Lemon & Lime White Chocolate Mud Cake

I chose this one out of the Women's Weekly Bake cookbook.  I'm not much of a cake baker but thought this one sounded nice.  I've also never made a white chocolate mud cake so a good one to try out.

Really easy to make.  Didn't take long, especially with my little helper.

Ingredients

250g butter, chopped
2 tsp grated lemon rind
2 tsp grated lime rind
180g white chocolate
1 1/2 cups castor sugar
3/4 cup milk
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1/2 cup self raising flour
2 eggs

Coconut Ganache
140ml coconut cream
360gm white chocolate
1tsp grated lemon rind
1tsp grated lime rind

Method
Preheat oven to 150 degrees (fan forced).  Grease deep 20cm round cake pan and line base with baking paper.
Stir butter, rinds, chocolate, sugar and milk in medium saucepan over low heat until smooth.  Transfer to a large bowl and cool for 15 minutes.
Stir sifted flours and eggs into mixture; pour into pan.

Bake cake for 1 hour and 40 minutes.  Cool cake in pan.
Meanwhile make ganache.
Turn cake, top-side up, onto serving plate; spread ganache over cake and serve.

Coconut Ganache
Bring coconut cream to the boil then remove from heat.  Add chocolate and rind to the pan and stir until chocolate has melted and mixture is smooth.
Cover and refrigerate until ready to ice cake.

Tasted delicious.  Would make again

Pork meatballs with hokkien noodles in a hot and sour broth

Ingredients

500g pork mince
2tsp cornflour
1cm piece fresh ginger
1 garlic clove
1 egg
1tsp coriander stalks
2-3 shallots
1 red birds eye chilli
dash fish sauce

1 litre chicken stock

1tbs oyster sauce

1 star anise

1 garlic clove

2 shallots

1/4 cup light soy sauce

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp white pepper

Zucchini, finely sliced

Hokkien noodles

Thai basil leaves

Coriander

Method

Place pork, ginger, garlic, egg, coriander stalks, shallots, chilli and fish sauce into a food processor and blitz until all combined.

Place in the fridge to cool and firm up.  Once firm, roll into balls and place back into the fridge until ready to cook.

Combine stock, oyster sauce, star anise, garlic and shallots and cook over high heat to reduce down.

In a seperate pan, combine the soy sauce, vinegar, salt and white pepper.  Bring to the boil and then add to you stock mixture.  You may not need to add all so add to taste.

Cook meatballs in peanut oil.

Prepare Hokkien noodles as per packet instructions.

Place noodles in bowls, place meatballs on top of noodles and then pour in your broth.  Add sliced zucchini, basil leaves and coriander as garnish and serve. 

Red wine

Red wine is a big weakness of mine.  I just love to enjoy a glass at the end of a busy day.  My favourite blend is a shiraz grenache.  I'm not a wine connoisseur so I'm not sure what it is about the blend but I just love it.  Can't go wrong I say.

Anyway I'm always trying to find new wines and this week I came across a WA wine called 'Red Right Hand'.  It's from Vinaceous winery in Margaret River.  I haven't been to the winery before but will definitely be stopping by next time I'm down there.

Really enjoyed this wine.  It cost about $24 from 1st Choice Liquor.  I'll be buying it again 

Sri Lankan Fish Cutlets

One of my earliest food memories is of eating Sri Lankan fish cutlets when I was a kid.  My family had Sri Lankan friends and I remember going there all the time and the smell of the spices and the food which took over their house was amazing.  It's something I will never forget.  Anyway apart from the amazing smell, I remember the fish cutlets and it is something that I think about often.

Finally I decided that I had to try and make them so I searched the net and found a couple of recipes that I like the sound of and I ended up blending the two.  The result - amazing fish cutlets.  Oh I'm a happy lady.

I could go for having more chili in them but the way I made them was probably good for anyone to eat - perhaps even my little 3 year old.  I'll give her one tomorrow and see what she thinks.

Sri Lankan Fish Cutlets

Ingredients:

1 large tin Tuna (or salmon)

2 medium size potatoes (boiled)

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 green chili, finely chopped

2tsp minced garlic

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp fennel seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1 sprig curry leaves 

1/2 tsp turmeric

1tsp curry powder

1 lime

breadcrumbs

2 eggs, whisked

Method:

Peel, boil and mash potatoes and set aside.

Heat pan with a little peanut oil and quickly fry the mustard, fennel, cumin seeds and curry leaves until the mustard seeds start popping and the .  Remove from the pan and grind up in mortar and pestle.

Heat about 2tbs peanut oil in the pan and add onion, chili and garlic until soft.  Season with some salt and pepper.

Add spices to the pan along with the drained tuna, turmeric powder, curry powder, the juice from 1 lime and the mashed potato.  Combine well and set aside to cool.

Roll mixture into small balls (bit smaller than a golf ball), make sure they are rolled smoothly as if there are any cracks, they will split apart in the deep fryer.

Coat with the whisked egg and cover in the breadcrumbs before putting into the deep fryer at about 170*C until golden

Choc chip, Date and Oat Slice

I absolutely love this recipe.  My waist line on the other hand isn't such a fan.  I make this one with my daughter as the recipe doesn't require any electric beating or stove top cooking so it's super easy, thrown all the ingredients in and stir until combine.  Easy Peasy and the result is an amazing homemade slice or if you want, muesli bar.

Ingredients:

Melted butter to grease
1/2 cup self raising flour
1/2 cup plain flour
1 cup rolled oats
2/3 cup desiccated coconut
2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2/3 cup dates (or any dried fruit of your choice)
1/2 cup choc bits
12g butter, melted and cooled
1 egg, lightly whisked

Method:

Preheat over to 180 degrees. Grease 17x27cm slab pan with melted butter to lightly grease.  Line with backing paper.
Sift the combined flours into a bowl.  Add the oats, coconut, sugar, dates and choc bits and stir to combine.
Make a well in the centre and add the melted butter and egg.
Use a wooden spoon to stire until well combined.
Spoon mixture into prepared pan and use the back of a spoon to smooth the surface.
Bake in preheated over for 20 minutes or until golden brown and firm to touch.
Remove from oven and set aside to cool completely.
Cut and serve or keep in air tight container.

 

Char-grilled sirloin steak with peppercorn and whiskey sauce and crispy potato and gruyere dominoes

So this was the recipe I tried out most recently from the current Donna Hay magazine.  Not much to be said - I didn't like the sauce.  To be honest I'm not much of a sauce person when it comes to steak - I much prefer to just taste the flavour of the meat.  The sauce had an odd flavour to it.  The crispy potato and gruyere dominoes were really nice and I would definitely make them again.  I added more cheese than the recipe said but not too much more.  I won't even bother putting down the recipe for the sauce as I would never make it again but here is the recipe for the potatoes which are nice and easy to do and something a bit different.

Crispy Potato and Gruyere Dominoes

1kg large starchy potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
50g unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup finely grated gruyere
sea salt flakes

Preparation

Preheat oven to 200degrees.  Cut the potato slices into 8cm x 5cm rectangles.  Place in a large bown with the butter, cheese and salt and toss to combine.  Place potato slices, overlapping by 1cm, on a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper.  Repeat with the remaining potato.  Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden and crisp.

Five-spice roasted pork with pumpkin puree and quince glaze (Donna Hay)

I am loving pork at the moment so I was excited to try this dish.  I enjoyed it but next time would add more five-spice to the pork as I didn't think the flavour came through enough.  I also wouldn't have as much pumpkin.  I like the pumpkin with the dish but I think only a very small amount as I just felt it was all very wet.  I absolutely loved the quince glaze and would save this recipe for if I was ever making duck as I'm certain they would go as well together as the quince glaze did with the pork.  All in all I loved it but would tweak it a bit next time round.

Ingredients
1kg blue kent pumpkin, skin on and chopped
2 tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
sea salt and cracked black pepper
1.5kg boneless pork belly
1tbs sea salt flakes
1tsp chinese five-spice powder
quince glaze
100g quince paste, chopped
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup chicken stock

Preparation
Preheat oven to 200 degrees.  Place the pumpkin on a baking tray, drizzle with 1tbs of the olive oil and sprinkle with the cinnamon, salt and pepper.  Roast for about an hour or until golden and tender.  Scoop the pumpkin from the skin, place in a food processor and process until smooth.  Set aside and keep warm.


Reduce oven temperature to 180 degrees.  Using a small sharp knife, score the pork skin at 1cm intervals.  Make sure that you do not cut into the meat as this prevents the skin from crackling.
Please 1tsp of salt and the five-spice in a bowl and mix to combine.  Rub the meat with the five-spice salt and rub the skin with the remaining olive oil and salt.  Place the pork, skin-side down, in a baking tray and roast for 1 hours 30 minutes. 
Increase the oven temperature to 220 degrees.  Turn the pork and roast for a further 25-30 minutes or until the skin is golden and crispy and the meat is tender.


While the pork is cooking, make the quince glaze.  Please the quince, sugar, vinegar and stock in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally for 3-4 minutes or until the quince is dissolved.  Increase heat to high, bring to the boil and cook for 4-5 minutes or until thickened slightly.  Divide the pumpkin puree between places, top with sliced pork belly and spoon over the quince glaze to serve.
Serves 4.