The cumquat (or kumquat) is an small orange-like fruit related to the citrus family. It has an edible rind and acid pulp and is often used to make excellent bitter marmalade. This recipe makes a clean-tasting and fragrant liqueur. Simply wash and weigh your cumquats. Place them in a clean jar with an equal amount of…… Continue reading cumquat liqueur
Tag: recipe
chervil soup
Chervil is related to Parsley, but is more delicate and has a mild licorice or aniseed taste. Widely used in French cooking, it is one of the four traditional fines herbes. This delicious soup highlights it’s flavour and is very useful when you have a glut of chervil. Separate the stems from the leaves of a large bunch of fresh chervil. Cook…… Continue reading chervil soup
baked whole snapper + bean sprout salad
Here’s a Japanese recipe for baked fish. After cleaning and drying, cut some slits into the sides of your fish to allow the flavouring to penetrate. For a 1 kg (2 lb) fish, mix 2½ tablespoons of sake, 2 teaspoons of soy sauce, ½ a teaspoon of salt and 2 teaspoons of finely grated fresh ginger. Place some…… Continue reading baked whole snapper + bean sprout salad
poppy seed cake with lemon icing
One of the latest additions to my groaning shelves of cookbooks is Honey & Co The Baking Book by Sarit Packer & Itmar Srulovich. Poppy seed cakes are one of my favourites and this is a good one. Moist and not too heavy with a lovely tart icing. Preheat your oven to 190ºC (375ºF). In a…… Continue reading poppy seed cake with lemon icing
wood-roasted vegetables
I’m staying at Robert and Miranda’s farm in New Zealand where this magnificent pizza oven is a feature. After the obligatory pizza, we were inspired by the cookbook The Kiwi Pizza Oven by Alan Brown and decided to try cooking some vegetables. Whole roasted cauliflower, pre-boiled for 10 minutes then drizzled with oil and seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper. When…… Continue reading wood-roasted vegetables
garlic steak + miso pumpkin
Japanese garlic steak. Need I say more? Make some shallow cuts into each side of the steak and marinate in 45ml (1½ oz) of soy sauce, 1½ tablespoons of mirin (sweet cooking sake) and 2 crushed cloves of garlic for at least 20 minutes. When you’re ready to cook, heat a heavy pan (preferably cast iron)…… Continue reading garlic steak + miso pumpkin
flan
The history of flan begins with the ancient Romans who spread their culinary traditions throughout Europe. Originally a savoury dish, it became popular as a sweet dish of slowly cooked custard with caramelised sugar. Christopher Columbus’ discovery of America brought flan with it and nearly all of Central and South America loves flan in one form or another. It has…… Continue reading flan
watermelon and feta salad
I waited far too long to try this salad. Sweet and salty, easy to make and perfect for a hot Summer’s day. Cut some watermelon into bite-sized chunks and add some finely sliced red onion. Crumble in a generous amount of a good feta cheese and some sliced fresh mint. Drizzle with olive oil, toss and serve.
octopus
From the northwestern Spanish region of Galicia, pulpo gallego is a dish of boiled octopus dressed with smoky paprika and olive oil. Traditionally, the octopus is dipped into boiling water three times before being immersed and boiled. I’m not sure whether this achieves anything but I gave it a go. You will need to boil some water first, enough…… Continue reading octopus
christmas 2016
Christmas day 2016 was a hot 37ºC day, so we opted for some cold dishes in our 5-course menu. We started with an amuse-bouche of naked cherry tomatoes from this recipe by Chef John. This method really brings out the flavour in tomatoes. The second course was a wonderfully fresh chilled green gazpacho soup with burrata…… Continue reading christmas 2016
michelle picker cooks 