Fabulous Crab Cakes In An Ordinary Life

Mostly I am very happy living my (relatively) ordinary life - although even saying that makes me frightened that some horrible fate might befall me tomorrow. Health, education, people to love and people who love me, passions, dreams, hopes, fears, idiocies and indulgences, I'm lucky with all. But today I am feeling extremely inadequate in my ordinary life. And not for the usual reasons like out of control hair or clumsiness. The source of my worries? I never slept with Elvis Presley, Clint Eastwood or Burt Reynolds.

Mum gave me "Insatiable: Tales From A Life of Delicious Excess", the memoirs of Gael Greene, the restaurant critic on New York magazine. I expected a gee whiz romp through some of the world's best restaurants with a few recipes and tips on technique thrown in. I have read quite a few books in this genre and they all follow much the same pattern. Except that Greene, who I must admit I had heard of only fleetingly, was also a racy novelist who partook in all the excesses of the 70s and has decided to share them in detail. Just imagine being able to say: "Years later, I would glance at Time magazine and my breath would catch in my throat. There were two men on Time's January 9, 1978, cover and I had been to bed with both of them." Straightfaced. Both of them. Clint and Burt. And this, after her tryst with Elvis is detailed on page 9. I'm not really keen on Elvis or Clint or Burt, but I can only imagine being able to claim having been up close and personal with that trifecta. No wonder she published her memoirs.

Meanwhile, big excitement for me was crab cakes. It just doesn't have quite the same ring does it? I can't even claim it was a cover recipe, let alone the cover of Time. Nor do I envisage publishers will be squabbling over the rights to my memoirs ("She did make those great crab cakes, we must have her book!") So I will go back to reading about the lives of glamourous New Yorkers while I hide from the heat in Sydney and eat another crab cake.

This recipe came from "Bon Appetit" April 2009. It is pretty easy, and makes a very elegant nibble, which can be made a couple of hours in advance. Make these to eat with drinks and you won't need to serve a first course. When I next make them, my only change will be to line the muffin tins with foil so the crab cakes are easier to get out. I'm sure Elvis, Clint and Burt would approve, if you happen to be entertaining them.

Mini Crab Cakes
from Bon Appetit, April 2009

250g cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 large egg
1/4 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon finely grated orange peel
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
4 teaspoons plus 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
Large pinch of cayenne pepper
180g fresh lump crabmeat, picked over, patted dry, coarsely shredded (I used good quality tinned crab, well drained)
1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1/4 cup unsalted butter (approx 60g), melted, plus more for pans
Fresh chives, cut into pieces

Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese in medium bowl until smooth. Add 1/4 cup Parmesan and egg; beat to blend. Beat in sour cream, citrus peels, 4 teaspoons chopped chives, salt, and cayenne pepper. Fold in crabmeat. Cover and chill.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter 2 mini muffin pans (or line each hole with foil). Toss panko, 1/2 cup Parmesan, and 2 tablespoons chopped chives in small bowl. Drizzle 1/4 cup melted butter over, tossing with fork until evenly moistened. Press 1 rounded tablespoon panko mixture into bottom of each muffin cup, forming crust. Spoon 1 generous tablespoon crab mixture into each cup. Sprinkle rounded teaspoon of panko mixture over each (some may be left over).

Bake crab cakes until golden on top and set, about 30 minutes. Cool in pans 5 minutes. Run knife around each cake and gently lift out of pan. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Arrange on baking sheet; let stand at room temperature. Rewarm in 350°F oven 6 to 8 minutes.)
Arrange crab cakes on serving platter; sprinkle with chives.

Nigella's Roquamole

I have a girlfriend who looks at celebrities and will often turn around to me and say, "I think she / he would be our friend." What this is meant to impart, is that someone looks fun, down to earth, and possibly a little outspoken, unafraid of a long talks over a few glasses of good wine and a leisurely meal. In other words, our kind of people. Obviously the fact that most of them are very famous and not even remotely within our orbit or even our hemisphere, makes it extremely unlikely that Jon Stewart, Kate Winslet or Cameron Diaz will be over for dinner tonight. No matter. It's a fun game to play.

Nigella Lawson is someone else who belongs on the "would be our friend" list. Smart, funny, talented, self-deprecating, Nigella brings enthusiasm and lust to food. She is the only cookbook author I know of who talks about greedily scarfing down things she has made, or is seen licking a finger, or moaning to herself from the pure joy of food. In other words, she is much more like the foodies who use her books, than she is like some other cookbook writers who may have more discipline or finesse but have by-passed the joy in their cooking. A new cookery club, called I Heart Cooking Clubs, has started and is currently focusing on Nigella with party foods as the first choice. I made this dip a while ago, and it seemed like a perfect post.

Avocado and blue cheese never struck me as natural friends, but they meld together beautifully in this dip. The resulting taste is lovely - but it does not taste the way you would imagine blue and avocado to taste. I think if you were serving this to people who did not know what was in it, they would struggle to put their finger on blue cheese as an ingredient. The chillis add a little kick. All in all, a yummy choice, and a great way to use up any spare blue cheese.

Roquamole

from Nigella Express

125g Roquefort or St Agur
60ml sour cream
2 ripe avocados
35g sliced pickled green jalapeño chilli peppers from a jar
2 spring onions, finely sliced
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 packet blue corn tortilla chipsServing Size : Serves 4–6

METHOD
1. In a bowl, crumble or mash the blue cheese with the sour cream.
2. Mash in the avocados. If they are ripe, a fork should be all you need.
3. Roughly chop the sliced jalapeños and stir them into the mixture along with the finely sliced spring onions.
4. Arrange in the centre of a plate or dish, dust with the paprika and surround with tortilla chips. Dive in.

Parmesan and Goats Cheese Bites at the French Laundry

Recently a local lotto was drawn with a prize of more than $100 million dollars. Like most of the population, I don't usually buy tickets in the lotto, but this prize was big enough to drive me to wander up to the newsagency and put my money down. The best part of any lottery is the happy time between buying the ticket ("I'm sure it is my turn to win this time") and the draw ("I was robbed. Surely I should have won.") This is the time when it is perfectly permissable to spend hours contemplating what you would do with all the money. Paying off debts is a given, as is sharing the good fortune around with family and charities. But what would your ultimate indulgence be, once all the sensible stuff was done? One of mine (alongside buckets of fresh flowers every week and a massage now and then) would be to eat at some of the world's best restaurants. And at the top of that list is The French Laundry, in California.

Sadly, I know that a meal at The French Laundry won't be mine in the foreseeable future. So I have invested in the cookbook instead. It runs the gamut of recipes from the very simple to the technically extraordinary, and is the subject of the excellent French Laundry At Home blog. This blog, written very wittily by Carol Blymire, works its way through the entire book, and is a fantastic resource for anyone wanting to cook from the book. It is also a fun read with lots of great "music to cook by" recommendations.

One of Carol's first recipe attempts was the parmesan crisps with goats cheese mousse, and I decided to follow her lead and start at the simple end of things. This is a delicious nibble - my one piece of advice not included in the recipe is to do your piping at the last minute so your crisp does not go soggy (obvious I know but I still did it). Serve as a nosh with drinks and watch as they vanish.

Parmesan Reggiano Crisps With Goats Cheese Mousse

from "The French Laundry Cookbook" by Thomas Keller

Parmesan Crisps

1 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (from a moist piece of cheese)

Goat Cheese Mousse

180g fresh goat cheese (or other soft goat cheese)

4 to 6 tablespoons pouring cream

1 tablespoon minced flat leaf parsley

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

A clean egg carton

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

For the Parmesan Crisps:Line a baking sheet with baking paper.

Place a 2-1/2-inch ring mold (I used a scone cutter) in one corner of the baking tray and fill it with 3 tsps of the grated cheese. Using your finger, spread the cheese into an even layer. Repeat to make 8 rounds, leaving at least 3cms between them.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the crisps are a rich golden brown. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool for about 30 seconds to firm the crisps enough so you can remove them with a spatula. One by one, remove the crisps and gently press each one into a hollow in the egg carton to form a tulip shape. After a few minutes, remove the cooled crisps from the carton and make 8 more crisps.

For the Goat Cheese Mousse:Place the goat cheese in a food processor and process (depending on the cheese used, it may look smooth or crumbly). Pour 1/4 cup of the cream through the feed tube and continue to process until the mixture is smooth but will hold a shape when piped; if necessary, add a little more cream. Add the parsley and salt and pepper to taste and mix just to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning. The mousse can be refrigerated for 2 to 3 days; let stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes to soften slightly before piping.

Place the mousse in a pastry bag fitted with a medium star tip. Pipe 2 to 3 teaspoons of mousse into each Parmesan crisp and serve.

Double Happiness Chinese Steamed Dumplings

I recently joined a blogging group on the web called The Daring Kitchen. The Daring Kitchen is the new sibling of the Daring Bakers, and they hold a monthly challenge to make something a little harder and more testing than the meals I usually find myself cooking. I was excited to join - I have watched the Daring Bakers making the most amazing cakes and pastries, but did not consider joining because there is a definite limit to the amount of sweets we would ever manage to make or consume in this house. The Daring Kitchen, however, looked exciting to me with its move into the savoury side of cooking.

So I was bracing myself for my first challenge, wondering whether I was about to be completely overwhelmed by what they would ask me to attempt. Instead, I was completely blessed by my first challenge: Chinese Dumplings. While I have never made them before, some of my family is Chinese, we eat Chinese food all the time, and dumplings are a particular favourite with the kids. In other words, I knew that what I made would get eaten, and I knew how it should look and taste. And as for the making itself, I had more fun doing this than you would imagine, but it is definitely something to do as a communal activity - next time I will line up the partner , friends or kids for an hour or two of this. The fillings are relatively simple to pull together, and they can sit in the fridge while the dough is being made. While I used the two suggested fillings, you could really let your imagination go and create anything here, or else just copy one or two of your favourite yum cha dumplings.


The dough was the revelation for me. It consists of only flour and water. No salt, no eggs, nor anything else. I used the food processor method described below, and wound up with a fairly hard lump of dough, which I kneaded then left to rest for 15 minutes. I then sliced it into strips, rolled the strips into sausages, and chopped the sausages into pieces (see pics below). Because it felt hard, I couldn't imagine that it would become pliable enough to fill, but it does. The whole process of rolling, filling and pleating is very satisfying. It made me feel incredibly satisfied - definite double happiness dumplings!

Chinese Dumplings
pork filling:
1 lb (450g) ground pork
4 wombok cabbage leaves, minced
3 stalks green onions, minced
7 shitake mushrooms, minced (if dried - rehydrated and rinsed carefully)
1/2 cup (75g) bamboo shoots, minced
1/4 (55g) cup ginger, minced
3 tbsp (40g) soy sauce
2 tbsp (28g) sesame oil
2 tbsp (16g) corn starch

OR

prawn filling:
225g raw prawns, peeled, deveined, and coarsely chopped
225g ground pork
3 stalks green onions, minced
1/4 cup ginger, minced
1 cup water chestnuts, minced
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp corn starch

dough: (double this for the amount of filling, but easier to make it in 2 batches - or just halve the filling recipe)
2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (113g) warm water
flour for worksurface

dipping sauce:
2 parts soy sauce
1 part vinegar (red wine or black)
a few drops of sesame oil
chili garlic paste (optional) - I used chopped fresh chilli
minced ginger (optional)
minced garlic (optional)
minced green onion (optional)
sugar (optional)

Combine all filling ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix thoroughly (I mix by clean hand). Cover and refrigerate until ready to use (up to a day, but preferably within an hour or two).

Make the dough, Method 1: Place the flour in the work bowl of a food processor with the dough blade. Run the processor and pour the warm water in until incorporated. Pour the contents into a sturdy bowl or onto a work surface and knead until uniform and smooth. The dough should be firm and smooth to the touch and not sticky.[Note: it’s better to have a moist dough and have to incorporate more flour than to have a dry and pilling dough and have to incorporate more water).

Make the dough, Method 2 (my mom’s instructions): In a large bowl mix flour with 1/4 cup of water and stir until water is absorbed. Continue adding water one teaspoon at a time and mixing thoroughly until dough pulls away from sides of bowl. We want a firm dough that is barely sticky to the touch.

Recipe note from the Daring Kitchen: Your 2 cups of flour should weigh 250g - some flour sits denser than others, so a cup measurement is not definitive. When you knead the dough, if it feels hard and dry, then you can add more water. [Warning: it will NOT be a soft bread dough, so don't expect it to be, but it shouldn't be a brick either.] It is perfectly fine to use more than the 1/2 cup listed in the recipe as everyone's climate and flours vary.

Both dough methods: Knead the dough about twenty strokes then cover with a damp towel for 15 minutes. Take the dough and form a flattened dome. Cut into strips about 1 1/2 to 2 inches wide. Shape the strips into rounded long cylinders. On a floured surface, cut the strips into 3/4 inch pieces. Press palm down on each piece to form a flat circle (you can shape the corners in with your fingers). With a rolling pin, roll out a circular wrapper from each flat disc. Take care not to roll out too thin or the dumplings will break during cooking - about 1/16th inch. Leave the centers slightly thicker than the edges. Place a tablespoon of filling in the center of each wrapper and fold the dough in half, pleating the edges along one side (see images in post for how to fold pleats). Keep all unused dough under damp cloth.

To boil: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add dumplings to pot. Boil the dumplings until they float.

To steam: Place dumplings on a single layer of cabbage leaves on a well-greased surface in a steamer basket with lid. Steam covered for about 6 minutes. (I used my steam oven and cooked for about 7 minutes).

Savoury Crepe Cake With Salmon

Once upon a time, I made a very glam starter, and felt very, very pleased with myself. It looked incredible and tasted just as good... layer upon layer of champagne crepes, smoked salmon and cream cheese flavoured with some lemon and dill. It was a lot of work for something that disappeared in a nano second. And, having successfully made champagne crepes (I was more surprised than anyone), I never attempted the recipe again. My logic went something along the lines of the rock star car park (ie if it happens to you once, you know it will never happen that way again). But the memory of the beautiful crepe cake stayed with me, and I would occasionally contemplate trying again.

But praise be to whatever gods determine the stock at my local supermarket. The have now decided to add frozen pre-made crepes to the freezer section. So now I can have my smoked salmon cake without the fear or the grief. OK they are not champagne crepes, but the trade off is a fantastic nibble that takes about 3 mins to prepare, and will amaze everyone. So easy I feel a little embarrassed even giving a recipe. But not so embarrassed to serve it to anyone.

Savoury Salmon Crepe Cake

1 box frozen french crepes (the ones at my local are from Creative Gourmet)

1 tub cream cheese

Juice from 1/2 lemon

1 bunch dill, finely chopped

300g salmon

Mix cream cheese, lemon juice and dill together. Toss through the cream cheese and season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Take a frozen crepe, and spread generously with cream cheese and then top with a layer of salmon. Repeat four times, finishing with a plain crepe (or you could go higher...) Slice into bite-sized wedges and serve.

Bruschetta with Capsicum and Blue Cheese

The GFC, (as I like to call the global financial crisis - makes me think more of Kentucky Fried than some nasty economic malaise) has forced some critical rethinking in most people's kitchens. Out with the pricey ingredients and imports, in with cheaper cuts of meat and more seasonal and local produce. The Barefoot Blogging crew has picked up on this and set a Barefoot on a Budget challenge in May to re-work an Ina Garten recipe to be a little more wallet friendly.

I took a few major cuts to this recipe: I substituted local blue cheese for the gorgonzola (about $8 for 250g vs $16). Because it has been one of those weeks, I forgot to buy the basil (saving $3). And then because it was still one of those weeks, I also forgot to include the capers even though they were sitting in my pantry (another inadvertent saving of a dollar or two). I did splurge on the yellow capsicum however (about $6 for two. Green would have been cheaper). And the end result was good, and looked great. I would definitely make this again but I must admit I would like to try the non-budget version next time. Maybe this is what I should be spending my stimulus money on?

Bruschetta with Sauteed Sweet Peppers and Creamy Gorgonzola
from Ina Garten

Good olive oil
2 yellow capsicums, seeded and sliced into thin strips
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon capers, drained
2 tablespoons julienned fresh basil leaves
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Baguette
100g creamy Gorgonzola or other blue cheese, at room temperature

Preheat the oven to 185C.
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the capsicums and cook until soft, about 12 to 15 minutes. Sprinkle with the sugar and continue cooking for 2 more minutes. Stir in the capers and basil, and season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Slice the baguette crosswise into 18 thin round slices. Brush the bread rounds lightly with olive oil on 1 side. Arrange them in rows, oil side up, on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and toast in the oven until lightly browned, about 7 to 10 minutes.

Top each toast round with a teaspoonful of the capsicum mixture. Place 2 small pieces of Gorgonzola on top. Return the toast to the oven for 1 to 2 minutes and warm through. Serve immediately.

Savoury Coeur A La Creme

A couple of years ago, my friend Sally served up a phenomenal dip. It was incredibly more-ish (a perfect quality in a dip) and was tangy and fresh and spicy and indulgent all at the same time. Clever Sally later confessed the dip was nothing more than a tub of cream cheese tipped upside down, dowsed in sweet chilli sauce and then sprinkled generously with chopped coriander. Soon, everyone was making the same dip, so much so that Kraft released "Light Philly Pourovers", a range of dips that were inverted so either a sweet chilli or mango or chilli capsicum sauce poured over the cheese.

This month's Barefoot Bloggers Bonus Challenge is a savoury coeur a la creme, which achieves much the same result, albeit considerably more glamourously. It is also a lot slower, because it needs to drain and set overnight, before it can be unmolded for serving. In my opinion, the key advantage that this recipe has above simply using a tub of soft philly is the opportunity to flavour the cheese itself. I stuck to the lemon as written below, but the sky is really the limit if you felt like getting creative: why not use some taco seasoning in the cheese and salsa over the top? Or lime zest and juice with a Thai dipping sauce over the top? Thanks to Anne Strawberry for the choice of a great base recipe.

Savoury Coeur A La Creme
from Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa

12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup heavy cream
1 lemon, zested
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 bottle chutney (Ina recommends: Cross and Blackwell Major Grey's) Crackers, for serving

Place the cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whip until it is firm like whipped cream. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the cream, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Beat on high speed until the mixture is very thick.
Line a 6-inch coeur a la creme mold or 6-inch sieve with a few layers of cheesecloth, allowing the excess to drape over the sides. Pour the cream mixture into the cheesecloth and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Fold the excess cheesecloth over the top of the cream. Place the mold on a plate or suspend the sieve over a small bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight. When ready to serve, unmold the creme upside down onto a plate and pour the chutney over the top, allowing it to drip down the sides. Serve chilled with crackers

Savoury Palmiers = Delicious Nibbles with Drinks

Easter is fast approaching, and so are the school holidays. It can't happen fast enough from my point of view. Our little family has had a fairly bumpy start to 09 so the thought that Easter and school holidays are just around the corner is wonderful. Books, sleep, crosswords, movies - all I am craving is some serious R n R. Throw in a friend or two for a meal and a coffee and it will all be perfect.

If Easter means getting together with family and friends for you, this is the perfect thing to nosh on with drinks. It was the Barefoot Bonus recipe in December, which I aspired to make but ran out of both time and puff. I am so happy I decided to try it out this week - if you are about to entertain, make these for your guests. You will blow them away with how truly scrumptious these palmiers are. Happy Easter!

Savory Palmiers
from Ina Garten in "Back to Basics"
2 sheets frozen puff pastry, defrosted
1/4 cup prepared pesto
1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese (I used goats fetta because that is what happened to be in the fridge)
1/4 cup finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

Spread the sheet of puff pastry with half the pesto, then sprinkle with half the goat cheese, half the sun-dried tomatoes, and half the pine nuts. Sprinkle with 1/4 tsp salt.

Working from the short ends (unless your sheets are square, in which case just start on one side), fold each end halfway to the center. Then fold each side again toward the center until the folded edges almost touch. Fold one side over the other and press lightly. Place on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Repeat for the second sheet of puff pastry using the remaining ingredients. Cover both rolls with plastic wrap and chill for at least 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Cut the prepared rolls of puff pastry into 1/4-inch-thick slices and place them faceup 2 inches apart on sheet pans lined with parchment paper. Bake for 14 minutes, until golden brown. Serve warm.

Tomato and Goats Cheese Tarts

It's nearly the end of March, and it's time for the last of our Barefoot Bloggers recipes. I love being part of this group because it is making me attempt things that I would not otherwise try, and I am discovering recipes that I will return to over and over again. Today's recipe, Tomato and Goat's Cheese Tarts (and last week's Brownie Pudding) will be among the few things about this month that I am keen to revisit. My elder darling daughter has been diagnosed with whooping cough / pertussis, so we are in quarantine again... (as an aside - it is starting to feel a little biblical around here with all the plagues visiting our house - I'll let you know if frogs or locusts appear). The up side of this is lots of time in the kitchen.

I halved the recipe as a lunch for the two of us. And luckily for me, this is my kind of recipe. It is the sort of thing that I always order when I am out at a cafe. Tasty, and big on flavour, the crunch of the pastry is offset by both the creaminess of the goats cheese and the slippery cooked tomato. It is also endlessly modifiable according to your tastes and preferences (mushrooms, smoked salmon, provencal vegetables, pesto, etc are all possible additions / substitutions). Next time, I make this combination, I will throw some pinenuts into the goats cheese mix for an extra bit of texture and nuttiness. This recipe would also be wonderful for entertaining because it looks and tastes great, and plates so easily. You could also make tiny bite-size tasrts as an hors d'oeuvre.

The Barefoot Bloggers are a group of blogging cooks who whip up a couple of recipes each month from Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa. This week's choice was from Anne Strawberry - who is clearly a woman with tastes similar to mine. Merci beaucoup chere Anne! If you want to see how the other Barefoot Bloggers found this recipe check out the blogroll here.

Tomato and Goat's Cheese Tarts
From Ina Garten: Back to Basics

2 sheets puff pastry, defrosted
Good olive oil
4 cups thinly sliced yellow onions (2 large onions)
3 large garlic cloves, cut into thin slivers
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons dry white wine
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves
4 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan, plus 50g shaved with a vegetable peeler
120g garlic-and-herb goat cheese (I could only get plain, so I mixed in an Italian spice mix)
1 large tomato (or 2 small), cut into thick slices
3 tablespoons julienned basil leaves

Using an 18cm saucer or other round object as a guide, cut 2 circles from the sheet of puff pastry, discarding the scraps. Repeat with the second pastry sheet to make 4 circles in all. Place the pastry circles on 2 sheet pans lined with parchment paper and refrigerate until ready to use.
Preheat the oven to 210F.

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium to low heat and add the onions and garlic. Saute for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are limp and there is almost no moisture remaining in the skillet. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, the wine, and thyme and continue to cook for another 10 minutes, until the onions are lightly browned. Remove from the heat.

Using a sharp paring knife, score a 1/4-inch-wide border around each pastry circle. Prick the pastry inside the score lines with the tines of a fork and sprinkle a tablespoon of grated Parmesan on each round, staying inside the scored border.

Place 1/4 of the onion mixture on each circle, again staying within the scored edge. Crumble 1 ounce of goat cheese on top of the onions. Place a slice of tomato in the center of each tart. Brush the tomato lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with basil, salt, and pepper. Finally, scatter 4 or 5 shards of Parmesan on each tart.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown. The bottom sheet pan may need an extra few minutes in the oven. Serve hot or warm.

Snazzy Sausage Rolls

So that the catering burden does not fall solely on one pair of shoulders, a lot of our school functions tend to be "bring a plate". There is good and bad in this (good: chicken sandwiches are usually excellent; bad: way too much sushi has been served up over the last few years to the point where I can no longer look at a maki roll). This week we had the first function for Year 7 parents, and I was under instruction to bring a plate of hot savouries eg sausage rolls or pies. Both sausage rolls and pies can be either delicious or dodgy depending on the quality of the meat and pastry. If I could have mustered more energy, I might have attempted some baby pies, but February is hot, humid and exhausting enough without making pies as well. NZ's Cuisine magazine came to my rescue with a brilliant take on sausage rolls: this recipe featured in the November edition.

Simple: buy the best chipolatas you can (any flavour you like). Roll in honey and mustard. Twirl a strip of pastry around it. Drizzle with honey and mustard. Serve with BBQ sauce or chutney. Perfectly easy. Easily perfect. (And I am still shocked as I reread this post to think of myself as a Year 7 parent. High school - how on earth did I get here so fast?)

Chipolata Twists With Honey and Mustard

1 kg small chipolatas

3 tbls honey

3 tbls wholegrain mustard

1 egg beaten

2 sheets puff pastry, defrosted and sliced into 2cm strips

Preheat ove to 180c. Toss mustard and honey together in a large bowl. Add the sausages and make sure they are well covered all over with the honey mustard (it will help the pastry to stick). Wind a strip of pastry around each sausage and place on a baking try, ends underneath the sausage. Brush the pastry with beaten egg and bake until the pastry is puffed and golden (around 30-40 mins). Meanwhile warm the leftover honey and mustard in a small saucepan, and drizzle it over the sausages once they are cooked.

Dates Stuffed With Goat's Cheese - A Middle Eastern Hors D'Oeuvre

This post was meant to be a review of a book that I am looking forward to reading: "The Language of Baklava" by Diana Abu Jabar as a "Cook The Books" challenge. But a series of mishaps have intervened. I saw it when we were in the US but decided not to buy it until we got home because we were so close to being fined for overweight luggage. Then when I got home I found no local bookshops stock the book, although they were happy to order it for me from the publisher in the US. Eventually, I found a bookshop that promised delivery in 5-7 working days, so ordered it in the middle of January, and surprise, surprise, no book thus far....

So to get you in the mood for a review and a recipe which will be forthcoming when the stars align, here is a plate of Middle Eastern inspired nibblies. Very simple to assemble, this dish introduced me to much more sweet and floral flavours than I am used to in an hors d'oeuvre, particularly with the orange blossom water. I am looking forward to exploring more food from the book when it arrives.

Medjool Dates Stuffed With Goat's Cheese and Pinenuts

adapted from "Cuisine Magazine" January 2009

1/2 cup goats cheese whipped with a fork

3 tbls toasted pine nuts, plus extra for serving

1 tsp finely grated lemon zest

2 tbls lemon juice

1/4 - 1/2 tsp orange blossom water (add more if you would like a stronger floral flavour)

12 dates sliced open lengthwise to remove the seed (make sure you keep them in one piece for the stuffing)

2 tsps ground sumac

2 tbls coriander leaves

2 tbls extra virgin olive oil

Combine the goats cheese with pine nuts, lemon zest and juice, orange blossom water, salt and pepper to taste, then mix well. Stuff the dates with the goats cheese mixture then sprinkle with sumac, the extra pine nuts, a drizzle of olive oil and the coriander leaves. Serve at rom temperature or slightly warmed.

The Very Best Chicken Sandwiches

You can tell by recent posts that I have been doing a lot of entertaining lately. I love the whole process of cooking for others: hunting high and low for new recipes; creating a menu that works; the shopping and the preparing. Last week, I was helping with a cocktail party, when we received a sudden influx of late RSVPs, and I started to panic that we wouldn't have enough food. There is no doubt that this is my one great fear of entertaining, so I decided to whip up some cocktail chicken sandwiches to supplement the other offerings.

I have been making this sandwich recipe for more than 20 years, and people always comment on how good they are. I think it is the unexpected crunch of the celery and the sweetness of the sultanas. My best tip for good sandwiches is to keep the sandwiches covered with a damp teatowel while you are assembling the platters so they don't dry out. There is also no need to butter bread.

Chicken Sandwiches

1kg chicken breast fillets

500ml buttermilk

1/4 bunch celery, chopped thinly

1 bunch green onions, white chopped thinly, greens discarded

200g sultanas

150g slivered almonds, toasted

mayonnaise

sandwich bread (white always feels indulgent and naughty - perfect for a party)

Spread chicken out in a baking tin, and pour over the buttermilk. Cover with foil and bake at 180C until chicken is cooked through, 30-40 mins. Allow chicken to cool in the tin, then chop it into 2cm cubes. (If you are that way inclined, save the chicken juice/buttermilk in the tin, and freeze it for later use in a soup.)


Put all ingredients in a bowl, and stir in mayonnaise, pepper and salt to taste. Be quite generous with the mayonnaise so the filling is lovely and moist. If you can, leave this mixture in the fridge overnight for the flavours to develop.


Fill the sandwiches generously, then slice off the crusts and slice each sandwich into thirds to make ribbon sandwiches. An electric knife is great for this as it will cut through the sandwiches without dragging on the bread or the filling.

The World's Easiest Quiche Recipe

Without wanting to alienate any real men out there (where were you in the 80s if you missed that reference?), in my opinion, a quiche is a great, simple meal. Fillings are limited only by your imagination and palate, and they are fast, and failsafe to make. Tradition suggests either ham or spinach with cheese, but you can really play with whatever you have in your fridge (maybe sun dried tomatoes and cheddar or pear and blue cheese or smoked salmon and ricotta or asparagus and bocconcini, just go for it!) The attached picture shows caramelised onion and goats cheese.

I learnt this recipe doing counter lunches at the Kay Bee Hotel in Surry Hills (hello Tina if you are out there). You can use whatever pastry you have to hand, but I like filo for home, because it is thin, I always have some in the freezer and if you leave the ends overhanging your tart tin, you get a very dramatic effect. If you are entertaining, spare yourself some of the work by buying pre-baked tart shells.

Quiche - the Easiest Recipe

600 ml thickened cream

6 large eggs, lightly beaten

filo pastry or tart shells

salt and pepper

butter or olive oil spray

filling

grated cheddar or other cheese

Mix cream and eggs together, and season to taste. Grease a flan or tart tin with a removable base, and place it on a baking sheet. Lay 6 or 8 sheets of filo in the tin, leaving overhanging edges, and making sure the whole tin is lined. Brush the top sheet with melted butter (or spray lightly with olive oil spray). If you are using a cheese, sprinkle it over the base, then place your fillings on top. Depending on the shape of your fillings, you may want to create a pattern, or maybe just a random sprinkling. Carefully pour in the batter. You can sprinkle some more cheese or herbs on top if you like. Bake at 180C for 30-40 mins (less for small tart shells) or until puffed and golden, and the batter is set in the middle. Allow to cool in the tin. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Barefoot Bloggers and Smoked Salmon Dip

I have decided to join a cooking group that blogs the same recipe every fortnight for a bit of fun and company. There are a lot of great groups out there doing this sort of thing, some blogging together weekly, some fortnightly or monthly. Anyone interested just needs to pick a group that seems to fit the type of food they like to cook. The one I have picked is the Barefoot Bloggers, who are working their way through the recipes of Ina Garten, (aka the Barefoot Contessa) an American cook who makes really delicious do-able food.

While I have a couple of recipes to complete for the group in the next month, I decided to start with one they have all just posted: Smoked Salmon Dip from the "Barefoot Contessa Family Style" by Ina Garten. A friend was unexpectedly coming to visit from interstate and this seemed a perfect opportunity to hop into action as a Barefoot Blogger. The dip was easy and fantastic, and my daughter is even having it on her school sandwiches today. My one slip-up was forgetting to buy dill - I'm sure it would have tasted even better had I remembered.

Smoked Salmon Spread adapted from "Barfeoot Contessa Family Style" by Ina Garten

250g cream cheese, at room temperature 1/2 cup sour cream 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice 1 tablespoon minced fresh dill 1 teaspoon prepared horseradish -- drained 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 250g smoked salmon, minced (the original recipe only called for 125g but I love a stronger balance of salmon than cream cheese).

Cream the cheese in an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until just smooth. Add the sour cream, lemon juice, dill, horseradish, salt, and pepper, and mix. Add the smoked salmon and mix well. Chill and serve with crudites or crackers.