Nut Bars

We have finally moved into our brand spanking new place and now that i'm 40 weeks pregnant I am waiting to meet my baby! Our kitchen is so inviting and lovely to use and I think there is no better way to make a place your own then to get cooking! There have been so many yummy things I have wanted to cook and bake for ages and now, and having unpacked my kitchen gadgets and after  shopping for some quality ingredients, it is time to put them all to good use! I think if these nut bars last they might also come in handy for a energy dense snack for labour!

Our place faces directly north and we chose MASSIVE glass sliding doors which are beautiful and make the place very open. However, in this surprisingly very hot weather at the end of March the only time to bake something is in the morning or the late afternoon when it is cooler! That is kind of good in a way because then I am forced to lie down and rest to escape the heat of the day... Not a bad life at the moment! :)

So I will start off 2013 with a recipe post that I have been meaning to do for a while now... I can’t believe how long it’s been since I posted any recipes! After arriving home from overseas mid last year, being pregnant and not having my own place I haven’t been too inspired in the kitchen... 

So here goes... looks like I get my chance to have my last burst of creative kitchen time before the baby comes and changes that... at least for a while! :)

So this recipe is great snack recipe. I have made this many times so it is tried and tested. It's great for a mid-morning or afternoon snack with some fruit ;) And if you choose, you get a little chocolate to go with it! Unfortunately the recipe is not so great for kids lunch boxes due to the ban on nuts from rampant nut allergies. The original recipe comes from Simon Bryant who starred on the ABC program The Cook and the Chef with Maggie Beer.  

Nut Bars

Ingredients

1/2 cup pepitas toasted

1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts

1/2 cup shredded coconut toasted

1/2 cup almonds chopped and toasted
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup diced dried apricots
1/2 cup diced dried figs or dates
1/3-1/2 cup LSA (ground linseed, sunflower seed, almonds)
3/4 cup honey

3/4 cup tahini

Optional

400 grams of 70% or 85% dark chocolate melted

Method

To toast the pepitas, hazelnuts almonds and coconut I usually just combine the ingredients and spread them out thinly on a baking tray. Preheat the oven to 180 degress and then toast for about 5-8 minutes. Check them after 5 minutes, give them a stir and then continue to toast until the coconut is golden and the skins of the hazelnuts start to flake.

Meanwhile mix together the oats, sesame seeds, dried apricots and dates in a large bowl. When the other ingredients are toasted add this mix to the tray, switch the oven off and warm all the ingredients together for a few minutes in the oven. Measure out the tahini and honey. Remove the nuts and seeds from oven and place in a large bowl. Combine with the tahina and honey mix and add about 1/3-1/2 cup of LSA until well combined. The LSA is to help bind the ingredients together. Spread onto a slice tray lined with baking paper and allow to set for about 20 minutes in the fridge.

Cut into bars and eat just as they are OR coat in chocolate. To coat in chocolate, break up the chocolate and place in a bain marie. When just melted spread over the slice, working quickly until coated. Place back in the fridge until set. Cut into squares and enjoy as a delicious yummy snack!

Caramelized Pineapple & Toasted Coconut Ice cream

Summer is almost here, and my home here on the Sunshine Coast is pineapple country. I am living just down the road from Pineapple mecca , 'The Big Pineapple' and have been making the most of this summer fruit.

What better way to make the most of it than by combining it with the ultimate Tropical Summer ingredient, Pina Colada style!? Coconut!

This ice cream is made with coconut cream so its dairy free. Use an organic tinned coconut cream for the best, creamiest results.

If you are lucky enough to own an ice cream churner simply add the cream, the pineapple and toasted coconut to the churner together.

Caramelized Pineapple & Toasted Coconut Ice cream... with a hint of spiced rum

makes approximately 1L of ice cream.
* 250g fresh pineapple cut into 5mm thick small wedges
* 3 tbsp pineapple juice (i cut my pineapple up the day prior to making the ice cream and this juice had collected in the bowl)
* 2 tbsp spiced rum (optional can be substituted with more pineapple juice)
* 4 tbsp coconut sugar (or other such as agave syrup, rapadura, honey, rice syrup)
* 1/3c dessicated coconut

* 3c coconut cream
* 5 egg yolks
* 3 tbsp maple syrup
* 1/4 tsp salt
* 1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped

put the pineapple pieces, pineapple juice, rum and coconut sugar in a bowl, stir and put aside.
in a fry pan add the dessicated coconut and stir over medium heat until toasted golden. set aside in a small bowl
Whisk egg yolks, maple syrup and salt in a pot
Add coconut cream and whisk well
Add the vanilla seeds and the scraped vanilla pod. Put the stove on medium heat, stir constantly with a wooden spoon for 8 minutes until thickened slightly, so it coats the back of the spoon. Don't let the mixture boil.
Remove from the heat and strain into a container or bowl. Put into the freezer to chill.

Heat the frying pan on a med/high heat on the stove again, add the pineapple pieces and juices to the pan, let bubble, string occasionally and reduce until syrup has thickened. (approx 5 minutes) set aside.

(optional extra step - heat a griddle pan very hot and char the pineapple pieces slightly.. and for garnish only a few extra discs dusted with a little extra coconut sugar to help caramelize them)

Each 45mins to an hour remove the bowl of ice cream from the freezer and stir/whisk/ Bamix/blend to break up any ice crystals. you will need to do this 3 or 4 times for the smoothest creamiest ice cream.
Once the ice cream is beginning to thicken to thick shake or soft serve texture gently stir through the toasted coconut, pineapple pieces and syrup before placing back in the freezer to complete freezing.

Let soften out of freezer for 5minutes before serving.

Vietnamese Inspired Glass Noodle Salad

 

I made this refreshing summery salad for a BBQ  during the weekend. My uncle Raouly requested i bring Pancit (a very meaty noodle dish), my Filipino family love their salty and meaty food!

Since it was a BBQ, and since i wanted something to even out the meaty BBQ playing ground i took his request and 're-moulded' it. ...Yes, OK so it is NOTHING even close to resembling Pancit! but it does have noodles!

I know its not vego, but i used a little fish sauce in the dressing. Please Feel free to omit the fish sauce and use a little more vinegar or soy. Always, ALWAYS taste test and adjust the dressing. Quantities i have listed for the dressing are oh so approximate!

I didn't have a lot of coriander left when i made this salad, but i would really suggest using a whole bunch of coriander and a really good handful or Vietnamese mint. 

you can prepare the the whole salad ahead of time if you need to, however i prefer to prepare most of it but wait until the last minute to add the dressing and garnishes. This makes sure the salad keeps its variety of crunchy, and slippery textures.

Vietnamese inspired Glass noodle salad

ingredients
* 6 wombok leaves washed and sliced into strips
* 150g vermicelli noodles (soaked in warm water for 15minutes until clear and roughly chopped)
* 2 carrots grated into long strips (or julienne)
* 1 1/2 capsicum julienne
* 1 handful snow peas julienne
* 2/3c slivered almonds toasted
* 4 tbsp sesame seeds toasted
* 2/3c fried shallots or onion (buy from Asian grocery store)
* 1 bunch coriander leaves roughly chopped
* 1 handful Vietnamese mint chopped fine
*  rind of 1 lime
* 1 long red chili chopped fine (remove as few or as many seeds as you like depending on your preference for spice)
* 125g firm tofu cut into cubes (buy marinated or marinate yourself)

marinade
* 2tbsn tamari
* 2tbsn sweet chilli
* 1 garlic cloves crushed
* 1tbsn oil


 dressing
* 1/2 bunch coriander roots washed and chopped very fine
* juice f 2 limes
* 1tbsn fish sauce (replace with extra rice wine vinegar or shaoxing if preferred)
* 2 tbsp chili sauce
* 3tbsn coconut oil (or use any light flavoured oil)
* 2 tsp sesame oil
* 2 tbsp shaoxing vinegar or rice wine vinegar
* 2 tbsp tamari (or soy sauce)
* 2 tbsp sweet chili sauce
* 4tbsn palm sugar (or any other sugar or hone you prefer)
* s & p
 * *** plus extra of any of the above to adjust to your taste


Method

To marinate tofu place the cubes and the marinade ingredients into a Tupperware or zip lock bag and leave in fridge to marinate for at least 30mins...up to 4hours.

Dry toast the almonds in a frying pan. place in a small bowl. do the same for the sesame seeds

Mix all the salad ingredients (except for the almonds, sesame seeds, fried onion and 1/3 of the coriander)  in a large bowl

in a glass jar or mixing bowl shake or whisk all the dressing ingredients until well combined and sugar is dissolved. taste and adjust as required.

Just before serving the salad cook the tofu in a frying pan or on the BBQ until heated through, dried out and nicely browned.
Add the dressing to the salad along with half the sesame seeds, half the almonds and half the fried onions.
Mix thoroughly with your hands.
Top with the tofu, sesame seeds, almonds and fried onions, then the remaining herbs

Serve with lime wedges.

Lovely Bush Lemon Crostata....with thanks to Matt and Bill Granger

 


Last week while Biss was visiting me at my new home on the Sunshine Coast we went for a nice long walk along my nice long beach... On the path to the beach by my home Biss spotted a bush lemon tree.... the lemons were knobbly and juicy looking, alas we could only reach one little lemon.

A few days later on a walk to the beach with my darling husband i asked him to collect the lemons for me. OK, so i may have been taking advantage of his drunken state and may have challenged him to retrieve me some lemons. So up the tree went Matt and down came the lemons! It turns out though that lemons are quite thorny buggers, poor Matt had plenty of battle wounds and decreed i better make him something "f*#*king yummy" with those bush lemons. And so i did.

This recipe is a combination of two of Bill Granger's recipes from his cookbook Bills Basics. I had been wanting to make his Plum Jam Tart (p45)  recipe for a while, however there are no plums yet! i spotted his Lemon Tart (p234) recipe which is a crustless tart, only i love my biscuitty bases... so decided to bastardize his 2 recipes to suit me to a T.  This is a really easy recipe as there is no kneading required, no leaving to rest in the fridge and although i blind baked the crust i didn't need to worry about any pastry weights.

I have now eaten WAY WAY more than my share of Crostata and am a content fatty... man do i need some friends around to help eat all these goodies!

happy baking until next post~
x Ba

Lemon Crostata

Base
100g unsalted butter (melted and cooled)
1/3c caster sugar
175g (just over 1c) Plain Flour - i use wholemeal
1/4c ground almonds

Filling
3 eggs
1/2c plain flour - i used wholemeal
1c caster sugar
125g unsalted butter melted
zest of 2 unwaxed lemons
150ml lemon juice
300ml cream

Method

* Pre-heat oven to 180degrees
* Line the base of a 23cm spring form cake tin
* In a bowl stir the butter and sugar together.
* Add the flour and a pinch of salt, stir to make a soft dough
* Press the dough evenly into the base of the tin
* Bake in oven on a baking tray, for 15-20mins until the pastry is just slightly puffy and golden
* Remove from oven, sprinkle the ground almonds over and let cool while you make the filling
 * In a large bowl whisk the eggs
 * Gradually add the flour, then the sugar, butter, lemon zest, juice a small pinch of salt and the cream. Whisk well
* Pour on top of the base and bake for a further 40-45 minutes, until slightly browned.
* Remove from oven and let cool for 20minutes before slicing.
* serve with yoghurt or cream.

Yummy still warm...or cool

Strawberry Hazelnut and Condensed Milk Brioche Scrolls (with Chia Seeds)

 

Hello Friends!
We are here, still alive and kicking..... Sorry for the long wait between bites, life has been happening at quite a pace lately!
I know Biss has been a busy girl since arriving home from her 4 months of travels gallivanting around the globe... and me? Well I've been cooking up my bun in the oven, 6 weeks until he is ready to join us in this delicious world. On top of pregnancy i have just moved with my husband to the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. The past few weeks i have spent unpacking DIY-ing and nesting...and trying to learn the ways of my new kitchen and oven. Prior to that i was madly packing and organizing our great migration... so i apologize profusely for the neglect the blog has been experiencing.

I hope you are all well and have sprung to life with the change of season. The change in menu has been most welcomed in my house with the spring fruit and veg now available and i eagerly await the tropical summer fruits just around the corner.

Today I baked some buns in the oven, I have been craving sticky cinnamon  scrolls for a few days...and found in the current (October) issue of Delicious magazine a yummy looking recipe for Dulce De Leche Brioche Buns by Rachel Khoo author of cookbook The Little Paris Kitchen. We have a recipe for Dulce de Leche on our blog if you would like to make this recipe as it can be hard to find ready made. I cooked up a variation as i had plenty of strawberries in the fridge, which turned out to be delicious and slightly (only slightly) better for you.

Strawberry, Hazelnut and condensed milk Brioche Scrolls (with chia seeds). All i can say is yummo my craving has finally been satisfied!

This is a bit of effort to cook as you need to begin the day ahead, knead and prepare and then let rest the following day for another 2 hours before baking... and they are best eaten warm from the oven...however I do suggest though that you give it a try and i hope you enjoy them as much as i did!


 Strawberry  Hazelnut and Condensed Milk Brioche Scrolls (with Chia Seeds)

Ingredients:

dough:
75g unsalted butter
50ml milk
7g dried instant yeast
1 2/3C plain flour (i used half wholemeal)
60g Rapadura sugar 
2 eggs (lightly beaten)
1 heaped tbs creme fraiche (i used sour cream)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp orange blossom water (optional)
filling:
150g condensed milk
2tbs chia seeds
1 punnet (250g) strawberries roughly chopped
1 handful chopped hazelnuts

Method
Put the butter and milk in a small saucepan and heat until the butter has just melted. You want the milk and butter lukewarm NOT hot. Add the yeast and stir to dissolve

In a large bowl mix the flour, sugar and a pinch of salt. Create a well in the middle and stir in the the milk mixture, half the egg, and the remaining dough ingredients. Mix until you have a soft sticky dough. Place in a bowl cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight.

Next day... Line a 24cm spring form cake tin with baking paper.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured working surface and knead for 5 mins.
Roll into a large rectangle (approx 40 x 30cm)

Drizzle the condensed milk over the dough leaving a 2cm border. Sprinkle the chia seeds over, then the strawberries and hazelnuts. Roll the dough up to form a long log. Cut into 6 equal pieces.

the condensed milk will make this a little messy but the condensed milk will thicken and caramelise in the oven and be delicious. Place the cake tin on a baking tray lined with baking paper (to catch the excess oozy mess).

Place the pieces cut side up into the prepared pan, brush with some of the egg then leave covered with a clean tea towel in a warm place to rise for 2hours, or until doubled in size. (I placed the tray on top of my little coffee machine on the cup warmer..it worked a treat. i have also used a Italian trick in the past of filling the kitchen sink with hot water and placing the dough in the cupboard under the sink.)

Pre-heat the oven to 160 degrees. Brush the buns with a little more egg, then place in the oven to bake for 30-40minutes or until nice and golden brown. Once cooked transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly.

Kässpätzle - Germany

Kässpätzle means cheese spätzle, spätzle being a type of egg noodle. This dish is known throughout all of Germany and beyond, however, it is said to be a Swabian dish originating in Baden-Württemberg for which Stuttgart stands as capital.

Although nothing alike, these noodles are so much easier to make than Italian pasta and you can't go wrong really... Some people say this is the German version of macaroni cheese, which doesn't do it justice. This dish is a delicious winter warmer. You could serve this with a glass of spicy Glühwein to warm you up on a cold winter's night. I have also made Kässpätzle and added in some fresh chopped spinach or sliverbeet before baking it in the oven.

Of course you can buy the spätzle ready made, but making the noodles is so easy and you can really taste the difference. This is an original Swabian family recipe a friend gave to me. We recently visited him in Baden-Wüttemberg and made it together. It was yum! :)

Serves 6 - 8 
4-5 brown onions sliced
Oil or butter for frying 
500g plain flour
3 eggs
approximately 1/4 -3/8 L water
1-2 teaspoons salt
250grams of grated Gouda, Edam or Emmantaler cheese or a mixture

Heat a pan with some oil or butter and then add the sliced onions. Fry the onions over medium heat until golden and caramelised and set aside.

Place flour in a bowl. Add eggs and salt and some of the water and stir. You can use a whisk if you have a strong one (as the dough becomes quite sticky and thick) or use a wooden spoon, stirring an d mixing until the flour lumps dissolve. Add water until you have a fluid but thick and stick consistency. Keep stirring until you see large bubbles appear as you mix it. NB these are not like the bubbles you see when you make pancakes at the top of the mixture. These are large bubbles that form whilst stirring.

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Bring a large pot of water to the boil with a tablespoon of salt.When the water is boiling place some of the spätzle dough onto a bread board and smooth it out into a a layer a few millimeters thick. While holding the bread board over the boiling water, use a large knife to scrape strips of of the sticky spätzle dough off the bread board directly into the boiling water and repeat until all dough has been made into spätzle noodles.

Once the spätzle is cooked it will float to the top of the pot. Scoop it out as you go and place it in a a large baking dish layering it with spätzle , caramelised onions and cheese.

Repeat until you have used all the onions and spätzle . Top with cheese and place in a preheated oven for about 20-30 minutes or until golden on top.

Seasonal Salad

 

This salad is SO simple and yummy, you don't even need a salad dressing.
Made up of the variety of seasonal produce I randomly receive in my weekly organic veggie box its as good and fresh as a salad can get!

Try making a seasonal salad at home as taste for yourself how good salad can be .... when every ingredient is in its peak season each piece packs all the flavour it possibly can!
Give this salad a go, or another combo...you are likely to find that in-season ingredients complement each other well!

Season Salad.... comprising of
roast fennel and purple carrots
lemon and thyme roasted muchies
navel orange segments
radish
sunflower sprouts
rocket
dill & fennel tips

i am not listing quantities as this is a salad...add as much or little of each as you like. You really can't go wrong with a salad!

Method

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees
Scrub carrots & wash fennel.Cut carrots into sticks and the fennel into wedges. put the fennel into a bowl and coat very lightly with olive oil s & p. place on baking tray. Put the carrots into the bowl, coat lightly with olive oil, s & p. place onto tray. chop some fresh dill and sprinkle over carrots and fennel...put tray into oven to roast.

Chop mushies into quarters (if they are large) and put into bowl, coast lightly with olive oil, add some garlic (chopped is fine but i like to shave mine into paper thin slices), some thyme, lemon rind, chilli flakes & s & p. mix and put onto a tray and roast in oven.

very thinly slice the radish (you can use a peeler or mandolin if you like),
Segment the orange.
chop some dill and some leaf tips.

Once the veg is roasted nicely let it cool down a bit (as as not to wilt the rocket.

Scatter the washed rocket into a salad bowl or platter, top with the roast veg, top with the radish and the sunflower sprouts, top with the orange segments.

Squeeze a wedge or 2 or orange over the salad too if you like...  However this is optional as the roast veg and the orange segments are enough on their own, creating a nice balance of fresh and crunchy with rich and sweet.

Enjoy! :)

Ba

Gâteaux de Comminges - France

Usually when I visit my uncle Jean Odon and aunt Claire in France I get many stories of the history of our family as well as this cake! :)

This recipe is a family heirloom that goes back five generations. Jean Odon tells me that this recipe was passed on from his great aunt to his great grandmother (or my great, great grandmother!), La Maréchale Lyautey.  From then on it was made for special occasions and birthdays for the de Comminges family and the name Gâteaux de Comminges was born.

It is very easy and quick to make but the moistness depends on cooking time and is best when it is slightly undercooked. I have doubled the recipe in the past and it has come out cooked but all gooey and moist in the middle which was so good! If you have a hotter oven than usual watch it carefully. If you do happen to overcook it a little it should still be moist and fluffy. I hope you enjoy it as much we do! :)

Cake Ingredients

125g good qualitydark chocolate (70%)

125g Butter 

3 eggs separated

125g almond meal

80g plain flour

125g caster sugar

Chocolate Glaze –Ingredients

80g good quality darkchocolate (70%)

1 tablespoon of cremefraiche (you could also use thickened cream).

Cake - Method

1) Preheat the oven to 180°C.

2) Grease a 24cm cake tin with a bit of butter andcoat it with a light dusting of flour and remove the excess (instead you could line the tin with baking paper). I find spring form cake tins to be the easiest option but anywill do.

3) Melt the chocolate and butter in asaucepan over low heat. Allow to cool slightly.

4) While the chocolate is melting beat the 3 egg yolks until combined

5)  In a separate bowl mix the almond meal,flour and sugar.

6) In another bowl beat the 3 egg whites untilstiff peaks form.

7) Gently Mix the 3 egg yolks into the chocolate mixturealong with the dry ingredients.

8) Very gently fold in the beaten egg whites untiljust combined.

9) Pour mixture into cake tin and bake in theoven at 180°C for approximately 20-25 minutes.

10) Removefrom the oven allow to cool slightly before turning out onto a rack or a plate.

11) To makethe chocolate glaze melt the chocolate as in step 3 and stir through the cremefraiche. spread over the cake immediately

12) You canserve the cake warm or cold with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream and some strawberries sprinkled with some sugar would also compliment it nicely :)

 

Kumara Orange Beetroot and Labne Galette

I have to give myself a pat on the back for this recipe. I ate almost the whole thing to myself over a day and a half... it was just too yum to resist.

I am also patting myself on the back as i am always anxious when it comes to making pastry or dough. i have mentioned before and ill say it again. i have about a 50% chance of success when it comes to pastry and bread. I over- knead, or well... i don't know...but its always anyone's guess whether it will come out right.... and i have to say....this came out JUST RIGHT! 

When i cook I'm a bit Jamie Oliver style,  a pinch of this or a glug of that and handful of that. However when it comes to baking... especially pastry, breads and doughs, i have learnt that being disciplined and REALLY following the recipe step by step is the key. 

I found this galette recipe online and have used the recipe for the pastry, i have adapted it slightly, using buttermilk instead of sour cream...which worked just fine. The filling is my own combination, i do believe that a lovely goats feta or goat cream cheese would work wonderfully in this recipe instead of labne if you prefer.

This is a great dish for dinner, could also be made into single size servings for a stylish entree. I also think it is delish eaten cold and plan on bringing it to many a picnic in the future.

Serve with a dill pesto if you like.

I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients

Pastry
* 1 1/4c plain flour
* 1/4 tsp salt
* 8 tbs cold butter (cut into pieces and then chilled again)
* 1/4c buttermilk (or sour cream)
* 2 tsp lemon juice
* 1/4c ice water

Filling
* 3 beetroot scrubbed, sliced 5mm thick
* 3 kumara peeled and chopped into large chunks
* juice of 1/2 orange
* 2 tsp cinnamon
* 2 tsp dukkah
* s & p
* 1/2c labne
* handful dill

Glaze
*1 egg yolk
*1 tsp water

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 180degrees
Whisk flour and salt in a large bowl
Sprinkle the butter over dough and using a spatula or a butter knife cut the butter through the flour until it resembles course breadcrumbs
In a small bowl whisk the buttermilk, lemon juice and ice water, add to the flour
Mix with a spoon until large lumps form. Pat the lumps into a ball, don't knead it too much. You don't want to overwork it.
Pat into a disk, wrap with cling wrap & refrigerate for an hour.

While the dough is resting in the fridge;
Wrap the kumara in foil and put into the oven to cook
Place the beetroot onto a baking tray, coated lightly with olive oil and sprinkled with s & p, bake in oven turning once, until cooked.
Once the kumara is cooked through and soft put into a small bowl, add orange juice, dukkah, cinnamon & season with s&p,  mash to a thick mash. Its OK if its a bit lumpy.

Take the dough from the fridge and roll out on a floured workbench to roughly a 30cm disk.
Place onto a baking tray covered with a sheet of baking paper.
Spread the labne on the base thickly, leaving a 3cm boarder.
Top with the kumara mash.
Arrange the beetroot on top of the mash overlapping slightly.
Fold the boarder of dough in to enclose the filling
Whisk the egg and water in a small bowl and brush over the pastry
Bake for 30 - 40minutes or until the pastry is browned and nice and flaky crisp.
Let cool for 5-10minutes before serving.
Serve scattered with dill

Great served with some dill pesto

Honey Fig and Ricotta Filo

 


I LOVE baklava and came across a recipe in an old Vogue Entertaining Magazine not too long ago which has inspired me to make a naughty warming brekkie filo dish. (but by all means feel free to eat it with ice cream for dessert too!)

The inspiring recipe was names 'Sardinian Cheese & Honey Pastries' the picture looked divine, but the recipe read poorly... ricotta and sultanas mixed with lemon rind, stuffed into frozen puff pastry sheets and deep fried.

The deep frying turned me off..

I was surprised the recipe didn't call for filo and couldn't stop thinking about how delicious it would be to have the feathery light and fine filo pastry with the warm spiced ricotta, and how the sticky sweetness of baklava honey/sugar syrupy pastry would work so well. well my dreaming went on and i thought about how much more i like figs than i like sultanas.... and eventually i created it.

My first attempt i mimicked the baklava recipes and poured the honey syrup over the filo triangles after baking them to a satisfactory crispiness, i found them to become too soggy and so have adapted the recipe, brushing the syrup over the triangles again and again until i am happy with the amount of coating and crispiness.

It is a naughty breakfast, i cant ignore it. But on a weekend morning like it is this time of year here in Sydney...when i am sitting in the sun, (which is giving me less than enough warmth than i would like) a nice cup of milky sweet earl grey tea and a steamy-hot, crispy-sticky, sweet filo triangle full of warm fig and cinnamon scents is perfect to warm me up!

Here is the recipe, i hope you enjoy.

Honey, Fig and Ricotta Filo

Ingredients

* 375g Ricotta (drained in a sieve for 20mins)
*100g Figs (chopped and soaked for 5mins in boiling water and then drained)
* grated rind of 1 lemon
* Juice of 1 lemon
* 2tspn cinnamon
* 5tbsn rapadura
* 1/2 packet of filo pastry
*  4tbsn water
* 1 cinnamon stick
* 150g butter (approx)

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees

Mix ricotta, figs, lemon zest, cinnamon & 2tbsn rapadura together in a bowl

melt butter and brush butter over a sheet of filo pastry, repeat with 3 more sheets of pastry laying the pastry sheets on top of one another. Cut the pile of pastry sheets in half and spoon about 2 or 3 heaped tablespoons of ricotta mix in a triangle shape into the corner of each of the piles of filo.

Fold over and over to create a triangle filo pillow, wiping butter over the pastry each time you fold it. You want to create a nice neat sealed filo triangle.

Repeat the process until you have used all of the ricotta.

Place a wire baking rack onto a baking tray. Cover with a piece of baking paper.Place the filo pastries onto the baking paper and bake in oven for 20mins (or until nicely browned and crunchy)

While they are baking heat the honey, the water, the lemon juice, and the cinnamon stick over a low heat until slightly thickened. keep warm.

Once the filo are cooked remove the baking paper from under the pastries and use a pastry brush to wipe the honey syrup over the pastries coast after coast until you achieve a still crispy but syrupy coating on top.

Eat immediately, or if saving for later, re-heat very gently in the oven to ensure you don't burn the sugar coating.

Enjoy!

xx BA

Wholemeal Banana Oat Bread - No Butter or Oil!

On a cold morning when i am getting ready for the daily grind my morning cup of warm maple syrup latte and a slice of toasted buttery banana bread is really the only thing that can wake me up and warm me up.

For this recipe i used wholemeal self raising flour, but added LSA oats and hazelnut meal to give it some extra nutrition and texture. I have a sweet tooth but can't afford to have dessert for breakfast. I need some health benefit in my meal!

Instead of using the usual brown sugar called for in most banana bread recipes I used Rapadura (aka Panela) sugar which is unrefined cane sugar. It has a lovely caramel flavour and a nice crunch...i love to sprinkle it onto of my latte and eat with the froth... it is by far more delicious than regular sugar and i urge you too to make the swap! i also swapped some of the sugar for maple syrup simply because i love the stuff and it too is unrefined.

This recipe uses NO oil or butter, so although it does have sugar it is far healthier than most banana breads. I admit i love to slather it with butter after i toast it....but i can suggest you slather it with some macadamia butter if you want to stay away from the bad saturated fats.

This recipe takes only minutes to make and the smells permeating from your oven while it cooks are too good to not try baking this recipe... so go...do it now!

and enjoy!
xxx Ba

Ingredients

* 3/4c light evaporated milk
* 1/2c Rapadura (or brown sugar)
* 1/4c Maple syrup
* 2 eggs
* 4 extra ripe bananas mashed (the riper the better)
* 1/2c Rolled Oats
* 1 1/4c Wholemeal Self Raising Flour
* 1/3c  LSA
* 1/3c Hazelnut meal (or almond meal)

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees, line a loaf tin with baking paper

Whisk Rapadura, maple syrup, eggs and evaporated milk together in a large bowl

Stir in bananas, Stir in Oats, Stir in LSA and Hazelnut meal, Stir in Flour

Pour into Loaf tin and place in centre of oven. Bake for approx 1 hour....or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

Remove from oven and leave to cool for 15 - 20 minutes. turn onto a baking rack to cool.
Cut and eat while warm or wait until it has cooled slice and wrap..or even freeze some for later.

Tsering's Momos in Ladakh - India

View from our room :)

Leh, the capital of Ladakh in Northern India, sits in a valley at around 3500 metres and is surrounded by an amphitheatre of snow dusted peaks. In spring time it's dotted with the blossoms of apricot trees. Here you feel worlds away from the hustle and bustle of India, not to mention the change in climate, culture, language, and culinary delights!

Given the extreme climatic conditions of this mountain desert, which is only accessible by road from May to September, Ladakhis are very self sufficient. Many of them grow their own vegetables by strategically channeling the water from the mountain streams. In the short peak tourist season from June to August the valley turns from brown to a luminous green.

Tsering and her husband Thukstan are the owners of Tse-Tan Guesthouse which is North of the city centre, and arriving at their guesthouse was like arriving home, with their warmth and hospitality immediately obvious. Like the majority of Ladakhis, Tsering and Thukstan grow their own vegetables and have a little green house for the cooler shoulder seasons.

Tsering and Thukstan

To prepare all the meals Tsering sits on a cloth on her kitchen floor and their guests, whom they treat like family, can be as involved in the process as they would like. Ladakhi food has some similarities to Tibetan cuisine as they eat Tsampa (roasted barley flour), salty butter tea Thukpa (noodle soup) and of course Momos (stuffed dumplings). With barley as their staple grain it is used and manipulated in many different ways for countless dishes.

One evening we sat on Tsering's kitchen floor and made delicious Ladakhi style Momos. Momos are generally stuffed with cooked vegetables or meat and eaten with a chutney or chilli style sambal. They can be made with any kind of flour, but here we made them with barley flour. Making the momos from scratch, dough and all, can be quite a long process so it was nice to do it together as a group. I am sure Tsering appreciated the help! :)

Here I have included a rough recipe guesstimating quantities with enough to serve 5 people. The most important piece of equipment you need to make these is a large mutli-layered steamer as well as a grater. Feel free to be as creative with the filling and chutney as you like. Barley flour is used for the dough as it is grown locally but you could also use wheat flour. You can prepare the filling and chutney ahead of time.

Momo dough
Mix approximately 9 cups of barley flour with a teaspoon of baking powder and 2 teaspoons of salt. Have about a litre of water handy and gradually add this to the flour mixture. Don't add it all at once! Get your hands in there and be sure to mix and knead it well after each addition of water. Knead this and add water until it is a good consistency to roll out using some extra flour to coat the surface, to about 2-3mm thick. Use the end of a glass with a diameter of approximately 6-7 cm to cut circles in the dough.


Momo Filling
Oil for frying (here we used mustard seed oil)
1 small head of cabbage grated
3 carrots grated
1 small red onion grated
A few handfuls of spinach or swiss chard (silverbeet) finely chopped
100 grams paneer finely chopped
Handful of coriander and handful parsley finely chopped
Handful of rice vermicelli soaked in boiling water, strained and chopped finely
A few teaspoons of garam masala
Salt and pepper to taste
A few tablespoons of ghee

Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a large pot. Add cabbage, carrots, spinach and red onion and sauté with a few teaspoons of garam masala and salt and pepper until fragrant. Mix the chopped paneer with the coriander and parsley. Remove pot from the heat and stir through the herb and paneer mixture along with the chopped vermicelli and a few tablespoons of ghee. Set aside.

Momo Chutney
A few carrots very finely grated
5 tomatoes very finely chopped
3 green chillies very finely chopped
2 garlic cloves very finely chopped or grated
1 inch piece ginger very finely chopped or grated
A handful of parsley and mint finely chopped
Juice of 1- 2 limes
Garam masala and salat and pepper to taste

Mix all the above ingredients in a bowel and set aside.


Assembling the Momos
This is very tricky to explain but I'll do my best. Place a circle of dough in your left hand and put a teaspoon of Momo filling in the centre. It is easier to use less than more filling when practicing. Hold the Momo filling in place using your left thumb. Take your forefinger and thumb of your right hand and pinch together the edge of the dough, repeat by gathering another punch of dough squeezing it together with last working in a circle. Until all the edges are gathered together. Hmmm understand!? Perhaps YouTube will have better explanations for you! :) Have patience as it can take some practice!


















Cooking the Momos
Rub a little oil on the base if each steamer and place all the Momos inside making sure they are not touching each other. Fill the base if the steamer with water, bring it to the boil, and simmer to steam the Momos for about 30 minutes or until the dough is cooked. Remove from steamer and serve with chutney.

Enjoy your Momo party! :)

Spiced Roast Parsnip & Pumpkin Soup w Parsnip Crisps & Caramelised Roast Pear

 


This week the weather here in Sydney has really snapped. The wind is chilly, the sun doesn't seem to have the heat it did just a few weeks ago..and as if to confirm that winter is well on its way my veggie box this week was full of Parsnip.

So to warm myself up and make the best of a change i don't at all like, i decided to make a comforting warming soup. I had originally planned on making an apple and parsnip soup with a red cabbage chutney...but cabbage isn't anywhere near my favourite vegetable...in fact it's right down the other end of the spectrum. Alas I cut the cabbage, I put the olive oil in the pot... and at the last moment i aborted. Cabbage isn't my dream ingredient, and i had to listen to my tummy... I am glad i did.
Caramelized roast pear really outshone what red cabbage might have been!

This soup recipe is quick and easy. Roasting the veg keeps them nice and sweet and keeps the nutrients unlike boiling in which the folate, vitamins and some antioxidants can be lost into the water. I keep the skin on the veg as much of the flavour and nutrients are in the skin. I also roast the veg wrapped in foil with no or only a very slight amount of oil rubbed onto them.

serves 4
Ingredients

5 Parsnip washed and topped
1/3 a Pumpkin cut into wedges
1 spanish onion cut in half
4/5 cloves garlic in skin
1 generous pinch saffron threads
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 nutmeg shaved/grated
2 tsp cumin
1tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 pears, peeled
2 tbs rapadura  (or coconut sugar or brown sugar)
1L stock (i used vegetable stock)
s & p

Method

Pre-heat oven to 200degrees
Wash and Cut Parsnip in half cross ways.
Take the top half of 1 of the parsnip and cut VERY thinly using a mandolin or vegetable peeler. 1.5 to 2mm thickness is good.
Coat the shavings with extra virgin olive oil and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper and set aside.
    
Wrap veg in foil. I put 2 thick top pieces of parsnip together in foil and bunched the small skinny ends together wrapped up.
Wrap the Garlic together in foil.
Wrap each half of the onion separately in foil.
Wrap the pumpkin wedges singularly in foil.
Place a pear in foil and sprinkle evenly all over with the rapadura (or sugar), wrap in the foil. repeat with other pear.
Place all in the oven on a backing tray (or directly on the oven rack if you wrapped them well enough)
Check after 20mins and regularly afterwards, removing any veg which is soft and cooked through.

Once the vegetables are all cooked, place the tray of parsnip shavings into the oven.
Check regularly and turn if necessary.
Remove from oven once golden.

Once the veg is all cooked carefully open the foil parcels and cut the skin off the pumpkin (i love to eat the skins while i am cooking, delish and good for you!)
Place a pot on the stove on medium heat
Add olive oil
Add the garlic squeezing the soft roast garlic out of the skins into the pot
Add the onion, the pumpkin wedges and the parsnips
Stir breaking up the vegetables as you do
Add half the saffron & most but not all of the cumin, cinnamon, & nutmeg.
Keep stirring and breaking down the chunks for a few minutes.
Remove from stove and add 2 cups of stock.

Carefully take a stick blender and puree the soup adding more stock and blending until a smooth consistency is reached. (The amount of stock depends on your own preference. I used only 600ml as i wanted a nice thick hearty soup. the remaining stock can come in handy when re-heating the soup the next day as the soup will thicken on sitting.)
Taste the soup and add the remaining cumin, cinnamon, and or nutmeg to suit your taste. Season with salt and pepper.
Place back on the stove and simmer for a further 5 minutes.

Ladle into bowls, take the pears and slice place a few slices into each bowl a sprinkling of parsnip crisps and a sprinkle of saffron threads (optional)

enjoy the warmth!

x Ba

Caramelised Yoghurt - Kolkata's Mishti Doi - India

Think creme caramel style yoghurt! This was so delicious and something I look forward to re-creating when I get home! :)

From what I've read there are a couple of ways you can make this. I think the easier version is by combining the yoghurt with condensed milk and carnation milk an then baking it in the oven. See here for a recipe I found online

Otherwise the more original version is made by caramel using sugar and mixing this with the yoghurt before baking it. See here

If you're at all inspired to give it a go let me know how it turns out! :)