So I got a complaint from Bao the other day that I hadn't put any recipes on this blog... Well... okay... so I have neglected this blog a little... but have you seen how many posts I have been putting up on my main regular blog, complete with photos and slideshows?!!! Bao must think I am a blogging machine or something!
So... to appease my dear SIL, I am forgoing an entry on my main and putting up the recipe that she wanted for my roast potatoes... This really isn't worthy of having a recipe, it is so simple and easy... I learnt this recipe from my mum, who learnt it from watching a tv series by Delia Smith.
Best Roast Potatoes
Source: Delia Smith "How To Cook" Series
Ingredients:
Potatoes (I like to use desirees, but this will work with any kind of potato)
Salt (preferably Maldon Sea Salt)
Pepper (preferably freshly ground black pepper)
Oil (preferably olive oil)
Method:
1.Preheat oven to 200-240 degrees celsius. (depends on your oven.. but make it pretty hot).
2. Boil a big pot of water with a big pinch of salt in it. Make sure your pot has a lid that fits tightly.
3. Peel potatos and cut them into equal sized piece (generally quarters are a good size). You need as many potatoes as will fit comfortably in a metal tray without overcrowding. You need a bit of space between the potatoes. I tend to peel and cut the potatoes and then put them in the tray I am going to be cooking them in as a I go... and I stop peeling and cutting when the tray is full... that way I know I have the perfect amount of potatoes.
4. When the water comes to the boil, put the potatoes in and boil for 7 minutes.(yes - very precise number... 7 minutes exactly... any more and the potatoes are mushy... any less and they potatoes aren't quite cooked enough).
5. Drain the potatoes, then return them to the pot they were cooked in and put the lid on. Vigorously shake the potatoes for 30 seconds or so... this will roughen up the outsides of the potatoes and make them all fluffy. This is important, because then when they roast, the fluffy bits go all crunchy.
6. Put the potatoes into a metal tray and season with salt and pepper and drizzle generously with olive oil. Shake the potatoes to coat them evenly in the oil.
7. Put the tray into the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown... shaking once or twice during the cooking process to stop them from sticking to the pan.
8. They are done when they are golden brown... perfect served with a roast.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Sunday, January 20, 2008
The Best Brownie Recipe in the World...
Ty has been lusting after this recipe... more so since I'm no longer in Adelaide to make them for him... :)... so here it is... so simple... so easy... so unhealthy... but soooo good! Mmmmm... enjoy!
Chocolate Chunk Brownies
Source: Epicure Chocolate Book (the best recipes over 20 years from the Epicure column of The Age newspaper)
Ingredients:
1 cup self raising flour
(I always make my own sr flour because it rises better - Add 2 tsp of baking powder to 1 cup of plain flour)
½ cup dessicated coconut
(I use shredded coconut... I don't know think it makes much difference)
½ cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
(Good quality dutch cocoa makes it richer, but I've had perfectly wonderful results using cheap cocoa, either nestle or cadbury)
125 grams butter, melted
(I use unsalted)
1 tin condensed milk
100g dark choc, roughly chopped
(I use 1/2 a block of Nestle Plaistowe Dark Chocolate)
100g white choc, roughly chopped
(I use 1/2 a block of Nestle Plaistowe White Chocolate)
½ cup of chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans, almonds, macadamias)
(I always use macadamias... the best nuts in the world!)
Method:
Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
Mix together flour, coconut, sugar, cocoa, butter and condensed milk.
Pour mixture into a greased 22cm square tin.
Press chocolate and nuts into the top.
Bake for 25 min, it should still be chewy.
Chocolate Chunk Brownies
Source: Epicure Chocolate Book (the best recipes over 20 years from the Epicure column of The Age newspaper)
Ingredients:
1 cup self raising flour
(I always make my own sr flour because it rises better - Add 2 tsp of baking powder to 1 cup of plain flour)
½ cup dessicated coconut
(I use shredded coconut... I don't know think it makes much difference)
½ cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
(Good quality dutch cocoa makes it richer, but I've had perfectly wonderful results using cheap cocoa, either nestle or cadbury)
125 grams butter, melted
(I use unsalted)
1 tin condensed milk
100g dark choc, roughly chopped
(I use 1/2 a block of Nestle Plaistowe Dark Chocolate)
100g white choc, roughly chopped
(I use 1/2 a block of Nestle Plaistowe White Chocolate)
½ cup of chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans, almonds, macadamias)
(I always use macadamias... the best nuts in the world!)
Method:
Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
Mix together flour, coconut, sugar, cocoa, butter and condensed milk.
Pour mixture into a greased 22cm square tin.
Press chocolate and nuts into the top.
Bake for 25 min, it should still be chewy.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
This Blog is Dedicated to My Mother...
My mum was an amazing person - the best mum anyone could ask for... She passed away in March 2004, but she continues to be a shining light and an inspiration in my life.
Other than her love for her family, my mum's passion in life lay with cooking and with food. A chef by trade, cooking went beyond simply being a job for her... Cooking and food was a way of feeding and satifying hungry tummies... but it was also the foundation of our family home. She was always collecting recipes... loved watching random cooking shows on TV... She "collected" (perhaps a more accurate term would be "hoarded") spices and condiments like they were going out of fashion and she had possibly every kitchen gadget/utensil you could imagine. She could cook anything... from classic Vietnamese dishes, to South-East Asian, Japanese, Chinese and Indian Cookery to European classics and cakes... Nothing was beyond her. And although she could pull out the professional finish to any meal with hand carved roses made from carrots and radishes ... most of the time, food for us was about being homely, simple and delicious... and most importantly sharing and expressing love.
My mum was a big believer in learning and sharing in the kitchen... and each of us kids always had a role to play... whether it was my youngest brother peeling carrots, my younger sister washing lettuce or me throwing stuff together in a wok... we all had an important role to play in preparing a meal. My mum was also a great believer in "building character"... and thus subjected all of us to many long tedious hours of bulk preparing and preserving some kind of food. It varied from year to year... One year we would be making tomato pasta sauce... another year it would be dried apricots... The next would be tomato sauce and jam... Regardless these tasks would inevitably involve some kind of laborious task of peeling/de-seeding/chopping some kind of fruit/vegetable to be made into some wonderful concoction to be used during the coming year... and although at the time we complained about spending our summer holidays doing some mundane cooking related task, I now look back on those times with a wonderful pleasure... of simple times shared together, working towards a common goal as a family...
I thought about incorporating my recipes and other cooking related entries into my main blog... but I decided that I would create a separate blog, so that it would be easier to navigate. This way I can have a separate place to remember my mum and share a little bit of what she taught me. I can't wait for my own little girl to get older and help me out in the kitchen, the same way I helped my mum in the kitchen.
So Mum - this blog is dedicated to your memory... I know you're always watching over us and I thank you for the beautiful memories I have of us cooking together, surrounded by love in the kitchen.
Other than her love for her family, my mum's passion in life lay with cooking and with food. A chef by trade, cooking went beyond simply being a job for her... Cooking and food was a way of feeding and satifying hungry tummies... but it was also the foundation of our family home. She was always collecting recipes... loved watching random cooking shows on TV... She "collected" (perhaps a more accurate term would be "hoarded") spices and condiments like they were going out of fashion and she had possibly every kitchen gadget/utensil you could imagine. She could cook anything... from classic Vietnamese dishes, to South-East Asian, Japanese, Chinese and Indian Cookery to European classics and cakes... Nothing was beyond her. And although she could pull out the professional finish to any meal with hand carved roses made from carrots and radishes ... most of the time, food for us was about being homely, simple and delicious... and most importantly sharing and expressing love.
My mum was a big believer in learning and sharing in the kitchen... and each of us kids always had a role to play... whether it was my youngest brother peeling carrots, my younger sister washing lettuce or me throwing stuff together in a wok... we all had an important role to play in preparing a meal. My mum was also a great believer in "building character"... and thus subjected all of us to many long tedious hours of bulk preparing and preserving some kind of food. It varied from year to year... One year we would be making tomato pasta sauce... another year it would be dried apricots... The next would be tomato sauce and jam... Regardless these tasks would inevitably involve some kind of laborious task of peeling/de-seeding/chopping some kind of fruit/vegetable to be made into some wonderful concoction to be used during the coming year... and although at the time we complained about spending our summer holidays doing some mundane cooking related task, I now look back on those times with a wonderful pleasure... of simple times shared together, working towards a common goal as a family...
I thought about incorporating my recipes and other cooking related entries into my main blog... but I decided that I would create a separate blog, so that it would be easier to navigate. This way I can have a separate place to remember my mum and share a little bit of what she taught me. I can't wait for my own little girl to get older and help me out in the kitchen, the same way I helped my mum in the kitchen.
So Mum - this blog is dedicated to your memory... I know you're always watching over us and I thank you for the beautiful memories I have of us cooking together, surrounded by love in the kitchen.
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