My First Blogging By Mail

This is a really cool blogging event that was organized by Stephanie at Dispensing Happiness, where everyone who signed up had to send out a box of their favourite things. How great to be able to share with others, the things you love and then to receive a lovely box of goodies from somewhere else in the world. Thanks Stephanie for putting so much work into such a wonderful event.

I need to apologise to Stephanie and Eva though, as it has taken me a week or so to get this post up. My parents are currently visiting from Australia and are keeping me very busy. However, I finally have a couple minutes to myself and am happy to be able to put up a post about the very thoughtful box Eva sent to me from Switzerland. Unfortunately, she didn't tell me which blog she has, so I can't link to it, but if Eva is reading this....please send me a note and I will remedy the situation ASAP.

The first thing I noticed about the box that Eva sent, was it was from Fisher Scientific, a company that I order from all the time at work as a scientist, so I wonder if Eva is also a scientist....small world!!

Anyway, she themed her box around lazy Sunday mornings, which is a really cute idea. She included a huge bag of biscotti, which I have been working my way through, as well as some asian cookies that she really likes. She gave me two coasters that I could put my tea on if I wanted, as well as some farmer's market honey and Swiss chocolate. She also included 2 CD's for me to listen to. Last but not least, she had read that I like growing my own food and that I like thai basil, she included some seeds of thai basil that I can grow myself.

Thanks Eva, for a little taste of Switzerland!! And thanks Stephanie for organising such a fun event :)

Apple of My Eye

When I saw that this month's edition of Sugar High Friday was your favourite, most craved dessert, it took me all of about 2 seconds to know what I was going to make. Now don't get me wrong, I love all types of desserts from pavlova, to tarts, cakes, pies, ice cream, biscuits, scones.....you name it, I probably love it. I have a very over-active sweet tooth!! But invariably when we go out to dinner, I always scan the dessert menu for one thing...apple crumble!! If there is an apple crumble, or actually any kind of crumble, I am all over it. I love them....they could be of the crumble variety, the crisp variety, in peach, blueberry, strawberry, rhubarb.....but if there is an apple crumble, I cannot go past it.




Yet, I have never ventured to make my own version and figured this would be the perfect opportunity to give it a go. I did not find my recipe in any one place, instead borrowed lots of different bits from lots of different recipes to come up with my own. See, I love the cinnamon-y, apply goodness of the filling, but it has to have just the right crust and of course, caramel. It isn't as good as it can be without caramel, as apples and caramel are just a match made in heaven.

I really wanted to make my own vanilla ice cream to go with this as well, but unfortunately due to time restraints in the last couple of weeks, the props for the ice cream has to go to Mr Haagen Daas. Oh well, the rest is all me and can I just say....this crumble was really great. I have many in my time and I don't know if I would go as far as saying it is the best....but it sure is up there.

Thanks Jennifer for prompting me to come up with my own apple crumble recipe, so now I can enjoy it whenever the craving hits. Yum!!




Apple Crumble with Caramel Sauce
(Makes 6)

Apples
6-8 granny smith's, peeled, cored and chopped
75g unsalted butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1tsp cinnamon
1tsp allspice or nutmeg
2 tbs lemon juice
zest of one lemon
Crumble
50g pecans
50g rolled oats
1/2 cup self raising flour
100g melted butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch allspice
Caramel Sauce
1/2 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup evaporated milk

ice cream to serve

1. To make apples, melt butter in a deep pan over medium heat and add apple. Cook for 5 minutes or until they start to soften, the add brown sugar, lemon juice, zest and spices and simmer for 10 minutes or until tender. Transfer to 6 one cup capacity oven proof dishes.

2. For the crumble, process the pecans in a food processor until finely chopped, then combine with flour, oats, sugar and spices. Melt the butter and mix into the pecan mixture until all ingredients are moistened. Spread over apples and bake at 350F for approximately 40 minutes or until golden.

3. To make the sauce, in a small saucepan, melt butter with the sugar and salt over medium heat. Bring to boil, whisking constantly. Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla and evaporated milk. Set aside and keep warm.

4. To serve, spoon vanilla ice cream over apple crumble, then top with caramel sauce.

HHDD #13 - Sorbet

When I saw that this month's edition of Hay Hay it's Donna Day, hosted by Laura over at Eat Drink Live, was sorbet I had mixed emotions. I do love sorbet, but how was I going to make it special.

Then, fortuitously, on the same day I got an email from my CSA farm (Even' Star Organic Farm) that said I would be receiving some lavender in this weeks share. It also stated that "foodies" might like to use it an ice cream recipe. Perfect!! I decided to use my lavender for this sorbet recipe and also serve it alongside some lavender and almond biscotti.

I love the smoky taste of lavender. My favourite tea is lavender Earl Grey and I make a killer lavender shortbread, if I do say so myself. It works really well in this milk and honey lavender sorbet, with the smokiness offset by the sweetness of the honey. There is also just a hint in the biscotti, which seems like the perfect accompaniment to his fabulous sorbet.




Milk and Honey Lavender Sorbet
2 cups whole milk
2 cups water
1 cup honey
1/4 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped
1 tbs dried lavender buds, slightly crushed
pinch of salt

1. Combine milk, water, honey, vanilla pod and seeds in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the honey. Bring to a boil, whisk in the lavender and salt, then remove from heat. Infuse mixture for 30 minutes, then strain through a fine sieve and chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.

2. Transfer mixture to ice cream machine and freeze as per manufacturers instructions.




Lavender and Almond Biscotti
(Makes 30-40)

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
4 medium eggs
3 cups of flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp dried lavender buds, finely ground
1/2 cup sliced almonds

1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Mix in extracts and eggs and blend until combined. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, lavender and almonds. Stir into sugar mixture and mix until just combined. Do not over mix.

2. Pre-heat oven to 350F. Halve dough and turn out onto a cookie sheet. Dough will be sticky. Without handling dough excessively, pat the dough into two 13"x2" logs. Place the logs 3" apart. Smooth each log and place in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until lightly browned.

3. Cool for 10-15 minutes and reduce oven temperature to 300F. After cooling, cut diagonally into 1/2" slices with a serrated knife. Lay slices on cookie sheet and return to the oven for 8 minutes. Turn slices over and bake for another 7 minutes until golden. Transfer to a rack and cool completely. Stores for up to one month in an air tight container.



(recipe adapted from http://www.gildedfork.com)

The Hubby Challenge #1 - Gunslinger Burritos

Anyone who knows me, knows that my all time favourite author is Stephen King and that his Dark Tower series of books are an obsession. For those who aren't familiar with this series of seven books by Stephen, you can check out this website. This is an amazing series of books that took Stephen three decades to write and the story is incorporated in some way into almost every other book he has written. That in itself is sheer genius!!

Anyway, the reason I bring this up is because when I was reading the last few books in the series...actually waiting agonizingly for each new one to come out and nearly having a heartache when I found out Stephen was hit by a truck and may never finish, at around book 4....I got my hubby onto them as well. We were discussing them again last week and he came up with a challenge for me....to make my own version of a gunslinger burrito.

Now, most are probably thinking what the hell is that?? And in order to answer that question, I have to refer to the story of the Dark Tower............

The main character is Roland Deshain, who is a gunslinger. The books are set in a time that is a cross between now and the old west. Roland lives in Mejis and is trained to be a gunslinger as was his father before him. However, the world is changing and the fabric of time is becoming warped. The Dark Tower, which is at the center of all universes, is dying and it is up to Roland, the last gunslinger, to get to the dark tower and fix it. This, obviously, is an epic journey that occurs over the series of seven books and is a bit like Lord of The Rings, crossed with Indiana Jones.

The gunslinger burrito, mentioned above, is the meal of choice for Roland on his journey as he has to eat whatever he can find. He usually makes his burrito with some sort of animal meat (that he has killed) wrapped in a leaf. Not particularly appetizing...so I asked hubby if he wanted an authentic gunslinger burrito (hoping of course the answer was no)...and thankfully, he said he just wanted me to come up with my own burrito recipe that we could affectionately call a "gunslinger burrito".

Yes we are dorks...I'll freely admit it. But you gotta keep life interesting :)

At first I had no idea how to make an interesting burrito, but I knew I liked Chipotle burritos and wished to emulate something like that. For those not in the US, Chipotle is a chain that sells organic, environmentally friendly burritos and is super yummy. I particularly like their Barbacoa beef burrito, which is lovely and spicy.

So, after researching a fair bit on the web about what makes up the Barbacoa beef in a Chipotle burrito and switching it up to my own particular tastes, I hereby present my answer to Hubby Challenge #1 - The Gunslinger Burrito!!!

Gunslinger Burrito

Beef
4-6 Chipotle Chile's in adobo sauce (canned)
2 teaspoons of ground cumin
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp allspice
zest of one lemon
4-6 sprigs of fresh thyme
6 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 Spanish onion, roughly chopped
1/3 cup cider vinegar
2-3lb beef roast
salt and pepper
bay leaf
3 star anise
1 cup chicken stock

Cilantro-Lime Rice
1 cup basmati rice
juice of one lime
1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Guacamole
3 ripe avocados
2 tbs minced onion
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 small Serrano chili, seeded and minced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 tbs fresh squeezed lime juice
salt to taste

salsa
2 large ripe tomatoes, seeded and cored
1 small jalapeno, seeded and minced
2 tbs red onion, minced
1 small clove of garlic, minced
2 tbs freshly squeezed lime juice
salt to taste

large flour tortillas
shredded cheddar cheese
sour cream


1. To prepare the meat, place all ingredients into a slow cooker, then cook on low for 6-8 hours. remove meat from juices and shred with a fork. Drizzle some of the pan juices over the meat and set aside.

2. Cook rice as per packet instructions, then add oil, juice and salt. Allow to cool slightly then add cilantro.

3. To make guacamole, halve the avocados, remove the pits and dice. Place into a large bowl and mash together with onion, garlic, chili, cilantro, salt and cumin. Add the lime juice and stir to combine. (Will keep in the refrigerator for a day or two).

4. For the salsa, finely dice the tomatoes. Place in a bowl with jalapeno, onion, garlic and lime juice. Season with salt and set aside.

5. To serve the burritos, place desired amount of meat, rice, guacamole, salsa, shredded cheese, sour cream and shredded lettuce onto a flour tortilla. Wrap the tortilla around the filling and place on a plate. Alternatively, serve ingredients in individual bowls on the table and let people make their own with whatever ingredients they choose.

SHF #31 - Shades of White

This months Sugar High Friday is being hosted by Tara at Seven Spoons and she chose "Shades of White" as the theme.

This SHF was posted a little late this month, so there wasn't a lot of time to work out what to do. At first I thought it would be cool to do a white chocolate lamington, but that turned out to be a total disaster, so I decided instead to do a white chocolate coated ice cream bombe. This too did not go as planned, but time has run out, so I will post it anyway.

This recipe takes a few days, as you need to freeze each layer in between and make sure the bombe is really solid before pouring the chocolate over. But it is pretty basic and you could do it with any flavors you like. I would have liked to do it with home made ice cream, but I didn't have time for that, so I just used Haagen Daaz light in vanilla bean and cookie dough.




To make the bomb, line a bowl with plastic wrap and then alternatively layer the two flavors of ice cream. I did 2 layers of each. In between each layer, I put in crushed twix bars, roasted pecans and nutella, again you could put whatever you wanted.

I tried to coat the bombe in caramel, but it just seemed to slide right off the ice cream and was not particularly successful. I then coated the entire bombe in white chocolate and coconut.




Not my finest effort to date, but hopefully it will be acceptable for SHF #31. It is certainly white !

HHDD #12 - Parmesan Crusted Chicken Caesar Involtini

This round of Hay Hay it's Donna Day is hosted by Katie over at Other People's Food, after her triumph with the Le Kit Cat Mousse in Round #11. Congrats Katie and thanks for picking this rounds challenge of "Caesar Salad".

To be perfectly honest I am not a huge fan of Caesar salad. I may be the only person on earth but I tend to find it bland, claggy and calorie loaded. For those who are not familiar with clag, it is an Australian glue that is non-toxic and paste-like and is usually given to small children for arts projects, but tends to end up in their stomachs, rather than on their art. This is what Caesar Salad conjures up to me, especially here in the US, where it seems to be served at almost every chain restaurant in the country and consists of some limp romaine lettuce, a few stale croutons, some parmesan cheese and a heavy helping of the most calorific dressing you can find. No thanks!

Suffice it say, that when I saw Katie's choice, I was none too pleased. What the heck was I going to do with a Caesar Salad. Clearly my disdain for this dish means that I do not make it at home, so what was a girl to do....especially when she so desperately wanted to contribute to HHDD #12.




So, I wrote down what a Caesar salad was to me...from home in Melbourne, where I must say they are marginally better than what I have found over here....but not by much. Romaine (Cos) lettuce, parmesan, anchovies, egg, croutons, Caesar dressing and sometimes bacon and chicken. Hmm...what to do???

And then it hit me!! I love chicken and even more than that, I love stuffed chicken. Or chicken rolled around yummy, cheesy ingredients. And so the parmesan crusted chicken Caesar involtini was born. This is a chicken rolled around Caesar salad ingredients, roasted and served with a low-fat Caesar dressing.

I made this on a night that hubby was not home, as there is no way I could get him to eat something with anchovies and if the meal was a disaster, I didn't want him to go hungry. So, when he was at class tonight, I got to cooking up my chicken Caesar concoction...and the outcome??

Amazing!! Wow, this was so yummy. The chicken was delicious, with the prosciutto, parmesan cheese and anchovies complementing wonderfully. The low-fat dressing was lovely and tangy and really made the whole dish. I encrusted the chicken in croutons and parmesan that had been processed in the food processor and served it all over a bed of lemon risotto. You could serve it with anything you like...roast veggies would be great and healthy, however for this challenge I wanted to use one of the ingredients in the Caesar salad, and lemon is a big component of Caesar dressing. Everything worked together beautifully and now I wish that hubby had have been here to enjoy it with me. It felt very decadent and something I would be happy to serve to guests.

So, maybe my views on the old Caesar salad were a bit harsh and I may need to revisit this staple found on nearly every restaurant menu. However, I think this take on an old favourite was really something special and I have to thank Katie for making me think outside of the box and come up with something that I would absolutely make again.



Parmesan Crusted Chicken Caesar Involtini
(Serves 4)

4 chicken breasts
4 slices of prosciutto
1/2 cup of romaine, chopped
6 anchovies
1 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
1 egg, beaten
flour for dredging
1 cup of Caesar salad croutons
cooking spray
dressing
juice of 1 lemon
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 anchovie
1 tbs white wine vinegar
1/2 cup fat free natural yoghurt
2 tbs low fat mayonnaise
1 tbs grated parmesan

1. Pre-heat oven to 350F.

2. To make dressing, place ingredients into food processor and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Pound chicken breasts until flattened. Lay 1 slice of prosciutto on each breast, followed by some romaine, anchovies (broken into small pieces and scattered) and grated parmesan cheese. Roll up chicken breast and secure with toothpicks. Process croutons and 1/4 cup grated parmesan in a food processor until it resembles bread crumbs. Dredge chicken roll in flour, then coat in egg. Roll in crouton crumbs and then spray with cooking spray. Bake in the oven for approximately 20-30 minutes.

4. Remove chicken from oven when cooked through. Cut into slices and serve on a plate with desired side dish and drizzle with dressing.


Lemon risotto: If making lemon risotto, prepare risotto base as usual with onion, arborio rice and chicken stock. Just before serving, stir in the zest of one lemon, juice of one lemon and 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese. Season with salt and cracked black pepper.

A Taste of Pineapple

There have been a lot of posts with yellow food in the blog world recently and this is all due to a single, brave woman (Barbara) over at Wino's and Foodies. Barbara is a cancer sufferer and asked the food blogging community to contribute recipes using yellow food for "A Taste of Yellow", a registered event for Lance Armstrong's Livestrong day on May 16th. The purpose of this event is to raise awareness for cancer and cancer research, of which I think there isn't a single person who hasn't been touched by this terrible disease.

I am very fortunate not to have been touched directly by this beast, however my Grandmother died of leukaemia and one of my best friends mother recently passed on, also from cancer. My mother has had some skin cancers removed from her back and neck, which luckily had not metastasized. In addition, as a scientific researcher at NIH, I come into contact with cancer every day, so I felt it important for me to contribute to this event.

I am a little late to the party, with only 2 days left to submit my contribution, however it took me a while to work out what I really wanted to make. I thought about bananas, lemons, cheese, eggs and nothing was grabbing me. I really wanted to do something with passionfruit, but as I have complained in the past, its very hard to come by here in the States. So, I settled on pineapple.



My husband has been asking me for years to make a pineapple upside down cake, as it seemed to really appeal to him and he had never had one before. I had never taken him up on this request and thought this would be a good time to do so. But I didn't want to do a boring one, with the pineapple rings on top and the fake maraschino cherries (blech...I hate those things). So I decided to do little individual ones. I found a pretty good recipe on epicurious.com, however it was a little boring for my taste. I wanted to make it a little more pinacolada-ish, so I decided to add some coconut, cardamom, vanilla extract and rum. It turned out really well, I think. I was impressed and hubby was even more so. In fact, he said it was the best he ever had...hahaha!!

So without further ado, here is my entry for "A Taste of Yellow".




Individual Pineapple Upside-Down Cakes
(Makes 12)

Fruit Topping
1 can of pineapple rings
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted

Cupcake Batter
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup reserved pineapple juice
1 egg
1 tbs rum
2/3 tbs vanilla essence

1. Pre-heat oven to 350F and grease a 12 hole muffin pan.

2. Drain pineapple rings completely, reserving 1/2 cup of juice for the batter.

3. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and melted butter. Divide evenly between the muffin pan cup. Cut out a small piece of the pineapple ring so that it can form a smaller circle. Lay on top of sugar mixture and set aside.

4. In a large bowl (or mixer), combine flour, sugar, cardamom, coconut and baking powder. Mix in the pineapple juice and butter to make a smooth batter. Beat in the egg. Spoon batter over the pineapple in the muffin cups, filling each cup 3/4 full. Bake in the centre of the oven for 25-30min, or until cake tester inserted into the middle of the cakes comes out clean. Cool cupcakes in the pan for 5 minutes and then turn out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

Sugar High Friday #30 - Flower Power

I am very excited to be putting in my first ever entry for Sugar High Friday. This month, the blog event is being hosted by Monisha over at Coconut Chutney and the topic is flower power. I thought this was a fabulous topic given that spring is (at least supposed to be) upon us....as I stare out at the cold, rainy day outside...haha. When I first read the topic I was a little stumped at what I could do....but it only took me a second to realize I had the perfect entry!!

About a year ago, when I was researching favors for our wedding in Hawaii, I came up with this crazy idea that people might be interested in some really different flavored shortbread. I had a little business idea in the back of my mind for a few weeks, but then came crashing back to reality with the realization that I am not a professional baker and do not have the skills or expertize (or access to a very large, industrial kitchen) to pull off such a venture. However, before this little piece of reality bit me on the backside, I invested some time into coming up with what I thought (in my own little universe) some interesting ideas for shortbread recipes. Turns out, they weren't so crazy and that other people, namely my hubby and others in my family who I subjected to my cookies, actually really liked them. Hence for the first time, I share my recipes for both Hibiscus High Tea shortbread and Lavender Shortbread.


These 2 flavors are very different from one another, but are really spectacular and very surprising. When you bite into the buttery shortbread, your taste buds are delighted by the tangy, almost citrus flavor of the hibiscus and the almost smokey flavor of the lavender. You really have to experience it to truly appreciate how great these cookies taste. I think they are made even more adorable cut into the shape of daisies....like I said, the perfect recipes for a Flower Power themed SHF!!! Enjoy!! :)

Hibiscus High Tea Shortbread

1 stick of butter
1 cup plain flour
1/8 cup of corn starch
1/4 cup fine sugar
1 tbs Honey
pinch of salt
2 bags of Hibiscus Tea

1. Pre-heat oven to 300F. Cream butter and sugar, then mix in honey and vanilla.

2. Mix dry ingredients together and then mix into the butter mixture until combined into a ball of dough.

3. Roll out dough on a floured surface and cut into desired shapes.

4. Cook for approx. 30min, turning 180 degrees halfway through baking, to ensure even color.


Lavender Shortbread

1 stick of butter
1/4 cup of fine sugar
1 cup of plain flour
1/4 cup of cornstarch
pinch of salt
1 tsp of Lavender
1/2 tsp vanilla

1. Pre-heat oven to 300F. Cream butter and sugar, then mix in vanilla and lavender.

2. Mix dry ingredients together and then blend into the butter mixture until combined into a ball of dough.

3. Roll out dough on a floured surface and cut into desired shapes.

4. Cook for approx. 30min, turning 180 degrees halfway through baking, to ensure even color.

Hay Hay its Donna Day #11 - Mousse

Having only started this blog a week or so ago, I am a little nervous to be entering my first blog "competition". I have been looking at past episodes and the entries are truly amazing. There are a lot of talented cooks out there!! So the Hay Hay its Donna Day event was started, and is run by Barbara over at the winos and foodies blog. This month it is hosted by Helen of Tartelette and the theme is "mousse"....whatever kind you like. Helen's inspiration recipe of white chocolate and blueberry mousse looked delicious, but I wanted to stay away from the chocolate mousses, as I thought there would be a lot of variations on that theme....not that there's anything wrong with that, who doesn't love a good chocolate mousse!!! I thought about doing a savory mousse, as I have very fond memories of my mothers Salmon mousse, from my childhood. But when I stumbled across this Key Lime mousse, it just seemed perfect.



This is my first time making a mousse, so I wasn't sure what to expect. It turned out to be pretty easy and straight forward and the tartness of the mousse was fantastic!! The texture was incredibly light and airy. I decided to substitute the coconut in the original recipe with graham cracker crumbs to make it more like a key-lime pie and I think that worked out great.



Key-Lime Mousse
(serves 4)

3/4 Cup fresh lime juice (preferably from key limes)
1 envelope unflavoured gelatin
4 large eggs, separated, at room temp
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup whipping cream
extra whipped cream for topping
graham cracker crumbs for topping

1. Place 2 tbs of lime juice in a small bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over and set aside to soften. Whisk yolks in heavy small saucepan to blend. Whisk in remaining lime juice, then 1/2 cup of sugar. Cook over low heat until mixture thickens slightly, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, add gelatin and stir until dissolved. Pour into a large bowl and cool.

2. Beat 1 cup of cream in a medium bowl to form soft peaks. Gradually add remaining sugar and beat until stiff. Using clean beaters, beat egg whites in another bowl until soft peaks form. Fold whites into cream. Gently fold cream mixture into lime mixture. Divide among 4 glasses.

3. Cover and refrigerate until firm.

4. Top each mouse with a dollop of whipped cream and sprinkle with graham crackers.

Source: adapted from http://fooddownunder.com