Posts Tagged With: Baking

School holiday program July 2012

Posted on August 10, 2012 by melhm

We  all had such a fab time in this first kitchen garden school holiday program! The children were so keen, so well-behaved, and SO helpful!

SCHOOL HOLIDAY PROGRAM MENU

Introduction – Knife Licences – Chook care

MORNING TEA

Pumpkin, spinach & feta frittate – Rhubarb & mint muffins – Lemongrass tisane

 Garden walk – Harvesting

 LUNCH

Linguine with cavolo nero and herb sauce – Pizza with rocket, bocconcini and garden herbs – Our winter salad

Seeds – Composting – Sustainability

Watch & Grow Project

And these are some of the things they did during the day-long program:

  • Earned their knife licences by displaying ‘bear paw’ & ‘spider crab’ hand positions and understanding how to behave around knives, and also how to carry, hold and clean them;
  • Followed recipes from beginning to end and understood all the procedures;
  • Made pizza and pasta dough from scratch;
  • Tended to the chooks;
  • Explored their five senses with the garden walk-around and herb identification;
  • Pounded the mortar & pestle, whizzed the stand mixer, sliced the mezzaluna, wheeled the pizza cutter;
  • Sautéed, boiled, fried, baked, stirred, tossed, spooned, grated, melted, brushed, rolled, proved, weighed, measured, chopped, sliced, diced, beat, whisked, juiced, folded, and more;
  • Cleared as they went, washed up, dried up, set the cutlery, the glasses, the water jugs… and ate! And then cleared the tables and swept up;
  • Reinforced the belief to live sustainable lives: that is to try and remember to re-use, recycle or renew when possible;
  • Learnt about compost ‘lasagne’;
  • Understood the importance of seasonal and local produce;
  • And worked fabulously as a team, displaying focus and willingness to help!

We hope to see all the children again,and to welcome heaps more in the next holidays… and look out for all the recipes in the next few posts!

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Rosemary & thyme grissini

Posted on June 20, 2012 by melhm

Fresh from the garden: rosemary, thyme 

Recipe source: adapted from The Cook and the Chef TV program

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A simple & fun breadstick-making exercise – I’ve found that the thinner you make the grissini, the crunchier and more delicious they are. It also pays to knead the dough well too. These are fab with the hummus…

Equipment:

  • Kitchen towel
  • Chopping board
  • Large knife
  • Large bowl
  • Large spoon
  • Measuring jug
  • 2 baking trays
  • Pastry brush

 

 Ingredients:

  • 2 cups plain flour
  • ½ teaspoon cooking salt
  • Large sprig rosemary
  • 4 or 5 sprigs thyme
  • 1 teaspoon yeast
  • ½ teaspoon brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 100ml lukewarm water
  • A pinch or two of flaked salt

What to do:

  • Preheat oven to 180°C
  • Wash & dry herbs thoroughly.
  • Strip herbs from stalks and chop up finely to yield 2 tablespoons of herbs.
  • Mix all the dry ingredients (except for the flaked salt) and herbs together in a large bowl.
  • Add the water and olive oil and knead together until a smooth dough is formed – this might take between five and ten minutes. If the dough is too wet just add some more flour, bit by bit.
  • Brush baking trays with a little olive oil.
  • Flatten the dough out and roll into a round pizza shape. Divide into halves, then quarters, and then again and again until you get 16 pieces of ‘pie’.
  • Roll each ball into a thin cigar shape, break into 2 & place evenly onto the baking trays.
  • Sprinkle the whole tray with a large pinch of salt.
  • Carefully slip the trays into the oven & bake for about 15 minutes until golden brown.

Notes: Grissini are thought to have been invented in Italy in the 17th century – what other dishes have originated in Italy?

 

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Burnt cream tart with raspberries

Posted on June 18, 2012 by melhm

 

So here you have it, in all its glory – not strictly a Kitchen Garden recipe, but definitely one for the folder… Lisa asked on Sunday night if I fancied taking home a baggie of the cassia-infused mascarpone she uses at Sean’s for the persimmon & quince trifle… My first reaction was huh? What could I possibly do that would do it justice? Anyway she gave me a few hints – and this recipe was my humble answer:

 

Burnt cream tart with raspberries

Ingredients:

Italian shortcrust pastry

1 lemon

200g plain flour plus extra for rolling

100g cold unsalted butter

2 tablespoons caster sugar

1 egg

1 tablespoon iced water

Filling

200g caster sugar

2 eggs

1kg mascarpone (we use Paesanella)

1 cassia stick (or cinnamon if you can’t get it)

1 vanilla bean

To finish

1 cup caster sugar

A punnet raspberries or other yummy berries

What to do:

STAGE ONE

Carefully zest the lemon using a microplane grater.

For the pastry sift the flour and add to salt in a food processor. Chop the butter and add to flour mixture – whiz until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Sprinkle in the zest and caster sugar and pulse to incorporate.

Using 2 small bowls separate the egg and add yolk to processor with the cold water and motor running. Reserve egg white.

As soon as the pastry resembles a ball, take out of processor. Flatten dough to form a disc and wrap in cling film. Refrigerate for at least an hour.

STAGE TWO

Roll out pastry onto floured surface to approximately 4mm thick. Rolling the pastry onto a rolling pin, lift it gently into a 26cm pie tin, and prick all over with a fork, cover again with cling film and place back in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 180C.

Place foil in the pastry then baking beans and blind bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

STAGE THREE

Using the oven mitts, remove the pastry shell from the oven, remove the beans & foil and let the shell cool for 2 or 3 hours.

STAGE FOUR

Grind the cassia bark then sieve it into a bowl.

Split the vanilla bean in half, scrape out the seeds and reserve.

Whip the caster sugar and eggs together and then fold in the mascarpone with the cassia and vanilla seeds. Chill for 1 hour.

TO FINISH

Using a spatula, scrape the mascarpone out into the tart shell and even out. Then evenly sieve the cup of caster sugar over the mascarpone and either heat the sugar into a brittle layer with a handheld blowtorch or heat a non-flammable spoon or egg slice over a flame and caramelise the sugar that way. (NB. Your implement may not survive this intact!)

Garnish with some lovely fresh raspberries and try not to eat the whole thing yourself..! So good.

 

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Gnocchi with burnt butter and sage

Posted on June 4, 2012 by melhm

Passing potatoes through the mouli for gnocchi

The volunteers occasionally freak out when I tell them they’re making gnocchi. But I say, have no fear! It’s child’s play… as long as the spuds cool down enough once they’re out of the oven & you help a bit with getting the gnocchi out of the pot, it’s a great dish to do with children as there’s a few different procedures & fun (and teamwork required) playing with the mouli to get the potatoes mashed… and who doesn’t love a bit of playdoh-style rolling out with the dough? I do anyway…

Gnocchi with burnt butter and sage

Fresh from the garden: potatoes, sage, eggs

Recipe source: Melissa, kitchen specialist at Bondi PS

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Floury potatoes work best here: nicola, desiree, pink eye, russet Burbank Idaho and toolangi delight are all great varieties. The trick is to keep your work light – do not overwork the dough – and your gnocchi will be light too.

Equipment:

  • Baking tray
  • Paper towel
  • Large saucepan with lid
  • Small saucepan
  • Large knife, spoon
  • Oven glove or tea towel
  • Ricer, mouli or sieve
  • Bowls – 1 large, 4 small bowls
  • Scales, grater
  • Baking sheet
  • Slotted spoon
  • Serving plates
 Ingredients:

  • 1.5kg floury potatoes
  • 150g plain flour plus extra
  • 2 egg yolks
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 nutmeg
  • 150g parmesan
  • 125g salted butter
  • Small branch of sage

 

What to do:

For the gnocchi:

  • Preheat the oven to 180°C.
  • Scrub potatoes well & wipe dry with paper towel. Prick all over with a fork and bake in their jackets in the oven for an hour until tender to squeeze.
  • Put the large pot of water on high heat to boil.
  • Cut potatoes in half. Hold half in an oven glove or folded tea towel & scoop out the flesh into a large bowl then press into the ricer, mouli or sieve to cool.
  • Grate parmesan into a small bowl. Grate nutmeg into a small bowl to make about ¼ teaspoon and wash and carefully dry the sage, picking off the leaves.
  • Make a well in the centre of potato mound and add a handful of flour, the yolks, salt, nutmeg and 50g of the parmesan.
  • Fold continuously toward centre, gradually adding more flour until it comes together without being sticky. Allow to rest for 5 minutes.
  • Roll some mixture into a sausage shape about 3cm in diameter and cut off 3cm pieces.
  • Lightly flour the baking sheet. Roll each piece on the back of a fork using thumb and forefinger & place gnocchi there until ready to use
  • Poach gnocchi in a large pot of salted boiling water until they rise to the surface, then scoop onto your serving plates.

For the burnt butter:

  • Chop the butter into small pieces and then in the small saucepan heat the butter on medium until it develops a nut-brown colour.
  • Add sage and continue cooking for 30 seconds until the leaves are crisp.
  • Sprinkle remaining parmesan onto the gnocchi and then drizzle on the sizzling crispy sage & butter.


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Sunday: cooking with four-year-old Ava

Posted on July 10, 2011 by melhm

A cup of Earl Grey and an Anzac biscuit, perfect

It’s a beautiful sunny day out there but there’s a frrrrreezing cold wind… Steve has sneaked away for forty winks and Olly has finally gone down too. Ava not so! She’s bouncing off the walls after allowing me to while away some time on the laptop. Now she wants action! How to amuse her quietly and let the others have their siestas? Let’s bake biscuits!

Ava rolls Anzac biscuits

Whilst it’s not Anzac Day here (not even close – 25th April?) I never need an excuse to make Anzac biscuits. And un-Australian as it may be – apologies to those purists out there – we add some orange zest. Because we’ve some fantastic oranges in the fruit bowl and we feel like it.

Ava is funny, she keeps bending down to hide her head under the table: she’s sneaking bits of raw oat & flour mixture and doesn’t want me to see… I tell her that the more she leaves now, the more biscuits we get to eat later but I think she likes the game of subterfuge… She loves rolling the little spheres of goo in her hands and asks me every time if the ball’s the right size. She lines them up neatly to one side of the baking tray, all rubbing together, and doesn’t really understand that they’ll all spread. They’re all different sizes, but I tell her that’s ok: some will be chewy and some crispy, but all will be delicious!

The smell of the orange zest wafts out of the oven mingling with the toasty biscuit/ Golden Syrup yumminess, mmmmm.

Best thing about these bikkies? They only take 15 minutes or so to cook! Just enough time to clean up and pop the kettle on.

Anzac biscuits done!

Ava’s Orange Anzac Biscuits

 1 cup rolled oats

1 cup plain flour

1 cup raw sugar (or white, or half brown, half white)

¾ cup desiccated coconut

125g butter

2 tablespoons golden syrup

½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1 tablespoon boiling water

1 orange

 Preheat oven to 150°C.

 Combine oats, sifted flour, sugar and coconut in a large bowl. In a small saucepan, melt the butter and golden syrup over a gently heat. Mix the bicarb soda with boiling water, add to melted butter mixture and add this to the dry ingredients. Finely zest the orange and add the zest to the mixture. Stir until combined.

 Take a teaspoonful of mixture at a time and roll into small balls. Place these on a lightly greased oven tray and allow room to spread. Cook for about 15 -20 mins, until lovely and golden. Allow to cool on the trays and then eat!

Makes about 30. Try not to eat all in one setting like we did.

Proof of the Anzac is in the eating...

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Little cakes for our friends the fairies (and gnome)

Posted on October 5, 2010 by melhm

What to do on a long weekend where there’s nothing but rain, rain, rain? My thoughts turn, as always, to food! With Ollsy asleep, we gave daddy a well-earned nap on the sofa watching sport on the telly & apron’d up in the kitchen for a little fairy cake escapade…

Fairy Cakes

 Ingredients
110g self-raising flour
110g butter, softened
110g caster sugar
50g sultanas
2 eggs, lightly beaten

 Method
Pre-heat oven to 180°C
Cream the butter and sugar until soft and light
Add the eggs a little at a time
Sift the flour and gently fold into the mixture
Fold in the sultanas
Place 24 paper baking cases into mini muffin trays & spoon in  the mixture
Bake for 12-15 minutes,  until well risen and golden brown
Eat in garden with fairies
Makes 24

A perfect public holiday Monday afternoon: Steve & Olly woke to a house of yummy cake smells & Ava got to do some important mixing & spooning, licking the bowl and even to do some washing up –  me, I bit my lip and ignored the floods of soapy water cascading onto the kitchen floor…

Such delicious little morsels! They almost made up for the lost playground opportunities over the three days with the early spring downpours – a great thing for the garden as all the green stuff has EXPLODED! I’ve got some lovely photos for my next post –  in the meantime, as they say: the proof is in the pudding, hmm-mm!

So, with that the weekend was over and it was time to think about finishing our little holiday – back to work, school and the week ahead with all its stresses and worries. Well, maybe after just one more tasty little morsel? And still enough cakes left to hide one in the garden for our little friends…

…and one last thing!

Good old Collingwood forever!
We know how to play the game
Side by side we stick together
To uphold the Magpies name
Hear the barrackers are shouting,
As all barrackers should!
All the Premierships a cake-walk
For the good old Collingwood!

Congratulations to the fearsome Magpies, winners of this year’s AFL Grand Final

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