TWD BWJ - Pear and Apple Pie

Oh how I envy you all in the midst of summer right now. Not because of the heat, I hate hot weather. Just because of all that glorious summer fruit! There were definitely no blueberries or nectarines to be had around here, fresh or frozen. So I chose to make the most of two fruits which I think are perfect in winter, pears and apples. 

I upped the wintery-ness of my pie by adding the zest of a lemon, a splash of brandy and a generous pinch of allspice to the filling. Absolutely delicious and very warming!

My pie was baked in an 8 inch cake pan and I used 4 pears and 3 large gala apples for the fruit. I also replaced the shortening in the pastry with coconut oil (which is solid at room temperature) which gave a lovely flaky result. 

Served with a generous dollop of my best ever custard (which I posted a few weeks ago) this was the quintessential winter dessert. 

Our hosts this week are Hilary of Manchego's Kitchen and Liz of That Skinny Chick Can Bake. Make sure you check their blogs for the original Blueberry and Nectarine Pie recipe. It sounds delicious!

Meatless Monday - Leek and Cheese Tart with Olive Oil Pastry

I live in a house full of boys and yet this tart still went down a treat! Perhaps it's because I didn't call it a quiche.

While the filling was smooth and creamy and packed with leek and cheese goodness, it was the pastry that was the real revelation. Having run out of butter (gasp!) I trawled the interwebs for a pastry recipe that used oil instead and came across this beauty. It was my favourite part of this tart and could become my go-to recipe for savoury pastry. Absolutely delicious!

Leek and Cheese Tart

4 large leeks, washed and sliced thinly
1 tbs butter

2 cloves garlic, crushed

4 eggs

1 cup (250ml) full cream milk

125g strong cheddar cheese, grated

Olive Oil Pastry

Recipe adapted from Chocolate & Zucchini

125g plain flour

125g wholemeal flour

1 ts salt

60ml olive oil

100-120ml cold water

Lightly grease a 28cm tart dish (mine is pyrex). Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius (180 degrees fan-forced).

To make the pastry, place the flours and salt in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Pour in the oil and stir with a fork. Add the water and continue to stir with a fork until it is just absorbed then start to knead with your hand, until the dough forms a ball and comes away from the sides of the bowl.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and roll out to fit a 28-30cm tart pan. Transfer the dough to the pan, trim the edges and place in the fridge for 30 minutes (I actually forgot this step and had no problems).

While the pastry is chilling, make your filling. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the leeks and garlic and cook, stirring often for about 15 minutes or until the leeks are softened and creamy. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes or so. In a separate bowl whisk together the eggs and milk along with salt and pepper to taste.

Blind bake the pastry for 10 minutes (I line the pastry shell with baking paper then fill it with rice that I keep just for this purpose) then remove the rice and paper and bake for a further 10-15 minutes or until the edges are golden and the base is totally dry to the touch. Remove and allow to cool for 10 minutes.

To assemble the tart, fill the pastry shell with the cooked leek mixture, sprinkle over the cheese and then pour over the egg mixture. Bake for approximately 25 minutes. The filling should be just set and the edges of the pastry a deep golden brown. Cool for a few minutes before serving with a green salad.

This post is linked to Veggie Mama's Meatless Mondays:

Vanilla Mint Tea Cake

I am most definitely a tea girl. I've been through phases of enjoying coffee but I always come back to tea, mostly herbal and green teas lately.

Since T2 recently opened near us we went for a look and came up with some beauties including the Vanilla Mint Tea. It's a blend of, unsurprisingly, vanilla and spearmint and it sounded delicious! We bought quite a few varieties that day though and that one has been sitting in the pantry unopened. We may not feel like drinking it right now, but what could be better that incorporating actual tea into a teacake? So here is my Vanilla Mint Tea Cake ...

Vanilla Mint Tea Cake

Recipe by me

1/2 cup boiling water

2 tbs vanilla mint tea leaves

1 ts vanilla extract

185g butter, at room temperature

1 cup caster suagr

3 eggs

225g self-raising flour

1/4 cup milk

icing sugar, sifted, to serve

Preheat oven to 170 degrees celsius (150 degrees fan-forced). Lightly grease a 22cm round cake pan and line the base with non-stick paper.

Place the water and tea in a mug and allow to infuse for 10 minutes then strain, discarding the leaves. Pour the milk into the tea and set aside until needed.

Place the butter, sugar and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until pale and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix the flour and milk/tea alternately into the butter mixture, beating until just combined. Use a rubber spatula to gently bring in the last few bits of flour around the bowl.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for approximately 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. Once cool, dust with icing sugar and serve with your favourite cup of tea. 

The taste test ...

Just wonderful! Both the peppermint and vanilla shine through perfectly in this moist buttery cake, without being overpowering. It doesn't need any adornment other than the dusting of icing sugar. But a dollop of double cream on the side would be lovely, as would a dark chocolate icing if you wanted to really dress it up. I will definitely be making this again.

Meatless Monday - Red Lentil Dhal

You really can't beat a Saturday night curry and this one was fantastic. Actually I'm loving all curries at the moment and could quite honestly eat them every night! Luckily my boys are all as keen as me and this one was especially well received. My 3 year old gobbled his down in what seemed like 5 minutes.

My 20 month old was not so keen but that's mainly because he's developed a fear of his high chair and screams bloody murder every time we try to put him in it. Mealtimes have not been pleasant for the last few days and I'm dreading going out for dinner this week because of it!

The recipe below is for a double batch because I wanted the leftovers for the following night and a serve for hubby's lunch during the week. You could of course halve it for a standard 4 serve meal.

Red Lentil Dhal

Adapted from Taste.com.au

serves 6-8

2 cups red lentils

6cm piece fresh ginger

4 cloves garlic

1 tin diced tomatoes

60g butter

4 bay leaves

1 ts cinnamon

4 ts turmeric

2 ts cumin

1 ts coriander

1 ts garam masala

1/2 ts chilli flakes

1-2 ts salt

4 tbs lemon juice

2 tbs fresh coriander leaves

plain yoghurt, rice or naan bread to serve

Rinse the lentils well under running water and discard any discoloured ones. Place the lentils, ginger, bay leaves and tomatoes in a large saucepan. Cover with 6 cups of water. Bring to the boil then reduce heat to medium and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until lentils are soft. Discard the bay leaves.

While the lentils are simmering, melt the butter in a frypan. Add the onion and fry for 3 minutes. Add the garlic, turmeric, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, garam masala and chilli and cook for another minute or so until the spices and fragrant. Add the lemon juice, mix well and then pour the mixture over the lentils. Increase the heat and boil for a few minutes or until the sauce has thickened, stirring often to prevent it sticking on the bottom. Remove from the heat and stir in the coriander.

Top with a dollop of plain yoghurt and serve with brown rice or naan bread.

 

Slow Cooked Baked Beans

I'm loving my slow cooker at the moment. It's just so handy to get everything prepped in the morning so that come 5pm when the kids are ratty dinner's already made. And of course you get delicious cooking smells wafting through the house all day making it feel warm and cosy even when it's not.

The last time I made beans in the slow cooker we we having people over for brunch. I set them to go before I went to bed thinking how much time we would save in the morning if they were already done. What I didn't count on was being sick with gastro that night and honestly the smell of those beans while I was lying in bed trying not to throw up was almost enough to turn me off baked beans for life! Luckily I got over that.

The only problem this time was that some of the beans were still crunchy! After soaking overnight then 8 hours of cooking, how is that even possible? Anyway, next time I would soak and then par-cook the beans to guarantee tenderness. I have noted this in the recipe below.

The verdict? Packed with flavour and absolutely delicious. The perfect winter dinner or anytime brunch. We will definitely be making these again!

Slow Cooker Baked Beans

1 ham hock

375g dried four bean mix (or just cannelini beans)

500g mushrooms

2 onions

2 cloves garlic, crushed

3 tbs worcestershire sauce

2 tbs brown sugar

2 tins tomatoes

The night before, place the dried beans in a large bowl and cover with cold water. 

The next morning, drain the beans and rinse them well. Place them in a large saucepan and cover with water. Cover the pot and bring to the boil. Boil uncovered for 15-20 minutes, scooping off any scum that rises to the surface. Drain and set aside. 

Finely dice the onions and chop the mushrooms into pieces roughly the same size as the beans. Place the onions, mushrooms and all remaining ingredients into the slow cooker along with 1 cup water. Stir to combine. Place the ham hock into the middle and squish it down so it's about half covered with the bean mix. Cover and turn the slow cooker on to auto. Leave for 8 hours.

Serve with toast and a little fresh parsley. Serves 8-10.

TWD BWJ - Semolina Bread

I really love making bread. I love the way the dough feels, the aroma when it bakes and of course nothing beats eating it warm from the oven. Making this bread was also a reminder that I need to read recipes properly because I didn't realise until I started that each step took 2 hours. Oops!

This bread was new to me because it contains semolina which I've never used before. The result was a slightly dense but incredibly flavourful loaf. I didn't love it straight from the oven and thought it was a little too salty. But it was wonderful toasted the next day and I think it would make fabulous garlic bread.

I have no idea if I slashed the top the way I was supposed to. Was it just me or were the directions a little confusing?

We ate most of the loaf toasted with some slow-cooked baked beans (recipe to come!) and it was the perfect accompaniment to soak up all the sauce.

Our hosts this week are Renee of The Way to My Family's Heart and Anna of Keep it Luce. They will post the recipe today so make sure you check it out!

Meatless Monday - Peanut Sesame Noodles

I just realised most of my vegetarian meals contain chickpeas. We go through a lot of chickpeas in this house! So it's definitely time to try something different.

I've always loved satay but hubby hasn't been keen. So when he mentioned he'd like to try one I jumped at the chance to try this recipe from Smitten Kitchen that I've had my eye on for ages!

The original recipe called for plain tofu but that gives me the heebies so I used a marinated Thai style tofu instead. Sweet chilli tofu nuggets would also be a great choice. The fresh vegetables were lovely and crunchy and honestly, I could have just eaten them with a bowl of the sauce to dip into and been a very happy girl.

Fresh, creamy, crunchy and absolutely delicious!!!

Peanut Sesame Noodles

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup boiling water

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tbs ginger, grated

1/2 ts chilli paste

2 ts honey

1 tbs sesame oil

1 green capsicum

1 medium carrot

1 cup firm tofu, plain or marinated

2 packs hokien noodles

3 tbs toasted sesame seeds

1 lime

Place the peanut butter, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, chilli, sesame oil and honey in a large jug. Pour over the boiling water and whisk to combine. Slice the capsicum and carrot into thin batons. Fry the tofu until it is crispy and golden then slice into small cubes.

Cook the noodles in salted boiling water for 2-3 minutes then drain, reserving about 1 cup of the cooking water. Return the noodles to the pot and add the sauce and chopped veges. Stir well to combine and add a little of the reserved cooking water if it looks a bit gluggy (I needed about 1/2 cup).

Serve topped with sesame seeds and a squeeze of lime.

Serves 4 as a main or 6-8 as an entree.

Crepes for Bastille Day and a blogiversary!

Happy Bastille Day! And happy blogiversary to me!

It's been 4 years and 285 posts since I started this little blog. I had zero clue about what I was doing or where I wanted to go with this, all I knew was that I loved to bake and wanted to share that with my little corner of the interwebs. You can find my first post here. Read it and cringe along with me!

I definitely lost my blogging mojo after the boys were born but now that they are a little older I have a bit more time and am committed to posting at least twice a week and broadening my food horizons. To all my lovely readers and followers, thank you for sticking with me!

In honour of Bastille Day today we made crepes for breakfast served my favourite way, with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a sprinkling of sugar. Delicious!

Crepes

From The Australian Women's Weekly Original Cookbook, ACP 1970 p180

1/3 cup plain flour

3/4 cup milk

2 eggs

pinch of salt

1 tbs oil or melted butter

Place the flour in a large bowl along with the eggs, salt, oil and 2 tbs of the milk. Whisk until smooth then add in the remaining milk and beat well. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Place a heavy bottomed frypan over medium heat. Grease with a small amount of butter. Pour about 1/8 cup of batter into the pan, tilting to cover evenly. Cook for about a minute, or until the top is dry. Flip and cook on the other side for 10-20 seconds. Turn out onto a plate and repeat until all the batter is used. Makes approx 10-12.

Sausage and Bean Casserole

This was a really delicious dinner so I hope you can look past the horrible photo! We are having a run of very cold weather at the moment and as a result we're all looking for comfort food. This casserole is an easy weeknight meal and with sausages, beans and rice it fit the bill perfectly.

I feel a little ridiculous putting my copyright info on a such a bad photo but I recently discovered that not one but two lowlifes had stolen virtually every post and photo from my blog. It's taken a little while but both blogs and the other sites where they had used my stolen content seem to have all been taken down. I actually feel quite violated by the whole experience.  Anyone else had this problem? How do you protect your work online?

Anyway. You can see that comfort food is most definitely required.

Make this!

Sausage and Bean Casserole

6 sausages of your choice

1 large onion, thinly sliced

2 large carrots, thinly sliced

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 tin diced tomatoes

1 tin five bean mix (or any beans)

1 heaped ts hot english mustard

1 tbs brown sugar

1/2 dozen shakes of worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup water

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 180 / 160 degrees celsius fan forced. In a large fry pan fry off the sausages until mostly cooked. Remove and place into a 3 litre casserole dish and once cool enough to handle, slice into 2cm rounds.

In the same frypan add the onion, garlic and carrot and cook, stirring frequently until the vegetables are beginning to soften. Add the tomatoes, beans, water, mustard, brown sugar and worcestershire sauce. Stir until well combined. Bring to the boil, season to taste and then add to the sausages. Mix well to combine then cover and place in the oven for approx 45 minutes, or until the vegetables are cooked through and the sauce has thickened.

Serve with rice or crusty bread for a hearty winter meal.

Meatless Monday - Moussaka

So it's not the most photogenic dish in the world. Trust me it looked worse after it was served up. But this was delicious!!!

I've never made a vegetarian moussaka before and this one was all vegetables, no fake mince, and let me tell you, even my meat-loving husband really loved it! This is a great alternative to lasagne if you are trying to cut back on carbs. Or even if you're not, it's well worth a go and perfect for this time of year.

Moussaka

1 onion, diced

2 carrots, grated

2 zucchinis, grated

2 large eggplants

3 cloves garlic

1 ts mixed dried Italian herbs

1 tin diced tomatoes

1 tin red kidney beans

2 ts chicken style veggie stock powder

2 x 2tbs olive oil

60g butter

1/4 cup plain flour

2 cups milk

125g grated tasty cheese

2 tbs grated parmesan cheese

2 tbs dried breadcrumbs

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees celsisus fan-forced. Lightly grease a lasagne style baking dish and set aside.

To prepare the eggplant - slice crossways into 1cm rounds. Spread the pieces out on 1 or 2 baking trays, sprinkle each piece with salt and leave for around 20 minutes. You should see liquid on the top of each piece. Rinse them well under running water and pat dry.

To make the sauce - heat 1 tbs olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Fry off the onion, garlic, carrot and zucchini until they are soft and any liquid has evaporated. Add the herbs, tomatoes, beans and stock powder, along with 1/2 tin of water. Stir well and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer while you prepare the rest of the dish. Season to taste.

Once your sauce is simmering you can cook the eggplant. Heat 1 tbs oil in a large non-stick frypan over medium high heat. Fry off the eggplant in batches until it has softened and is golden brown on each side.

To make the white sauce, melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Once melted add the flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the milk all in one go and whisk well. Keep stirring until the sauce begins to thicken. Add the cheese, stir to combine and set aside.

To assemble the moussaka, place layers of tomato sauce, eggplant and white sauce into the baking dish finishing with a final layer of white sauce. Sprinkle over the breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese. Bake for approx 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and everything is bubbling and golden. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving with plenty of crusty bread to soak up the sauce.

Serves 6-8.

Creamy Rice Pudding

While I've never really jumped on the '4 ingredients' bandwagon, this recipe does have just 4 ingredients and it takes just 40 minutes of simmering on the stove to get a creamy and luscious rice pudding. It doesn't really get much better than that!

Arborio Rice Pudding

1/2 cup arborio rice

4 cups full cream milk

1/4 cup sugar

1 heaped ts vanilla paste

Place all ingredients in a medium sized heavy-based saucepan.  Bring to the boil then reduce heat to low and simmer gently for approx 40 minutes stirring occasionally to prevent it sticking. Start checking for doneness at 30 minutes, the rice should be soft and plump and the pudding melt-in-the-mouth smooth.

Scotch Eggs

So Scotch Eggs are pretty retro. I remember them from childhood dinners but I had never attempted them before, partly because I was put off by having to deep fry them. Luckily there are an abundance of  baked versions out there. I took a photo of this recipe from an old Better Homes and Gardens magazine and then promptly lost all other details. 

The verdict? Really tasty! The kids loved the surprise egg in the middle and I loved that they tasted just as good cold from the fridge the next day. Perfect for school lunches or a picnic. I guess some things are a classic for a reason!

Baked Scotch Eggs

Better Homes and Gardens Magazine

6 large boiled eggs

500g pork and veal mince

2 rashers of bacon

1 small onion, finely diced

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 ts dried oregano

1 tbs worcestershire sauce

1 tbs tomato sauce

1 1/2 cups fresh breadcrumbs

olive oil spray

Preheat oven to 180 / 160 degrees celsius fan-forced. Lightly grease a baking tray with oil spray and set aside.

In a large bowl add the mince, bacon, onion, garlic, oregano and sauces. Add some freshly ground black pepper and mix well to combine. Use your hands for best results. Divide the mixture into 6 equal portions and roll each into a ball. 

Using wet hands, flatten out each ball into a large patty, place the egg in the middle and wrap the mince patty around the egg, making sure it is completely enclosed. Repeat with remaining mince and eggs then roll each of them in breadcrumbs and place on the baking tray.

Bake for 20-25 minutes. Serve hot or cold.

Fruit Scones

Apart from being absolutely delicious, what I love about scones is that they take no time at all to prepare! There are lots of scone recipes out there, most of which contain cream and most of which I find very rich and a bit heavy. This recipe is one I have been making since I was a kid. It's virtually foolproof. I even make it in a food processor and they still turn out well!

Fruit Scones

Recipe from The Australian Women's Weekly Original Cookbook, ACP 1977, p194

3 cups self-raising flour

1/4ts salt

1/4 cup sugar

60g cold butter, in chunks

1 cup milk

1 egg

1 cup sultanas or dried fruit of your choice (I used mixed fruit)

Preheat the oven to 270/250 degrees celsius fan-forced. Lightly grease a baking tray and set aside.

Sift the flour into a large bowl and rub the butter in using your fingertips. Stop when the mixture resembles rough breadcrumbs. Stir in the sultanas and sugar then add the beaten egg and most of the milk. Use a butter knife to bring the dough together, it should be soft and not too sticky.

Tip the dough out onto a floured surface and gently bring together, patting it out to approximately 2cm thick. Use a 5cm (2 inch) cutter to cut out rounds and place on prepared tray, leaving a centimetre or so between them. Gently press together the scraps and dough and repeat. Brush the tops with milk and bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until they are golden brown and smelling delicious.

Makes approx 12 depending on the size of your cutter.

These are also great to freeze for snacks. Scones do tend to dry out a little when frozen but if you don't overbake them, a quick zap in the microwave will freshen them up. A generous smear of butter also helps!

TWD BWJ - Biscotti

I think every baker has something they fear, whether it be caramel, pastry or decorating cakes. For me in the past it has been biscotti. Sounds crazy for something so simple but I have never been able to get it right! So in an attempt to overcome this silly fear I made this week's pick twice (which I never do).

I have a huge bag of raw almonds in the fridge so that's what I went with rather than buying hazelnuts. 

Batch one I made with almonds, vanilla and cinnamon and replaced the booze with milk. The dough mixed up well, looked great when it was baked but then pretty much fell apart when I sliced it. So I ended up with chunky crumbly-edged tooth-breakers. Really tasty dunked in tea but not much good for anything else!

Batch two I made with almonds, cocoa and brandy. I chopped the nuts up more finely and when it came time to slice I used my best serrated knife and took it really slowly. 

Success!  These were pretty much the perfect biscotti. I got the size right, they sliced cleanly and were lovely and toasty. And of course delicious! I would happy giving these as gifts come Christmas time which is a pretty big tick of approval!

Our hosts this week are Jodi of Homemade and Wholesome and Katrina of Baking and Boys. They will have the recipe for the original hazelnut biscotti on their blogs so make sure you go and check it out!

Meatless Monday - Chole Chaat (Chickpea Curry)

Chole Chaat is basically a chickpea and tomato curry flavoured with ginger and garam masala. It is hearty and warming and just perfect for this ridiculous cold-snap we are having in Brisbane at the moment. 

It is hands-down one of our favourite meals and both our boys practically lick their plates clean when we have this for dinner, which is a pretty big tick of approval! I honestly don't think I was eating chickpea curry at 19 months old!

Like most curries it tastes better the next day so make it ahead of time, even a few hours, if you can.

Chole Chaat

Adapted from A Little Taste of India, Murdoch Books, 2003 p129

3 cans of chickpeas

2 tbs ghee or oil

1 onion, finely diced

1 ts ground coriander

1 ts ground cumin

1 ts ground turmeric

1 ts garam masala

2 cm piece fresh ginger, grated

2 red chillies, finely diced (or 1/2ts hot chilli powder)

1 tin diced tomatoes

1 tbs veggie stock powder

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat and cook the onion until golden and softened. Add the dry spices and cook 1 minute. Add the ginger, chilli and tomato and stir to combine. Add the chickpeas and 1 tomato tin of water along with the stock powder. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Bring to the boil then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 - 30 minutes. Serve with brown rice and a sprinkling of fresh coriander.

Serves 4. 

This post is linked with Veggie Mama's Meatless Mondays:

Sunday Baking - Apple and Cinnamon Muffins

I've been thinking a lot about healthy lunchbox ideas recently. My husband takes his lunch to work every day (saving us literally thousands of dollars a year!) and always likes a little sweet something to have with his morning coffee. It's now also only a matter of months until Oscar starts kindy next year when having interesting and healthy treats will become even more important. 

These apple and cinnamon muffins are something I've been making for awhile and are a bit of a twist on what can be a sugar and fat-filled indulgence. They stay really moist and are perfect to freeze for lunches.

Apple & Cinnamon Muffins

Recipe by me

3/4 cup self-raising flour

3/4 cup wholemeal plain flour

1/4 cup rapadura or brown sugar

1 ts baking powder

1 ts cinnamon

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup low fat milk

1/4 cup coconut oil

1 ripe banana, mashed

1 large apple, washed and grated (skin and all)

1 egg

Preheat oven to 180 / 160 degrees celsius. Line a 12 cup muffin tray and set aside.

In a large bowl add the flours, baking powder, cinnamon, oats and sugar and whisk to combine. 

In a smaller bowl place the milk, egg, coconut oil and banana and whisk together. 

Add the grated apple to the dry ingredients then pour over the wet ingredients. Using a fork, stir until only just combined.

Spoon the mix into the prepared tray and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and a skewer comes out clean. Makes 12. Suitable to freeze.

I was pretty happy with this batch but they did stick to the paper cases a bit. Not a huge problem though and Oscar loved eating the extra 'cake' on the paper!