Category: Blog

Iconic Australian Hotels – The Adams Hotel Sydney.

I wish I had a direct connection to The Adams Hotel, but this famous hotel was demolished in 1969, the year before I reached the legal drinking age. I did however work in the hotel that replaced it – The Sydney Hilton. Any conversation about The Adams Hotel could very easily drift into one of the many other interests that George Adams, the hotels namesake, had.

George Adams migrated to Australia in his mid teens, in 1855. He spent a number of years in various occupations including gold mining, jackaroo, stock dealer and butcher. Over time Adams developed a love of horse racing and gambling. By 1875 he was able to purchase the license to a Hotel in Kiama on the N.S.W. south coast.

A likeable man of influence and with many good friends, Adams frequented The Tattersall’s Club in Sydney where the common interest was gambling. The Tattersall’s club had already been re-named The Tattersall’s Hotel when in 1878 three of Adam’s friends purchased the hotel for him. Apparently it was a deal done on a handshake. Did I not mention that they were very good friends.

Still under the name Tattersall’s, George Adam’s expanded the gambling operation to be even more successful and by 1884 he had repaid the 40000 pounds that his friends had paid for the hotel.

The hotel had not undergone any updating since 1860 and realising that he had to stay ahead of his competitors, Adam’s in 1890, embarked on a renovation spree.

The work included expanding the hotel’s footprint to include constructing The Palace Theatre next door which included Sydney’s first electric power station. An arcade running from Pitt Street to George Street, decorated with imported marble and rich timbers was also constructed. By far the most opulent appointment was the fabulous Marble Bar and its collection of Julian Ashton paintings. Designed to Adam’s specifications, very early on The Marble Bar was destined to become a world famous watering hole.

George Adams became very wealthy and still found time to run a coal company in N.S.W. plus a brewery in Tasmania. But the main source of his wealth was his gambling empire –Tattersall’s.

Today, George Adam’s financial legacy is entwined in Tabcorp, Australia’s largest gambling company. However I like to think he might like to be better remembered for his beautiful Marble Bar.

The Mixed Grill

A popular counter lunch at The Adams Hotel in the early 20^th Century was the mixed grill. The classic English version could have featured lamb chop, beefsteak, pork or beef sausage, lamb’s fry, kidney, gammon, chicken and bacon. A fried egg, green peas, grilled tomato as well as gravy would have accompanied the meat. This was all balanced with a healthy serving of chips. It sounds like a very challenging meal.

Many cuisines offer an interpretation of the mixed grill. In Italy marinated chicken would be featured while you would find skewered meats in menus not only the Middle East but also in Spain and Latin America. Generally the main ingredients should be grilled but the cooking style of the accompaniments will differ – baked potato and beans in China; chips and chutney in England; pickled vegetables in Romania; buttered toast in the American mid- west.

Today, by popular demand, I’m featuring an updated version of the mixed grill that doesn’t feature meat; but don’t worry, a more traditional mixed grill will be featured in a couple of weeks

You’ll need a flat top grill or ridged grill or a frypan, a small saucepan for blanching, and a stick blender to prepare this meal.

Vegetarian Mixed grill:

It is important that the cooking times for all the vegetables are similar and this can be achieved by blanching. Some vegetables benefit from blanching in boiling salted water prior to grilling, particularly denser vegetables. I blanched the potatoes, corn, sweet potato and onion. Additionally I blanched the asparagus. The way you cut the vegetables is also important; different shapes will give you better presentation on your plate. If you are doing a large amount use your oven to keep the finished vegetables. The choice of vegetables is up to you – whatever is good in the market. Some vegetables are best avoided. These include leafy greens, peas and beans. The volume of vegetables you have to purchase will feed more than 4 persons, but keep in mind you have the rest of the week to use up your vegetables in other recipes Some of the zucchini will be turned into a blended sauce.

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Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• Two Kestrel Potato – peeled 4 thick slices, blanched 10 minutes
• One ear of corn – cleaned cut in four, blanched 8 minutes
• One small sweet potato peeled, cut in four, blanches 7 minutes
• Two small onion peeled, halved, blanched 7 minutes
• One bunch of asparagus 4 spears, trimmed, blanched 2 minutes
• Two Japanese eggplant washed, split
• 1 x 200g Haloumi cheese 4 x 50g slices
• One red pepper with garlic and pine nuts
• Two medium size tomatoes washed, cored, halved
• ½ Butternut pumpkin peeled, 4 x 1cm thick slices,
• 350 g zucchini washed, 4 x 60g slices for grilling, the rest thinly sliced for the sauce
• Four mushroom caps destalked.
• Six cloves Garlic peeled, 4 slit, 2 chopped
• One bunch basil – about 8-10 leaves
• Salt and pepper
• 10 g Pine nuts toasted
• Extra virgin olive oil.

Method

 

1. SAUCE
2. Heat your small frypan with a little oil
3. Add the chopped garlic, sauté for 30 seconds
4. Add sliced zucchini. Cook for another one minute
5. Add basil leaf, stir in.
6. Season
7. Blend all with stick blender
8. When blended chill to retain colour
9. GRILLING
10. Heat you pan – hot enough to sear and brown the vegetables
11. Brush the vegetables and the pan with oil
12. Start with the vegetables which take the longest – potatoes, corn, sweet potato and pumpkin. Turn the vegetables occasionally
13. Colour these before you put the next vegetables on – eggplant, zucchini red capsicum and mushroom
14. Add 8 halves of garlic. Cook those a little before putting them onto the mushrooms
15. Add onion, tomato and asparagus.
16. Cooking times will vary. Adjust heat accordingly
17. When finished serve with zucchini sauce. Sprinkle the grilled capsicum with pine nuts

1. SAUCE

2. SAUCE

3. SAUCE

4. SAUCE

BRUSHING VEGETABLES

GRILLING VEGETABLES

Next week: Ossobuco with creamy polenta. An easy recipe for one or two people

Continuing with the carbohydrate theme here are another couple of potato recipes plus a bonus roasted soup recipe – all very tasty.

Baked Stuffed Potatoes

4 portions

These potatoes are great as an accompaniment for a grilled steak. Alternatively you can choose tiny potatoes and use as a finger food item. You will need a small frypan, a baking sheet and a bowl for this recipe.

• 4 x Potatoes, around 200g each
• 60g Bacon, lean, rind less; small dice
• 10ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 20g Butter
• One small brown onion, around 80g, peeled, finely chopped
• 60 ml sour cream
• ¼ bunch chives, washed and chopped
• 10g Parsley, washed and chopped
• 60g Cheddar Cheese, grated
• Paprika, scant
• Salt and pepper

Method:

• Pre-heat oven to 175c
• Select even size potatoes, remove any dirt by washing and scrubbing
• Place potatoes either on a baking sheet or directly on the oven rack
• Bake the potatoes for 45 minutes until the skin is crisp but the potatoes ‘give’ a little when pressed
• While the potatoes are cooking, cut the bacon into a 3mm dice
• Heat the oil in your frypan and add the diced bacon and onion. Sauté on low heat until the bacon is brown and a little crispy and the onion is caramelising. When ready take off the heat and keep the bacon and onion warm.
• When cooked remove the potatoes from the oven

• Place the hot potatoes on your kitchen bench. Using a serrated knife slice off the top 10% of the potato, parallel to your kitchen bench
• While holding onto the potato with a clean tea towel , scoop out the inside of the potato into your bowl until leaving a potato ‘shell’ about 3mm thick
• Mash the hot potato before adding half the cheese and all of the rest of the ingredients except paprika. Check the seasoning
• Mix well
• Divide the potato mix evenly between the potato shells
• Top each potato with a little cheese and a sprinkle of paprika
• Return the finished potato to the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes until the potato tops are golden brown
• Serve

Notes:

• I used a nylon scourer to clean the potatoes
• These potatoes do well when prepared the day before (and refrigerated). When you go to cook them, microwave them a little before putting them in the oven

Warm Potato Salad

This salad recipe lies somewhere between a German Potato Salad with its vinaigrette dressing and the creamy mayonnaise style with which we are familiar.  It goes well with a veal or pork schnitzel. The combination of the egg yolk, vinegar and oil and the hot potato makes the dressing. You will need a small saucepan, a bowl and a wooden spoon for this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 500g small new potatoes, peeled cut into 2cm cubes or 4mm slices
• 40mlWhite wine vinegar
• One egg yolk
• 80ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 20g Dijon Mustard
• Salt and pepper
• 80g red onion, peeled, thinly sliced
• 2 x shallots, picked, cold rinsed, dried, cut in 1cm pieces
• 10g parsley, picked, cold rinsed, dried, rough chopped

Method:

• Rinse the prepared potatoes in cold running water before covering them with fresh cold water in your saucepan. Add a little salt. Bring to boil. Turn down to simmer. Cook till the potatoes are tender, but not overcooked – around twenty minutes.
• Meanwhile place the vinegar, egg yolks, oil, mustard and seasoning in your bowl. Mix.
• Stir in the onion, shallots and parsley. Mix well.
• Be sure that the egg yolk has mixed in

• When the potatoes are ready drain them well
• Add the hot potatoes to the bowl and quickly mix in. Ensure you have even distribution of dressing, onions and parsley.
• Serve

Notes:

• I steamed the potatoes, instead of boiling them
• As an alternative you could not peel the potatoes

Roasted Butternut Pumpkin Soup

This is a recipe I developed for a hotel chain that was promoting a healthy eats menu. It was a time when over consumption of fat and salt was a focus. In the meantime carbohydrates, among other nutrients have been added to the list. Never-the-less this is a tasty soup perfect for our upcoming winter. It is suitable to make it in bulk and freeze portions plus you can think up additional garnishes. Two garnishes that I have used include prawn and green onion as well as a mixture of sour cream, toasted macadamias, crispy bacon and chopped chives. Yes it is a departure from ‘healthy eats’ but it is delicious.

You’ll need a baking dish (or two), a large saucepan, a large bowl and a medium-fine sieve.

Makes 3 1/2 litres

Ingredients:

• 5 Kg Butternut Pumpkin, peeled, de-seeded, 3cm cubes
• Three medium Onions, peeled, rough chopped
• 100ml Extra Virgin olive oil
• 3 tsp chopped garlic
• 2 tsp ginger, chopped
• 1 tsp chopped chilli
• 5 litres vegetable stock
• Two bay leaf
• 50ml honey
• 10ml lemon juice
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp ground white pepper

Method:

• Preheat your oven to 175c
• Place the pumpkin and onion in the baking dish and splash it with the oil
• Roast in the oven for 20 minutes, giving the mix an occasional stir
• Add the garlic, ginger and chilli to the pumpkin mix. Stir in
• Continue roasting for another twenty minutes. The pumpkin should be browning a little. Try and avoid browning the onion.
• The pumpkin should be soft by now. Continue cooking if not.
• When ready, take out of the oven and place the pumpkin mix in your saucepan
• Hold back 300ml of stock; put the rest of the stock in with the pumpkin
• ‘Deglaze’ the baking dish over a medium heat with the 300ml of stock. Discard any scorched pieces of onion. Add the stock deglaze to the rest of the stock and pumpkin
• Add the bay leafs, honey, lemon juice and seasoning to the stock
• Bring the saucepan to the boil. Turn down to simmer
• Simmer for 30 minutes. Take off heat. Remove the two bay leafs
• In batches strain the soup into the bowl. Push the solids through your sieve with the back of a spoon. This puree will give the soup its thickness
• When finished you should have around less than one cup of ‘solids’. Discard these.
• The finished product should be a soup consistency. Check seasoning
• Serve with toast

Notes:

• The flavour of this soup seems to improve overnight in the fridge
• It’s a little bit spicy so you can decrease the chilli if you need to

Pears in Australia are available in store for much of the year but are at their peak during what we consider the cooler months. Pear orchards, with the exception of Stanthorpe in South East Queensland and Manjimup in Southern Western Australia are all located in the southern states.

The varieties of pear you are likely to find at the market include Beurre Bosc, Bartlett, Corella and the ones I am using today – the Packham Pear.

While the “Packham” story may not be as well known as the Granny Smith apple it does share similar historical credentials. It was first grown in the central the west of New South Wales, in 1896, near the township of Molong. Today this Australian Pear is a top seller around the world.

Firstly let’s have a look at how to poach pears and follow it up with two delicious recipes.

Poaching Pears

In peak season fresh firm, ripe pears are deliciously sweet and scented. They offer lots of possibilities for desserts, cakes and salads.

You’ll need a peeler; a small scoop to core the pears; a small saucepan; A slotted spoon plus some greaseproof or silicon paper. To poach pears you will need sugar syrup.

Ingredients:

• Six ripe pears, even in size
• 1 litre of water
• 500g sugar
• Two lemons
• ½ small cinnamon quill.

Method:

• In your saucepan place the water and sugar. Slowly dissolve the sugar over low heat before bringing the syrup to the boil. Avoid stirring the water
• Add the juice of 11/2 lemons and cinnamon to the water. Bring back to simmering
• Meanwhile peel and gently core the pears. Concentrate on retaining the natural shape of the pear. Shave off any dark bruising
• As you peel each pear, place the peeled pear in cold water that has had the juice of half a lemon added. This will stop the pears from browning.
• When all the pears are peeled, gently place them in the syrup. Make sure they don’t rest on the bottom of the saucepan.
• Cover with a circle of paper
• Turn your stove down till it is just simmering
• Cook for 20 – 30 minutes. Test with fine toothpick
• When cooked cool the pears in the syrup before refrigerating them.

Pears Belle Helene

This recipe uses a chilled poached pear and the preparation of the chocolate sauce is pretty quick.  You will need a small saucepan to heat the cream, a bowl for to mix the sauce plus a whisk or wooden spoon.

Chocolate Sauce Recipe for Pears Belle Hélène

Ingredients:

• 200g dark chocolate.
• 100g milk chocolate.
• 300ml cream.
• 10ml brandy (optional).

Method:

• Break or chop the chocolate up and place in a bowl. Stainless Steel or Pyrex style is good.
• In a separate pot heat the cream to almost boiling before pouring the cream over the chocolate,
• Gently stir the combination until it is smooth. Serve warm or at room temperature.
• It will firm up if you refrigerate the sauce (for up to a week).

Assembly:

• Your dessert plate should be at room temperature
• Drain the chilled whole poached pear well.
• Square off the base if required so that the pear is upright and stable.
• Coat half of the pear with chocolate sauce.
• A scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side
• Garnish with an edible garnish of contrasting colour – I used green mint leaf.

Notes:

• If you find this sauce too rich you could increase the ratio of milk chocolate and also add a little more cream
• A gentle heating in a microwave (after refrigeration) will return the mix to sauce consistency.

Pear upside down cake

Your will need a greased and lined 25cm spring form tin and your electric mixer for this recipe. This recipe is suitable with drained poached pears or because of the extended cooking time you can use fresh pears as long as they are ripe.

Ingredients:

• 5 ripe pears peeled, cored, cut into 2cm-thick wedges for fresh pears, a little thinner for poached pears.
• 100ml pear poaching liquid if available (concentrated by 50%) and 130g brown sugar, otherwise increase the brown sugar a little.
• 270g unsalted butter, softened
• 300g caster sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 2/3 cups (250g) plain flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 80g almond meal
• 1 cup (250ml) milk
• Thick cream, to serve

Method:

• Preheat oven to 180°C (not fan-forced).
• Sprinkle brown sugar and concentrated syrup over the base.
• Melt 100g of the butter and pour over brown sugar syrup mix. In a neat pattern top with overlapping pear slices.
• Place remaining butter and caster sugar in bowl of electric mixer beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. It should take about 5-6 minutes.
• Add eggs one at a time while beating. Turn the mixer off occasionally and scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
• On a low speed fold in the dry ingredients.
• Mix in the milk to form a smooth batter.
• Pour all of the batter over the prepared pears.
• Place pan on a baking tray, to catch any possible leaks and place in the oven.
• Bake for 45 minutes and drop the temperature to 150c.Cover if necessary to prevent overbrowning. Continue baking for another 30 minutes.
• When ready take the cake out and cool for 20-30 minutes.
• Carefully invert the cake on to a suitable sized serving plate.
• Serve with thickened cream for afternoon tea or warm with vanilla ice cream as a dessert.

First apologies, I promised some pear recipes, however, the pears aren’t quite ripe yet.  Hopefully next Newsletter. Ken.

History Bites  – Carbohydrates in Diet

These days’ for many people, particularly older Australians who enjoy a western diet, the mention of the word carbohydrate will have connotations of some of the many foods that their doctor has advised them to avoid or limit their intake. Yes, bread, pasta, pastries and potatoes are pretty tasty and because they are so available, in so many varieties, there is a natural tendency to over consume. It is now known that carbohydrates, particularly starchy ones were essential to the evolution of modern big-brained humans and were crucial for energy, overall fitness and brain development.

Naturally occurring sources of carbohydrate have existed for tens of thousands of years and have helped shape the cuisines of every continent except Antarctica and Australia. The frozen continent far to the south is an obvious exclusion, but why Australia.

Indigenous Australians were considered Hunter-Gatherers and sourced carbohydrates from a variety of grass seeds, tuberous roots, berries, nuts, fruits and legumes. Depending on where the clan lived Bunya nuts, Millet and Kangaroo grass seeds, Mulga Wattle legumes and fruits and berries from the Kurrajong tree may have been on the menu. Australia is big so the variety matched its size.

However, Australia became a country welcoming many different ethnicities and from the time of European settlement we have relied on the naturally occurring carbohydrates sources of the other five continents. Even now few attempts have been made to commercialise indigenous foods.

Scientific evidence shows us that Oats were eaten in Eastern Europe as long ago as 30000BCE and cultivated from around 9000BCE. Think of Porridge and Welsh Oat Cakes.

Rice was cultivated around 7000BCE in China. By 3300BCE rice was a staple throughout East and South-east Asia. It’s hard to imagine Asia without rice on the menu. Rice failed to migrate into the Pacific Islands, but the Austronesian peoples, the predecessors of the Polynesians slowly populated the Pacific as far as Easter Island. It is generally believed they brought the sweet potato plant back from its native South America, where it had been cultivated for thousands of years

Sago originated in the Indonesian Archipelago and is similar to the Cassava Plant of South America, both yielding starchy “pearls”. Sago is thought to be as old as rice while cassava is a little younger. They both enjoy widespread consumption in the tropical areas of South America, South East Asia and the Pacific Islands.

We owe the Americas gratitude in coming up with Maize and Potatoes. Both can be traced back to being cultivated around 7000BCE. Maize formed the basis Central and South American cuisine, being used for tortillas, tamales, porridge and alcohol. Potatoes had a similar heritage with an estimated 3000 varieties in Chile alone, so it featured in many dishes. The Incas even had a Goddess for Potatoes; her name was  “Axomamma”.

One of the biggest cultivated crops these days is wheat and there is evidence that it was first cultivated in the Middle East around the year 5000BCE. The earliest use of wheat  was the baking of bread.

The Age of Discovery that started in the late 15^th century bridged the geographic divide between the “Old and New Worlds”. The term “Colombian Interchange” is used for the exchange of cultivated plants and animals between the eastern and western hemispheres. For most of this time the “New World” received a very bad deal but it did transform the culinary landscape of the world.  Maize, Sweet Potato and Potato were among the many plants that arrived back in Europe, while the “New World” would never be the same after wheat, rye and rice found its way from the “Old World”.

By the time of European settlement in Australia, rice was the fourth most valuable export out of North America and polenta (corn meal) was entrenched in Italian cooking. The Great Famine of the mid 1800’s resulted in the population of Ireland to nearly halve by the year 1901.

So for thousands of years these very individual plants existed, separated by distance, but in the space of 400 years these same plants were being grown in many locations and enjoyed international appeal.

Today’s recipes focus on potatoes.

Who doesn’t like potatoes? Most people agree that in our diet it is not the potato that is the problem; it is the way in which it is prepared and the volume that we consume.  Moderation is the key. Keep that in mind when preparing the following recipes.

Delmonico Potatoes

Makes 10-12 portions

There are many recipes available using the name of this famous New York restaurant. Few are the same, but all share common ingredients, apart from potatoes. Dairy, in the form of cream or milk; cheese; breadcrumb and/or cheese as a topping; before finally going in the oven. Sound familiar? Pommes Dauphinoise from France as well as Australia’s very own Potato Bake comes to mind.

My recipe cooks the Kestrel potatoes in a microwave for about 16 minutes, whole, the day before and grates the cold skinned potato. Alternatively you could cook them in your oven at around 175c, covered and with a little water but it would take longer. I have also added natural yoghurt to the recipe.

If you use your microwave remember to treat with caution when removing the HOT cooked potatoes. You will need a small saucepan, a baking dish, a grater and a bowl plus your dishes for crumbing, for this recipe. I used two smaller Pyrex dishes instead of a baking dish to achieve the same result.

Ingredients:

• One kilo Kestrel potatoes.
• 125ml Pure cream
• 125ml full cream milk
• 125ml natural yogurt
• 150g grated cheese
• One small onion peeled; finely chopped.
• 65g butter
• Salt and pepper
• 80g course breadcrumb
• Smoked paprika

Method:

• Rinse the potatoes in cold water and place them in a microwave safe bowl. A little water in the bowl is OK. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or microwave safe plate. Cook for about 16 minutes
• Refrigerate the potatoes overnight.
• The next day skin the potatoes (discarding the skins) and course grate the potato

• Pre-heat your oven to 175c
• Grease a suitable size baking dish with a little of the butter and add the grated potato. Put aside
• In the saucepan on medium heat sweat the onion in about 50g butter. Avoid colouring the onions
• When the onions are transparent (about 3 minutes) add the cream, milk, yogurt and half the cheese. Bring to the boil before turning down the heat. Simmer for two minutes. Season.

• Pour the cream mix over the grated potato

• In the meantime melt the remaining butter and mix into the breadcrumb
• Top the potato with the remaining cheese and breadcrumb

• Finish with a little sprinkling of paprika
• Place the dish in the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese/ breadcrumb is golden brown

Notes:

• If you prefer the finished product to be softer increase the cream, milk and yogurt proportionally.
• This recipe works well when it is baked in a muffin pan for individual portions. Make sure the pan is well greased
• Your finished product can be frozen

Croquette Potatoes

Makes 10 – 12 portions

Deliciously addictive, with the combination of the crunchy coating and creamy interior. You’ll need a saucepan to boil the potatoes plus a second similar saucepan (or clean the first one) for your temporary deep-fryer plus a fine wire sieve and a couple of bowls, a whisk, a spatula, a large spoon plus a slotted metal spoon for your finished croquettes.

Ingredients:

• 1kg Kestrel Potatoes
• 50g Butter
• Two Egg Yolks
• Salt and pepper
• 400g Panko Breadcrumb
• Flour
• One Egg plus two egg whites
• Vegetable oil (Canola or similar, but not Olive oil)

 Method:

• Peel the potatoes, discarding any blemishes and eyes.
• Cut the potatoes into 2cm cubes and place in your saucepan. Give them a good cold rinse before draining them.
• Cover with fresh water and add a little salt.
• On high heat bring the potatoes to the boil before turning the heat down to simmer the potatoes. Cook the potatoes until they are tender but not falling apart – about twenty minutes
• Drain the cooked potatoes well. Return them to the saucepan.
• Whisk in the butter. Check seasoning.
• Whisk in the egg yolks, on at a time. Be sure to get into the base of the saucepan.
• Transfer the potatoes into your sieve in batches. Push the potato through the sieve with your spoon. Continue until all the potato has all been passed through.

• There are a couple of ways to portion the potato to make it ready for crumbing.

• You can use a disposable piping bag to form long tubes and then cut or use a large ice cream scoop to do individual portions.

• For both preparation methods the potato is best handled very gently at room temperature but should be chilled after crumbing to firm them up before frying.
• Consult images below.
• The crumbing procedure is flour egg and breadcrumb – in that order.

Cooking:

• In a small saucepan pour 400ml oil and bring to frying temp – around 175c. Keep an eye on the temperature. Check the temperature by dropping a little loose breadcrumb in. It should bubble vigorously.
• Gently lower the croquettes into the oil. Maintain separation. Don’t overload.

• Regulate the cooking temperature, up or down
• Cook for one minute. With your slotted spoon turn them to prevent scorching on one side
• Total cooking time is 2 minutes or until golden brown.
• Take the croquettes out with your slotted spoon and on to absorbent kitchen paper. Do another batch
• You should able to do at least 3 batches without keeping the cooked ones warm
• Serve

Notes:

• You can substitute a generic brand breadcrumb if you wish. They tend to retain more oil and colour more quickly
• Yes you can keep them warm in a slow oven but the croquettes will lose their crispness if kept too long
• The finished oil should still be usable. Strain or filter the cooled oil, seal the oil in a dark container, date and label the container and keep in the fridge.

These days in Australia we enjoy year round supply of many fresh fruits. So much so that many people overlook or forget the fact that at any given period of time some fruits are not in season in Australia and hence are imported from far away. People are not even daunted by the sometimes outrageous prices, the age of the fruit or its poor quality when it is purchased at the wrong time. It is not uncommon at a supermarket to observe people lamenting the price of grapes in winter or the lack of sweetness in watermelons in August.

So I thought let’s celebrate Autumn and its abundance of local, delicious apples and pears, plus a few quinces.  First up we will investigate the Granny Smith apple from its accidental discovery to its world famous status. Tarte Tatin, a classic French dessert along with Apple and Quince Crumble are then on the menu.

The Granny Smith Story

When I was growing up in Epping, N.S.W, naturally I had heard of the Granny Smith apple. Later I learnt part of the story and I found out that Grannies farm had been in the neighbouring suburb of Eastwood. In 1985 a few years after our family moved away from Sydney, The Granny Smith Festival started in Eastwood and we attended the festival a number of times in the 1990’s.

You could say that I was more than surprised when, upon investigation I realised that Granny’s farm was on the street where we had lived, albeit at the Eastwood end of the street.

The leafy suburb of Eastwood was once rich farmland, famous for its orchards. It was here that Maria Ann Smith (Granny) and her husband purchased a small orchard in the mid 1850’s. Over time Maria became a prominent and successful local citizen, nicknamed Granny Smith. In the late 1860’s, on her orchard, a chance seedling of uncertain origin, was discovered and cultivated. That seedling became the apple which is named after Maria.

Maria died only two years later but her apple was already popular with Sydneysiders. Interest surged in the 1890’s and the apple started winning awards, prompting Government interest. After The Great War one of Australia’s biggest fruit exports was the Granny Smith Apple.

The rich soil of Eastwood is still there, mostly covered with houses on generous blocks. Close to where that famous orchard was, you can contemplate Maria and her apple as you sit in the Granny Smith Memorial Park.

Tarte Tatin

There are a number of stories about cookery mistakes with a happy ending – this is one of them. At their hotel in France the Tatin sisters created this simple dessert but with an impressive flavour you won’t be able to resist.

Many Tarte Tatin recipes call for a skillet that you can also place in the oven. I used a 22cm glass Pyrex and hoped for the best. You could use a lined spring form but you will need to have a tray under it when it goes in the oven. You will need a small saucepan to cook the caramel and a clean wooden spoon.

Ingredients: 

• 200ml water
• 150g caster sugar
• 75g unsalted butter
• 5 x Granny smith apples, washed, peeled, cored, cut in 4- 6 wedges
• 1 x 25 cm square, sheet of puff pastry, thawed and cut into a circle (the diameter of your dish).
• Unsweetened whipped cream for serving

Method: 

• Lightly grease your skillet or dish with butter
• Place the water in the saucepan and the pour the sugar into the centre. Turn to medium heat. Bring to boil slowly. Do not stir the sugar.
• Preheat your oven to 190c
• The sugar should have dissolved by the time the water boils. Again leave the saucepan alone. You probably have about 20 minutes before the caramel is ready.
• As the water evaporates the sugar becomes syrupy and shortly after you will notice a hint of light caramel colour. This is good.
• Turn the heat down to low the colour will darken quickly.
• Take the saucepan off the heat.
• Carefully add the butter. It will bubble vigorously. Stir with the spoon until the butter is incorporated. The caramel should have a creamy texture. Return to the heat.
• Add the apple. Gently stir to coat the apple. Continue the cooking process for 3-4 minutes as you stir. You need to retain the shape of the wedges but at the same time cook them a little.
• Arrange the apple in the base of your dish. The outside of the apple faces down, for best presentation. Once you think it looks OK fill in any gaps with smaller bits of apple.
• Pour the caramel mix over the apple.
• Finally cover the apple with the pastry round. Push the pastry down the sides. There is no need to brush the pastry with anything as the pastry forms the base of this dessert.
• Place the dish in the oven. Bake until the pastry is golden brown – about 35-40 minutes.
• When ready, take out and cool for about 15 minutes.
• Invert the Tarte Tatin on to your serving plate.
• Serve warm with whipped cream.

Granny Smith Apple and Quince Crumble

Makes four individual portions (4 x 10cm diameter ramekins)

Crumble:

• 70g Unsalted butter, softened
• 1/3 cup Brown Sugar
• 1¼ cup Plain flour
• ½ cup Oats
• ½ Coconut – desiccated or shredded
• Couple of drops of vanilla paste or essence

Method:

• In your mixer cream the butter, brown sugar and vanilla.
• On low speed add the flour. Beat until breadcrumb consistency
• Add oats and coconut. Continue beating on low speed. After a couple of minutes the crumble should have a coarse granular appearance. Ready.

Filling:

• 2x medium G.S. apples, washed, peeled, cored, cut in thin wedges
• One Quince, washed ripe, medium size, peeled, cored, cut in wedges
• ¼ cup caster sugar.
• 2 cups water
• ½ cinnamon stick
• ¼ lemon

Method:

• In a small saucepan over medium heat place the sugar, water, cinnamon and lemon
• When the sugar is dissolved add the Quince. Simmer for 35 to 40 minutes, until the Quince is tender.
• When done take off heat.
• In a separate saucepan (lidded) place the apple and a ½ cup of the Quince syrup.
• Bring the apple to the boil and give it a stir. Turn the heat down and lid the pot
• Cook for 5 -8 minutes. The apples can over cook very quickly. When tender remove from heat.
• Add the Quince and a little of the syrup to the apple. Gently mix the two fruits together.

Assembly:

• Set your oven to 175c
• Divide the apple/quince mix between the four ramekins
• Spoon the crumble mix over the top of the apple generously
• Place the ramekins on a baking sheet and then into the oven.
• Cook for 35 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the fruit is bubbling up the side.
• Serve with Vanilla ice cream.

Notes:

• The crumble mix keeps very well in the fridge and of course the freezer, as does the cooked fruit.
• This crumble mix is suitable for all types of fruit crumbles such as berries, peaches and rhubarb.
• Retain the unused syrup for future use.

Look for ‘Pears’ later in the week in newsletter # 5

Welcome to Seniors in the Kitchen Newsletter #2.  Newsletter #1 can be found in the drop down menu – Blog Archive – on the website.

Newsletter #2 – Life in the Village.

I am told that the residents of our Over 55’s Village are regarded as extremely active and involved and you need to look no further for evidence of that than the attendance at two of our recent community activities within the village.

The first was our Anzac Day Dawn service on Friday the 25^th April where around 90 residents, ex-servicemen and a sprinkling of dignitaries gathered from 5.30 am, outside our Community Centre, with the service starting around one half hour later. The location of this yearly event changed a little from 2024, with a more sheltered position selected by the organiser. This was much appreciated by all and the resulting ceremony went off like clockwork.

The Service gave cause for reflection by all who attended and after woods the sombre veil lifted a little, as stories were shared during a breakfast of an orange juice, egg and bacon roll, coffee and an Anzac Biscuit in our Community Centre.

This event would not happen without the generous efforts of all our volunteers. Whether it is our community shed people making flagpoles, the selection of music for the service, the crocheted red poppies or our Men’s Cooking Group turning up at 5.00 am to ensure that breakfast is available, events such as this don’t work without not only community involvement but also someone taking the reins to co-ordinate everything.

The second of the two events was our Monday night dinner, promoted by our Social Sub-Committee. This is also held in our Community Centre with the Men’s Cooking Group turning out to prepare and cook a two-course dinner for 75 residents. The ladies from the Social Sub-Committee served and as usual other attendees assisted in the clean-up. This was our sixteenth dinner and as always this dinner books out in less than one day. The menu for this dinner was Pojarski Cutlet, mash and green bean bundle. We served two accompanying sauces –a sour cream sauce and a roasted tomato sauce. The dessert was a Warm orange and almond cake, citrus syrup and vanilla ice cream.

Throughout the year we only do five of these dinners with the cooking group, but there are other days that we support with Anzac Day being one of them. Other days include Australia Day, Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve, as well as a number of charity events.

The recipes for the ANZAC biscuit, The Pojarski cutlet, the two sauces and the onion jam for the bacon and egg roll, follow.

 ANZAC biscuits.*

What’s in a name? Well quite a lot when it comes to these famous biscuits, with enforceable regulations relating to its commercial production and use of the term ANZAC. In short the recipe has to contain certain ingredients. Fortunately those regulations don’t apply when you make them at home. But why change a good thing. Read a little of this biscuit’s story in History Bites on our web site.

This recipe has good keeping qualities in the unlikely event that they are not eaten as soon as you bake them. Pre-heat your oven to 190c. You’ll need two baking sheets lined with baking paper (silicon paper) to fit the 24 plus biscuits or alternatively bake two single batches if you only have one tray.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups plain flour, sifted.
• 1 cup traditional rolled oats.
• 1/2 cup caster sugar.
• 3/4 cup Desiccated Coconut.
• 150g unsalted butter.
• 2tbsp golden syrup.
• 1 1/2 tbsp bi carbonate of soda.
• 1 1/2 tbsp water.

Method:

• In a bowl combine all the dry ingredients; mix well.
• In a small saucepan, over low heat, melt the butter and add the golden syrup; mix well; avoid boiling; warm is OK. Leave off the heat.
• In a small bowl combine the bi carbonate soda and water.
• Stir into the butter mix. It will foam up a little.
• Add the butter mix to the dry mix. Combine well to form dough. It will have a greasy texture which is a little warm.
• Now portion the dough and roll into balls about two thirds the size of a golf ball.
• Position on your baking sheet with and flatten slightly leaving a 5cm gap between each biscuit.
• Bake for 15 – 20 minutes. The shorter cooking time will give you a chewier biscuit, while the longer time will give you the traditional crispiness.

Notes:

• While not traditional, treacle or honey can be substituted for golden syrup.
• Experiment with brown sugar instead of caster sugar.
• Do not use instant oats as a substitute for traditional rolled oats.

Pojarski Cutlet

Veal Pojarski had its origins in Russia in the early 1800’s. Originally made with minced veal or beef and a little later with minced chicken. By the mid 1800’s it had been absorbed into classic French Cuisine and the French naturally added some alternative flavours including hare, grouse and fish.

With the arrival of the Soviets, minced pork became the meat of choice. As technology developed, cheap versions in the form of patties, with little resemblance to its origins became available for the masses.

A key component of the traditional Pojarski is the incorporation of butter and cream to help maintain the cutlets moist texture. The butter can be in the form of softened butter. My recipe uses all the butter from the cooked vegetables. The two different sauces work well with this dish.

Ingredients (mince mix):

• 100g mushrooms, cold rinsed, dried, sliced.
• One medium onion, peeled, medium size chop.
• One medium carrot (about 120g), peeled, medium size chop.
• One stick celery, washed, string removed either with a peeler or pulled off with finger tips. Alternatively use the tender inside sticks. Medium chop.
• 40g butter
• 2xsprigs fresh thyme, leaf only.
• 500g minced veal, pork or chicken, or a mixture of all three, but not just chicken.
• 100ml thickened cream.
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp ground pepper.
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg.
• 2 x egg yolks
• 80g white bread, made into breadcrumbs.
• Olive oil or other good quality vegetable oil for shallow frying.

Ingredients (coating):

• One egg.
• 60ml milk
• 50g plain flour.
• 200g approx. packet of Panko crumb.

Method:

• In a lidded pot and melt the butter. Add the vegetables and Thyme.
• Turn up the medium heat, give them a stir and lid the pot. Turn the heat down. Avoid colouring the vegetables. You are “sweating” the vegetables and they will need an occasional stir and this should take about 12 minutes until they are tender.
• When ready, cool the mix a little and using a spatula turn the vegetables and the melted butter into your blender. Blend to a coarse paste. Cool this mix in the fridge.
• In a suitable sized bowl place the mince, seasonings, nutmeg, egg yolks and the white breadcrumbs. Mix well.
• Add in the chilled vegetable mix. Continue mixing until well combined. The mixture will have a sticky texture. Cover and refrigerate.
• Meanwhile in a new separate bowl prepare the egg wash with the egg, milk and leftover egg whites
• In a separate shallow dish place the flour, while the Panko crumb should be placed in another shallow dish. You will be crumbing the meat mix. Other terms used for the same process are “breading” and the French term “pane”.
• Preheat your oven to 180c.
• Divide the meat mix into four and form the portions into large meatballs.
• In order pass the meatballs through flour, brushing off excess. Next the the egg wash and finally the crumb. Press the down crumb firmly (avoid wet spots) before placing the crumbed meatball on a clean tray.
• While on the tray flatten the meatball to about 2cm thick and at the same time shape it into something similar to a pork loin cutlet or veal cutlet or an elongated kidney shape.
• When all done place them in the fridge until you are ready to cook.
• Heat the oil (medium heat) in a fry pan (about 3mm) and place the Pojarski Cutlets in. After about 3 minutes, when golden brown turn them and achieve the same on the other side.
• Remove the cutlets and place on an oven tray and then the oven.
• The cutlets should be cooked in around 20 minutes.
• Accompanying sauces are Sour cream sauce and Roasted tomato sauce (recipes follow).
• The cutlets were served with mashed potato and green beans wrapped in bacon.

Sour cream sauce 250ml (approx.)

Ingredients:

• 15g butter.
• 15g flour.
• 200ml chicken stock.
• 20ml lemon juice.
• 50ml sour cream
• Salt
• Ground white pepper
• 1/3 bunch chives, picked, cold rinsed. 1mm chop.

Method:

• In a small pot melt the butter. Turn to medium hot heat.
• Add flour. Mix in. This mix is called a roux.
• Cook the roux for 2-3 minutes. Continue stirring the roux. Avoid browning.
• Take off the heat and add the chicken stock and lemon juice.
• Put the pot back on the stove and whisk the liquid to break up the roux totally.
• Bring the mix to the boil, stirring all the time. Turn the heat down to simmer the sauce.
• Simmer for a further 4 minutes. Stirring with a silicon spatula will be helpful here to keep the sauce from sticking.
• Stir in the sour cream.
• Take off the heat. Season with the salt and pepper.
• Keep warm.
• Add chives just before serving the sauce.

Notes:

• Thin this sauce, if needed, with a little white wine and/or stock.

Roasted tomato sauce 250ml (approx.)

Pre-heat oven at 175c.

Ingredients:

• 30ml Olive oil.
• One medium onion, peeled, rough 1cm dice.
• Four medium size, ripe truss tomatoes, washed, cored, halved.
• 2 cloves garlic.
• One bay leaf.
• 6 x basil leaf.
• 1tbsp tomato paste.
• Salt, Cracked pepper.
• 60 ml dry white wine.
• Chicken stock or water.

Method:

• Place the Onion, tomatoes, bay leaf, basil and garlic in a small baking dish and sprinkle with all of the oil.
• Place in the oven and roast for at least half hour.
• Turn oven done to 150c and continue roasting the tomatoes for another half hour.
• Occasionally check to make sure the mix does not burn. Stir occasionally. Replace evaporated juices with a little stock or water.
• Eventually the tomatoes will ‘collapse’ and the onions will be transparent and ready to take out of the oven.
• Discard the bay leaf. Spatula all of the tomato mix into your blender. Season with salt and pepper. Add white wine. Puree the mix. Check seasoning. The sauce is finished. Keep it warm for service.

Notes:

• Adjust the consistency with stock or water.
• You can pass the mixture through a fine sieve if you prefer a smooth finish.
• You could add a little chopped chilli at the beginning to give the sauce a little kick.

Onion jam – yields around three cups of jam.

Also called Caramelised Onion or Onion Marmalade, this is very much a personal taste accompaniment. You could increase the sweetness or piquancy, or add suitable herbs or even citrus. You could also use Spanish onions. My recipe is easy, with good keeping qualities in the fridge or you could bottle it (using traditional methods) for longer term storage.

Ingredients:

• 4 x white or brown onions, peeled, quartered and thin sliced.
• 1 tbsp olive oil.
• ½ tsp salt.
• One bay leaf.
• ½ tsp ground black pepper.
• ½ cup Balsamic vinegar.
• ½ cup red wine vinegar.
• 1 cup brown sugar.

Method:

• On a medium heat add the oil to a saucepan, followed by the onions, bay leaf and seasoning.
• Sweat the onions for 10-12 minutes until they are translucent. Avoid burning.
• Add vinegars and brown sugar. Stir the mix. The sugar will dissolve quickly.
• When the mix boils, turn the heat down to keep the mix simmering.
• The jam will be a light brown colour.
• Over the next half hour the colour will gradually darken as the water evaporates and the sugar cooks.
• Stir occasionally. The mix shouldn’t stick until the liquid is syrupy.
• When the mix reaches the ‘hot jam’ consistency it’s ready. Check seasoning.
• At this point you may want to make it sweeter or more vinegary. You could adjust the flavour now if required but continue cooking to achieve the correct consistency.
• The jam is best served at room temperature.

Bonus – assembly of ANZAC day egg and bacon roll.

We received many great comments for our egg and bacon roll and I reckon the secret was the choice of a milk bun combined with the onion jam.

The milk bun should not be confused with the brioche bun, even though they can be similar in appearance. Milk buns are lighter than and not as sweet as the brioche roll.

Our rolls were purchased and delivered, fortunately at a wholesale price (based on volume) from a bakery in Hornsby. They offered to split the rolls which helped immensely on the morning of the 25^th. The onion jam was prepared the day before. The bacon was cooked in our community centre ovens and the fat drained off before being finished on the BBQ.

After our ANZAC service and before the sun had cleared the tree line our assembly line of volunteers churned out 80 or more egg and bacon rolls. The order of assembly follows:

• Opened roll presented on a plate.
• Onion jam spread on the base.
• Spinach leaves.
• Fried Egg.
• Streaky bacon
• Tomato or BBQ sauce (optional)
• Top half of roll popped on.

YUM!