A special birthday request from my sister led to us making this amazing cake. It’s the Momofuku Milk Bar Birthday Cake. A recipe at Hummingbird High was our guide and it took 3 hours to make. You will need a stand mixer and a tall freezer space for this recipe. There are four components to this cake:…… Continue reading birthday cake
pumpkin wedges + grilled zucchini salad
Butternut pumpkin wedges served with sour cream and a zucchini hazelnut salad with blue cheese. Both of these vegetarian delights were inspired by and adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi recipes. Preheat your oven to 200ºC (390ºF). Peel and slice a small butternut pumpkin into thin wedges and lay them onto a baking sheet. Combine 50g (1¾ oz) of…… Continue reading pumpkin wedges + grilled zucchini salad
braised oxtail with chorizo
Rabada (stew) is cooked throughout Brazil and varies according to original Spanish/Portuguese as well as local influences. This recipe is from The South American Table: The Flavor and Soul of Authentic Home Cooking by Maria Baez Kijac and is from the North-East where rabada is Portuguese in style. The addition of carrots is entirely my idea. Rub 1.8kg (4 lbs) of oxtail cut…… Continue reading braised oxtail with chorizo
baked lemon cheesecake with a walnut crust
A luscious creamy European-style baked cheesecake. This recipe makes a small cheesecake of 6 – 8 serves. For a larger cake add 50% to all the ingredients. Crush 50g (1¾ oz) of walnuts and 200g (7 oz) of plain sweet biscuits (cookies) to a fine crumb and add 100g (3½ oz) of melted butter. Press into a small cake tin…… Continue reading baked lemon cheesecake with a walnut crust
slow roasted turkey legs
I’m not a great fan of turkey breast meat, maybe because it’s so lean and hard to keep moist. Turkey legs, however, have a little more fat and the meat is dark and tasty. Try this as a lighter alternative to a red meat roast. Preheat your oven to 160ºC (320ºF). In a large roasting tray make…… Continue reading slow roasted turkey legs
scallops in coconut sauce with fresh basil
Here’s a really quick and easy meal which is still luxurious and impressive. From a can of coconut milk take the thick coconut cream and melt it in a wide saucepan over moderate heat. Add 1 tablespoon of Thai roasted chilli paste in soya oil (you will find this at any Asian store which sells Thai food…… Continue reading scallops in coconut sauce with fresh basil
ice cream
My niece Josie mentioned Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home by Jeni Britton Bauer and since buying the book I’ve become just a little obsessed. These egg free ice creams have a wonderful dense and creamy texture and the flavour combinations are inspiring. If (like me) you don’t live in the United States, you can drool over some of the…… Continue reading ice cream
sourdough
My very own home-grown sourdough is finally working! I don’t make bread every day so I’ve been cultivating my sourdough starter for quite a while. There are a myriad of recipes out there for sourdough starter but I decided to make it the old-fashioned way so I used only flour (unbleached organic) and water (spring). First you…… Continue reading sourdough
chicken in green almond sauce + red mexican rice
Simple poached chicken is taken to another level with this wonderful Mexican sauce. In a saucepan, cover chicken pieces with cold chicken stock. Bring to a simmer as slowly as possible. When barely cooked, take them off the heat and set aside. In a food processor combine 1 chopped onion, 2 chopped garlic cloves, 115g (4oz)…… Continue reading chicken in green almond sauce + red mexican rice
oat and ginger snaps
Chock full of ginger and deliciously crunchy. Combine 170g (6 oz) of butter, 175g (6 oz) of Demerara sugar and 100g (3½ oz) of golden syrup in a large bowl or saucepan and heat until the butter has melted. Stir in 85g (3 oz) of flour, ½ a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda, 250g (9 oz) of…… Continue reading oat and ginger snaps
michelle picker cooks 