Raving Recipes

Homemade Fettucine and Pangritata

2012-02-22T22:13:00.003+11:00

Photo by Steve Shanahan

First published Canberra Times 22 February 2012.

Withthe low carb fad that’s been around for the past few years, pasta hasdefinitely been placed on the ‘B’ list in our house, along with bread andpotatoes.

Forsome time now we have been dutifully eating our protein and vegetables withoutcarbs. That is until recently, when I unpacked a long lost box of kitchen itemsthat had been stored away and rediscovered my pasta machine.

ChefGiorgio Locatelli reckons that every authentic Italian is made up of two-thirdspasta and that pasta is the fuel that keeps Italy running smoothly. He alsowonders that at ten to midday in Italy, how many millions of kilos of pasta arebeing placed in pots of boiling water ready to be transformed into lunch beforesiesta? Sophia Loren famously claims she owes her voluptuous figure tospaghetti, and Garibaldi vowed that it was pasta that united Italy.

Withthis level of devotion, and despite a lingering fondness for spaghettio’s outof a tin on white toast, Australians have become pretty sophisticated in thesubject of pasta and embraced the bow ties and spirals with gusto.

Althoughwe are likely to reach for whatever tin of tomatoes or dried pasta is availableto us in our cupboards, Locatelli says that the different shapes and texturesof pasta are meant to match their sauce. He instructs that you would not usepenne to go with a tomato based sauce, you would use spaghetti. Similarly, youwould not use spaghetti to make a cream based dish. There also seems to be anumber of unspoken rules around dried and fresh pasta. Locatelli furtherinstructs, you would only use fresh pasta to go with a ragu style sauce. Hebelieves that Italian mothers and grandmothers just ‘know’ these things and itis purely instinctive.

So manyrules! I’m feeling pretty confused by now, and resign myself to accommodatingthe harvest from my vegetable patch. It seems that I’m one of the lucky ones tohave ripe tomatoes, which was more good luck than skill. So I bend the rules alittle, deviating from tradition, with a sauce made from fresh, sweet cherrytomatoes mixed through a home made fettucine style pasta. I topped it with apangritata, which is a garlic, herb and breadcrumb mix fried in olive oil.

Overthe ten years I’ve owned my pasta machine and as many times that I’ve actuallyused it to make fresh pasta, I am reminded that it really is so easy to make.Although for me, it’s the sense of satisfaction to see it bubbling away in thepot that really does it. Then of course there is the fantastic eggy flavour andthe silken texture, comparatively difficult to achieve with the dried variety.

When Imade my pasta, it was early in the day. I then hung it over the rungs of aclothes airer, secured behind closed doors in the laundry, so the resident foodfocused spoodle would not be tempted. You can store the dried pasta for monthsin the cupboard in airtight containers or bags if you dry it properly. Alternatively,if you are using your pasta straight after making it, you can wind handfuls ofit into little nests and store them under a damp tea towel to stay moist beforeyou are ready to cook it.

Pastamaking, like breadmaking, is the kind of thing I wouldn’t choose to do if I wasin a hurry or not in the right frame of mind. If I was either of those, I wouldsuccumb to the instant variety and reach for a packet in the cupboard.

Insaying that, I highly recommend giving pasta making a go, it’s incredibly easyand therapeutic, not to mention the sense of achievement and excitement youwill feel when you tell people you made it yourself.

Serves4

Home made fettucine

500g 00flour or strong flour

3 largeeggs

8 eggyolks

Placeflour in a large bowl and make a well in the centre, add the eggs and yolks.Mix with a fork, breaking up the eggs as you mix the flour in from the middle.Mix until the dough forms a ball and you can work it with your hands. Tip outonto a clean, floured surface and knead well until the dough ball comestogether and is silky and elastic. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and rest inthe fridge for half an hour or so.

I use apasta machine, but if you don’t have one you can roll the dough by hand, howeverit is a tough job and takes a lot of rolling to get it as thin as a machinecan. A machine really is great if you can lay your hands on one. They are notvery expensive and worth it if you love your pasta.

Divideyour ball of pasta into 4 pieces and keep covered. Working with one ball at atime, dust the pasta ball with flour and flatten out by hand. Run it throughthe widest setting on your pasta machine. Do this 5 or 6 times, incrementallyreducing the thickness until it is on the thinnest setting. You will get thehang of it once you do it a few times.

Once Ihave a long thin sheet I then run it through the fettucine setting to make thelong flat noodles. Use one hand to lift the noodles as they come out of themachine and one to turn the handle.

I hangthe noodles on a clothes airer to dry for a few hours. You can hang them overthe back of a chair, just remember to cover the chair seat with a tea towel asthe noodles will be coated in flour.

If youare using them straight away, just twirl each portion into a nest and storethem between two damp teatowels while you are boiling your water ready forcooking them. They will stay fresh like that for a few hours if you store themin the fridge in the teatowel.

Repeatwith the remaining portions of pasta dough.

Tip:keep the balls of dough coated in flour along with the fettucine noodles oncethey are cut. This will stop them from sticking together.

Pangritata

5 tbspolive oil

200g ofroughly torn bread into small pieces

1 cloveof garlic, chopped

handfulof fresh thyme or oregano leaves

saltand ground pepper

Fettucine

1quantity of home-made fettucine, or use about 400g of dried pasta

6 tbspolive oil

2cloves of garlic, chopped

15anchovies

juiceof 2 lemons

2 small

chillies,chopped

gratedfresh parmesan

Firstcook the pangritata. Place the olive oil into a hot large hot frying pan. Addthe garlic, thyme and bread. Fry until they begin to go golden. Stir around fora couple of minutes until they are crisp. Season with salt and pepper and drainon kitchen paper.

Cookthe fettucine in salted boiling water until al dente and drain. While it’scooking, place the oil and garlic in a frying pan (use the same one you usedearlier) and heat gently. As the garlic begins to soften, add the anchovies andmix gently. They will melt into the mixture. Add the lemon juice and thechillies. Toss in the drained fettucine and coat it in the sauce. Taste forseasoning, you find you will need a little more lemon juice. Serve immediatelysprinkled with the pangritata and a little parmesan.

Fig, basil and prosciutto salad

2012-02-15T06:52:00.000+11:00

Photos by Steve Shanahan

First published Canberra Times 15 February 2012

I’ve fed, talked and sang to them and even visited them inthe night. I almost cried on them when I found a few viciously attacked, withtheir skins pierced and their innards scattered. After the attack, my prolificfig tree was happy to wear a protective white tulle dress, resembling a femalenurturing her young. My figs have only just ripened, carefully tended over thespring and summer, now showing their plump green and purple bodies to the suntogether with a subtle scented muskiness.

For my first harvest, I fill a small bowl, straight from thetree, still warm from the sun, and it made me happy. With its droopy branchesand pendulous ripe figs, it also hides hundreds of baby figs within its leaveswith the promise of another harvest in a few weeks time. There is somethingsimply irresistible about this ancient fruit, originating in the Middle Eastand Mediterranean regions, that many believe descends from a place called paradise.

Although, I love fig jam, it’s a shame to spoil suchperfection by cooking these beauties down to a paste, particularly when it’sthe first harvest of the year. I have great plans for my future harvest thathints of chocolate and vanilla.

I prefer to use the figs whole, so I prepare a fresh figsalad using basil and wild rocket grown from the vegetable patch together withsome good quality proscuitto, a creamy blue cheese and an aged balsamic that perfectlycomplements the sweetness of the figs. Choosethe best quality ingredients you can find and be generous with the balsamicvinegar and olive oil, as it needs to be seen and tasted. The beauty of thissalad lies in its simplicity as further trappings only distract from the figspristine perfection. Just add some warmed crusty Italian Sourdough to mop upthe juices.

This salad is great as a light entrée for 4 or a light mealfor 2.

8 to 10 fresh figs

16 basil leaves

50 g good quality blue cheese, alternatively use mozzarellaor bocconcini

extra virgin olive oil

10 slices of thinly sliced prosciutto or good quality ham

aged balsamic vinegar

a loaf of Italian Sourdough

freshly ground nutmeg

ground salt and black pepper

wild rocket

Cut a cross in the base of the figs, then push up from thebase to open out a little. This allows the dressing to penetrate the whole fig.Place the figs on a serving platter.

Crumble the blue cheese and tear the basil leaves andscatter around the figs.

Drizzle with the olive oil and season with the nutmeg, saltand pepper.

Tear the prosciutto and tuck around the figs, cheese andbasil.

To serve, drizzle with the balsamic vinegar and mop with thecrusty bread.

Serve with wild rocket.

Sweet at heart Coeur a la creme

2012-02-08T07:04:00.000+11:00

Photo Steve Shanahan

First published Canberra Times February 8, 2012.

If you’re out to make an impression on Valentines Day, the lusciousand very French Coeur a la crème with raspberry coulis might just give you theedge. A picture of pure white cream floating in a scarlet sea of raspberrycoulis, makes a voluptuous statement, perfect to impress the object of yourdesire.

Despite its glam looks, it’s an easy dessert to make and themost basic of cooks can achieve excellent results by following the recipe stepby step. The windfall here is that you won’t even need to turn on the oven.

You do have to be a bit organised for this one, as you’llneed to make it at least one day before your guerre de l’amour begins. To ensure your campaign’s success, it’simportant to have the right materiel on hand. You will need about ¾ of a metre of muslin or cheesecloth, as the creamcheese is moulded into shape and wrapped in muslin, then left to drain in thetraditional French way. This will take about 24 hours in the fridge.

To make my dessert, I used a set of four 7 centimetre heartshaped Coeur a la crème moulds that I bought during my travels in France lastyear. They have small holes in the base to allow the liquid to drain from thecheese. The heart is the traditional shape for presentation of the dessert,although there are as many restaurants now serving it in freeform shapes too.

You can purchase these moulds through online outlets orspecialty kitchen shops. If you don’t have the moulds, you can just as easilyspoon the cream cheese into the muslin, creating a freeform teardrop shape,which bears more of a likeness to a true heart in any case. The shape will notmake any difference to the end result.

This quantity makes four individual portions. So, if you servethis to your Valentine, and don’t achieve the success you desire, you will havetwo left in reserve for further sorties.

They will keep for 3 to 4 days in the fridge and I find thatthe flavour improves the longer you leave them. Alternatively, leftoverportions can be wrapped in the muslin, placed in a freezer bag and frozen. Anyleftover raspberry coulis can be used to drizzle over ice cream or yoghurt orkept frozen for later use.

Tip: Muslin or cheesecloth can be bought at fabric shopsvery cheaply or Wheel and Barrow sells food grade muslin in packs forapproximately $7.00. Make sure allingredients are very cold. The ceramic Coeur a la Crème moulds retail inAustralia for about $20.00 each.

Crème

1 cup cream cheese

⅔ cup pure cream

¼ cup icing sugar, sifted

1 tspn lemon juice

1 tspn grated lemon rind

½ tspn vanilla paste

Raspberry coulis

2 ½ cups fresh or frozen raspberries, if using frozen, removefrom freezer 15 minutes before cooking, to allow them to soften

¼ cup sugar

juice of half a lemon

2 tbsp Framboise or a fruit Liqueur (optional)

Cut the muslin into 8 squares, approximately 20x 20cm size.Wet the muslin squares under cold water and line 4 Coeur la crème moulds with 2overlapping layers of the dampened muslin, letting the excess hang over thesides of the moulds.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a beaterattachment, beat the cream cheese until it is smooth and velvety, scraping downthe bowl as needed. Gradually beat in the sifted icing sugar, vanilla, lemonjuice and rind and beat again until very smooth.

You will now need to scrape the beaten cream cheese mixtureinto another large bowl. Again, using the mixer bowl, (no need to wash it) fitthe whisk attachment to the machine and whip the pure cream until it just holdsstiff peaks. Using a spatula, gently stir a small amount of the whipped creaminto the cream cheese mixture to loosen it, and then add the rest of thewhipped cream, folding in gently with a spatula to hold the air in.

If using the moulds, divide the mixture among the individualmoulds lined with the damp muslin. Fold the excess muslin over the top and patgently to ensure it settles to the bottom. Place the moulds in a tray in therefrigerator to catch the liquid that will drain.

If you are not using the moulds, for each serving, place 2squares of damp muslin, one on top of the other, on a clean work surface. Place2 to 3 tablespoons of the cream cheese mixture in the centre of each piece ofmuslin. Gather the muslin up and tie the top with a small piece of string or arubber band to make 4 teardrop shaped balls. Repeat for all four servings. Set theballs of cream cheese in a strainer over a bowl to allow them to drain.

Place the moulds or balls in the refrigerator overnight forat least 12 hours to drain and dry out. I find leaving them an extra dayprovides an even better result. But this is entirely up to you.

To make the coulis, place half of the raspberries in a bowland mash gently with a fork or potato masher until only just crushed. In amedium saucepan, combine the mashed raspberries, whole raspberries, sugar,lemon juice and alcohol if using. Place over medium to low heat and gentlysimmer until the raspberries have softened and begun to release their juices,about 5 minutes. Cool completely and set aside or refrigerate until ready foruse.

When you’re ready to serve, unfold the muslin from the topsof the cream cheese moulds and lifting carefully turn the cream cheese out ontoindividual plates. If using the teardrop shapes, cut the string or rubber bandsand peel away the muslin and plate up. In both methods, the muslin will comeaway easily without sticking. Spoon an indulgent amount of the raspberry coulisaround the cream cheese to serve.

Peach, plonk and pomegranate pannacotta

2012-02-04T07:31:00.002+11:00

Photo by Steve Shanahan

First published Canberra Times 1 February 2012

With the Christmas frenzy behind us, I find myself suckedinto the vortex of the New Year, vaguely wondering what happened to thatrestful and restorative time I had so looked forward to. Now, with normalservice resumed, it seems I really didn’t slow down at all and that last year’scraziness just rolled on through.

Was it with a kind of inverted sixth sense that I wishedfriends and family a peaceful and restful time in the flock of seasonal cards Idispatched in the weeks before December 25th? Perhaps I sensed what I wasgetting myself into and subconsciously hoped that the wishes I directed to themwould come back to me too.

The Christmas food preparation that occurred in my kitchen overthat intense and frenetic period of time reminds me of a silent movie. Peoplestagger in and out of the kitchen at double time, preparing and dispatchingfood in exaggerated quantities, only to return seconds later with stacks ofempty dishes. This process starts allover again immediately, like La GrandeBouffe on fast forward. The rolling assembly line felt like it went on forweeks, but in reality only lasted 6 days.

Despite all my gripes and ensuing exhaustion, the greatthing about this frenzied time was lots of interesting food combinations wentout, some worked and some didn’t, but they all provided food for thought.

Back before the masses descended, I shopped on an industrialscale to prepare for the onslaught of hungry visitors. Eliminating theslightest risk of anybody starving while on our watch was my strategicobjective. The equally staggering amountof food that people brought with them was not factored into the plan.

So, when it’s time to say goodbye and the caravan slowlyrolls down the road, I find myself waving them off with a mince tart in onehand and a chocolate Santa in the other. With a huge sigh of relief, I go backinside to return the house to some semblance of order, open the fridge and a clusterof rum balls tumbles out, cascading off the stacks of leftover ham, slow cookedpork, lamb & ribs, the “spare” vat of creamy baked potatoes, the threerustic Italian loaves and the cranberry and coconut Christmas pud. Theyinevitably roll into every inaccessible corner of the kitchen. I stand there among the disaster of chocolateand coconut, staring at the blinking Christmas tree, Bing still crooning smuglyfrom the stereo, buried somewhere under tinsel and crumpled wrapping paper.

Just for a change of pace, we invited more people over to helpus eat through the mountain of foods. While thinking about dessert and some inventiveways to use up leftover ingredients, especially the cartons of cream that Ididn’t want to waste, I remembered a cool sweet made for me by a friend on oneof those seemingly rare hot Canberra days.

The criteria it needed to meet included: must use leftoverfruit; can be prepared in advance; can be stored in the refrigerator (the bulgingfreezer was not an available option); must look smart.

This gem satisfies on all fronts and looks sensational,bringing gasps of rapture from all assembled.

This is my version of the perfect peach, plonk andpomegranate pannacotta. Don’t be scared of making this dish, working withgelatine is very easy and will impress people for sure with its looks and taste.My tip for this dish is that when unmoulding the pannacotta, only leave itsitting in the warm water for 1 minute and if it still holds on tightly, leaveit sit for an extra minute out of the water.

My version served about 10 people, you only need a smallslice as it’s quite rich.

Fruit Jelly Top

1 cup water

1 cup pink sparkling wine

½ cup sugar

3 or 4 peaches, halved and stoned

1 tbsp powdered gelatine

Juice from 1 pomegranate

Pannacotta

¼ cup water

2 tbsp powdered gelatine

4 cups of pure cream

1 tspn of vanilla paste

¾ cup of icing sugar, sifted

pomegranate seeds to serve

Fruit Jelly Top

Pour the water, sparkling wine and sugar for the Fruit Jellytop into a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer. When the sugar has dissolvedadd the peaches and simmer for 4 minutes or until they are tender. Carefullyremove the peaches without damaging them and reserve the poaching water. Removethe skins from the peaches and set aside.

Place a half a cup of the poaching water into a wide mouthedbowl. Sprinkle over the 1 tbsp of gelatine and set aside for a full 5 minutesto allow the gelatine to swell. Add the gelatine mixture to the remainingliquid in the saucepan and stir through. Simmer for 2 minutes until dissolvedand remove from the heat.

Into a well-greased 28cm x 8cm terrine or loaf pan, placethe skinned peach halves, cut side up and pour over the gelatine mixture. Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate untilset, about 2 hours. Test by shaking.

Pannacotta

Place the water into a wide mouthed bowl and sprinkle the 2tbsp of gelatine over the top of the water. Leave to swell for a full fiveminutes.

Place the cream, icing sugar and vanilla into a saucepanover medium heat and stir. Add the gelatine mixture and simmer over low heatfor 5 minutes until dissolved. Allow to cool to room temperature and remove theskin that forms on the top of the cream and stir.

Pour the cooled cream mixture over the set jelly andrefrigerate for a minimum of 6 hours. When ready to serve, dip the terrine intoa roasting dish of warm water for about 1 minute, taking care not to spill any wateronto the pannacotta. Turn upside down onto a serving plate and serve with jewellike pomegranate seeds.

Sausage Rolls on Australia Day

2012-01-25T20:42:00.001+11:00

First published Canberra Times 25 January 2012

A New Yearpromise to myself is to put a stop to my ever expanding cookbook collection thatis enveloping my husbands book shelf space that contains his adored novels.

This meansditching some of my less used, but much loved collection, which is actually akinto removing some of my teeth. Will it be the Women’s Weekly series? I stillhaven’t cooked the Devilled Brains with a Breadcrumb Top or the Fish Kedgeree.I still dream of working my way through each and every one of Margaret Fulton’sbest works ever.

It’s anotherperfect rainy day, so with a Christmas leftover bar of Lindt for inspiration,and Verdi’s La Traviata punching out on ITunes, I painfully make two bookstacks - keepers and throw-aways.

Where did Iget my copy of The encyclopedia of World Cookery from? I flick to page nine,where it says readers can learn to use the cheap staple foods of other lands,exotic foods such as Italian pasta, and experiment with them. Wow, I might justgo crazy, lose my head and try that dish! And there is my beautiful greenleather bound copy of Cooking For Young Homemakers, edited by Ruth Berolzheimerin 1958, that’s cast meekly to the side. Some of its more endearing chaptersread, Father Carves the Fowl, The Twosome at Dinner, and the Pie Baking Awardat the County Fair. The smell of this book and the yellowed pages, some with smearedfood stains, are the reasons why they are still with me after many years.

Then there werethe magazines! It seemed that during the 1980’s Australians had unlimitedaccess to imported foreign journals. It must have been the golden age ofmagazine madness: piles of Paris-Match, Country Life and Madame Figaro obscuredcoffee tables, the floor, and the tops of toilet cisterns. You were thought tobe very cosmopolitan if you subscribed. I have recipe clippings from thesemagazines stuck to old bits of paper falling out of the back of recipe books.These stay in the keeper pile.

So, sorry Claudia,Ruth and even Women’s Weekly, but I can’t bear to bail out and throw you to therecycling bin destined for a worm farm or far worse, made into cardboard boxes.I will just have to gain another bookshelf to make more space, adding to thatstack of recipes that I must cook one day. This said, there is one book thatdoes make its way with operatic catharsis, to the stack destined for a secondhand book shop: the Original Tennessee Homecoming Cookbook of 1981, with thehandwritten message in the fly leaf, Dear Anne, Hope that you enjoy this book.Happy Cooking! Love Marge and Judy. This is a book I can live without and haveno further use for it, but maybe someone else can.

But it’swhen I stumble across my edition of Claudia Roden’s Picnic Fare that I amreminded that we still cook many popular recipes from those eras and that notmany of them are truly new. My popular sausage roll and spicy tomato saucerecipe that was always a hit when the kids had friends over, has only recently beenupdated to include some dukkah and spice.

So, with alast nibble of the Lindt, it’s time to prepare my sausage rolls to take to theAustralia Day picnic in the park.

500g lambmince

500g porkmince

2 eggs

1½ cupsbreadcrumbs

1/3 cup ofWorcestershire sauce

1 tbsp driedoregano

1 tspnpaprika

½ tspnground nutmeg

1 tspnground cumin

2 tbsptomato paste

3 sheets ofready rolled puff pastry

1 egg beatenwith 1 tbsp milk for egg wash

salt andpepper

4 tbspdukkah or sesame seeds

Tomato Sauce

2 punnets ofcherry tomatoes

3 cloves ofgarlic, peeled

2 tbsp oliveoil

salt andground black pepper

3 bay leaves

Preheat theoven to 200C. Combine the mince, 2 eggs, breadcrumbs, Worcestershire sauce,tomato paste, paprika, nutmeg, oregano and salt and pepper.

Place thepastry sheets on a floured surface and cut in half lengthways to give you sixlengths of pastry. Divide the sausage meat mixture into six equal portions andplace a portion down the centre of each piece of pastry.

Brush the pastryon each side of the meat with a little of the egg and milk wash to ensure thepastry seam sticks together when rolled.

Roll toenclose, placing the pastry seam down. This will prevent the seam splittingopen during cooking.

Cut thesausage roll pastry lengths into quarters, and place on a baking tray linedwith baking paper. Brush the top of each sausage roll with the egg wash andsprinkle with dukkah or sesame seeds. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until crispyand golden. This quantity makes about 20 rolls.

For thetomato sauce, while the sausage rolls are cooking place all the ingredientsinto a shallow tray and toss to combine. Place in the oven with the sausagerolls and cook for 25 minutes, shaking periodically to prevent sticking. Whenthe tomatoes are soft and a little wrinkled, remove them from the oven.

Discard thebay leaves and place the contents of the pan into a small bowl. Using anelectric processor, blend all the ingredients to a smooth paste. If you preferyou can then strain through a sieve to obtain a smoother sauce. Season to tasteand serve with the sausage rolls. You can add a small amount of sugar or chillito taste if needed, depending on the sweetness of the tomatoes.

Zucchini souffle

2012-01-19T23:07:00.001+11:00

Photo by Steve Shanahan

First published Canberra Times 18 January 2012

From the best Paris restaurants to small country bistros,the soufflé has developed an unfair reputation for being unpredictable and frightensthe most competent of cooks.

There really is nothing complicated about making asoufflé, although there are three things you do need to know. It’s important tobeat the egg whites until they hold semi-firm peaks but make sure they arestill glossy; fold the whites into the soufflé base gently, so you don’t knockthe air out that you have so carefully beaten in; have your guests seated atthe table before you take the soufflé out of the oven, as the drama is oververy quickly.

The best thing about a soufflé is it’s feather light textureand when combined with a green salad makes a delicate meal, great for this timeof year.

15g butter, melted

1 ½ tbsp dried breadcrumbs

350g zucchini, chopped

125ml milk

30g butter

30g plain flour

75g Gruyere or Parmesan, finely grated

3 spring onions, finely chopped

4 eggs, separated

Serves 4

Preheat the oven to 180C. Brush a 1.5 litre soufflé dish orindividual dishes with the melted butter and then tip the breadcrumbs into thedish. Rotate the dish to coat the side completely with breadcrumbs. Tip out theexcess breadcrumbs.

Cook the zucchini in boiling water for 8 minutes untiltender. Drain and then put the zucchini in a food processor with the milk andmix until smooth.

Melt the butter in a heavy based saucepan and stir in theflour to make a roux. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes over low heat withoutallowing the roux to brown. Remove from the heat and add the zucchini puree,stirring until smooth. Return to the heat and bring to the boil. Simmer,stirring, for 3 minutes, then remove from the heat. Pour into a bowl, add thecheese and spring onion and season well. Mix until smooth, then beat in the eggyolks until smooth again.

Whisk the egg whites in a clean dry bowl until they holdfirm peaks but are still glossy. With a large metal spoon, mix a quarter of thebeaten egg white into the soufflé mixture and quickly but lightly fold it in,to loosen the mixture. Lightly fold in the remaining egg white, don’t worry ifthere are streaks of white not incorporated. Better this than to overbeat. Pourinto the soufflé dish, and now the secret tip, run your thumb around the insiderim of the dish, about 2 cm into the soufflé mixture (try not to wipe off thebutter and breadcrumbs). This ridge is the secret to helping the soufflé risewithout sticking.

Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the soufflé is wellrisen and wobbles slightly when tapped. Test with a skewer through a crack inthe side of the soufflé – the skewer should come out clean or slightly moist.If the skewer is slightly moist, by the time the soufflé makes it to the tableit will be cooked in the centre.

Turkey, chicken, lamb or pork salad

2012-01-03T21:42:00.003+11:00

This recipe is a fantastic way of using up leftover protein from Christmas. You can throw whatever meat you fancy into it, and it just requires you to re cook it. So it's a twice cooked type of dish. This means that the meat will turn quite dry and sucks up the flavours more. It's how I really love meat, kind of crispy and crunchy. To remove the seeds from a half a pomegranate - find a freezer bag and hold the end of the pomegranate just inside the bag. Hit the end of the pomegranate with the handle of a knife sharpener or a mallet (just something heavy) and the seeds will fall out into the bottom of the freezer bag along with some of the juice. Just add both to the salad dressing. Doing this inside the bag contains the splash. I learnt the hard way - standing on a ladder to clean the splatter off the ceiling!!

The quantity serves 4.

2 handfuls of leftover meat
1/2 cup of cashew nuts
1/2 cup of cranberries
2 tspn five spice powder
1/2 cup of fresh chopped mint
1/2 cup of fresh chopped coriander
4 cups of mixed salad leaves
1 tbsp of honey
1 fresh chilli, finely chopped

Dressing
juice of one mandarin
juice of one lime
seeds from 1/2 a pomegranate
half a red onion, chopped finely
olive oil
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
grated fresh ginger

Shred the meat and slice into thin strips and place into a dry pan over a medium heat. Add the cashews, cranberries and five spice. Give it a good stir and toast. Shake the pan every now and again to prevent burning.

Add the mint, coriander and salad leaves to a bowl. Make the dressing in a separate bowl and mix the fruit juices together. You can add the pomegranate juice in too. Stir in the onion. Add a good slug of olive oil and the sesame oil and soy sauce. Squeeze in the juice from the grated ginger between your fingers. throw away the fibre.

Stir the dressing and taste for seasoning. Drizzle over enough dressing to coat the salad leaves then toss with your hands.

Add the honey to the pan with the meat and stir through until coated. Turn up the heat and fry the meat on high to crisp it up. Toss half of your pan-fried meat through the salad leaves and transfer to a serving plate.

Spoon the remaining nuts, cranberries and crispy meat over the top of the salad and add another drizzle of dressing. Garnish with extra pomegranate seeds and fresh chilli.

Pomegranates

2011-12-31T13:54:00.005+11:00

Photo by Steve Shanahan

Playing around with pomegranates and ways to use them, has led me to exploring Lebanese and Middle Eastern food over the Christmas break. I will post some recipes shortly that feature pomegranates and some other ways to use leftover Christmas food!!

Christmas leftovers

2011-12-27T08:19:00.000+11:00

First published Canberra Times December 21 2011

What to do with the mountain of food left overs fromChristmas Day is always tricky, especially when the ravenous appetites havebeen sated by the excesses of the last few days. No one wants to hear the words ‘turkey’ or‘ham’ ever again.

I usually freeze what I can or gradually use them in dishesthat are cleverly disguised as something else. You might be surprised when afew tasty sauces or dressings are added how appetites can return.

Both of these dishes are a complete meal in themselves,alleviating the time spent in the kitchen. The risotto is served warm, althoughit can be prepared in advance and reheated in the microwave oven. Risottoingredients are generally on hand found in the pantry.

Turkey, Apple andPotato Salad

Photo by Steve Shanahan

Quantity serves 4

4 shallots

2 tbsp vegetable oil

750g baby or chat potatoes

1 red apple

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 zucchini, thickly sliced

400g cooked turkey meat

2 tbsp chopped parsley

cracked black pepper

½ cup roasted pine nuts or walnuts

Dressing

½ cup whole egg mayonnaise

3 tspn Dijon mustard

1 tbsp wholegrain mustard

2 tbsp lemon juice

Slice the green part of the shallots into long thin strips.Chop the white parts of the shallots and set aside. Heat the oil in a shallowfrying pan and fry the sliced green part of the shallots until they are crisp.Remove and drain on paper towel.

Boil the potatoes for 10 minutes, or until just tender whenpierced with a pointy knife. Drain and allow to cool, then cut in halves orquarters.

Cut the unpeeled apple into thin wedges and immediately tosswith lemon juice to prevent discolouring.

Boil or microwave the zucchini until tender, then drain andrefresh in cold water.

For the dressing, stir the ingredients together in a smallbowl, then season to taste.

Photos by Steve Shanahan

Cut the leftover cooked turkey meat into thin strips and putin a large bowl. Add the potato, white sliced shallot, apple, zucchini,parsley, nuts and pepper and drizzle the dressing over the top and gently tossuntil well combined. Serve topped with the crispy fried shallot.

Pea and Ham Risotto

Quantity serves 4.

1 tbsp olive oil

1 celery stick, chopped

2 tbsp chopped parsley

75g sliced ham, coarsely chopped

1 ½ cups frozen peas

¾ cup dry white wine

3 cups chicken stock

60g butter

1 onion, chopped

2 cups Arborio rice

¼ cup grated Parmesan

shaved Parmesan for serving

Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the celery, parsley andsome freshly ground black pepper and cook, stirring, over medium heat for 2 to3 minutes to soften the celery. Add the ham and stir well. Add the peas andhalf the wine, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered,until almost all the liquid has evaporated. Set aside.

Put the stock, remaining wine and 3 cups of water in aseparate pan and keep at simmering point.

Melt the butter in a large heavy-based saucepan. Add theonion and stir until softened. Add the rice and stir well. Gradually stir inthe hot stock mixture, ½ cup at a time, making sure the liquid has beenabsorbed before adding more. Stir constantly over low heat with a wooden spoon,until all the stock has been absorbed and the rice is creamy and tender. Thiswill probably take about 25 minutes. Season to taste.

Add the pea mixture and grated Parmesan to the rice andserve with Parmesan shavings and black pepper.

Lemon and Cumquat Curd

2011-12-15T06:43:00.001+11:00

Photo by Steve Shanahan

First published Canberra Times 14 December 2011.

Lemon and CumquatCurd

4 eggs

¾ cup sugar

½ cup lemon juice

juice of 3 cumquats

2 tspns of finely grated lemon rind

125g chopped unsalted butter

Place the eggs and sugar into a heatproof bowl. Place bowlover a pan of barely simmering water and whisk the egg and sugar mixtureconstantly until the sugar has dissolved.

Add the lemon and cumquat juice, lemon rind and butter.Whisk mixture for 20 minutes until smooth and the butter has melted andthickened enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.

Do not allow the mixture to boil as it will split.

Pour the mixture into hot sterilised jars and sealimmediately. The curd will thicken when cooled.

Speculaas

2011-12-15T06:41:00.000+11:00

Photo by Steve Shanahan

First published Canberra Times 14 December 2011

1¾ cups plain flour

¼ tspn salt

¼ tspn baking powder

2½ tspn ground cinnamon

¼ tspn ground ginger

¼ tspn ground cloves

7 tbsp unsalted butter, left at room temperature

½ cup sugar

½ cup brown sugar, lightly packed

Mix the flour, salt, baking powder and spices together in abowl. In the bowl of an electric mixer beat the butter until creamy. Add thesugars and beat until well blended, about 2 minutes. Turn the mixer to lowspeed and add the dry ingredients in 3 lots, mixing until just combined and theflour disappears into the soft dough. If the dough is too dry add a couple ofdashes of milk to the mixture, this will vary depending on the weather. You mayhave some flour at the bottom of the bowl, just mix with your hands to kneadthe dough and work in any dry spots. Thedough will be very soft.

Divide the dough in half. Working with one piece of dough ata time, roll the dough between two sheets of baking paper or plastic wrap untilyou have a circle that’s about 3mm thick. As you roll, turn the dough over acouple of times and pull away the paper of plastic so you don’t end up withcreases in the rolled out rounds. Put the rolled out rounds of dough on a trayand refrigerate for at least 3 hours. At this stage the dough can be left inthe refrigerator for 3 days or frozen if sealed with plastic wrap for up to 3 months.

When the dough is ready to bake, preheat the oven to 180C.Line a baking sheet with baking paper. Remove the dough circles from therefrigerator and peel off the paper or plastic wrap. Using a biscuit cutter,whatever shape you like, to cut out as many biscuits as you can from the dough,carefully lifting the cut-outs onto the baking sheet. Collect the scraps andset them aside to combine with the scraps from the second piece of dough.

Bake the biscuits for 8 to 10 minutes or until they arelightly golden and just brown around the edges. Allow the biscuits to rest onthe baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.

Repeat with the second round of dough. Use the remaining scrapsfrom the dough circle, press them together, and roll them into a circle, chillbefore cutting and baking as per the previous method.

Ginger and Pecan Biscotti

2011-12-15T06:38:00.001+11:00

Photo by Steve Shanahan

First published Canberra Times 14 December2011

Ginger and PecanBiscotti

1 cup pecans

2 eggs

1/2 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup self raising flour

¾ cup plain flour

100g glace ginger, finely chopped

Preheat the oven to 160C. Spread the pecans on a baking trayand bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Tip onto a chopping board to cool, then roughlychop. Cover the baking tray with baking paper.

Put the eggs and sugar in a bowl and beat with an electricmixer until pale and creamy. Sift the flours into the mixing bowl and add thenuts and ginger. Mix to a soft dough, then place all the mixture on the trayand shape into a loaf. This should measure about 9 x 23 cm.

Bake the loaf for 40 minutes, or until lightly golden.Transfer to a wire rack to cool for about 20 minutes, then carefully cut intothin slices. This is best done with an electric knife, but can be alsosuccessfully done with a large serrated bread knife by hand. The loaf will becrumbly on the edges, so work slowly and hold the sides as you cut.

Arrange the slices on baking trays and bake again for about10 minutes each side. They will dry further as they cool, and ensure they arecompletely cool before storing in an airtight container.

Cherries in Vanilla Brandy

2011-12-15T06:36:00.000+11:00

Photos by Steve Shanahan

First published Canberra Times 14 December2011

It’s believed the tradition of exchanging gifts at Christmastime began with the story of the Three Magi who offered the Christ childfrankincense, gold and myrrh. Since then, giving has worked its way into manystories. Across Europe St Nicholas and his friends were known for their charityand gift giving and the tradition of giving gifts started in their honour inthe thirteenth century when French nuns gave presents to the poor children. Theday for giving was December 6 and pronounced as feast day. This day is stillcelebrated in Europe but the traditions of gift exchanging and feasting aremore likely to occur on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.

It sounds like a good story to me. So to celebrate Christmasand the tradition of feasting, I usually make gifts of food and start on thiscouple of weeks before Christmas. This year, I included traditional DutchSpeculaas in my collection of cooked gifts, which keep well or get better withage. All you will need is an airtight container to store the Speculaas in to keepthem from going too soft in the summer humidity. Apart from them being delicious with coffeeor tea, these crispy and spicy biscuits can also be used as wafers to sandwichice cream together as an easy summer dessert. Some preparation is needed when making the dough, which needs to be chilled for 3hours.

To end a meal or to accompany coffee, I also made ItalianBiscotti. These are always gratefully received as gifts, and again, keep for along time in an airtight container and work well with ice cream as wafers.However, their perfect match is alongside a strong coffee. They take about halfan hour to bake and if sliced very thinly you will get about 30 pieces out ofthe recipe.

If Christmas cheer is more your thing, the French Cherriesin Vanilla Brandy could be your special gift. You still have time to put down acouple of bottles to cure before Christmas. We are fortunate living inCanberra, with access to such quality fresh cherries. When I was making thesecherries in brandy, the smell floated right through the house and I was sorely temptedto keep a bottle aside for myself. Because they need a few weeks to developtheir flavours, if you are giving them as a gift, hand write a little note togo with them indicating when they will be at their best. The quantities in therecipe fill about a 1 litre jar or divided the quantity between smaller jars.

Lastly, as a tribute to an Aussie Christmas, I made Lemonand Cumquat curd. This is great to spread on bread or toast, but it is alsoreally lovely when added to whipped cream or mascarpone to have with dessertsor fruit. Recipes are on the following pages.

Cherries in VanillaBrandy

750g fresh cherries

1½ cups of sugar

½ cup water

½ cup brandy

1 vanilla bean per bottle

Prick the skins of the cherries with a fine skewer and heatthe sugar with the brandy and water in a pan, stirring until all of the sugarhas dissolved.

Add the cherries and a vanilla bean and heat until boiling.Place the cherries and syrup in a heatproof, warm, sterilised jar, seal whilehot and turn upside down for 2 minutes. (you can sterilise the jars by eitherboiling them in a large pan of water or pouring boiling water over the jars andlids and allowing to dry turned upside down on a rack.).

Store the filled jars in a cool place for 6 weeks, turningevery couple of days for the first 2 weeks. Serve the cherries in the liqueur.Refrigerate after opening.

Boiled Citrus Cake

2011-12-11T22:40:00.001+11:00

Boiled Citrus Cake Photo by Steve Shanahan

First published Canberra times 9 December 2011

Po of Masterchef has done one like it, so has Maggi Beer. Ithink Maeve O’Meara has created one as well. You might have guessed, it’s theboiled orange cake. Or in my version, boiled orange and lemon cake. This isslightly different to the original, adding lemon for sourness. This cake isbased on a classic Middle Eastern recipe where almond meal and citrus fruitsare abundant and form the basis for the ingredients.

This is an interesting recipe, as the structure of the fruitchanges by boiling it whole, reducing the bitterness produced from the skin andpith. It’s a modest looking cake, even rustic, that packs a huge punch with itsstrong citrus flavour that lasts in your mouth long after it’s gone.

The recipe became popular many years ago by the well knowncook and author Claudia Roden when it was published in her A new book of Middle Eastern Food back in the late 1960s. Theclassic Italian Olive Oil cake is a similar version that uses this technique,although I am not a fan of the strong olive flavour. This classic cake hasrecently re-emerged and now makes regular appearances on café and bistro menus.

I think it is one of my favourite food finds for the year,because of its unexpected flavour and the need for limited use of utensils, asit’s completely prepared in a blender. This is a cake that improves with age and retains its moist texturewithout drying out.

You do need to prepare this cake in advance in order to cookthe citrus fruit for 2 hours. If you don’t allow this time, the skin on thefruit will still be bitter. I like to cook the fruit the night before, havingthe fruit cooled and when I’m ready to bake the cake the following day.

After making this cake regularly, I recently experimentedwith the recipe and substituted a lemon instead of an extra orange. It gave thecake a cheek pinching sourness that was balanced by the honeyed mascarpone.This is worth a try if you like sour lemon flavours. Another variation to theoriginal recipe is to pour warm chocolate ganache over the cooked cake, giving ita jaffa flavour.

The cake is great served warm or cold and is absolutelyperfect with mascarpone, honey and almonds. It really is a wonderful cake totake to any occasion and its citrusy flavours makes it an ideal festive cake.It will appeal to the gluten intolerant and those watching their carbs, justwatch out for the mascarpone that goes with it.

2 oranges, or 1 lemon and 1 orange

7 whole eggs

250g caster sugar

270g almond meal

1 tspn baking powder

1 tbsp of extra caster sugar

icing sugar for dusting

Wash the citrus fruit and cook unpeeled in a pot of boilingwater for 2 hours. Drain the water, allowing the fruit to completely cool. Dothis ahead of time.

Preheat the oven to 180C and grease and line the base of a20cm spring-form cake pan with baking paper.

Break the eggs into a food processor or blender, add the250g of caster sugar and blend together. Over a bowl, break up the two cooled oranges, removing and discarding anyseeds. Place the oranges including the juice and skin into the egg mix in theblender. Blend together to a smooth consistency. Add the almond meal and bakingpowder and blend again till smooth.

Pour the cake batter into the greased pan and sprinkle thetop with the extra caster sugar. Bake for about 1 hour to 1¼ hours until thecake is golden brown.

Remove the cake from the pan when cool. Dust with icingsugar to serve with a dollop of mascarpone, a drizzle of warm honey and roasted, slivered almonds.

Hazelnut Torte

2011-12-11T22:33:00.001+11:00

Hazelnut Torte Photos by Steve Shanahan

First published Canberra Times 9 December 2011

The Hazelnut Torte is an extravaganza of hazelnuts, cream, coffeeand chocolate and is probably my most favourite cake of all. The recipe has beenmy companion for many years and it was one of the first cakes that I really becamebesotted with.

It was in the 1980’s during my student years, well beforehusband and kids, I worked nights in a popular Newcastle restaurant, when the HazelnutTorte first crossed my lips. Newcastle University was located close by and thiscake was a favourite of students, coming in to buy it by the slice to takeaway. It was the most popular cake on the menu and it would frequently sell out.

The tortes were made by Mrs Rozen, an Austrian woman, who deliveredfrozen batches of the cakes to the restaurant each week. Her grey hair was tiedin a bun and she always wore a full-length apron tied around her rotund girth.I held my breath as she teetered with her tower of tortes, while she negotiatedthe step into the restaurant.

After a particularly busy night, I was finally given a sliceof the torte by the restaurants chef. I was instantly smitten and I pursued MrsRozen for the recipe. Looking back now, she probably thought I was quite mad,maybe a little obsessive. She refused to share it with me, saying it was a secretrecipe from her home-town in Austria. Quite frankly it was a good little earnerfor her.

Many years later when I owned my own restaurant, I wasdetermined to recreate the Hazelnut Torte, to produce the flavour just as Iremembered it. I made numerous attempts and versions and had others test tastingto ensure its authenticity.

This is a cake that everyone loves and I’ve had manyrequests for the recipe. It’s been a big seller in both of my restaurants and ticksthe boxes for decadence, and it’s perfect for birthdays and special desserts.

The best thing about this cake is that it can be made inadvance, frozen whole, thawed and the flavour improves. If you don’t want tofreeze it, it tastes best if made the day before you need it, as the rumpenetrates the cake and intensifies in flavour after it’s left overnight in thefridge. I usually make two at the time to have one on hand in the freezer. Thisis a truly memorable cake and another perfect cake for a festive celebration.Serves 12.

Cake

4 egg whites

½ cup caster sugar

½ cup self raising flour, sifted

¾ cup ground hazelnuts

2 tbsp melted butter, cooled

4 tbsp rum

15 whole hazelnuts, toasted

Cream

600mls pure cream (divided into 2 lots of 400mls and 200mls)

¼ cup castor sugar

2 tbsp castor sugar extra

2 tbsp dutch cocoa powder, sifted

¼ tsp vanilla bean paste

4 tbsp brewed espresso coffee

Preheat the oven to 140C. Whip the egg whites till stiff,add castor sugar slowly to make a meringue mixture. Fold in the sifted flour, meltedbutter and ground hazelnuts. Mix lightly until just combined. Pourinto two 23cm baking paper lined and greased cake tins and cook forapproximately 15 to 20 minutes or until just cooked but not coloured. Removefrom the oven and when cooled slightly, remove paper and cool to roomtemperature. Brush both layers with rum.

Whip 200mls of cream with the 2 tbsp of the sugar andvanilla until very stiff. Place one cake layer on a serving plate, rum sideup and cover the top surface with a layer of vanilla cream about ½ cm thickness. Place the second cake layer on top, rum side down.

Whip the remaining 400mls of cream with the ¼ cup of sugar,cocoa powder and coffee liquid until very stiff. Spread top and sides with thechocolate and coffee cream and dot the top with toasted hazelnuts. Refrigeratefor at least 2 hours before serving.

This cake can be frozen whole in a container and thawed withthe lid off to alleviate the condensation dripping onto the cream.

Baked Camembert with Cherry Jam and Croutons

2011-12-08T06:28:00.001+11:00

Baked Camembert with Cherry Jam and Croutons. Photo by Steve Shanahan

First published Canberra Times 7 December 2011.

This is one of those very simple, but incredibly tastydishes that everyone loves. I pickedthis recipe up a few years ago in France and now trot it out when entertainingfriends and family. It is a great appetizer for anytime of the year, but it isparticularly suited for Christmas entertaining. Serve this one with Champagne, French of course!

1 large Camembert, in a wooden box

1 loaf of rustic Italian Bread

zest of 1 orange

4 cloves garlic

8 thin sheets of prosciutto, torn into rough strips

handful of black olives

a few sprigs of rosemary, sage and thyme

extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

dollop of good quality cherry jam

Preheat the oven to 200C.

Unwrap the Camembert and place it back into its own woodenlid. Cut a cross into the top of the Camembert and place a dollop of the cherryjam on top. Place on a baking tray. If you can’t find Camembert in a box, youcan heat the cheese on an ovenproof dish.

With your hands, tear the bread into large rustic chunks andplace them on a low sided baking tray. Add the pared zest of the orange, thesmashed cloves of garlic in their skins, the strips of prosciutto, the olivesand the herbs.

Drizzle the croutons liberally with a good quality oliveoil, and season well with pepper.

Place the Camembert and the croutons in the oven and bakefor about fifteen minutes, tossing the croutons a couple of times until golden.

Serve the Camembert in its box, and a pile of croutons onthe side

Cinnamon Bavarois

2011-12-08T06:23:00.001+11:00

Cinnamon Bavarois. Photo by Steve Shanahan

First published Canberra Times 7 December 2011.

Many Aussies tend to turn their noses up at the mere mentionof gelatine, but the French on the other hand regard gelatine as an acceptedstaple in the French kitchen. It’s just possible, that the Aussie aversion isdue to the stories we were told as kids about horses and animal hooves. As achild, I remember watching my uncle as he filed down his horses hooves toproperly fit its shoes, and using my very creative mind to imagine the hooffilings going into my jelly dessert.

In true French style the Bavarois, a classic dessert whosebasis is a flavoured, cooked egg custard, contains whipped cream and a smallamount of gelatine which is then set in a mould. Oddly enough, the name of thiscreamy dessert is a peculiarity of the French language in that it can be speltin both the masculine form, Bavarois and the feminine, Bavaroise.

This dessert that is eaten cold, has all the hallmarks ofChristmas with its cinnamon and vanilla flavours, that can be made in advanceand set in either individual moulds or one large jelly mould.

If you prepare your Bavarois in a large fluted mouldand place it in the centre of the table atthe end of the meal, you will have your guests drooling to try it, but giventhe Aussie aversion, maybe keep the gelatine thing to yourself.

This quantity makes 600ml for a large mould or 6 x 100mlindividual moulds.

300ml milk

1 tspn ground cinnamon

50g sugar

3 egg yolks

3 gelatine leaves or 1½ tspn powdered gelatine

½ tspn vanilla paste

175ml whipping cream

ground cinnamon for dusting

Place the milk, cinnamon and half the sugar in a saucepanand bring to the boil. Whisk the egg yolks and remaining sugar until light andfluffy in an electric mixer. With the speed turned to medium, whisk the boilingmilk into the yolks, then pour back into the saucepan to cook. Lower the heatand stir constantly until the custard coats the back of a wooden spoon. Don’tlet it boil or the custard will split.

Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water until soft, scrunchand drain and add the scrunched gelatine sheets to the hot custard with thevanilla. If using powdered gelatine, sprinkle it on to the hot custard andleave it to soak up for a minute, then stir it in. Strain the custard into aclean bowl through a sieve and leave to cool.

Whip the cream, fold into the custard and pour into sixindividual moulds or one large mould. Leave to set overnight. To unmould, holdthe mould in a hot cloth and invert onto a plate with a quick shake. Dust withcinnamon.

Cherries Under Hats

2011-12-07T08:20:00.001+11:00

Cherries Under Hoods Photos by Steve Shanahan

First published Canberra Times 7 December 2011.

This dish, popular in Burgundy, is made with fresh seasoncherries baked under a crust of crispy pastry. The original French, Cerises en Capuche, translates to cherries under amonk’s cowl. As the name suggests it is thought to originate in monasteriesdotted around Burgundy.

The pastry tops on these pies rise from the steam from thehot cherries underneath and hold the heat to keep the pastry upright. Adelicious steam is released when the pastry is broken and the addition of ascoop of good quality vanilla ice cream oozes and melts into the hot cherriesto create a sensual delight.

Although this could be a winter dish to be made with tinnedcherries, the option of using our gorgeous local fresh cherries is way tootempting and a perfect dessert for a special Christmas dinner.

If you are keen you could make your own puff pastry, butgiven all the competing Christmas cooking commitments and for sanity sake, Iwould suggest that ready- made puff pastry would be perfectly adequate.

Cherries being flambéed

3-4 sheets of ready made puff pastry

750g dark sweet cherries, pitted

2 tbsp butter

45g sugar

1 tbsp redcurrant jelly

¼ cup Cognac or Brandy

1 egg, beaten

good quality vanilla ice cream for serving

Chill the puff pastry for 30 minutes. Melt the butter in alarge frying pan, stir in the sugar, and heat gently stirring occasionally, forabout 1 minute. Add the cherries and sauté over high heat for1 minute. Add theredcurrant jelly and stir until dissolved. Simmer until the cherries are almosttender, 3 to 5 minutes.

Flambé the cherries, by warming the Brandy or Cognac in asmall saucepan, and then stand back and set it alight. Pour it, flaming, overthe cherries and baste them until the flames die. Set them aside. If you don’twant to flambé the cherries, just add the brandy to the cherries, cooking for afurther 5 minutes.

Heat the oven to 200C. Place the pie dishes on a bakingsheet and heat them in the oven. Cut out 4 rounds from the pastry sheets, eacha few centimetres larger in diameter than the pie dish. Chill the pastry roundson a paper lined baking sheet in the freezer until firm, about 5 to 10 minutes.

Brush the chilled dough rounds with egg glaze. Remove thepie dishes from the oven. Heat the cherries just to a boil and spoon them intothe hot serving bowls. Brush the outside rim of the bowls generously with eggglaze. Lay a round of dough over each bowl and shape to the bowl, pressing toseal the edges with the glaze. Work quickly so the dough does not soften fromthe heat.

Bake the cherries until the pastry is puffed and goldenbrown, 25 to 30 minutes; the steam from the hot cherries will puff it to a highdome. If necessary, trim any ragged bits of puff pastry with a knife to neatenthe edges. Serve the cherries at once with scoops of vanilla ice cream in aseparate bowl.

Quantity serves 4.

Pork and Veal Terrine

2011-12-07T08:14:00.001+11:00

Pork and Veal Terrine Photo by Steve Shanahan

First published Canberra Times 7 December 2011.

This terrine is another do ahead dish that is ideal to makefor the hotter weather and perfect for a Christmas table. It is also a terrinethat most people will eat as it does not contain any offal meats.

I have added the Christmas spirit in the form of brandy,prunes and pistachios to the terrine, but you could add any type of nuts, fruitor spirit to get those festive flavours happening. Adding alcohol to the meatgives it some further longevity and will intensify the flavours the longer youkeep it.

When filling the terrine with the meat, make sure that it ispacked down tightly by pressing it with a weight while it’s refrigerating. Thisallows the slices to be cut thinlywithout it crumbling when serving.

If you don’t have a terrine mould, you can easily use a loaftin.

12 thin slices of bacon

1 tbsp olive oil

¼ tspn nutmeg

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1kg of pork and veal mince

1 cup of breadcrumbs

¼ cup of brandy

1 egg, beaten

3 tspn grainy mustard

½ cup chopped pistachios

12 pitted prunes, chopped

3 tspn chopped fresh thyme

3 tbsp chopped parsley

salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 180C. Lightly grease a 25 x 11 cmterrine or loaf pan. Line the terrine with the bacon so that it overlapsslightly and hangs over the sides. These lengths of bacon will then fold upover the top and cover the meat when it’s filled.

Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the onion, garlic andnutmeg and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the onion is soft. Add the prunes, pistachios and grainy mustardand cook for an extra minute. Cool, then mix with the mince, breadcrumbs, egg,brandy, thyme and parsley in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Fry asmall piece of the mixture to check the seasoning, and adjust if necessary.

Spoon the mixture into the bacon-lined terrine, pressingdown firmly to avoid any air bubbles. Fold the bacon over the top of theterrine, cover with lightly greased foil and place in a baking dish.

Place enough boiling water in the baking dish to comehalfway up the side of the terrine. Bake for 1 to 1¼ hours, or until the juicesrun clear when the terrine is pierced with a skewer. Remove the terrine from the water-filledbaking dish and pour off the excess juices. Cover with foil, then put a pieceof heavy cardboard or a cloth over the top and put weights or cans on top tocompress the terrine. Refrigerate overnight, then cut into thin slices toserve.

The terrine can be made ahead of time and stored in therefrigerator for up to 5 days.

Seven hour slow cooked lamb

2011-11-24T06:05:00.001+11:00

7 hour leg of lamb. Photo by Steve Shanahan

First published Canberra Times 23 November 2011.

One of the delights ofspring is the tender, sweet lamb meat available from markets and good butchersaround Canberra. Many of the good lamb producers are breeding especially formeat, with the milk-fed lamb market now targeted towards restaurant menus.

Unlike Europe, Australianlamb is classified by the emergence of teeth. When a lamb starts losing itsbaby teeth it becomes hogget and after about two years it becomes mutton.

Although there is nothinglike sweet and tender spring lamb, lightly cooked and still pink, I’m also partialto the deep, full flavour of mutton, especially when cooked in a home-styleslow roasted way.

For lunch at our restaurant,we often cooked wood-fired roast lamb topped with anchovies, layered top andbottom with branches of rosemary and studded with garlic. When cooking lamb or mutton on the bone, makesmall slits in the meat along the bone and stuff with garlic slivers or herbs.This is a great way of enhancing the flavour of the meat.

For my version of slowcooked lamb, I use mutton or hogget as the more intense flavour works well inthis dish. If making this for a summer meal, I serve it with spring vegetablessuch as peas, broadbeans, butter beans and small chat potatoes. For winter, I serve it with more robustvegetables such as, swedes, carrots, onions and potatoes.

If serving it with lightervegetables, add them later in the cooking process so they retain theirstructure, and you don’t end up with a mushy mess at the bottom of the cookingpot.

Because this dish takesseven hours to cook, when served, it is so meltingly tender it just falls awayfrom the bone, creating the most beautiful and deceptively simple meal. Toensure the meat doesn’t fall apart during cooking, make sure you tie the meat wellwith kitchen string before it goes into the pot.

I made this classic Frenchdish again for a recent gathering of friends and as always, is a hit for it’sintense flavours. It’s perfect for group catering as it will survive therigours of a party with much of the preparation done early in the day ready forthe evening. This quantity easily serves eight people.

a leg of mature lamb ormutton (or you can use a regular leg of lamb)

3 large garlic cloves, cutinto slivers for inserting along the bone

a bunch each of rosemaryand thyme and 6 bay leaves, tied together

salt and pepper

4 litres of water

3 carrots

3 leeks

2 cups of peas

2 cups of beans

3 onions

12 garlic cloves, chopped

Preheat the oven to 140C.Trim the lamb of excess fat and insert the slivers of garlic into the meat byfirst poking small holes in the outside along the bone. Tie the meat tightlywith string and place in a large deep pot, with enough water to cover threequarters of the depth of the meat.

Bring the water to a boiland skim the scum off the top.

Cover the pot and transferit to the oven, and cook it for 2 hours. Keep the meat poaching gently, makingsure it doesn’t boil and turn the oven down if needed. After 3 hours, turn themeat over carefully and continue cooking for another 2 hours. Meanwhile,prepare the vegetables, trim, peel and cut the peas and beans and chop thepeeled onions, carrots and leeks into 1 centimetre slices. Mix all thevegetables with the chopped garlic.

Lift out the meat, add thevegetables and herbs and replace the meat on the top. You may need to add more water sothe meat is half covered. Replace the lid and continue cooking until the meatis very tender for 1 to 1 ½ hours longer.

Remove the meat to a warmplace and cover it loosely with foil. If the vegetables are not very tender,continue simmering them, uncovered, on top of the stove until they almostcollapse. Transfer them with a slotted spoon to a deep platter, throwing awaythe tied herbs. Increase the heat so the cooking liquid boils and reduces to anintense flavour.

Remove the meat to aplatter and remove the strings from the lamb. Cover with foil and return to thewarm oven. Continue reducing the cooking liquid to a concentrated sauce to beserved as a gravy. Taste for seasoning, and serve it alongside the lamb andvegetables. The lamb can be served with a spoon as it will just fall apart.

Lamb and Feta Gözleme

2011-11-09T20:11:00.000+11:00

Photos by Steve Shanahan
Ceramics by Handmad Emporium http://www.handmad.com

First published Canberra Times 9 November 2011

Compared to other varieties of food youregularly find in street markets, the longest queues of people are often linedup for Turkish Gözleme. This street food specialty is essentially a filledpocket bread, which can be adapted by changing the fillings.

Gözleme is a classic Turkish pastryprepared for breakfast and lunch or as a treat for guests. It is based on avery thin pastry called yufka, whichis a basic of Turkish baking. The name derives from the Turkish word göz meaning “eye”.

I first tried Gözleme at the SubiacoSaturday markets in Perth, where the line up of people waiting to buy them snakedright through the centre of the market and out the other side. I was told this isa regular Saturday event and that people come from near and far to feast onthese celebrated Gözleme.

Although it’s only 6.00am, the smell of roastingspices coming from the stall makes my stomach growl. It appears that even at this early hour thereis no shortage of willing participants to relish the combination of lamb, cumin,lemon and feta.

If you don’t have the equipment to makeyour own pizza, these are a great alternative and dead easy to make. They canbe cooked on the hotplate of a barbeque and the burnt umami bits found on abarbeque hotplate, only add to their rustic flavour. They should be cooked until quite crisp anddotted with burnt bits. You can evencook them in a large frying pan.

I prefer to make my own pastry, as it onlytakes half an hour, but you can buy Turkish style flatbread and fold it over acouple of times to seal in the filling. Youcan also omit the preserved lemon from the filling and sprinkle fresh squeezedlemon over the top of the Gözleme whencooked.

I serve this with a tomato, garlic and redwine vinegar salsa seasoned with salt and pepper.

Photo by Steve Shanahan
Ceramics by Handmad Emporium

Quantity makes4 large Gözlemes.

Bread

220g plain yoghurt

2 cups plain flour

a pinch of salt

olive oil

Filling

400g minced lamb

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 tbsp tomato paste

a pinch of ground cumin

a pinch of ground cinnamon

1 chopped chilli

2 tbsp preserved lemon, sliced

50g baby spinach leaves

150g feta cheese

6 mint leaves, torn

2 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper

Salsa

3 ripe tomatoes, diced

2 mint leave, torn

1 garlic clove, chopped

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

salt and pepper

1 tsp olive oil

Mix the yoghurt and salt together in alarge bowl, add the flour until you have a stiff dough. Turn the dough onto afloured surface and knead until all the flour is incorporated. You should havea slightly sticky textured dough and roll into a large ball. Transfer to anoiled bowl and leave, covered for 30 minutes.

Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook thelamb until browned and separated. Turn the heat down to low and add the garlic,cumin, cinnamon, preserved lemon, chilli and tomato paste. Cook for two minutesor until dry. Remove from the heat and drain any accumulated fat.

On a floured surface, divide the dough intofour balls. Roll each ball into a 30cm circle. Place a layer of the spinachover half of each circle, then sprinkle with the feta, then add the lamb minceand some torn mint leaves. Season with salt and pepper and fold over the doughto form a pocket. Seal the edges bypressing down with a fork.

Preheat a barbecue hotplate or large fryingpan. Brush each side of the Gözleme witholive oil and cook each side until dark brown, pressing down while cooking.

For the Salsa,combine all ingredients in a bowl and serve with the Gözleme.

Photos by Steve Shanahan; Ceramics by Handmad Emporium

Strawberry mousse with rhubarb compote

2011-11-02T06:36:00.000+11:00

First published Canberra Times 2 November2011

A sure sign that summer ison its way is the arrival of the berry sellers at the Capital Region Farmer’sMarkets. Although you can buystrawberries in Canberra all year round from supermarkets, they are generally notfrom our local area and surrounds.

I prefer the smaller, morecompact, sweet strawberries, to the large misshapen and watery ones. Call mesuspicious, but it looks as if they’ve been force-fed with growth hormones. Theother thing I love is buying them in a brown paper bag, rather than a plasticpunnet, because the strawberry smell leaks through the bag.

Onmy last trip to France, I discovered the name of the amazingly perfumed littleberries that are so prolific over there. They are called Gariguettes, and famously hail from the southwest of France. Thefirst taste is a revelation. The beautiful thing about French strawberries isthat you will smell them before you see them, so just follow your nose. It’s acomplete sensory experience.

In France, strawberries aremostly grown on slopes and hand picked. It takes three years to train a pickerto cut the fruit at the right place and at the peak of its ripeness. Interestingly,women do the bulk of the picking. Perhaps, as a female neighbor in Chatenois suggested,it’s because it’s a work of patience and rigor?

The work-day begins at 7:00amwith an obligatory café-au-lait and stops for lunch at midday. The berry gatheringends around 4:00pm to get the fruit to the market as quickly as possible.

During my cooking classesin Beaune earlier this year, we made mountains of Gariguette strawberry jam.The strawberries were bought from the berry seller’s market stall earlier thatmorning, right outside the door. We made jam all day, using the traditionalFrench method. I left there smelling of sweet, sticky, strawberry jam that wasstill lingered in my clothes and hair well into the night.

The classic French way toeat a bowl of these gorgeous globes is in salade de fraises - just a bowl of these luscious Gariguettes with sugar and a littlelemon juice. Nothing else is needed, although, maybe sitting in a little caféon the streets of Paris wouldn’t go astray.

One of my all timefavourite summer desserts is Strawberry Mousse. It’s an easy family classicfrom the 1980’s and comes from my sister Sue Barben, who often served it atsummertime dinner parties. I’m not sure where she sourced this recipe from, butit’s worked its way into my favourites’ list.

There’s no cooking requiredhere, so it’s a no fuss dessert for summer or Christmas time. Because thisrecipe is prepared in advance and set in individual ramekins, it’s ready to gowhen you need it. All you will need is a blender or food processor. Theindividual mousses will keep covered in the fridge for 4 to 5 days. One regular punnet of strawberries will make aquantity to serve 4 to 5 people.

I’ve given this recipe are-vamp and added a rhubarb vino cotto compote with just a hint of crackedpepper, to serve with the mousse. This does need cooking, but, like the mousse,can also be prepared in advance. Any left over compote goes beautifully withGreek yoghurt, honey and roasted almonds for brekky.

If you don’t feel likecooking the compote, serve the mousse with a dollop of honey-sweetenedmascarpone or yoghurt.

1 punnet ripe strawberries

½ cup castor sugar

1 ¼ cups fresh cream

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/3 cup boiling water

2 tspn powdered gelatin

2 egg whites

1 vanilla bean, scraped or¼ tspn vanilla paste

Strawberry mousse

Wash and hull thestrawberries. Place the strawberries, lemon juice, sugar, vanilla paste andcream into a blender or food processor.

Place the boiling waterinto a small bowl, add the gelatine, stirring until dissolved.

Add the gelatine to theblender, and mix on medium speed until combined. This should only take a fewseconds.

Whisk the egg whites in aseparate and clean bowl until peaks form. Fold the strawberry mixture gentlyinto the whites until combined.

Pour into 4 to 5 ramkeinsand chill until set. This should take a 3 hours or so.

Rhubarb compote

6 stalks of rhubarb, washedand chopped (no leaves)

3 tbsp icing sugar

2 tbsp of vino cotto, (youcould use 1 ½ tbsp balsamic vinegarinstead, just increase the sugar content)

¼ cup boiling water

cracked black pepper

Preheat the oven to 180C.Prepare a baking tray lined with baking paper. Spread the rhubarb in one layeron the tray and dust with 2 tbsp of icing sugar. Roast in the oven for 20minutes.

Remove the rhubarb from theoven and place in a small saucepan. Add the remaining icing sugar, boilingwater and vino cotto (or balsamic vinegar and extra sugar) and a good pinch ofcracked black pepper. Taste for sweetness, you may need to add a little moresugar.

Heat on medium heat,uncovered for a few minutes until the mixture turns syrupy.

The flavour balance shouldbe piquant, but slightly sweet. Serve the compote on top ofthe strawberry mousse.

Photos by Steve Shanahan

Tomato and orange soup

2011-10-26T20:24:00.000+11:00

First published Canberra Times 26 October 2011.

With our body-aching recent house move over,and the days getting longer and warmer, I settle down to prepare and mulch mynew vegetable patch, in readiness for planting.

I usually plant a crop of tomatoes eachyear, because store bought ones just don’t compare. As the season approaches Ilook forward to bottling my own tomatoes to provide the base for many of oursummer meals.

Is it me, or are the tomatoes that we buynow missing the sweet intensity compared to those when we were kids? Mum wouldsend us up the road with a list to Mr Gorring, who sold his freshly grown producedirect from his market garden. He was a hunched and wizened man, baked as golden-brownas a roast potato, acquired from his time in the sun tending his garden. Hespoke with a strong German accent and I never saw him dressed in anything otherthan shorts and sandals and an aged, brown leather apron.

We would stand in front of his old tablewith a set of suspended scales hanging above and recite our order to him fromour list. With nothing but a curt nod he walked off slowly to pick the vegetablesstraight from the garden. He came back to the table to weigh each variety ofvegetable meticulously, and charged us for every ounce. Mum would always warnus to watch for him putting his hand on the scales.

Although Mr Gorring never made small talk,and made it clear he didn’t appreciate our over enthusiastic dog, he had the verybest and freshest of vegetables on offer.

As we walk home barefoot, with the stringbag stretched tightly around our newspaper wrapped vegetables, the herbal, tomato-leafyaroma wafts from our parcel of freshly picked produce. Today that same smell stilltriggers this odd fragment of memory each time I pick my own home grown.

To manage my annual yield of tomatoes, I preservethe excess in bottles. This is an easymethod that is packed with flavour. Wipe the tomatoes, slice out the cores, andpack them whole, including the skins, into sterilised jars. I use medium sizedpreserving jars with the rubber seal and wire clip. Add a few thyme sprigs,some bay leaves and a couple of slices of onion. Ensuring the rubber seals are on properly, clipthe lids shut and put the jars on a round cake rack that fits in the bottom of adeep pan. Add enough water to cover them well and weigh them down withsomething heavy if they float. A rock will work. Simmer the jars for about 1½hours until the tomatoes lose their shape and collapse. The jars will only behalf full when the tomatoes are ready. Leave the jars in the water to cool. Thelids will have formed a tight seal and the tomatoes will keep for about 12months.

I like to make this soup with my harvested homebottled tomatoes, although you can use tinned, peeled tomatoes or fresh ones. Thecomplimentary orange and tomato flavours in this soup make a great summer lunchthat can be eaten hot or cold.

Serves 4

1 kg fresh tomatoes, cored and peeled or 500mlof above bottled or store bought canned tomatoes

2 tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, sliced

2 garlic cloves, chopped

3 bay leaves

3 stems thyme

1 tspn sugar

half a bunch of basil

1 tbsp of orange zest and juice of 2oranges

1 baguette

½ cup grated gruyere cheese

salt and freshly ground pepper

olive oil for brushing bread

Roughly chop the tomatoes. Heat the oil ina large saucepan and fry the onions until tender but not golden for 5 to 7minutes. Add the garlic and continue cooking until soft, 1 to 2 minutes. Addthe chopped tomatoes and any juice, with just enough water to cover. Add thebay leaves, thyme, sugar, salt and pepper and cover the pan with the lid. Bringthe soup to the boil, then reduce to a simmer until the tomatoes are verytender, about half an hour.

Meanwhile, heat the oven to 175C and slicethe baguette into slices and put them on a tray. Brush each one with olive oil on both sides.Bake them until dry and lightly golden for about 10 minutes, then top with thegrated cheese and return to cook until browned. Remove from the oven.

Strip the basil leaves from the stems andadd them to the simmering soup. Shred the leaves and set aside. When the soup iscooked, remove the herbs and basil stems and puree the soup in a foodprocessor. Return the soup to the pan and bring to the boil. Stir in theshredded basil, orange zest and juice. Taste for salt and pepper.

Serve soup in large bowls and add a roundor two of cheese-topped baguette to each one.

Photos Steve Shanahan

Chicken in Red Wine Vinegar

2011-10-19T20:05:00.002+11:00

First published Canberra Times 19 October 2011. Journeying into the countryside, with Beaune in the heart of Burgundy as our base, I encounter many of thelocal characters who live and breathe French cuisine. These are the people whogreatly contribute to the charm and flavour of the Burgundian table.

The farmers in these parts believe that thefruits of the Burgundian earth “please each other” with much of the producegrown side by side. This harks back to the times when there was once aneconomic imperative to do this, in the share-cropping days when labourers wouldplant a crop of their own among the landlord’s vines.

We stop off for lunch at a little Aubergethat is surrounded by vineyards with vines in their first spring bud as far asthe eye can see. The amiable and generously sized owner recommends the chickenin red wine vinegar as the day’s specialty, explaining he brews his own vinegarfrom the renowned local wines. A woman wearing an apron sticks her head out ofthe kitchen and beckons us to sit outside at a table in a sunny corner out ofthe wind.

Next to us, is a large table of workmen whoare noisily eating their way through the red wine vinegar chicken. They mop upthe juices with bread and share jugs of wine. They all leave together and kissboth hosts goodbye, walking up the road to return to work in a nearby vineyard.

Our jovial host pronounces the red winevinegar as vin aigre, meaning acid wine. Appearing to be not in a hurry toclear up tables, he sits down with us to explain the process in detail. He brews it in a large earthenware crock witha tap, using leftover red wine. He saysyou start with the floating, cloudy-looking membrane, that is found floating ontop of the remains of a bottle of vinegar. He calls this jelly-like substance,the vinegar mother. You pour the mother and the vinegar into the crock and adda bottle or two of a fruity red wine, covering the top with some cloth so itcan still breathe.

The vinegar remains like this for sixmonths or so before you should taste it. When you do, it should have a mellowflavour. If it’s still too sharp, leave it for about another month. All youneed to do to keep it producing is to top the crock up with some red wine everynow and then.

Although keen to try the brewing when I gethome, I focus on the chicken. It’s meltingly tender, with only a touch ofpiquancy from the vinegar. I’m lovingthe garlic flavour, that provides a hint of sweetness.

The recipe was kindly provided by our host,and I’ve made assumptions with quantities. I’ve made this recipe a few timesnow, and it’s incredibly simple and quick. It’s perfect for a midweek meal and keeps well for a few days in thefridge.

Although the chickens in France have astronger flavour because of their breeding and appellation controls, if you cansource an organic chicken, you will be rewarded with a good result.

Serve with a crusty baguette and butter,and a crisp green salad.

1 whole chicken, chopped into pieces, orequivalent in pieces

sea salt and ground black pepper

3 tbsp unsalted butter

1 large head of garlic

1 cup of red wine vinegar

500g fresh tomatoes

2 tbsp tomato puree

handful of thyme

handful of sage

6 bay leaves

1 ½ cups of chicken stock

chopped parsley

Season the chicken pieces with salt andpepper. Melt half the butter in a large frypan over medium heat and cover withthe lid.

Add the chicken, skin side down, startingwith the thick parts of the chickens first as they need the longest to cook.When they begin to brown add the smaller pieces, cooking for about 10 minutes.When all the pieces are brown on one side, turn them over and cook for afurther few minutes.

Divide the garlic cloves, and add themunpeeled to the pan of chicken. Cover and cook for a further 10 minutes. Thenholding the lid on the pan, so the chicken pieces don’t fall, drain off theexcess fat.

Return the pan to the heat and add the redwine vinegar. Simmer uncovered until the vinegar is well reduced, about 10 to 15minutes.

Chop the tomatoes, you don’t need to peelthem as the sauce will be strained later. Add them to the chicken with thetomato puree and the herbs. Cover and simmer again for a further 10 minutes.

Remove the chicken to a serving dish andkeep warm. Add the stock to the pan and simmer the sauce uncovered, allowing itto reduce again until slightly thickened. This should take about 10 minutes.

Pour the sauce into a sieve and push thecontents through to extract the juices. Pour into a small saucepan cooking onmedium heat. Remove from heat and stir in the remaining butter to make a glossysauce.

Pour the sauce over the warm chicken piecesand serve topped with fresh parsley.
Photos by Steve Shanahan.

Provencal chook

2011-10-12T07:31:00.004+11:00

First published Canberra Times 12 October 2011. If you could conjure up the classic French street market, you probablywould imagine stalls overflowing with fresh olives and nuts, preserved lemons,men in striped aprons slicing chunks from giant wheels of cheese and salamis,crusty baguettes poking from large baskets and brightly coloured tablecloths spillingout of bins. This market is the L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, in France.

Often called the bric-a-brac capital of France or the Venice of France, it has the largest marchés aux puces (flea market) outside ofParis, and many stallholders and antique dealers set up shop all year round.Built on the islands of five branches of the Sorgue River, it’s meanderingstreets have a Venice-like feel with bridges that criss-cross canals and huge moss-coveredwater wheels.

It’s on a visit to the L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue street market we stumbleacross a stand, that, among all of this wonderfully fresh produce, sellsready-made take home meals. This is perfect, as hours of walking thecobblestones in the scorching sun has taken its toll. I choose between atomato-based dish or a lemon-based one. There’s no question here - lemons andProvence are synonymous.

This dish retains its flavour on reheating and with a re-creation ofthe recipe, I’ve been able to replicate it as close as my memory allows. It isnow a standard in the recipe repertoire for family gatherings, as itsversatility means you can pretty much add whatever herbs you have on hand. Thisreally is a simple, rustic meal, but it is jam-packed with flavour. Just don’tcompromise on the preserved lemons, good quality olive oil and fresh fennel.

2.5kg organic chicken thighs

1 large fennel bulb, sliced or 2 baby fennel bulbs

Skin of 2 preserved lemons, sliced

1 cup of black olives

½ tbsp of fennel seeds

3/4 cup of dry white wine

Extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt

Black pepper

Bunch of thyme and a handful of tarragon

Marinate the chicken, fennel – seeds and bulbs, lemon skin, pepper,herbs and a good slug of olive oil for a couple of hours.

Preheat the oven to 200C and place the chicken thighs in a largeroasting pan. Dot the olives over the thighs and add the white wine. Seasonwith sea salt. You may need to use two roasting pans, depending on the size.Roast for 10 to 15 minutes or until the marinade is starting to turngolden-brown at the edges.

Turn the chicken thighs over and continue roasting for another 10minutes or so, checking for burning.

When cooked, remove from the oven and add a little more olive oil tomoisten before serving.

Serve with lots of Italian parsley, crusty bread and a green salad. Photos Steve Shanahan

Ile Flottante

2011-10-08T07:56:00.001+11:00

First published Canberra Times 5 October 2011. It’s a baking hot day in the town of Epfig, Alsace, where the thick crowds thread their way through the festively decorated streets celebrating the spring flea market. Brocante markets are huge in France at this time of year, as people save up their second hand wares through the lengthy winter to set up a stall in their local village at the beginning of spring. These numbers are boosted by a caravan of purveyors that you encounter at every market, every weekend, across the region.

We are told it’s unusually hot today and this is the first market of the year in Epfig, about 30kms from Strasbourg, where the locals have gathered up from surrounding farms to join the villagers, proudly displaying their precious wares. This market, as with any other of the street markets that rotate through the Alsatian villages in spring, boasts a mouth watering selection of fresh vegetables, bread, cheeses, meats and preserves. Tacky second hand wares jostle with brocante of real interest, in displays that can include anything from clothes to kitchenalia, war memorabilia, ancient bicycles, bad art or kitsch. It can be still in its shrink wrap, antique or just pre-loved.

These markets are taken very seriously, with shoppers appearing in their thousands, parking precariously on the edge of the village, intensely focused on scooping up that killer bargain.

I’m no different, and stroll slowly along the cobbled Epfig streets, scanning both sides for just the right bargains to take home. From mums, dads and kids to the slick antique dealers, the displays of infinite variety extend out of sight down every street and round every corner. It’s taking all my powers of self-restraint to avoid from indulging at every second stall.

An old metal chocolate mould takes my eye on a stall where two grey haired gentlemen are sitting on boxes in the shade and wearing overalls held up with braces. They are selling some items for a friend who has just closed his Patisserie after many years. It’s hard not to detect my keen interest and they bring out extra pieces from their ancient looking truck. They show me old ceramic moulds, metal cake and bread pans, an array of chocolate moulds in a variety of bird shapes and utensils of all description all caked with layers of flour.

I know we’ve only got limited space in our shipping tea chests, so I’m careful to select only the extra special items. We haggle over price and they throw in extras, and more extras, until I can’t possibly carry any more and have to refuse things that you would die to get your hands on back in Australia.

Brocante-ing is thirsty and hungry work so, flushed and heavily laden, we seize one of the last tables under an umbrella at the only available watering hole in Epfig, a half-timbered Winestub. The waitresses, cheeks glowing from the heat, make futile attempts to manage the influx of customers who are escaping the midday sun. The staff are overwhelmed by this invasion, but no one really seems to mind, realising that this once-a-year phenomenon is part of the package and as long as you can get a beer, all is well. The menu lists the obligatory salads, foie gras, pork knuckle and a range of desserts. What really captures me here is the Ile Flottante, a light cloud of meringue floating in a sea of cool crème anglaise. The waitress winks knowingly at my order and indicates she’ll be right back.

Although, not often seen in Australian restaurants, French women of a certain generation can whip this dessert up with their eyes closed. It’s no surprise this French classic is a hot little number, as it can be eaten warm or icy cold and still appears on many Bistro menus in France. Our chilled island of meringue was served slightly scorched with a blowtorch, a swirl of caramel and topped with shards of gingered praline. This quantity makes 6 individual servings.

Caramel sauce and praline
1 ½ cups caster sugar
½ tspn vanilla extract 60g sliced almonds

Meringues
8 eggwhites at room temperature
1/8 tspn salt
¼ tspn cream of tartar
1 cup caster sugar
½ tspn vanilla paste

Creme anglaise
1 cup pouring cream
½ tspn vanilla paste
4 egg yolks
¼ cup caster sugar

To make the caramel sauce, combine the sugar and ½ cup water in a pan. Cook over low heat until sugar dissolves. Raise heat to moderate, and cook, without disturbing and swirling the pan, until caramel-coloured. Swirl again, and remove from heat. Stir in ½ cup of water and the vanilla, being careful as it may spit. Cook over high heat, stirring, until the caramel is golden brown, this should take about 5 minutes, or until it registers 230F (118C) on a candy thermometer. Keep warm.

To make praline, preheat the oven to 180C. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Combine ¼ cup caramel sauce with the almonds, then spread onto a baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes. When cool, break into pieces.
Lower oven temperature to 120C and line 2 baking sheets with baking paper.

To make the meringues, beat the eggwhites with salt and cream of tartar until frothy. Add 1 cup of sugar gradually, beating at high speed until stiff and glossy. Whisk in the vanilla. Spoon large mounds, about the amount of 2 dessertspoons, on the prepared trays and bake for 20 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.

To make the creme anglaise, gently bring the cream to a boil in a pan. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Beat the egg yolks with sugar until pale. Pour in a little of the hot cream and stir to combine, then pour the egg mixture into the pan with the rest of the cream. Using a wooden spoon, stir over low heat for 3 minutes, or until mixture coats the back of the spoon.

To serve, pour the cooled cream into bowls, top with a meringue, drizzle with caramel sauce and top with shards of praline.

If you are using a fan forced oven, you may need to reduce the temperatures slightly. Photos by Steve Shanahan