Author: Ken

With so many alternatives for Christmas desserts in Australia, the traditional Christmas pudding has less appeal than it used to, with probably sticky date pudding edging its rival out in terms of popularity.

There are possibly a number of reasons for this including the fact that sticky date is cheaper and easier to prepare. I think that consuming any hot dessert on a steamy Australian Christmas day can be a little daunting and Christmas pudding is somewhat heavier than sticky date.

Nevertheless, Christmas pudding will normally appear at Christmas time in most households with the leftovers being consumed well into January, because of the puddings keeping qualities.

The origin of the Christmas pudding probably predates by a few hundred years the earliest written references of this festive dessert and before the mid eighteen hundreds it was referred to as “plum pudding” even though it didn’t have plums as an ingredient. Earlier still, similar dishes had French names. What started out as a savoury dish on feast days, for the people who could afford it, gradually changed to the sweet dessert served at Christmas time.

By the 19^th Century Christmas pudding was featured in British recipe books and was promoted throughout the British Empire including Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and Australia.

While the religious significance of the pudding’s origins has dimmed, certain traditions have remained including the addition of coins into the uncooked pudding mix and flaming the pudding with brandy when it is served. Some families still make sure that each family member has a stir of the pudding mix before cooking.

My recipe is highly regarded by friends and family; before I retired our business produced over 2000 one kilogram puddings every Christmas for select clientele. By industry standards, that was a relatively small amount compared to the massive volume produced by specialist bakers.

A good variety of dried fruit, fresh apple, ginger and fruit juices are balanced with dark beer and traditional spices are the hallmarks of my pudding.

You could divide the recipe up into three separate stages of preparation:

• Marinating the fruit for at least two days
• Preparing the dry ingredients
• Mixing the pudding

Apart from a number of mixing bowls, you will require a pudding ‘basin’ which could be metal, glass or ceramic. I used ceramic pasta bowls with a volume of around 1000ml. You will also need a lidded saucepan which your basin can fit in.

Christmas pudding

Recipe for 3kg of Christmas pudding:

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Course: Dessert

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 50 g pitted prunes chopped
• 150 g pitted dates chopped
• 1000 g dried mixed fruit with cherries
• 2 g orange rind
• 2 g lemon rind
• 150 g granny smith apple peeled, cored, small dice. 100g net.
• 30 g fresh root ginger peeled, finely chopped. 20g net.
• 100 ml old beer Tooheys Old
• 30 ml dry sherry
• 15 ml dark rum
• 15 ml brandy
• 100 ml orange Juice
• 100 ml lemon juice

Dry ingredients

• 200 g cake flour plain flour
• 4 g mixed spice
• 2 g ground nutmeg
• 300 g fresh breadcrumbs white and wholemeal
• 20 g ground almonds

Other

• 300 g unsalted butter softened
• 250 g brown sugar
• 200 g eggs 4 eggs at room temperature

Equipment

• Apart from a number of mixing bowls, you will require a pudding ‘basin’ which could be metal, glass or ceramic. I used ceramic pasta bowls with a volume of around 1000ml. You will also need a lidded saucepan which your basin can fit in.

Method

 

1. Assemble ingredients
   
2. In a suitable sized mixing bowl place all the fruits, ginger, alcohol and juice (the first thirteen ingredients) and mix well. Ensure the ingredients are well distributed
   
3. Seal the bowl with cling wrap and refrigerate for two days, or longer
4. Prepare your breadcrumbs in a food processor (one or two days before and store in your fridge in an airtight container)
5. On the day of cooking mix the other four dry ingredients with the breadcrumbs
   
6. Remove the marinated fruit from the refrigerator
7. In your electric mixer, cream the butter and brown sugar on a medium speed for two minutes
   
8. Continuing to mix adding the eggs, one at a time
9. Add the marinated fruit and any syrupy marinade to the butter mix and combine well, but do not over mix
   
10. On low speed incorporate the dry ingredients. Again, mix well but do not over mix
    
11. Ready
    

Steaming

1. Grease your pudding basin with butter or alternatively some non-stick spray
   
2. Form enough pudding mix into a ball and then into the basin (say 1000g for a 1000ml bowl)
   
3. Gently press down the mix until it is level with the rim of the basin, or a little higher
   
4. Seal the bowl with cling film
   
5. overwrap the bowl completely
   
6. In your saucepan place a saucer in the bottom and then the covered pudding on top
   
7. Place enough water in the saucepan to just reach the pudding basin
8. Lid the saucepan and bring water to the boil
   
9. Adjust heat to maintain a slow boil
10. Steam the pudding for two hours, replenishing the water as needed with boiling water out of your kettle. Do not let the saucepan boil dry
11. After two hours carefully remove the pudding basin from the heat; discard the water
12. The cooked pudding would have will visibly risen a little, before settling back
    
13. Let the pudding sit for twenty minutes before turning it out
14. Serve immediately or wrap in cling film while still warm
    

Notes

I have a preference for preparing the pudding in November and storing it nicely wrapped in the fridge.

To re-heat I suggest to firstly unwrap the pudding, place it on a plate and loosely cover with fresh cling film before re-heating in the microwave.

Best served with vanilla or brandy anglaise.

Photo courtesy of Matt Shearer

There are a number of ways to coat fish fillets – batter or crumb or perhaps the parmigiana coating from newsletter # 20. This recipe coats the fish fillet with a sweet potato mix that is prepared in a similar way to a hash brown potato. From a dietary point of view the sweet potato is an alternative to serving chips with the fish. A smaller version would make a good entree. A side salad or steamed mixed vegetables would be good accompaniments or you could attempt the noodle recipe shown in the picture.

Sweet Potato crusted Barramundi

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Servings: 2 serves

Course: Main Course

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

Ingredients for two servings:

• 2 130g barramundi fillet skinned
• 350 g orange sweet potato peeled and grated
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 30 g plain flour
• vegetable oil
• lemon wedges

Equipment

• A lidded frypan capable of going in the oven, or a lidded frypan and a baking dish

Method

 

1. Assemble ingredients
   
2. Preheat your oven to 170c
3. With your hand mix the sweet potato with the salt and let it stands for two minutes
   
4. Rinse the sweet potato with cold water
   
5. Drain and squeeze the moisture out of the sweet potato
   
6. Add the egg and flour to the sweet potato
   
7. Mix well
   
8. Heat your frypan with a little oil.
9. Lightly dust both sides of the barramundi fillet with flour and place it on the sweet potato
   
10. When the oil is hot place one quarter of the sweet potato mix in the frypan. Flatten it out so that it is large enough to still see the sweet potato mix after the barramundi fillet goes on top of it.
    
11. Take another quarter of the sweet potato and cover the fish. The sweet potato should completely envelope the barramundi
12. Repeat this process with the second barramundi fillet
    
13. Adjust the frypan heat to prevent the sweet potato from scorching. Lid the frypan
    
14. After 5 minutes turn the sweet potato over. Golden brown is good
    
15. If the fish is staying in this frypan, cook for 2 minutes before placing it in the oven and baking for a further 10 minutes.
16. If you are transferring the fish to a baking dish colour the underside in the frypan before transferring to a baking dish. Place in the oven and bake for a further 10 minutes.
17. Serve with lemon wedge and garnish with parsley sprig
    

Notes

A little salt residue may stay in the sweet potato, even after squeezing out the moisture, so I avoided any extra seasoning.
Consider finishing the fish in your air-fryer

Making do

When I was going to East Sydney Tafe studying commercial cookery, in the later years, occasionally you were faced with a mystery box of ingredients. From these ingredients you had to produce a two or three course meal. Naturally while you had access to the basics such as seasonings, herbs, flour etc, some ingredients such as eggs may have been restricted. Cooking shows on television have also embraced this concept as a challenge for their contestants.

For your own kitchen at home you would be surprised with the number of dishes you could prepare using the ingredients you have on hand. Two of my go-to “never the same recipe” meal accompaniments are fried rice and stir-fried noodles. With your basic shelf stable ingredients covered, it then remains sorting through the fresh vegetables.

The following recipe used some of the scant offerings, the day before our weekly shop. A general rule when cooking the vegetables is to start with the ones that will take more time to cook and add “greens” toward end of the cooking process. Alternatively, you could extend a similar recipe with diced ham or bacon, green prawns or diced chicken.

Stir-fried Noodles

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Course: Main Course

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 120 g fresh Singapore noodles
• oil for frying
• coconut milk
• 1 tbsp green curry paste
• sesame oil olive oil
• 2 shallots picked, washed and thinly sliced
• 100 g mushrooms washed and thinly sliced
• 100 g zucchini washed and thinly sliced
• 75 g red capsicum washed, deseeded and thinly trimmed
• sweet chilli sauce
• kewpie Japanese mayonnaise
• parsley or coriander picked and washed

Method

 

1. Meanwhile soak/separate the noodles as per the instructions on the packet
2. Mix the curry paste and the coconut milk together
3. Heat your frypan with the sesame oil and sauté the mushrooms and capsicum for 4 minutes
4. Add the zucchini
5. Drain and add the noodles. Gently toss or stir the noodles
6. Add the curry and mix in
7. Finally add the shallots and mix those in.

Assembly:

1. Portion the noodles onto two pre-warmed plates
2. Using a spatula, place the barramundi on top of the noodles
3. Drizzle the fish with sweet chilli sauce and Kewpie mayonnaise
4. Garnish with lemon and coriander.

Notes

Change the vegetables in the noodles to suit your tastes

Newsletter # 28 – Canberra’s Heritage Hotels

A peg driven into the ground in February 1913 ended the debate on where Australia’s National capital would be built. The location of the nation’s capital was a discussion that had been around since the 1890’s, but progress continued to be slow with bureaucratic delays and WW1.

In 1927 Federal Parliament moved from Melbourne to reside in what was then called The Provisional Parliament House but again Canberra’s development was hindered by The Great Depression. Preceding the opening of what is now The Old Parliament House was the construction of Hostel Number 1 and Hostel Number 2, which offered accommodation for public servants working in the fledgling capital.

Today these buildings are known as the Hyatt Hotel Canberra and The Kurrajong Hotel, respectively. Both hotels, as you would expect, have an interesting history and share similar design features with both being in the Garden Pavilion style and were designed by the same architect that had designed The Provisional Parliament house, John Smith Murdoch.

Both these hotels naturally have heritage value, and each have the distinction of being the preferred residence of an Australian Prime Minister. James Scullin led Australia during The Great Depression and lived in the Canberra Hotel while the post-war Prime Minister, Ben Chifley lived in The Kurrajong Hotel. Apparently neither man was interested in living at the official Prime Minister’s residence, Yarralumla. Mr. Chifley suffered a heart attack in his room at the hotel and passed away on the way to the Canberra Community hospital.

Ben Chifley – Wikipedia

James Scullin – Wikipedia

You will note that I like linking places to certain foods or individuals to recipes that they invented or were famous for. In the mundane culinary landscape of the Great Depression and WW2 we find that Ben Chifley had a penchant for the ‘humble’ fish and chips.

So today I will investigate ‘deep frying’ and the ever popular battered fish. Gone are the days when fish and chips was a ‘working man’s’ dinner; fish and chip prices, like many take-away foods have risen considerably in the last few years. My batter recipe is easy and will give a crisp golden finish.

Deep – frying

As you may know I am not a proponent of buying specialised equipment for your home kitchen unless you intend to use it regularly. A domestic deep-fryer would be one item that you would probably include in that thinking.

The downside of deep-fryers are that they are expensive to run in terms of power and cooking oil and can be dangerous if you are not careful. There is also a perception that they are not healthy.

The upside is that food cooked well, in a deep fryer, can be pretty delicious and moreish. Provided that you look after the cooking oil, you should be able to re-use the oil a number of times.

Firstly, let’s look at some basic equipment you will need if you don’t have a thermostatically controlled deep-fryer

• A handheld digital thermometer (optional but recommended). These are cheap and will eliminate the guesswork when gauging the temperature of the cooking oil
• A saucepan around 20cm in diameter – wide enough to take a portioned fish fillet, but small enough to minimize the amount of oil you need.
• A slotted metal spoon.
• Absorbent kitchen paper

Safety

• Ensure your saucepan is in good condition – flat bottom, sturdy handle
• Use the back hotplate, with the handle turned away
• When heating, never leave unattended. Overheated oil is combustible.
• Turn off the hotplate when not in use
• Cool the oil in the saucepan, off the heat at the back of the stove

Care of the oil

• Do not overheat the oil. A good blanching temperature (for chips) is 165c, while you finish them on the higher temperature of 190c. When temperatures go above 200c you run the risk of not only scorching food, but you also shorten the life of the oil.
• After using, cool the oil down to room temperature and strain the oil through coffee filter paper to remove food residues.
• Store the cold oil in a sealed, labelled and dated container in the fridge

Battered fish with tartare sauce

The fish

Popular, mid-priced, fish fillets include flathead and snapper; Trevalla and whiting generally carry a higher price. Economical fish fillets include Flake, Basa, Hoki and Hake. If you prefer the skin left on, be sure that fillet is well scaled. A thicker fillet will be moister after deep-frying.

A suitable size portion is around 120g, but larger is OK, dependent on the size of the saucepan

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Course: Main Course

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

Beer batter:

• ½ cup self raising flour
• ¼ cup rice flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 cup pale beer very cold

Method

 

Method:

1. Assemble ingredients
   
2. In a bowl mix the dry ingredients and chill them for a ½ hour
3. Take out and stir in the beer; whisk until it is lump free
   
4. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use
5. The batter should be OK for 4-5 days if stored correctly

Cooking the fish:

1. Pre-heat about 750ml of good quality vegetable oil to around 185c
2. Test the temperature with a little drop of batter
3. Pat the fish fillet dry. Season with a little salt
   
4. Dust the fish fillet in plain flour and pat off excess
5. Holding the fillet by the end immerse the floured fish in the bowl of batter
   
6. Drain off excess batter
7. Slowly lower the fish into the oil – do not drop
   
8. Release the fish. The oil should be bubbling quickly – not lazy
9. The fish will float when cooked and will be a crispy golden brown – about five minutes
10. When ready take out of the oil and place on absorbent kitchen paper
    
11. Repeat the process with subsequent fish fillets
12. Serve with Chips, tartare sauce and a lemon wedge
    

Sauce Tartare

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Course: Accompliment

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 120 ml mayonnaise
• 25 g white onion peeled, finely chopped
• 25 g capers drained, finely chopped
• 25 g gherkins or dill pickle finely chopped
• Juice from ½ lemon
• Chopped parsley (optional)

Method

 

1. In a bowl mix all the ingredients together.
   
2. Cover and store in the fridge
   

Potato chips:

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Course: Accompliment

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• Allow 150g to 200g of large Sebago potatoes per person

Method

 

1. Wash and peel the potato. Slice the potato to baton shapes -10 cm long and say 10/15ml across. Aim to make the chips roughly even in dimensions to ensure even cooking
   
2. Pat dry
3. Plunge the chips into oil at around 165c (lazy bubbles) for about 5 minutes
   
4. Remove the chips from the oil
5. Increase the temperature of the oil to 185c/190c - blanching
6. Cook the chips a second time in the hotter oil for another 5-6 minutes
7. Take out the chips and drain on absorbent paper
8. Turn the heat off if finished cooking
9. Salt the chips and serve with the fish

Photo courtesy of Matt Shearer (photographer)

The Italian dessert, Panna Cotta, would feature on the dessert menu in many restaurants. It is cheap to make and can be made in advance. From a customer’s point of view its preparation may appear daunting, but another reason restaurants like it is because of its ease of preparation. True it can be a little tricky when you start adding garnishes, but you should find the basic Panna Cotta pretty simple.

Vanilla is a popular flavour and can be teamed with coulis, sauces and poached fruits. Other flavours can include chocolate, coffee and hazelnut.

Panna Cotta’s are said to have originated in the Piedmont region of Italy or possibly in France and while similar to custard in terms of texture, it is not for it doesn’t contain eggs.

Toasted Coconut Panna Cotta with caramelised pineapple

To achieve the flavour profile naturally, the coconut is steeped in the liquid; you would use a similar technique if you were making a hazelnut Panna Cotta.

Often in a restaurant Panna Cottas would be presented turned out onto a dessert plate. This is not compulsory and if you have nice glassware, it is more than acceptable to serve the Panna Cotta in the glass and avoid the possible angst when trying to de-mould the Panna Cottas.

Unlike some recipes this recipe requires straining through a fine mesh strainer. A couple of small saucepans, a small bowl as well as the strainer are required for this recipe.

Toasted Coconut Panna Cotta

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Servings: 4 - 6 serves

Course: Dessert

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 80 g shredded or desiccated coconut
• 4 leaves of Gelatine or 2 tsp powdered gelatine
• Ice water for the gelatine leaves or 2tbp water for the powdered gelatine
• 200 ml full cream milk
• 300 ml thickened ream
• 400 ml coconut milk
• 150 g caster sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla essence
• Coconut essence optional
• Canola oil

Ingredients for the caramelised pineapple

• 440 g can pineapple pieces in pineapple juice
• ¼ cup brown sugar

Equipment

• A couple of small saucepans, a small bowl as well as a strainer are required for this recipe.

Method

 

1. Assemble ingredients
   

Method – toasting coconut

1. Pre-heat your oven to 180c
2. On a clean baking dish spread the coconut and place in the oven
3. As it browns carefully stir the coconut to avoid burning or patchy colours
   
4. It should take no longer than 5 or 6 minutes
5. When ready take the coconut out and place in a saucepan

Method – Panna Cotta with leaf gelatine

1. Add the leaf gelatine to the ice water. After 8 or so minutes the gelatine will become ‘jelly like’
   
2. Add the coconut milk, cream, sugar and vanilla to the toasted coconut and gently heat. Do not boil. Stir occasionally. Set aside and keep warm.
   
3. In a separate small saucepan warm the milk
4. Gently squeeze the cold water from the gelatine. Discard the cold water
   
5. Add the gelatine to the warm milk. It will dissolve very quickly with a little stirring
   
6. Add the milk to the cream and coconut mixture
7. Set aside the mix for another 5 minutes to extract the maximum flavour from the toasted coconut. Keep the mix warm
   
8. Strain the cream mix, squeeze the coconut dry
9. In your serving glasses wipe a thin film of canola oil with kitchen paper, if you are going to turn the Panna Cotta out to serve them
   
10. Divide the liquid evenly amongst your glasses, leaving enough room to add the chilled caramelised pineapple later
11. Chill the Panna Cottas for 4-6 hours until they are set.

Method – Panna Cotta with powdered gelatine

1. Sprinkle the powdered gelatine on to the cold milk and let it stand for about 5 minutes
2. Gently warm the milk with an occasional stir until the gelatine dissolves
3. Add to the warm cream mixture and proceed with the previous directions

Method - pineapple

1. Drain the pineapple over a small sauce pan or frypan
2. Mix the drained pineapple in a small bowl with the brown sugar. The brown sugar will form into a grainy liquid
3. Over a low heat reduce the pineapple juice to thicker syrup. Where looking to evaporate the water. Avoid caramelising
4. Add the pineapple and brown sugar to the saucepan. Bring to boil
5. Stir occasionally
6. After a few minutes much of the water from the pineapple and syrup would have evaporated
7. The brown sugary glaze should be coating the pineapple
8. Set aside to cool

Assembly

1. Top your Panna Cottas with caramelised pineapple or
2. Turn the Panna Cottas out on to a chilled plate with the caramelised pineapple on the side

Notes

 

I would advise not to use an air fryer to toast the coconut. A dry frypan would be a better alternative if you didn’t want to use your oven.

Consider making these the day before, but make sure you cover them to avoid picking up flavours from other ingredients dwelling in the fridge.

I have previously mentioned our community dinners, that we hold five times a year. The October dinner, our most recent, was our nineteenth. That one was a little bit different as it had a theme –‘Retro’ and it was three courses instead of two.

During the four years that our social committee have been offering the dinner to our residents we have endeavoured to have unique menus for each dinner.  However, we have repeated corned beef and also the dessert, bread and butter pudding – both by popular demand.  I have been asked for both these recipes numerous times so I thought that I would feature the corned beef recipe today, before the weather gets too warm. The B and B I’ll keep for next year.

Corned beef

Corned beef has been around for many centuries and is quite common in not only Commonwealth countries but also in some parts of Asia, U.S.A, Israel and Polynesia.  Originally considered a delicacy, the process of ‘corning’ or ‘salting’ was indiscriminate when it came to choosing which cuts of beef were suitable.

Nowadays we associate corned beef or corned silverside with cuts of beef that require an extended cooking time either by boiling or pressure cooking.  Premium cuts such as sirloin, rump and fillet are best grilled or roasted.

The corning process can not only include the addition of salts and sugars but also nitrites.  Nitrites give corned beef a pink colour when it is cooked.  Often the flavour can be generic but individual butchers sometimes have their own closely guarded recipes.

In your kitchen at home, you can experiment with flavours.  I believe the recipe where the corned beef is cooked in ginger beer is quite popular.  My recipe uses ingredients you should have in your pantry.  For the beef you will need a suitably sized lidded saucepan.

Corned Beef

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Servings: 4 serves

Course: Main Course

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 2 kg corned silverside whole
• 1 large onion peeled and halved
• 70 ml white wine vinegar
• 50 g brown sugar
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 3 thyme sprigs optional

Method

 

1. Assemble your ingredients
   
2. Place the corned silverside in your saucepan
   
3. Cover with cold water
4. Add the other ingredients to the saucepan
5. Lid the saucepan and slowly bring to the boil
6. Cooking time will vary but generally 60 minutes per kilo of beef is OK. The cooking time should start from the time you have a constant simmer at a low temperature setting
7. Check the short video on how to check if the corned beef is ready
8. The skewer will pull out under the weight of the corned beef. Take care, the water is hot
9. When the beef is ready leave it submerged in the lidded saucepan off the heat, while you prepare the horseradish sauce

Horseradish cream sauce

If you are game, you might consider making this sauce from scratch, but fresh horseradish being related to wasabi, is particularly pungent. The horseradish root can be quite large and has little aroma; however, the preparation process, which involves grating, can severely irritate your eyes and sinuses. So, for this recipe I use a pre-prepared, horseradish cream

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Course: Main Course, Sauces

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 40 g butter
• 30 g plain flour
• 400 ml vegetable stock
• 65 g horseradish cream
• 30 g dijon mustard
• 20 ml lemon juice
• 80 ml sour cream or cream
• parsley chopped (optional)

Method

 

1. Assemble ingredients
   
2. Melt butter over low heat and add flour to form a roux. Cook gently for one minute
   
3. Take of heat and add stock. Whisk to remove any flour lumps. Bring to boil and then simmer
4. Whisk in horseradish, mustard and lemon juice. Return to simmer
5. Add sour cream
6. Adjust seasoning. Serve
   

Using up leftovers

Often cooking corned beef will mean leftover cooked meat. There are a number of ways to use the meat but in the meantime keep the beef refrigerated, immersed in cold stock for up to one week.

Corned beef and mustard pickle sandwich

This really needs no introduction. It has to be on fresh white bread (maybe lightly buttered) and the ingredients are in the name.

Reuben Sandwich

An American classic which is a favourite of mine. You could use your sandwich toaster (contact grill type) adjusted to a light press for this thick sandwich and serve it warm or hot. Ingredients can be adjusted to suit personal tastes.

Ingredients (per sandwich):

• Cooked corned beef, 100g in slices, gently warmed
• Rye bread, two slices
• Butter
• Swiss cheese, two slices
• Sauerkraut, 50g, slightly warm
• Dijon mustard, 10g
• Horseradish cream (condiment) 10g
• Mayonnaise, 25g
• Dill pickle, slices (optional)

Method /Assembly:

• Lightly butter both sides of the rye bread
• On your grill gently toast one side of your sliced bread.
• On the toasted side of both slices of bread place the cheese
• Next, either individually or mixed spread the mustard, horseradish and mayonnaise on the cheese
• On one slice of bread place a layer each of sauerkraut, beef and pickle and top with the second slice of bread
• Return the sandwich to the toaster and toast until golden brown
• Serve

Corned beef hash with poached eggs

Another tasty American dish that you rarely see in Australia. See my egg poaching technique from Newsletter # 14.

Ingredients (per person:

• 30g Butter
• 1 small onion, peeled, finely diced.
• 1 cup cooked potato, 1cm dice
• 1 cup cooked corned beef, ½ cm dice
• 5 Cherry Tomatoes, split
• Parsley, chopped
• Seasoning
• 1 or 2 poached eggs per person

Method:

• Melt the butter in a non-stick frypan and sweat onions for two minutes
• Turning up the heat a little add the potato and fry mixture until the potato starts colouring
• Stir gently to ensure even colour
• Add the corned beef and continue sautéing for a few minutes. Continue stirring
• Add cherry tomatoes
• Adjust seasoning
• Serve topped with poached eggs and sprinkled with chopped parsley

Rice specifically suitable for making a risotto is a high starch, medium to short grain variety and is associated with the Lombardy Region of Italy. While rice had found its way to Italy as early as the 10^th Century it wasn’t until the early 20^th Century that the grains we are now familiar with started appearing. Arborio rice is probably the most popular Italian variety in Australia and is the one I use frequently, but for today’s recipe I am going to use an Australian grown rice called ‘Nice Rice’.

The brand ‘Nice Rice’ is grown at Finley in the Riverina region of N.S.W. and it is one of a number of different varieties grown in N.S.W including the Doongara long grain, which is exclusive to Australia. While it changes from year-to-year, Australia is considered a net exporter of rice for we tend to import certain varieties of rice, particularly from Asia, but export the types of rice that Australia does well.

Risotto is just one of a number of ways that rice can be prepared. It is not only a stand-alone dish, it is also a good accompaniment for fish, poultry, veal and naturally vegetarian dishes.  While it is Gluten-free, care should be taken when adding ingredients or when using risotto as a base for Arancine.

For a successful risotto at home, it is advisable to have all your ingredients ready before you start. Other important aspects include almost constant stirring and using freshly grated parmesan cheese.

I’ve always regarded risotto as ‘wet rice’ and I tend to make sure I have a little extra stock on hand. The finished risotto should be ‘wet’ enough to not heap on the plate when serving but certainly not of soup consistency.

Chicken with peas, corn and tomato (topping for risotto)

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Servings: 6 serves

Course: Main Course

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 400 g skinless chicken thigh fillet cubed
• seasoning
• a few thyme sprigs
• 50 ml olive oil
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 1 firm ripe tomato skinned and deseeded
• leftover stock or chicken stock

Method

 

1. Assemble your ingredients
   
2. Season the chicken with salt, pepper and thyme leaf
3. Heat oil in your frypan and the sauté the chicken until fully cooked
   
4. Add the stock
5. Turn the chicken out into a bowl and keep hot
6. Add peas and corn to the same frypan and cook on medium heat
   
7. Add tomatoes and cook for another minute
8. Add the chicken back in
9. Ready
   
10. Serve on top of the risotto. See separate recipe for risotto.
11. Decorate with a thyme sprig

Shopping the other day and I noticed some trimmed lamb rump at the good price of $22/kg. I compared that to the average price of lamb cutlets of more than $40/kg -$50/kg, which makes them more than $4 each, or $8 – $12 per portion.

In our household, over the last few years, the only time lamb had been elevated above casserole status was with the occasional roast leg. But at less than $5 per portion and with no bone at $40 – $50 per kilo to contend with, grilled lamb rump was back on the menu.

So, I thought it was time for a nice, tasty and easy lamb recipe to highlight the time of year when lamb is at its best. This recipe (or close to it) was offered as part of a two/three course menu for people who wished to dine before going to the theatre in the evening; so, they had to be on their way by around 7.15 pm at the latest. Most patrons would choose the entree and dessert option with the longest cooking time for a main course being 15 minutes.

Once the meat is marinated you should find this an uncomplicated recipe.

Marinated Lamb rump, sweet potato mash, rocket and walnuts

5 from 2 votes

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Servings: 2 serves

Course: Main Course

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

Marinade:

• 2 200g trimmed lamb rump net
• 2 tbs brown sugar
• 1 tbs tamarind paste
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 lime juiced
• 1 lime leaf finely sliced
• 1 tbs fish sauce
• 1 tbs light soy sauce
• ½ tbs sesame oil
• ½ tsp rock salt
• ¼ tsp minced chilli
• 1 small bay leaf
• 1 tbs olive oil
• ½ tsp ground black pepper

Mash:

• 300 g sweet potato peeled, diced (250g net)
• 1 cup water
• ¼ tsp rock salt
• 1 tbs honey
• 1 tbs white wine vinegar
• 20 g butter
• Ground white pepper scant

Salad:

• 40 g rocket leaves
• 40 g shelled walnuts halves
• 1 tbs balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbs Extra virgin olive oil (E.V.O)

Equipment

• If you have an air-fryer you could use it to cook the lamb as long as you have a small pan to fit the air-fryer, otherwise a lidded frypan.

Method

 

1. Assemble ingredients
   
2. In a bowl prepare the marinade by combining the first thirteen ingredients
3. Add the lamb to the bowl and coat with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 4 – 6 hours
4. Closer to the time you want to eat, cook the sweet potato in a small lidded saucepan with one cup of water and salt.
5. Simmer the sweet potato with the lid on until the sweet potato is tender – about 20 minutes
6. Remove the lid and let it simmer for about another 5 minutes to reduce the liquid
7. Test the sweet potato to make sure it is thoroughly cooked. Take off heat
8. Add the white wine vinegar, honey, butter and ground white pepper
   
9. Mash with a fork, stick blender or whisk. Check seasoning. Keep warm
   

Cooking the lamb:

1. Drain the lamb, reserve the marinade
2. In your frypan, over medium heat, seal the lamb on all sides – there should be no need for extra oil
   
3. When the lamb is nicely sealed pour in all of the marinade and lid the frypan.
   
4. Slowly cook the lamb to your liking – 20 mins to well done if that’s the way you like it or less
5. Take the lamb out and rest it on a plate. Take the pan off the heat

Assembly:

1. Meanwhile add the rocket leaves, walnuts, E.V.O. and balsamic vinegar in a bowl and lightly toss
2. Return the frypan to a medium heat adding any collected meat juices to the cooking residue
3. On two warm plates place a generous serving of the mash
4. Slice each lamb rump into two or three pieces
5. Arrange the lamb on top of the mash
   
6. Divide the pan juices evenly between the two portions
7. Top with the rocket salad
8. Sprinkle with a little black pepper
9. Ready

Notes

Marinating for 4 – 6 hours is probably best, but can be overnight in the fridge

The mash works well pre done as well and re-heat in your microwave is OK

Lamb back strap is also a good cut for this recipe

Pancake is a generic name for a flattish cooked batter of starch, liquid and other ingredients. They may be sweet or savoury; decadent or healthy; big or small; meals or snacks. With so many varieties you could probably find a different variety of pancake with each country you visited, whether it be ‘Poffertjes’ in The Netherlands, Okonomiyaki in Japan or the daunting pancake stack of the U.S.A. In Australia and New Zealand, you will find the humble pikelet.

Today we will have a look at three different pancake recipes. Firstly, the Crepe, from France followed by Japanese Pancakes and finally a pancake style you may find on any good breakfast menu in Australia.

The Crepe

In France, crepes have religious significance and date back to the fifth century. They are traditionally served on the Christian Holiday named Candlemas and are enjoyed throughout the world.

The batter is very simple and is noted by the fact that it has no significant raising agents in the recipe and hence is very thin.  The flavour could be described as neutral. Additional ingredients added later can make the crepe either sweet or savoury. Crepes Suzette is an example of a sweet dessert crepe that can be prepared table side. Being very thin they can also be rolled into a cylindrical shape and filled with crème patisserie. There are lots of possibilities and they can be made in advance and also frozen for future use.

Savoury crêpes are called Galette and can be served with a multitude of fillings. In Melbourne’s Flinders Lane, the restaurant Roule Galette served me their delicious ham and egg version.

Crepes

Ingredients for about 12 crepes:

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Course: Dessert

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• ½ cup water
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 cup plain flour
• 20 g melted butter cooled
• vegetable oil for cooking

Method

 

1. Assemble ingredients
   
2. Combine the flour and salt
3. In a separate bowl combine by whisking the eggs, milk and water
4. Whisk the flour mix into the egg mix thoroughly to make a smooth batter
   
5. Finally mix in the melted butter
6. Ready

Cooking the Crepes:

1. A suitable sized crepe is around 15 cm diameter and should plate up nicely if you were rolling or folding the crepe. A flat non-stick pan with a minimum base diameter of 18cm should allow you to attain reasonable shape. A measured amount of batter is also important – around 50ml to 60 ml. A one quarter cup measure would be suitable. Initially, after heating a little oil in your pan, tip off the excess oil. I use kitchen paper soaked in oil and rubbed over the hot pan for subsequent crepes. The pan should be hot enough to set the batter but also allow the batter to run as you tilt the pan.
   
2. Heat the oil in the pan
3. Tip of excess
4. Holding the pan by the handle pour into the batter a little off- centre
5. Tilt the pan around the full 360 degrees to attain a circular shape
6. Return to heat
7. Cook for 1 -2 minutes. Light golden colour is good
8. Turn with spatula and cook for a little less than a minute
   
9. The side now facing you is the presentation side
10. Turn the crepe out onto a plate
11. Ready
    

Notes

For a thinner batter add a little more milk.            

A simple accompaniment is fresh lemon juice and icing sugar.

Japanese Fluffy Pancakes

Words to describe Japanese Fluffy Pancakes include addictive and delicious. Tricky is another word that can crop up when at first you prepare them.

Originating in Honolulu in the early 2000’s they have since become a Japanese staple and are popular throughout the world. They are relatively low in carbohydrates requiring only a little flour. A down side is that they ‘deflate’ as they cool.

While not compulsory equipment, these pancakes are often made in moulds similar to large egg-rings. This gives most people the ability to aim for restaurant standard. Free-form is also OK. The cooking process requires the pan to be lidded and slightly steam the pancake.

Japanese Fluffy Pancakes

Ingredients for two generous pancakes:

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Course: Dessert

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 2 egg yolks
• 25 ml milk room temperature
• ¼ tsp vanilla
• ¼ cup self raising flour
• 1/8 tsp baking powder
• salt scant
• 2 egg whites
• ¼ tsp cream of tartar
• 30 g caster sugar
• water for steaming
• unsalted butter for cooking

Method

 

1. In a bowl mix the egg yolks, milk and vanilla
2. Add the flour, salt and extra baking powder to the egg mix
3. Whisk to form a smooth thick batter
4. Meanwhile melt a little butter in your pan over a low heat
5. In a separate bowl whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form
6. Continuing to whisk gradually add the sugar. Continue until all of the sugar has dissolved and a meringue has formed
   
7. Carefully fold the meringue into the batter. Do not overbeat.
   

Cooking:

1. Check that the pan is not too hot
2. Using a set measure place the batter in the frypan. Let it find its own height
   
3. Repeat until you have some well spaced pancakes to suit the size of the pan
4. In the same order place another scoop of batter on top of each one
5. Add about 10ml water to the pan (avoiding the pancakes) and cover the pan with lid
   
6. Cook for 1 ½ minutes.
7. Add a third scoop to each pancake before replacing the lid
   
8. Cook for a further 4 minutes
   
9. Turn the pancakes and add a little more water before replacing the lid
10. Cook for a further 4 minutes. Serve immediately
11. The finished pancakes can be served with your choice of sweet topping
    

Blueberry & Ricotta Pancakes

Pancakes in Australia were championed in the 1960’s by the establishment of the Pancake Parlour Restaurant Chain in Melbourne. Sixty years on Pancake Parlour is still running as a family business.

When I was apprenticed in the early seventies pancakes were generally not a feature item on a breakfast menu and the breakfast buffet was still in its infancy. In Sydney if you wanted pancakes ‘Pancakes on the Rocks’ was the place to go.

Short Stacks (two pancakes) and Stacks (three and up), which were on offer then at breakfast, highlighted our pancakes American origins, but being an inventive bunch we came up with lots of options which pushed pancakes into ‘anytime’ eating.

In Australian restaurants and cafes their in house recipes can be very similar, opting for lighter batters. Once again differences can be achieved by adding ingredients such as fruit to the batter and also the toppings and sauces.

My recipe can be used as both a pancake recipe and a waffle recipe, which is very handy when you are catering for grandchildren.

Blueberry & Ricotta Pancakes

Ingredients for 3 servings:

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Course: Dessert

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 2 egg yolks
• 250 ml milk
• ¼ tsp vanilla essence
• 150 g self raising flour
• ¼ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 30 g caster sugar
• 25 g melted unsalted butter
• 2 egg whites
• 150 g blueberries washed and dried
• 150 g fresh ricotta broken up into smaller lumps
• blueberries garnish
• 20 g butter for cooking

Method

 

1. Assemble ingredients
   
2. In a bowl mix the egg yolks, milk and vanilla
3. Add the s.r.flour, salt, baking powder and sugar
4. Whisk to form a smooth batter
5. Mix in the melted butter
6. Stir in the blueberries
7. Gently fold in the ricotta
   
8. In a separate clean bowl whisk the egg whites to a meringue consistency
   
9. Gently fold in the egg white. Stir until the egg white is well distributed
   
10. Should be used within 30 minutes
    

Cooking:

1. In your frypan, over medium heat, melt a little butter
2. When the butter is sizzling add a generous scoop, say 220ml
   
3. Tilt the frypan to distribute the batter to give a diameter of around 12cm
4. Cook for 2 – 2½ minutes – bubbles will start to appear. Turn the pancake
   
5. Cook other side for about 1 – 1½ minutes
6. Repeat until all the batter is used
7. Serve one or two pancakes with whipped cream and maple syrup
8. I topped mine with honeycomb butter, toasted almonds, some more blueberries and a dusting of icing sugar.
   

Honeycomb butter

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Course: Dessert

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 50 g unsalted butter softened
• 50 g light cream cheese room temperature
• 1/8 tsp vanilla
• 40 g honeycomb crushed

Method

 

1. Using a whisk, cream the butter until it is pale
   
2. Add cream cheese and vanilla. Continue beating
3. When the butter and cream cheese is nice and fluffy whisk in the honeycomb
4. Ready
   

Ah, Spring has arrived! Crisp mornings, clear blue skies, warm days. Or so I thought, for by the second week of September it had reverted to soup weather.

So today another soup recipe but with a number of variations for you to try.

Potato and Leek soup had its origins in 19^th century France and could be regarded as a peasant style of soup which was elevated to classic status with its ultimate variation being the chilled soup, Vichyssoise, invented by the French Chef Louis Diat while working at the Ritz Carlton in New York in the early 20^thcentury.

I had always assumed that any recipe to do with leeks probably came from Wales or Scotland. How wrong I was.

While many different recipes can be found depending on where you were in France, the common ingredients were leeks, onions, potatoes and stock. This soup is another example of a potage – a broth thickened by the weight of the ingredients.

Potato and leek Soup:

Ingredients for 2 litres

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Servings: 6 generous serves

Course: Soup

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 20 ml olive oil
• 20 g butter
• 3 onions peeled, 4mm dice
• 2-3 leeks trimmed, split 6mm cut, cold rinsed
• 3 potatoes peeled, 6mm dice
• bay leaf
• thyme sprig
• 2 litres vegetable stock
• seasoning

Equipment

• You’ll need a single medium sized saucepan for this recipe.

Method

 

1. Assemble ingredients
   
2. Sweat the onion in the oil and butter for 6 minutes. Avoid colouring
   
3. Add leek and sweat for a further 5 minutes
   
4. Add potato and herbs
5. Add stock, bring to boil
   
6. Simmer for twenty minutes
   
7. Adjust seasoning. Remove and discard herbs
8. Ready
   

Notes

Check the leeks for sand and soil even if they look clean. Trim and cut and then cold rinse.  I used a good quality one litre vegetable stock, supplemented by some powdered stock and water.

Variations:

Potato and leek soup makes a good base soup, lending itself a number of tasty preparation methods.

Puree:

Using the basic recipe, take half of the cooked vegetables out and puree them with a stick blender, before returning them to the hot soup.  That way you have the thickness of the puree combined with the textures of the individual ingredients.

Vichyssoise:

Using the basic recipe, blend the finished soup and then strain the puree through a fine strainer. Chill the soup. Add 300ml of fresh cream. Adjust the seasoning and strain again. Serve chilled with chopped chives.

With Chicken:

Replace the vegetable stock with chicken stock. Garnish the hot soup with strips of poached chicken breast.

With bacon:

Start the basic soup recipe with 200g diced bacon. Sweat the bacon for 8 minutes before proceeding with the rest of the basic recipe. Finish with 200ml fresh cream. Adjust seasoning. Serve hot, topped with a sprinkle of chives and croutons.

In Newsletter # 11 I touched on an early Sydney Hotel, the Adam’s Hotel. That hotel went the way of many fine buildings in 1960’s Sydney when it was demolished in 1969.

The Adam’s hotel’s unique charm was replaced in 1975 by the Brutalist architecture of the Sydney Hilton Hotel, which at the time, with nearly 600 rooms was Australia’s largest hotel. This was the Hilton group’s third appearance in Australia with the Chevron Hilton, King’s Cross opening in 1960 and the Melbourne Hilton on the Park opening in 1970.

In early 1975 I had finished my apprenticeship, and I had been lucky enough to work with a French Chef who had been transferred from the London Hilton to work in Sydney. He had arrived early, and the new hotel wasn’t ready, so he worked at the Hyatt Hotel (where I worked) for a number of months. When the Sydney Hilton opened, he asked me to work with him. It was the first time I was head-hunted, but I still had to survive the interview process.

On the day of my interview with the executive chef, I joined a queue of many hundreds of other job seekers. I didn’t stay in that queue for long for my mentor passed by and whisked me away to see the boss. The feeling of guilt I had for queue jumping didn’t last long.  For memory I started in the main kitchen one week before the Sydney Hilton Hotel opened.

Unlike many hotels today, the Sydney Hilton had multiple food and beverage outlets. The hotel featured four stand-alone restaurants; six bars, three of which ran menus; a nightclub; a service bar to cover two of the restaurants, the 24-hour room service and the function/events floor. Also, within the hotel we had a staff cafeteria which was open 24 hours a day.

I started in what was then regarded as Sydney’s best restaurant – The San Francisco Grill, at the Sydney Hilton Hotel. It was the place for celebrities and the well healed to be seen and with food and service to match. The cuisine in the Grill room had a West Coast of North America influence, in particular the Fisherman’s Wharf precinct of San Francisco. The decor featured lots of dark timbers and polished brass. It was also a time of no breathalyser or fringe benefits tax with many long lunches being held in the restaurants private dining room. Over time I worked in a number of the other food outlets that I mentioned above, before returning to the San Francisco Grill as Chef de Cuisine.

The following recipe was inspired by the Bouillabaisse at Di Maggio’s restaurant, which like the restaurant I once worked in, is long gone. The accompanying dipping sauce is called Rouille and has a separate recipe card

Seafood Gumbo

Really important. Because this is quick to cook, make sure you assemble all the ingredients, before you start cooking. Avoid over seasoning or too much liquid. Remember you can always add, but you can’t take away.

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Servings: 6 people

Course: Main Course

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 50 ml olive oil
• 2 tsp minced garlic or 4 cloves peeled and finely chopped
• 150 g onion – One medium sized peeled and finely chopped.
• 1 tsp minced chilli
• 1 ½ tsp smoked paprika
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• 150 g celery – washed peeled, cut julienne
• 150 g carrot – washed peeled, cut julienne
• 100 g leek – the white part split, washed, cut julienne.
• 150 g fennel washed, cut into julienne
• 500 ml fish stock
• 500 ml vegetable stock
• 300 ml white wine
• 40 ml lemon juice
• Seasoning – Salt and pepper.
• 200 g tomato - ripe blanched, skin and seed removed.
• 18 Green prawns -shelled tail on, de-veined
• 12 Mussels -in shell
• 2 squid tubes – cleaned cut into twelve pieces
• 450 g white fish fillet – skinless boneless, cut into six pieces. 300g net
• 12 scallops - out of shell. 100g
• 12 oysters – In the half shell out of shell
• chopped parsley.

Equipment

• A five litre Dutch oven or similar sized saucepan.

Method

 

1. Assemble ingredients
   
2. Sauté the garlic and onion in the oil, over low flame for 2 minutes. A little colour is acceptable.
3. Add chilli, paprika, cayenne. Stir in for 1minute.
   
4. Add celery, carrot and leek. Continue cooking/stirring for another 2minutes.
   
5. Add liquids, bring to boil. Turn down to slow simmer.
   
6. Add tomato. Check seasoning.
   
7. Add Mussels and Prawns. Bring back to a slow simmer. Should take less than two minutes.
   
8. Add Scallops and fish. Bring back to slow simmer.
   
9. Add oysters, parsley. Taste test. Adjust to suit.
10. Serve in large pre-warmed bowls with the rouille on the side
    

Notes

Substitute the seafood to suit your taste.
Decrease/Increase the spice to suit.
The ingredient list looks a little daunting; however you can break the recipe into two separate jobs. Firstly the vegetable broth which would include everything but the seafood and parsley. You could even consider cooking this the day before. The second part is naturally the seafood.

Rouille

When you search for a recipe for rouille you generally will find the starch ingredient will be bread with the potato variety less common, but effectively it achieves a similar result. Apart from an accompaniment for the soup it also makes a great dip with crackers.

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Course: Side Dish

Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients

  

• 100 g cold boiled or steamed potato peeled.
• 1 red capsicum washed, split, deseeded, roasted and skinned.
• 4 cloves garlic peeled
• cayenne pepper to taste
• salt and pepper
• 2 egg yolks
• 20 ml lemon juice
• 100 ml e.v. olive oil
• 30 ml warm gumbo stock liquid only

Equipment

• you’ll need a stick blender for this recipe

Method

 

1. Assemble ingredients
   
2. In a bowl place the potato, capsicum, garlic, cayenne, seasoning, egg yolks and lemon juice
3. Blend to a smooth paste
   
4. Slowly add the olive oil while continuing to blend
5. Thin with a little gumbo stock
6. Ready
   
7. Serve with crusty bread