poached pacman salmon

Hi, Casey here. Here it is, every Gen X nerd's favourite seafood dish! Poached salmon in a "PACMAN" arrangement. Clare wanted me to cook dinner, and I have a favourite poached salmon dish that is probably one of three dishes I actually knew before meeting Clare. But if I'm going to post one of my few dishes on the internet, I HAVE to take the opportunity to go retro man!

The top photo shows multiple pacman shaped lemon slices on a fillet of rare poached salmon with crushed garlic and finely chopped thyme. Around this is a path of chopped steamed asparagus pills and the SUPER POWER KIPFLER PILL! which is a couple of steamed kipfler potatoes, tossed in chopped parsley and extra virgin olive oil.

Cooking this dish is REEEEAAAALLLLYY simple, I rubbed crushed garlic, chopped thyme and olive oil on a couple of bits of salmon, then poached them in a shallow covered oven dish in cup of dry white wine for about 25 mins at 200 Celcius. For C to F temperature conversion either move to Australia or look it up on Google.

With this food it's a case of super high quality ingredients and really simple treatment. I asked Clare for her opinion, and all I got was a number of long varied groans, ones I wished I could inspire in the bedroom. Hi mum, hi dad, sorry about that.

WOW

I just noticed today that I have beaten the 20 000 visitors mark! WOW, I am still shocked, I am almost at my 6 month blogversary too. I began this blog on the 15 april 05 on a sad day when my crazy Kitty that you all know so well tried to destroy my le Creuset griddle pan. I would like to say THANKYOU! to all my readers... hopefully you will stay with me\, over the next 6 months and beyond! xxxx

If there is anything you like/hate I would love to hear about it so I can make this experience better for the both of us.

IMBB#19: I cant believe I ate Vegan!

So why are there 3 meals up there? Well I was sick of being the only lazy arsed blogger who only submits one food item, that's why! So I figured 3 is a respectable amount :) I do have one small, tiny, miniscule confession to make... they are all from the one cookbook! *gasp* But true to form I could not leave well enough alone and I did fiddle with them... maybe, just alittle.

So what book is this? Well I am very happy to say that it was written by a friend of mine :) Who is a very, lovely sweet chef name Aine Mc Ateer and the recipes are from her book Recipes to Nurture. I have been helping Aine to test recipes for her next cookbook which has been great fun, and really exciting!!!

So how did this all fall under the I tricked some one to eat Vegan context? Well it was actually 3 seperate trickeries, how good is that?

The lentil pasties we had for dinner tonight. They were great, Casey loves pasties and all I told him was that we were having Pasties for dinner ;) I served them with some rocket salad and tamarind chutney ( If this wasn't a Vegan meal some cucumber Raita would be perfect ;) ) We drank some White Shiraz with these guys which was PERFECT!!! The white Shiraz was a nice deep pink, off dry but still fruity. YUMMMMMM

Last Night we enjoyed the Creamy Corn Chowder for dinner. This soup was so thick and sweet and creamy Casey had no idea that it was Vegan. He asked if it would be ok to have another bowl with all the cream in the soup! HA! :) He had 2 HUGE bowlfuls which makes Clare a very happy girl.

The Chocolate Bliss Cake was enjoyed on the weekend as Sunday Afternoon tea with my Auntie, it was perfect! We had half a mini bundt each and were soooo satisfied but still felt great and not like we had overindulged at all. Do not be fooled, this is a moist chocolatey, nutty cake that no one would EVER belive is vegan ;)

The other important thing to note is that even though there is no dairy no meat there is also no refined carbs, no refined sugar, less saturated fat. So how do I feel after all of this food? GREAT! Better than I have in ages.

Thanks Sam for inspiring healthy tasty delicious IMBB recipes... rather than my usual efforts to outdo myself in the decadence stakes :)

IMBB # 19 + Vegan +eatstuff

Can you recreate Genius?

So remember when I told you guys about Fratelli Fresh? Um .... yeah of course you do... Well I went back to their restarurant for lunch with my mum. We shared a frittata with goats curd (Great), and 2 side salads: Grilled Mushrooms (ok, but nothing to write home about) and Rocket and parmesan salad with balsmaic dressing (Unbeleivable). Unbelievable, it was so simple. Fresh bitey rocket, finely grated aged parmesan and aged balsamic ( I later found out that it was a $40 bottle of balsamic) they all melded into the perfect easy salad. But here is the problem, will it work at home? Fresh rocket (check), Block of parmesan (check), EVOO (check), Balsamic (check). I have a bottle of Balsamic which had been the best I could easily find at the supermarket (oh the shame), it is supposingly 3 grape leaf quality which is right between 2 and 4 grape leaves obviously and is perfect for roast meats, fish and warm sauces. What ever that means! So I mixed some EVOO ( I heart acronyms) Balsamic and S&P added it to 2 big hand fulls of rocket and 1 of grated parmesan. So how was it.... really great but not the incredible epiphany of the salad at Cafe Sopresa. Gee I wish I didn't have to be a cheap bastard *sigh*. But if I hadn't had the magic salad I would have been even more impressed. I will still make this though as it is soooo easy! I served it with a pork chop that I rubbed with harissa paste and salt and pepper, pretty close to perfect... at least I know what is missing. Some REALLY expensive Balsamic *sigh* Or you can go pay $5 for a side salad at Fratelli Fresh ;)

BBM2

Firstly... How good does that look? Candied Orange Peel, Empire Plum Jam, Anise and Cornmeal biscotti, Hazelnut, pecan and Raisin Granola AND a 3 ounce bar of Sharffenberger 70%. So what I want to know is... am I really THAT easy to read? I don't think this parcel could have been any more perfect... or Delicious. AND from Suzie a "maybe soon" food blogger. Well what I say girl is GO FOR IT!

In the bottom left hand corner see the yoghurt, granola and plum jam? OMG!!!!!! sooo good :) The Plum Jam is PERFECT, plummy and slightly tart (the way I like it) and in the cutest little jar!!! Does anyone know if you can get them here? As for the biscotti, crunchy, flavourful, the candied orange peel, tender and orangy and perfect! YUM! Then there is the WHOLE thing about the chocolate, yes Suzie you are very right we can't get it here *sob*. I think I sat there smelling the bar all day today.... and I will definately take a while before I actually crack it open and taste this artisanl delight. Thank you soooo much :) and Thanks so much Samantha for all the work with organising this. To my secret Pal, your will be there soon and I hope you like it.

23/5 MEME

I was tagged by Sweetnicks to do the 23/5 MEME which is flying around the blogosphere. Pretty much you take your 23rd post, find the 5th Sentance and ponder on it's meaning.

Ok 23rd post :Kaeng Chuchi Pla - Thai Seafood Curry AWESOME CURRY btw :)

ok 5th Sentance: This book is a fantastic resource for authentic South East Asian recipes it covers: Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.

What does this tell me? hmmmm I need to get my book back from my cookbook stealing mum (hi!!!!) and make some more great stuff from it!!! Pretty easy... I miss that book sooooo much!

So what is it?South East Asian Food by Rosemary Brissenden
This is THE BEST book for AUTHENTIC (not westernised) South East Asian FOOD

Anyway.....

I would like to tag:
Farm girl
Amy
Michele
Kirk
Jo

Your it !

WCB 16

Cat food bloggers unite every weekend and share photos of your gorgeous kitties with us!

If you would like to be included, just leave me a comment with your permalink! and add a "weekend cat blogging" tag to your post!

If you would like to participate in WDB 2 (Weekend Dog Blogging) please go visit the lovely Sweetnicks and send her an email!

Well here is a pic of Kiri enjoying some of his last days in his first Cat Alley. Hopefuly we will be able to rig something similar at our next house *fingers crossed*
His fur is so lucious, like a cross between Velvet and silk.

I wont tell you how naughty he was this morning, a cute adorable face like that. He would never start chewing the corners of my new book, would he? No, Of course not.

I hope to see lots more Kitty pics up soon! and don't forget WDB2 at Sweetnicks :)

Check out Matildes puss playing Hide and Seek! at Skør i Skralden
Check out Macroom strutting it with the big cats at Dispensing Happiness
Check out the cat showing her displeasure at the idea of WDB at Belly Timber
Check out Tasha waking up from a nap at A few of my favourite things
Check out The Stunning Nero at Anne's Food
Check out The big black sweetie named Jazz at Look hunny, I cooked.
Check out Meow Meow relaxing in her new bed at Masak Masak
Check out Alices's boys relxing on a Saturday morning at My Adventures in the Breadbox
Check out Farmgirls best pal the doodle monster washing herself at Farmgirl Fare
Check out bussi practising the art of feline hedonism at basic juice
Check out Lucky taking a well positioned nap at The Countess
Check out Grey Kitty the not quite stray at Restaurant Widow
Check out luke curled up with Nick at Sweetnicks
Check out the Gorgeous Kittaya taking a nap at Mananadi
Check out Tuxette the new kitten in Kitchen Mages's life :) *warning new Kitten alert!!!!*
Check out The other Well read Kitty Phoebe at Bakingsheet
Check out Opium, She isa huntin', a stalkin' and a catchin' at Cel's Home Page

Blog Party 2 - Tiki Party

When I heard about Stephanies theme for this Blog Party, all I could think of was what would be good to have with all the good food? Hmm, this is a real hard one. NOT! Omni Sparkling Red is perfect for any relaxing theme you can come up with, especially in a 1 litre bottle, 14% alchol and lots of bubbles ;) The berry flavours, sweetness and yet alittle dryness ( may I say off dry beau?) makes it perfect for fish, chicken, pizza, prawns almost anything you might throw at it whilst throwing the perfect Tiki themed party. Cheers!

Botany Bay National Park

Here are some more lovey flower photos to keep you guy's going :) These were taken in the Botany Bay National Park on the weekend. This is just a small sample of what's out there, so go on, get out and experience it on the weekend.

French Orange Blossom Marshmallows

On the weekend my mother came to visit, we went to the fishmarkets for lunch. Where are the photographs? The Batteries on the camera ran out, don't worry it wasn't very special anyway. But what was good was at the delicatsen, a jar sitting on the counter with long thin multi-coloured spongy stuff inside plastic bags. I looked at them from afar, then gave them a double take ( I can spot good food stuffs from 100 paces), are they really? OMG, They are!!! I jumped up and down. They are just like the way too cute french marshmallows my gorgeous friend Michele found in Paris!!!! Whilst it isn't a huge bag of bag of pastel fluffs , I did score a long Orange Blossom flavoured Marshmallow for $2.50. Yowsers that is expensive, but sometimes you have to fork out the big ones for new experiences ;)

So how did they taste? Sweet, Soft, Tender and like Orange Blossoms. Cool. Much better than boring old vanilla ;)

More Tim Tams

See what happens? You go to the Supermarket randomly, and there in front of me, taunting me is a box of TimTam Balls. Tim Tam What? I say, then... "Case we are buying these. Just like everything else I seem to get....just so that I can I can taste test them for all those people who can't buy them and wouldn't even know they would exist if it wasn't for me ;)
I have to say that I had high expectations for these balls. So I photograph the packet before I rip it open and tip the contents on to a plate. Hey, they look like Maltesers. I get a knife and and cut one in half. Crunchy biscuit on the inside and chocolate on the outside with a thin layer of tim tam filling. So I pickone up and crunch it, yep chocolate biscuity. After a couple more I FEEL like I have eaten a few Tim Tams. Now that is weird. They taste pretty similar too. I think they are trying to market these as being "High Class", I think they would be better to sell them at the movies.

The Best in the last 30

I have been tagged for the new, hip, happening MEME with 2 tails by Beau of Basic Juice.

So what's it all about? Well the MEME will be for both Foodies and Winos....
I have to answer the most wine friendly dish I have had in the last 30 days.
Hmmmm suprisingly we have had a few more than normal beer friendly foods around here lately but the dish I remember the best with Wine was definately this one



We enjoyed this meal with a suprisingly good Cabernet Merlot blend that Casey chose, it was suprsing because they are definately not two of his favourite wines but this one he loved (Sorry Beau I can't remember which one it was), I do remember that it was smooth but fruity and worked well with competing with thesimple yet fabulous food. I think Case and I definately both enjoyed the combination alot. What is there not too like?

The two bloggers I would like to ask to join in are:

Catherine from Food Musings because I can't wait to hear about that fab meal and wine she is about to have, and she gets to drink wine and eat at restaurants that I can only dream about *sigh* So I know her favourite food with wine will be inspiring (or envy inducing) *grin*

Barbara from WinosandFoodies, because she is an Aussie living in N.Z. and how more perfect could her blog name get for this MEME? (make sure you go to Basic juice for the slight difference in how you should fill in the MEME)

Attempts at Rosettas 2

I think I did quite a good job at covering up a non existant rosetta *sigh* maybe next time it will be better??? I know what I should have done though, I didn't keep agitating the jug enough so the foam seperated from the milk.... oh well

There is a serial on coffee that is being assembled (just for you Indira!).. hopefully I will have part 1 out soon!

WCB 15

I have Beautiful Eye's Mummy! No don't look at the Coffee, LOOK at ME! *merow!*















Cat food bloggers unite every weekend and share photos of your gorgeous kitties with us!

If you would like to be included, just leave me a comment with your permalink! and add a "weekend cat blogging" tag to your post!

If you would like to participate in WDB 1 (Weekend Dog Blogging) please go visit the lovely Sweetnicks and send her an email! --- how cool is this? I would if I had a puppy! Casey...please... pity the K man hates dog :(

The Round up for the First WDB is up! Make sure to check out Callie whilst you are there :)



hehehe can you see what this is? Do you know yet?


How about this? IT IS A KIRIASAURUS REX JUMPER!!!!
and guess what I made it myself. Yep, that's right I got out the old knitting needles and bought a pattern (oh) and knitted it :)
How clever am I? How cute is he? *sigh*

Check out J2 and New Cat surveying the scene from farmgirlfare
Check out Tigger the beautiful Tabby from Look Hunny, I cooked
Check out The halloween black beauty at Tarzile.com
Check out the cuddly Miss Aggie at Kayak soup
Check out Trixie smelling Wendy's shoes... at Green Girl Art
Check out Janson (S*Hufflepuffs silver Eminem) Lena's cat at Anne's Food
Check out the Caramel Brownie Kitty another Hobo at Restaurant Widow
Check out all the Kitties dinin' out courtesy of the cat at Belly-timber
Check out the cat takin' a nap at papilles et pupilles

Check out the wee white lion & oversized lamb at basic juice
Check out the picture of a little opium at Cel's Home Page
Check out Miss Kitty watching Birds (mmmmeeeooowww) at Culinary in the Desert
Check out the Studious Cat at My adventures in the Breadbox
Check out how big Boos Ginger Kitten is getting at Masak-Masak
Check out Kittaya in close up at Mahanandi
Check out The Kitten with a new name at Tigers&Strawberries
Check out Lucky who gave his paw of approval and staring!at The Countess
Check out the Kiri look a likes (LOL) Bella and Tasha at A few of my favourite things
Check out the ark

Thank GOD! Cooper's Rocks

When I found out that my beloved homegrown, family owned Aussie Beer producing company Coopers might be going to be bought out by Lion Nathan ( a huge beer making conglomerate) I was shocked and sadened. The last big family owned company might come to an end? NOOOOOOOO ( I yelled internally). So I suppose the question, why would I care so much? Comes to mind. Well, the Cooper's Premium Pale Ale (no longer available) was the first beer I ever like (so they are responsible for ALOT!), they introduced me to the joy of brewing my own beer and they taught me that good beer is so different to bad beer! The Pale Ale is definitely my fav, so when I found out (yep I am so slow) that they had decided to reject the offer I figured Casey had to go buy a long neck (750mls) and I would make a meal to celebrate.



When I was trying to think of a food to have with beer, I thought what do you have after a long night on the piss? Hmm, Kebabs (well alot of people do). Well, that settled it, I would make a home version of kebabs (with plenty of leeway!). As far as a recipe for Pitas goes, you are just going to have to wait like everyone else for FG's post.

Meat
350 gms of Lamb Backstrap (that was the random amount the butcher gave me, it was plenty for 2)

Marinade
1 tsp of cumin and coriander seeds toasted in a hot dry pan
4 cloves of garlic
1 strip of lemon rind, sliced
Pepper, salt (and I put in sechuan peppercorns too)

Grind all of this in a mortar and pestle (of mini food processor) Til you have a thick paste, add alittle olive oil to slacken the mix alittle. Rub the outside of the backstraps in the mix and leave them to Marinate.

Spicy Mayo
3 Long Chillis (but hot) Char grilled and peeled.
2 cloves of garlic
1 bunch of fresh coriander leaves
1 egg (free range)
1 lemon (at least )
EVOO
s&p to taste

Put the chillis, garlic and coriander in a food processor and blend, when smooth the egg and blend again, add olive oil in small amounts until the mixture becomes thick, add lemon juice and S&P to taste
*note this is how I make all my mayonaises, but guestimation, they are THAT EASY)

Tabouli
Salad
cucumber, tomato, red onion, all diced
2 cloves of garlic
cous cous or burghul ( I had to use cous cous as I was out of burghul), hydrate according to packet instructions
1 Big handful each of sliced Mint and Parsley

Dressing
EVOO
S&P
1 lemon

Mix the salad together add dressing to taste.

Look what I grew

Isn't nature nice? Along with all the destruction she goes and makes something as pretty as this *sigh*

Two Continents, One Recipe, Cookies All Around

So what do you get when you combine two foodie friends, one global book swap, an intriguing new recipe, and the magic of email? About as close to "baking together" as two girls on opposite sides of the world can get.


The only problem becoming firm friends on the internet is how far away they live, most of the time you hardly even notice, except for their strange bed times, email can be just so instantaneous. The time when it hurts is when you would like to catch up, have dinner, meet for a coffee. So what do you do about it? Well you bake together! it is just as much fun (almost) as if they where there (in person) and you both get to taste the end product!

How did this come about?, the lovely literary nut Amy over at BJF decided to host a bookswap, she paired everyone off and I received a book from Nupur at One Hot Stove. You can see the book in the above photo, but you might also notice that the photo shoot was hijacked by one Kiri!, Of course because I was paying attention to/photographing something other than him he had to get right in the middle of it. So you are just going to have to imagine he is a model enticing you with his gorgeous muscles and shiny blue fur!

The Book Nupur so kindly sent me is the New York Cookbook By Molly O'Neil. I have been meaning to post about this and the beautiful handmade postcard and bookmark!!! for so long, and I have been very remiss(so sorry Nupur). The book is awesome btw, I almost feel like I have been to NY and all the deli's an restaurants after reading it! I really wanted to include a recipe from the book with my postso I was emailing FG (Farm Grl) way to late in the Mornite (morning/night) as per usual and I told her about a cookie recipe I was thinking of making, then *SWOOSH, SWOOSH* and a flurry of emails later it was settled. We would both make David "the cookie King" Leidermans Cookies and have a dual bake off that we will post together. (I think FG just wanted an excuse so she wouldn't have to post about Pita Bread anytime Soon!, especially since it might inspire her to make some more!) Do you have anyidea how much fun this has been?

So here is the porn shot :) (*side note like my new/old plate? for $2!!)


Here is the hard core(Feel the beat red raw) sugar photo. One thing that FG and I realised is how different ingredients from the 2 different contients affect recipes, this is completely apart from the impact of the different measuring standards and cultures!

Australia is very well known for it's sugar, even though the recipe specified the use of light brown sugar I never buy it. Why when there is this glorious caramelly stuff! See the sugar pyramid? That is too show you how moist this sugar is with molassasy goodness :)


So how did they turn out? Well I think FG and I(+Casey) are both suffering from major sugar overload headaches! These are some rich cookies, So much butter! So much Sugar! So much Chocolate! I think they are almost worse than the brownies! Definitely sweeter than the chocolate tarts. As far as the butterscotch flavour is concerned... well it doesn't really come through that strongly, even with the Dark Brown sugar. These cookies also seem to be very temperamental, slight differences in the size of the chocolate, shape of the cookies on the sheet and temperature of the oven appear to change the cookies from nice to look at to ugly to where did my cookie crumble too?

So these are delicious cookies and very moreish,if you make these cookies be sure to make them a day earlier as they taste so much better on the second day!

Listed below is the recipe in Metric, if you would like the recipe in what ever measuremens are called in America go see Farmgirl, you should of course now that you have finished reading my post go and read hers!

Thanks so much Farmgirl, I am so glad I met you and this was heaps of fun! Lets do it again soon :)

David "the cookie King" Leidermans Cookies

Delicious Chocolate Chunk Cookies

250 gms butter, softened
250 mls light brown sugar (I used dark brown sugar)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
>750 mls flour
200 gms of bittersweet choc ( I used nestle choc chips)

preheat oven to 350, genourously butter a baking sheet (I am not so sure about this, I tried it and I think there is enough butter in them already!)
Combine butter, brown sugar, salt , vanilla and egg in a bowl, beat to make a smooth batter.
Add flour and choc, stir til no traces of flour remain
Drop batter in dessertspoonfull drops on to the baking sheet
cook til barely brown 6-8 mins (mine took longer)
remove let cool
makes 20

Attempts at Rosettas 1

We finally bought a stainless steel jug to froth milk on the weekend. This is one of my first coffees with milk frothed in it. How nice is that microfoam? It is so much easierand quicker to froth the milk, let alone pouring. I think I need to go practise, I will post more photos as my technique hopefully improves.

Beef and Guinness Pie

When the weather is cold, or the footy is on what do boys want to eat? Meat Pies, with tomato sauce silly. Four'n Twenty might be de rigor at the AFL, but not in my house! Do you have any idea how bad they are for you? (actually I don't like the taste either :P ) Since I am a welshman(NSW) and not a Mexican(Victorian) I am still just learning to appreciate the finer art of Footy watching (AFL) (Don't laugh Dave :P ). So anything that takes a few hours to make, is a pretty good activity for a lazy Sunday when the boys come over to watch Footy.

If you are going to make a meat pie then the meat has to be steak, tender chunks that melt in your mouth and not mince, I learnt that the hard way. The gravy is also really important, since I don't regularly make beef stock at home I turn to an alcoholic base for my pie gravy. That gives 2 choices, the ubiquitous red wine or the slightly more unusual Guinness. Go for Guinness, the chocolate coffee and slight bitter edge it lends to the pie will cause almost anyboy to immediately declare his undying love, just so you can make him this pie. If you are going to spend the time to slowly cook off the meat and make it with the love and the little bit of attention it requires, be sure to make the filling in bulk, at least enough for 2 family pies or more. That way you can bask in the love any time you want it or need that extra pair of shoes or a new cookbook.

Beef and Guinness Pie
1 kg of Beef steak (blade, topside, gravy etc), chopped into cubes (or as much as you want to last you the winter)
flour seasoned with salt and pepper
2 onions
optional veggies: Mushrooms, zucchini, carrots etc
750 ml bottle of Guinness (or your favourite stout, but then it isn't a Guinness pie ;) )
1 can of tinned tomatoes
salt and pepper
a couple of bay leaves
4 cloves of garlic
oil

Wholemeal Pastry

Flour the beef, shake off excess and fry it off in small batches in a casserole dish or saucepan til browned.
Then, fry off onions, garlic and any veggies you want to add. Add the beef back and deglaze the pan with some of the Guinness. Add the tinned tomatoes and enough of the Guinness to just cover the meat, stir well too ensure that nothing has stuck to the bottom. Bring back up to temp, when just boiling turn the heat back down to a gentle simmer and put the lid on. Check back occasionally to ensure it isn't drying out and to give it a stir. Add more Guinness or some water if required. After aprox 2 hours when the meat is tender turn off the heat and let the mixture start to cool.

Line a pie dish with pastry, add the beef mixture and top with more pastry. Bake in a preheated oven at 180C til the pastry is cooked and golden brown.

Eat, and enjoy with some beer.

Extra mix: Freeze in pie sized lots and defrost when some lovin' is required!

From Marg with Love

Clare, We made ravioli yesterday as you can see, tasted yummy. I fried 500gr pork mince with a little olive oil, 1/2 onion chopped and a garlic clove. I cooked a head of broccoli and then chopped it up and added it to the pork. About 200gr ricotta mixed with the juice of a lemon, 3 tablespoons of pine nuts, 1 teasp minced chilli, salt & pepper. After making the pasta & then the ravioli pockets, I cooked it in in boiling water for 5 mins I served it up with a simple fresh tomato sauce made with olive oil and crushed garlic. It tasted very nice, and of course topped off with some of Clare's parsley (Mitsuba) for garnish! Love, Marg.

What more chocolate?

Well, I know this might be dangerous to look at and could just possibly (hopefully) inspire a full blown chocolate craving in you.... If it does consider this... you only have to look at the photo, I baked them then tasted their rich, smooth, slightly bitter chocolate with a toothsome wholemeal crust..... I do think I can say this now, get that chocolate away from me . In other words, I think I may (just) have over done it on the chocolate goodness factor, I don't think this says anything about my staying power, or my ability to eat sweet rich chocolately goodness. But instead it says just how chocolatey and intoxicating these last 2 dishes have been. OMG they are good... but don't mention chocolate to me for awhile because I think I might....

Chocolate tart

Filling:
1 TBSP heavy cream
1/2 cup milk
100gs bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 large eggs, at room temperature

Pastry Recipe

Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface.about 1/4-inch thick. Carefully roll the dough up onto the pin (this may take a little practice) and lay it inside a mini tart pan with a removable bottom. Press the dough into the pan so it fits tightly; press the edges into the sides of the pan. It is important to press the dough evenly into every nook and corner of the ring, especially the scalloped edges. Shave off the excess hanging dough with a knife. Put the tart in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to relax.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.

Pre bake the tart shells.

To make the filling: Heat the heavy cream and milk in a pot over medium-low flame, until it simmers slightly around the edges. Remove from the heat; add the chopped chocolate and stir until melted and smoothed out. Add the sugar and salt and whisk until well incorporated. Beat the eggs in a small bowl until blended and add them to the chocolate mixture, stir until completely blended. Pour the filling into the cooled tart shell and bake at 170 degrees C for 10 to 15 minutes until the filling is set and the surface is glossy. If you see any bubbles or cracks forming on the surface, take the tart out right away – that means it is beginning to become over baked. Let the tarts cool.

*Optional* Melt some chocolate and smooth a layer over the top of the tart.

makes 4 mini tarts

You are so jealous right now

*WARNING DO NOT LOOK BELOW IF YOU ARE SUSCEPTABLE TO MAJOR CHOCOLATE CRAVINGS*



I warned you ;)

A few weeks ago, I was being so dangerous, I knew I was prepared as I had a stash of chocolate at home and so I would be safe, I would be about to handle the major mind numbing goodness cravings I was about to get. What I was not prepared for was how those cravings would sneak back and catch me unawares. WTF am I talking about? I am talking about Orangette and the most alluring *brownies* I have ever seen. So what happened? Well, I might have bought a packet of the new Nestle Coveture Chocolate, just to try it out, for you! I only do this to myself for you guys... you do know that. Right?

So I was home, alone with a 200g packet of chocolate, chocolate to cook with. I was trying to come up with something hard core (feel the beat red raw :P ) something chocolatey, something that would take no prisoners and would really let me know how good the chocolate is. That's when I knew what I would have to make. Molly's Brownies. I re read the recipe, how much butter? How much Chocolate? How much sugar? OMG these are some rich brownies and they will work out just fine in my quest for hard core chocolate.

So, Did they work well? Look at the Picture people! I was even called a B@#$% for showing a certain grl these just before her bed time, she shall of course remain nameless. Yeah right :P

The only thing I am glad about (even this is kind of a misgiving) is that we had a friend over at dessert time. See my point?

If I made these again, I would add some 80% Lindt and reduce the sugar, but I love bitter chocolate.

All up.... 110% good job clare, good Job Molly.

How long will it take before the craving hits you?

WCB 14p

1, 2, Check, 1, 2. *cough* *meow* Hi this is Kiri, you might know me from my modeling photos on Clare's blog. I like to model my stripy jumper and my new ultra sexy sailor suit. Since Clare has been completly remiss, I mean I love her and all but you would have though she would have gotten her act together by now. So, she isn't going to get her act together any time soon, I felt it is my right as a fellow cat and a people to bring to attention the fellow suffering of cats and *meerrooowww* dogs over there in New Orleans. I must admit I have a cushy life here, food, water and hugs and time I want, but all those poor people, no homes, no food, missing their servants. It is so sad y'all. I know you might think I am a dumb cat, but get over it. I watch the news, I read this blog, Do you think I would let Clare put photos of me on here otherwise? Get over it already. So I would like to ask You! if you have enjoyed looking at me and the other kitty kats for WCB then I empurr you to give generously to the kitty Kats over there in New Orleans.

Here is a whole heap of non exhaustive links that Lisa (not naughty clare) managed to find *smooch* you are so sweet *smooch* *purrrmow*

Click here to donate to the ASPCA disaster relief fund.

Click here to donate to the AKC disaster relief fund.

The Houston SPCA has worked really hard to rescue pets affected and reuinte them with their companions. Click here to donate to them.

Petfinder.com is working hard to reunite pets after the hurricane. Click here to support local shelters throught their site.

Thanks, If you do, I will give Clare a huge smooch and promise not to wrap her wool all over the house..... for a day, no, hour? maybe.

And Make sure to go check out all the other bloggers who aren't as lazy as my Clare, especially Amy she rocks *smooch*

Cat food bloggers unite every weekend and share photos of your gorgeous kitties with us!

If you would like to be included, just leave me a comment with your permalink! and add a "weekend cat blogging" tag to your post!

Literary Cat Quote : "A little drowsing pussy cat is an image of beatitude" Champfleury(Jules Fleury-Husson)

See Kiri on the bed spread? As soon as we were putting it on the bed, he was on it. No this is my bed, what are you looking at? lol. Hmm Probably better than his usual place, on my head! Crazy Cat!


Then, I just had to put some more photos of Kiri in his sailor suit :) I know a few of you have been admiring all week! This is Kiri all dressed up for the house inspection, he had to make a good impression. Well, they loved him of course. Isn't he a poser?

Check out Kiri fighting Kiri... actually bella and tasha having fisty cuffs at a few of my favourite things
Check out Eye contact (øjenkontakt) and rantings about a notorius bad vet named Jens (and what she can imagine to do to him with claws and teeth?) at Skør i Skralden
Check out Beowulf the Ruler Of His Domain at The Countess
Check out Alex and Macroom becoming more aquainted at Dispensing Happiness
Check out Ally cat and find out all about her at Masak-Masak
Check out Kelly the pretty princess at Anne's Food
Check out a morning in the life of Lixue the Ragamuffin princess at Look Hunny, I cooked.
Check out Yoshi and Tanuki as little kits (oh cute!!) at a cat in the kitchen
Check out The jingle ball stray at Restaurant Widow
Check out New Cat over at Farmgrl Fare
Check out Kittaya who is back! over at Mahanandi
Check out Aggie *hoping* for some eggs at Kayak Soup
Check out Opium and Vodka who are joining us from France! at Cel's Home Page

OMG Fratelli Fresh

Fratelli Fresh
7 Danks st
Waterloo
1300 552 119.


I know, where have I been? What have I been doing that is more important than posting to you my beloved readers? Well, actually sad to say not much. I have been spring cleaning and I now have a "library"(well it could be called other things, but I have deemed it to be the library) and I have been tired. Tired? So tired my photos are crap, when I have tried to play with my photos in photoshop I haven't known how to start. Poor excuses I know, but I am back to semi regular daily scheduled posting again...

So what has this to do with Fratelli Fresh? My mother and I made the very short drive to a street I didn't know was there to a shop I had only seen in my dreams, expensive ones at that.

So what is in the above photo? Some prepackaged food they sell? No, get over yourself, I made it myself. So what does it have to do with the store? Their produce Man!!!! I had long heard of tins of Italian cherry tomatoes, but where do you buy them from I wondered? I looked everywhere, here they sell the individually ($1.27?) and by the case($14) ! Oh my! I was hoping to find Olive Jam, but I came home with some Olive Pate, which seems similar. I found Italian saffron pasta ($3.25), huge bunches of luscious Basil ($2.49), Fresh Garlic ($2 ish) . There were many other products I *drooled* over. $18 ignots of coveture chocolate, Can anyone please come up with a good enough reason for me to by one... Buffalo mozzarella, Organic Free range chicks, Sparkling mineral water and luscious tomatoes and Dried Morels. There is heaps more here of course, but I hope you will go and discover the store for yourself. Upstairs is a cafe (we couldn't try because they had cooking lessons on) and over the road is the Dank St Depot, which has a restaurant (nice macchiato) and is full of galleries which is definitely worth a visit.

So what was the pasta like? Great. Simple. Easy.

Saffron Pasta cooked til al dente
Fresh garlic cloves diced and sauted in EVOO, 1 tin of baby cherry tomatoes a few anchovies, Salt and pepper. Cooked til pasta was ready, then tossed through with a handful of shopped basil leaves, served on a bed of my mum's organic wild rocket with shavings of Parmesan and a drizzle of EVOO

Toast
Grilled home made wholemeal Baguette (another story altogether) spread with olive pate and a sprinkle of shaved Parmesan.

Serve with a glass of Red.

Now this is "Store Cupboard" cooking at it's best. So when can you expect my next post? Soon.

WCB 13 - the sailor suit ed

Kiri the Sailor Man!

Cat food bloggers unite every weekend and share photos of your gorgeous kitties with us!

If you would like to be included, just leave me a comment with your permalink! and add a "weekend cat blogging" tag to your post!

Literary Cat Quote : "Nobody who is not prepared to spoil cats will get from them the reward they are able to give to those who do spoil them" Sir Compton Mackenzie

Oh MY! I think I just discovered a very dangerous place, on the way to buy veggies at Paddy's Markets today I saw this shop. A shop that sells cat and puppy clothes OMG!!!!!! I think Casey knew as soon as the shop was spotted that he was going to be spending some dosh there (he he he he) , they have so many cute t shirts and jumpers, then we spied the japanese sailor suit, the colours look like they had Kiri in mind when they made the shirt (if you have objections to buying jumpers for your cat see literary cat quote :) ). Kiri is such a good boy, as soon as I arrived home I put it on him and he started to purr, the weather is quite cool and I think he knows how stylish he looks. Well I have to go fawn over my kitty some more, so be sure to check out the other WCB entries

All the details
Pets Mansion "We are connecting you with your pets"
Shop R1. 299 13-15 Hay St
Haymarket 2000
(Market city. Ultimo Rd entrance)
Tel (0292126882
email: tommychao@hotmail.com

Check out sort er godt (black is good) at Skør i Skralden
Check out Jack and Betty taking over Stephen cooks
Check out Boo and find out all about her at Masak Masak
Check out the new guy Macroom over at Dispensing Hapiness *cute kitten warning!*
Check out Glinda Gräddost rolling around in the Sun at Anne's Food.
Check out the Lion King Jazz at Look Hunny, I cooked
Check out Doodle bug watching Mummy cook over at Farmgrl Fare
Check out the sleeping kitties Bella and Tash at A few of my Favourite Things
Check out Abe getting all territorial over Stumpy at Restaurant Widow
Check out Jack the cute but naughty baby of the house at My Adventures in the Breadbox
Check out Grimalkin and Ozy trying to raise funds for there realtives that have been displaced by Hurricane Katrina at Tigers & Strawberries
Check out Phoebe trying to reach up.... at Bakingsheet
Check out Aggie the floppy cat at Kayak soup
Check out the black beauty Miss Kittty at Culinary in the Desert
Check out Spencer and Chelseas personals at Je Mange la Ville
Check out Mrs Bejie who doesn't like the camera at Pumpkin Pie Bungalow
Check out THE DOGS Eli and Bela taking over WCB at Sweetnicks

*RIP Moufie* Please go and pay your respects for Moufie 1998-2005 - our thoughts are with you Kichen Mage