As mentioned in my Cheesecake post, I recently attended a BBQ with colleagues and was left with the task of making dessert. Having made a cheesecake, I also made this ridiculously easy fruit tart. Published in Nigella’s Kitchen, this recipe is perfect to make a day ahead, and easily impresses.
Be generous with the fruit. I used strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries and pomegranate seeds, but you could easily alter according to taste/what is in season.
Christmas always includes two desserts: cheesecake and chocolate ripple. I have been fascinated by this Chocolate Ripple Cheesecake recipe by Mary Berry for it’s combination of two favourite recipes. I decided to use a BBQ with some work colleagues to finally try the recipe.
This cake is decadent but delicious. A small piece goes a long way!
I’m always hesitant to try cheesecake recipes. I always use my mum’s recipe and it has never failed me. I have managed to produce cheesecakes without cracks and without the use of a water-bath countless times. I need not have worried, having no issues with this recipe. The cake survived transportation and transfer onto platters without a crater or crack in site (even though Mary Berry did warn it may crack).
The recipe below is for a 20cm tin. Having only a 22cm tin, I had to use more biscuits and butter in order to make enough base to cover the pan.
I was also enchanted by the top of the cake, and found it hard to sink the knife for that first slice!
Winter is fast approaching here in Melbourne. As the temperature drops, the clouds darken and the kitchen becomes a welcome place of comfort and warmth. What better way to feed such desires than a cottage pie? I’ve been making this for many years and have yet to receive any complaints. It’s easy to increase the quantity and freeze the spare pie for rainy day!
From my understanding, Cottage Pie, similar in origins to Shepherds Pie, was first made to use up ingredients left over from the weeks roast. Cottage Pie uses beef, rather than lamb. It’s also called a pie, but there is no pastry involved in this version. The top is a lovely crust of mashed potatoes.
This recipe is inspired by Apples for Jam by Tessa Kiros. What I love most about the cookbook is the recipes are categorised not by ingredient but rather by colour. As with any recipe I have taken some liberties with the ingredients! This is one of two recipes I use depending on what I have in the house (the other recipe uses stock, instead of tomatoes.). I intend on posting the other recipe eventually.
Using the quantities below this comfortably feeds 4 to 6 people. It can also be prepared the day before and kept in the fridge overnight.
Once again this recipe was first published by Nigella Lawson in Kitchen. It was always one of those recipes I wasn’t sure if I wanted to try but looked easy enough. I first made this in December. Mum was in hospital and I needed to make dinner for the rest of the week, without any preparation what so ever as I would go straight to the hospital from work. It was one of the recipes I selected because it could be made in advance, or alternatively looked like it would taste fine, if cooked and then reheated. It was a success, and made it quite regularly in a 3 month period.
I hadn’t made it in a while. I associate this dinner, along with African Drumsticks from the same book with that period. For anyone who has had a loved one in hospital would know the struggles, the trauma, the stress that stems from the worry. It can be physically and emotionally exhausting. I was also, trying to deal with a new job, and new responsibilities. I was fortunate to work for such an understanding employer (and I will be forever grateful to my manager for understanding and support).
Why is this important to this post? Because the post had been sitting in the drafts for quite a while. I photographed most of the images in January. I was about to leave for Hobart for 5 days and I needed to ensure there was dinner. I made this, knowing it would be filling for more than one meal. I never posted as I didn’t photograph the cooked lasagna. Then the recipe became a road block. It’s simple recipe but every-time I thought of making it, it seemed too difficult. So here I am, overcoming one such road block.
The Mexican lasagna is rewarding. It’s hearty and filling without requiring a lot of effort. It can be assembled the day before and left in the fridge (a step which I believe improved the flavour). It’s also excellent the next day and reheated.
Or “how to turn a wedge of leftover blue-vein cheese into the most fantastic canapes”
Blue-vein cheese is an acquired taste but in our house it is an essential addition to every cheese platter. Having bought this for a lazy, luxury friday night dinner, we found it too much to finish off between the two of us. Not wanting to waste such lovely cheese, I decided to put it to use in these tarts from The Cook’s Companion.
While Stephanie’s recipe makes a single large tart I decided to make individual tartlets for ease of serving, as these were to be transported to Mr T2K Brisbane’s class for afternoon tea.
The resulting tarts were beautifully flavoursome, without the ‘bite’ that is often off-putting to those who avoid blue-vein cheese.
I collect recipes. I love talking to people about cooking, about techniques and there is nothing I love more than someone sharing their recipe. This trait is a gift from my mother. The title is a little misleading as it’s not my original recipe. My mother Maria, received this recipe from a parent of one of my sisters primary school friends. We’ve been making them ever since (for more years than I care to count!).
This is a recipe I use when I’m struggling for time, and I want to make something savoury and delicious. I made these for Alex and Fran for our Jams and Preserves Day and they went down really well! Continue reading
Let's Twist and Shout!
When I was younger, mum would take me into the city. She would stop at the ground level of the Lonsdale St Myer store and treat me to a cheese twist. They were delicious puff pastry treats. Myer has since refurbished but the memory of those days remains. Seeing something similar at Safeway the other day, I decided to try and replicate the memory in my own kitchen.
There is no recipe as such, though I’m sure they exist on the internet. I created from instinct.
As I mentioned in my previous post I recently started a new job. After going to Brisbane for work, I ended up staying the weekend with Alex. It was only natural we spent part of it in the kitchen. After making Alex’s grandmothers delicious raspberry slice, we decided what we needed was cheese and olive scone bake. The recipe hails from the lovely Mary Berry (Seriously I can’t get enough of the Great British Bake Off). The bake was a perfect early lunch accompanied by a refreshing glass of cider.
