Chicken and leek pie

Nothing warms the soul quite like a home-made pie baking away in the oven.  The aromas in the house and the golden pastry puffing up in the oven, is truly tantalising.  Serve with a crisp fresh salad and I guarantee you will leave, wanting more!

There are two primary steps.  The first is to make your pie filling over the stove.  Once this is done, you will need to cool the mixture before placing it into the pastry casing.  I recently discovered that the best way to get your perfect pie is to use shortcrust pastry for the bottom and sides of the pie and puff pastry on top.  The shortcrust pastry keeps its shape better than puff pastry and creates a crunchy exterior.  I like using puff pastry on top so it rises and has a flakier consistency.

Below is my version of a chicken and leek pie.  I like to be generous with the portions of Dijon mustard to give the dish a real kick. 

Ingredients:

·         ½ cup chicken stock

·         ¼ cup dry white wine

·         900g chicken thigh fillets, diced

·         1 medium leek, finely sliced

·         2-3 celery stalks, finely sliced

·         1 tablespoon plain flour

·         A teaspoon of fresh rosemary, plus additional to garnish

·         ¼ cup cream

·         2 heaped tablespoons of Dijon mustard

·         2 sheets shortcrust pastry

·         1 sheet puff pastry

·         1 egg yolk

Method:

1.    Heat your chicken in a pan until it starts to brown. The chicken does not need to be  fully cooked at this stage as you will be cooking it again. Set aside the chicken in a bowl.

2.   In the same pan, stir the leeks and celery until softened.  Add the rosemary and stir through.

3.   Add back the chicken and season with salt and pepper.

4.   Add the chicken stock, dry white wine and the flour. Stir thoroughly and leave on a medium heat for about fifteen to twenty minutes.  When the liquid has begun to evaporate add the cream and Dijon mustard and stir through. 

5.   Take off heat and allow to cool.

6.   Grease a cake tin.  Line the bottom and sides with shortcrust pastry. 

7.    Pour the chicken and leek filling into the pastry.

8.    Place the puff pastry on top. Crimp edges.

9.    Brush the puff pastry with egg yolk. Sprinkle rosemary sprigs on top.

10.       Bake until golden and crispy.

I like to serve this with a fresh salad of radicchio, rocket, and lettuce leaves.

 I made a simple vinaigrette by mixing:

·         ¼ extra virgin olive oil

·         Dash of white wine vinegar

·         Teaspoon of Dijon mustard

·         Salt and pepper to taste

By using the Dijon mustard in the dressing you help to accentuate the flavours of the Dijon mustard in the pie filling.

Upside down delight

So I recently had a family get together, where the topic as it so often is, was food. It was mid-afternoon and everyone was peckish.  So with the task of feeding nine, we decided to whip up an old favourite- the upside down cake.

Sri Lankan’s tend to eat this cake quite often, substituting the caramel for jaggery.  For those not familiar with this ingredient it’s a type of sugar made from the the treacle of the Kithul tree.  You can buy this from your local Indian supermarket.  You should also be able to source this ingredient from any Asian supermarket, just ensure you ask for “Indonesian dark palm sugar” which has a very similar texture and taste. 

The jaggery is paired with pineapple and lines the bottom of the cake tin.  A butter cake is then poured on top.  Once baked you turn your cake “up- side down” and what you get is the oozy jaggery syrup on top.

This recipe literally only takes about an hour for preparation and cooking time, so next time you want to bake something, give my mum’s recipe a go!

Ingredients:

·         250g butter

·         250g self-raising flour

·         250g eggs (usually equates to about 4 eggs) separated

·         4-5 slices of pineapple (tinned is fine)

·         Jaggery

Method:

Beat together the butter and the egg yolks until well combined.

Beat egg whites separately in a bowl until soft peaks form.  Fold alternate spoonful’s of egg white and flour into the butter and egg mixture.

Fold until well combined.  The mixture will be quite heavy at this stage and  little air bubbles appearing.

Grease your cake tin.  Place pineapple slices on the bottom of the tin.  Grate your jaggery and speckle on top of the pineapple.  When this eventually bakes in the oven this will create that gorgeous sugary syrup.  

Pour the cake mixture on top of the pineapple and jaggery.

Bake for about 30 minutes or until a golden brown. Rest for two minutes and then turn the cake onto a plate.  You will need to do this quite quickly to ensure the syrup does not harden back in the cake tin.

Serve with vanilla ice cream or a dollop of cream.

In search of the perfect tart

Who can resist a tart, the crumbly pastry encasing a decadent and luscious interior?

I have researched a few different recipes (and had a few disasters in the kitchen) before coming up with a fool proof way of making tart pastry. I've also included two different ideas you can use to fill your pastry tart, both as delicious as the other. Off course you can use a number of any fillings, depending on seasonability and preferences.

 The first step is to get your pastry right.  So let’s start with that:

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups plain flour
• 1/3 cup icing sugar
• 1/4 cup almond meal
• 125g butter, chilled, chopped into cubes
• 1 egg yolk

Method:

Process the plain flour, icing sugar, almond meal and butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

The next step is to add the egg yolk.  The reaction is almost instantaneous. The mixture will come together.  At this point you can turn out the dough into a lightly-floured surface and knead until just smooth. Shape into a disc, cover with cling wrap and place in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

Grease your tart tin.  Then roll out the dough (that has now been just taken from the fridge) between two pieces of baking paper.  This will ensure the dough does not stick.  Next place the rolled out dough into the tart tin and trim of any excess.

Blind bake the dough in the oven for about ten minutes.  What I mean when I say this is to put rice (or any such weight) on baking paper and place this on top of your pastry shell.  This prevents the dough rising whilst in the oven.

After ten minutes remove the rice and baking paper and continue to cook the pastry until it emerges as a light golden brown (this would be usually another ten to fifteen minutes depending on your oven).

Once cooked, take out of the oven and cool completely before pouring in the filling.

The next part is the filling.  I’ve provided two fillings I have used.  The first is a decedent chocolate and the second an almond and cherry filling.

Chocolate filling

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• ¼ cup caster sugar
• 250g dark chocolate ( I use Club dark chocolate)
• 200g unsalted butter

Method:

Melt chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl over a medium saucepan until well combined.

At the same time whisk eggs, egg yolks and sugar in a heatproof bowl over a medium saucepan for about fifteen minutes or light and fluffy.  Whisk in the melted chocolate and butter.

Pour mixture into the pastry shell and bake for about 10 minutes until the filling is set. Cool.  Then place into the refrigerator to set further for at least one hour.

I garnished my chocolate tart with caramelised strawberries. To do this you need to make a caramel by heating up ¼ cup sugar with 1 cup water and place in a saucepan.  Do not stir this mixture but keep a close eye on it.  You want it to turn a deep, golden colour. At this point dip the strawberries into the caramel mixture and set aside to cool and set.

Almond and Cherry filling

Ingredients:

• 125g butter, softened
• 1/4 cup caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon almond essence
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup almond meal
• 1/4 cup plain flour
• 400g black cherries, pitted (the tinned variety is fine)

Method:

Beat softened butter, sugar and almond essence until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Add almond meal. Beat until just combined. Stir in flour. Spread mixture into pastry case. Arrange cherries over mixture. 

I made extra pastry so I could also encase the top of the tart (but this is entirely optional).

Enjoy!

The Allure of the Tofu

Only recently did I discover silken tofu.  It wasn’t something I was overly familiar with as it had not been a food I eaten frequently nor did I dare to cook with it. But its silky smooth texture soon won me over it and now I am frankly obsessed with it.

I’ve provided two great recipes that show case how delicious silken tofu can be.  I implore you even if you are not an avid tofu fan, to try these dishes! They will surprise you and make you think twice about the noble tofu.

The first is a recipe for Ma Po tofu which I have adapted from Neil Perry’s cookbook ‘Balance and Harmony.’

Ingredients

• 1 packet silken tofu (you can buy this at your local Chinese grocer), cut into cubes
• Vegetable oil
• 200g pork mince (you can use any mince but I like to use pork belly as it adds     richness to the dish)
• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 2 spring onions
• 2 heaped tablespoons hot bean paste (this is truly a magic ingredient and adds so much flavour – you can buy this from your local Chinese grocer)
• 50ml chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon shaoxing wine (you can use sherry instead)
• 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
• ½ dark soy sauce
• ½ teaspoon white sugar
• Pinch of salt
• Pinch of Sichuan pepper (crush the peppercorns just before use to get the best amount of flavour)
• ½ teaspoon of sesame oil

Method

Heat your work until it is very hot.  At this point add the vegetable oil to coat the wok. Add the minced pork. Stir fry the pork mince until it is golden brown. Add the sliced garlic, spring onions and bean paste and mix well. Add the chicken stock, shaoxing wine, light and dark soy sauce, sugar and salt and let simmer for ten or so minutes.  Once it has been bought to the boil, add the cubed tofu and reduce to a simmer.  At this point be careful not to over handle the dish or you will be at risk of breaking up the tofu. Bring the saucepan of the heat. Add the Sichuan pepper and sesame oil and serve immediately with rice.

The second recipe is a Japanese favourite – Agedashi Tofu.  I’ve often eaten this at Japanese restaurants and always been drawn to its crunchy exterior and soft silky interior.  The sauce is tangy and potent, enveloping the tofu to create a truly delicious dish.  I learned how to make this recipe from my brother, who had made it recently for a vegetarian party he was attending. It makes a great side dish or a perfect main accompanied with steamed rice.

Ingredients

• 2 packets of silken tofu  
• 1 heaped tablespoon of dashi paste (which you can buy from your local grocer) (see picture below)  
•   1 spring onion
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon mirin
• 1 tablespoon corn starch (mixed with 2 tablespoons water)  
• 1 small nob of grated ginger
• Additional corn starch to dust tofu  
• Vegetable Oil
• Pinch of salt

Method

Wrap tofu in paper towels for at least fifteen minutes to draw out the excess water.  While this is being done you can start on the sauce.

In a small saucepan place the dashi paste, ginger, soy sauce and mirin and bring to the boil. Add the corn starch and water mixture and stir rapidly. Once dissolved take of the heat. Add the spring onions.

Cut the tofu into large squares and coat in the corn starch. Be sure to add a pinch of salt to the corn starch mixture before you start to coat the tofu pieces.

Heat oil and when hot deep fry the tofu pieces. It should turn a golden brown colour. Drain on paper towels to absorb any extra oil.

Pour the sauce over the tofu and serve immediately.

Blanc Haru

It was a Saturday evening and my fiancé and I had only hours earlier gorged ourselves on a seafood buffet, but inevitably as dusk approached we were once again feeling hungry.  Perusing through the throngs of Sydney restaurants we came across Blanc Haru.

 

Situated in Elizabeth Bay, Blanc Haru is a fusion between French and Japanese cuisine.  The head chef and owner, Mr Haru Inukai has worked with the likes of Tony Bilson, who as you know is easily recognisable as one of Australia’s ‘godfathers’ of French cuisine.

I hesitantly made an enquiry for a reservation for later that evening, expecting a restaurant of that calibre to be completely booked out.  Instead we spoke directly to Mr Inukai who confirmed he did indeed have one free table.

Mr Inukai greeted us at the door by name, much like you would to an old friend.  It immediately set the tone for a warm and friendly atmosphere.  The restaurant is moderately sized which lends itself towards the intimate dinning space.

Perusing through the menu, my fiancé and I couldn’t go past the degustation menu.  It looked spectacular and for such a reasonable price ($68 per person) it seemed like the obvious choice.

The seven courses in the degustation menu had been well considered and each dish worked cohesively with the one before it.  Overall, I would say the dishes were more French influenced than they were Japanese, but given the head chef’s previous qualifications it is understandable why.

My favourite savoury dish of the evening was the clam broth with silken tofu.  It may seem an unusual choice but I assure you, if you had given me a bowl of this for dinner I would have been very content. The broth was sweet and creamy and gently infused with the flavours of the ocean.  As you reach for a spoonful of the broth, you are met with the silken tofu, which lines the bottom of the cup. The dish has been garnished with bright orange and green pearls of caviar which delightfully pop in your mouth, contrasting beautifully with the smoothness of the tofu.

My favourite dish is always the dessert and this dessert did not disappoint! Whilst often a dessert at the end of a degustation meal makes you unable to stand up because you are so full, the dessert in this degustation menu had been carefully considered.  It was light, yet full of flavours and textures.  If you closed your eyes you were transported from the bleak winter in Sydney to the warm weather of the tropics. It was a beautiful mixture of panacotta laced with sweet slivers of pineapple and topped with a sumptuous coconut ice cream.  

If you are in the area or even if you have to make a special trip for it, I would definitely recommend Blanc Haru. The service staffs are attentive and above all the food is amazing.  We will definitely be visiting this one again!  

Below is the five other courses: