Let them Eat Cake. Layered Victoria Sponge Cake with Fresh Berries and Cream.

Posted on November 24, 2012 by thepaddingtonfoodie

This week we celebrated our daughters’ thirteenth birthday. For me the most important part of any birthday celebration is the cake. I always like to bake and decorate my own birthday cakes. There is a certain degree of charm to a home-made cake. Far from perfect. A little wonky. Made with love.

With two brand new teenagers in the house of course there was a party. With two cakes reflecting the very different personalities of each of the girls. Here’s the first. An elegant and understated layered Victoria sponge cake with fresh berries and cream.

Layered Victoria Sponge Cake with Fresh Berries and Cream

Best made and eaten on the same day

225 g unsalted butter, softened
1 cup and 1 tablespoon  (225 g) caster sugar
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups  (200 g) self-raising flour
2 tablespoons (25g) corn flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
3-4 tablespoons of milk

300 ml of pure thick double cream suitable for dolloping
½ cup raspberry jam
1 punnet each of blueberries and strawberries

PREHEAT oven to 180 C.  Grease and line two 20cm round sandwich tins.
PLACE butter and sugar into a mixing bowl. Cream together until light and fluffy.
BEAT eggs and gradually stir into the creamed sugar and butter mixture. Mix until well combined.
SIFT flour, corn flour and baking powder together .Fold into the batter with vanilla essence until smooth.
GRADUALLY add milk until the batter is of dropping consistency.
POUR batter into the prepared cake tins and bake in a moderate oven, centre rack position for about 25 minutes, until the cakes are golden and springy to touch.
REMOVE from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

Assembling the Victoria Sponge

WHEN the cakes have cooled, spread layers of cream, then jam onto one of the sponges and place half the strawberries on the top, Spread a thin layer of cream onto the other cake with a palette knife for a smooth finish. This will be the top layer of your Victoria Sponge Cake. Carefully sandwich the cakes together. Arrange strawberries and blueberries on top.

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Fabulous Foodie Bijoux Gifts. Idea No 1. Dolci Sapori Confetti. Sugared Almonds With A Twist

Posted on November 23, 2012 by thepaddingtonfoodie

One more week to go until December. The Silly Season. Frivolous and fun. End of year celebrations go hand in hand with thank yous and tokens of appreciation. Gift giving shouldn’t be a chore. I’m on the look out for what I like to think of as bijoux foodie gift ideas. Small, dainty, elegant, highly prized and inexpensive.

I love a handmade or home-baked gift. Unfortunately they’re not always practical. I well remember the year I posted out perfectly formed, lovingly baked chocolate fruit cakes. Delicious but squashed in transit by Australia Post. Definitely a case of it’s the thought that counts that year.

I adore confetti. Not the paper  variety. The edible confection. Delicious, delicate sugared almonds.  A sweet little treat synonymous with Italian celebrations and bomboniere. A symbol of sweetness, peace and hope of a happy life. My idea of a perfect bijoux foodie Christmas gift.

When I say confetti I’m not referring to just any old confetti available at any good delicatessen or market. I’m talking about Dolci Sapori’s Confetti. Flavoured Almonds with a Twist. Fine Sicilian Avola almonds. Wrapped in a thick layer of flavoured chocolate. Encased in a thin, crisp sugar-coating. Created by skilled Italian artisans. Following centuries old traditions. So moreish they’re dangerous. One bite. I was hooked. So much so I ate a whole box. Thank you Grace. My waist line really needed that. How am I supposed to look fabulous at the beach this summer?

All jokes aside, Grace is the ultimate closet confetti aficionado. She tracked these down for her son’s recent confirmation. She promised me a few to try but using our sons as the conduit for the exchange was not a great idea. That particularly elusive pack of  confetti never reached me. Perhaps eaten by one of our sons in transit or even sold on the thriving black market to a starving boarding school community. We’ll never know.

They say every cloud has a silver lining. Grace put me in contact with the lovely Rosanna at Dolci Sapori Imports in Melbourne, Victoria. Rosanna was kind enough to send me a package. Here is what was inside.

Dolci sapori. From the Italian. Translates as sweet flavours. How very apt.  These chocolate flavoured almonds have a crisp thin sugar shell and come in an amazing  range of flavours. I sampled twelve of them with relish. Truth be told I’m working through the rest of my hoard as I type this post. Baba with Cream, Caramel and Fleur de Sel, Delicious Lemon, Coconut, Croissant, Lemon, Les Noisettes , Pistachio, Sfogliatella Napoletana, Strawberry, Tiramisu and Fruits of the Forest Yoghurt. They’re all so unbelievably delicious but if you twist my arm I may confess my two stand out favourites would have to be the Strawberry and Caramel and Fleur de Sel.

Sadly as this product is so very new to the market there are only limited stockists in Sydney.  But happily there is a website. Most of the product is available in bulk 500 g or 1 kilogram quantities only. By flavour. Pricing ranges from $35 for 500 g – $60 for kilo boxes. If you are curious to try these sugared almonds  the Christmas tins filled with an assorted five flavours; Fruits of the Forest Yoghurt, Lemon, Coconut, Pistachio and Croissant  are available on-line at www.dolcisaporiimports.com.au over the festive season. At $24 per tin. A perfectly reasonable bijoux price.

Let’s extend this very bijoux foodie idea. For those of you who love to give a handmade gift, pick a flavour or two or three and order them in bulk. Package them up in cellophane, pretty boxes and tins or even those clear plastic reusable Christmas baubles that can be hung from a tree. Cooks bonus?  You get to eat all the leftover confetti. Yum. Yum.

Here are the all important contact details.

Visit the website at   www.dolcisaporiimports.com.au
or email rosanna@dolcisaporiimports.com.au

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Takeaway at Home.Thai Green Chicken Curry with Zucchini and Red Capsicum.

Posted on November 22, 2012 by thepaddingtonfoodie

Thai chicken curry. Our favourite takeaway. Its just as easy to make at home with a well stocked pantry. I make this so often my pantry staples include small cans of coconut cream, packets of Mae Ploy green curry paste, fish sauce and palm sugar. Just add chicken and some fresh vegetables. I like to freshen up commercial curry paste with fresh chilli, garlic, ginger and coriander. And finish the dish with a generous squeeze of lemon.

In the time it takes to order a takeaway and pick it up I can have bowls of green chicken curry and freshly steamed jasmine rice on the table. I know, I’ve timed it. And don’t get me started on home delivery. I can have dinner cooked and eaten, the kitchen tidied and me relaxing with a glass of wine before it arrives at the door. No wonder we refer to this as our takeaway at home.

Green Chicken Curry with Zucchini and Red Capsicum

Serves 4

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 small brown onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 thumb sized piece of ginger, about 3 cm long, peeled and grated
2 stems coriander, roots and stalks for curry finely chopped.
reserved coriander leaves for garnish
1 long red chilli, finely sliced
2 – 3 tablespoons or 50 g green curry paste
600 g chicken thigh fillets, sliced
1/2 cup coconut cream
250 g zucchini, sliced into thin rounds (or any other green vegetable)
1 red capsicum, quartered and sliced into thin strips
1/2  tablespoon palm sugar or brown sugar, grated
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 small lemon, juiced

HEAT oil in a large wok and add onion. Cook over medium heat stirring occasionally for 3 minutes or so.
ADD garlic, ginger, coriander and chilli. Stir for a minute until fragrant.
ADD curry paste. Stir for another minute or so to release its flavour.
ADD chicken and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure the strips are well coated with the curry paste mixture.
ADD zucchini. Stir for a minute or so to combine.
ADD the coconut cream and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer gently for about 15 minutes, or until chicken is tender. The sauce should have thickened and reduced by this stage and should coat the chicken and zucchini nicely.
ADD the capsicum strips, stir well and cook for 5 minutes until tender.
ADD palm sugar, fish sauce and lemon juice. Stir through the curry and take the wok off the heat.
SERVE with steamed jasmine rice. Garnish with reserved coriander leaves.

Posted in Poultry, What I Love to Cook | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Herbed Couscous Salad with Leek, Sweet Potato and Red Capsicum.

Posted on November 21, 2012 by thepaddingtonfoodie

Couscous. Sounds exotic. Contrary to popular opinion its a pasta, not a grain. Made by mixing semolina with water, and then shaping it into little “grains”.  Pasta or grain. It doesn’t really matter.  This Moroccan staple  is extremely versatile and pairs well with just about anything.

Last night we fired up the barbecue for dinner. I’m happy to say that chez nous the barbecue is my husband’s domain. He takes care of the grill and hotplates. All I have to do is prepare a simple salad. No wonder I love summer so much.

This couscous salad is ridiculously easy to prepare. The obvious shortcut.  Instant couscous. Boil a kettle.Wait five minutes for the grains to swell. Fork through any lumps. Voila! The perfect base for a tasty salad.

Couscous on its own may be very bland but there is an endless array of  vegetable, herb, spice, nut and dried fruit combinations that can be used to impart great flavour to this salad. Look to what’s in season, and in your pantry or refrigerator. There are no hard and fast rules. Be guided by your palate. The only real limit is your imagination.

For this salad I used leeks, sweet potatoes and red capsicum from the refrigerator. My spices? Cumin and nutmeg. Simply because they pair well with the sweet potato. My aromatics? Lemon, Ginger, garlic, shallot and chilli. Dried fruit for sweetness? Currants. Nuts for crunch and texture? Toasted slivered almonds. And lastly the herbs. Rocket, parsley, coriander and mint. The result? Delicious.

Herbed Couscous Salad with Leek, Sweet Potato and Red Capsicum

Serves 6 as an accompaniment and can be served warm or cold.

2 cups instant couscous
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 leek, white part only, diced
1 sweet potato, chopped into small dice
1 red capsicum, diced
½ teaspoon ground cumin
a good grating of nutmeg
½ long red chilli, de seeded and chopped
3 cm piece of ginger, peeled and grated
1 garlic clove, peeled and grated
zest and juice of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons currants
3 tablespoons slivered almonds, toasted
3 green spring onions, sliced
½ bunch rocket (arugula), shredded
½ cup chopped fresh herbs, parsley, coriander and mint are ideal
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
sea salt flakes and freshly ground pepper

PLACE two cups of instant couscous into a large bowl.
BOIL a kettle and pour two cups of hot water onto the couscous. Cover the bowl with glad wrap or cling film. Leave to stand for 5 minutes. Remove and stir the couscous with a fork to break up any lumps.
MEANWHILE add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a saucepan. Sauté leeks over medium heat until soft.
ADD diced sweet potato and sauté for a further 5 – 10 minutes or until sweet potato is tender.
ADD capsicum, chilli, ginger, garlic, cumin and nutmeg. Sauté for a further 2 minutes until mixture is fragrant.
REMOVE pan from heat. Cool slightly. Add to prepared couscous. Stir well to combine.
ADD lemon juice and zest, currants, slivered almonds, spring onions, rocket and herbs. Toss to combine.
DRESS with red wine vinegar and olive oil. Season with sea salt and pepper. Serve.

Posted in Salads, Vegetarian, What I Love to Cook | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Double Chocolate Hermann Happiness. Chocolate Chunk Muffins with Raspberries and Almond Meal

Posted on November 20, 2012 by thepaddingtonfoodie

Double Chocolate Hermann Happiness. Muffins with Raspberries, Almonds, Dutch Cocoa and Choc Chunks.

Hermann didn’t quite make it to Siberia. He received a last minute reprieve after repeated requests to bake a chocolate version. I was a bit dubious at first about adding chocolate to Hermann. In my mind Hermann was best suited to soft fruit and mixed spices. I finally relented and I’m glad I did. Here he is. All gooey and chocolate-y. My best Hermann yet.

In the short time I have known Hermann he’s taught me a great deal about his particular preferences and idiosyncrasies  Here are my current top tips for what I like to call the feeding and breeding programme and of course the final steps to baking of an amazing cake.

  • Always use a glass or ceramic bowl. Hermann is an old fashioned soul and prefers a natural habitat over artificial or man made.
  • Use a wooden spoon, not metal, for the daily beating. Hermann loves to be whipped into a frothy frenzy. Every single day.
  • Use a clean tea towel to cover Hermann’s bowl. The natural fibres allow him to breathe easily and absorb any errant moisture. Cling wrap and foil are the enemy. Remember his preference for a natural habitat? We don’t want him to get all sweaty and smelly.
  • At warmer temperatures Hermann will breed quickly and prolifically. The warmer it gets, the hungrier and thirstier Hermann becomes. And the faster he grows. As summer approaches I have truncated the feeding and breeding programme to seven rather than ten days with great success.
  • After seven to ten days of following the feeding and breeding programme, one quantity of starter dough will yield enough batter for four baby Hermanns. One quantity of starter dough means one and a half cups of an undisturbed, frothing Hermann or one cup of a deflated Hermann once he has been whipped or beaten.
  • Hermann needs soft fruit added to the batter to deliver a beautifully moist result. So far I have used apples, pear, peaches, banana, mango or berries.
  • Hermann is infinitely adaptable and makes great muffins and cakes. Only this morning I had a conversation about whether a gluten free version would work. To be honest I can’t see why not. I would begin afresh with a brand new starter dough (to learn how visit www.hermanthegermanfriendshipcake.com ) and use gluten free flour in the feeding and breeding program. Try almond or hazelnut meal with 2 teaspoons of baking powder when making a cake. If anyone tries this I would be curious to learn of the result.

That said here is my very last Hermann for the year. All my remaining baby Hermanns are spoken for. I have reluctantly banished Hermann from my kitchen for a little while to concentrate on other things.

I do love to hear how his progeny are faring. So if you have inherited a Hermann from either me or someone else, or even started one yourself, drop me a line. I’m so very pleased to hear that Pipster is attempting a very festive Christmas Hermann this year and has very generously agreed to write a guest post. I’m looking forward to it. Thanks Pipster!

Postscript.

For anyone who is interested in breeding, feeding or baking a Gluten Free Hermann. It has been done. Here’s a link!
http://www.piginthekitchen.co.uk/2011/11/german-friendship-cake-herman-gluten.html

Chocolate Chunk Muffins with Raspberries and Almond Meal

Makes 12 large muffins

1 quantity Hermann starter
1 cup sugar
½ tsp salt
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 cup self raising flour
1 cup almond meal
1/3 cup dutch cocoa
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla essence
1 1/2 cups frozen raspberries, partly thawed
100 g dark chocolate, chopped into chunks

PREHEAT oven to 180 C.
LINE a 12 hole muffin tin with paper cases.
COMBINE  starter, eggs, sugar, salt, flour, bi-carbonate of soda, almond meal, vegetable oil, cocoa and vanilla in a large mixing bowl.
BEAT well with a wooden spoon.
STIR in raspberries and chocolate chunks.
POUR batter into prepared muffin cases.
BAKE in 180 C oven, centre rack position, for 25 – 30 minutes.

Would you like to follow the entire Hermann story on this blog? Click on these links to my previous posts:

From Daylesford With Love. Hermann the German Friendship Cake

Hermann the German Friendship Cake with Apples, Cherries, Almonds and Rum

Hermann Loves Coconut. Mango and Banana Muffins. Raspberry and Apple Cake.

Posted in Baked, Chocolate, Sweet Treats, What I Love to Cook | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Crisp and Crunchy. Parmesan, Parsley and Lemon Crumbed Chicken Schnitzel.

Posted on November 20, 2012 by thepaddingtonfoodie

Deliciously tender chicken encased in a crisp crumb with a  satisfying crunch. This is a perennial favourite in our house. Another meal that has been handed down through the generations in my family. I adored schnitzel when I was young. As do my children, today. I always have many willing helpers when I make schnitzel. The draw card?  The cook’s treats. All those little leftover pieces of chicken from the pounding of the breast fillets. We have a time honoured ritual of crumbing and frying those as well. Little piles of these are demolished fast and never make it to the table.

I have used chicken breast fillets in this recipe but it is equally delicious with veal or even pork steaks. The ideal accompaniment? Either coleslaw or a simple fennel salad to cut through the richness of the fried chicken schnitzel. Another perfect dish for a relaxed summer’s evening.

Parmesan, Parsley and Lemon Crumbed Chicken Schnitzel.

Serves 4-6

4 skinless chicken breast fillets
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1 cup dried breadcrumbs
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
zest of 1 lemon, finely grated
1/2 cup plain flour
2 -3 large free range eggs
sea salt flakes and pepper, to season
vegetable oil, for shallow-frying
rocket and lemon wedges, to garnish

SLICE each breast in half horizontally. Using a rolling-pin or meat hammer, pound each piece and flatten into thin, even slices. This works well if you place the chicken between 2 sheets of glad wrap or cling film.
SEASON the flour with a little salt and pepper and place on a plate.
WHISK eggs with a splash of water and a pinch of salt in a shallow bowl.
COMBINE fresh and dried breadcrumbs, parmesan, lemon zest and parsley on a plate. Season with salt and pepper.

For each slice of chicken:
COAT chicken in flour, shaking off excess.
DIP in egg mixture.
COAT in breadcrumb mixture, pressing lightly to ensure crumb adheres.

TRANSFER freshly crumbed chicken schnitzel to a plate. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
HEAT oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat.
COOK schnitzels in batches, for 3-4 minutes each side or until golden and cooked through.
TRANSFER to a plate lined with paper towel to drain.
SERVE on a platter and garnish with rocket and lemon wedges.

Posted in Poultry, What I Love to Cook | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Liquid Gold. A Taste of the Outback. Splashe’s Back O’ Bourke Cola

Posted on November 19, 2012 by thepaddingtonfoodie

Sunday. Spring Fair. Chocolate Wheel. Old fashioned fairground fun. Crowd pleaser. Fast and furious. Twelve spins an hour. Spruikers on the megaphone. Buy a ticket. Odds? 1 in 64. Spin the Wheel. Win a Prize. Trays of mangoes. Legs of ham. Spring lamb. Wine. Champagne. Splashe Back o’ Bourke Cola.

In the Australian vernacular “Back o-Bourke” refers to any place a long way out. The Sticks. The Back of Beyond. Head 789 km north west of Sydney. Eventually you will hit Bourke. Settled in 1835 as a log stockade on the banks of the Darling River. In 1893 Henry Lawson claimed you don’t know Australia until you know Bourke.

Splashe’s Back of Bourke Cola. Sweet and syrupy. Redolent of sarsaparilla. Old fashioned.  110 years young. Classic outback Australia.  I was introduced to this by my son. He by his country mates. A taste of home. Liquid gold he calls it. Not so easy to come by in the big city. And perhaps that is its appeal.

It took a community and pure outback ingenuity to get 10 cases of Back o’Bourke Cola to Sydney. A 780 km road trip. Sydney via Dubbo via Bourke. This eponymous cola may be distributed to many country towns but sadly not to Sydney. At least not yet. A tyranny of distance and uneconomical freight charges.

Thanks to the milko who delivered 10 cases of cola to Gary at Crutchers IGA in Dubbo, some 380 km or a mere 4 hour drive away. Thanks Gary for organising the delivery for me. Thanks to one of our wonderful country mums Jodie  who lives in Dubbo and transported the bottles from Dubbo to Sydney for the fair. I hope those clinking glass bottles didn’t drive you too mad the entire 400 km drive down here.

There were some very happy teenage boys at the fair. I especially loved the ingenuity of a group of  boys who were so determined to win a case they formed a syndicate. They waited for a $1 spin and bought every single number on the wheel. Insisted they have a turn at spinning  the wheel and even managed to feign surprise when their number came up.

For those of you who are curious to find out more about Back O’Bourke Cola or perhaps even taste it, here are the all important details. I am reliably informed by my son that it even has its own Facebook page.

Splashe Back O’Bourke Cola
15 Tudor Street
Bourke, New South Wales, Australia 2840
Phone (02) 6872 2080
Website: www.splashe.com.au

Crutchers IGA Dubbo
95 Tamworth St Dubbo NSW 2830
(02) 6882 2800

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Summer on a Plate. Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken With Rosemary and Garlic.

Posted on November 17, 2012 by thepaddingtonfoodie

I love the gutsy, robust Mediterranean flavours of this dish. Delicious. Redolent of long, hot, hazy summer afternoons. It’s an impressive looking dish which I often cook for a crowd and serve on platters in the centre of the table. The chicken can be wrapped in prosciutto in advance. A quick sear on the stove top just before the guests arrive. Then into the oven for the flavours to work their magic.

Always use thigh fillets for a moist and tender result. Don’t be put off by the wrapping of the  chicken in prosciutto. It really is much easier than it sounds. Once I get into a rhythm its done in no more than 15 minutes and is well worth the effort. The twine helps keep the chicken nice and secure and is removed just before serving. I cut my lengths of twine to size in advance and tie them around the chicken as I would a parcel.

This recipe allows two prosciutto wrapped chicken thighs per person. I always cook more. For seconds and if I’m lucky perhaps a tasty lunch next day.

Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken with Rosemary and Garlic
Serves 6

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves stripped and finely chopped
12 free range boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of fat
12 thin slices prosciutto
Juice of 2 lemons
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

kitchen twine , cut into 12 15cm lengths

PREHEAT oven to 180 C.
COMBINE finely chopped garlic and rosemary in a small bowl.
LAY chicken thighs on work bench boned side up. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle generously with the garlic and rosemary mixture.
FOLD each thigh over to cover the seasoning and wrap in prosciutto.
SECURE with kitchen twine, as you would tie a parcel with string.
HEAT oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat.
WORKING in batches add the prosciutto wrapped chicken parcels and sear, turning occasionally, for 5 minutes until prosciutto is brown and crisp.
TRANSFER to a medium-sized baking dish. Drizzle chicken parcels with lemon juice and balsamic vinegar.
BAKE in 180 C oven for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Using kitchen scissors remove the twine and discard.
TRANSFER chicken to a serving platter. Spoon over pan juices.
SERVE with sautéed sweet potatoes and a green salad.

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My Fifteen Minute Meal? Lamb Stir Fry with Spring Garden Vegetables.

Posted on November 16, 2012 by thepaddingtonfoodie

I’m a big fan of Jamie Oliver. I love his energy. His style. His food philosophy. I don’t mean to be overly critical but the concept of a fifteen minute meal is seriously doing my head in. When I hear fifteen minutes I think fifteen minutes in the kitchen from whoa to go. My fifteen minutes starts from the minute I pull ingredients out of the pantry and refrigerator, prepare and cook them and finally place the finished dish on the table.

Last night I sat down in front of the television to watch Jamie Oliver’s 15 Minute Meals. The catch cry of this show draws me in. Every single time. To paraphrase it goes something like this. “We all love healthy and gorgeous, nutritious and delicious super fast food”.  I couldn’t agree more. It’s pure marketing genius. I spent fifteen minutes watching Jamie Oliver preparing a meal and multi tasking to the max. Marvelling at the beautifully prepared, precision cut ingredients. Admiring the beautifully styled kitchen. No chaos. No mishaps. No mess. No expletives. Eight minutes into the fifteen minute meal and the bench top is still sparkling clean. Not one greasy finger mark.

Do you know what went through my mind? Where is the pile of discarded utensils? The dirty bowls, pots and pans? The food splatter? The overflowing bin? I love the energy and speed of fifteen minute meals but wish I had a sous chef to do all the prep work and a kitchen fairy to wave a magic wand and clear the mess.

Here’s my fifteen minute meal. Lamb Stir Fry with Spring Garden Vegetables. Let’s clarify. Fifteen minutes after all the prep work is taken care of. What a pleasant, stress free way to cook. Washed rice steaming in the pot. Little bowls and plates of sliced and diced ingredients all lined up on the counter patiently waiting their turn in the wok. A sparkling kitchen as my daughter recruited to be my sous chef and kitchen hand turns her attention to the kitchen sink and overflowing bin.

I’m just looking at the photo of my stir fry as I edit this post. Probably not my finest effort. I struggle to take great photos at the best of times. Photography is definitely not my forte. The pressure of getting that plate cooked, photographed and to the table in fifteen minutes certainly shows.

Lamb Stir Fry with Spring Garden Vegetables.

2 t tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
500 g lamb back strap, very finely sliced
3 cm piece ginger, grated
1 long red chilli, minced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and sliced on the diagonal
100g snow peas, tailed and sliced on the diagonal
100 g green beans, tailed and sliced on the diagonal
½ capsicum sliced into strips
100 g button mushrooms,  sliced
½ bunch shallots, white and pale green parts only cut into 3 cm pieces
¼ cup tamari oyster sauce
1 tablespoon tamari soy sauce
2 tablespoons stock or water

To Serve
coriander leaves, picked
steamed jasmine rice

HEAT 1 teaspoon of oil in a very hot non-stick wok and stir fry lamb in three or four batches.  Remove from the wok and set aside.
LOWER the flame to medium. Add another teaspoon of oil. Stir fry the chilli garlic and ginger for about 30 seconds until fragrant.
ADD vegetables in the following order, stir frying for about a minute between each addition: mushrooms, beans, asparagus, snow peas,capsicum  and shallots.
RETURN the lamb to the wok and add the oyster sauce, soy sauce and 2 tablespoons water or stock.  Stir fry for another 2 -3 minutes.
TRANSFER to bowls. Garnish with picked coriander leaves.
SERVE immediately with steamed jasmine rice.

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La Dolce Vita. Baked Limoncello and Ricotta Cheesecake. Italian Style.

Posted on November 15, 2012 by thepaddingtonfoodie

This is possibly the easiest cheesecake you will ever bake. Its as light as air, creamy and refreshing. Not too sweet. Not too sour. Curiously,   the limoncello liqueur used to flavour the cake imparts all the zestiness and tang of lemon but none of its sourness. Using a combination of ricotta and cream cheese, the filling is whipped until its impossibly light and fluffy. Then baked in a hot water bath to prevent cracking.  This is a no nonsense, straight shooting Italian recipe. And it works like a dream.

I found this hand written recipe a few months ago tucked away in the sleeve of my bright orange Gretta Anna Cookbook. Remember Gretta Anna and her North Shore cookery classes in the early 1980’s. Now there’s a blast from the past. Unfortunately, I have no idea when or where or by whom I was handed this recipe. No inkling at all. I don’t even recognise the handwriting.  Its the relic of a long forgotten dinner party. Attached to the recipe is a post it note with a menu plan. If you are curious to know what I considered to be de rigueur in the mid 1980’s here’s what was written on that post it note.

Entrée: Fruit of the Sea Soup p 22.
Main: Lendenschnitten   p 85.
Dessert: Baked Limoncello and Ricotta Cheesecake. See attached.

Sounds pretentious. Not what I would serve up to my guests these days. What was I thinking? Of course I had to read the recipes.  How could I resist. A rare opportunity for my older wiser self to look back at my earliest attempts to entertain. Those days there were no digital cameras and certainly no social media to commit our every move to eternal cyberspace.

At a quick glance Fruit of the Sea Soup sounds alright. It uses beautiful, market fresh seafood- prawns, crab and oyster. And then right at the end of the recipe there it is. The clincher.  “Colour the soup pale pink with a little red, food colouring”. Ugh. Cochineal. We used to call it cockroach blood at school.

It turns out Lendenschnitten is not as exotic as it sounds. Its a fancy rather ugly name for individual Beef Wellington.  I wonder who I was out to impress? I do know Beef Wellington was considered the height of culinary mastery in the eighties. Perhaps I was covering my bases in case it didn’t work. It might look like Beef Wellington, smell like Beef Wellington and even taste like Beef Wellington. But no it isn’t Beef Wellington. Its Lendenschnitten.

The anonymous Limoncello Cheesecake recipe made me laugh out loud. I could just imagine an Italian Nona instructing her daughters and grand-daughters in the nuances of a perfect cheesecake. Here is that recipe and it really is delightful.

Baked Limoncello and Ricotta Cheesecake

Makes 24 small or 12 large squares.

For the base

250 g sweet biscuits, crushed into fine crumbs with a rolling pin
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon lemon zest, finely grated

For the filling

350 g ricotta
450 g cream cheese, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups caster sugar
1/2 cup limoncello
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 tablespoons lemon zest, finely grated
4 large eggs

fresh berries to serve

PREHEAT oven to 180 C. Line a large baking tin with baking paper. I use either a 25cm square or 20cm by 30cm rectangular tin.
COMBINE crushed biscuits, lemon zest and melted butter in a bowl.
PRESS  crumb evenly into the prepared baking tin.
BAKE for 15 minutes in 180 C oven until golden. Allow to cool.
PLACE ricotta in a large mixing bowl and beat until smooth.
ADD cream cheese and sugar and mix until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula every so often.
ADD limoncello, lemon zest and vanilla. Beat well.
ADD eggs one at a time without excessive beating to avoid removing the air. Beat until just incorporated, no longer.
POUR cheesecake filling over cooled base.
PLACE the baking tin in a large roasting pan and pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the smaller pan.
BAKE in a 180 C non fan-forced oven for about 45 minutes or until set with a slight wobble in the centre. Turn off the oven. Leave the cake in the oven for a further 15 minutes to prevent any unnecessary cracking from the change in air temperature as it is taken out of the oven.
COOL on a wire rack for about 1 hour and refrigerate for at least 1/2 day before serving.
SERVE cut into fingers or squares with fresh berries.

Posted in Baked, Sweet Treats, What I Love to Cook | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments