Urmasice

Super sweet - crumbles away with a walnut crunch in the middle..

Ingredients:

500g plain flour

250g melted butter

2 eggs (whisked)

60g sugar

1/2 sachet baking powder

For the filling:

50g blended walnuts

50g finely chopped walnuts

1 1/2 spoons of sugar

3 drops of vanilla essence

1 vanilla sugar

50ml milk

For the Syrup:

500g sugar

700ml water

Lemon rounds

Method:

In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, eggs and baking powder. Add melter butter and mix well until you get a smooth and soft texture. Leave to cool in the fridge for about 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, place sugar and water in a medium sized saucepan, add lemon rounds and bring to boil. Leave to simmer for about 15 minutes and then cool.

For the filling, combine walnuts with sugar, vanilla sugar, add vanilla essence to milk in a separate small saucepan and bring to boil. Pour hot milk over walnut mixture and combine. Leave to cool.

Take the dough and divide into small circles, flatten into an oval shape. Spread a small amount of the walnut mixture down the centre with a spoon and then fold one side and then the other and shape. Place in a big baking tray and bake for 30-40 minute on 200C.

Pour the lemon syrup over, they should be floating in the syrup and place in fridge over night. To serve drizzle some extra syrup.

Happy Baking.

Lime Cheesecake topped with Lychee

Beautifully light and zesty - melts in your mouth..

Visit www.tothirtyandbeyond.blogspot.com for an entertaining review on the lime cheesecake and other great blogs!

Ingredients:

3 x 250 g packets cream cheese, softened ( I used two Philadelphia's and one Mascrapone cheese)

220g caster sugar

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

zest and juice of 2 limes

3 eggs

125 ml thickened cream

fresh lime and compote lychees (you can find canned compote lychees in Asian groceries)

Cheesecake base

1 x 250g packet Pettit beurre buscuits

2 tablespoons brown sugar, firmly packed

125g unsalted butter, melted

Method:

1. To prepare the cheesecake base, process biscuits and sugar in a food processor until fine crumbs form. Add butter and process until combined. Press mixture into a round tin. Smooth the base with a spoon. Cool for 1 hour.

2. Preheat oven to 220°C.

3. Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, lime zest and juice in a bowl until just smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating until just combined. Add egg yolk and beat until just combined. Stir in cream. Pour mixture into tin over crumb base.

4. Bake on lowest shelf for 10 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 150°C and bake a further 25-30 minutes or until mixture is almost set.

5. Cool cheesecake. Cover and refrigerate overnight.


6. Cut into generous slices and serve with lime and lychee.

Enjoy!

Stuffed Peppers/Punjene Paprike

This is a Serbian dish with a punch of flavour. Absolutely love this, one of my all time favourites..

Ingredients:



8 light yellow peppers (medium size)

1kg minced meat (600g beef mince and 400g pork mince)

2 red onions

3 garlic cloves

1 tablespoon paprika

Pinch of salt and pepper

9 tablespoons of Jasmine rice

1 table spoon freshly chopped parsley

1 tablespoon Vegeta

2 tablespoons flour

100-150ml vegetable oil

1 celery stem and leaves

2-3 table spoons concentrated paprika

2-3 Roma tomatoes

Dollop of sour cream or Greek style yogurt

Method:

In a large bowl place mince meat and combine the two sorts. Add rice, salt and pepper, vegeta, parsley, chopped onion and garlic. Wash the peppers and take out the stem and seeds. Mix all ingredients well.

Fill the peppers with the meat mixture to the top, cut the tomatoes into slices and close off each pepper with the tomato round, so that the meat does not fall out while cooking.

In a large saucepan, add the oil. Mix in the flour until you get a thickened texture. Add the dry paprika and concentrated paprika and mix well. Add water until you get a desired texture of the broth - I usually like the sauce to be soupy. Add the celery stick. Add the stuffed peppers they should be covered in the broth. Add some more salt and Pepper to taste and leave to simmer on high for about 30 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for another 45 minutes.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt.

Enjoy!

Tiramisu

I haven't come across anyone that doesn't like Tiramisu - here is a quick and easy way of making a beautiful dessert that will impress all and leave them wanting more..

Ingredients:

For the coffee dip:

2 cups of strong espresso coffee

1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar

Prepare a strong espresso coffee and dissolve the sugar while its still hot. Place in a medium sized bowl and let it cool at room temperature.

For the zabaglione filling:

4 egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup Marsala wine

450g Mascrapone cheese

Whipped cream from the remaining egg whites

400g sponge lady fingers (about 40)

Cocoa powder

In a medium sized bowl, beat the egg yolk with a mixer until light yellow in colour and fluffy. Add sugar spook by spoon and beat really well. Add wine and mix well. Place your bowl either in a double boiler or in a smaller saucepan filled with water. You will need to steam your zabaglione until it thickens. Stir constantly on the steam, until small bubbles start to form.

In another bowl, mash the mascrapone cheese with a spoon. Add the thickened zabaglione and beat with a mixer until well combined. Add the beaten egg whites (beat until soft peaks form and gradually add 4 spoons of sugar until the egg whites are silky and firm). Fold in the egg whites cream and leave in the fridge while you work on the lady fingers.

Lightly soak the lady fingers in the coffee just enough to cover each side they will soak up the coffee very quickly and you don't want them to be soggy. Place them in one layer in a medium sized tray. Evenly distribute half of the zabaglione cream over the lady fingers. Add another layer and repeat the process.

Refrigerate for 4-5hrs and then sprinkle with the cocoa powder. Cut in thick rectangular shapes and serve.

Enjoy!





Refreshing Mint Lemonde

Beautifully refreshing as a lemonade - if you're looking for something a bit stronger feel free to add a shot of vodka or contrieu.

Ingredients

4 lemons

2 limes

1 big orange

3 teaspoons of sugar to taste

1 bunch of mint
Shot of Vodka or Contrieu (optional)

Ice

Method:

Freshly squeeze lemon, limes and oranage. Pour in a blender, add mint (leaving a few nice mint leaves to decorate). Add sugar and blend well. Crush the ice so that it is nice and small. Fill up half the glass with ice, add some mint leaves then fill to top. Pour in the lemonade through a fine sieve and add some more ice on top. Decorate with mint leaves.

Enjoy!



Tumeric and Coconut Braised Barramundi

This dish is absolutely divine - my Thai specialty..



Serves 4

4 Barramundi fillets

2 small red chillies, sliced into fine rounds

Shredded coriander leaves

Spring Onion thinly sliced into rounds (deep fried - see notes)

Half ginger cut into julienne strips (deep fried - see notes)

Turmeric Coconut Broth

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 teaspoons brown mustard seeds

1 teaspoon fanugreek seeds

2 tablespoons crab paste (you can find this in most Thai groceries)

3 red shallots, diced

1 tablespoon minced fresh turmeric

1 Roma tomato, diced

12 curry leaves

3 tablespoons minced ginger (you can buy this in the fresh food section of Woolworths/Coles)

2 cups coconut cream (you can get this in most Thai groceries)

1 cup vegetable stock

50ml fish sauce, more or less to taste

50ml lime juice, more or less to taste

Method

To make Turmeric ccoconut broth:

- Heat oil in a medium/large saucepan and fry mustard seeds until they pop.

- Add fanugreek and fry for 20 seconds, then add the crab tomalley, shallots, fresh turmeric and chillies, cook until the shallots are translucent.

- Stir in ground turmeric, tomato, curry leaves and ginger and stir until fragrant.

- Add coconut cream, bring to the boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.

- Add stock and bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

- Season to taste with fish sauce and lime juice. Strain through a fine sieve and return to the same saucepan you used to cook the broth in.

- Slice each fillet into 2 even slices crosswise.

- Return broth to simmering point, add fish and cook for 3-4 minutes. It should be tender when you touch it.

- Remove from heat, place fish in serving bowls and ladle some broth over the top, as shown above.

- Combine chillies, coriander, deep fried spring onion, deep fried ginger strips and scatter over fish and serve.

Notes:

Slice the spring onion into thin rounds and deep fry in vegetable oil until golden. Slice the ginger in julienne strips (very fine strips) and deep fry in the same oil until golden.

Both this dish and the Silver Perch were inspired by a great Chef - Christine Manfiled from Universal Restaurant in Sydney. I learned both these dishes through an amazing cooking experience at the Sydney Fish Markets Seafood School.



Steamed Silver Perch, Chilli, Ginger and Black Beans

A wonderfully light fish meal with a Thai flavour - perfect for a summer lunch..

Serves 4

4 x 120g fillets silver perch, skin off, bones removed

2 teaspoons sesame oil

175g snow pea tendrils, snipped

2 green onion, sliced diagonally

1 tablespoon finely sliced singer

finely chopped coriander

Black Bean Sauce

25ml Shaoxing wine (you find this in most Asian groceries)

40ml  light soy sauce

1/2 tablespoon caster sugar

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1 tablespoon peanut oil

1/2 tablespoons sesame oil

2 tablespoons ginger juice (finely grate ginger and squeeze out the juice from the pulp)

125ml chicken/vegetable stock

1 tablespoon salted black beans, washed

2 red chillies, sliced finely into rounds

Method

To make black bean sauce:

- Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix with a spoon (it will look like a very light broth)

- Place fish on a flat plate in a single layer and pour half the sauce over.

- Heat the remaining sauce in a small saucepan and keep warm until it is ready to serve.

- Place fish in a bamboo steamer and steam fro 6-8 minutes, depending on thickness.

- Remove from heat and remove the fish carefully from the plate onto serving plates.

- Heat sesame oil in a small saucepan until very hot. Spoon over fish, then add the remaining hot sauce.

- Garnish with snow pea sprouts, green onion slices, ginger threads and coriander leaves.

Enjoy!