Sweet Honeycomb

This afternoon I happened to stumble across Haalo's blog, Cook (almost) Anything...at least once and found her recipe for making honeycomb. Now, it occurred to me that in all my 29 years on this earth, that I never once thought to question how honeycomb is made. This is even more astonishing, given that I LOVE both Crunchie and Violet Crumble....both which are near impossible to get Stateside. Needless to say, I was very excited to find such a recipe and also to have all the ingredients on hand. I was determined to go home and make this recipe tonight.

To be brutally honest, my first attempt was a complete disaster. I think my definition of golden brown and Haalo's definition were not at all the same and I just ended up with a big sticky mess. I thought this may be due to the fact that you also cannot get liquid glucose in the States and I had substituted with corn syrup. I therefore went hunting on the web to see if this was an appropriate substitution and subsequently found this recipe from In My Kitchen. It suggested using a candy thermometer to measure when the sugar got to hard crack or 300F and this worked out much much better.

I was a little scared to try again after my first disaster, but I have to say, once I got it right it was loads of fun. I now have a huge tub full of honeycomb and need to figure out what to do with it!! I melted some chocolate nibs and coated some of it, just like a home made Crunchie bar and it is delicious!! Stay tuned for what I end up doing with the rest of it....that is if I don't eat it all first...hahaha!!



Honeycomb

1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 tablespoon of baking soda, sifted

1. In a medium-sized deep heavy saucepan, stir the water, sugar and corn syrup together. Clip a candy thermometer onto the inside of the pan. Over medium-high heat, bring the mixture to a boil without stirring. Using a pastry brush dipped in water, brush down the sides of the pan to remove any un-dissolved sugar granules. Continue cooking until the sugar reaches 300F on the candy thermometer, then remove from the heat. The mixture should be a very pale straw color.

2. Working quickly, add the baking soda all at once to the sugar mixture, and whisk for a few seconds, until the baking soda is incorporated. The liquid will bubble up and become foamy. In one smooth movement, pour it into a foil lined 8x12 tin pan. It will spread out, puff up slightly, and have a slightly porous shiny surface. Allow it to harden for about 20 minutes, without touching or moving it. Cut the honeycomb into uneven pieces. Store it in an airtight container at room temperature. The honeycomb will last 1-2 days before it begins to lose its crunch.

Peter's Lamb Curry

I love curry! I think it is safe to say this is my favourite food. I love Indian, Malaysian, Thia, Indonesian curry's...you name it, I usually like it. So when a week or so ago I bought the Jamie Oliver book, The Naked Chef Takes Off, I had to try the entry entitled "Peter's lamb curry". It looked fabulous, even if it was a bit of work....so today, I decided to give it a go.

At first I was a little intimidated, because I had never heard of "fenugreek seeds". I looked it up on my always knowledgable friend, Wikipedia, where it informed me that "The rhombic yellow to amber colored fenugreek seed, commonly called Methi is frequently used in the preparation of pickles, curry powders and pastes, and is often encountered in the cuisine of the Indian subcontinent. The young leaves and sprouts of fenugreek are eaten as greens and the fresh or dried leaves are used to flavor other dishes. The dried leaves (called kasuri methi) have a bitter taste and a strong characteristic smell".

I had no idea where to even get it. So I asked my Indian colleague who kindly informed me, that yes, Indians do use it a lot in their cooking and he even told me an Indian store where I could buy it. So I took the short detour after work on Friday to Langly Park and found the Patel Brother's Indian store, where they sold huge bags of it for only 99c. I think it is now safe to say that I have a lifetime supply of fenugreek seeds!!

So, after 3 hours of cooking to get the "best Indian curry", according to Jamie, my verdict is....well, that its pretty good. I wouldn't say the best I have ever had, but it was very tasty. I actually couldn't get any lamb at the grocery store this week, so I used beef instead, which I don't think affected the taste too much. So without further ado, here is Peter's Lamb curry recipe.

Peter's Lamb Curry
(Serves 8)

1 hot and fragrant rub recipe (see below)
2 tbs butter
2 14oz cans of chopped tomatoes
1 cup stock or water
3 1/2lb of lamb, diced
1 handful of chopped mint and cilantro
1 cup plain yogurt (I used fat free)
salt and freshly ground pepper
lime juice to taste

Curry Paste
2 inches fresh ginger, peeled
2 tennis-ball sized red onions, peeled
10 cloves garlic, peeled
2 fresh chillies, with seeds
1 bunch cilantro

Hot and fragrant spice rub
2 tbs fennel seeds
2 tbs cummin seeds
2 tbs coriander seeds
1/2 tbs fenugreek seeds
1/2 tbs black peppercorns
1 clove
2 cardamom pods
1/2 a cinnamon stick
salt and freshly ground black pepper

lightly toast all the ingredients in a pan over a gently heat before crushing into a fine powder.

1. Preheat oven to 325F. Lightly toast the hot and fragrant rub mix and then chop the paste ingredients roughly. Add the rub and paste ingredients to a food processor and puree. In a large casserole dish, fry the curry paste mixture with the butter until golden, stirring regularly. Add tomatoes, stock or water and bring to the boil. Cover with foil and place in the oven for 1 1/2 hours to let the flavors intensify. This is the basic curry sauce.

2. Fry the lamb in a little olive oil until golden then add to the curry sauce and simmer for an hour or until tender. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and mint and stir in the yogurt. Season to taste and add a squeeze of lime juice. Serve with basmati rice.

Fruit Mince Tarts

A week or so before I Easter, I had a huge attack of homesickness...the kind that is almost crippling. And what set it off was a pining for some Aussie food...more importantly, a hot cross bun. Not just any hot cross bun. The wonderful ones you get from a bakers delight. Fresh out of the oven. I love Bakers Delight and unfortunately here in the States there is nothing like it. Then that got me to thinking about all the other wonderful goodies at Bakers delight...the apple scrolls, the cape seed loaf, the boston buns...and so I found an online Australian Bakery in Georgia that sold hot cross buns (Australian style), as well as other goodies such as pies, pasties, sausage rolls, lamingtons and fruit slices. This of course led me to spend an obscene amount of money on some home grown comfort food and I am pleased to say that my freezer is now stocked with said goodies.

I did however, eat the fruit slices already and it got me to thinking about how I should perhaps try my hand at making some of these things myself. That way, I can have them whenever I want and won't have to spend a small fortune to obtain them. The only catch is my skill (or lack there of) as a baker.

I love to cook and whilst certainly not a chef by any stretch of the imagination, I think I am pretty alright. My hubby tends to agree :) But baking is an altogether different beast. However, inspired by the other amazing food bloggers out there I decided to have a crack at the ever popular fruit mince pies...usually associated with Christmas both in Australia and Britain. But when home sickness strikes, food and baked goods should not be confined to a specific season.

The recipe that I tried was after careful study of a quite a few recipes for mince and pies and eventually I decided on a fruit mince recipe from Christmas Joy and the pastry recipe is from Donna Hay. I have never made pastry from scratch before....usually if something calls for pastry, I either buy it, or make something else! It seemed to work ok, although the recipe said it should make 24 tarts and I only just squeezed out 9. Not sure if I had it too thick, but I really couldn't get it much thinner and even if I could, there is no way it would have stretched to 24. I also forgot to brush the pastry with butter and sprinkle sugar just before I baked, which was not a total disaster, but would have made the overall product look a little nicer I think.

Now, the fruit mince on the other hand was to die for. It was all I could do not to just eat this stuff out of the bowl! I have a lot of leftovers, so I could definitely be trying this recipe again soon :) For now, I have 9 not so pretty pies, that still taste good and allow me to manage my homesickness just a little bit better.

Fruit Mince
(Makes about 10 cups)

3 cups dried currants
1 1/2 cups golden raisins
1 1/2 cups dark raisins
1/2 cup chopped dried figs
1 lb of cooking apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped
2 1/2 cups brown sugar, firmly packed
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground cinnamon
grated zest and juice of 2 lemons
3/4 cup brandy

1. In a large bowl, place the ingredients and mix well to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and leave overnight.

2. Place the mixture into sterilized jar and leave in the fridge for 4-6 weeks.

(Obviously I didn't wait 4-6 weeks to use this mixture, it was great after 2 days. I am sure it will be better after refrigeration for a few weeks, but there is no reason not to use this mixture straight away).



Pastry Tarts

2 cups plain flour
1/3 cup fine sugar
5oz butter, chopped
1/3 cup iced water
melted butter for brushing and extra sugar to sprinkle

1. Place flour, sugar and butter in mixer and mix until it resembles course breadcrumbs. With the motor running, add water until mixture starts to come together. Turn pastry out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently. Divide in half, wrap in plastic wrap and place in fridge for 30 min.

2. Preheat oven to 350F. Roll out pastry to appox. 2mm thick and cut out circles with a round cookie cutter, about 23/4 inch round. Line muffin tins (12 hole) with circles of pastry and fill with about a tablespoon of fruit mince filling. Roll out remaining pastry and cut desired shape for the tops (a star is customary, but you can do whatever suits...I did circles). Place the pastry shapes on top of the tarts, brush with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar. Place in the oven for 12-15 minutes or until pastry is golden.

Pork with Lemon-Thyme Sauce

Tonight was all about using up what I had in the freezer and that meant that I had to find something to do with pork tenderloin. After browsing my cookbooks, I decided on this one from my Weight Watchers-Cook It Quick book....still fairly new as I only purchased it a few weeks ago, so I have yet to try many of the recipes. This one was super easy and pretty tasty and very low calorie. I served it with some roast veggies...asparagus, butternut squash, carrots and parsnips...again, to use up what I had in the fridge. Not terribly exciting, as culinary adventures go, but it was a healthy tasty way to finish off the week.

Pork Tenderloin with Lemon-Thyme sauce
(Serves 4)

2 tsp olive oil
3/4 lb pork tenderloin, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 tsp dried thyme
salt and fresh ground pepper
1 cup chicken broth
1 tbs cornstarch
Juice of 1 lemon

1. In a large, non-stick skillet, heat the oil and then add pork in a single layer. Sprinkle with thyme, salt and pepper. Saute for approx. 2 min, then turn and saute until cooked through.

2. Place broth in a small bowl, then add cornstarch and stir until smooth. Pour the broth mixture into the skillet, add lemon juice and simmer until sauce has slightly thickened, about a minute. Serve and pour over some of the sauce.

Shrimp with Tarragon and Tomato Sauce

All I can say about this dish I made for dinner tonight is Wow!! A total surprise. I happened to pick up the April edition of Everyday with Rachel Ray at the supermarket the other week...something I have never done before. I actually like watching her 30 minute meals, but have never been compelled to read her magazine. I was given Rachel Ray's 365 No Repeats for Christmas 2 years ago and whilst the recipes seem good, most are very fattening, so I tend to steer away from her. However, I was bored and the promise of checking out some new recipes...even unhealthy ones...won me over at the checkout line. Well, this shrimp recipe looked tasty, healthy and easy, so I thought I would make it on a night when Rich was at class...i.e. tonight :) As I have mentioned in the past, Rich does not share my love for our shellfish friends....or as he calls them, cockroach of the sea.

Well, I was not prepared for the taste sensation that was to ensue!! There really are not a lot of ingredients, but I think the addition of the licorice-y tarragon really made the flavors soar. If you like shrimp and get the chance to make this dish....definitely try it, it won't disappoint :)




Shrimp with Tarragon and Tomato Sauce
(Serves 4)

3 tbs Olive oil
2 Carrots, finely chopped
2 ribs of celery, finely chopped
3 shallots, thinly sliced
6 white mushrooms, chopped
2 lbs large shrimp ,peeled and deveined
salt and ground pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine
One 15oz can tomato sauce
5-6 sprigs fresh tarragon, leaves chopped
1 loaf peasant bread, thickly sliced
2 cloves garlic, smashed peeled and halved

1. Pre-heat the broiler. Ina large, deep skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, celery, shallots and mushrooms and cook until tender, 7-8 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring a few times, until pink and almost firm, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in white wine, tomato sauce and tarragon and heat through for 1-2 minutes; remove from heat.

2. Toast bread slices in the broiler, rub with garlic and drizzle with olive oil. Serve the shrimp and sauce in shallow bowls with hunks of the bread for mopping.

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.

Israeli Couscous with Squash and Radicchio

I like to try and have at least one or two vegetarian meals a week and it gets harder and harder to come by interesting recipes. When I saw this recipe in this months Bon Appetite, I thought it looked really interesting and wanted to try it. Rich and I went to a Mediterranean cuisine demonstration course last year where they used Israeli couscous, and we liked it then....so I was excited to see another recipe that used it. It seems to be a fairly underutilized ingredient, but I think it has a great texture...totally different from regular couscous.



I made a couple of changes to the original recipe, as it was supposed to be served with a parsley butter. I was not enthused to put 6 tbs of butter into the recipe, in mind, unnecessarily. So, I cut out the butter and just added some parsley to the entire dish at the end, and I think it worked great. I don't think it needed the butter....but that's just my opinion and I am always tyring to find ways to cut the fat out of a recipe. Otherwise, this was a very healthy, tasty meal and it even got approval from my meat loving hubby :)

Israeli Couscous with Squash, Radicchio and Parsley
(Serves 4)

2 tbs Olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 tsp grated lemon peel, divided
1 8.8oz package toasted Israeli couscous
3 cups low-salt chicken broth
3 cups 1/2-inch cubes peeled butternut squash (about 12 oz)
1 cup diced radicchio
3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup (packed) fresh Italian parsley leaves

1. Melt 2 tbs of Olive oil in a heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and 2 tsp of lemon peel. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Add couscous; saute for 2 minutes.

2. Add broth and squash; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium. Cook uncovered until couscous and squash are tender and mixture is still moist, about 10 minutes. Mix in radicchio and cheese, season to taste with salt and pepper.

3. Meanwhile, finely chop the parsley, add at the last minute and stir through. Top with extra parsley and remaining lemon peel, then serve.