This Orange Mousse recipe is one of my favourites. Thomas however took this dessert one step further by serving the mousse in brandy snap baskets and topping them with cream and grapes. I am a fan, Mmmmmmm, yes I am.
- 125g Sweet Dark Chocolate
- 4 Eggs – Separated
- Finely grated Zest of 1 orange (optional)
- Melt the chocolate in a bowl over simmering water (Don’t get any water in the chocolate!). Leave to cool a little.
- Beat the egg yolks into the chocolate one at a time. Fold in the orange zest.
- Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks, fold them into the chocolate.
- Put the chocolate mix into little pots/bowls, place in fridge and let them set, should take an hour or two.
Nice serving size for two people.*
Best of all it’s very easy to make.
*Maybe I was feeling a bit greedy/hungry the first time I made this. As Thomas suggests in his comment it works for 4 or 5 in the brandy baskets.
With my recent posts about pizza and calzone I thought now would be a good time to recommend my favourite brand of basil pesto. I sampled *quite a few* before trying Genoese.
I knew it was a good mix the first time I opened it and smelt it. It smells so good, I went around work encouraging people to sniff it. It didn’t occur to me that that might be slightly odd till after. The taste doesn’t disappoint.
If you have favourite brands for sauces, pestos, mustards etc please let me know and I’ll try them out. I’m particularly after a good provider of sour gherkins (sugar not in the top of the ingredient list! Grr!)
This calzone was the second course for a dinner we hosted last week. Thomas had a day off work so he did all the cooking!
The calzone was made and assembled before-hand so all we had to do was pop it in the oven, which meant no running in and out of the kitchen and more time to sit and talk with friends (and drink wine!).
The bread was golden and crusty and the filling had a lovely tart taste due to a combination of olives and feta.
Dough
- 1 1/3 cups warm water
- 1 tsp sugar
- 4 tsps active yeast
- 4 cups ‘strong’ bread flour
- 2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
- extra flour (for kneading)
- extra olive oil
Prove the yeast by putting the warm water into a small bowl, dissolving the sugar into it and then adding the yeast. Leave in a warm place and the yeast should start bubbling and frothing within 5-10 minutes. If not – you need to start again with better yeast.
Sift the flour into a large bowl, add the olive oil and the yeast/water mixture. Mix to combine into a dough. Remove the dough and knead for five minutes on a flat, floured surface.
Put a dribble of olive oil into the bowl and coat the bottom and sides with it. Put in the kneaded ball of dough and move it around so it too has a fine coating of olive oil. Cover the bowl with a clean towel and leave in a warm place. It should rise to 2-3 times the size in an hour or two.
Optional – knead the dough again and then let it rise again.
Briefly reknead the dough and then divide into two. Roll/spin/press the first half into a flat sheet. Either flour or oil the tray/pizza-stone you’re going to cook it on and put the dough on it. Then it’s time to start adding ingredients.
Filling Ingredients (adjust to taste)
- 2 tbsp basil pesto
- 1 head broccoli – chopped into small florets
- 1 leek, chopped
- 2 large portobello mushrooms, chopped
- 100gms feta, crumbled
- 20 kalamata olives, pitted and cut into two
- 150gm roasted capsicum, chopped
- 100gms mozzarella, grated
- 50gms cheddar cheese, grated
Spread the pesto over the base. Add the rest of the ingredients in roughly the order given, finishing off with the mozzarella and cheddar cheeses on top.
Take the rest of the dough and roll/spin/press out into a second flat sheet and use it to cover the other one. It needs to go all the way to the sides so you can seal the calzone by pressing down on the edges.
Topping
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp rosemary and/or oregano (fresh is best, dried is ok)
- salt
- pepper
Coat the top with the olive oil. Sprinkle on the rosemary, oregano, salt and pepper.
Make three 5-10cm diagonal cuts in the top of the calzone. This lets steam escape while it’s cooking.
Put into a hot oven (220c) until done – approximately 20-30 minutes. Cooking time is fairly imprecise as it’s going to depend on the size and composition of the calzone. Towards the end of the cooking time you may wish to remove the calzone and tip it slightly – any excess liquid should drain out – return to the oven to finish.
Let cool for a few minutes and then cut into long slices (it looks more dramatic that way) and serve. (serves 5)
We’ve just moved to our fourth house-sitting place since returning to NZ. House-sitting place number three lacked a functioning kitchen. It had no kitchen gear and no fridge! (no fridge?!).
Our current place is full of kitchen goodness including a pizza stone. To celebrate we made Zucchini and Onion Pizza.
I’m quickly coming to the conclusion that nice pizza base + pesto + feta + any* leftover vegetables in your fridge + more cheese = a good pizza.
For cooking instructions see:
Potato and Leek Pizza or Broccoli/Mushroom Simple Pizzas
Mmmm, pizza. So quick (well, it is when you used pre-made bases), easy and yummy.
*lettuce being the exception that quickly comes to mind.
This soup is my entry in the annual super soup challenge hosted by Running with Tweezers.
The soup is rich and thick and reminded us of christmas stuffing (errr, in a good way I promise!).
It’s based on recipe from “The Cooks Encyclopedia of Soups” by Debra Mayhew. I’ve simply added the red wine and rice vinegar.
And as Thomas said when he finished eating it “It’s a keeper!”
I challenge anyone who has yet to experiment with lentils to make this dish.
ingredients
- 1 cup of red lentils (rinsed, they don’t need to be soaked.)
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- 2 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 1 carrot, finely chopped
- 2 tbsps of olive oil
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tsps of dried oregano
- 6 cups of vegetable stock
- 1/2 tbsp of rice vinegar
- 1 1/2 tbsps of red wine
- chunky sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Put all the ingredients in a pot except for the vinegar, wine, salt and pepper. Bring to the boil then return to a simmer. Simmer for around 40 minutes. Add the vingear, wine, salt and pepper and serve with crusty bread.
I love eating outside. During summer we often host dinner parties in our backyard. Since it was a beautiful pre-spring day today Thomas and I went for a walk along the rugged coast out past Makara Beach (Wellington, NZ).
I love our make shift table.
We ate the following and it was delicious.
- Crusty bread
- Marinated Feta
- Roasted Capsicum
- Hummus
- Mixed spicy green and black olives
The advantage of picnicking on a stone beach is that no sand gets in your food!
My vote is in. Burger Fuel has far, far superior vegetarian burgers than Burger Wisconsin, Burger King or McDonalds.
Are there any other fast food style burger places I need to consider?
Burger Fuel even has more than one vegetarian burger so you don’t just have to get the default. My favourite is the:
Beetnik from Burger Fuel
Mushroom, kumara, chickpea and basil pattie, beetroot, melted cheddar, salad, relish, aioli on a bun for $7.50.
Mmmmmm. Kim.
So, avocados. (Or as I like to call them, guacamoles.) As far as I can tell there are two types of avocados:
1. Those that contain a stone and a whole lot of green lusciousness that is sort of velvety smooth in the mouth.
2. Those that contain a stone and some watery tasteless stuff.
The first sort is amazing and can lift an average burger, sandwich or breakfast to a whole new plane of goodness. Or you can just put some on hot buttered toast and have it for a yummy light meal. Then there’s guacamole… take one or more avocados, mush it up with a little garlic and maybe some chopped tomato and onion, and then use it as a dip for corn chips or anything else.
Anyway, the point of this post is not just to rhapsodise about avocados. What I need to know is how to tell the difference between the two types of avocado – the good and the bad (they’re all ugly).
Is there some simple test I can apply when in the supermarket?
Photo taken by Avlxyz
Other random facts about avocados:
- They’re poisonous to cats and dogs.
- People called Daniel are allergic to them (sample size = 1).
- They originate from Central America.
~Thomas
I’m not sure if this drink does any good in a medicinal way but it certainly makes me *feel* better when I’ve got a cold, especially if someone else makes it for me.
I think it’s partly good for the feeling of being looked after (thanks Thomas!). So if you have anyone with winter colds in your household this recipe is for you. Make them feel loved.
Lemon, Ginger and Honey Drink
- Juice of 1 and 1/2 lemons
- 1 tsp of honey
- 1 tsp of grated ginger root
Add all ingredients to a cup of boiled water.
Warning: I like my lemon drink tart so you may need to reduce the lemon or add more honey!
Also, if you’re feeling adventurous you can add 1/2 tsp of crushed garlic. It’s surprisingly good
Living in the middle of town has changed what and how I eat. It’s too easy to go out and buy yummy seafood mee goreng from KK or visit a cafe for coffee and a toasted panini. While it’s very pleasant it costs a bit more and isn’t always so good for the whole “healthy eating” thing.
Tonight I resolved to cook something, anything, using just the ingredients that I had on hand. This was complicated by the fact that we’re house sitting at the moment and don’t have a well-stocked larder. I came up with the following and it was damn good.
Potato, Chickpea and Tomato Casserole
Ingredients (serves 3-4)
- 3 tbsp extra light olive oil
- 3 medium potatoes
- 3 tsp ‘cajun spices’
- 1 medium onion
- 1 can chickpeas (drained)
- 1 can tomatoes in juice (not drained)
- 1 cube vegetable stock and a little hot water
- salt
- A bit of grated Parmesan to go on top
Method
1. Wash and chop up the potatoes into small chunks (I am a fan of leaving the skin on)
2. Put the olive oil into a large frying pan and bring to a medium-hot temp
3. Add in the potatoes and then sprinkle the spices over them
4. Turn occasionally and cook until fried golden and worth snacking on
5. Drain any excess oil and turn down the heat to medium
6. Chop the onion and add it
7. Stir the potatoes and onions until the onion is just done
8. Drain the chickpeas and add them
9. Chuck in the tomatoes
10. Dissolve the stock cube in a little bit of hot water and add it
11. Put the plates in the oven to warm up, and simmer the dish for 10 minutes or so
12. Add salt to taste
13. Serve and sprinkle some parmesan on top
14. Get the person who didn’t cook to wash the dishes
~Thomas