Kitchen Therapy

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Melbourne, Movida and Chorizo Bomba

I love Melbourne.
I’m not at all surprised that it’s been voted the world’s most liveable city.
The thought that”s been put into the design, infrastructure and architecture is obvious.
Driving around Melbourne I often hear myself commenting on the thought that has gone into the layout of the city.
Comments that seem alien to my own ears.
I mean, since when do I notice a city’s infrastructure?!
But that’s my point.
Even I notice that Melbourne has a vibe! A feel good vibe!

But for me Melbourne means more than that.
I love Melbourne because it’s where my husband and I go to catch up.

With three children, it can get hard to just finish a conversation.
So Melbourne is where we go a few times a year to catch up and fall in love again.
We only stay for the weekend and that’s enough for us, any longer and we start missing the kids.

The first thing we do when we arrive in Melbourne is head straight to our favourite restaurant.

Movida…

Lunch at Movida’s signals that we are really here!
Just us!
And it’s time to relax, talk, laugh and eat.

I was eager to recreate a bit of the Melbourne vibe back home in Sydney.
I’ve been wanting to try this recipe ever since watching Movida’s owner, Frank Camorra, cook it on television show, Masterchef.

Once I started cooking, the familiar aromas started to fill my kitchen.
Chorizo, sherry, paprika, capsicum…
Oh! It brought back so many wonderful memories!
Melbourne was alive and kicking in my kitchen.

The city….

The views from our hotel room at St Kilda…

I could see it, taste it, hear it and smell it.

All thanks to these little balls of bliss!

BOMBA

(As it appears in the MasterChef book, Volume Two)

150g (1 cup) plain flour
3 eggs, lightly beaten
100g Japanese panko breadcrumbs
Vegetable oil, to deep fry

MOJO PICON SAUCE 
2 large red capsicum
250ml (1 cup) olive oil
1 tbs cumin seeds
1 tbs fennel seeds
1 1/2 tbs sweet paprika
1/2 tsp hot paprika
100ml sherry vinegar
1/2 clove garlic, chopped

POTATO CROQUETTES
5 x 200g desiree potatoes
1 tbs olive oil

CHORIZO FILLING
2 tsp olive oil
1/4 onion, finely diced
1 chorizo sausage, 125g, peeled, crumbled
75ml Fino sherry
1 good pinch sweet paprika
1 small pinch hot paprika

BRAVA SAUCE
1 clove garlic
1 egg yolk
2 tsp Dijon mustard
80ml (1/3 cup) sunflower oil
1 tbs lemon juice
60ml (1/4 cup) tomato sauce
Tabasco sauce, to taste

1. To make mojo picon sauce, preheat oven to 170 degrees celsius. Put capsicums in a small roasting pan. Drizzle with 1 tbs of the olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Roast for 45 minutes or until blistered.

  • Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and leave for 20 minutes or until cool enough to handle. Remove the skin, membrane and seeds and roughly chop flesh.
  •  Meanwhile, roast cumin in a dry frying pan over medium-high heat for 1 minute or until fragrant. Cool slightly. Using a mortar and pestle, grind cumin very finely and strain through a fine sieve. Repeat with fennel seeds.
  • Mix capsicum in a food processor with ground cumin and fennel. Add the sweet and hot paprikas, vinegar, garlic and remaining oil. Puree until smooth,

2. To make potato croquettes, put potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil and cook for 25 minutes or until tender. Drain and peel off skin. Push through a potato ricer into a bowl. Add the olive oil and season to taste. Set aside.

3. To make chorizo filling, heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat and cook onion for 5 minutes or until soft and translucent. Add chorizo and cook for 5 minutes or until browned. Add sherry, bring to a simmer and cook for 1 minute. Add sweet and hot paprika and cook until sherry has evaporated.

  • Cool slightly, then chop coarsely in a food processor. Transfer to a bowl and put in fridge to cool.

4. To make brava sauce, chop garlic with a pinch of sea salt and crush to a smooth paste. Whisk the garlic paste, egg yolk and mustard until well combined. Whisking continuously, gradually add the oil, a drop at a time at first, then in a thin stream until thick and emulsified. Whisk in the lemon juice, tomato sauce and Tabasco and season with sea salt.

5. Roll 2 heaped tbs of the potato into a ball.  Using your index finger, make a small hole in the potato. Fill with 1 tsp of the cooled chorizo filling. Close the potato mixture around the filling and shape into a smooth ball. Repeat with remaining potato and filling.

6. Coat potato balls in seasoned flour and shake off excess. Dip in egg, allowing excess to drain off. Coat well in the panko. Place onto a large plate or tray and refrigerate until ready to cook.

7. To cook, fill a deep fryer or saucepan one-third full with vegetable oil and heat over medium heat to 180 degrees celsius (or until a cube of bread turns golden in 10 seconds). Cook bomba in batches for 4 minutes or until crisp and golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel. Season with salt.

8. To serve, place a small amount of brava sauce onto serving plates and place bomba on top. Drizzle with more brava sauce and top with a little mojo picon. Serve any remaining sauce on the side.

* My only suggestion would be to make half the amount of Mojo Picon Sauce. The above recipe produces a huge amount of sauce!


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Sweet and Salty Layer Cake

Food makes life exciting. An adventure.
There is always something new to try. New tastes, textures, combinations.
Cakes on the other hand, well, they make life worth living.
Dramatic. I know. I don’t care! It’s true.
To me they are work of art.
The different layers, textures, colours, techniques fill me with awe and wonder.
I can look at cake books, cake pics or just hang out at store front windows of great cake shops for ages.
They fascinate me and excite me.
They fill me with are and wonder.
And my favourite of all are the white cakes. They look so incredibly light, fluffy, glossy, heavenly!
Having said that, you can see my cake here is anything but white.
Not sure how that happened?
But I have to say this was an amazing cake to make and eat.

The aromas that filled my kitchen were delicious.
That made me smile and filled me with joy.
It’s as simple as that.
And that’s what makes it all worthwhile.

Being a psychologist I tend to read a lot. Actually being a psychologist has nothing to do with that, I’ve always loved reading. But being a psychologist I tend to read a lot on the certain topics and one of these is the topic of happiness. There are different levels of happiness. There is the happiness that comes from eating a cake, this is temporary and fleeting. And then there is the happiness that comes from making a cake. That’s the happiness that I am talking about here. It’s deliciously satisfying and the sense of accomplishment stays with you forever!

This cake was neither quick nor easy. But that’s what I liked about it. It was a challenge and it kept me engaged.
And that’s where the satisfaction comes from!
The challenge! You can read more about that psych theory here!

 

The recipe follows but nothing beats having the book to lovingly hold and flick through.
Enjoy!

SWEET AND SALTY CAKE

(As it appears in Baked New Frontiers in Baking)

FOR THE CLASSIC CHOCOLATE CAKE LAYERS

3/4 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/4 cups hot water
2/3 cup sour cream
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

FOR THE SALTED CARAMEL 

1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon fleur de sel
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/4 cup sour cream

FOR THE WHIPPED CARAMEL GANACHE FROSTING

1 pound dark chocolate (60 to 70% cacao), chopped
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, soft but cool, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

TO ASSEMBLE THE CAKE

2 teaspoons fleur de sel, plus more for garnish

MAKE THE CLASSIC CHOCOLATE CAKE LAYERS

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter three 8-inch round cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment paper, and butter the parchment. Dust with flour, and knock out the excess flour.

In a medium bowl, combine the cocoa powder, hot water, and sour cream and set aside to cool.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together into a medium bowl and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and shortening on medium speed until ribbonlike, about 5 minutes. Add the sugars and beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, then add the vanilla and beat until incorporated. Scrape down the bowl and mix again for 30 seconds.

Add the flour mixture, alternating with the cocoa mixture, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.

Divide the batter among the prepared pans and smooth the tops. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time, until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean. Transfer the cakes to a wire rack and let cool for 20 minutes. Invert the cakes onto the rack, remove the pans, and let cool completely. Remove the parchment.

MAKE THE SALTED CARAMEL

In a small saucepan, combine the fleur de sel. Bring to a simmer over very low heat until the salt is dissolved.

Meanwhile, keeping a close eye on the cream mixture so it doesn’t burn, in a medium saucepan combine 1/4 cup water, the sugar, and corn syrup, stirring them together carefully so you don’t splash the sides of the pan. Cook over high heat until an instant-read thermometer reads 350 degrees F, or until the mixture is dark amber in colour, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool for 1 minute.

Add the cream mixture to the sugar mixture. Whisk in the sour cream. Let the caramel cool to room temperature, then transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate until you are ready to assemble the cake.

MAKE THE WHIPPED CARAMEL GANACHE FROSTING

Put the chocolate in a large heatproof bowl and set aside.

In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer over very low heat.

Meanwhile, keeping a close eye on the cream so it doesn’t burn, in a medium saucepan combine 1/4 cup water, the sugar, and corn syrup, stirring them together carefully so you don’t splash the sides of the pan. Cook over high heat until an instant-read thermometer reads 350 degrees F, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the caramel cool for 1 minute.

Add the cream to the caramel and stir to combine. Stir slowly for 2 minutes, then pour the caramel over the chocolate. Let the caramel and chocolate sit for 1 minute, then, starting in the center of the bowl, and working your way out to the edges, slowly stir the chocolate and caramel mixture in a circle until the chocolate is completely melted. Let the mixture cool, then transfer it to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.

Mix on low speed until the bowl feels cool to the touch. Increase the speed to medium-high and gradually add the butter, beating until thoroughly incorporated. Scape down the bowl and beat on high speed until the mixture is fluffy.

ASSEMBLE THE CAKE

Place one cake layer on a serving platter. Spread 1/4 cup of the caramel over the top. Let the caramel soak into the cake, then spread 3/4 cup of the ganache frosting over the caramel. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of the fleur de sel over the frosting, then top with e second cake layer. Spread with caramel frosting and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the fleur de sel. Then top with the third layer. Spread with caramel. Crumb coat the cake and put the cake in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to firm up the frosting. Frost the sides and top with the remaining frosting. Garnish with a sprinkle of fleur de sel.

This cake will keep beautifully in a cake saver at room temperature (cool and humidity free) for up to 3 days. If your room is not cool, place the cake in a cake saver and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Remove the cake from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for at least 3 hours before serving.


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Summer Melon Berry Soup

We just returned from perfect winter weather in Queensland to cold, cloudy days in Sydney.
We spent a week here…

So to return to the 15 to 16 degree celsius weather in Sydney was a bit of shock.
This week’s recipe though kept the summer feeling alive.

Dorie’s Cold Melon Berry Soup was simple, light and refreshing.

I must say, I prefer the melon just cut into pieces. Natural.
Drinking rockmelon (sorry cantaloupe!) was not my thing.
I think my husband thought the same, the rockmelon balls were his favourite thing.

But it looked great and definitely created an atmosphere of summer on a cold, rainy, Sydney day!

Please visit French Fridays with Dorie and check out what others thought of this week’s ‘Around My French Table’ recipe.


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Chunky Beets and Icy Red Onions with Goat Cheese, Rocket and Tomatoes

This was the best salad I have eaten in a long time!
I wasn’t keen to begin with.
In fact, if I wasn’t part of the French Fridays with Dorie group, I would not have even paused at this page.
But I am sooo glad I did!

I had no idea that placing a sliced onion into a bowl of cold water and refrigerating it, would make it so crispy and crunchy!
The vinaigrette of Dijon mustard, honey, sherry vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper elevated the taste of the entire dish.
The assembly was the simplest and best part though!
I just had to scatter the leaves of rocket (and I had spinach as well). Sprinkle the cherry tomatoes. Layer the cooked beets that were chilling in the refrigerator with the vinaigrette. Crumb over some goat’s cheese and top with the icy red onions.

I served mine with chicken coated in panko breadcrumbs…

The combination was honestly unbeatable!
I’ll definitely make this again!
Can’t wait to see what everyone else at French Fridays with Dorie thought of this week’s recipe and what they served it with!


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Strawberry, Tomato and Mozzarella Salad

It’s winter in Australia. And I have to tell you, until I joined French Fridays with Dorie, I didn’t really appreciate what winter meant! This is where we spend our winters…

Manly beach…

I took these last weekend.

I’ve alway declared to everyone and anyone that I prefer winter! But for us, winter means pretty much everything we do in summer minus the swimming.
I had no idea what a real winter was until I joined French Fridays with Dorie and began reading blogs from all around the globe. My goodness I was naive!
The snow and freezing temps were no longer limited to television. I was reading about real people living in these conditions and the impact of the weather on their daily lives and activities. I was also looking at the most exquisite and perfect photos of snow! My goodness the stuff is gorgeous!

We don’t see much of it around here. It’s a real shame!

On the upside though, we get to enjoy salads like this year round…

Dorie’s Mozzarella, Tomato and Strawberry Salad.

I made just enough for one.
Partly because I was hesitant about combining strawberries and tomatoes. And then seasoning with salt and pepper.
Mostly because I was home alone for lunch, a rare ocurance!

So I chopped up 4 strawberries, 4 tomatoes, seasoned them with salt and pepper and served them next to a couple of slices of mozzarella, lightly drizzled with olive oil. I topped the lot with 4 shredded leaves of basil and a few crushed pink peppercorns (okay, I didn’t have the peppercorns) but it still tasted absolutely amazing!

Sweet, juicy, tangy, fresh and totally satisfying! Really enjoyed it and will make it again (with the pink peppercorns next time)

Check out what others thought of and did with, this week’s French Fridays with Dorie recipe.


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Chocolate sour cherry biscuits

 You know how sometimes we see ourselves a certain way, but when we tell others, they look at you with that “you’re kidding yourself” look? Well I usually manage this with my own “you don’t what you’re talking about” look as I turn (and in my mind) graciously walk away.

And it’s worked beautifully. Until recently.

I think it’s the kid’s fault.

I find things I say to them come back to haunt me at the most inconvenient times. Things like focus, sit still, pay attention. All things, that I now realise, I struggle with on a daily basis! For a while,  I was convinced I had some form of adult-onselt undiagnosed ADD. There was no way I could pull off what I was asking the kids to do! I get up and start walking around any chance I get. I start something and half way through it I decide to do a load of laundry. My saving grace is that I don’t stop until I’ve  finished all my half started jobs. So at the end of the day, what looks like chaos, somehow manages to come together in an efficient  climax!

I realised however that my attention span issues were across the board. 
Especially when it came to food.
I have never been able to eat too much of anything.
I get bored.
But alternate tastes between salty, sweet, sour and spicy and I can pick  for hours! Like dipping salty, sesame pretzel sticks into Nutella. Best ever!
Or black forest cake, the sour cherries cut through the chocolatey sweetness perfectly!
And while I am not much of a biscuit fan, the idea of black forest biscuit caught my attenion. 
 

The recipe came from a new book I had recently bought, ‘Bourke Street Bakery – the ultimate baking companion’. And my goodness these were good! The burst of sourness in all that sweetness kept me coming back for more. 
The recipe is exactly as it appears in the book but I doubled the amount of cherries in my version.

Chocolate and Sour Cherry Biscuits
(Bourke Street Bakery)

235g dark chocolate
150g plain flour
40g unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
100g unsalted butter
240g soft brown sugar
2 eggs
85g dried sour cherries

Preheat oven to 165 degrees celsius.
Put chocolate in a stainless steel bowl and set over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure the base of the bowl does not touch the water.
Allow the water in the saucepan to boil for 2 mins then turn off the heat and stir the chocolate while it slowly melts.
Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt into a bowl.
Put the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk on medium speed until pale and creamy.
Add the eggs, one at a time, making sure each is incorporated before adding more. Add the dry ingredients in three batches, mixing well after each addition, then add the melted chocolate and mix until well combined.
Remove the bowl from the mixer, then fold through the dried sour cherries. The mix can become quite sticky, so you may need to refrigerate it for 15 minutes before shaping the biscuits. Take 3 tablespoons of mixture at a time and roll into even-sized balls – you should make about 12 balls in total. Place the balls on baking trays lined with baking paper, allowing room for them to spread. Refrigerate for a further 30 minutes, or until firm. Bake in batches, for 15-20 minutes each, or until risen and quite cracked on top. Cool on the trays and eat, or store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.


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Roasted Rhubarb and Vanilla Rice Pudding

This week’s French Fridays with Dorie recipe was Roasted Rhubarb.

It really doesn’t get easier than this.
Chop up half a kilo of rhubarb and sprinkle half a cup of sugar and the rind of half an orange over it.
Cover with foil and bake at 200 degrees celsius for 15 minutes.
Uncover and bake for a further 5 mins until the syrup bubbles.
That’s it. Simple.
Dorie suggests trying it as soon as possible and adding honey if too sour.
I figured the sweetness of the vanilla rice pudding would work well with the sourness of the rhubarb as it was.

Vanilla Rice Pudding

1 cup Aborio Rice
1 litre milk
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 Vanilla bean, split and only use scraped out seeds

Put all the ingredients in a saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and cook for about 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally until rice is tender.
The Vanilla Rice Pudding was absolutely delicious.
It went really well with the tartness of the roasted rhubarb.

Best of all, I was able to share the evening with my parents. The last time  my dad was over for dinner was September 2010. November 18th he had a stroke and a heart attack that he was not expected to survive. Over four months in hospital and lots and lots of rehab later, he is finally back home. It was great hearing his stories of how they make rice pudding in Serbia. He had fond memories of it topped with cream and meringue. Sounded great but figured it best to give it a skip unless I wanted him back in hospital with another stroke!

That’s what I love about food. It brings us together and creates happy times and great memories.

For more stories and roasted rhubarb recipes head over to French Fridays with Dorie.


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Cardamom Rice Pilaf

This week’s French Fridays with Dorie was Cardamom Rice Pilaf.

I have never used cardamom before.
I bruised the 7 pods like Dorie said and inside were little seeds!
The smell was familiar.
I threw them into saucepan with olive oil and a finely chopped onion. A few minutes later, as the onion turned a translucent shade, I added the Basmati rice, two cups of vegetable stock and a bit of grated lemon rind. About 10 minutes later the water was absorbed and the rice was ready. My 10 year old said it was “the best rice he had ever eaten!”
I served it with broccolini and teriyaki chicken.
It was an incredibly easy and satisfying meal.


And the kids actually asked if they could have the leftovers for  their school lunch the next day!

We really enjoyed last week’s recipe as well but my little helper was in hospital getting his tonsils and adenoids out so didn’t get around to posting it!

But it was well worth it, he’s finally sleeping through the night.
He can now sleep flat on his back without any gurgling noises!

Can’t wait to get back to the French Fridays with Dorie website to check out what others did with this week’s and last week’s recipe!


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Quiches and Tarts – and everything in between!

It has been another busy week.
At home there’s school, soccer, band, karate, dancing, netball, get togethers, parties, homework, assignments, fights, tears… mostly mine!

Netball Gala Day to raise money for Cancer Research

Band Workshop

Helping out at school

At work there’s more tears, lots of them, but at least there the tears are from clients trying to cope with their own lives.

In all the madness I tried to foster a sense of control so I went on a cleaning and purging binge!
I cleaned everything! Including my iphone… and all the photos… including the one’s of this week’s recipe.

Probably how I looked when I realised I wiped the photos!
(Don’t you love the pics the kids think are hilarious to take!)

Anyway…

I can tell you Dorie’s Spinach and Bacon Quiche was amazing.
Everyone loved it, from the 3 year old to my 70 year old dad.
Absolutely amazing!
To see actual photos of Dorie’s Spinach and Bacon Quiche from the talented French Fridays with Dorie cooks, click here. 

I made this quiche on the weekend, so I was going to be really good (after missing last week’s recipe) and get my post ready nice and early.
When I discovered I’d wiped my photos I was bummed but ready to make another quiche.
Everyone loved it after all…
But then, as I was flicking through my copy of Around My French Table, I noticed the recipe for Gerard’s Mustard Tart.
I joined after the group made this and I happen to love mustard so I thought I’d make this instead.

Dorie uses the same tart dough recipe for both recipes and I had my trusty sidekick helping…

The dough is so easy to make…

The filling for both quiches was even easier to prepare…

As I said I love mustard.
I also love leeks and pasty.
The taste was unusual and unfamiliar, but in a good way.
It left us with a quizzical but appreciative look on our faces.
I definitely recommend stepping out of the familiar and giving this tart a go.
And the spinach and bacon quiche will definitely be made again and again!

A very comprehensive and detailed recipe of Dorie Greenspan’s mustard tart can be found here. 


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An English Street Party!

It’s an English, royal wedding, street party at Forever Nigella and this month’s challege is hosted by Mardi at EatLiveTravelWrite!

I bought a new toy and I wanted to use it!

I have never used an icing/decorating/whatever it’s called gun.
I was excited!
I pulled out my favourite Nigella book,
‘How To Be a Domestic Goddess – Baking and the Art of Comfort Cooking’.
Just holding this book in my hands fills my stomach with butterflies of anticipation!

I chose Nigella’s basic cupcake recipe and trimmed the peaks ready for icing…


I ate every one of those gorgeous, sweet, crusty tips.

Then I made Nigella’s recipe for butter icing I found further into the book.
The kids and I had so much fun colouring the frosting.
We were going for the red, white and blue of the English flag!

My 3 year old and 10 year old boys decorated these cupcakes with me!
They were excited we were using a ‘gun’ and who cares if it shoots frosting!
We had a blast!

We ate a lot of frosting as we worked!

 And we were pretty impressed with our artwork!
We decided we would be proud to take our final product to any street party!
And I just want to add, that the cupcake and the icing on their own were great to eat.
However when the two were combined it was THE BEST!