Crumbed Brie with a Cauliflower Dipping Sauce

Ingredients

1 piece of brie, about 350g for two people
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 handful of flour
1/2 cup of fresh breadcrumbs
1 cup of cauliflower pieces
1/2 cup of milk
knob of butter
sea salt
cracked white pepper
fresh chives
oil for deep frying

Method

Put the cauliflower in a small saucepan and add a good splash of milk, the butter, salt and pepper. Simmer until tender then puree until smooth.
Heat the oil for deep frying.
Cut the brie into small pieces and roll in the flour, dip in the egg then roll in the breadcrumbs.
Fry the brie for a few minutes until golden then drain on paper towels.
Garnish the cauliflower sauce with chives.

Rockmelon and Mint Smoothie

This is a really yummy breakfast smoothie, really quick and easy. I made this one with rockmelon and honeydew melon but the rockmelon and mint really go together.

Ingredients

1/2 a rockmelon, seeded and peeled
the juice of 1 orange
7-8 mint leaves
3/4 cup of ice

Method

Place the ingredients in a blender and blend for 1 minute or until smooth. Enjoy!

Raspberry Soufflé

For one of my 2008 food goals I've been trialing recipes and learning about soufflés. I've been mainly focusing on sweet soufflés which consist of beaten egg whites for the light, airy texture and either a creme patissiere or a fruit puree for flavour.

This raspberry soufflé is light and moussey and not too sweet.

Ingredients

250ml raspberry puree
60g caster sugar
2 teaspoons cornflour
water

5 egg whites
pinch of salt
50g caster sugar
melted butter, to brush the ramekins
caster sugar, to dust the ramekins

Method

Place the fruit puree and sugar in a saucepan on a medium heat. Mix the cornflour with a little water to make a paste. Once the fruit has boiled turn off the heat and whisk in the cornflour. Cool to room temperature.
Preheat oven to 180°.
Beat the egg whites and salt in a large mixing bowl and slowly add the sugar until firm peaks form. Fold in a little of the fruit puree to loosen the mix then fold in the rest.
Brush the ramekin dishes with butter making sure that the brush strokes go upwards to encourage the soufflé to rise and sprinkle in a little caster sugar turning the ramekin to coat the sides. Spoon the mixture into the ramekins being careful not to get any on the sides and smooth over the top.
Bake for 12 - 14 minutes and serve with fresh raspberries.

Dolma

Stuffed Cabbage Leaves

This is a delicious recipe for little packages of minced meat, rice, onion and herbs wrapped in cabbage leaves.

Ingredients

1 medium cabbage
2 onions, diced
2 cups of tomato puree
1 cup of rice
500g minced beef
dill, finely chopped
parsley, finely chopped
sea salt and cracked pepper
1/2 cup of olive oil

Method

Wash the cabbage and carefully separate each leaf. In a large saucepan boil water and add the cabbage for a few minutes until tender but not soggy. Drain and carefully remove the hard stem from each leaf. Place all the other ingredients in a bowl except the tomato and olive oil and mix them together. Place a tablespoon of mixture in each leaf and wrap tightly to make a little parcel. Place a few of the outer leaves of the cabbage in a large saucepan and place the stuffed ones on top. Pour over warm water, tomato puree and olive oil and cover with a lid. Simmer at a low heat for 1 - 1 1/2 hours until the rice is cooked.

Cinnamon Raisin Bread

This recipe is from Peter Reinhart's The Bread Baker Apprentice
This is the original recipe but I changed it a bit to suit my taste.

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups unbleached bread flour
4 teaspoons sugar
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (I added a pinch of cardamon, ginger and cloves as well)
1 large egg
2 tablespoons shortening (I used 2 1/2 tbs butter at room temperature)
1/2 cup buttermilk or whole milk (I used buttermilk)
3/4 cup water at room temperature
1 1/2 cups of raisins (I used raisins, currants, sultanas and candied peel)
1 cup chopped walnuts (I left these out)

For the cinnamon sugar

1/2 cup sugar (I used a 1/3)
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Method

Stir the flour, sugar, yeast, salt and cinnamon together. Add the egg, butter, milk and water and combine. Turn out onto a floured counter and kneed until the dough is smooth and elastic (at least 10 minutes, but 20 is good). Add the fruit and nuts and kneed for a few more minutes to combine so the fruit is spread evenly through the dough. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a tea towel and rest for 1 1/2 - 2 hours until doubled in size.

For the swirl

Divide the dough into two equal pieces and press each one into a rectangle shape with your hands. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar all over one side and tightly roll into a loaf shape. Place into a lightly buttered loaf tin, seam side down. Lightly spray with olive oil spray and cover with a tea towel or muslin and rest for another hour.

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Place the loaf in the oven for 20 minutes and then rotate the tin and bake for another 20 - 30 minutes. It is ready when it is golden brown and has a hollow sound when you knock on it. Take out of the tin, sprinkle with any leftover cinnamon sugar and leave to cool.

Butter

Homemade butter is so easy to make yourself and it's really worth the effort. Its silky and creamy and more delicate than butter from the shop.

Ingredients

500ml cream
cold water
large pinch of fine sea salt

Method

I use raw (unpasteurized) organic cream and its best if its about 4 days old. Really fresh cream doesn't split very well and is harder to make into butter.


There are many ways you can whip the cream, you can use a blender, food processor or even a jar with a lid. I use a Thermomix which is like a blender. Basically you have to agitate the cream until it splits, which will take 1 - 4 minutes in a blender or up to half an hour in a jar (shaken). Whip the cream at a low to medium speed past the stage of stiffly whipped cream, then it will go lumpy and you know its almost ready. As soon as you notice a decent amount of liquid in the bottom of the bowl (more than a tablespoon) stop whipping. How much liquid comes out is different every time. Drain off the butter milk for use in pancakes or muffins or in my case spicy fruit bread.


Then you need to rinse your butter. Add cold water (2 or 3 cups) and blend for about 10 seconds on a medium speed. Pour off the water and repeat 3 or 4 times until the water is clear. It is important to rinse it really well otherwise your butter wont stay fresh very long.



Once your butter is rinsed drain off all the water and place in a clean bowl. Press the excess water out with a fork, spatula or potato masher, whatever works best for you. I find a fork easier and if it gets too soft I put it in the fridge for half an hour to firm up. Add the salt and keep pressing the water out. The salt will help to draw the water out. Get as much water out as you can as this will also effect how long the butter will stay fresh.


As you work the butter it will become glossy and smooth. Place in a butter dish and keep in the fridge.

Rillons

Rillons (pronounced ree-yons) are a delicious French snack of pork belly that has been slow cooked in rendered fat and herbs until tender. It is then put in to jars with the fat and sealed. Done correctly the rillons will keep for months in a cool dark place. Rillons are a rustic, peasant recipe for preserving meat, which was essential before people had freezers. The French eat them cold with bread but I ate them still warm from the oven dipped in the pan juices. They're really tasty and very simple to make.

Ingredients

500g of pork belly
3 tablespoons of lard
3 cloves of garlic, smashed, skin on
2 sprigs of thyme
1 bay leaf
sea salt and pepper
1/3 cup of water
red wine

Method

Preheat oven to 200°.
Cut the pork belly into large chunks leaving the skin on. Heat the lard in a frying pan, dip the skin of the pork belly in salt and place in the pan skin side down. Cook on a high heat on all sides until well browned. Place the pork in an oven proof dish and add the garlic, thyme, bayleaf, salt and pepper, a good splash of wine, water and the pan juices.
Cook in the oven for half an hour checking that it doesnt dry out or stick to the dish. Turn the oven down to 160° and cook for a further 1 1/2 hours.