Banana and coconut slice

 I recently had International Food day at work so I was musing over what to bring.  I came across this gorgeous little recipe which I tweaked slightly to use the ingredients that were currently in my pantry. 

You could use almost any fruit for this recipe, which makes it very versatile but because of the lovely coconut it lends itself to tropical fruits.  It also has a delicious buttery crumb.

Ingredients

• 1 ripe banana
• 250g butter (at room temperature), cubed
• 1 cup caster sugar
• 5 eggs
• 1 cup plain flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 cup desiccated coconut
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

1. Using a beater beat the butter and sugar until pale and creamy.
2. Add the eggs one a time beating after each addition.
3. Sift the flour and baking powder separately in a bowl.
4. Fold into the butter mixture.
5. Fold in the desiccated coconut and vanilla essence.
6. Spoon the mixture into a prepared tin, lined with baking paper.
7. Slice the bananas diagonally and place on top.  Press the fruit down slightly into the mixture.
8. Bake at 180 degrees for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.

I like to serve this with a dollop of crème or vanilla ice cream as it comes piping hot out of the oven.  

Chinese style braised beef

So this recipe is an Asian version of a slow cooked beef.  It is made in the tantalising flavours of an Asian broth which contains pungent flavours of star anise and rice wine vinegar.

On a completely random note I finally got around to watching Julia and Julia.  For those that may have watched the film, you might ask yourself how does French cuisine have anything to do with this Asian style braised beef? Quite a lot actually!

There are two primary things I learned from this movie. One, when you get your beef (remembering to use the cuts like blade or chuck steak), pat the meat thoroughly with a kitchen towel to absorb the excess moisture.  Secondly, when you commence browning the meat ensure you don't overcrowd the pan.  These two tips will ensure your meat has a beautiful crust.  This browning adds an additional dimension to the beef which once braised with the broth results in mouth tendering beef. 

 So let's get started!


Ingredients:

• 2 tbs vegetable oil
• 600g blade steak, diced largely
• 1 onion
• 1 carrot
• 1/2 light soy sauce
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 star anise
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1 cup beef stock
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 red chilli, sliced
• 2 spring onions, sliced  

Method:

1. Pat dry the diced beef

2. Add the vegetable oil and brown the meat into batches.  This will usually take within 3- 4 minutes. Then remove the meat from the pan.

3. Add the onion, spring onion, garlic, chilli and carrot and stir until softened.  Add the soy sauce, brown sugar, star anise, vinegar, stock and sesame oil.

4. Add the beef back and bring the mixture to the boil.  Reduce to a simmer and cook for approximately forty-five mins to one hour. The meat should be extremely tender at this stage.

I like to serve this with rice and steamed Chinese broccoli.

Banoffee Pie

I have always loved the idea of a banoffee pie, it's all my favourite things wrapped into one.  You have a crispy pastry, a sweet toffee, smooth rich banana mousse and a decedent chocolate ganache. 

Whilst it takes a while to put this together, the results are well worth it! I think the best way to approach this recipe is in sections.  I would also make this the day before you want it served to allow plenty of time for the pie to set in the fridge.

This recipe is based on that from the former Masterchef contestant, Ellie Paxton.  It uses few ingredients but a number of techniques.  So let's get started!

Ingredients:

• 300g plain flour
• 450g caster sugar
• 500g unsalted butter
• 175g dark chocolate
• 3 eggs, separated
• 4 small bananas 

Method:

Pastry

1. Place 300g plain flour, 100g caster sugar and 175g butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.  

2. Add in 1 egg yolk and about 4 tablespoons cold water.  Continue to process until the dough comes together.  Then wrap in glad wrap and refrigerate for 30 mins.

3. Roll dough between sheets of baking paper.  Ease dough into the pie tin.  Trim edges.  Prick the base with a fork and the refrigerate for 30 minutes. 

4. Take the pastry out of the fridge and cover with baking paper.  Fill with dried beans and bake for 10 minutes.  Remove the paper and beans and cook for a further 10 minutes.  This process is called "blind baking." Remove from oven and set aside to cool.  The pastry will something like this when it is removed from the oven:

Toffee

5. Mix 200g caster sugar with enough water to just cover the sugar.  Heat until smooth and a golden yellow.  At this stage add 250g of butter.  The butter should be cut into chunks.  Stir constantly until it becomes a thick glossy mixture.  It will take vigorous stirring for about 8 to 10 minutes. 

6.  Pour a layer of the toffee mixture into the pastry. 

Banana Mousse 

7. Mash the bananas using a fork.  Then put this through a sieve to remove any lumps. 

8. Whip 200ml cream until thick.

9.  Whisk 3 egg whites until fluffy.  Gradually add the 150g caster sugar.  The mixture should become thick and glossy.

10.  Fold in the banana puree and whipped cream into the egg and sugar mixture.  Fold gently as you don't want to remove the airiness.  It will look something like this: 

11. Pour the banana mousse on top of the toffee.

Chocolate Ganache

12.  Heat 250ml cream with 40g butter until it is smooth.  Add the 175g chopped chocolate and stir thoroughly.  It should be well incorporated. 

13.  Pour over the banana mousse. It will look something like this:

14. Refrigerate until required.  Ensure you remove the outer case of the tin before serving. 

Persian Fetta and Olive Pull- APart Bread

So this recipe actually dates to sometime ago when I had the hankering to make some freshly baked bread. Having never baked bread catch phrases such as "fermenting"or  "proving" left me unsure and frankly a little intimidated.

Then I came across this great recipe in "Mastering the Art of Baking" from one of Australia's most prominent bakers, Anneka Manning. The recipe is relatively simple to make and it uses gorgeous ingredients such as fetta and olives, which are a match made in heaven.

The best thing about pull-apart bread is just that...you can pull it apart with your hands fresh from the oven. The smell of the bread baking away in the oven will leave a delightful scent in the house sure to make your stomach rumble.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 155ml lukwarm water
• large pinch of caster sugar
• 4.5g dried yeast
• 30g butter, melted
• 125ml milk, warmed
• 450g plain flour
• 1 tsp salt 
• 80g kalamata olives, pitted
• 150g persian fetta cheese
• 2 tbsp oregano leaves
• 1 1/2 tbs olive oil

Method:

1. Combine 62ml of the water with the sugar in a large bowl.
2. Sprinkle over the yeast and set aside for 5-6 minutes.
3. Add the melted butter, milk, remaining water and half the plain flour. Mix well with a wooden spoon.
4. Add the remaining flour until a course dough forms.
5. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8-10 minutes until it is smooth and elastic. 
6. Knock back the dough to expel the air.
7. Using a rolling pin roll out the dough to a rectangle (approx 26cm x 40cm), with the long side facing you.
8. Scatter the olives, Persian fetta and oregano over half the dough, leaving a 1 cm edge.
9. Drizzle oil over the filling.
10. Fold the dough over to enclose the filling.
11. Using a sharp knife cut about ten even slices.
12. With each slice, roll it into a circular shape and place cut side down, into a tin.  Repeat with the remaining nine slices. Each of the pieces should fit snuggly together. 
13. Place a tea towel over the dough and set aside in a warm place for approximately 1 hour.
14. After the hour the dough should have risen to the top of the tin.
15. Bake for 50 minutes or until golden at 180 degrees.  Cool in the tin for five minutes before removing. 

Note you can do steps 3 to 6 in an electric machine such as a Kenwood if you have one.  It will do the same thing as by hand, but just more quickly.

I served my pull-apart bread with a garden salad, blanched asparagus, cold cut meats and cutlets.  Off course you could eat it just by itself and it would be equally delicious! 

Ms G's - "Subvert Your Sunday"

If you haven't been to Ms G's before, it has an almost warehouse feel to the restaurant. A bright pink neon sign at front screams "M's G's".  As you walk in there are milk cartons, boxes and wooden tables.  The feel is contemporary and relaxed, pampering to the "hipsters" that live in Sydney's inner suburbs.

Every Sunday they have an event called "Subvert your Sunday" which is comprised of an eight course spread and a cocktail to boot.  They have a live DJ pumping records and dance tracks.  It almost feels like you are in a club until all the food starts coming out.  And boy oh boy is there a lot of food, after the six dish my husband and I could barely keep up, except for the desserts off course, there always seems room for desserts...

The menu is based on a number of Asian influences. From Korea you have the spicy, pickled kimchi, from China the pork belly pancake roll and from Vietnam, a hot and sour fish curry cooked in a coconut broth. The dessert is a surprising end to the meal with doughnut flavoured ice cream, home-made "mars bar", a banana fritter and possibly the most surprising of all, candied bacon.

It's also great value because for the eight courses you pay only $50 a head. 

And then let's not forget the cocktails. They are reminiscent of Asian style drinks, laced with bubbles and pearls but kicked up a few notches with the alcohol.  The cocktails normally range from $14-$16 but on Sunday's a few of their "favourites" have been knocked down to $5.. even more reason to celebrate! 

Next Sunday when you feel like something a little different why not come "subvert your Sunday?"

                                  

Orange and pistachio cake with orange syrup and mint sugar

It's been a while since I have made a cake but then I came across this lovely little recipe from MindFood.  It's a beautiful pairing of oranges and pistachio. Oranges are plentiful in winter so it's the perfect time to whip this one up. Its also flour free so makes it perfect for those that are gluten intolerant.

I've altered the recipe slightly to ensure the syrup seeps into the cake, see method below.  

Ingredients:

Cake

• 2 oranges, unpeeled
• 6 eggs
• 1 cup caster sugar
• 1 1/4 almond meal
• 1 cup pistachios, ground
• 1 tsp baking powder

Orange Syrup

• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 cup caster sugar 

Mint Sugar 

• 1/4 cup chopped mint leaves
• 1/2 cup sugar 

Method:

Cake:

1. Place unpeeled oranges over a high heat and cover with water. Bring to the boil and then cover and cook for 2 hours until the oranges are very tender. Then cool the oranges completely. I would start this the night before you are thinking of making the cake to give yourself more time. 
2. Place eggs and sugar in your electronic mixer until well combined.  
3. Add the whole oranges until the mixture is well combined.
4. Add the almond meal, ground pistachio and baking powder. The mixture will look something like this: 

5. Pour the cake mixture into a well greased tin and bake for approximately 50 minutes.

6. As soon as the cake is removed from the oven, use a fine skewer and pierce the cake 10-12 times. Using a pastry brush glaze the cake with the orange syrup.

Orange Syrup

This step should be completed whilst the cake is baking. 

1. Place the orange juice and sugar in a saucepan over low heat until the sugar dissolves.

2. Increase the heat and bring the mixture to boil and cook until it thickens. This will take approx 7-10 minutes.

Mint Sugar

1. Place sugar and mint in a food processor until combined. 

Place the mint sugar and additional orange syrup over the cake. Serve with vanilla ice cream, fresh creme or creme fraiche. 

An authentic Sri-Lankan feast

I recently bought a clay pot also called a chatty. So I thought it might be an opportune time to make an authentic style curry.  For those lucky enough to grow up with parents making curries, the age old question becomes how much spices do I add? I've asked my mum several times and without fail she adds a sprinkling of this a dash of that. Off course nothing is measured out. So for us novices starting out in the world of curry this can often become quite intimidating. 

I stumbled across this recipe from the SBS website. I was a little skeptical at first after all who actually measures the quantity of curry powder?  But I thought I would stick  to the measurements outlined in the recipe and see if in fact it works. Lo and behold this recipe is fail proof. Its tasty and relatively simply to make so now you never have an excuse not to make curry from scratch! Off course you can always substitute any meat for the chicken, think of this recipe as your starting point.

But to truly make a Sri -Lankan feast you need a vegetable too. So I've shown you a quick and easy way, inspired from Peter Kuruvita. Again you can substitute most vegetables from this recipe.

I have finished off with string hoppers.  For those that are not familiar with this, its almost like a vermicelli noodle carved into a circular lattice.  Once you have the right kitchen equipment its relatively easy to make.  

Enjoy the recipes!

Chicken curry 

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil 
• ¼ tsp fenugreek seeds ("uluhal")
• 10 curry leaves on the stem
• 2 large onions, finely chopped 
• 4–5 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tsp minced
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp chilli powder  
• 1 tbsp ground coriander 
• ½ tsp ground fennel 
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp sweet paprika 
• 2 tsp salt 
• 2 tbsp vinegar 
• 2 tomatoes, chopped 
• 6 cardamom pods, cracked 
• 1 cinnamon stick 
• 1 lemongrass stalk, bruised 
• 1 pandan leaf, folded 
• 1 kg chicken thighs on the bone ("chicken cutlet"), skin removed 
• 250 ml thick coconut milk
• squeeze of lemon juice

Method

1. Heat the oil and fry the fenugreek seeds and curry leaves until the leaves start to brown. 
2. Add the onion, garlic and ginger and fry gently until the onion is soft and translucent.
3. Add the ground spices, salt and vinegar and stir well. 
4. Add the tomato, whole spices, lemongrass and pandan leaf, then add the chicken. 
5. Stir to coat the chicken pieces in the spices, then cover and cook over low heat for 40–50 minutes. The curry will look dry at first (see below) but liquid will be released from the chicken as you cook it. 

6. Stir in the coconut milk and taste for salt. Add a squeeze of lemon juice if desired.

Bean curry 

Ingredients

• 350g beans, cut lengthways
• 2 small green chillis, sliced
• 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
• 1 sprig of fresh curry leaves
• 1/4 tsp tumeric
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
• 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• thick coconut milk

Method

1. Toss the beans with all the ingredients, except the oil and coconut milk
2. Heat the oil and then add the bean mixture. 
3. Once the bean mixture has softened add the coconut milk.
4. Season with salt.

String Hoppers

Ingredients

• String hopper mold (see silver mold below)
• String hopper wattie (woven small circle trays)
• 2 cups roasted red or white rice flour (I like to use a combination of both)
• Salt 
• 3 cups boiled water

Method

1. In a dry bowl take two cups roasted rice flour 
2. Add 1 tsp table salt, mix well.
3. Boil 3 cups of water. Gradually add the boiling water to rice flour until you can form a dough that does not stick to the bowl (see consistency below). 
4. Fill the mold with dough and squeeze the fine strings of flour on to the watties to form lacy circles. 
5. Stack the watties on top of each other and steam until done.