Ambrosia Cake Recipe

Have you ever heard of an Ambrosia cake? If yes, then what's the cake like?

It seems that there is no one single Ambrosia cake. When googling 'ambrosia cake', the Internet search engine returns a number of recipes that seem to contain oranges in one form or another. This version is a Finnish recipe, known as 'Ambrosiakakku'. It's a simple sugar cake that goes well with a cup of tea. Most of the Finnish recipes only use candied orange peel to garnish and juice to make the glaze. I've also added grated orange zest to the cake batter to make the cake even more fragrant and tasty.

Ambrosia Cake
(Ambroosiakook)

Serves 8 to 10

150 g unsalted butter, melted
3 large eggs
200 g caster sugar
115 g plain/all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
grated zest of 1 orange

To glaze:
100 g confectioners/icing sugar
2 to 3 Tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice

To garnish:
candied orange peel

Whisk eggs and sugar into a thick, pale foam. Add grated orange zest, slightly cooled melted butter, and baking powder mixed with flour.
Pour the batter into a 24-26 cm buttered springform. Bake in a preheated 180 C oven until the cake is done (test by inserting a wooden toothpick in the middle of the cake - it should come out dry).
Cool, transfer onto a serving tray.
Mix icing sugar and orange juice into a glaze and spoon over the centre of the cake, leaving about an inch from the edges clear.
Garnish with candied orange peel.

back! now with more huevos.

Oh my GAWWWWWWD, you guys- can I just say? CAN I JUST SAY HOW MUCH I LOVE MY LAPTOP? Sorry. A big round of applause for the Geniuses™ who restored my macputa back to its original glory. I got this thing my senior year in college (big upz, pnca!) and used it to write my thesis, and it has been my faithful friend ever since. So, anyway.

RIGHT BEFORE MY COMPUTER DIED, I discovered something glorious. Well, re-discovered?



I know, I know. MORE EGGS. It's no secret that I have a tendency to get stuck on a tangent, and here I am rambling about eggs again. As my husband was teaching me to poach eggs, he kidded that I've been making a lot of egg posts on the ol' food blog, and of course, he was right. But really, what could be more enchanting than the humble egg? All concerns about cholesterol aside, (my backyard chicken farmer friend tells me that homegrown eggs have 1/3 of the cholesterol that store bought eggs have, but I'm way too lazy to look up a source for that. Google it!) eggs are pretty darn healthy. They are a complete protein and even when you buy the fancy cage free ones, they're still cheaper than buying meat.


(Ah, classy breakfast.)

So, my husband taught me how to poach eggs, and ever since, I've been going crazy for them for breakfast. I kind of want to eat one RIGHT NOW, and it's 10 p.m.! Eggs fall into that category of food I'd never eat as a picky little kid, even though I never bothered to try eating them. I didn't even learn to cook them until I was like 20 years old. The first thing I learned to do was make an omelet. Then, just plain scrambled eggs (and on this, my husband and I differ. I like to start with a nice hot pan and a decent amount of oil. He is a low heat egg scrambler and GUESS WHAT? His eggs always stick to the damn pan. Mine don't. Just sayin'). I still haven't mastered the fried egg, but now that I can poach an egg, I don't know if I care enough to learn.



Speaking of being a picky little kid, well into adulthood (like, up until my 23rd birthday when I had some pasta with raw egg yolk sitting on top and fell in love) I despised the runny yolk. I know that a lot of people are grossed out by it, and to them I can only say STOP BEING SUCH A BABY! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT THE HECK YOU ARE MISSING. The velvety texture of poached egg white with the rich, buttery goodness of the runny yolk on some crusty bread- oh, lord. I can't wait until breakfast.

I don't think I need to post a "recipe" for poaching eggs, but our method is nothing new. Just bring some water with a splash of white wine vinegar & a pinch of salt to a medium-low boil. "Tiny bubbles!" Thanks for your input, Jason. Crack an egg on the side of a bowl so that there is a nice large crack, and then gingerly dump it into the water, trying to keep it all in one piece. Cover for a minute or two, but remove the lid if it begins to bubble over. After a few moments, remove the lid and keep an eye on the white of the egg. When it looks opaque all the way through, remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate. I like to pull mine when they seem just barely cooked, and then let them rest for a bit on the plate, because they will continue to cook after you remove them from the hot water.

Nonna's Gourmet Sausages, Brookvale

EDIT 11/08/10: Please note that Nonna's Gourmet Sausages have now moved from Chipping Norton to Brookvale. See the end of this post for updated address details. [Video notes: I originally edited this video to a soundtrack of Frank Sinatra's "I've Got You Under My Skin" - appropriate, no? Sadly, YouTube wouldn't allow this track due to copyright reasons, so I had to substitute an alternate song

Silky Onion Soup with Crispy Croutons

I'm definitely on the "Take Five Ingredients" mood these days. Cooking with a small baby is possible, of course, but I haven't got the time or energy to think up elaborate menus and spend hours in front of the hob these days. Nor do I want it, to be honest. Simple, comforting, delicious dishes are much more attractive - and feasible - at the moment.

Here's a very simple and delicious and comforting soup recipe for these cold wintry nights. (Yes, there's still snow out here, even if the days have got a lot longer and there's definitely spring in the air during the daytime).

Silky Onion Soup
(Sametine sibulasupp)
Serves 4

50 g butter
500 g onions
2 tsp sugar
1 l / 4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
200 ml (just under a cup) whipping cream
1 to 2 Tbsp plain/all-purpose flour
salt and white pepper, to taste

For garnish:
crispy croutons
grated hard cheese
fresh chives, chopped

Peel the onions, halve and cut into slices.
Heat a heavy saucepan and melt the butter in the pan. Add onion slices and sauté on a low heat for 10-15 minutes, until the onions and softened and slightly caramelised. Do not burn them! Add sugar after about 7 minutes, stir.
When onions are softened, then pureé them with an immersion/stick/hand-held blender until smooth. (For an especially smooth result, press the onion pureé through a sieve).
Return the onion pureé into the saucepan, add the stock and bring into a boil.
Mix the flour with the cream and stir into the soup base. Simmer gently until the soup has thickened slightly (the flour does it).
Taste for seasoning, add salt and white pepper, if necessary.
To serve, ladle the soup into warm bowls, scatter over croutons and chopped chives and grate some cheese on top.

downtime.

As I posted on my other blog, 10 dollar drawings, (where you can buy a custom drawing for 10 dollars! You should do it!) my beloved ibook finally crapped out after 5 faithful years of service. It's currently in the hands of a Mac Genius, probably revealing all kinds of embarrassing things about me (like the fact that I never do my software updates even though I know I should) and hopefully being nursed back to health.

This sucks for a number of reasons, but I'm extra antsy because I'm sitting on photos for at least 2 or 3 separate posts that I wanted to put up here, and I don't have the ability to get the photos online for the time being. As it is, I'm checking my email periodically using my husband's crackberry, and occasionally getting 'real' internet access using friends' computers. (Like right now.)

So, things will probably be quiet around here for the next week or so, until my firstborn laptop and i are joyfully reunited.

Check you later, interwebz.

Wagaya, Haymarket Chinatown, Sydney

I like wasabi. I really do. But there's a strange flutter in the stomach when you first come face-to-face with the sushi roulette game at Wagaya in Sydney's Chinatown.With its touch screen menus and ordering system, affordable bite-sized dishes and smart but groovy decor, Wagaya has been an instant hit with diners since its opening late last year. Designed in the style of an izakaya or Japanese

WTISIM .... Pineapple Cake Recipe

Fancy a lactose-free and fat-free cake that's a little bit more interesting than the simple eggs-sugar-flour sponge cake? Well, this might be the answer. There's a large tin of canned pineapple in the cake, which makes it more moist and rich, so it feels like it's made with at least some butter. I must admit I couldn't taste the pineapple in the cake, not even a little, but I still liked the cake. It's covered with a simple cocoa powder glaze, but you could use some of the pineapple syrup from the can to make a white glaze instead..

Pineapple Cake with Cocoa Glaze
(Ananassikook kakaoglasuuriga)
Cuts into 12 slices

3 large eggs
200 g caster sugar
225 g plain/all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
350 g canned crushed pineapple (drained weight, that's one large 580 g can)

Glaze:
150 ml icing sugar
1 Tbsp cocoa powder
2-3 Tbsp water

Drain the canned pineapple, blend the pulp into until smooth.
Whisk the eggs and sugar until thick, pale and foamy. Gently fold in the flour, baking powder and pineapple.
Pour into a buttered or lined 22 cm cake tin.
Bake in the middle of a pre-heated 200 C oven for about 45 minutes, until the cake is risen and light golden (test for doneness with a wooden toothpick).
Take out of the oven and leave to cool in the cake tin for 10 minutes; then trasnfer onto a wire rack to cool completely.

For the glaze, mix all ingredients and smear over the cooled cake.

I'm also submitting this to the 18th round of Waiter there is something in my ... - this time hosted by Andrew of SpittoonExtra, who has chosen pineapple as the theme.

Ching Yip Coffee Lounge, Haymarket Chinatown, Sydney

Hong Kong cheese are the three words that come to mind when describing Ching Yip Coffee Lounge.I mean it figuratively and literally. For where else would you find the happy collision of East meets West in this Hong Kong-style cafe that brings you the culinary delights of spaghetti bolognaise grilled with shredded cheese; spaghetti with ham in white sauce grilled with shredded cheese; and fried

Grab Your Fork on 702AM Sydney

The 702 waiting roomPhew! Live radio is nerve wracking!EDITED 29 OCT 09: If you missed my interview on ABC 702 Weekends this morning, you can listen to the entire segment by clicking play on the embedded video below.




As I entered the studio with fellow guests John Newton and Michelle Cranston, host Simon Marnie leant over to me and said "There's been a lot of interest in your interview by

sandwich.

This afternoon I shared a grilled cheese sandwich with my son for lunch, using some Rogue Creamery white cheddar that my husband brought back up from his business trip the other day.

I don't remember having much cast iron cookware growing up, just an odd assortment of battered pots and pans. My mom did have a huge square frying pan that she used just for making grilled cheese sandwiches, though- I am pretty sure it was cast iron. She'd throw it on the stovetop and make 4 sandwiches at a time (4 kids! Mom, what were you thinking?!) and they were always perfect.

I picked up a small cast iron frying pan for us a couple of years ago from Ikea for like 10 bucks. We don't use it for everything, we have a pretty trusty set of stainless steel pots and pans for everyday use. Mostly, we use it to heat up tortillas for burritos, and occasionally we make AWESOME grilled cheese sandwiches. Thanks, Ikea.

ramen bowls (and chicken stock).

Recently I made a large batch of chicken stock. I have posted about making stocks on a couple occasions, but since we've been making our own stocks a little less than a year now, I feel like we're past the "I wonder how this will turn out?" phase and we've gotten pretty reliable at busting out a good batch when we need to. Our process is pretty simple- rough chop a large bowl of vegetables- carrot, celery, onion, smashed garlic, maybe some shallot. Lightly saute in a huge stock pot, stick a chicken carcass on top, pour in some cold water, bring to a boil then lower the heat to a slow bubble, and skim the whole time- simmering for about 3-4 hours.

(By the way, I know I've pointed this out before, but making our own chicken stock really helps us stay within our grocery budget. Buying 2 large organic chicken breasts costs like 8 bucks or something like that, but 1 whole Draper Valley chicken only costs like 6 or 7 bucks, and you can break it down into portions for several different meals, and then use the carcass for a huge batch of stock, which you can then freeze and save for different meals. It's very economical- I recommend it. And healthier, no high sodium broth to worry about! Maybe someday I'll recruit a filmmaker friend and post a tutorial on how to break down a chicken.)

Of course, every batch has something different. Sometimes we add a parmesan rind, sometimes we roast the chicken first, eat the roasted meat for dinner, and make stock afterward with the browned carcass. This time, I left the onion skins on, hoping for (and getting) a rich dark color.



So, after making what ended up being- actually, I didn't measure. I started with 12 cups of water and I'm guessing I ended up with around 8 or 9 cups of stock. We used it in couscous, a buttery rice pilaf, and these awesome ramen bowls, and we still have a tiny bit left that is reaching "eat it or toss it" land. (Maybe I'll just have another noodle bowl for lunch today.)



I don't eat a lot of ramen, so I'm no expert, but I knew what I was in the mood for and it came out nicely. Inspired by this noodle bowl recipe, I just grilled some sliced vegetables (purple cauliflower, carrot, celery) and set them aside. In a bowl, I layered the grilled vegetables, cooked ramen noodles (from a Top Ramen packet, sans seasoning, haha) some sliced hard boiled egg, and a scattering of fresh cilantro and chopped scallions. Then I poured about a cup of hot broth over the top of each bowl. All I did to the broth was heat it up, and add about 2 tsp. of fish sauce. We didn't have any limes, but we could have used some.



At the table, we seasoned our bowls with soy sauce, sriracha, and a chili pepper blend that they serve with the noodle bowls at a local sushi chain- having a mildly photographic memory is pretty handy when you don't know the name of something but you know exactly what the package looks like. I picked it up at Uwajimaya.

Very tasty, but it could have used some added onion or garlic, in hindsight, either grilled, or sauteed and then added to the broth. We're sort of on a hunt for new dinner staples, and I think this sort of thing will make it onto the list.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

I've always had a bit of fascination with red velvet cake, a traditional Southern American specialty often referred to as "the chocolate cake of the south".The cake is so named because of its incredibly soft texture, the moist crumb arising from the use of buttermilk and its fluffy aeration a result of the buttermilk's reaction with vinegar. Most red velvet cakes use cocoa although there's not an

Broad bean paté

Here's a broad bean paté I made today. K's mum and auntie came for a short visit to check out the baby girl, and I wanted something savoury to nibble (there was a cake as well, of course). I had boiled 500 grams of broad beans yesterday in order to make Egyptian falafels following a recipe by Claudia Roden, but I decided to 'steal' some of the beans and try out a broad bean paté instead. The result was really lovely. Both K's mum and auntie guessed it was made with chicken livers instead - before wolfing down another thin crisp bread spread with this lovely paté.

PS I used unpeeled dried broad beans and didn't peel them after soaking or boiling either.

Broad Bean Paté
( Põldoapasteet )
Makes about a cup

a cup of boiled broad beans, drained thoroughly*
2 Tbsp concentrated tomati paste/tomato purée
2 to 3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp dried basil
a squeeze of lemon juice
salt and freshly ground black pepper

For garnish:
fresh basil

Blend the first five ingredients in a bowl with a hand-held blender into a smooth paste. Season with lemon juice, salt and pepper.
Garnish with a fresh basil leave and serve.

* To boil dried broad beans/fava beans: soak them in cold water for 12-24 hours, then rinse and drain. Place in a saucepan with fresh cold water and bring to the boil. Reduce heat, then simmer on a low heat until soft, but not mushy (about 40 minutes or longer, depending on the age of the beans etc). Do not add salt until the end, as this may extend the cooking period. 

You need about 1/2 cup of dried beans for this amount of broad bean paté. 

SWEETNESS The Patisserie store now open in Epping

SWEET MallowsSWEETNESS The Patisserie opened its new retail store and kitchen in Epping today. Located just up the road from the station, it's a gorgeous site that reflects Gena's commitment to homemade sweets and baking made with heartfelt passion and love.Whilst I haven't had a chance to see the final set-up, I did get a behind-the-scenes tour of the kitchen a few weeks ago, a totally new

How to host your own afternoon tea

Afternoon tea.We'd been meaning to host a girly afternoon tea at my place for some time now, an excuse to cook up all sorts of delicious morsels, and the chance to showcase the gorgeous tea cups I currently have on 'long-term loan' from a friend. I've been collecting all kinds of old-fashioned tiered stands and accoutrements from op-shops over the years as well. It's amazing what you can find in

Ready Made Parathas- ASDA own-brand

I do like a nice paratha. Shana do a very nice frozen version (whichI may review later), but they are incredibly rich and more akin to a lacha paratha, rather than the more bread-like version that I'm familar with.

These fresh Asda parathas seem to have achieved an authentic level of 'dough layering', and are slightly chewy without being too dense and heavy. Ideal for soaking up some dhal or channa masala.
Price: around £0.72 for two
I rate them 8/10.

Umami, Sydney

Sashimi bento box $14.50 (lunch special 11am-4pm) Served with agedashi tofu, croquettes, rice, salad and miso soupI hadn't realised until someone pointed it out reecntly that I tend to feature a lot of Japanese on this blog. It's no surprise, really. I tend to eat a lot of Japanese!When asked my favourite cuisine, I invariably nominate both Japanese and Vietnamese. However unlike Vietnamese

Macarons, made by K.

K made macarons for the New Year's Eve party. We had quite a few friends over for that occasion, and whereas I was mainly in charge of the savoury dishes, K. had (almost) free hands in deciding which sweet dishes to offer. He had wanted to make macarons for ages, so he decided to go ahead.

I must admit that I was a bit hesitant to start with. Macarons, as we all know (or at least that's the feeling I get when reading bloggers who have made them), are a tricky concoction, to say the least. They sound deceptively simple - icing sugar, ground almonds, egg whites - yet there are hundred tricks and insider tips you must know in order to succeed. Also, as you cannot buy ground almonds in Estonia, K. had to grind his own - using our small old coffee grinder - and sieve the meal again and again. Then you had to wait for the egg whites to dry and so on. In the midst of the preparations for a successful New Year's Eve party, our kitchen was a mess - and occupied by him - for much longer than I had ever planned or wanted..

But - his macarons were a success! He made three different types - matcha macarons with dark chocolate ganache, lingonberry macarons (substituting some of the almonds with ground dried lingonberries - that's the Estonian twist) with blackcurrant buttercream a la Pille (aka icing sugar mixed with soft butter and some unsweetened blackcurrant juice), and plain macarons with plain buttercream.

They were beautiful and delicate and very much macaron-like. Loved these!!!

K. wants to thank Kuidaore and Tartelette as well as Melissa for their excellent tips on how to succeed with macarons.




You can see more pictures here.

Makroonide teema Nami-Nami foorumis

miniature crustless quiche.

Well, you probably all remember my post about eggs that my friend gave me. After all the lovely suggestions, I ended up hard boiling all 6 of them and eating them plain with a pinch of salt, haha! (Not all in one sitting, of course.)

But, a funny thing happens when people find out you're kind of a nerd about food, especially home-grown food. People just start GIVING YOU AWESOME STUFF! I remember the same thing happening when I was younger and I began my camera collection- people just started coming out of the woodwork, "Oh, you like old cameras? Here, have this Argus! I've had this Canon in my closet for 15 years, would you like it?" No complaints over here, dudes. So, imagine my delight when my husband handed me an egg carton loaded with half a dozen blue-green eggs, given to him by a coworker.



Just like last time, I was faced with the decision of WHAT TO DO WITH THESE FANCY EGGS? My husband scrambled 2, and ate them for breakfast with my son. The remaining 4 hung out in the fridge for a day or two, until this evening, when I came home from work STARVING. We'd had something else planned for dinner that we didn't get around to prepping for, so I was halfheartedly getting stuff together for some plain pasta when I saw the eggs. I knew I wanted them, but I didn't know what on earth I wanted to do with them. I had a fridge full of food (we do our grocery shopping on the weekends) but nothing specific in mind. I wanted something distinctly eggy, but not too rich or filling. Then, duh- quiche! Except- I was too lazy to make a crust, and I don't have a pie tin. The simple and obvious solution is to grease up my muffin pan and make mini crustless quiches, duh.



I did a quick google search for 'crustless quiche' and snapped up the first recipe I found. All I really wanted to know was how much milk to add and how long to bake it, which ended up being moot, because I used a muffin tin, so the cooking time was pretty much cut in half. Here's what I ended up doing:

4 large eggs (BLUE ONES! BLUE ONES!)
3/4 cup milk
Vegetables! (I had 1 grated carrot,& a handful of chopped purple cauliflower, and some finely chopped fresh spinach)
1 small shallot, minced
1 clove of garlic, minced
handful of chopped fresh parsley
salami cut into small chunks
large handful of grated cheddar
about a tablespoon of flour (Why did I add this? Did it do anything? I don't know.)
salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 350ºf.

Quickly saute grated carrot and cauliflower with shallot & garlic (or like, whatever other vegetables you want/have on hand) until they soften, then set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, fresh parsley, fresh spinach, grated cheddar, and pinch of flour. Season with a small pinch of salt & some fresh cracked pepper.

Grease the bejeesus out of a muffin tin (or use muffin cups, I guess. I didn't have any.) with some butter. In the bottom of each cup, spoon in a small amount of sauteed vegetables. Add a few chunks of salami on top of that. Use a large spoon to drizzle egg mixture over each muffin cup, fill almost to the edge, they won't really puff up.

Bake for about 20 minutes or until firm and puffy. Allow to cool a little before attempting to remove.



I had mine with an english muffin that I grabbed on my way out the door when I left work tonight. The english muffin came from Toast, a cafe near my work that makes all kinds of ABSOLUTELY AMAZING pastries from scratch using local organic blah blah you know the drill. I've been in love with their pastries for ages, and if you're in Portland you should really check it out. Plus they have awesome breakfast and they're just very nice people. Go there! The english muffins are to die for.

Anyway, this was my first attempt at making any kind of quiche all by myself, and I couldn't have been more pleased with the results. This is getting filed away for future use, especially since I often have the crucial ingredients (eggs, milk) on hand, and it's a cheap way to get protein on the table. Plus, it's kind of like breakfast for dinner, which rules.

Taste of Sydney Festival, Centennial Park

"This nipple tastes funny."Oh yes, there was lots of fun and frolic to be had at the inaugural Taste of Sydney festival in Centennial Park. And what's an event without a quotable quote from the always loveable Chocolatesuze. But more on that later.Crown festival currencyAvailable in booklets of 20 crowns ($20) and 30 crowns ($30)I headed to the Taste festival on its opening night, Thursday, along

Making chorizo meatballs with a baby

Me and our little Nora Adeele (32 days old on the photo) making Annemarie's excellent chorizo meatballs.

(Chorizo lihapallid)

Arisun, Haymarket Chinatown

Grilled sausage $12Now I don't mind a hot dog every now and then. There's a bit of guilty childlike pleasure in that fluoro red skin, bouncy fatty "meat and squiggles of tomato sauce and mustard, all encased in a soft squishy bun.Frankfurters belong in buns don't they? It's like their natural housing. Even the Chinese bakeries wrap their frankfurts in sweet baked bread or steamed mantou

butternut squash risotto (and slightly repurposed leftovers).

Well, the other night we were expecting dinner guests, but then our friend got sick, so we made ourselves a fancy dinner instead. We'd planned it in advance, making stock the night before and roasting the squash so it would be ready to go the next day. Butternut squash risotto! This is just a basic risotto recipe, and since I'm not sure offhand what the proportions were, I'm going to quote my previously posted risotto recipe with modifications for how it was made here.

Butternut squash risotto:

3-4 cups homemade vegetable broth (we added a generous pinch of smoked paprika to ours)
about half (use more or less depending on how squash-y you want it to be) of 1 small butternut squash, roasted, peeled, and cubed.
some olive oil
about a tablespoon of butter
1 medium onion, diced
1 small shallot, diced
salt and pepper
3/4 cup (or more) Arborio or Carnaroli rice
1/4 cup (splaaaash) dry white wine
a handful of finely grated parmesan cheese
palmful of finely chopped tarragon leaves
a good sized hunk of gouda, cut into small cubes (surprise!)

1. Bring the broth to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Reduce the heat to low and keep the broth hot.

2. In a large frying pan (one with high sides would work nicely) saute onion and shallot until glassy. Add the rice and stir, allowing the rice to toast and become translucent. Throw in a splash of white wine.

3. Add a small amount of the cubed squash and stir until a puree forms, then add about a cup of stock. Stir continuously, and add more broth in small increments (about half a cup or so) as the rice absorbs the broth. You want most of the broth to be absorbed before you add more stock.

4. When you are down to the last few ladles full of broth, throw in a large handful of parmesan, the cubed squash (you want to have chunks in the finished risotto) and stir in more broth. Season with salt and pepper, chopped tarragon, and remove from heat when the last of the broth is absorbed.

5. Before serving, stir in cubed gouda and sprinkle with a little more parmesan.



Holy crapola, I think it must have been the chunks of gouda that did it for me. We made a huge batch of this (like, probably double the proportions shown above), because I was calling around to see if anyone else wanted to come by and share with us, but it was late and everyone had already eaten or was about to eat. We had a large bowl of leftovers, and what you see here in the pictures isn't actually the dinner we had, but the next day, when I formed the cold leftovers into patties and FRIED THEM. Because the only thing that makes risotto more delicious is FRYING IT. I didn't have any eggs or bread crumbs, or else I'd have stirred in some beaten egg and dipped them in crumbs to make them even more decadent. As it was, the small amount of crisp on the outside of the patties was more than enough to make my lunch delicious.

I posted this recipe based on watching my husband cook from the other room, so I'll check with him and make sure I didn't miss anything, but if you know how to make risotto already, it's as simple as changing around the ingredients. I like to do asparagus risotto, broccoli risotto, anything green, really. It was a nice change to have something so subtle and sweet to pair with the rice, and the hunks of gouda hidden in there were really pleasant.

Chocolate and ginger biscotti

As I get older [sigh], I find my sweet tooth isn't quite what it used to be [shock mingled with relief]. Sure there's still room for a big fat slice of banoffee pie, but I'm also starting to appreciate less sweet desserts, like salted chocolate and cranberry cookies and these chocolate and ginger biscotti.I was a little impatient with this batch, not quite waiting long enough for the baked logs

Regal Restaurant, Haymarket Chinatown

1. Steamed scallops with black bean sauceIf there's one thing I tend to avoid at Chinese restaurants it's the banquet option in the English menu. Often the dishes involve too much batter, bicarb and sugar for my liking, and besides I always think it's much more exciting and rewarding to choose and design your own array of dishes. Usually the bill is cheaper too.But when someone else is paying,

Mango Yogurt Cake Recipe

Here's a cake I made for K's mum's birthday lunch back in January. After the excessive eating during the festive season, I wanted to make something light, low in sugar and still delicious. An experiment with a pure mango pureé resulted in this delicious yogurt cake. Several people have tried this recipe, also posted on my Estonian site, and they've loved it. I used a can of sweetened Alphonso mango pulp by a UK-based East End company (92% mango), but you could use fresh mango pureé or blend some canned mangoes instead.

The cake needs to set for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, so make it on a night before.

Mango Yogurt Cake
(Mangotort)
Serves 10 to 12

Base:
200 g gingerbread cookies or cocoa biscuits, crushed
80 g butter, melted

Mango filling:
500 g good-quality mango pulp
200 g plain yogurt
200 ml whipping cream (35-38% fat content)
2 Tbsp sugar
juice of a large lemon
8 gelatine leaves (or 2 Tbsp gelatine powder)

Garnish:
pistachio nuts, sliced or mint or lemon balm leaves

Mix the finely crushed biscuits with melted butter. Line a 25 cm springform with a parchment paper and press the mixture onto the base. If you want to make sure that the base doesn't crumble at all, you can bake it for 10 minutes in a 200 Celsius oven, then cool completely (I usually skip this step and save electricity :)
Soak the gelatine leaves in a cold water for about 5-10 minutes.
In a large bowl, mix the mango pulp and yogurt.
Heat the lemon juice in a small bowl, adding 2-3 Tbsp hot water. Press the soaked gelatine leaves dry and stir into the hot lemon juice/water mixture. Stir couple of times, until melted. Pour into the mango-yogurt mixture, stirring vigorously.
Whip the cream and sugar until soft peaks form, then fold into the mango mixture.
Spoon the mango filling onto (the pre-baked) cookie base, smooth the top.
Place into the fridge for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
Garnish with something green- pistachio nuts, or perhaps a mint or lemon balm leaves. Cut into fine slices and serve.

prep work.

Tomorrow night we're having dinner guests, so tonight we're roasting some things and making stock. It smells so good in here, I could die. I know everyone loves Summer's baker tat on her knuckles, but if I had to pick a food word to slap on my fingers, I'd be punching air with my MIRE POIX fists. Oh, holy food trinity- carrots, celery, onion. Nothing smells more like home.

Roast Pork, Banoffee Pie and Black Sesame Cupcake Cones: Dinner Party at Mine

Stomach's Eleven were on the move, and this time it was my turn to host our travelling dinner party. I don't naturally like organising, but I do hate being stressed, which is why everyone always laughs when they spot the usual "dinner party to-do schedule" on my fridge. But planning ahead does pay off. It means I can cook certain dishes or elements thereof a few days beforehand, and there's less

Nakashima Japanese Restaurant, The Rocks, Sydney

Tataki $7.90Thinly sliced slightly cooked raw beef with vinegar sauceI kept hearing about Nakashima and its hidden location down an alleyway in The Rocks, and still I would wonder why I had never stumbled across it in all my travels. As I follow Billy up Argyle Street, in search of dinner after the March into Merivale launch party, he makes a sharp left just before the overpass and proceeds up

March Into Merivale Launch Party, The Establishment

Forget busty wenches. The women of Sydney are much more interested in hot naked chefs.With economic doom and gloom reputedly just around the corner, trust Justin Hemmes to use his trademark business nous and marketing panache to create a month-long budget-friendly Food and Wine Festival that spans all nine Merivale restaurants. Convince the head chefs to get naked for an arty photo shoot. Give it

No ordinary steak dinner

Stuffed zucchini flowersSo Pig Flyin' had been gifted with a whole slab of scotch steak by K. He needed a few eaters to help him out, and boy, I always love to help a friend in need.I don't need to remind you that Pig Flyin' knows how to cook. In fact, as the G-man pointed out, Pig Flyin's amazing feasts have only served to make us dinner party snobs - it's increasingly hard to be impressed after

Rosinakissell aka Raisin Fruit Soup

Here's a (old Estonian?) recipe for a simple dessert that costs next to nothing - and is made pretty much out of nothing (raisins, water, sugar). Yet it tastes good..

I vaguely remember it from kindergarten and elementary school lunch breaks, but it had been a looooong time since my last rosinakissell. Until I stayed at the maternity clinic early last month and had to 'feast' on the food that the hospital budget catering had to offer. The desserts were all nursery food and humble, and raisin fruit soup or kissel was served one night. Although the hospital version wasn't the best example of this dessert soup, it still brought back nostalgic food memories. Back home, one of the first dishes I cooked as a young mother, was this dessert soup/fruit soup/kissell (call what you like it). Pretty delicious, actually.

For best result, use different type of seedless raisins and currants. I used small yellow and large Californian raisins.

Raisin Fruit Soup
(Rosinakissell)
Serves 4



200 g seedless raisins
1.5 litres of water
sugar, to taste
1 cinnamon stick
3 Tbsp potato starch or cornstarch/cornflour

Wash the raisins and soak in a bowl of boiled water overnight (the latter is not absolutely necessary, but it shortens the cooking period).
Place raisins and water into a saucepan and bring into a boil. Season with sugar (careful here, as raisins are naturally sweet), throw in a cinnamon stick.
Simmer on a medium heat until raisins are all plump and softened.
Mix the starch with some cold water and pour into the raisin soup, whisking constantly to avoid clumps. If using potato starch, remove the saucepan from the heat the moment it starts to bubble lightly again. If using corn starch/cornflour, bring into a boil and simmer for couple of minutes.
Pour into dessert bowls and sprinkle some sugar on top.

Serve with whipped cream, curd/farmer's cheese cream or softened vanilla ice cream.

Eveleigh Farmers' Market

Is the farmers' market the new fooding social scene?It certainly felt that way on Saturday when I headed to the first official Eveleigh Farmers' Market . A weekly undercover growers market in the inner city is a much welcomed addition to the shopping calendar.There were plenty of people milling about at 9.10am (and I can tell you it's a mere seven minute walk from Redfern train station - I timed