Another delight from Honey & Co The Baking Book by Sarit Packer & Itmar Srulovich and my first (rustic) attempt at pretzels. Mix together 200g (7 oz) of strong white flour, 150g (5⅓ oz) of plain flour, ½ a teaspoon of salt and 3 tablespoons of icing sugar. Warm 140ml (4¾ fl oz) of milk to blood temperature…… Continue reading salty-sweet orange and tahini pretzels
beef short rib stew
This Korean stew is deliciously sweet and salty. Cook it slowly or (if you’re short on time) in a pressure cooker. Sear 1.5kg (3 lbs) of beef short ribs in some vegetable oil over high heat then remove to a plate. Lower the heat and add 1 finely diced onion. Cook until soft before adding…… Continue reading beef short rib stew
kimchi
Kimchi is a traditional Korean side dish (banchan) made from salted and fermented vegetables.There are hundreds of varieties of kimchi but it is most commonly made with napa cabbage and Korean white radish (mu) and a variety of seasonings including Korean chilli flakes (gochugaru), garlic, ginger and often dried seafood. Traditionally kimchi was stored underground in jars but today…… Continue reading kimchi
flourless apple almond cake
Here’s a simple variant on that popular orange and almond cake. Just as moist as the original this one uses apple sauce instead of puréed oranges. Preheat your oven to 160ºC (325ºF). Oil and line a 23cm (9″) cake tin. In a bowl combine a jar of apple sauce, ½ a cup of sugar, 6 eggs, 340g (12…… Continue reading flourless apple almond cake
barley, lentils and mushrooms with fried onions
Once again Yotam Ottolenghi’s recipe imparts amazing flavours to a vegetarian meal. In a small bowl cover 20g (¾ oz) of dried porcini with 1¾ cups of boiling water and leave to stand for an hour. After an hour, remove the mushrooms and strain the liquid through a very fine sieve to remove any grit, then return…… Continue reading barley, lentils and mushrooms with fried onions
sous vide salmon
Another (very successful) sous vide experiment. Incredibly moist, tender and flaky! You can achieve many different results cooking by this method. There’s an excellent article on what to expect when cooking salmon by this method at Serious Eats. I cooked mine at 49ºC (120ºF). The fillets had nothing but salt on them when I sealed them into a plastic bag. After 45 minutes…… Continue reading sous vide salmon
banana daiquiri
The Daiquiri cocktail may have acquired it’s name from the beach or iron mine of the same name in Santiago de Cuba. The basic recipe for a Daiquiri is similar to the ‘grog’ that British sailors drank from the 1740s onwards. By 1795 the Royal Navy grog ration contained rum, water, ¾ of an ounce of lemon or lime…… Continue reading banana daiquiri
minced chicken salad
Loosely based on Thai Larb, this minced chicken salad makes a tasty summer meal. To cook the chicken you will need some Thai chilli paste in soya oil. Add 3 tablespoons of the paste and some of the oil to a saucepan and heat over medium heat. Add 450g (1 lb) of minced chicken thigh meat and cook,…… Continue reading minced chicken salad
green curry mussels
These green-lipped mussels were delicious cooked in a Thai green curry and served over fat egg noodles. For the green curry, a home-made paste is the best but when I’m in a hurry I use store bought curry paste. Fry the paste in a little coconut fat until fragrant then add 1 large diced eggplant (aubergine)…… Continue reading green curry mussels
orange passionfruit sorbet
Our first crop of passionfruit inspired this fresh and fragrant sorbet. Serious Eats’ The Science of the Best Sorbet provided me with all the information I needed. When I buy sorbet I’m usually disappointed as the taste of the fruit is secondary to the sugar. In order to make my sorbet not too sweet and as it was mostly citrus juice (which…… Continue reading orange passionfruit sorbet
michelle picker cooks 