This Week's Recipe: Olienbollen (Dutch Donuts)

Why Olienbollen?

Olienbollen are a dutch deep fried pastry that literally mean oil/oily balls. These light yeast dough treats are similar to common donuts, however are made by using 2 spoons to scoop dough into hot oil.

Studded with raisins and dusted with plenty of icing sugar oliebollen are a quintessential New Years eve in Holland, and one I am more than happy to partake in.

Besides being a much favoured tradition that stems from Germanic tribes in the Netherlands that ate fried treats during winter to ward off evil spirits (the fat was believed to help swords slip off their bodies instead of slicing and stabbing), they are also a great to enjoy along with a glass or two of bubbly.

Ingredients

200g plain flour

10g dried instant yeast

150ml tepid milk

1 egg

1 pinch salt

100g raisons

Vegetable oil, for frying

Icing sugar, for dusting

Method

In a small bowl whisk together the milk and yeast and leave to stand for 5 minutes or until it starts to form bubbles.

Whisk in the egg and in a large bowl mix together the flour, salt and raisons.

Leave to stand, covered with a damp tea towel for an hour, or until the dough doubles in size.

In the meantime heat a large pot with oil until to approximately 180°C.

Using 2 spoons dip each in the oil and spoon the dough between each one and let it slip into the oil.

Each oilebollen should be the size of an egg when it goes into the oil and will drop to the bottom of the oil before rising to the top and browning.

When the pastry is golden lift out and allow to drain on absorbent paper.

Dust with plenty of icing sugar and serve.

Makes 12

Note oliebollen can be made several hours before serving and eaten at room temperature or heated in the oven

Bon Appetite & Happy New Year

Make Your Own… Holiday Leftovers Salad

During Christmas and New Years many of us find ourselves with surplus leftovers from the Christmas turkey and ham to cheese, fruit, bread and cake!

I know that finding ways to eat up all of these is sometimes little stressful, or worse dull.

Leftovers can be tricky to use in a new and exciting ways during the weeks that follow, however there is just one simple rule. Keep it simple, light and always have variety.

I stress the last part about variety. I know from experience as one year after Christmas my mum used up all the left over ham in a very large macaroni and cheese – the result was my brother and I were left eating macaroni and cheese for at least the next 8 days.

And to this day have never eaten it since.

The following are not recipes as such, but more guideline and tips on how to create salads from some of your leftovers.

Firstly ham and turkey both freeze fabulously. Simply slice and package 4 or 5 slices of meat and freeze. Use it within 2 months on sandwiches, in omelettes or in pastas.

Bread can be dried out in the sun and blitzed in the food processor to make breadcrumbs, or torn and char grilled on the barbeque and added as an extra crunch to salads.

Fruit can be cut up and frozen and used in smoothies and frappes during the rest of summer.

Christmas cake and puddings can simply be eaten over the next month as long as they get wrapped up well after each use, or crumbled and mixed through ice cream.

The important thing to remember with leftovers are that the more you take them out of the fridge the shorter their life span will be and make sure that your left overs are frozen with in 36 hours of serving them.

Leftover Turkey and Pomegranate Salad
Ingredients
6 – 8 slices of left over turkey
1 pomegranate, seeded
1 Lebanese cucumber
200g baby spinach leaves
100g walnuts, chopped
30ml extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons (60ml) good quality red wine vinegar
Salt
Pepper

Method
Tear or slice the turkey into bite size pieces. Slice the cucumber lengthwise in half and then into thin slices.
In a bowl whisk together the walnuts, vinegar, salt and pepper. Gradually whisk in the olive oil.

In a large bowl toss the spinach leaves, pomegranate seeds, cucumber and dressing together.

Serve with the turkey scattered on top.

Serves 4

Leftover Ham, Peach and Cheese Salad

Ingredients

6-8 slices of left over ham
2 large peaches cut into wedges
200g rocket
Left over Brie, Camembert or Cheddar
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons olive oil
60 ml white wine vinegar
Salt
Pepper

Method
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the onions and garlic and cook on a medium heat until they are translucent.

Transfer them to a bowl and whisk in the rest of the olive oil, mustard and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.

For the salad tear or slice the ham into bite size pieces and toss with the peaches and rocket.

Toss the salad with the dressing and top with cheese broken or sliced into bite size pieces.

Serves 4

This Week’s Recipe: Sicilian Pesto

Why Sicilian Pesto?

I remember when Pesto alla Genovese, known more commonly as Pesto, came rapidly into fashion. While Italians, especially from Liguria, have dined on pesto as long as they can remember and think of it as common as olive oil, the rest of the world, or at least Australia took a while to catch up.

It was the early 90’s when pesto took off in a big way. It was the latest gourmet food trend. There were hot pastas with pesto, cold pesto pasta salads with added three-bean mix, creamy pesto pastas and minestrone became sophisticated with a teaspoon of pesto added just before serving.

Pesto however, is not in fact the name of the delicious basil and garlic sauce but rather a process of making it others like it. Coming from the word pestare which means ‘to stomp on’ (or to crush) it is a verb that describes the traditional method in which to make both Pesto alla Genovese the fragrant green basil, garlic and pine nut sauce and Pesto alla Siciliana a sauce with ripe tomatoes, almonds, basil, parsley and mint.

It is delicious and light, while rich and herbaceous - and for now I am happy that it has not become as popular as Pesto alla Genovese because it makes it more of a specialty when I make it.

Ingredients
4 large ripe tomatoes
100g blanched almondsgt
2 garlic cloves
Leaves from 1 large bunch of basil
Leaves from 1/4 bunch flat leaf parsley
Leaves from 1/4 bunch mint
3/4 cup olive oil
50g Parmesan, finely grated

Method
Score a cross in the base of each tomato then blanch in boiling water for 40 seconds. Remove and run under cold water.

Peel away the skin, quarter and remove the seeds.

In a food processor place the almonds and garlic. Process to a fine paste with a little olive oil.

Add the herbs and continue to process with a little more oil.

Add the tomatoes and the rest of the oil and process to desired consistency. Season with salt and Parmesan.

This pesto makes enough for 500g of cooked pasta to serve 4-6.

The pesto will keep in the refrigerator for 1 week.

Bon Appetite

Make Your Own…Brandy Custard

Christmas is always a special time of year. For me however, living in Australia is that little bit extra special.

Anyone living in Australia with a European background will share in the unique mish-mash that our Christmas brings.

While it may vary from family to family, Christmas in Australia needs to reflect the beautiful summer weather with plenty of seafood and seasonal fruit and vegetables. However some traditions, irrelevant of weather and surroundings, are a must.

The Christmas pudding and cake with brandy custard are a must.

Ingredients
560ml milk
185ml pure cream
4 egg yolks
100g caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
60ml brandy

Method
Heat the milk, cream and vanilla in a medium saucepan over medium heat for 3 minutes or until it comes to a gentle simmer.

Remove from the heat.

Whisk together egg yolks and sugar in a bowl until light in colour and creamy. Gradually whisk in the milk mixture and return to a saucepan.

Place the saucepan over a medium heat and stir with a wooden spoon for 8 minutes or until the custard thickens and coats the back of a spoon.

Remove from the heat and stir in the brandy.

Transfer to a heatproof serving jug and serve warm, or cover with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator.

Makes 3 3/4 cups or serves 10 people.

This Week’s Recipe: Candy cane peppermint creams

Why Candy cane peppermint creams?

A twist on the classic, this recipe for peppermint creams is the perfect treat for the Festive season.

Playing on the traditional kids Christmas lolly, the candy cane, these peppermint creams are loved by both adults and children alike.

Far more delicate in texture and taste, peppermint creams are the perfect sweet treat to enjoy alongside some of the indulgences that Christmas brings.

With dark chocolate adding that essential balance of sophistication to these kitsch candy cane coloured treats.

Ingredients

1 egg white
340g (2 3/4 cups) icing sugar, sifted
2-3 drops peppermint oil or essence
Red food colouring, preferably paster
70g dark chocolate (min 60% cocoa), chopped

Method
Line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper.

In a bowl whisk the egg whites until just foamy. Slowly add the icing sugar stirring to combine. The mixture should form a thick paste that is mouldable.

Mix in the peppermint.

Remove 1/4 of the mixture and place on a surface lightly dusted with icing sugar. Add a little red food colouring and knead until well combined.

Roll teaspoonsful of the white mixture into smooth balls and add a pinch of red here and there. Continue to roll until the red swirls in with the white. Gently flatten each ball in the palm of your hand and place on the lined tray. Leave in a cool place to dry for 30-60 minutes.

When they have dried slightly, melt the chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and set aside to cool slightly.

Dip one half of the peppermint creams into the melted chocolate and transfer to a wire rack to set

Store in an airtight tin.

Makes 20.

Bon Appetite

Make Your Own… Lime and Chilli Oysters

With summer in full swing all you is the perfect accessory – delicious oysters with a fragrant lime and chilli dressing.

This dressing is so easy to make and is perfect with oysters especially on hot sizzling days and balmy nights. The tartness of the dressing is fantastic with the creaminess of the oysters – especially on hot sizzling days and balmy summer nights.

Ingredients
2 dozen oysters
4 limes, squeezed (should make 150ml)
130g caster sugar
2 birds eye chillies, sliced in half
2cm piece ginger, sliced in half
1 red capsicum

Method

In a small saucepan place the limejuice, sugar, chillies and ginger. Bring to the boil over a medium heat.

Take off the heat and leave to cool completely before chilling in the refrigerator.

Using a peeler, peel 2-3 strips of skin off the capsicum and chop very finely (this will be used to look like chilli in the dressing, but without the intense heat).

Strain the lime chilli dressing and mix through the finely chopped capsicum skin.

To serve spoon over each oyster just before serving.

Makes 200ml.

This dressing will last in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks without the added capsicum.

Coffee Almond Biscuits

Why Coffee Almond biscuits?

These coffee bean studded biscuits, not only look delicious but are effortless to make.

To me they seem like a rustic French macaron – the ingredients are more or less the same eggs whites, sugar and ground almonds, however the method is much simpler. Instead of whisking egg whites, to then beat the air out of them (this is what gives macaroons their unique texture, appearance and shape), you simple mix all ingredients together in a single bowl.

The result is a coffee flavoured nutty biscuit that is crunchy on the outside but moist and chewy inside.

They are perfect with that deserving hot coffee and even better while they bake your house will fill with a beautiful sweet coffee and nut aroma.

Ingredients
3 cups almond meal
1 cup caster sugar
2 tablespoons coffee liquor
3 egg whites
1 1/2 tablespoons espresso or strong good quality coffee
1/2 cup coffee beans

Method
Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan forced).

In a bowl mix together the almond meal, sugar, coffee liquor, egg whites and espresso. Mix to form a sticky paste.

On a lined baking sheet spoon a heaped teaspoon 3 cm apart. Top with a coffee bean and press lightly to flatten.

Bake for 15 minutes or until the biscuits comes off the baking paper easily and has a smooth golden brown base.

Makes 36