Cinnamon doughnuts with chocolate and cardamom custard
(10-1-07)
Doughnut dough
The dough will keep for a couple of days in the fridge.
1tsp dried yeast
75 ml warm water
50g caster sugar
400ml of milk
60g butter
pinch of salt
3 eggs, lightly beaten
580g plain flour
vegetable oil, for deep frying
150ml whipped cream
1/2 cup icing sugar
11/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Chocolate and cardamom custard
1litre milk
50g butter
200g caster sugar
1 lemon, zest finely grated
1/2 vanilla bean, split
100g chocolate buttons
8 egg yolks
100g cornflour
2 tsp ground cardamom
2 tbsp cocoa powder
2 drops almond essence
Method - Custard
Combine milk, butter, 50g sugar, lemon zest and vanilla bean in a saucepan over medium heat and cook until almost boiling. Pour hot milk over chocolate buttons and stir until smooth.
Place remaining sugar and egg yolks in a bowl and beat until thick. Add cornflour, cardamom and cocoa powder and stir well. Add milk mixture to egg mixture in 3 lots, mixing well in between. Pour mixture into a large saucepan and stir constantly over low heat until boiling, then reduce heat to very low and cook for 5 mins, stirring frequently. Add almond essence, stir and pour into a shallow dish, cover and chill.
Method - Doughnuts
Combine yeast, water and a pinch of sugar in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Place milk in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to almost boiling, remove from heat. Place butter, remaining sugar and salt in a large bowl and pour in the hot mimlk. Whisk until all ingredients are dissolved, then set aside to cool. When cool, add yeast mixture and eggs and stir in flour until mixture is smooth. Cover and rest for 1 hour at room temp.
Heat oil to 170C in a deep fryer or large saucepan and deep-fry teaspoons of mixture until golden and cooked through. Drain on paper towels.
TO SERVE: beat custard in an electric mixer with whipped cream using the paddle attachment, or beat with a wooden spoon until smooth. To serve, spoon custard onto plates and top with doughnuts. Combine icing sugar and ground cinnamon and dust over doughnuts.
Pavlova
(or, as my sister calls it, ‘Mmmmm, Pavamalova’)
(18-10-06)
Ingredients
6 egg whites
2 cups caster sugar
1 tablespoon cornflour
1 ½ teaspoon white vinegar
600 ml thickened cream
Fruit to top (I recommend passionfruit and strawberries.)
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 Fahrenheit) Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Add sugar, one third at a time, allowing each third to be well incorporated so that you end up with a thick, glossy meringue. Fold through corn flour and vinegar.
Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper. Shape the meringue into a disk, scooping out an indentation in the middle with the back of a metal spoon. Place in oven, lower temperature to 120 degrees Celsius (240 degrees Fahrenheit) and bake for 45 minutes. Turn the oven off, leaving the meringue to cool inside the oven.
When cool (the pavlova will fall a little and crack around the edges, don’t panic, this is what makes it authentic), whip cream and spread over top. Decorate with fruit. Share and Enjoy.
Jana’s Handy Pavlovian Tips
• Make sure the utensils you are using to beat the egg whites are perfectly dry.
• Ensure no egg yolk finds its way into the white
• Have egg whites at room temperature
• You can use extra cream if you like
• Some people decorate with bits of chocolate bar, but I think this is overkill, personally
• A pavlova is best eaten on the day you make it. It will keep at best for one day
Sushi
(23-9-06)
Nigiri-Zushi Technique
Makes 14 pieces
14 pieces of sogi-zukuri sliced fish, calamari, cuttlefish, sliced grilled eel, flattened prawn or avocado
3 cups cooked Sushi Rice
1 cup water
1 tsp vinegar
Prepare 14 pieces of fish such as tuna, salmon or snapper using the sogi zukuri slicing technique.
Have the sliced ingredients ready and a dry board in front of you. Combine water and vinegar in a bowl. Wash your hands, dip your fingers into the bowl of vinegared water; then clap your hands together to remove any excess water.
Pick up a slice of fish with your right hand and place it in your left, which is slightly cuupped to hold the fish. (Reverse the hands if you are left-handed). Using the tip of your right index finger, take a little wasabi and smear it on the fish.
With the fish in your left hand, grasp a little rice with your right. Rest the rice on the base of your fingers and squeeze lightly to form the rice into an oval-shaped pillow. Neaten the shape by turning the rice pillow around and pressing gently.
Transfer the rice onto the fish and press the fish and rice together. Hold your right index and middle fingers straight out together and place over the sushi, then gently press. Turn over so the rice is now on top and gently press again. Turn over so the fish is on top again and press once more to complete.
Sushi is usually served with pickled ginger and soy sauce for dipping.
Nori Roll technique
Makes 2 rolls/12 pieces
1 cup cooked sushi rice
1 sheet nori
wasabi
half a cucumber, seeded and cut into strips 1cm wide
Dipping water
1 cup water
1 tsp vinegar
This is a basic technique for nori rolls using cucumber. For a successful result, spread a handful of rice thinly over the nonri without squahing it down. Do not put too much rice or ingredients on the nori. Instead of cucumber, cooked asparugus, avocado, pickled daikon, raw tuna/salmon or omelette can be used.
To make the dipping water, combine the water and vinegar in a bowl.
Place sushi mat on a flat surface and put a sheet of nori on top, glossy side down. Moisten your fingers with the dipping water. Using fingers, spread the rice over the bottom 3/4 of the nori to the edges. Spread wasabi across the centre of the rice and top with strips of cucumber placed in a line.
Lift the edges of the mat and roll up, pushing the rice and cucumber inside with fingers. Gently but firmly roll the sushi in the mat to form a round shape. Unroll the mat and remove the sushi roll to a dry board. Repeat with rest of ingredients.
Wipe a knife with a wet cloth. cut the rolls in half. Arrange the two rolls next to each other and cut both rolls into 3 pieces simultaneously to make 6 pieces. Clean the knife between cuttings.
Inari-zushi
Packet of tofu inari zushi skins
1 cup sushi rice
1 tsp black sesame
Make a rice pillow as for nigiri zushi. Push into tofu pocket and place on plate, open side down.
Sushi Rice
Makes 6 cups
3 cups short-grain white rice
3 cups water
Vinegar mixture
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup castor sugar
Place rice in a bowl and pour in cool water to wash the rice. Tip the water out. Pur fresh water until it just covers rice. Wash the rice by pressing hard against it with your palm. Pour away the water. Repeat three times.
Leave the rice in the bowl under running water until the water runs almost clear. Drain rice in a colander and leave for 30 minutes.
Transfer the rice to a rice cooker or a saucepan with a well-fitting lid. Add the water and allow to stand for 15 minutes. If using a rice cooker; turn it on and rice will cook. If using a saucepan, ensure that the lid is tightly closed, bring rice to the boil over a medium heat, then reduce to a low heat and cook until all the water is absorbed (15-20 minutes). Allow the cooked rice to stand for 15 minutes.
Make vinegar mixture in a separate bowl by combining ingredients.
Transfer the rice to a Hangiri (flat wooden vessel) or a large bowl. Pour in the vinegar mixture and work it through the rice using a wooden spoon. Gently mix the rice.
Cool the rice with a hand fan (a magazine or piece of cardboard is fine) while mixing gently with the paddle in a slicing motion until the rice is at rom temperature.
Do not refrigerate, as the is dries out the sushi rice and causes the starch to break down.
Cheesy Tuna and Potato Pie
(3-9-06)
Ingredients
2 sheets ready rolled shortcrust pastry
1 tablespoon milk
1/2 tsp poppyseeds
Tuna and potato filling
2 large potatoes
20g (4tsp) butter
2 tablespoons plain flour
2/3 cup milk
3/4 cup cheddar cheese
2 teaspoons seeded mustard
185g tuna in brine, drained, flaked
1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill (dried is okay)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Place 1 sheet of pastry on oiled oven tray, top with tuna and potato filling, spread over pastry leaving 2cm border. Brush edge of pastry with some of the milk, top with remaining pastry sheet. Press top pastry sheet onto lower sheet around filling, trim and pinch edge. Brush top with milk, sprinkle with seeds.
Bake uncovered in a hot oven about 10-15 minutes or until pastry is browned.
Tuna and potato filling
Cut potatoes into 1cm cubes, boil, steam or microwave until tender; drain. Melt butter in large pan, add flour, cook, stirring until bubbling. Remove from heat, gradually stir in milk, stir over heat until mixture boils and thickens. Stir in potatoes, cheese, mustard, tuna and herbs. Cool slightly.
Mmmm, also very delicious as leftovers the next day (Zan always lets me take it, he’s the best)
Honey-Poached Mandarins with Orange Blossom Mascarpone
(23-7-06)
Ingredients
2 cups water
4 cardamom pods or cinnamon sticks
4 tbsp honey
1/2 cup sugar
6 large, juicy mandarins
Approx. 200g/1 cup mascarpone
2 tbsp icing sugar
Approx. 2 tsp orange blossom water
Method
Clean and peel the mandarins, leaving the fruit whole and retaining the peel. Place the peel, water, sugar, honey and spice into a saucepan and simmer for five minutes. Leave the syrup to steep for a further 10 minutes, then remove the peel.
Bring the syrup back to the boil, put the mandarins in to simmer for 5 minutes, then leave to cool.
Mix the mascarpone, icing sugar and orange blossom water in a bowl. Place mandarins and some syrup into bowls and top with large dollops of mascarpone.
You’re done!
This will serve around three. To serve more, just buy more mandarins and mascarpone.
Breakfast fixins
(18-6-06)
Timing is crucial for a delicious breakfast.
For a trad cooked breakfast, here is the sequence I use:
Bacon, toast and poached eggs
• Put poached egg water onto boil (add vinegar or lemon juice to prevent eggs spreading)
• Put bacon in frying pan.
• When bacon starts to sizzle, and has been turned once, put toast on (this may depend on the speed of your toaster and what kind of bread you’re using. Generally the crappier the bread, the faster it toasts).
• When bacon is looking crispy and almost done, water should now be boiling and toast pretty much ready. Put eggs in water.
• Allow eggs to boil for about one minute. This is about enough time to put toast and bacon on the plate, including buttering toast and adding any other extras.
• Remove eggs from water. Yolks should be soft. I like them almost totally uncooked, but with the whites totally cooked.
For scrambled eggs, do not add milk to eggs. Just whisk them up and when everything else is done and ready to be put on the plate, pour the eggs into a hot pan with melted butter. Stir eggs as they cook. It will only take about 30 seconds. Parsley may be added, basil is also yummy in scrambled eggs.
Banana Pikelets
Ingredients
1 cup self-raising flour
1 egg
½ cup milk
1 overripe banana, mashed
tsp sugar
Put flour in bowl. Make well in centre and add egg. Mix egg into flour gradually with either a whisk or a wooden spoon. When egg is incorporated into flour, add a little milk. Mix in. Gradually add milk, stirring between times until you have a smooth, thick batter.
Add mashed banana and sugar.
Heat a flat, non-stick pan and melt a small amount of butter. Drop tablespoons of mixture into the hot butter. When pikelets are bubbling on the top and starting to lose their glossiness around the edges, flip with spatula. Cook for a further 30 seconds or so, remove from heat.
Enjoy with butter, jam, Nutella, ricotta cheese or just by themselves.
Note: You can use the same recipe for pancakes, just make one big one rather than a few small ones. Also, instead of mashing the banana and mixing it in, you can slice it, keep it separate and just before you turn the pancake over, lay the slices on the top. The banana pieces then get fried in the butter and are delicious. This will work for blueberries too.
Poached pears with cinnamon cream
(20-5-06)
Ingredients
4 medium firm pears
1 cup dry red wine
1 cup water
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 10 cm cinnamon stick
Cinnamon Cream
300 ml cream
1 tsp ground cinnamon.
Trim base of pears to sit flat; peel pears. Combine remaining ingredients in medium pan , stir over heat without boiling until sugar is dissolved. Place upright pears in pan, bring to boil, cover with foil, then lid, simmer 15 minutes until pears are tender.
Transfer pears and sugar syrup to large bowl, cover, refrigerate 3 hours or overnight, turning occasionally.
Remove pears from syrup, strain syrup into medium pan, boil uncovered until reduced to about 1/4 cup liquid. Cool. Serve pears with syrup and cinnamon cream.
Cinnamon cream
Beat ingredients in a small bowl until soft peaks form.
Share and Enjoy!
Avocado al pesto
(18-4-06)
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups olive oil
8 cloves garlic, peeled
2 cups fresh basil leaves
2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
2 large avocados, sliced
Toast pine nuts by spreading them on an oven tray and baking in a moderate/hot oven for 5 min, or until they turn golden brown.
Blend oil, garlic, basil and pine nuts in a blender/food processor until smooth and thick. Mix in grated cheese. Heat sauce in a double boiler until hot, stirring constantly.
To serve: arrange sliced avocado on a bed of shredded lettuce or endive. Spoon hot sauce over avocado. A little cream may be added to sauce when heating.
Note: this sauce freezes well without the addition of the cream.
Serves 4
Spiral pasta and avocado salad
(18-4-06)
Ingredients
250g spiral pasta
2 avocados, chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh basil
2 large tomatoes
4 shallots, chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
Toss all ingredients together with prepared dressing and serve.
Balsamic Vinegar Dressing
1/4 - 1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup balsamic (or red wine) vinegar
1 teaspoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons chives, chopped
salt and freshly ground pepper
combine in a jar and shake well.
Zan’s fattening avocado and salmon pasta
(18-4-06)
Ingredients
1 avocado
approx. 250 grams Smoked Salmon
200 grams Cream (more or less can be used depending on serves needed)
enough Pasta for needed serves (approx. 300-500 grams)
a handful of grated cheese (whichever kind you prefer)
a Handful of Black Peppercorns
oil
Boil pasta. When pasta is nearly cooked, begin cooking peppercorns in oil using frying pan. When peppercorns are toasted and smelling strongly, reduce heat and add smoked salmon, cut into small strips. Fry salmon lightly, then reduce to very low heat and pour in cream. Add diced avocado and cheese to taste. Simmer very lightly for a few minutes, then pour into drained pasta. Mix through pasta and eat until you feel sick.
Yummy chocolate and date torte
(11-3-06)
250g dark chocolate
250g dates
250g walnuts
6 egg whites
Method
1. Roughly chop the chocolate, dates and walnuts (you can use a food processor or a knife) and combine in a large bowl.
2. Whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
3. Carefully fold the egg whites into the chocolate and date mixture.
4. Pour mix into a greased and papered cake tin and cover with foil. Place in a moderate (180C/360F) oven and bake for approx 35 - 40 minutes. Cake will be firm in the middle when cooked.
5. Allow cake to cool in the oven with the door open. When cool, refrigerate overnight.
6. Serve with whipped cream and strawberries on the belly of a nubile slave boy/girl.
This cake is spectacularly delicious, and no-one will believe it is so easy. Don’t tell them, let’s keep them all guessing, okay?
Jana’s Spicy Chicken Crepes
(20-2-06)
Crepes
3 large eggs
1 1/3 cups milk
3/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour
pinch salt
3 tablespoons oil/melted butter
Method
1. Combine the eggs, milk, flour and salt in the blender and blend on high for 1 minute. If you don’t have a blender, whisk by hand until smooth.
2. Cover batter and allow to rest at room temperature for one hour.
3. Whisk in the oil/butter.
4. Heat a flat bottomed fry pan over a medium-high heat. Sprinkle a few drops of water in the pan, if they sizzle, the pan is hot enough. Brush with a little melted butter/oil.
5. Pour 1/4 cup of crepe mixture into the pan. Immediately pick up the pan and tilt and swirl it so that the batter covers the entire bottom of the pan. Pour any excess batter back into the bowl.
6. Loosen the edges of the crepe with a metal spatula. You can use a spatula to turn the crepe, but I usually turn it with my fingers.
7. Cook on the other side for about 1 minute, until golden. Slide crepe out onto a plate. Lay a strip of chicken mixture down the centre and roll crepe up. Place on baking tray.
Spicy Chicken Filling
4 Chicken fillets (breast or thigh is fine), or leftover BBQ chicken.
1 tin corn kernels
1 tin kidney beans
1 or 2 cloves garlic
2 table spoons tomato paste
Grated cheese (as much as you like)
Brown onion (diced)
1 tble spoon sour cream
Tortillas or crepes
Cos lettuce to serve
Salsa
Sour Cream for serving
Cook onion in large frying pan. Cut up chicken into small pieces and cook with onion. When all cooked through add corn kernels, kidney beans and garlic. Stir in tomato paste. Cook briefly. Take off heat and stir in cheese immediately allowing it to melt. Serve in crepes or heated tortillas. Once you have rolled the crepes and placed on a plate, sprinkle shredded lettuce and salsa over the top. Serve with sour cream and jalapenos peppers on the side.
Mango and Orange Blossom Trifle
(7-1-06)
Ingredients
110g (1/2 cup caster sugar
250ml (1 cup) water
zest of two oranges
zest of two lemons
250ml (1 cup) orange juice
80ml (1/3 cup) lemon juice
250ml (1cup) apple juice
15g gelatine sheets/gelatine powder
2 tblespoons orange blossom water
2 mangoes, peeled and diced into 1cm cubes
110g (1/2 cup) caster sugar additional
80ml (1/3 cup water)
75g shelled unsalted pistachios
200g amaretti biscuits/sponge finger biscuits
2 tblsp orange blossom water, additional
250g marscapone
icing sugar to taste
600ml cream, whipped
Place sugar and water in a saucepan and heat gently until sugar dissolves. Add zest and fruit juices and bring to the boil. Remove from heat, add gelatine and stir until dissolved. Strain, if you wish. Cool slightly, add orange blossom water and stir to combine. Pour into a large glass bowl, or 8 individual glasses. Refrigerate until almost set, then add diced mango. Return to fridge until set.
To make the praline, place additional sugar and water in a saucepan. Cook over a low heat until sugar dissolves. Raise heat and boil liquid. Cook for 12-15 minutes or until liquid begins to colour. The desired colour is a lovely golden caramel, not dark brown. If needed, carefully swirl the saucepan. Remove from the heat, add pistachios and tip onto a tray lined with oiled baking paper. Allow to cool and then chop roughly.
Lightly crush amaretti biscuits/sponge fingers and spoon onto the jelly. Sprinkle with additional orange blossom water. Beat marscapone until smooth and add icing sugar to taste. Spoon marscapone on top of the biscuits. Whip cream and spread over marscapone. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Add a sprinkle of praline and serve. Mmmmmm. Prepare suitably modest expression to accept stunned appreciation from family/friends.
