What's Cooking Good Looking.....

I have been cooking so much lately

It's been hard to keep up

With updating this blog....

So here's a few piccies of what's been 

Happening...

Pink Rainbow Layer Cake

Cured Salmon

Lentil & Carrot Fritters

Crispy Sweet Potato Chips with a Bean Medley Salad

Little Harry & Homemade Chocolate Icecream & Cones

Ultimate Vegi Burger

The Hambuger Cake

Alice in Wonderland on a Plate

 Wasabi

Nori Chicken on Jelly & Tempura Lotus Root

Homemade Puff Pastry Tomato Tart

Healthy Kale Wraps

Homemade Tagetelli with Zucchini, Sun Dried Tomatoes & Parmasen  

Grace & Shanes Engagement Cake

3 layers- 3 Flavours with Profiteroles & Toffee

Steak Tartare- French & Vietnamese

Scallop Cerviche

Beef Cappaccio

Julia's Birthday Cake with a hidden Surprise

 Pumpkin, Spinach & Ricotta Rotolo

A long line of photos....

But Heaps of fun to put together & share..

xx

Luke Nguyen's Nem Lui Hue

No it's not a spelling mistake, 

Although that's easily forgiven with my track record in spelling.

I was watching Luke Nguyen's show Luke Nguyen's Veitnam 

And saw these little beauties being roasted on a BBQ-

They looked divine so I had to have a go!

It's pretty much pork & beef mince on lemon grass & cooked!

A definite must try!

Here's the recipe

I served them with a lemon, chili & coriander root dressing,

Enjoy! x

Birthday Cakes

"Would You Like Fries With That?"

Bun: Moist Butter Cake with Butter Cream Icing

and 'Rice Bubble' sesame seeds

Lettuce: Green Fondant

Meat Pattie: Rich Chocolate Mud with Chocolate Ganache & Crushed Biscuit Crumb

Cheese: Lemon & Coconut Jelly

Tomartoes: Coloured White Chocolate

Onion Rings: Piped White Chocolate

Chips: Apple Juice cooked Polenta

"Don't Judge a Book by it's Cover!"

 Looks simple from the outside but take a slice & see whats in store...

Rich Chocolate Mud covered with Chocolate Ganache & crushed Macarons

Inside: Strawberries & Cream Panna Cotta Layers

Yumm!

How do you like 'em buns?

I have been very fortunate this past week

to have attended the Sydney International Food Festival

as well as MasterChef Live.

So many amazing Chefs, foods & demonstrations.

And as you can prob imagine I have been one very excited girl!

So I have popped in a few pictures just to give to a taste of 

what I have been up to....

Baking Artisan Bread with Brasserie Bread...

I added my own twist of flavours:

Strawberry, Maple Syrup & Cinnamon.

Cake decorating with Vincent Gadan from
The Art of Patisse.
My darling sister and I made a wonderful team
decorating this cake 'French' style cake adorned with an
abstract red toffee Eiffel Tower...
Although we didn't win we where pretty impressed with ourselves.

And finally, I had the pleasure of having a quick chat to

the King of macarons

Adriano Zumbo.

He was very charming & patient with my questions about all things sweet,

And signed a book for my little sis...

Needless to say she was chuffed!

One could say I have been inspired,
That would be an understatement!

So there will be plenty of cooking adventures & posts on this blog very soon

So stay tuned.

xx

Mid Week Lunch

I have heaps to do....

Uni assignment due Friday

Study for upcoming exams

Go to work

Be the mum of the house with Mother Jewel is away

(aka clean cook wash!)

Usually you would start at the top of the list

And work your way through what is needing to be done...

So naturally what do I do?

Fluff around in the kitchen & 

Make a delicious & nutritious lunch!

Sweet potato crisps with Moroccan seasoned ricotta

Cherry tomarto & Bean sprout medaly salad

These crisps are so yummy

And actually not that bad for you either....

Sweet Potato Crisps

 Sweet Potato, peeled

Salt

Oil Spray

Once the sweet potatoes are peeled, discard the skin & continue to 'peel' the remaining flesh- so you should get thin strips of sweet potato. Spray a baking tray with some oil, spread the strips on the tray & sprinkle with some salt. Pop in a moderate (180 degree) oven for about 20 mins or until crisp.

Serve straight from the oven with an extra sprinkle of salt....Yum!

Idea: If you feel like being a bit tricky, sprinkle on some dried herbs or spices before you pop the strips into the oven.

My Beautiful Terrine

I've always wanted to have a go at making a terrine..

And my opportunity to have a go came along with 

the new food magazine SBS has put out- Feast!

A delightful Chicken & Cashew Terrine.

(the recipe from the mag was pistachio but I

forgot to get some-woops)

I totally recommend this recipe

And the magazine mind you

Both are just fabulous!

Pink Rainbow Cake

I spotted this darling little cake

when idling through cooking blogs on the web.

It was just so adorable I had to have a go...

It just so coincided my dear friend was celebrating her birthday

So a great excuse to bake it!

There was a bit of excitement in the room

(after the candles had been blown out)

To see 'if' the pink layers had actually worked!

I must say there was a big sigh of relief on my behalf to 

see the pretty tones of pink in the cake

And with the delicious taste...

Happy Days :)

Happy Birthday Lisa!

Recipe:
 Pink Rainbow Cake

Sunset Salmon Gravadlax

I was watching Jamie Oliver in his series "Jamie Does"

He was up in Sweden & made this beautiful, 

sunset coloured salmon.

I have always been intrigued with the concept of curing

meats & fish.....

So naturally I had to have a go!

It turned out a treat!

Served on oat cakes with a horseradish cream- delightful!

I followed Jamies recipe which I have put below....

Salmon Gravadlax

1 side of Salmon fillet (Skin on & pin boned)

160g Rock Salt

50g Sugar

40g Fresh Horseradish, peeled & finely grated

300g raw grated Beetroots

50mL vodka

Big bunch fresh dill, chopped

1 Lemon, zested

Pop the salmon skin side down and spoon the rock salt evenly all over the fish- this draws out the moisture which make the fish stiff enough to cut. Scatter the sugar over to give some sweetness, then spread the grated horseradish & beetroots all over so that the flesh is completely covered. Squash it down with your hands. Then drizzle over the vodka, the dill & lemon zest.

Cover the salmon tightly in cling wrap & po p a weight on top to pack everything down, then refrigerate for 48hrs.

After 2 days uncover the fish, get rid of all the topping & juice that may have accumulated then pat the salmon dry with some paper towel. With the skin side down, starting at the tail end, carefully cut under the fillet with a really sharp knife, separating the skin from the fillet. 

Now that you have a nice fillet, slice the salmon as finely as possible & serve with some crackers & horseradish cream (see recipe below)

Horseradish Cream

200mL Sour Cream

1-2 Heaped Tablespoons wholegrain mustard

Pinch salt

Zest & juice of 1/2 lemon

Small handful of dill finely chopped

10g Finely grated horseradish (you can add more if you like!)

Mix all the ingredients together & serve with the salmon garavdlax.

Enjoy!

The Pinecone

Just having a bit of fun with the excess pears we have

floating around the house...

Pear poached in a spiced liquid with meringue & syrup.

A tribute to Sorrento

Sorrento.

Sun, Sand, Scenery...

And an abundance of Lemons!

So my little tribute to this beautiful place, 

Tagliatelle with a limone tang, peas & mint. 

(recipe soon)

Late Starts

Oh how I love late starts to uni.

Sleep in to a reasonable hour, 

I get up happy instead of cranky

And I get to enjoy a delicious breakfast!

This is one to contrast my last post...

A healthy, tasty breakfast

Vine ripened tomartoes,

Fresh basil, lemon zest

And perfect poached eggs.

The Ultimate Ice Cream!

Ladies & Gentlemen, 

May I present to you 

The world's most decadent, 

Most delicious, most fattening

....well just the world's most absolutely,completely

Ultimate Ice Cream!

 Dolce de Leche Ice Cream!

(recipe to come soon)

Porcupine Cake

I originally called this cake the 

'Porkypine Cake'

I didn't realise how bad my spelling was until I actually searched for porcupines

on google...woops!

I wish English words where more phonetic in their spelling, 

it would make things a lot easier!

Anyway....

Happy Birthday Gail!

Rich Chocolate Mud,

White Chocolate Set Custard,

Dark Chocolate Ganache

& Vanilla Bean Meringues.

YUM!

A Winter Wamer...

Everyone loves pumpkin soup....

Well, I'm yet to come by someone who would turn their nose up at it...

So here is my version of the old time classic.

Pumpkin Soup with Cauliflower Puree & Salty Pepitas

1 Medium Jap Pumpkin

1 Knob garlic

2 Small brown onions, peeled & halved

1 Chicken stock cube

1/2 Cauliflower

100g Butter

Salt & Pepper

Peel the pumpkin & then chop it all up, make sure you save the seeds cause they come into play later. Pop it in a roasting tray along with the garlic (unpeeled) & onions & bake in a moderate oven until the pumpkin is soft. In a separate dish pop in the pumpkin seeds & a good hit of salt & leave in the oven until they are crispy (this will prob be a little longer than the pumpkin). Pop the pumpkin in a big pot along with the cooked onion & crumbled stock cube. Squash the garlic out into the pot & fill the pot up with enough water to just cover all the bits in there. 

Simmer for about 15 mins until the pumpkin starts to disintegrate & then process to get a nice smooth soup.

Chop the cauliflower up into small pieces & cook in the microwave until soft. Whiz it to form a smooth paste, add in the butter & salt to taste.

To plate it up, pop some soup in bowl then drop some cauliflower puree in the middle then sprinkle some crispy seeds (pepitas) on top...then Enjoy!

Ahhhh Argentinian Glory

Dulce De Leche...

Spanish for "Candy of Milk"

...My translation...

"A little can of Heaven"

...Jen Zahra's translation...

(which I like the best)

"Ahhhh Argentinian Glory!"

I mentioned in the previous post that the halloumi recipe was really easy...

Well this one is even easier, 

And it only requires 1 ingredient! 

A can of condensed milk.

Perfect for when your moving house & the majority of cupboard items including pots & pan have been packed!

What to do....

Pop the can of unopened condensed milk in a large saucepan with a lid (this was the only pan that had not been packed!) & cover with water. Bring to the simmer over a medium  heat then reduce the heat to low. Pop the lid on & cook for 3 (yes three!) hours. Be careful with this, best to keep the pan covered as the can could burst.  Turn the heat off & allow to cool completely in the water before opening the can.

This 'Argentinian Glory' is edible straight out of the tin...

but even better when added to other delectable delights.

I made some little butter cookies with pepitas & popped the Dulce De Leche in the middle,

They where quite popular. 

"Amy Halloumi"

This may sound really cheesy

(sorry no pun intended then)

But....

I was grocery shopping this afternoon & I was pondering in the cheese section

what to purchase, what I could make blah blah blah

When over the loud speaker...

"Amy Halloumi could you please come to isle 6"

was announced...

Needless to say that helped me in my cheese selection.

2 Sprigs of Rosemary

Zest 1 Lemon

EVO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)

Coarse Sea Salt

Halloumi sliced

Lemon wedges to serve

This is so easy....

Strip the leaves off the rosemary & throw into a mortar & pestle, along with the zest & a generous pinch of salt. Bash it all up until it looks like a paste then add a good slurp of EVO & continue to mix. The consistency should be like runny honey.

Pop the halloumi onto a plate & drizzle over the rosemary & lemon paste. Heat up a flat pan, drizzle a bit of EVO on then whack the halloumi on. Cook until golden brown on both sides then pop back into the pan to soak up the excess rosemary & lemon paste.

Serve warm with wedges of lemon &

Enjoy! 

Chocolate, Caramel, Vanilla .... & Chocolate!

Cake time!

And there's plenty of it too with my last baking session.....

A big chocolate mud cake, wee little cupcakes...

Chocolate with double choc icing, Vanilla with vanilla bean icing

and Caramel with homemade caramel sauce icing!

Anyone with a sweet tooth would have a field day with these little beauties, 

And I had to pace myself with licking the bowls  :)

(Still on prac 4weeks to go! SO stay tuned for the recipes to come afterwards!)

Lemon & Poppy Seeds

A Tangy Lemon Tart with Poppy Seed Macarons....

A little celebration desert for my good friends who just arrived home from galavanting around Europe

....ENGAGED!

Congratulations Grace & Shane xx

(ps. Still on prac so the recipe will find its way up here one it's over..5 weeks & counting!)

Milo Raspberry Cupcakes

A chocolate milo cupcake with a milo truffle icing, topped with a wee raspberry

......and

a tad more milo (just to get the point across)!

Homemade Crumpets!

 With the added 'fun' of prac at the moment I don't have a lot of time to cook & blog, 

so please forgive me for not popping up the recipe for this...

it will eventually find it's way onto the page

This One Won't Last Long..

I love the Sunday paper...

It has some pretty good recipes that I lust over but never seem to 

get the time to have a go at.

Today's temptress was one of Donna Hay's little delights, 

(with a few Kylie Millar tweaks here & there...)

Spiced Chai Tea Cake

Eat warm, straight from the oven...

ooh yum

This defiantly won't last long!

1 Cup Boiling water

2 Tablespoons Leaf Chai Tea

1 Cinnamon Quill

1 Cup Sultanas

185g Soften Butter

1 1/4 Cup Dark Brown Sugar

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Paste

3 Eggs

1 1/2 Cups SR Flour

2 Teaspoons cinnamon Powder

2 Teaspoons Mixed Spice

Pop the oven on to 180 degrees to warm up. Pour the hot water over the chai & cinnamon quill & leave to infuse for about 5 minutes. Strain the liquid (keep the liquid!Thats the stuff we are using), pour over the sultanas & leave to the side while you prepare the rest of the mixture. Pop the butter, sugar & vanilla paste into a mixer & beat until light & creamy. Add the flour, cinnamon powder & mixed spice & mix until just combined then add the tea & sultana liquid & continue to mix. Once it's all combined, pop in a lined tin & bake for about 35 mins or until a skewer comes out clean. Brew yourself a cup of tea, sit down with the Sunday papers & Enjoy! x

My First 'Ordered' Cake

This week saw something new in the Kylie Jayne kitchen...

An actual order for my cooking!

So chuffed that someone would actually pay for me to cook...

So here's the cake!

Just a simple mud cake

but an absolute whoppa!

35cm x 35cm

It would have to be the biggest I have ever cooked!

I used the recipe below but tripled the recipe :)

(lots of chocolate!)

The cake had a chocolate set custard centre & chocolate ganache icing.

Cake

375g Butter

1 1/3 Cup Brown Sugar

2 Cups Plain Flour

2/3 Cup Coco Powder

400g Dark Chocolate, melted

¾ Cup milk

4 Eggs

Whack the oven on to 160 degrees, & leave to heat while you whip up the mixture for this delicious treat. Pop the butter & sugar in a bowl & mix with an electric mixer & mix until light & fluffy. Slowly add in eggs, one at a time, then fold through the flour, cocoa & melted chocolate & stir in the milk. Pop the mixture into a lined tine & bake for 1 ¼ hrs or until cooked when tested with a skewer.

I hope that is was enjoyed & that 'Pam' had a very happy 70th birthday!

Hot Cross Macarons

Easter is one of my most favourite times of the year,

And with the added bonus of 5 days off...

Wow heaven!

Instead of chocolate eggs this year I decided on a different treat...

Hot Cross Macarons!

Spiced Macarons, 

Cinnamon Chocolate Ganache

And White Chocolate Crosses.

Almond Macarons

200g Ground Almonds

200g Icing Sugar

2 Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon

2 Teaspoons All Spice

75mL Water

200g Caster Sugar

2x 80g Egg Whites

Pop the icing sugar & ground almonds in a food processor & whiz, then sift the mixture. This is called the tant pour tant.  Beat one of the 80g eggwhites to soft peaks. While that is happening in a pot bring the water & caster sugar to the boil without stirring. Make sure the temperature of the sugar does not go above 115 degrees. Increase the speed of the beaters & slowly pour the sugar syrup into the beaten egg whites. Continue to beat the eggwhites for about 10mins, so that the mixture cools. Mix the remaining unbeaten eggwhites with the tant pour tantmaking a smooth almond paste.

Using a flexable spatula, incorporate about a third of the beaten eggwhites into the almond paste to loosen the mixture, then add the remainer of the mixture.

On a piece of baking paper, pipe small circles, about the size of a milk bottle lid onto baking paper. Then leave the macarons to form a crust at room temperature for about 30mins.

Pop the macarons in a pre heated oven (150 degrees) for 15mins. When you take them out of the oven slide the baking paper onto a dampened chux, this will make the macarons easier to remove. Then pop them on a cool rack while you prepare the filling.

Cinnamon Ganache

300mL Cream

500mL Dark Chocolate

1 Tablespoon Cinnamon

Raisins

Heat the cream on a stove & bring to the boil. Pour over the chocolate & stir until all the chocolate pieces are melted, then add the cinnamon. Pop into a piping bag then pipe onto half of the macarons. Pop a raisin on top of the ganache then top with another macaron.

White Chocolate Crosses

500g White Chocolate

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler then drizzle over the top of each in the shape a cross.

Yum!

Enjoy! x