

Located near Canberra airport, it’s also a long way to go to buy a kilo of Gorgonzola, but of course I ended up buying a few more things.  My brother David who lives in Vancouver, and first introduced me to Costco over there, calls it the $100 shop, because it’s impossible to get out without spending at least $100.

The quiche was delicious and over the past month we’ve continued to eat our way through the Gorgonzola – with crackers, in a broccoli and blue cheese soup, in a dip mixed with cream cheese and chopped walnuts, but there was still about half a kilo left!

Last week my friend Marilyn took me for a delicious lunch at Flint in the Vines in Murrumbateman, just outside Canberra.  Inspired by their twice-baked goat’s cheese soufflé I came up with this dish.  It’s something you could make at the weekend (up to the first baking stage) and keep in the fridge to whip out and serve during the week as a light supper.

Twice-Baked Blue Cheese Soufflés

80g butter
1/2 cup plain flour
450ml (just under 2 cups) milk
shake of ground nutmeg
100g blue cheese (Gorgonzola, Stilton or whatever you have)
salt and pepper to taste
4 eggs
About 250ml cream
To serve:
Mixed leaf or rocket salad or some micro-herbs

Set oven to 180°C and oil 8 half cup or 4 one cup souffle dishes.  Place them in a baking tray or dish you can use as a bain marie.  In a non-stick pan heat butter and when melted add flour.  Stir for 2-3 minutes until the flour is cooked but not coloured, then gradually add the milk, mixing to incorporate before you add more.  When sauce is thick and smooth add nutmeg, cheese and season to taste.

Remove pan from heat and add the egg yolks one by one, placing the whites in a large mixing bowl.  Beat the whites until soft peaks form, using electric beaters.  Add some of the cheese sauce to the whites and mix well, then add the rest and mix thoroughly using a plastic spatula.  Divide mixture between the soufflé dishes and pour boiling water into the baking dish to come halfway up them.  Bake for about 15 minutes or until risen and light golden brown. The larger sized dishes will take about 20-25 mins. If liked serve the souffles immediately and skip stage two. But if you’re going to do the twice-baked method, remove souffles from the oven and leave to cool then refrigerate, covered till serving time – up to 2-3 days.

To serve set oven to 200°C. Line a biscuit/cookie tray with baking paper. Run a knife round each souffle to loosen, then tip them out and arrange them all, or as many as you want to serve, on the paper with a space between each.  Pour a little cream over each soufflé, then bake for 15 minutes, or until puffed and golden.  Big ones will taker longer than small ones. Remove with a fish slice to serving plates and garnish with the salad.

Serves 8 as a starter or 4 as a light lunch or dinner

Variations:

  • use goat’s cheese instead of blue cheese and in addition to the cream, sprinkle each soufflé with a little grated Parmesan cheese before final baking
  • use a can of drained salmon or tuna instead of blue cheese
  • add some finely chopped fresh herbs
  • A few pecan nuts, quickly caramelised in a frying pan with a drop of honey or maple syrup, are a nice addition to the rocket salad.

Lamb on the BBQ

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With a growing family, we had two Christmas lunches this year.  With visitors from overseas, it was simply impossible to do everyone on one day.

For the second family gathering I decided to barbecue a boned leg of lamb, using a recipe from the December edition of Delicious magazine.  It’s one of the best food magazines on the market and I have a subscription.  Always full of inspiring ideas.  Here is my slightly adapted version which was delicious.  Boning a leg of lamb is not as hard as it looks – just keep cutting the meat away from the bone at one end, then start on the other end and eventually you will meet up and be able to pull it out!  The magazine suggested serving the lamb with a cucumber, tomato and spinach salad, with a lemony dressing, topped with toasted sesame seeds, which went very well.  The recipe called for Harissa, which I didn’t have, but Sambal Oelek was a perfect substitute.

Chermoula Lamb with Yoghurt Dressing

1 large leg of lamb, boned
Marinade:
4 cloves garlic
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
A handful of fresh coriander
A handful of fresh mint
2 Tbs Harissa or Sambal Oelek (both are chilli pastes)
Grated rind and juice of 1 lemon
2 Tbs olive oil
Dressing:
250g thick Greek-style yoghurt
A handful of chopped fresh mint
2 preserved lemon quarters
Garnish:
A few fresh coriander sprigs
A few slivers of preserved lemon, extra

After removing the bone from the lamb, cut through the part where it’s still joined, so you can open the meat out flat.  Place in a ceramic dish.  Place dressing ingredients in food processor and process until smooth.  Pour over lamb, turn to coat thoroughly.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate several hours or overnight.

Next day remove meat from marinade and cook on a medium to hot BBQ until done to liking.  If you leave the meat spread out some parts will be quite thin, so they will be rather well done by the time the thicker bits are cooked.  So if you prefer your meat medium-rare, use some kitchen string to form it back into a round shape with the skin on the outside.  As the meat is cooking, baste regularly with remaining marinade.  If the meat has been left spread out it will take 15-20 minutes each side.  If reformed into a round shape with string, it will take about an hour.  A meat thermometer is a good investment for getting it right.

Let the meat rest, covered loosely with foil, for about 10 minutes then slice thinly and arrange on a serving platter.  Garnish with the coriander and a few slivers of preserved lemon.  Serve yoghurt dressing separately.

Dressing:  Rinse the lemon quarters, discarding the pulpy part.  Finely chop the skin, then mix into the yoghurt with the mint.

Serves 8-10

Saturday lunch in the garden

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In the warmer months we like to have Saturday lunch in the garden, under the shade of our olive tree.  With a red and white check tablecloth and a bottle of chilled Sauvignon Blanc, you can almost imagine you’re in a little bistro in the south of France.

When you have time it’s nice to have something a bit more exotic for lunch than the usual weekday sandwich, so today I made some potato cakes and served them with smoked salmon and a mustard sauce.

Smoked Salmon with Potato Cakes, Mustard Sauce and Chives

4 medium to large potatoes
1 tsp salt
2 Tbs plain flour
1 egg
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 or 8 slices smoked salmon (depending on appetite!)
1-2 Tbs snipped chives or dill
50g butter
2 Tbs olive oil
Mustard Sauce:
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp hot English mustard
3 tsp grainy mustard
1 tsp honey (optional)

Coarsely grate potatoes, place them in a sieve and sprinkle with salt.  Leave for 20 minutes or so, mixing with your hand from time to time.  Place potatoes in a clean tea towel then use it to squeeze out as much liquid as you can.  In a bowl mix potatoes with flour, egg and pepper. In another small dish, mix all the ingredients for the sauce together.

Heat half the oil with half the butter in a large frying pan.  Use about half the potato mixture to make four pancakes.  Cook over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes each side or until golden brown and cooked through.  Drain on paper towels.  Heat remaining butter and oil and repeat with the rest of the mixture to make another 4 pancakes.  Place two pancakes on each of four plates, slightly overlapping.  Top with smoked salmon, folded decoratively into the rough shape of a rose and concealing any darker parts underneath.  Top with a dollop of sauce and sprinkle with chives or dill.

Serves 4

Chicken Terrine with Herbs and Pink Peppercorns

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A terrine is handy to have in the fridge over the holiday period.  Serve as a light lunch or starter with salad, or as part of a buffet.  My terrine dish is made from glazed pottery and holds 3 liters.  It has a lid and was made in France.  A metal or silicone loaf pan will do.  You can use pink peppercorns in brine or the dry ones which I buy from The Essential Ingredient.  I’ve put “About 700g of chicken mince” because if you buy it prepacked and it happens to be 100g more or less, it doesn’t matter, throw it all in.  Same with the breasts.

When you tip it out there will be a certain amount of jelly surrounding the terrine.  You will probably want to throw this away, although our golden retriever thought it was quite delicious mixed in with his boring dry biscuits for dinner!

Chicken Terrine with Herbs and Pink Peppercorns

5-8 slices of prosciutto or pancetta (enough to line your terrine)
About 700g chicken breast meat
About 700g chicken mince
1 small onion or a couple of shallots, very finely chopped
1 cup cream
1 egg
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 Tbs pink peppercorns
3-4 Tbs finely chopped herbs (I used a mixture of parsley and marjoram)
2 Tbs brandy

Preheat oven to 200°C.  Lightly oil the terrine dish, then line it on all sides with a single layer of pancetta or prosciutto.  Trim chicken breasts of any fat, then cut into 2-3cm cubes.  Use your food processor to chop the herbs and mix with the chicken breast, stirring to coat thoroughly and adding salt and pepper to taste. Mix chicken mince with remaining ingredients, using food processor to chop the onion or shallots.  When thoroughly mixed place half the mixture in the terrine, spreading evenly, then arrange all of the chicken breast cubes on top, then the rest of the mince mixture.  Press down well, cover terrine with the lid or with a piece of foil.  Place in a large dish such as a lasagne dish or a baking pan and pour in enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the terrine dish.  Bake for an hour, then remove from the oven, cool thoroughly, then refrigerate overnight.  Some terrines need to be weighted overnight, but I found this didn’t need it.  To serve, loosen the terrine and tip out, then cut into slices.  If it’s difficult to remove, you might need to dip the bottom of the terrine into boiling water.  If liked, garnish with some extra pink peppercorns and serve with Sweet Mustard Sauce.

Cuts into about 10 thick slices.

Sweet Mustard Sauce
1 Tbs English mustard
1 Tbs Dijon mustard
1 Tbs grainy mustard
1 Tbs sugar
1 Tbs vinegar (white or cider)
3 Tbs cup olive oil

Place all ingredients in a jar with a lid and shake well.  Leave overnight for the sugar to dissolve.

Note: this mustard sauce goes very well with Gravlax for which I would add a couple of tablespoons of finely chopped dill and 3-4 Tbs mayonnaise (preferably home-made) to make the sauce less hot.

Relaxing in Bali

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Spending a week relaxing in Bali at the Green Garden Hotel and Spa.  A small place with comfortable rooms, good aircon and friendly people.

Last night we had a delicious meal of fried calamari rings, satay chicken and chilli prawns with rice.  Today a light lunch down by the beach.  I chose a salad which was just right for the warm weather.  Here’s my take on it.

Mozzarella, Tomato and Avocado Salad with Olive Dressing

4-6 handfuls of small salad leaves including rocket if liked
250g mozzarella or bocconcini balls, sliced or cubed
4 tomatoes, sliced, or the equivalent in baby tomatoes, halved
2 large avocadoes, sliced
½ red onion, thinly sliced

Dressing:
1 cup vegetable oil e.g. canola
¼ cup cider or white wine vinegar
1 Tbs Dijon mustard
2 Tbs finely chopped olives (green stuffed with pimento are nice)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tsp honey or sugar

On four plates arrange the lettuce leaves, then the tomatoes, avocado slices, onion and mozzarella.  Place all the dressing ingredients in a jar with a lid and shake vigorously.  Drizzle dressing over the salads.

Serves 4 as a light lunch

Tomato and Mozzarella Tian with Pesto

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I’ve always been passionate about food and have a huge collection of recipes, so I thought it was time to share my culinary thoughts with anyone who might be interested.  Given the number of great food blogs I’ve seen online, starting my own is somewhat daunting, but here goes. The name Cafe Cat comes from my nickname within the family of Cat or Mrs Cat. I can’t remember how I ended up with with this name, but somehow it stuck.

I thought I would launch this blog with a favourite summer recipe, Tomato and Mozzarella Tian with Pesto. Impressive but simple, it makes a great starter or light lunch. A friend recently made a video of me making this recipe.  It was the first time I had been filmed cooking and the first time she had filmed anyone cooking. All of this shows in the slightly wobbly results, but hopefully we’ll get better! Once you have some stacking rings you can invent all sorts of stacked combinations using seafood, smoked salmon and even desserts.

Tomato & Mozzarella Tian with Pesto

Pesto
2 cups basil leaves
2-3 cloves garlic, depending on size
¾ cup pine nuts
70g Parmesan cheese, grated
pinch of salt
½ cup extra virgin olive oil, more or less

Tomato Salad
4-6 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
4-6 semi dried tomato halves chopped (optional)
1-2 Tbs fresh basil, chopped
1 Tbs olive oil
2 tsp white balsamic vinegar or lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
pinch sugar

To finish
4-6 mozzarella balls, thinly sliced (or boconcini balls)
Extra virgin olive oil
Balsamic glaze

Pesto: toast pine nuts by stirring in a dry frying pan over moderate heat till lightly golden. Place all ingredients except the oil in a food processor. Process until finely chopped, then gradually add the oil through the feed chute with the motor running, until you have a thick but chunky paste.

Tomato Salad: Mix tomatoes, basil, seasonings and oil. Leave to macerate for a few minutes, then drain in a sieve to remove excess liquid. This recipe is best in summer when tomatoes are at their best. When they’re not, add some semi-dried tomatoes, to add more tomato flavour.

To finish: Place a 7-8cm diameter, 4cm deep stacking ring on serving plate. Place a layer of mozzarella slices to cover the bottom of the ring, then a layer of tomato salad, another layer of mozzarella slices and finally cover the top with a layer of pesto, pressing down lightly with the back of the spoon.

Drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil and a few drops of balsamic glaze around the edge of the plate, remove the stacking ring and serve immediately. It’s easier if you have enough rings for everyone, then you can whip them off just before taking the dishes to the table. Don’t leave them too long, or the juice from the tomatoes will start to ooze out, requiring a quick clean up with a paper towel!

Note: if you can’t find mozzarella balls (those big fat white ones sold in liquid) you can use the smaller balls called bocconcini or substitute ricotta or feta cheese.

Quantities of mozzarella and tomatoes are slightly vague as it depends on the size of your stacking rings and the size of the tomatoes.

Serves 4

Tian of Smoked Salmon & Crab with Celeriac Remoulade & Green Shallot Dressing

1 large celeriac, peeled and coarsely grated or shredded on a fine julienne cutter
juice 1 lemon
¾ cup mayonnaise, preferably home made
1 Tbs Dijon mustard
200g chunky crab meat, lightly seasoned
300g smoked salmon (approximately)

Green Shallot Dressing:
½ cup vegetable oil
2-3 green shallots (spring onions), green part only
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
pinch sugar
lemon juice or white vinegar to taste

Garnish:
Salmon roe (optional)

Make dressing by whizzing oil and spring onion tops in food processor, adding S and P, pinch sugar and lemon juice or vinegar to taste. Tip into a jar. Mix celeriac with lemon juice, mayonnaise and mustard, adjust seasoning if necessary,then refrigerate. Prepare crab leaving it in large chunky pieces. Can be prepared ahead to this point.

To serve place a stacking ring on six entree plates. Place a tablespoon of celeriac remoulade in each ring, spreading evenly, then divide the crab between the rings, then another layer of remoulade and finally a layer of smoked salmon. You may have some remoulade left over. Drizzle a little dressing around each salad, place a little salmon roe on top of each then remove rings and serve.