Tasty Bits of 2008

As 2008 draws to a close, it's a good time to reflect on the year. I've trawled through the archives and come up with a baker's dozen of my favourite dishes of the year.


Flat bread crackers - I don't know what was better, the dead simple recipe or the look of those finger-shaped shards.



Zucchini Falafel - part of my falafel odyssey, I even managed to make an oven baked version of Sweet Potato Falafel.



Gözleme - consider it a type of middle-eastern pizza but the secret is the dough - made with just yoghurt, self-raising flour and salt, it was a revelation.



Stuffed Sardines - if you think you don't like sardines, then try this recipe, I think it might just convert you.



Garlic Butter Tiger Prawns - a little bit decadent but a whole lot of delicious.



Torta della Nonna or Grandmother's Pie - these next two couldn't be split so I've included them both. I loved this as each bite brought back memories of Italy.



Torta Meringata con Mele or Apple Pie with Meringue - an edible memory. For very special occasions my mother would make this torta and I can't believe it took me this long to make it myself.



Queen of Puddings - for such a regal sounding dessert, it really couldn't be anymore "peasant" in nature.



Chocolate Pecan Cookies - these were dubbed "the best cookies ever"



Fig Twist - I didn't do that much yeast baking this year but this one I'm glad to have found the time to make.



Strawberries and Basil Compote - macerated strawberries find their ideal and usual match in basil. At the base of each dish is a sweet basil pesto made with fresh basil, pinenuts and icing sugar.



Milk Ice Cream - If I was only allowed to eat one ice-cream, it would be this one.



After those twelve, lucky 13 must be a refreshing beverage and Mint Tea made with gunpowder green tea and fresh mint leaves is the perfect tonic.


Here's hoping 2009 will be the tastiest yet!

Mixed Tomato Salad

The Russians are here!


Black Russian tomatoes that is and I for one, welcome their arrival.

It's a tomato that I've had miserable luck growing. I think in all my attempts I've only ever managed to harvest one lone tomato. So when I noticed one of the stallholders at Prahran market had them, they quickly ended up in my shopping basket.


They were soon joined by these adorable red and yellow cherry tomatoes.


With a few more ingredients I was able to mimic a tomato salad I've been enjoying lately at Church Street Enoteca.


Luckily I was able to find some of my favourite anchovies - these are by Agostino Recca


and while they aren't overpowering, they do have much more flavour then the Entreislas Anchovies I used in the eggplant stacks.




Mixed Tomato Salad with Buffalo Mozzarella and Anchovies

Black Russian Tomatoes
Red and Yellow Cherry Tomatoes
1 buffalo mozzarella - I used Shaw River, ripped into bite sized pieces
Anchovy fillets, sliced finely
Aged Balsamic Vinegar
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
sea salt
snipped chives
basil leaves, ripped

Sliced the Black Russian tomatoes into wedges and cut the cherry tomatoes in half.

Place the tomatoes in a bowl and sprinkle over with the sliced anchovy fillets and snipped chives - toss gently to combine.

In a small bowl, whisk together the balsamic, oil and a pinch of sea salt until amalgamated. Drizzle this over the tomatoes and toss to combine. Finish with a sprinkling of ripped Basil leaves.

To serve, transfer a quarter of the salad into your serving bowl and scatter pieces of mozzarella over the salad, top with another quarter of the salad and some more mozzarella pieces. Repeat until all ingredients have been used.

Drizzle over with the collected juices and finish with a little more ripped basil.

Weekend Herb Blogging #164 Hosting

Weekend Herb Blogging is back after taking a well deserved one-week break. I hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas and are ready to take on 2009.


To participate:
Post about any herb, plant, fruit, vegetable or flower - I encourage participants to read the rules to ensure that your post does qualify.

Entries must be received by:

• 3pm Sunday - Utah Time
• 10pm Sunday - London Time
• 9am Monday - Melbourne (Aus) Time

Send your email to hellohaalo AT gmail DOT com
with the following details:

• Your Name
• Your Blog Name/URL
• Your Post URL
• Your Location
• Attach a photo: 250px wide
  

Jasper Coffee Christmas Blend

Every year Jasper Coffee produces a special blend for Christmas - this year it is called Santa's Golden Bean.


A rather delicious blend of Peaberries and Fancy Arabica that produces a rich and sweet coffee, free from any bitter aftertaste. It is interesting to note that the coffee is made using Australian grown beans from  Skybury Estate in Queensland.

Since this is only available for a limited time, you'll need to hurry if you'd like to try some. 

It just wouldn't be Christmas

without my mother's ravioli.

You can find out how we make them here.

Christmas Eve Degustation

Our Christmas Eve dinner was a bit different this year - due to the presence of a couple of these black beauties


This year we managed to score two Périgord truffles for Christmas and so decided to feature them in a degustation dinner.


Truffled Parsnip Soup with Shaved Truffle - similar to this soup but have omitted the leek and decreased the quantity of potato. A few truffle slices were also added to the soup while it was cooking.


Hapuka and Hiramasa Kingfish "Usuzukuri" - based on a dish by Tetsuya Wakuda. Slivers of Hapuka and Kingfish are drizzled with a dressing of soy, mirin, pickled ginger and lemon juice. It's then topped with a mix of micro herbs and greens and Yarra Valley Salmon Roe.



Caramelised Onion and Truffle Tart - based on a recipe by Serge Dansereau. The tart is comprised of a simple puff pastry base and is topped with warmed caramelised onions that have been adjusted with a little sour cream. It's crowned with slivers of black truffle.


Stuffed Zucchini in Tempura Batter - simply stuffed with a mix of ricotta, persian fetta, parmesan and chives. Finished off with a drizzle of 30 yo Balsamic.



Chive Butter Tiger Prawns - similar to this recipe



Mixed Mushrooms and Truffle "al Cartoccio" - based on this recipe. In this version, I've used king pine, oyster and shimeji mushrooms along with truffle slices.

I didn't take any photos of the main course but we did enjoy a simple trio - Roast Beef with Truffle Mustard, Cauliflower in Truffled Béchamel Sauce and a mixed tomato salad.

Dessert was a rather gorgeous Trifle made by my sister that I also forgot to take a photo of. I'll just blame that on the champagne and hope she'll make another!

Cherry Butter Cake

I think I've had this particular cake tin for about three years and in all that time I've never used it. Every Christmas I would promise myself to use it but alas, I would find an excuse not to. My major fear was having the cake stick and break in that highly decorative mould.

This year it was about time that I kept my promise and I'm very happy that I did! The original recipe is from Home Beautiful and uses frozen raspberries, though I've used cherries (and increased the quantity) - you could easily replace them for your favourite fruit.


Cherry Butter Cake

½ teaspoon bicarb of soda
1 cup cold water
600 grams plain flour
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
250 grams butter, cut into cubes, softened
300 grams caster sugar
4 eggs
400 grams frozen cherries
icing sugar, for dusting


Place the bicarb and water into a jug - stir until dissolved and set to one side.

Sift the flour with the cream of tartar into a bowl and set to one side.

Place the butter and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until light and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, ensuring they are well incorporated before adding the next.

Using a metal spoon, alternately add the flour and water mixture to the batter, gently stirring until combined.

If using frozen berries, rinse them briefly under water to remove any ice crystals and then add them to the batter. Fold them gently through the batter.

Although the mould I used is non-stick, I did still butter and flour it.

Spoon the mixture into the mould - after filling, I banged the mould on the bench to make sure there were no air bubbles.

Place the tin on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated 170°C/320°F oven for about 1 to 1¼ hours or until golden and cooked through. If you find the top is browning too quickly, cover with foil and lower the oven temperature.

Let the cake stand in the tin for 15 minutes before turning out.



When cool, sprinkle over with a light dusting of icing sugar.



Can I cut you a tree?

Holiday Herb Blogging - Recap

It's appropriate that for an event that celebrates the holiday season, we have entries to suit just about every course.


Starters:

Roasted Tomato, Basil and Goat Cheese Holiday Spread


Weekend Herb Blogging's CEO Kalyn from Kalyn's Kitchen provides us with a great way to start our Holiday gatherings. It may well be winter but Kalyn's clever planning has insured she can still enjoy the taste of summer. Not only is this spread made from roasted tomatoes, basil and goat cheese, it even has Christmas colours!


Mains:

Mediterranean Angus Beef Steak


From Manilla, Ning from Heart and Hearth finds inspiration from the Mediterranean. To complement special Angus Beef Steaks, Ning creates a tangy topping of olives, capers, garlic and onion.


Biriyani


In India, Sra from When My Soup Came Alive offers up a curry leaf infused Biriyani. In this dish, you'll find Chicken, cinnamon and coriander as well as coconut milk - a perfect dish for sharing.


Potato Mussakà

Tatiana from Florence offers up a quick dish of Potato Mussakà for which you could easily adapt to use that Christmas Turkey or Chicken.


Brined Quail with Agresto Sauce


My own offering for those that are cooking for the few rather than the masses. Quails are soaked in a herb infused brine for a few hours and then roasted until golden. To finish they are tossed through Agresto Sauce, a pesto-like sauce that dates from the middle ages.


Salads:

Psares (Ψαρές)


In Crete we find Maria from Organically Cooked and she shares with us a local ingredient called Psares. A member of the pea family, Psares is traditionally eaten during the 40 day fasting period before Christmas. Check out Maria's post to find out more.


Vegetables:

Gailan (Chinie Broccoli) in Oyster Sauce, Two Ways


TS and JS from [eating club] vancouver serve up, not one but two ways to enjoy Gailan (Chinese Broccoli). The one you see here uses a sasagaki cutting method and unbelievable only 3 ingredients. For the second way, you'll have to read their post!


Cauliflower au Gratin


Moving over to Toronto, Elizabeth from Blog from Our Kitchen discovers that you can actually improve cauliflower au gratin - there are two special ingredients one of which is the Bay Laurel, the other, well, I don't want to spoil the surprise.


Dessert:

Apricot Summer Soup


Anna from Morsels and Musings in Sydney creates an intriguing Apricot Summer soup - made from a mix of semi-dried apricots and amardine. As it is rich, Anna recommends serving it in small portions - it makes an ideal pre-dessert.


Low-Fat Cranberry Creme Brulee


Yasmeen from Health Nut proves you can have your brulee and eat it too with this delectable low fat version of a sinful delight. I think we can now justify having two!


Kumquat and Rice Cake


Marija from Palachinka offers up a creamy flan for our festive table. Milk is infused with clementine peel, cloves and cinnamon and this flavoured milk is used to cook the rice. Diced clementines are added to the rice mix which is then topped with sliced kumquats and baked. I can just imagine how wonderful this must taste and how wonderful your house must smell while it's baking.

Beverages:

Glögg or Glüwien



The lovely Brii from Briiblog from the equally lovely Lake Garda in Italy provides us with a classic holiday beverage - Glögg or Glüwien. If it's cold and miserable where you are, then this will surely warm you up. Brii shares with us three delightful versions - White and Red Glögg and Glüwien and even gives us some gift ideas.


Liquore Centerbe


Cinzia from Cindystar is also from Lake Garda offers one of my favourite digestives - Liquore Centerbe (which translates to Liqueur of a hundred herbs). This home made liqueur does take some time to make, so start in summer and by Christmas it will be ready. Cinzia uses a mix of herbs that include basil, laurel, mint, camomile and liquorice root just to name a few.


Sweet Treats:

Chocolate Covered Pomegranate Seeds


I think we can all heartily agree with Cheryl from Gluten Free Goodness that everything tastes better covered in chocolate! Even though Cheryl hasn't been feeling the best she still manages to whip up some treats for our holiday feast.


Thank you to all who took part, we have a truly scrumptious table in which to feast.

Thank you to the hosts that generously give of their time and thank you to everyone that has taken part throughout the year. For seeking out those different ingredients or finding new ways to cook old favourites, thank you for your continued inspiration. Thanks must also go to Kalyn for creating this wonderful event.

Weekend Herb Blogging has a one week break and resumes December 29th - there has been a change of hosts due to illness, so I will fill in for Maybelle's Mom, please keep her in your thoughts for a speedy recovery - you can find out the hosting details here.

Brined Quail with Agresto Sauce

For this week only, Weekend Herb Blogging became Holiday Herb Blogging where we were asked for Holiday friendly recipes and I've turned to two classic herbs to fulfill this requirement.


Parsley and Basil which are the main ingredients for an Italian medieval sauce called Agresto.

Agresto sauce resembles a pesto - it is made from a mix of nuts and herbs that are bound with verjuice and olive oil. Verjuice is the name given to the unfermented pressings of unripe grapes. Highly popular in the Middle ages it fell out of favour but in recent times it has been revived. While there is a tart element to it, it isn't as acidic as vinegar. On the nose, it has a lovely fresh fruit aroma.

When it comes to Christmas, I'm always on the lookout for something different to do for a main course. Since there's only 3 of us for dinner, I want to avoid cooking anything too large - turkey is fairly impractical while chicken is a little too everyday.

This year I've turned to quail and in particular to this rather interesting recipe found in Shared Plates by Jared Ingersoll for a brined quail. Now if quail isn't your cup of tea, you can easily adapt the recipe for chicken or spatchcock, you'll just have to increase the brining time.

After brining, the quail are roasted and then tossed in the Agresto sauce - the sauce slackens somewhat with the warmth of the quail, bringing out those wonderful aromas of basil and bathing it in "finger-licking" goodness.


Brined Quail with Agresto Sauce

7 cups water
fresh thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
140 grams salt
125 grams caster sugar
6 quail

Agresto Sauce:
125 grams almonds
125 grams walnuts
1 garlic clove
1 bunch Italian parsley, leaves picked
½ bunch Basil, leaves picked
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
⅓ cup verjuice
salt and pepper
Make the Agresto Sauce:

This sauce is enough for 1 chicken, 4 spatchcocks or 12 quail.

Finely chop the parsley and basil - you can do this by hand or with a food processor.

Place the almonds, walnuts and garlic into a process and pulse until finely chopped. Tip out into a bowl and add the chopped herbs along with the oil and verjuice. Stir to combine, taste and then adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. The end product should be a thick paste.

Store under a thin layer of olive oil in the fridge if not using immediately.

Make the brine:

Place the water into a pot and bring to the boil. Once boiling, add the thyme, bay leaf, salt and sugar - stir until the salt and sugar has dissolved.

As soon as they have been absorbed, remove from the heat and allow to cool completely. It's important that the brine is fridge cold before you use it.

Brine the Quail:


Wash the quail well and make sure the cavities are empty. Place the quail in a tight fitting container and pour over with the cold brine. It's important that they are completely covered with brine. You might need to place a weight on them to ensure they stay covered.

Place them in the fridge for 3 - 4 hours - don't be tempted to leave them any longer.

Cook the quail:

Preheat the oven to 230°C/450°F.

Drain the quail from the brine and then wash them well in cold water. Pat dry with paper towels and then rub over with olive oil.

Place them on a baking tray and cook for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove them the oven and rest them upside down for 10 minutes.


To serve:

Either toss the whole quail in the Agresto Sauce or as I've done here, cut each quail into four and toss the portions in the sauce.

While the brining gave the quail much more flavour the Agresto sauce really put it into the special category. The sweetness from the Verjuice is heightened, and combined with the nuts and herbs, it certainly had us wanting more.



Weekend Herb Blogging is now housed from this site and for further information on this event, please check out the following posts:

General Information
The Rules
Who's Hosting
Year Four Archives

Cherry Coconut Slice

I was looking for something festive but quick to make for afternoon tea. My solution came in the form of a berry and coconut slice found in Issue 8 of Everyday Food. I didn't have any berries but I certainly had cherries and cherries in anything is always good!



Cherry Coconut Slice

125 grams softened butter
165 grams soft brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
300 grams self-raising flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
¾ cup sour cream
2 tablespoons milk
400 grams cherries (or mixed berries)
shredded coconut

Line an 18x28cm pan with baking paper to allow for easy removal.

Place the butter, sugar and vanilla in a bowl of an electric mixer and beat until thick and creamy.

Add the eggs, one at a time - make sure the egg is well combined before adding the next.

Sift the flour and cinnamon together into a bowl. Add a third of the flour mixture to the batter along with half of the sour cream - fold through until combined and then add another third of the flour mixture and the rest of the sour cream and all the milk. Continue folding until amalgamated and then finally add the rest of the flour. Stir until mixed through and then add the cherries - fold these gently through the batter.

Pour this out into the prepared tin - spread it out evenly and lightly smooth out the top. Sprinkle over with the shredded coconut.

Bake in a preheated 180°C/350°F oven until golden brown and cooked through - about 45 minutes. If you feel the slice is browning too quickly, lower the temperature and cover the slice with foil.

Cool in the tin for 5 minutes before placing it onto a wire rack to cool.


This has the most wonderful aroma when it's baking and a gorgeous soft texture.



Cut into generous sized cubes and savour with a good cup of coffee.

Hibiscus Tea

These are dried Hibiscus calyces but depending on where you are, you might also know them as Sorrel, Jamaica, Roselle or Karkady. It's probably more common to find hibiscus used in fruit blends but it is worthwhile trying to find these whole flowers.

Hibiscus is high in Vitamin C, calcium, iron, niacin and riboflavin. It's even more beneficial property comes from the presence of Anthocyanin, a powerful antioxidant. Studies have shown that Hibiscus tea can help decrease the levels of bad cholesterol and decrease blood pressure.

To brew, the general rule is to use one calyces per person. You can also let it steep in either hot or cold water.


The resulting infusion is this gorgeous vivid red - it's slightly tart so I recommend adding a little sugar especially if you're making an iced tea.

Holiday Herb Blogging - Hosting

Many thanks to Chriesi from Almond Corner for being our host - head on over to check out the recap for another smorgasbord of great delights.


For this week only, Weekend Herb Blogging becomes Holiday Herb Blogging - the rules remain the same but you are asked to provide a holiday friendly dish.

If you are like me, I'm sure you'll appreciate some new cooking ideas for the holiday season and the one thing you can always be sure of, is that there is always something fascinating in our weekly WHB roundups.

To participate:

Post about your Holiday friendly dish and include the phrase Holiday Herb Blogging and a link to this announcement post and then send your email to hellohaalo AT gmail DOT com
with the following details:

• Your Name
• Your Blog Name/URL
• Your Post URL
• Your Location
• Attach a photo: 250px wide
  

Emails must be received by:

• 3pm Sunday - Utah Time
• 10pm Sunday - London Time
• 9am Monday - Melbourne (Aus) Time

Eggplant and Peperonata Stacks

Chriesi from Almond Corner is the host for Weekend Herb Blogging and this week I've found some lovely Eggplant


Eggplants are a member of the nightshade family which include relatives such as tomato and capsicums (bell peppers).

They have high levels of fibre and contain Vitamins B6 and C as well as Calcium, Copper Iron, Magnesium, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Phosphorus, Potassium, Riboflavin, Thiamin and Zinc.

For todays dish I've decided to combine eggplant with a few of its relatives -


A rather lovely and colourful selection of Capsicums (or Bell Peppers) that will be turned into Pepperonata.

The dish is inspired by one we enjoyed in Venice - grilled discs of eggplant topped with bocconcini, peperonata and a sliver of anchovy.



Eggplant and Peperonata Stacks

eggplant, sliced thickly
peperonata
bocconcini (baby mozzarella balls)
anchovies
The beauty of this dish is that the components and the dish assembly can be made well ahead of time When it comes to serving, it's simply popped into the oven until warmed through and the cheese has melted.

Prepare the eggplant:

Top and tail the eggplant and then cut into thick slices. Lay the slices out and grind a little sea salt over them.

Take a large skillet, drizzle in a little oil and a small knob of butter and place over a medium heat. When the butter has melted add the eggplant slices, salted side down. Cook gently until browned, salt lightly and turn over to brown.

It's important that you cook these slices completely as you won't be cooking them as such later, but merely re-heating. If they aren't cooked through, you'll find the eggplant has a bitter taste to it.

Once the slices have cooked, rest them on paper towels to draw away any excess oil.

Make the peperonata:


You can find the instructions to make Peperonata in an earlier post. I always make large batches because it can be stored in the fridge for upto a week and is a great flavour boost.

Anchovies:


I wasn't able to find any of my regular brand so I've taken the opportunity to try these Spanish Anchovies.


Good sized fillets, firm without being too hard they are a mid-strength anchovy. It's unfortunate that so many people will skip the anchovy but good anchovies, such as these, add so much to a dish. They offer this lovely savoury character spike that seems to enrich the other ingredients served with it.

Assemble the dish:

Place the eggplant slices onto a baking paper lined oven tray.

Top each slice with ripped pieces of Bocconcini, followed by a good spoonful of peperonata. Finish off with a piece of anchovy.


Place these in a preheated 160°C/320°F and bake until heated through.



Serve it as part of an antipasto or as a side dish - or just enjoy it alone as a light meal.


Weekend Herb Blogging is now housed from this site and for further information on this event, please check out the following posts:

General Information
The Rules
Who's Hosting
Year Four Archives

Don't forget next week is a special "Holiday Herb Blogging" edition!

Early Delivery

Santa certainly came early and bearing a rather hefty gift.


Coming it at over 11 pounds/5 kilos - this isn't your average cookbook. If the feather doesn't clue you in then maybe


the distinctive silhouette will.


It is The Big Fat Duck Cook Book by Heston Blumenthal.


I don't even know if cookbook is really the right word to describe it. It's not something that I'll be lugging into the kitchen and it's certainly not something you can snuggle in bed with.



There's a lot to digest and while not entirely practical, it will be highly informative and fascinating.

Chocolate and Pistachio Cookies

There's no way that this cookie recipe from Janelle Bloom can miss - I mean it has chocolate and pistachio...together...in the one buttery cookie.



Chocolate and Pistachio Cookies

250 grams butter, cut into cubes
150 grams brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 egg, beaten
340 grams plain flour
30 grams cocoa powder
100 grams pistachio kernels, finely chopped

Put the butter and sugar into a small saucepan and place over a low heat. Stir until the butter melts and keep stirring until the mixture is smooth. Take off the heat and add in the vanilla essence. Stir to combine and then allow to cool for about 10 minutes.

Sift the flour with the cocoa powder and place into a bowl. Pour in the egg, pistachios and cooled butter mixture and stir until well combined.

Divide the dough into two and form into balls. Wrap each in plastic and place in the fridge to set.

Word of warning - this dough is very soft so you will probably need to roll it between sheets of baking paper and you'll need to work quickly.

Use your favourite cutter to stamp out your cookies. Re-roll the scraps and repeat until all the dough is used. If the dough becomes too soft, just pop it back in the fridge to set again.

Bake the cookies in a preheated 170°C/320°F oven for about 8 minute or until cooked. Do keep a close eye on these as it is a bit tricky to judge when they are ready due to the fact that they are chocolate coloured.

Let them stand 5 minutes on the tray before moving to a wire rack to cool.


I wasn't satisfied just making these trees - I decide to bring out all my assorted tree cutters and whip up a veritable cookie forest!

Weekend Herb Blogging #162 Hosting

Many thanks to Ivy for hosting WHB #161 - there's lots of great dishes to be found in the recap so head on over and enjoy the feast - be sure to send Ivy some well wishes too since she's been sick with the flu.

This week Chriesi from Almond Corner is our host.

To participate:

Post about any herb, plant, fruit, vegetable or flower - I encourage participants to read the rules to ensure that your post does qualify. Please include a link to your host and to this hosting announcement post.

Send an email to friedblogs AT gmail DOT com with WHB#162 in the subject line and the following details:

• Your Name
• Your Blog Name/URL
• Your Post URL
• Your Location
• Attach a photo: 300px x 200px
  

Emails must be received by:

• 3pm Sunday - Utah Time
• 9pm Sunday - London Time
• 8am Monday - Melbourne (Aus) Time

You can also check out who's hosting for the rest of the year at this post and find information about hosting WHB.

I'll also like to note that WHB #163 will be the last before Christmas and has a special theme of "Holiday Herb Blogging" - the rules will remain the same but we'll have one extra criteria in that the recipes should be holiday friendly.

Vine Roma Tomatoes slow roasted with Sherry

Ivy from Kopiaste is our host for this edition of Weekend Herb Blogging and this week I'm indulging in the taste of fresh vine tomatoes


These are Roma tomatoes from the Yarra Valley. Roma tomatoes have that plum shape and are prized in the Italian kitchen and certainly indispensable in my mother's kitchen. It's the combination of thin skin, plumb flesh and sweetness that brings a unique richness to all dishes in which they are used.

On my trails I also spotted a rather attractive larger sized cherry tomato that I couldn't resist.


These are Amorosa Tomatoes - a brand new variety for me, they originate from the Netherlands. They are also known for their sweetness in fact, they are about twice as sweet as Roma Tomatoes.

With such glorious looking tomatoes it would be a shame to remove them from the vine and cut them up and the other option of just admiring them, really would just defeat the purpose of buying them.

My solution came in a recent issue of Dish and a recipe by Claire Aldous - a Spanish dish of slow roasted vine tomatoes with Sherry. Be warned, this is a very slow dish and takes at least 3 hours to cook at a very low temperature.

The sherry used is Pedro Ximénez or PX as it seems to be called here these days. It's a rich and luscious dark sherry that tastes like raisins and while sweet, isn't cloying due to the influence of wood during its aging process.

I have made this recipe two ways - while I skinned the Roma tomatoes, I skipped that step when it came to doing the Amorosa tomatoes. It was nerve racking trying to remove the skin from the Roma without accidentally removing the calyx and I think it would have been even harder on the Amorosa. You'll find that as they cook, the skin will spilt anyway, presentation wise they probably aren't as pretty but I think they still look pretty special.



Vine Roma Tomatoes slow-roasted with Sherry

Vine Roma Tomatoes with calyx and stem attached (or any Vine Tomato)
olive oil
caster sugar
freshly ground sea salt
Pedro Ximénez

Prepare the Tomatoes:
Cut an X in the bottom of each tomato.

Bring a small pot of water to the boil and add one tomato. I recommend you only do one at a time as this is fiddly work. Let it sit for 5-10 seconds or until you can see the skin starting to pull away from the flesh. Remove the tomato immediately from the water.

Carefully ease the skin from the flesh - be extra careful around the calyx. Once all the skin has been removed, proceed with the next tomato.

Once all have been skinned, you can move onto the next step.

Cook the Tomatoes:

Place a sheet of baking paper on an oven tray and drizzle with a little olive oil. Sit the tomatoes on the paper and drizzle with a little more olive oil, followed by a grinding of sea salt and a sprinkle of caster sugar.

Bake in a 120°C/230°F oven for one hour.

Remove from the oven and spoon a little Pedro Ximénez over each tomato. Return to the oven and cook for another hour.

Remove from the oven and drizzle with a little more Pedro Ximénez. Return and cook for another 30 minutes and then start basting the tomatoes with the juices that have formed on your baking tray. Continue basting ever 15 minutes for another hour.

The end result is a tomato that has intensified in colour and taste but not collapsed - there should still be structural form.

Let them sit on the tray to cool slightly before moving them. Serve them at room temperature with the cooking juices drizzled over.



When repeating this recipe with the Amorosa tomatoes I cooked them as unit rather than individually.

After rinsing them in warm water, I placed them on a baking tray, drizzled over olive oil and sea salt but omitted the caster sugar and proceeded to bake them as stated above.


The photo above shows clearly how the skin will split as it cooks - apart from the aesthetic there's no impact on the taste.



I would serve these in bunches and people can snap off a tomato - the stem becomes quite crisp and dry during the cooking so they are easy to remove from the main stem.




Weekend Herb Blogging is now housed from this site and for further information on this event, please check out the following posts:

General Information
The Rules
Who's Hosting
Year Four Archives

Berry Eggnog Cake

What attracted me immediately to this cake was one word - Eggnog. The attraction proved strong enough to sway me from my aversion to anything branded "Better Homes and Garden".

The original recipe, found in the Christmas edition of Better Homes and Garden Magazine, uses Cranberry but as Paalo is allergic to them I've replaced them with a mix of berries so if you feel the urge to try the cake, try making it with Cranberries.



Berry Eggnog Cake

300 grams frozen berries
½ cup berry jam
¼ cup bourbon (I used Jim Beam)
125 grams melted butter
¾ cup custard (you can use pre-made)
3 eggs
140 grams caster sugar
300 grams self-raising flour
1 teaspoon nutmeg

Grease and line the base of a 20cm springform cake tin and preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F.

Prepare the berries:
Place the jam and bourbon into a bowl and stir until the jam has dissolved. Add in the berries and stir to combine. Set to one side.

Make the batter:
Sift the flour and nutmeg together into a bowl and set aside.

Place the cooled, melted butter into a bowl along with the custard and stir to mix well.

Put the eggs and sugar into a large bowl of a stand mixer and beat until thick and creamy.

Add half the flour mixture and custard mixture to the eggs and stir it through using a large metal spoon. Add in the rest of the flour/custard mixtures and stir until combined.

Pour the berry mix over the base of your prepared cake tin - spread it evenly to cover the base.


Carefully top with the batter - spread it out well to cover the berries and then smooth the top using a palette knife.

Bake for 1 - 1¼ hours or until cooked through. If you feel it is browning too quickly, lower the temperature and cover with foil.

Let the cake stand in the pan for 5 minutes before un-moulding.


Let it cool completely before serving.



The question now is - Does it taste like eggnog?

Well, yes and no. The nutmeg comes through beautifully and the cake is dense but not too heavy and does have a bit of that eggy, creamy, eggnog like taste. The bourbon, for me was a little too strong, perhaps using another brand or using a little less might provide a better taste. It could also be an effect of not using cranberries.

Chocolate Pecan Cookies

The countdown to Christmas is on and during this time of year with all its associated baking, butter and flour are in scarce supply and I certainly intend to indulge in the baking of many sweet treats.

I thought I'd kick December off with these cinnamon spiced Chocolate Pecan Cookies, the recipe to which I spotted in a Family Circle Christmas 2007 magazine.

Just the smell of cinnamon puts me in a Christmas mood and these carry that lovely aroma from baking to eating. There's an added complexity to their texture with the addition of rolled oats and flaked coconut to the dough.


Chocolate Pecan Cookies

185 grams softened butter
150 grams brown sugar
160 grams caster sugar
2 eggs
1½ teaspoon vanilla
230 grams plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
150 grams rolled oats
120 grams pecans, roughly chopped
200 grams dark chocolate chips
50 grams flaked coconut

Place the butter, brown sugar and caster sugar into the bowl of a mixer and beat until pale and creamy.

Break the eggs into a small bowl, add the vanilla extract and lightly whisk to amalgamate and then add it slowly to the creamed mixture.

Sift the plain flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon and bicarbonate of soda together into a clean bowl.

On a slow speed, add the flour, a quarter at a time until just absorbed.

Finally, add in the rolled oats, chocolate bits, flaked coconut and pecans. Mix at the slowest speed until just combined.

The dough is quite soft and there are two ways in which you can form the cookies. The ones in the first photo have been made by using a small ice-cream scoop to form balls - they are then baked at 160°C/320°F until golden. The end result gives you a soft and chewy cookie.


For the ones pictured above, I've taken the dough and placed it on baking paper and then rolled it to form a fat sausage. It's then placed in the fridge until it has hardened.

To make the cookies, simply slice the dough sausage and bake until golden. These cookies are more crisp.


Whichever way you make them, they are an idea cookie for sharing and just perfect for gift giving. They do keep quite well, but only if you can resist the temptation of eating them all at once!

The skies are smiling

When I arrived home tonight I was quite taken by the appearance in the sky and upon reading this story I knew something special was happening. So out I went again, camera in hand to take a few snaps



It is a smile - made from the crescent moon and eyes which are venus and jupiter. The photo hasn't been touched up or altered in any way - here's another I took with some passing clouds



If you are in Africa or Europe you will miss out on seeing this and Americans won't see a smile but an unhappy face.

Weekend Herb Blogging #161 Hosting

Ivy from Kopiaste is our host this week.

To participate:

Post about any herb, plant, fruit, vegetable or flower - I encourage participants to read the rules to ensure that your post does qualify. Please include a link to your host and to this announcement post.

Send an email to ivyliac AT gmail DOT com with WHB#161 in the subject line and the following details:

• Your Name
• Your Blog Name/URL
• Your Post URL
• Your Location
• Attach a photo: 300px wide
  

Emails must be received by:

• 3pm Sunday - Utah Time
• 9pm Sunday - London Time
• 8am Monday - Melbourne (Aus) Time

You can also check out who's hosting for the rest of the year at this post and find information about hosting WHB.