asian inspiration

I'm working most of the week these days, so today was a rare moment for me to be at home, with my family, and free to cook. I asked around to see what everyone felt like, but everyone was nonplussed so I decided to take matters into my own hands. I took to the internet and scoured my favourite new site: taste.com.au. It's a treasure trove of recipes, advice, and general knowledge to do with every kind of cuisine or type of cooking. I started with "A" and I thought that Asian food sounded nice so I decided on 2 dishes: pork and cabbage gyozas and an asian-style chicken soup. I'm yet to make the chicken soup but the gyozas are made and they are pretty damn good if I do say so myself. They taste lovely and light, and the ginger/garlic marinade is really subtle and complementary of the pork. I just served them as a mid-afternoon snack as I thought it would be a bit boring to have a whole meal of just dumplings. Saying that, I made about 45, and they've almost all disappeared between the 3 of us....... It was a bit time consuming constructing all the little packages, but once you get into a rhythm of piling on the mix, wetting the edges and sealing it shut, you lose track of time. 

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

• 250g minced pork
• 2 cups finely shredded wombok
• 1/2 cup finely chopped garlic chives, plus extra to serve
• 2 tsp finely grated ginger
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tbs sake
• 1 tbs tamari
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 275g pkt (30) gow gee wrappers
• 2 tsp peanut oil
• 1/2 cup (125ml) water

• Dipping sauce

• 2 tbs tamari
• 2 tbs rice vinegar
• 2 tbs water
• 1 tsp sesame oil

Method

1. Combine the pork, wombok (chinese cabbage), garlic chives, ginger, garlic, sake, tamari and sesame oil in a large bowl. Season with salt and finely ground white pepper.
2. Place a gow gee wrapper on a clean work surface. Spoon a heaped teaspoonful of pork mixture on to the centre of the wrapper. Brush the edge with a little water and fold over to enclose.
3. Use your fingertips to pleat the edge 4-5 times. Place on an oven tray lined with baking paper. Repeat with remaining pork mixture and gow gee wrappers.
4. To make the dipping sauce, combine the tamari, rice vinegar, water and oil in a small bowl.
5. Heat the peanut oil in a large frying pan over high heat until just smoking. Remove from heat. Arrange the dumplings over the base of the frying pan. Place over medium heat and cook for 1-2 minutes or until bases of gyoza are golden brown. Drizzle the water over the gyoza and cook, covered, for 4-5 minutes or until cooked through and water evaporates. Remove from heat and set aside, uncovered, for 1-2 minutes.
6. Place the gyoza on a serving platter and sprinkle with garlic chives. Serve immediately with dipping sauce.

I didn't add sake because I'm extremely stingy, but I'm sure it would be great. 

Here are some photos of the dumplings (they aren't great and they definitely don't do them justice, but it's just to give you an idea)

pork/cabbage mixture

open packages

closed and uncooked packages

cooked and ready to devour!

I'm adding these to my repertoire and I'm sure they're going to be a party favourite!

easter delights

Easter is upon us and we all know that means chocolate. Surprisingly, this year, I've given up the dreamy pleasure and opted for other sweet treats like my apple cake and strudel. I made the latter for a staff easter party I had last week and it was my first time. It was a random choice, I'll admit, but my boss is Czech and I decided to make her something from home. I firmly believe that filo pastry has a vengeance against me, and after I failed to tame it, I put my strudel together by gluing randoms bits of pastry together with melted butter. Luckily it still tasted fantastic, and all but one slice was left after everyone ate it and took some home. This is the recipe. I saw it on Food Safari and even though it's not a classic apple strudel, it's just as delicious. 


"Nan's cherry cream-cheese strudel"
Ingredients:
125g full fat ricotta 
125g cream cheese, at room temperature 
3 tbsp caster sugar 
1 tsp vanilla extract 
1 egg 
5 sheets filo pastry 
80g clarified butter, melted 
2 tbsp packaged dry breadcrumbs 
680g jar morello cherries, drained 
1 tbsp flaked almonds, toasted 
Pure icing sugar, to serve


Method:
If time allows place the ricotta into a nylon sieve over a bowl. Cover and refrigerate 1-2 hours.

Preheat oven 200°C (fan forced). Line a baking tray with baking paper. Combine the ricotta, cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with electric mixer. Beat until smooth and creamy. Add egg and beat well.

Place 1 sheet filo onto clean work surface. Brush with melted butter, top with a second sheet, brush with butter and repeat layering filo so you have 5 layers.

Sprinkle the breadcrumbs evenly over the filo. Spoon cream cheese mixture along 1 long edge, leaving a small border. Top with cherries and sprinkle with almonds. Fold the ends in and roll up to secure filling, brushing exposed edges to ensure they stick.

Brush strudel all over with remaining clarified butter.

Place onto prepared tray and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce oven to 180°C and bake a further 5 minutes until pastry is crisp and deep golden.

Allow to stand 30 minutes to cool. Dust heavily with icing sugar and serve.


I have recently become a bit of a fan of River Cottage, the t.v series which follows Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall who's philosophy is "getting back to basics". It has inspired me to one day buy a farm where I'll be able to grow my own vegetables and raise my own livestock. Check it out if you have the chance. 




XXXX

Wine, witchcraft and wicked indulgence.

My best friend is at uni this year, and she lives on campus about 3 hours outside of Sydney. It's strange and sometimes heartbreaking not having her around but when she's back, we always make up for lost time. I've never been a party-animal, nor do I want to be, but by jove I do know how to have a night in. We ordered thai takeaway, watched the latest Harry Potter and made dark chocolate and peanut butter fudge sauce, my best friend's specialty. We did have wine, as mentioned in the title, but it was possibly the worst red I'd ever had.... trust me to take the most heinous tasting bottle from my dad's wine-cellar.  We scooped up huge balls of ice-cream, and drowned them in the fudge sauce, sprinkling them with salted peanuts. It is absolute heaven, and I can not imagine a better way to spend an evening. 


This is the recipe for it: (it's creator is Nigella Lawson, the coolest lady on telly)

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 2/3 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter 
• 4 scoops toffee or caramel ice cream
• 4 scoops chocolate ice cream
• 4 scoops vanilla ice cream
• 4 tablespoons or 1/4 cup salted peanuts, roughly chopped or left whole to taste

Directions

Put all the sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips, and peanut butter into a saucepan and put it on the heat to melt, stirring occasionally. In about 2 minutes you should have your sauce ready. When everything has melted add 3 to 4 tablespoons of boiling water to thin the sauce.

Get out 4 sundae glasses and put a scoop of toffee or caramel ice cream in each, followed by 1 of the chocolate and then another of vanilla.

Pour over some chocolate peanut butter fudge sauce and sprinkle with salted peanuts.

Please try and enjoy 

XX

Lolita

I've been reading Nabokov's 'classic' Lolita, and I'm finding the content more than a little challenging. I'm mid-way through and I'm struggling to see why this book is so popular. The writing is beautiful for the most part but I think it's slightly verbose. I'm not against that in any way though: The God of Small Things, also highly descriptive, is one of my favourite books, but some of the description in Lolita seems pointless. I also have no idea who to empathise with, obviously what Lolita is going through is horrific, and Humbert is a criminal, but her character seems so manipulative that I can't really stand her either..... I kept hearing about how wonderful it was so I thought I'd give it a try but sometimes I think people like to pretend they love all the classics just because it sounds cool.... or maybe I just struggle to appreciate them. I'm going to trudge on because I hate leaving a book unfinished, but I do so unwillingly.

white rabbit

Two days ago, a friend and I visited the White Rabbit Gallery, a Sydney-based gallery featuring contemporary Chinese art. I never go to galleries but my friend studies fine art so I tagged along to keep her company. I had heard about the teahouse which was the gallery's cafe, and it definitely trumped every other stock-standard canteen I'd been to. We ordered some herbal tea and some chicken and corn dumplings.....authentic and delicious!!

The beautiful dumplings and flower tea

We then checked out the exhibition which was surprisingly interesting. As little as I know about art, I was truly able to appreciate it and I had one of the loveliest days I'd had in a while. The weather was perfect, the company was great, and the city was at its best.

XX

cleansing, cleaning, cooking

I just realised the work both 'cleansing' and 'cleaning' share the same prefix..... I now completely understand why, as today me and my sister took on the insurmountable task of cleaning the apartment. 5 hours later and both me and the apartment look and feel brand new! The smell of vanilla ambi pur is in the air and I truly believe I could take on the world, just knowing I have a beautiful smelling home to come back to when my plans fall apart.

A thought struck me last night. Today is the only day in all of history that it's ever going to be the 13th of April, 2011. Does anyone else find that sad? I guess you really have to live every day to the full, although I'm the first to admit I don't....

Now that the house is clean, the only thing left to do is bake..... This is a recipe for an apple cake with creme anglaise. It's absolutely scrumptious.

Apple Cake with Creme Anglaise:
(Serves 6-8, or in my case, 1)

Ingredients:
For the cake:

• 220g caster sugar
• 150g cream cheese
• 1 large egg and 3 egg whites
• 2 tbsp thickened cream
• 1.5 cups self-raising flour
• 2 dessert (not green) apples, peeled and sliced

For the creme anglaise:

• 3 tbsp caster sugar
• 250 ml milk
• 3 egg yolks
• 1/2 tsp vanilla essence

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees celsius 
2. Put the sugar, butter and cheese into the bow of an electric mixer and beat until light and fluffy. Reduce the speed and add the egg, then the egg whites. 
3. Turn off the machine and remove the bowl and stir in the cream and then fold in the flour to make a smooth paste. Fold in the apple slices. 
4. Pour into a greased 23 spring-form tin and cook for 50-60 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. 
5. Make the creme anglaise by whisking the sugar, milk and vanilla essence well. Cook in the microwave on high for 2 mins. Remove and whisk, then cook for another minute. 
6. Whisk again - by now you should be able to see some bubbling around the side of the container - whisk well and return to the microwave. Cook at 30 second intervals until the sauce has thickened and repeat until done. This sauce does not go really thick. Stir to cool.
7. Remove the cake from the tin after it has cooled in it for 5 minutes. Slice and serve with the creme anglaise poured over. 

Hope you try and enjoy 

XXX

warning: highly addictive....

Flourless Chocolate Cake, recipe by Sophie Dahl


Ingredients:

• Butter for greasing
• 300g broken dark chocolate
• 225g caster sugar
• 180ml boiling water
• 225g salted butter, cubed
• 6 eggs, separated
• 1 tsp instant coffee powder
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract

To top:

• Berries (choose your favourite - raspberries, blackberries, blueberries etc.)
• 200ml of crème fraiche

Method:

1. Grease and line the base of a solid-bottomed 23cm/9inch round cake tin (a springform is best)
2. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/Gas 4
3. In a food processor pulse the chocolate and sugar until fine. Add the boiling water, butter, egg yolks, coffee powder and vanilla extract and pulse some more until combined. 
4. In a bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff and then fold them into the chocolate mixture
5. Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake in the hot oven for about 45 – 55 minutes. Remember, don't worry if cracks appear.
6. After you take the cake out of the oven it will collapse into itself quite a bit. This is ok – its not meant to be a proud cool cake, its meant to be slightly rough around the edges and the crème fraiche and berries will hid any dips and cracksLet the cake cool, then put it in the fridge for a few hours. When you are ready to serve, remove from the tin, smother the top in crème fraiche, then raspberries, strawberries and redcurrants (or blueberries, blackcurrants and blackberries). You can also grate some more chocolate on top or dust some icing sugar

and just remember, everything in moderation.....including moderation