Sunday sweets – Meringue maple nut cookies

March 7th, 2010

This recipe is so simple it’s nutty (oh boy). You just need make sure you prepare your ingredients right and in no time you’ll be enjoying the sweet crunch and slight chewy-ness of these delicious cookies.

meringuenutcookies

Number 1- when whipping egg whites, it is important that everything you’re using is clean.

Number 2 – things will work out much easier if your egg whites are at room temperature.

Number 3 – apparently it is the amount of sugar in meringues that makes them chewy or hard (plus baking times). Less sugar means chewier meringue- like on cakes. You can play with the amounts a little, just know that it may change the outcome considerably.

This is a pretty versatile recipe. So feel free to substitute and kind of nuts you have on hand.

  • 3 egg whites
  • 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
  • 3/4 c sugar
  • 4 Tbsp ground hazelnuts (or almonds etc)
  • 2/3 c coarsely chopped hazelnuts
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/2 tsp maple syrup (optional- you could use cinnamon or vanilla instead)

Preheat the oven to 140ºC (275ºF) and line 2 baking trays with baking paper.

Whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form, add the sugar slowly to the whites while whipping. Beat them another few minutes after all the sugar is added then take a little bit between your fingers and rub the mix feeling for sugar grit. If it’s smooth then you’re ready to add the maple syrup and fold in the salt and nuts with a spoon – gently.

Drop spoonfuls onto a baking sheet and bake for 25 – 30 minutes. Turn the oven off and leave them inside for an hour or so. Store in an airtight container for 5 days to a week. Makes 2 dozen.

These are also perfect for using in our berry meringue smash recipe.

Evening baking alternative:

Sometimes these are called Easter cookies and while the ingredients are the same, just the baking differs. You put the cookies in a 150ºC (300°F) oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF. Leave them in the oven overnight- and in the morning they should be ready – crisp on the outside, light and airy on the inside. If they are a little marshmallowy or chewy on the inside in the morning and you don’t like that, just let them dry out for a few more hours.

Song for this recipe: “Falling away” – Big Scary

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In Season for March

March 3rd, 2010

What’s good to eat fresh and in-season this month? Remembering the best way to save money and taste the best produce is by eating in season. The food doesn’t come from as far in the truck, it’s better for the environment and better for you. Plus you support local farmers, local stores and your community, love that.

Northern Hemisphere

So now the citrus is really going to be perfect. Go for blood oranges, grapefruits, oranges, ugli fruit and limes. Kiwifruit and pineapple are great now too.

Ugli fruit is actually a jamaican tangello, it’s a hybrid between a grapefruit and a tangerine. It’s name comes from the fact that the skin usually looks really unsightly. It has rough, wrinkled, greenish-yellow skin, wrapped loosely around the orange pulpy citrus inside. The light green surface blemishes turn orange when the fruit is at its peak ripeness. But don’t be fooled this combination of fruits is really tasty, less seeds than tangerine and no bitterness like grapefruit.

uglifruit

Kale, asparagus, avocado, leeks, potatoes and rutabaga are all in season in March. How about leek and potato soup tonight!?! Try cauliflower and broccoli, particularly the purple sprouting broccoli at the moment.

purplebroccoli

Nice fish right now are cod, hake, john dory and lemon sole. Use them instead of tilapia in our great Chinese fish recipe.

Down South (hemisphere)

In the south right now the leaves are just starting to turn. This means it’s the perfect time for Mushrooms! Also most nuts (especially pistachios), persimmons, avocado, pomegranate and plums. Apples (Gravenstein, Granny Smith, Golden Delicous and Jonathan in particular), cumquats, figs, feijoas, grapes and pears will all be delicious now.

There are literally thousands of varieties of mushrooms and a great many are edible. They grow in dark, damp places and feed on rotting, decomposing organic matter, and should be collected in autumn, preferably after some rain. They store well for a few days in a paper bag in the fridge, never in plastic, but are at their best eaten on the day they’re picked. Slice them and panfry in a little butter, bake them, stuff them or eat them raw in a salad.

Persimmons are a really delicious fruit. Unfortunately lots of people try to eat them a little to unripe, when they’re still too firm and bitter. Some fruits are fine to eat this way, but really persimmons need to be eaten really nice and soft, the flavor is unlike anything else and you will be quickly hooked.

persimmons1

Corn, normal and sweet potato, onions, celery, tomatoes, capsicum and bok choy are all great veggies in season for the beginning of Autumn. Eat fresh and enjoy!

March music!

  • “Bicycle” – Memory Tapes
  • “When you walk in the room” – Fyfe Dangerfield
  • “With no one” – John Frusciante

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Sunday sweets – Sour cream coffee cake

February 28th, 2010

Often when we finish dinner and the sweet craving kicks in- we’ll bake something specially for our taste for right then! This weekend- with limited ingredients, Beans decided to try something new and stray from our usual coffee cake recipe to try one that uses sour cream (which we had a lot of and we know goes great in cakes). Turns out this cake is AMAZING! Just the right sweetness, density, a great nutty crunch in the middle and more than enough to share.

coffeecake

For the cake

  • 3 1/2 c plain flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 140g (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 3/4 c sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 3/4 cups sour cream

For the filling

  • 1/2 cup firmly packed light-brown sugar
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 3 tsp all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

First prepare the filling in a small bowl, combine brown sugar, cinnamon, flour, and pecans and then set aside.

Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350ºF). Grease a bundt pan and set aside.

Into a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside. In another bowl cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down sides of the bowl.

Add the flour mixture, alternating with sour cream mixing until just combined. Spoon about a third of the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle evenly with half the cinnamon filling. Top with another third of batter- smoothing it pretty evenly. Then sprinkle the rest of the cinnamon filling and then the remaining batter.

Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 45 to 60 minutes- depending on you oven. Let cake cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes, then turn the cake out onto a rack to cool completely. Make some coffee and pig out!

Adapted from Martha Stewart (less sugar- more crunch)

Song for this recipe: “Afternoon delight” – Starland Vocal Band Starland Vocal Band - Starland Vocal Band - Afternoon Delight

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Mexican salad

February 24th, 2010

Continuing on our theme of international salads, this wonderful Mexican style salad is really delicious as a side to maybe chicken and tortillas. We eat it as a meal and it is honestly the most perfect combination of flavors for a salad ever! And so healthy!

mexicansalad

  • 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 can garbanzo beans, drained
  • 2 c corn kernels (frozen or tinned)
  • 2 spring onions, diced
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
  • 1 red capsicum/bell pepper, diced
  • 3 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
  • 2 tomatoes, diced
  • 1 avocado, chopped
  • 1/3 c olive oil
  • 1/3 c fresh lime juice
  • 1/2 tsp honey
  • salt and ground black pepper to taste

Mix the oil, lime juice, honey and salt and pepper together in a little jar or bowl. Add all the other ingredients to a big bowl and toss with the dressing. Let the salad sit for a little while – an hour or so if you have time, for the flavors to develop.

Song for this recipe: “Mexican Mavis” – Boy & Bear Boy & Bear - Mexican Mavis - Mexican Mavis

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Sunday sweets – Orange almond tuiles

February 21st, 2010

Tuiles is tile in French which is what these crispy almond cookies look like. They are a really special sweet treat because of their delicate flavor, wonderful crunch and lovely shape.

tuile

  • 1/3 c plain flour
  • 1/2 c powdered sugar (icing/confectioners sugar)
  • 1/2 c slivered almonds
  • 2 egg whites
  • 1 tsp grated orange zest (you can substitute any citrus here)
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 200ºC (400ºF) and grease or line a baking tray.

This recipe is greatly enhanced if you lightly toast your almonds first. (In a pan on in the oven.)

Sift the flour and sugar together and mix in the almonds. Add the egg whites to the flour and stir to combine (this seems a strange order- but it works!) Add the orange zest and the melted butter.

Spoon walnut size scoops of dough onto the baking tray about 2 or 3 inches apart and flatten with a fork just a little. Bake for 5 or 6 minutes, until the edges are golden brown. Remove from the oven and with tough fingers shape each warm cookie over a rolling pin and gently let them cool on a rack.

Makes about 16-18

Song for this recipe: ‘Les Hiboux’- Charles Aznavour, Edith Piaf Edith Piaf - The Very Best of Edith Piaf - Les Hiboux

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Fattoush

February 18th, 2010

One of my favorite salads of all time is fattoush, Lebanese bread salad. On a hot day when you don’t feel like a massive meal, fattoush is most definitely the answer. I first had it at Mecca Bah in Manuka, where they make theirs with large chunks of bread instead of the traditional pita. I think we just ordered it because my friend Kit and I enjoyed saying it so much, but it quickly became a favorite.

fattoush

Fattoush

  • 2 ripe tomatoes
  • 2 Lebanese cucumbers
  • 2 radish, thinly sliced
  • 1 shallot, thinly sliced
  • 1 c flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 c mint, roughly chopped
  • 2 pita breads
  • Extra virgin olive oil for frying

Dressing

  • 1 clove garlic, very finely chopped
  • 2 tsp fresh sumac (a red spice, you should find it in the grocery store)
  • 2 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Wash the tomatoes and cucumber and chop into rough cubes. Mix together in a large bowl and add the sliced shallot, and the herbs. Season with a little sea salt and set aside.

To make the dressing add all the ingredients together in a jar and shake it up. Pour about half over the salad.

Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Cut the pitas into quarters and then pop into the pan, in batches, turning, for 1 to 2 minutes or until crisp and lightly golden. Once all the bread is fried, blot the excess oil with paper towel and break the bread into smaller pieces while adding to the salad.

Toss the whole thing and add more dressing if desired.

Song for this recipe: ‘Bird stealing bread’ – Iron and wine Iron & Wine - The Creek Drank the Cradle - Bird Stealing Bread

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Beet, avocado and spinach salad with goat cheese

February 14th, 2010

This has become a fairly common combination- beets and goat cheese, but rightly so, when you try it you realise that it makes perfect sense. The flavors and textures go just right. In this salad avocado also makes a great addition, if you’re in a cool country at the moment, keep your beets warm, otherwise refrigerate them for refreshment.

beetavogoatsalad

  • 1 bunch beetroot
  • 250g (8.8oz) spinach
  • 1 avocado
  • 75 g (3 oz) goats cheese, crumbled
  • 1 Tbs walnut oil or extra virgin olive if you don’t have walnut
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 small red onion, minced
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • splash red wine vinegar
  • salt

Wash beetroot and cut off the leaves. Throw out any bruised or yellow leaves and soak remaining leaves in a basin of cold water with the spinach. Steam the beetroot until they can be pierced easily with a skewer, then gently rub off the skins with your fingers. (Our clever friend Sar uses dishwashing gloves for this messy task).

Slice the beetroot thickly and put into a bowl. While the beetroot is still warm, sprinkle half the walnut oil over top and add a little pepper.

Sauté the onion in olive oil in a small pan for 2 minutes and place over the beetroot. Shake over red wine vinegar and taste for salt and sharpness.

Gently dry the salad leaves and arrange on a flat platter. Peel and slice avocado and arrange amongst greens. Combine beetroot gently and quickly tumble over leaves with all the juices. Finally sprinkle with large crumbs of goats cheese and serve.

This salad is wonderful alone, but makes a perfect side for lamb also.

Recipe adapted from The Cook’s Companion by Stephanie Alexander

Song for this recipe: ‘Beat Street ‘- Grandmaster Flash Grandmaster Melle-Mel & The Furious Five - Grandmaster Flash, Grandmaster Melle-Mel & The Furious Five: The Greatest Hits - Beat Street

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Valentine’s vanilla cookies

February 11th, 2010

Before we get back to salads of the world – we have to make treats for the hallmark holiday, a perfect Sunday sweet. This recipe is brilliant, from ingredients to crisp cookies within half an hour, put the kettle on now…

valcookies1

For a special Valentine gift this year why not make some personalized valentine cookies instead of cards? Just make these cookies and then pipe icing messages onto them! We aren’t huge into Valentine’s day but you can’t really escape it. So if you’re feeling like treating your loved one or better yet- yourself- go ahead and make these little beauties.

  • 90g (3 oz) butter
  • 1/2 c confectioners sugar (icing/powdered sugar)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 c plain flour (all- purpose)
  • 1 egg

Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350ºF) and line or grease 2 baking trays.

Combine the butter, sugar and vanilla, beating until pale and creamy. Then add the egg and beat again. Add the flour and your mix should form a smooth dough.

Take it from the bowl and refrigerate for just 10 – 20 minutes, then roll out the dough (1/2cm or 1/4in) and cut cookies with any shape cutter you like. Obviously hearts are obvious… ha.

cookiecutouts1

Once you’ve cut out all the dough, pop them onto the baking sheet and into the oven for 10 minutes. We made pretty small ones, bite size, but if you make them bigger just cook for another couple minutes- not long. They should hardly have turned colour at all.

This made about 35 small, thin cookies for us, so double the batch if you’re making BIG hearts this year! These cookies are crisp and sweet, very smooth and durable for decorating so go wild! (We ate most of ours before we could decorate them.)

Here’s a good simple icing recipe for easy piping/writing.

Decorator frosting

  • 80 g (2.8 oz) butter
  • 2 c confectioners sugar (powdered/icing sugar)
  • 1 Tbsp water
  • 1/2 tsp flavoring (vanilla extract, lemon, peppermint, coconut, etc)
  • a drop or two of food colouring if you like

Beat the butter and half the sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy, then add the water, flavoring and colour and beat again while slowly adding the rest of the sugar until the mixture is creamy.

Pipe onto cookies using a piping bag or cut a tiny tip off a zip-loc bag and squeeze the icing through there onto the cookies.

You could also try our Valentine’s vanilla CUPCAKES from last year. XOX

PS It was suggested that this year we choose a classic song to bake/cook to. We do have a pretty big boontah collection, this recipe’s song though? Kiss from a Rose – Seal (serious) Seal - Seal: Best 1991-2004 - Kiss from a Rose

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Salads

February 9th, 2010

While researching some cultural salads for a friends party, we found so many delicious salad recipes from around the world. (You have to dress up as if you’re native to your dish’s country- I love it!) We are going to have a salad special and feature a few of our new favorites! Salads are wonderful because you can make the most of seasonal veggies and fruits, which means the whole thing is extra fresh and flavorful. Healthy and easy to make, low in calories and pretty- what’s not to love?

zucchinibeantom

Grilled zucchini, tomato and bean salad with basil dressing

  • 250g (8-9 oz) cannellini or haricot beans (or 1 tin) or use dried beans and soak them overnight
  • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 zucchini/courgettes, cut into ribbons (pretty thin)
  • a small punnet of cherry tomatoes, cut in half
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

dressing:

  • 1 bunch of basil leaves
  • 1/2 garlic clove, crushed
  • a pinch of salt
  • 100ml (6 Tbs) olive oil

Drain the beans, pop them in a large bowl and toss with a spoonful of olive oil.

Toss the zucchini with the remaining olive oil and grill on a ridged griddle pan, or under a hot grill, until tender and lightly charred. The barbecue also works great for these.

For the dressing, put all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and whiz until smooth. Or we use a mortar and pestle and grind the ingredients until not quite smooth.

Gently mix the beans, tomatoes and zucchini together in a large bowl and add enough basil dressing to coat. Taste and adjust seasoning and serve with some dark rye bread.

Recipe by: Jane Baxter of the Riverford Farms kitchen

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Scones

February 4th, 2010

I always like to make breakfast for my sisters and this is our favorite (after a hot fry up maybe). Devonshire tea is easy to get in Australia, scones with jam and cream and a cuppa, but it’s so simple to make your own. Scone recipes are different in different places, but real scones- English scones, are really easy to make and they make the most lovely breakfast (/afternoon tea) imaginable.

scones

(Kelly’s batch! Nice work Poots)

  • 2 c self raising flour (you can add 2 tsp of baking soda to plain flour if you don’t have self raising)
  • 60g (2oz) cold butter
  • pinch of salt
  • 3/4 c milk
  • Whipped or clotted cream and jam to serve

Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350ºF)

Place the flour and salt into a bowl. Cut the butter into small chunks and then rub it into the flour with your fingertips- this sounds like it might be time consuming, but it really isn’t. Rub until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs and then add the milk. Mix until you make a firm dough and then knead a little to smooth the wrinkles out.

Roll out the dough on a floured surface to about 3cm thick (about an inch) then with a scone cutter- or a small glass or cup (about 6 or 7cm diameter that’s 2.5 in), cut out as many circles as you can, then roll the dough into a ball and repeat until all the dough is gone. Place these onto a greased baking tray and pop in the oven for about 12-15 min, until they have risen and just started to turn gold.

I’m afraid you must eat these with jam and cream. You may use any kind of jam/jelly you like, and I don’t eat cream on any other occasion, but jam goes first then cream and we highly recommend a strong black tea to go with them.

PS Lemonade scones are very popular right now- we think that it’s a tiny bit sacrilegious, but if you’re keen on a sweet scone, just substitute lemonade for the milk. Let us know…

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