A simple and very tasty way to cook lamb straps or loin. This recipe is adapted from a recipe by Tracy Rutherford which appeared in Australian Good Taste in September 2009. Preheat your oven to 180°C (350ºF). In a small food processor or mortar and pestle combine 6 anchovy fillets, 4 diced garlic cloves, the leaves from 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary,…… Continue reading roasted herb crusted lamb straps
fish baked in yoghurt with a walnut herb crumb
This interesting way of cooking fish comes from Greg Malouf and Lucy Malouf’s book Saraban – A chef’s journey through Persia. We used Barramundi but any firm white fish would be suitable. Preheat your oven to 180ºC (360ºF) and butter a baking dish just big enough for your fish fillets. In a bowl combine 140g (5 oz)…… Continue reading fish baked in yoghurt with a walnut herb crumb
birthday cake
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
michelle picker cooks 