Slow cooked, braised lamb neck garnished with gremolata
Slow cooked, braised lamb necks in a scrumptious sauce, made with our home-made beef or chicken stock adds such a depth of flavour. Garnished with a gremolata and lemon slices this lamb makes a wonderful [...]
Pickled fennel with mustard seeds, fennel seeds and pimentos
This pickle is a good match with cold meats such as salami and ricotta, tossed through salads or with barbecued fish. When the pickles are finished, keep the jar of brine in the fridge. Whisked [...]
Ajo Blanco – Spanish white gazpacho soup
Serves 4 This is one of my favourite chilled soups and is a delight for lovers of garlic. A traditional and popular Spanish cold soup, Ajo Blanco is typical from Granada and Málaga, Andalusia. It [...]
Buttermilk
We use buttermilk from time to time in cooking classes and often people do not really know what it is, how to use it or how to make it. You may find this interesting. Some [...]
Panforte – Siena cake – Panforte di Siena
Panforte, also called Siena cake, is a delicious Italian Christmas fruit, nut, chocolate, dense, chewy, candy-like cake, which hails from Siena, Tuscany. It is very much a favourite of mine and I make it every [...]
Dukkah – an old Egyptian speciality
Dukkah is an old Egyptian specialty condiment. It is a loose blend of nuts and spices in a dry, crushed but not to a powdered, form. The name “Dukkah” is derived from the Arabic word [...]
Pain d’épices – French honey spiced bread
Makes 2 loaves There are many versions of this recipe. Anne Willan, of La Varenne Cooking School in Burgundy, included her pain d’épices in a couple of her many books on French Cuisine, ‘The country cooking [...]
Crab stock with blue swimmer crabs
After our visit to the red craw crayfish farm in Wolvi, and cooking those delicious red craws I wrote about in a previous post, I used the red craw shells to make my fabulous, flavoursome [...]
Alba Aquaculture Red Craw Farm, Kin KIn
Last Saturday, friends invited us to join them on a foodie road trip around Pomona and Kin Kin to visit a few local producers, who are part of the Cooloola Farm Food Trail. Our first [...]
Saffron Aïoli – saffron and garlic mayonnaise
Ingredients Makes 300ml 2 large egg yolks 1 clove garlic minced Pinch of saffron threads infused into the lemon juice or olive oil 2tbsp lemon juice, plus extra if needed 250ml sunflower oil 120ml extra [...]
Strawberry, blueberry and cranberry Jelly
Serves 6 500ml cranberry juice 110g caster sugar 12 grams gelatine leaves* 2 punnets strawberries 2 punnets of blueberries Our home made creamy vanilla bean ice cream For the jelly: soak the gelatine leaves in [...]
‘Honey from a Weed’ by Patience Gray
Honey from a Weed: fasting and feasting in Tuscany, Catalonia, the Cyclades and Apulia, by Patience Gray has been highly recommended to me from a variety of sources, including Sussan Loomis from On Rue Tatin [...]
Ocean Trout – slow cooked with sorrel sauce, herb oil, mayonnaise and finger lime caviar pearls
I thought you might like to try this dish now that sorrel is back in season. It looks like a long recipe, but it may be prepared in stages and is really very simple. It [...]
Quince paste
Our Melbourne quince season seems to be so short that you need to be quick to buy nice, firm, yellow quinces. If you are really lucky, you may have a friend with a tree laden [...]
My Grandmother’s Anzac Biscuits
Traditionally these ‘historic’ biscuits are served as rounded mounds, a modern alternative is to roll the mixture into a log, cut into slices and cook. 125g butter 1 tbsp golden syrup 2 tbsp boiling water [...]
Anzac Biscuit baking time again! Lest we forget….
Anzac Day is a time to remember the sacrifices made for us by our men and women during all of our wars. Tonight we are dining at our very nice local RSL in Nambour where [...]
Brandade De Morue de Nîmes made without potatoes
I use a couple of recipes for this great dish; this one based on Anne Willan’s recipe, from La Varenne Cooking School in Paris and Burgundy, is made without the potato, although other recipes of [...]
Brandade de Morue au Gratin made with the addition of potatoes
Servings: 8 - 10 This Provençal dish known as Brandade De Morue is a whipped salt cod gratin; it is a great example of how to elevate modest ingredients like salt cod and potatoes, by [...]
Caprilu Limone – lemon and almond ‘macaroons’ from the Isle of Capri
These treasures have a crisp, sugar dusted exterior, with a chewy, lemony-marzipan centre. Traditionally they are made with almonds, honey and lemons for that quintessential Italian citrus goodness. They go perfectly in dessert trio with [...]
It’s tomato time! So time to make your relish
Margaret’s ‘Inverlaul’ tomato relish This is our favourite tomato relish. A dear, old friend, Margaret Benjamin made this for her family for years. Now her family have to make it for themselves, and they continue [...]
Cherry clafoutis – a perfect summer and festive dessert
Serves 4 - 6 Clafoutis is a rustic, country farm house, ‘batter style’, dessert, hailing from the Limousin region of France and is traditionally made with cherries. The original recipe calls for whole cherries with [...]
My Grandmother’s Christmas Cake
Christmas is a lovely festive time of the year. Soon we will all be making our Christmas cakes and decorating the house ready for the family day. Hopefully, my recipe here will inspire you get [...]
Porcini mushroom risotto
The International Wine and Food Society, Melbourne Branch, recently hosted a Masterclass in risotto cooking, presented by Beverly Sutherland Smith. The first dish was this ‘basic risotto’ as taught at the Swiss Hotel School in [...]
Preserved Lemons – three ways
Preserved lemons have an interesting picante, mellowy, sour and yet sweet flavour. For some people, they are an acquired taste. There are a few different methods to preserve lemons. These are two, I use. I [...]
Chicken Stock – Cooking Fundamentals
To be a good cook you need to master the fundamentals of cookery and stock-making is one of those. The best stock is full of flavour, colour, body and aroma. Good stock is the key [...]