Paneer with Peas and Zucchini

Ingredients:
400g Paneer (Indian cheese)
2 Tbs plain flour
60ml veg oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp ginger, minced
2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp cumin seeds
4 fresh tomatoes, skin removed and chopped
1 cup water
150g frozen peas
1 large (400g) zucchini, cut into 2cm squares
salt to taste
2 Tbs fresh coriander, chopped

Method:

Cut paneer into 2cm squares then toss in the flour and fry until golden brown on all sides.
Drain on paper towel.
In same pot cook the onion until golden then add the garlic and ginger and cook for 2 mins.
Add the ground coriander,chilli, paprika, turmeric, garam masala and cumin seeds and cook until fragrant.
Add the tomatoes and water and cook until tomatoes break down a little.
Add the peas, zucchini and paneer and cook covered until zucchini is tender.
Add salt to taste and stir in the freshly chopped coriander.
Serve with rice and great with dhal.

Serves 4

Lady Grey Biscuits

Ingredients:

1/4 cup boiling water
2 Lady Grey teabags
115g butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 cups plain flour
1/2 tsp grated lemon peel
icing sugar to dust

Method:

Soak Lady Grey teabags in boiling water for 10mins.
Remove teabags and reserve tea concentrate-you will need 1Tbs of concentrate, you may need to squeeze the teabags to get enough of the liquid.
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Beat in the egg and grated lemon peel and stir until combined.
Stir in the baking powder and flour and mix until combined.
Roll dough in Gladwrap to make a sausage shape and place in fridge overnight.
The next day pre-heat oven to 180 degrees.
Slice the biscuit dough into approx 3/4cm thick slices and place on greased oven trays.
Bake for approx 15-20 mins or until lightly golden.
Once cooled dust with icing sugar.

Makes approx 22

*enjoy with a nice cup of Lady Grey tea!

South Indian Green Beans

Ingredients:

500g green beans, cut into 4cm pieces
1/4 cup water
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp black mustard seeds
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp salt (or to taste)
4 curry leaves
1 Tbs oil
1/2 cup dessicated coconut

Method:
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large pan.
Add the garlic and mustard seeds until they make a popping sound.
Add the turmeric, cumin, coriander, and curry leaves.
Fry spices until they become aromatic.
Add the green beans and the water and cook on low heat for about 5 mins or until beans are cooked.
Add salt and dessicated coconut and stir until combined.

Serves 4 as a side

Vietnamese/Thai inspired Green Apple Salad

Ingredients:

1 large or 2 small Granny Smith apples, cut into thin match sticks
1 tsp palm sugar, grated
2 Tbs water
2 tsp fish sauce
1 red chilli, chopped
1 clove garlic, squashed
3 tsp lime juice
4 tsp fresh corriander, chopped
2 spring onions, sliced
2 Tbs chopped, salted peanuts, toasted

Method:

Mix together palm sugar, water, fish sauce, chilli and garlic and heat in microwave until boiling.
Place in fridge to cool then remove the garlic and stir in the lime juice.
In a bowl mix together Granny Smith apples, corriander and spring onions then mix in the dressing.
Garnish with the chopped peanuts.

Serves 4

Chinese Inspired Steamed Silver Whiting

Ingredients:

500g cleaned Silver Whiting
2 Tbs fresh ginger, cut into thin match sticks
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 spring onions, finely sliced
2 Tbs fresh corriander, chopped
1/2 cup water
2 tsp oyster sauce
1 tsp sesame oil

Method:

Place half of the ginger, garlic, spring onions and corriander inside the cavity of the fish.
Place the fish on a plate that is suitable to fit into a bamboo steamer.
Sprinkle the reserved ginger, garlic, spring onions and corriander on top of the fish.
Mix together the water, oyster sauce and sesame oil and pour over the fish.
Steam for 5 mins or until cooked through.

Serves 4

Crispy Coconut Prawns with Mango Coriander Dipping Sauce

Ingredients:

FOR THE PRAWNS:
500g green prawns
1/4 cup self-raising flour
3 tsp cornflour
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp chilli powder
few turns of pepper mill
salt
1/3 cup chilled beer
1 egg white
1/2 cup dessicated coconut
oil for deep-frying

FOR THE SAUCE:

1/3 cup natural yoghurt
1 clove garlic, squashed a little (you will remove this as its just to flavour)
1 small mango, pureed
2 tsp fish sauce
1 Tbs lemon or lime juice (or more to taste)
1 Tbs chopped fresh coriander leaves

Method:
Mix all sauce ingredients together and place in fridge.
Shell and de-vein the prawns-leaving tails intact if desired for a prettier effect.
Combine the self-raising flour, cornflour, ground corriander, chilli powder, pepper and salt.
Using a hand whisk gradually whisk in the egg white and beer making a smooth batter.
Dip the prawns into the batter one at a time shaking off any excess then toss in the dessicated coconut.
Deep fry 5 or 6 at a time for about 1 minute or until golden.
Drain on paper towel.
Remove the squashed garlic from the sauce.
Serve the prawns with the sauce.

 Serves 4 as an entree

Rachel's German Cabbage Rolls

Ingredients

FOR THE CABBAGE ROLLS:               

1 whole cabbage                                             

1kg minced beef                                                 

1 cup raw rice                                    

1 egg                                                 

1 onion chopped                                  

parsley                                               

salt & pepper

FOR THE SAUCE:  

3/4 bottle tomato puree

2 Tbs sugar

5 cups water

1 cup white vinegar

4 Tbs Vegeta

1 heaped Tbs cornflour mixed with a little water       
              

Method:

Cook rice.

Blanche the cabbage leaves until pliable (or if the cabbage is small blanche the whole cabbage) then drain and allow to cool..

Cut hard bottom rib from cabbage.

Combine the mince beef, cooked rice, egg, onion, parsley, salt and pepper.

Divide mixture into 12 portions, then roll each portion into a cabbage leaf or two if the leaves are small and place into a tray deep enough to hold them.

Keep spare cabbage leaves (cooked) to place under the cabbage rolls in the tray to prevent burning or sticking of cabbage rolls.

Make the sauce by mixing all the ingredients together and boiling to dissolve the sugar and thicken slightly.

Pour sauce over the cabbage rolls and bake covered in moderate oven (180 degrees) for 2 hours.

Serve with boiled potatoes or German noodles (Spatzle)

Makes approx 12 Cabbage Rolls

Hazelnut and Almond Continental Biscuits

This recipe is adapted from a Womens Weekly Cookbook-I have made it more decadent.

Ingredients:

FOR THE BISCUIT:

150 g hazelnut meal

190 g almond meal

1/4 cup plain flour

3/4 cup caster sugar

3 egg whites

FOR THE GANACHE:

75 g dark eating chocolate

1/8 cup cream

1 Tbs butter

1 Tbs Frangelico

75 g dark eating chocolate

15 g copha

30 g white eating chocolate

7 g copha

Method:

Mix together hazelnut meal, almond meal and flour in a bowl.

In a separate bowl beat egg whites until stiff peaks form then add the caster sugar and continue to beat

for approx 3 mins or until sugar has dissolved.

Carefully fold in the nut mixture then shape level tablespoons of mixture into balls and flatten slightly.

Bake in oven 160 degrees for 15 mins or until lightly golden.

Cool.

To Make the Ganache heat the cream and butter until bubbly then add the chocolate and stir until it has all melted.

Add the Frangelico and stir.

Allow to cool and whip until a paler colour.

Spread a good amount of the ganache on one biscuit and sandwich together with another.

Melt the dark chocolate and copha and dip half the biscuit in the melted chocolate.

Place on foiled trays and allow to set.

Melt the white chocolate and copha and drizzle lines across the biscuit.

Allow to set.

Makes 16 complete biscuits

Rachel's Wagon Wheels

This is my attempt at a Wagon Wheel, to be honest, nothing like it but delicious all the same!


Ingredients:

For the Biscuit:

60g butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 Tbs custard powder

2/3 cup plain flour

2/3 cup self-raising flour

 

For the marshmallow:

1 Tbs gelatine

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup water

1 tsp vanilla essence

 

1/4 cup raspberry jam, warmed and strained to remove seeds

120g dark chocolate

 

Method:

For the Biscuit:

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and creamy.

Add egg and vanilla and beat until combined.

Fold in the custard powder and flours.

Knead gently until smooth.

Roll out the dough to 4mm thick and using a 5cm circle cutter cut out rounds.

Bake in pre-heated oven 180 degrees for 12 mins or until golden.

Cool on wire rack.

 

For the marshmallow:

Combine gelatine, sugar and water in a saucepan and stir over heat until sugar and gelatine has dissolved.

Bring to the boil and boil gently, uncovered and without stirring for 6 mins.

Pour into small bowl and allow to cool to lukewarm.

Add vanilla and beat with electric beater until thick and creamy.

 

To assemble the Biscuits:

Spread one half of the biscuit with some of the strained jam and the other side with the marshmallow mixture.

Sandwich together and top with melted chocolate.

 

Makes approx 15 complete biscuits

 

Chocolate Shortbread Snowflakes

Ingredients:

250g butter

1 cup icing sugar

1 1/4 cups plain flour

1/2 cup rice flour

1/4 cocoa powder

60g dark choc chips (optional)

icing sugar for sprinkling

Method:

Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Stir in the sifted flours and cocoa in two batches.

Knead on floured surface until smooth.

Roll dough between baking paper until 1cm thick and refrigerate for 30 mins.

Preheat oven to 160 degrees and grease two baking sheets.

Cut snowflakes from dough and place 4cm apart on trays.

Decorate each point on snowflake with a choc chip (if desired).

Bake for about 20 mins and cool on trays.

Dust with icing.

Makes about 25

Peanut Butter, Choc-chip Cookies

Ingredients:

125g peanut butter (I prefer crunchy)

100g butter

3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1tsp vanilla

1 egg

1 egg yolk

2 cups self-raising flour

230g bag of choc chips

1/2 cup chopped peanuts

 

Method:

Cream butter, peanut butter, vanilla and sugar together.

Add lightly beaten egg and egg yolk.

Mix in choc chips and peanuts then flour.

Shape heaped teaspoons of mixture into balls and flatten slightly with fork.

Bake in oven 180 degrees for 10-12mins.

 

makes approx 45

 

German Black Forrest Cake

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

3 cups self-raising flour

1/2 cup cocoa

1 cup milk

pinch salt

 

For the Mousse:

150g good quality dark eating chocolate

3 eggs, separated

1 Tbs brandy

2 Tbs sugar

 

425g can stoneless black cherries, drained & cherries halved

1/4 cup brandy

3 tsp cornflour

 

300ml cream, whipped

3 glace cherries, halved, to decorate

chocolate, to decorate

 

Method:

For the Cake:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

Grease and line a deep 20cm round cake pan.

Cream the butter and sugar until light and creamy.

Add eggs, one at a time and beat until combined.

Add sifted cocoa and salt and mix until combined.

Add sifted flour and milk and mix alternately until combined.

Place mixture into prepared cake tin and bake for approx 1 hour or until skewer comes out clean.

When cool slice top off cake to level it.

Slice the cake into 3 layers.

 

For the Mousse:

Melt chocolate in microwave in short bursts and stir until melted, cool a little.

Beat the egg yolks and brandy with a fork.

Using an electric beater beat egg whites until firm peaks form then add the sugar and continue beating for a further min.

Stir in the egg yolk mixture into the cooled melted chocolate.

With a metal spoon stir in 1/3 of the egg white mixture into the chocolate/egg yolk mixture. (this will lighten the mixture to make it easier to fold in the rest of the egg white)

Fold in the remaining egg white and transfer into a bowl and refrigerate for 2 hours.

 

Drain the cherries, reserving liquid.

Mix the cornflour with a little of the cherry syrup to make a paste then add more of the cherry syrup to make up to 200ml.

Cook in microwave until thickened then cool.

Add any remaining cherry syrup with the brandy and brush all over the layers of the cake.

Place one layer of the cake on a plate and evenly spread the chocolate mousse.

Place another layer of the cake on the mousse and top with the drained, halved cherries.

Pour on the cooled cherry syrup mixture then top with final layer of cake.

Place in fridge for about 1 hour to allow all layers to set.

 

Finish decorating the cake by spreading whipped cream all over the top and sides, completely covering.

Decorate with chocolate (I used a bag of 'Cadbury' flake) all around the sides of the cake and pipe 6 small rosettes on top of cake and place halved glace cherries on top.

 

 

Cherry Ripe Slice

I made this for one of my girlfriends who loves Cherry Ripe. She told me about a recipe she saw for Cherry Ripe slice but was unable to find it anywhere. So I searched my plethora of cookbooks but nothing excited me so off a-Googling I went. I found this recipe on a Bloggers site (Marcellina in Cucina) and haven't looked back. My girlfriend who I baked this for and the Blog where I got this recipe from are the reason why I have now set up my Blog!



Ingredients:
BASE:
1 cup self raising flour
1 tablespoon cocoa
1/3 cup sugar
125g butter, melted
100g chocolate ripple biscuits, crushed finely

COCONUT FILLING:
1 1/2 cup dessiccated coconut
1 tin condensed milk
200g glace cherries, chopped
few drops of red food colour

CHOCOLATE TOPPING:
150g dark chocolate
30g copha
white chocolate to drizzle

Method:
Preheat over 180C. Line a 20cm x 30cm baking pan.
Mix ingredients for base and press into prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes.

For the coconut filling, mix together coconut, condensed milk, cherries and food colour. 

Spread evenly over base and return to oven for a further 15 minutes.

Melt chocolate and copha and spread over cooled slice.

For a decorative effect, drizzle with white chocolate

Cut into triangles when the chocolate is set.

Cappuccino Slice

Ingredients:

BASE-

2 Crushed Weet-Bix

3/4 cup self raising flour

1/2 cup coconut

1/4 cup brown sugar

60 g dark chocolate, grated

100 g melted butter

1 egg

COFFEE LAYER-

1 Tbs instant coffee dissolved in 50ml boiling water

50ml milk

100g cream cheese, softened

1 can condensed milk

2 1/2 tsp gelatine dissolved in 2 tbs boiling water

1/2 cup cream, whipped to soft peaks

MARSHMALLOW LAYER-

1 Tbs gelatine

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup water

1 tsp vanilla essence

1/2 tsp natural strawberry essence

cocoa to dust

Method:

BASE-

Grease  and line with baking paper a 19cm x 29cm lamington pan.

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.

Press over lamington pan and bake for 15 mins in 180 degrees oven.

COFFEE LAYER-

Beat together dissolved coffee, milk and softened cream cheese then beat in condensed milk and lemon juice.

If lumpy push through seive then stir in gelatine/water mixture.

Fold through cream and pour on top of chocolate base.

Place in fridge until firm.

MARSHMALLOW LAYER-

Combine gelatine, sugar and water in a saucepan and stir continually until sugar has dissolved.

Bring to boil and boil on a low heat, uncovered and without stirring for 5 mins.

Remove from heat and pour into a small bowl and cool till lukewarm.

Add  the vanilla and strawberry essence and beat with electric beater until thick and creamy.

Pour onto cheesecake layer and place in fridge until set.

Sprinkle with sifted cocoa powder

Mango Mousse Gateau

Ingredients:

185g butter

1tsp vanilla extract

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

2 cups self-raising flour

1/2 cup buttermilk

 

For the Mousse:

125g block Philadelphia cream cheese

1/2 can Condensed milk

200g mango, pureed

2 1/4 tsp gelatine dissolved in 1 Tbs boiling water

1/4 cup cream, whipped to soft peaks

 

For the Jelly Topping:

3/4 cup pureed mango

1 Tbs icing sugar

1 1/4 tsp gelatine dissolved in 1 Tbs boiling water

 

cream, dessicated toasted coconut and mango slices

 

Method:

Using an electric mixer beat the butter, vanilla and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition.

Stir in sifted flour and buttermilk and stir until combined.

Bake at 180 degrees for 60 mins or until cooked through.

Once cool remove the middle of the cake leaving a 2cm ring of cake.

Cut the base of the cake to 2cm and place into the cake ring.

Cut another two 2cm layers of the cake.

 

For the mousse, beat the cream cheese until light then add the condensed milk and beat until combined.

Add the pureed mango and beat until combined.

Add the gelatine mixture and beat until combined.

Fold through the cream.

 

Pour 1/2 mousse mixture into hollowed out cake then top with another layer of cake and the other 1/2 of the mousse mixture and a final layer of cake.

 

Mix together pureed mango and icing sugar until combined then stir in the gelatine mixture.

Evenly spread the mango jelly mixture on top of the last cake layer. Refrigerate until set.

 

Whip the cream and smooth around the cake then sprinkle with toasted dessicated coconut.

Top cake with sliced mango.