compound butter

 
I decided to make this butter to use up some of the numerous herbs that are in the garden.

This is Gordon Ramseys recipe which is as follows

200g of unsalted butter at room temperature
1 tsp of parsley
1tsp of chevil
1 tsp of tarragon
salt and pepper

Mix together until all combined

Put it on some gladwrap and roll into a log and then put into the fridge ready for use.
The possibilities of herb and flavour combinations are endless but I think this one lends it self well to fish and seafood dishes.

chipotle mango barbeque sauce

I came across this recipe for chipotle mango bbq sauce from here at Iowagirleats.com.
I love sauces and condiments and I wanted another recipe using fresh mango as they are readily available at the moment.

Follow the recipe, combine all the ingredients and bring to boil and simmer for 20 minutes.  I added an extra tablespoon of brown sugar as the sauce is really spicy hot.

Let it cool down before you blitz it.
We used the sauce in a yogurt dressing as the recipe suggests in a salad.  This dressing would go with so many things, seafood for one.  I loved it.

bacon jam

This stuff is absolutely exquisite.  The uses for this are endless.  I have just finished eating it with last nights leftover roast potatoes.
I got the recipe from 'sea salt with food' and pretty much followed the recipe to a T, except that I didn't cook it as long.  I only cooked it for about and hour and not 2.
I think this jam will get better as the days go by as the flavours continue to mingle together.
The bagel with the egg was Jacobs request, along with mayonaise, tomatoes and basil.

and  Lily wanted hers with scramble eggs and tomatoes on the side.  Finn wasn't here and Chris was at work so they missed out.

homemade gluten free hoisin sauce

My sister had the cook book by Gwyneth Paltrow 'My Father's Daughter' over the holidays which we both really enjoyed.  Her type of food is really up my alley so I requested it out of the library, but I got a book that was called 'Notes from my Kitchen Table .
 It is exactly the same book, though it does have a different photo on the front cover.
Anyway this recipe has been adapted from her recipe only because I didn't have exactly what she had at hand.  I also halved the amount just in case I didn't like it.

Combine the following ingredients use a whisk

2 teaspoons of grapeseed oil
1 small clove of garlic mashed
1/4 teaspoon of 5 spice
3 tablespoons of miso (I used white, her recipe asks for red)
70 mls of real maple syrup
1 tablespoon of rice vinegar (her recipe asks for brown rice vinegar)

It is nice and makes a change from my usual sweet soy recipe

I used it for  the beef noodles recipe

ginger peanut dressing

I came across this dressing from 'onceuponachef', which sounded delicious and would be good for a lot of things.  I did alter it and doubled the measurements on some ingredients.

For this recipe you will need

• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup peanut oil / vege oil
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons of sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 2 tablespoons of peanut butter
• 1 small clove of garlic

Put all the ingredients in a jar and shake till all combined.

I used this dressing for chicken soba noodle salad.

3 dressings for coleslaw

Cabbage and coleslaw is great in the winter as it is in season and good value.  

Raw cabbage is nutrition rich, full of antioxidants, one of the strongest cancer fighters out there.

Here are 3 different dressing ideas...

 Creamy mayonaise dressing

1/2 cup of best food mayonnaise

1 tsp of sweet chile sauce

zest of lime or lemon

juice of 1/2 lime or lemon

smidge of garlic, crushed to a paste.  ( no chunks of raw garlic) 

Mix all ingredients together

Sweet tart lime dressing

juice of 1 or 2 limes depending how juicy they are

1 heaped tsp of white sugar

1 tsp of fish sauce

pinch of chile flakes

Mix until sugar is dissolved

Miso dressing

1 tbs of miso paste

1 tsp of white sugar

2 tbs of rice wine vinegar

2 tbs of canola oil

squeeze of lemon or lime juice

Whisk together

Basic sweet tomato sauce

 I make a huge variation of tomato sauces and this one is probably the most basic.
This is a sweet sauce and goes perfectly with yogurt sauce, they really compliment each other.

You will need

• 1 can of whole tomatoes
• 3-6 cloves of finely chopped garlic (depending how gutsy you want it)
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 - 1 teaspoon of maldon salt  ( taste and fine tune)

Gently heat the olive oil and fry the garlic until it has flavored the oil and basically cooked.

Next add the tomatoes and break up with your wooden spoon, followed by the salt and sugar.  Let it bubble away on medium - low heat  and reduce until you have a jammy consistency.  Watch that it doesn't burn.  The sugar adds a glossy brightness to the sauce.

Yogurt sauce

Like the tomato sauce I make variations of yogurt sauce, depending on the season and what is available.
This is a perfect accompaniment for the sweet tomato sauce.  They are great together.
So for this one...

You will need

• 1 cup of yogurt  ( I use Yoplait greek)
• 1 small red onion finely chopped
• zest of 1 lemon
• As much chopped mint as you want.  I could only scrape together about a tablespoon from my garden.  You can never have to much herb.
• A smidge of garlic ( i use the plane to get it nice and fine, nothing worse than chunks of raw garlic)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients together and let it sit for a while so all the flavours can get to know each other.

Sri Lankan curry blend

I got the recipe for this spice blend from the book 'Spice Market' essential information on spices, spice mixes and spice pastes by Jane Lawson.  It is a beautiful book.  I intend to use this blend for chicken.

You will need

3 tablespoons coriander seeds
1 1/2 tablespoons cumin seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
2 cm cinnamon stick
6 cloves
1/4 teaspoon cardamon seeds from green pods.  Crack open the pods
2 dried chillies
2 teaspoons dried curry leaves  ( I didn't have these so I didn't put them in)

Gently dry-fry them on low heat in a heavy based bottom pan until fragrant about 3 mins.  Don't let them brown too much or it will become bitter and awful and a waste of time.

I started to pound in a mortar and pestle but it was going to take too long, so I used the electric spice grinder instead which only took seconds.

Boysenberry couli

We were mean't to have Lemon Sponge Pudding for dessert last night, as my husband Chris said he felt like pudding and was going to make it.  I decided that a boysenberry couli  would go very nicely with it.  So I decided that I would make that.  He went off and bought all the ingredients, measured them all out into bowls.  Well that is far as he got.  He made one of his legendary Roast Lamb dinners and well that's all he had in him.

Anyway, this is really simple to make.  Get 1 can of boysenberries in syrup and empty into a pot.

Bring to the boil and add 1/2 cup of icing sugar and then simmer for about 15mins or until reduced and has begun to thicken.

I added a squeeze of lemon since it was supposed to be going with the Lemon Sponge Pudding.

Let it cool and then strain out the seeds through a sieve.  Work with a spoon to get every last bit through.
So now I have this very rich boysenberry couli and nothing to put it on.
I have always wanted to make 'cheats ice-cream'.  I might give that a go tomorrow, the couli will be perfect for that.

Sticky Sweet Soy Sauce

I make this sauce just about every other day.  It is a staple for my son who has coeliac disease.
He has it on his stir fry rice for his school lunches.  Which are delivered to him  most days.

I don't measure out the ingredients usually because I make it so often but this is as it goes.

2 Tablespoons of white sugar
4 Tablespoons of tamari soy sauce  -  wheat free
2 Tablespoons of rice wine
1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil

You can just mix it all together until the sugar is dissolved and have it like that, or you can add 1heaped tsp of corn flour and 1/4 cup of cold water and put in microwave for 1 to 2 minutes until it gets hot and thickens.  Check and stir for even dissolving.
This will make 1/2 cup of sticky sweet sauce.

Quince Jelly

This is the first time I have cooked with quince.  I have always been intriqued and have often bought them when they are in season.  They have just stayed on the bench till they become unsightly and get thrown away eventually.  This time I made the effort and definately well worth it.

Take 3 medium sized quince wash the skins of there downy texture and chopped and core.

I added enough cold water to cover them about an inch.

Bring to the boil and them simmer for about 45mins to an hour or once they get squashy with a masher.

Then mash.  The consistency should be a little thinner than stewed apple.

Strain through several layers of muslin.  It takes about 4 hours to get out every last drop.

Ball up and twist the muslin and add some weights to get out every last drop.

I used the mortar and pestle among other things.

This is the lovely nectar that results.

Measure the amount, as for every cup of juice you have, add 1 small cup of sugar.

Bring to the boil and simmer.  It takes about 1 and 1/2 hours.  The longer it simmers the more it reduces and the colour intensifies.  After awhile the sugar liquid ratio becomes just so and it starts to bubble like lava.  This is a good sign that it is nearly there.

  

I had just over 4 cups of quince juice and it reduced to 2 cups of quince jelly.

The quince jelly I made below is really intensely red and clear.  The texture is very firm but still has a sticky quality.  Now that I know what I am doing (sort of) I would not have left it is long.  I would have preferred it to be less firm (more like a thick runny honey) and a softer pink colour.  The darker it becomes the sweeter it gets.

I love to eat quince jelly with cheese and crackers.  The flavour is just heaven and the colour like no other.  I will find other uses for it.

Garlic Confit

Garlic confit is so delicious and as always really easy to make.. Chop the tops off 4 or 5 bulbs of garlic depending on the size of the pot.

Cover the garlic with a plain flavoured oil, I have used canola oil.  Just enough to go over the top.

Gently bring to the boil on your lowest setting on the stove top and then turn it off.  Turn it back on again and let it bubble away very slowly for about 3 to 5 minutes.  It will colour really quickly if you are not careful.  Turn it off again.  Repeat the the process several times over a couple of hours.  You want the garlic to cook and to develop the flavour really slowly.

Once you have the desired colour which is a deep golden and the cloves are still soft, not little rocks, turn off the heat and allow bulbs to cool in the oil.

Once cool, pop the clove out of the paper using the end of a teaspoon.  Find a small jar and pour a little of the oil to cover.  Strain the remaining oil using a fine sieve and store in a clean bottle.
The garlic and the oil are sublime, mellow and extremely moorish.

Use the garlic as part of an antipasto plate, spread it on a sandwich, add it to soups or stew or eat straight from the jar.  I use the garlic oil in Finns stirfries that I make for his school lunches.