Cindy made this panna cotta (Italian for ‘cooked’cream’), the perfect dessert to follow our home-made pizzas. It’s a great make-ahead recipe that’s always elegant and delicious. She followed this recipe from Natasha’s Kitchen. For the panna cotta pour 1 cup of milk into a saucepan and sprinkle with 2½ teaspoons of unflavoured gelatine powder. Allow the…… Continue reading sour cream panna cotta with berries
Tag: recipe
zucchini, parmesan and basil soup
Do you keep those rinds from parmesan? Here’s a truly delicious way to use them and to eat your greens. The first step for this soup is to make a stock from the parmesan rinds. A pressure cooker helps to shorten this process. Cut 4 -6 pieces of rind into small pieces and cook them…… Continue reading zucchini, parmesan and basil soup
greek lemon chicken and potatoes
Looking for a simple meal that’s enticing and delicious? Here is a wonderful version of this Greek classic from Chef John at Food Wishes. Preheat your oven to 220ºC (425ºF). Cut a chicken into 6-8 pieces (I left the breasts whole as they cook more quickly) and place them in a large bowl. Season well…… Continue reading greek lemon chicken and potatoes
torta di cioccolata
This Italian-style flourless chocolate cake has a crisp crust, a wonderful rich dark chocolate flavour and a light, moist, melt-in-the mouth centre. I prefer my cakes not too sweet so I reduced the sugar in this recipe which comes from one of my favourite cake books, Bake your cake & eat it too! by Tamara Millstein. Preheat…… Continue reading torta di cioccolata
black truffle
When in France I spent some time in the Dordogne, the home of the Périgord Black Truffle. I felt compelled to bring one home and here’s what I did with it. 60º eggs on potatoes fried in duck fat with shavings of black truffle. Actually, these were really 62.8ºC (145ºF) eggs as I prefer my…… Continue reading black truffle
snapper with beetroot and olives
David has a way with fish. This amazingly colourful dish was not only stunning to look at but absolutely delicious too. In a medium bowl combine 2 tablespoons of olive oil with 2 crushed cloves of garlic, a 5cm (2″) piece of finely grated fresh ginger, the finely grated zest of 1 lemon and the crushed…… Continue reading snapper with beetroot and olives
baclava cheesecake
My friend Deborah made this for a recent celebration. What a brilliant combination of two delicious cakes! Preheat your oven to 180°C (350ºF). Place ⅓ of a cup each of blanched almonds and hazelnuts on a baking tray and bake for 5-8 minutes until toasted. Meanwhile, make the honey syrup by combining ½ a cup…… Continue reading baclava cheesecake
home-made pastrami
As a gift I was given CHARCUTERIE The Craft of Salting Smoking and Curing by Michael Ruhlman and Bryan Polcyn. It’s packed full of excellent recipes. This is how our home-made pastrami turned out. To make this you will need some beef brisket with most of the fat removed. For a 2¼kg (5 lb) brisket make a…… Continue reading home-made pastrami
sauerkraut
All you need to make Sauerkraut is cabbage, salt and time. Shred 1 whole cabbage finely and place it in a large bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of fine sea salt and massage the salt into the cabbage until the cellular structure breaks down, releasing liquid and making the cabbage quite limp. Pack the cabbage tightly…… Continue reading sauerkraut
blood lime and coconut ice cream
I’ve been interested in native Australian finger limes for a while so I chose to plant a blood lime as it suits the cool climate here. A cross between red finger lime and Ellendale mandarin, their colour ranges from lime to burgundy and they’re a little sweeter then standard limes. The skin and flesh can…… Continue reading blood lime and coconut ice cream
michelle picker cooks 