Afghan Biscuits

Hey folks! It’s been far too long between meals for us; looking after a small human doesn’t allow a lot of time for baking. However, now that Little Master Theo has decided to sleep a little more, I’ve been able to spend some long overdue time in the kitchen! I made these Afghan biscuits for Valentine’s day because nothing says “love” like butter, brown sugar and cornflakes. They have a high butter content which ensures a delicious melt-in-your-mouth consistency. Don’t be fooled by the name; these little morsels actually hail from New Zealand.

Ingredients: 250g butter (softened), ¾ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup cocoa, 1 2/3 cups plain flour, 2 ½ cups cornflakes & walnut halves. Icing: 1 ½ cups icing sugar, 2 tablespoons cocoa & 2 tablespoons hot water. Approx. 20 biscuits.

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Line two baking trays with baking paper.
2. Beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add cocoa and flour. Beat on low speed until combined. Stir in cornflakes (slightly crushed – I just used my hands).
3. Roll tablespoons of mixture into balls and place on baking trays. Make sure you don’t crowd the tray as they will spread.
4. Cook for 16-18 minutes or until just firm to touch. Allow to cool completely.
5. Icing: sift cocoa and icing sugar into a bowl. Add water and stir until smooth. You can always add extra icing sugar if the mixture is too runny or vice versa.
6. Spoon icing onto biscuits and top with a walnut halve. Allow to set for an hour before eating.

Enjoy! More baking soon!

Bri xx

One tray chicken bake

This meal comes together in no time, with minimal effort for maximal reward. The tomatoes become super sweet as they collapse and roast,  perfectly complimenting the bacon and smoky chicken. I served with cous cous and green beans but you could use potatoes or pasta.

Ingredients: 500g assorted cherry tomatoes, 6 cloves of garlic, 4 chicken breasts, fresh or dried oregano, ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, olive oil, 4 streaky bacon rashers, 1 lemon, 1 red onion, a few sprigs of rosemary, large handful of green beans and cous cous.

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Halve the cherry tomatoes, squash the garlic cloves and add to a roasting tray.
2. Place the chicken breasts on top, sprinkle with paprika, oregano + salt and pepper.
3. Lay one bacon rasher on top of each chicken breast. Quarter lemon and red onion and place on roasting tray. Scatter some rosemary leaves and drizzle everything with olive oil.
4. Roast for 25-30 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.

Enjoy!

Bri xx

Soba noodle soup with chicken, shiitake mushrooms and bok choy

There are some dishes which you just know are doing good things for your insides. This is one of them. I loosely followed a recipe but it’s quite easy to adapt, certainly any green veggies work well. I took the easy option and used shredded roast chicken but you could easily cook chicken thighs in the stock and shred yourself. Another option is to make it vegetarian and add firm, diced tofu. There are many possibilities and they’re all delicious and nutritious!

Ingredients: 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, 2 cloves of garlic (minced), 1 inch fresh ginger (minced), 2 inches fresh lemongrass (cut in half and bruised), 1.5L vegetable or chicken stock, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar, 2 pre-cooked chicken breast shredded, handful of shiitake mushrooms, large handful of snow peas, 1 large bok choy, 2 packets soba noodles, 2 spring onions diced & a large handful of coriander chopped.

This served 4 happy customers.

Method:

1. Head oil in a heavy based saucepan/Dutch oven, add garlic, ginger and lemongrass and cook until fragrant. Add stock, soy sauce, vinegar and bring to the boil.
2. Add shiitakes and bok choy stems to soup and cook for ~15 minutes.
3. Add chicken, snow peas and bok choy leaves to the soup. Taste and add extra soy or vinegar if necessary.
4. Cook the noodles as per the packet directions. Portion into each each serving bowl.
5. Pour over ladles of soup and veggies and garnish with spring onions and coriander to serve.

Enjoy!

Bri xx

Key Lime Pie

My brother-in-law loves this American classic dessert, so I decided to give it a go (with Mum off-siding) for his birthday. It manages to be both sweet and tart with a lovely silky texture and a crunchy biscuit base. You can make it with a meringue topping but I decided to keep it simple and just serve with whipped cream. Fun fact – it is the official state pie of Florida.

Ingredients: 250g digestive biscuits, 80g unsalted butter, 5 egg yolks, 1 can sweetened condensed milk, 150mL lime juice, rind of 3 limes, 3 egg whites and cream to serve.

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius. Grease 23cm loose-bottomed tart pan.
2. Blend biscuits to a fine crumb in a food processor and combine with melted butter in a bowl. Press into the sides of the greased pan. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.
3. Beat the egg yolks with a whisk until thick, then stir in the condensed milk. Add the lime juice and rind.
4. Using a clean whisk, whip the egg whites until stiff. Fold into the lime mixture.
5. Pour into the tart pan and bake for 20-25 minutes.
6. Allow to cool before serving (I refrigerated it overnight). Serve with whipped fresh cream.

Enjoy! xx

Beer Damper

 

One of life’s simple pleasures is a warm slice of damper, laden with butter and golden syrup. Perfect for a cold winter’s morning.

Following a quick phone call to the damper Queen (Nana Jaques) to confirm the recipe, my Mum and I whipped up the dough in a matter of minutes. We only had a Corona on hand, which certainly did the job, but I’m sure a XXXX Gold would have usually been the beer of choice.

It really is so simple, yet so rewarding.

Ingredients: 3 cups self-raising flour, 3 tablespoons castor sugar, 1 can ‘stubby’ of beer, pinch of salt & ¼ cup melted butter.

 Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
2. Place the flour, castor sugar and salt in a bowl. Make a well in the middle and pour the beer into the well.
3. Use a knife to combine the ingredients together. Or simply use your hands. Only lightly knead to form the dough.
4. Turn out onto a floured surface and shape. Place on a baking tray, cut a few slits in the top and brush with melted butter.
5. Cook in the preheated oven for ~25 minutes.
6. Enjoy warm with butter and your choice of jam, honey or golden syrup!

Zucchini, corned beef and pea fritters

On a recent trip to Rocky, I spied leftover corned beef in the fridge and had the idea to make something I remember fondly from my childhood: corned beef fritters. This recipe can easily be adapted to whatever leftover roast or lunch meat you have in the fridge. These crispy golden treats are delicious whether served hot out of the pan, or cold for lunch the next day. Keeping with the old school favourites, we served them with a tomato, cucumber and onion salad and a tomato relish.

Ingredients: 1 medium zucchini (grated), 1 onion finely chopped, 1 cup peas, 4 slices of corned beef cut into ~1cm squares, 2 eggs, 40mL milk, handful of grated parmesan, handful of chopped parsley, 100g flour, 1 teaspoon baking power, salt and pepper.

Method:

1. Mix together the zucchini, peas, corned beef, onion, Parmesan and parsley.
2. Beat the eggs with the milk, add the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper. Mix well and add to the vegetable and meat batter.
3. Heat a large frying pan on medium heat and add a glug of oil. Ladle batter into the pan and cook for approximately 3-4 minutes on each side until golden.

 

Enjoy! Bri xx

Blueberry and Ricotta Cake

A couple of weeks ago I happily volunteered to bake a cake for my BFF’s birthday. Given she’s a chocolate lover, I would usually have gone for something a little more decadent, however, with a foodie weekend in Sydney on the cards, I opted for something a little lighter. This cake is easy to whip together and has a lovely crumb. I served it quite simply with fresh figs and thick Greek yoghurt.

Ingredients: 1 ½ cups plain flour, 1 cup castor sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ¾ teaspoon salt, 3 large eggs, 1 ½ cups ricotta, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ cup unsalted butter (melted), 1 cup of frozen blueberries.

NB. You could easily substitute raspberries or mixed berries.

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Line a 9” pan with baking paper and lightly spray with non-stick oil (I used a springform cake pan).
2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
3. Whisk together eggs, ricotta and vanilla; gently fold into dry ingredients.
4. Fold in butter and gently combine ¾ cup of berries.
5. Pour into prepared tin and top with the remaining ¼ cup of blueberries.
6. Bake for ~60 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. Let cool for 20 minutes before removing from pan.

 

Enjoy! Bri xx

 

Banana, coconut and walnut muffins

Last weekend, I spied 3 slightly blackened bananas in our fruit bowl. A quick internet search for “healthy banana muffins” came up with the little gem of a recipe below from a website called “Cookie + Kate”. I added coconut and walnuts to the original recipe for extra crunch and flavour. An added bonus was that I was able to use the coconut oil I’ve had sitting in my pantry for quite some time! If you don’t have any, olive oil or vegetable oil would work just as well.

The muffins were lovely and moist with a strong banana flavour. They make a perfect morning or afternoon tea snack. I popped half in the freezer to save for a rainy day.

Ingredients: 1/3 cup melted coconut oil, ½ cup honey, 2 eggs, 3 medium sized bananas mashed, ¼ cup of milk, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 ¾ cups of plain flour, ½ cup chopped walnuts and 2 tablespoons desiccated coconut.

NB. The recipe called for whole meal flour, but I didn’t have any on hand so just used regular, plain flour.

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 165 degrees Celsius and add muffin cups to tray.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the oil and honey. Mix in the eggs, followed by the banana and milk.
3. Add the baking soda, vanilla, salt and cinnamon and whisk to blend.
4. Stir in the flour, walnuts and desiccated coconut with a spoon, remembering not to over-mix, otherwise your muffins will be too dense.
5. Spoon the mixture into the muffin tins (mine only made 9!). Dust with some extra cinnamon.
6. Bake for 40 minutes in a low oven, or until a skewer comes out clean. The original recipe said to cook for 25 minutes, but mine definitely needed longer. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Enjoy!

Bri xx

Prawn, pea and lemon risotto

I saw this made on a cooking show, Gino’s Italian Escape, and immediately wanted to make it. The simple combination of lemon and prawns is just superb. I added peas to the original recipe as I’m a little pea obsessed and I like the extra splash of green.

I have to own up to the fact, my final photo is actually from the cooking show as I slipped up and forgot to take a shot of the final product! Trust me it looked almost as good, but unfortunately wasn’t cooked in the volcanic hills of Sicily. I hope you enjoy it as much as my family did.

Ingredients: (serves 4) olive oil, 2 eschallots finely diced, 375g Arborio rice, 300ml dry white wine, 1 litre hot vegetable stock, zest and juice of two lemons, handful of chopped flat-leaf parsley, 60g mascarpone cheese, ½ cup of peas, 16 raw king prawns peeled.

Method:

1. Heat a glug of oil in a large saucepan over medium head. Add the eschallots and gently cook until softened. Add the rice and stir until the gains are all coated.
2. Add in the wine and cook until evaporated. Add a couple of ladles of stock, stirring and wait for it to absorb before adding more. Continue this until the rice is cooked. It should take around 18 minutes.
3. When the rice is almost ready, add the peas to the pan and stir through.
4. When happy the rice is cooked (creamy but still al dente), remove from the heat. Add the lemon zest, juice from 1 ½ lemons, parsley and mascarpone. Season with salt and pepper and stir until creamy. Cover with foil until the prawns are cooked.
5. Cook the prawns in olive oil, making sure to season with salt and pepper and add the remaining lemon juice.
6. To serve, spoon the risotto onto a plate or bowl, top with 4 prawns and drizzle over the juices from the pan the prawns were cooked in.

Enjoy! xx

Fresh and tasty Easter cooking

For our Good Friday seafood extravaganza, I was in charge of two dishes: a watermelon salad (Dad had kindly been gifted 2 huge watermelons from a friend’s property) and a scallop dish. My mind immediately wandered to a watermelon and halloumi salad, as the sweet fruit combined with the saltiness of the cheese is the perfect combination. The herbs give it a lovely freshness, while the beans and pine nuts add a satisfying crunch.

For the scallops, I decided to serve them simply on a pea puree. The pea puree couldn’t be simpler. The key is to taste as you go to get the perfect flavour. I cooked the scallops for about 30 seconds each side in a combination of butter and olive oil.

We had this as part of a bigger lunch with fish and prawns, but it could easily be served on it’s own with a crunchy loaf of bread and a glass of wine.

Watermelon and halloumi salad

Ingredients: 1 block of halloumi (thinly sliced), ½ watermelon (cut into triangles), large handful of green beans, pine nuts (toasted), bunch of mint and dill, 1 tablespoon olive oil and lemon.

Method:

1. Blanch the beans in boiling water and set aside in an ice bath to stop the cooking.
2. Toss the watermelon, beans, pine nuts and herbs together with the juice of half a lemon, olive oil and salt and pepper. Layer on a large serving plate.
3. Pan-fry the halloumi until golden on each side and starting to melt. I like to add a little bit of lemon juice to the pan.
4. Layer the halloumi over the salad. Add a little extra oil if necessary.

 

Pea puree

Ingredients: ½ pack of frozen peas, 2 tablespoons crème fraîche, small handful of dill and mint, juice of one lemon, salt and pepper.

Method:

1. Place frozen peas in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Once soft, drain liquid and allow to cool.
2. Place all ingredients in a food processor and whiz, it doesn’t have to be super smooth. Taste and add extra seasoning in the way of herbs, salt or lemon as desired.
3. Spread on a serving place and top with golden scallops.

Enjoy. xx