Dresses & Snacks

solo salmon

Pardon the not-fab photo, I wasn't originally intending to make this a post but it ended up being so scrumptious and it was so easy, it simply had to be shared.

You will need (to serve one)..

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1-2 teaspoons butter
• salmon fillet (or trout)
• half a bunch baby asparagus
• one potato, thinly sliced and parboiled (or steam him in the microwave)
• lemon juice
• 1 eschalot, thinly sliced
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• about 4 cherry/grape/lil tomatoes chopped
• herbs, dill is best (optional)

Preheat oven to 160°C

In a pan that can go on the stovetop and in the oven, heat the olive oil and butter.

Add the eschalot and garlic and cook until softened.

Add the potato slices, cook for a minute or so then turn over.

Layer asparagus and tomatoes and dill on top, then the salmon skin side up.

Deglaze the pan by squeezing a lemon over the salmon. Season with salt and pepper.

Pop into oven for about 10 minutes.

...and that's it!  Enjoy!

sticky slow cooked beef

This dish was so easy, but so yummy and impressive! I've fed it to my family and a friend, all falling into silence punctuated with 'mmmmm' noises. It's best made in advance (a plus if you're serving it to guests) but can be eaten straight away if so desired.




You will need..
2.5-3kgs of beef flank steak, cut each piece into 2 or 3 evenish pieces
1 tablespoon of fennel seeds, lightly toasted and ground
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
2 teaspoons dry mustard (mustard powder)
4 cloves of garlic, grated or minced
1 inch (ish) piece of ginger, peeled and grated
2 brown onions, peeled and cut into crescents (about 6-8 pieces for each onion)
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups apple cider vinegar
1 cup caramelised balsamic if possible, but normal balsamic will suffice
3/4 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons of fancy BBQ sauce
8 small bread rolls

You also need a good, heavy based pan.

Preheat oven to 180°C.

Put the meat in the heavy based pan and rub with the fennel, paprika, mustard, garlic and ginger and leave for 15 minutes or so to have a little sit.

In a separate bowl, combine the oil, vinegars, sugar and BBQ sauce and give it a good mix. Pour mixture over the meat, make sure you scrape the bowl out as the sugar is likely to sink to the bottom, and gentle move the meat around to make sure it's all covered in liquid. Tuck the onion pieces around the meat as evenly as you can.

Place in the oven to cook for 3.5 hours. Baste the meat a few times through the cooking - I would say every 30-45 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 30 minutes.

Remove the meat and gentle shred with two forks. This is no hard task, the meat will be so tender it will fall apart if you so much as look in its general direction.

Reduce the cooking liquor slightly, return the meat to the liquor and cool before refrigerating overnight.

To serve, add 2 cups of chicken or beef stock to the pot and heat over a low to medium heat, folding gentle, to ensure all the meat warms evenly.

Serve on the mini bread rolls along with a crispy salad, such as a very fresh coleslaw or a remoulade.

Ferrero Rocher semifreddo

I will admit this recipe came about in a fit of 'must do something impressive but feeling oh-so-lazy'. What could be easier than whipping (literally) a few ingredients together, slapping it in a cake tin and freezing? Not many things this delicious or pretty, that's for sure.




You will need...

4 free range egg yolks
2 free range egg whites
1/4 cup caster sugar
100g good quality chocolate, melted - I used a half dark and half milk
20g extra dark chocolate
30mls of a dessert-y booze (optional)
300ml thickened cream
5 Ferrero Rochers or other chocolate treat of your choice (perhaps a chopped up Mars Bar, etc)

With an electric mixer, beat the sugar and egg yolks until light and fluffy (approximately 4 minutes, they'll resemble whipped cream). Fold through the chocolate and booze.

In a large bowl, whip the cream until soft peaks appear. Fold through the chocolate mixture.

Making sure to very carefully clean and dry your beaters (remember, any grease on the beaters will mean your egg whites don't whip properly), beat the egg whites until soft peaks appear. Gently fold through chocolate and cream mixture.

Line a loaf tin with plastic wrap, ensuring there is overhang. Spoon a thin layer of the mixture into the bottom of the tin. Carefully break the Ferrero Rochers into halves and push into the base of the tin, spikey side down. Gently pour the rest of the chocolate mixture over and then using a fine grater, dust the top generous with dark chocolate. Carefully wrap with plastic wrap and freeze overnight.

Remove from the freezer about 15-20 minutes before serving. Ever-so gently tip out onto a plate and slice. Serve with poached fruit, cream, a drizzly sauce - whatever you fancy!

boozy flourless chocolate cake

I've made this recipe 3 times in as many weeks! It's low effort, can easily be modified, perfectly wonderful made a day in advance and keeps well (assuming there's any left over). It's also dairy and gluten free! A winning dessert all round.


You will need...

50g slightly fancy cocoa powder
125ml just boiled water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
20-40mls of a booze of your choice, I've used whiskey but I think Grand Marnier or Cointreau would be lovely too
170g raw almonds, ground - Do this in a food processer or in batches if your blender or coffee grinder is strong. Fresh ground almonds make all the difference to this cake, but if you don't have the equipment to achieve that use store bought meal.
1/2 teaspoon bicarb soda
pinch of salt
150ml olive oil
200g caster sugar
3 free range eggs
springform cake tin - around 20-23cm - greased and lined

Preheat oven to 160°C.

Place the cocoa in a small bowl and gradually add the hot water, whisking as you go to create a smooth paste. Add the vanilla and booze and whisk until just incorporated, set aside.

In a separate bowl, combine the freshly ground almonds, bicarb and salt.

Beat the olive oil, sugar and eggs briskly in a large bowl with an electric mixer. This could be done by hand with a whisk, but you'd need to have far superior biceps to mine (NB this would not be hard). Beat for 2-3 minutes until the mixture resembles thick cream.

Add the cocoa to the egg mixture, beating more gently until just combined. Tip in ground almonds and gently fold through with a spatula.

Place the springform tin on a baking tray (for ease of transport in and out of the oven) and pour the velvety chocolate gloop into the greased and lined cake tin. Cook for 40-45 minutes. This cake is very moist, so it will (should!) still look just undercooked in very middle at the top.

Cool for 10-15 minutes then transfer to a wire rack. Can be enjoyed warm or room temperature. The cake keeps very well and if making it in advance, allow it to cool completing before wrapping well or placing in an airtight container.

Serve with embellishments of your choice. For our family pre-Christmas lunch (photo above) I layered the cake with rhubarb cooked using this recipe, generous blobs of marscapone, grated dark chocolate and syrup from the rhubarb. It's also delightful dusted with a combination of 1 part cocoa and 1 part icing sugar, but just as enjoyable all on it's own.

happy holidays

This year's Santa photo is such a beautiful portrait of Karl and not a very good one of me! However, it's just so silly and cute I have to share it anyway.



While we're on the Christmas theme, this is my favourite Christmas song ever and I'm sure it will bring you some joy today. Jan Terri's Excuse My Christmas.

I hope you all have a lovely and safe holidays and get to spend it in a way that makes you happy.

proscratibaking - dark chocolate, walnut, oat and peanut butter cookies

I'm pretty good at proscratibaking. It goes so far beyond normal procrastination though. I find baking so relaxing, massage-with-fancy-oils-and-Enya-in-the-background sort of relaxing.

I'm terrible at picking ultimate favourites, but this cookie recipe would have to be pretty close.



You will need...
1/2 cup raw sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
120g unsalted butter, straight from the fridge and chopped
1 free range egg
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup plain flour, preferably wholemeal
1/2 cup rolled oats
2 tablespoons crunchy peanut butter
200g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
1 cup walnuts, chopped
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 150ºC and line a few baking trays with baking paper

Using an electric mixer or lots of upper-arm strength, in a large bowl beat sugars and butter until well combined and slightly fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla and baking soda and beat until incorporated.

In a separate bowl mix together the flour, salt and oats. Add to the butter and sugar mix and fold through with a wooden spoon or spatula. Soften the peanut butter very slightly in the microwave (10-20 seconds) and along with the chocolate and walnuts, fold through.

Make cute balls of dough, about 2 tablespoons each, and place on the baking sheets with a few centimeters inbetween. Bake for 15-18 minutes until slightly golden brown. I prefer chewy cookie so tend to leave them quite pale, you can cook them for longer if you like crunchy ones.

hello?

Oh my gosh.

I've actually finished. After nearly two years that truly tested me in every way, I'm finally done studying (for now, anyway!).

I'm in the process of re-assessing the way I blog/what I blog/what sort of internet presence I need from a professional stand point, etc. However at the moment I intend to start posting more regular here and we'll see what comes next.

As it's been dead air for so long, this post is just silly instagrams of what I've been up to (the usual: pets and snacks - so predictable).

A beautiful sculptural garden structure designed by at RMIT student on show at the Grand Designs exhibition.

Reggie the pug.

A new edition to the extended pupfamily - Baby Roo the Italian Greyhound. She is absolutely gorgeous!



Yum cha feast with my little brother.

Action shot of Mr Karl at the park.

Nothing like a giganto Slurpee and iView Nigella on a hot day after a CAD lab all-nighter.

The yummiest muesli I've ever eaten, from Mr Tulk.

My brother introduced me to a Xinjiang cafe in the city that serves beef noodle soup with hand rolled noodles.

What do you ever do with this?

Logan, Fenella and I at Harvest, a collective end of academic year celebration.

Oh, Bear!

Bear's equally silly sister, Fafalina.

Edamame!

Self-treat for graduating, a lovely Dawn Tan necklace bought from Markit. It's so fun watching the creative process of something via social media and then owning it.

Post-Markit cocktails at Cabinet.

A young gentleman at work challenged me to a bake-off. This was my triumphant offering - carrot cake with cinnamon cream cheese icing, walnuts and toffee shards.

Yesterday at work we had a schedule team meeting, I jokingly said we should go for Slurpees. Team meeting in the sunshine!

spring soup - white bean and pea soup with ricotta toasts

Another green soup! This recipe is supremely easy, with minimum preparation and effort but delicious results. I adore the flavour of peas and combined with the creaminess of the white beans and a hint of sweetness from the leek, it really is delightful. Along wit the ricotta toasts, it's quite a substantial meal and will easily feed four people.



You will need...

1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 small carrot, chopped
1 leek, halved, rinsed and chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1-3 cloves of garlic, crushed (depending on your personal taste)
400g tin of white beans, such as cannellini, drained and rinsed
2.5 cups frozen peas
100g spinach
500ml chicken or vegetable stock, plus a little extra
salt and pepper to season
pesto to serve

For the ricotta toast..

4 thick slices of yummy bread
300g fresh ricotta
juice of half a lemon
1/2-clove garlic, crushed
pepper
olive oil

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over a medium heat. Add the carrot, leek and celery and cook for a few minutes, stirring, until the leek wilts. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or two until fragrant.

Add the beans, peas and spinach, stirring until the spinach has wilted slightly. Add the stock and bring to a rapid simmer. Reduce the heat to a slow simmer, cover with a lid and cook until the vegetables are just tender (5-8 minutes).

Remove from the heat and cool slightly before blending. Add a little extra stock here if the soup is too thick for your liking. Return to heat until simmering. Serve with a little blob of pesto on top and with a ricotta toast on the side.

For the ricotta toasts, mix the ricotta, lemon juice, garlic and pepper in a small bowl.

Toast one side of the bread slices under the grill. Remove from the grill and spread the ricotta mix on the untoasted sides. Drizzle with olive oil and return to the grill until slightly browned. This will take longer than normal cheese toast, at least 5 minutes, but ensure you keep an eye on it.

very green soup

I came across this soup here, but the diet/detox talk in the post really irked me, so I've made some alterations to repost it here. It's lovely and fresh, but still warming and comforting - the perfect dish for the winter-to-spring limbo we're in at the moment. It was very speedy and easy to make and so, so yummy!

The parsnips will thicken the soup and add a earthy sweetness without making it heavy and the ginger adds heat to the background.

You will need..
1 tablespoon of olive oil
3 gloves of garlic, crushed
1 eschalot, diced
Fresh ginger, diced - the amount really depends on your taste, I personally adore ginger so I put in a piece about twice the size of my thumb (and I have a chubby thumb). At a minimum, I would say 1/2 tablespoon is required
3 sticks of celery, chopped
400g of spinach
3 parsnips, roughly chopped
3 heads of broccoli, roughly chopped
1 bunch of parsley
water or stock
salt and pepper
cooked rice to serve (only a tablespoon or two per bowl, definitely cheat and buy a microwave sachet)
natural yoghurt to serve

Heat oil over a medium heat in a large, heavy based pot. Add garlic, eschalot, ginger and celery and cook until fragrant and slightly softened.

Add the broccoli and parsnips, mixing well to cover them in the now-seasoned oil. Add the spinach and stir until wilted. Add enough water to nearly cover the vegetables, but not quite. Reduce heat and cover with a lid, simmering quite slowly. Check after about 10 minutes. You want just tender vegetables so your soup is lovely and fresh, not a green mush.

Remove the pot from the heat. Roughly tear or cut the parsley into the pot (I went at mine with the kitchen scissor, no need to be delicate). Either blitz with a stick blender or carefully blend in batches in a regular blender. Return to heat and bring to a simmer. Season to your taste, but take it easy on the salt as there's so many fresh flavours here, it would be a shame to lose them all in a wash of saltiness.

Serve with a spoonful or two of rice and a dollop of natural yoghurt. Yum!

slightly fancy chicken and leek sausage rolls

I made this recipe up on the tram home from school one day and just my luck, they worked first try, no adjustments needed. I'm intending to pack them with salad for lunch, but I think they'd be totally lovely on a picnic or even better as a cocktail hour snack (and I can assure you they're much more beautiful and delicious than they appear in my terrible photo).

You will need..

500g free range chicken mince
1 eschalot, finely chopped
1 leek, finely chopped
1-2 cloves of garlic, crushed
half a bunch of parsley, finely chopped
2(ish) teaspoons of olive oil
2 sheets of frozen puff pastry, slightly thawed and cut in half
1 egg, whisked
1 tablespoon of sesame seeds
salt & pepper
tomato sauce to serve (or if you're too bloody fancy for your own good, homemade tomato relish)

Preheat oven to 180°C and line a large baking tray with baking paper.

Heat the olive oil in a fry pan over a medium heat. Add the eschalot, leek and garlic. Reduce the heat and cook until translucent and soft, stirring regularly. Remove from heat and cool.

Once the mixture has cooled, add to a large bowl along with the mince, parsley and a generous amount of seasoning. Mix the ingredients until well combined, I found this easiest to do with my hands (making sure I washed them first of course).

Distribute the chicken mixture evenly between the 4 pieces of pastry, forming into sausage-y shapes along the length of the long edges. Brush the uncovered long edge with water and roll up the mince in the pastry. Cut each sausage roll into 4 or 5 smaller, and therefore cuter and better, sausage rolls. Transfer to baking tray with the pastry join on the bottom.

Brush the sausage rolls with the whisked egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Pop in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the baking tray to a wire rack to cool for a few minutes, this will prevent the sausage rolls having soggy bottoms and you having a burnt mouth..both of which are quite undesirable.

Other variations you might like to try..corriander instead of parsley, some pancetta crisped in a hot pan and crumbled finely into the mince mixture or (if you're not allergic to chilli like me) a pinch of chilli flakes. Enjoy!