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Apr 29, 2009

Crispy Skinned Duck Breast with a Tangy Asian Sauce

We love duck in my family and this is just another quick recipe to make with duck. I served ours over stir-fried vegetables with noddles, it would also be good over rice as well. I have listed it below just for 2 as that is what I served it for, but the sauce amount would probably stretch to 3 or 4 depending on what it was served with and how much sauce you prefer.

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Ingredients

2 Duck Breasts
100ml Hoisin sauce
100ml Water
1/4 Teaspoon five spice
2 Star anise
2 Tablespoon honey
2 Tablespoons ketjap manis (sweet soy sauce)
1/2 Teaspoon chili flakes
11/2 Tablespoons chinese rice wine (I use Shao Xing)
1 Tablespoon sweet chili sauce

Method


1. Cook duck breast skin side down in a pan to render fat and crisp up skin, drain carefully from time to time. Cook about 8-10 Min's.

2. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius, place duck, breast side down, on wire rack in a baking dish. Cook for about 20-25 Min's further in oven depending on size of breasts. (This will give you a pink center.)

Note: I turn the grill on for the last few Min's of cooking to really crisp up the skin.

3. While duck is cooking make sauce. Blend all sauce ingredients in a pan and heat until hot.

Serve duck over vegetables and noodles as I did or with rice, drizzle with sauce.

All photos taken by me unless otherwise stated.

Apr 28, 2009

Thai Duck Red Curry

This is a great curry recipe and one that I will be making again for sure. I have never used duck in a curry before and this was a wonderful way to prepare it. I did ours with whole duck breasts, which I cooked skin side down first to render the fat and then finished them off breast side down in the sauce and they were cooked perfectly. I sliced the breasts and served over rice topped with the wonderful curry sauce. I am the first person to review this recipe and I have not made any changes to the original recipe but to view this recipe please click here.

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Ingredients

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
70g Red curry paste
400ml Coconut cream
180ml Water
70g Pineapple, diced (I used half of a medium pineapple)
5 Grapes (preferably black, and large if possible)(I added extra)
2 cherry tomatoes, cut in half (I added a few more)
2 kaffir lime leaves
250g roasted duck breasts, sliced (I cooked 1 whole breast each)
1/2 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 chili, sliced
5g fresh basil

Method

1. Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in sauce pan, and add red curry paste.

2. Stir fry until an aroma develops, and then lower the heat.

3. Add coconut cream and 180 ml of water.

4. Bring to the boil.

5. Add pineapple, grapes, cherry tomatoes, kaffir lime leaves, and sliced duck breast.

6. Add fish sauce and sugar.

7. Simmer until cooked through.

8. Garnish with chilli and fresh basil.

Serve over basmati rice.

All photos taken by me unless otherwise stated.

Apr 24, 2009

Salmon Burgers/Patties With a Herb Sauce

I made these the other night as I had some salmon to use up and served them over salad it made for a delicious meal. I also made a sour cream herb sauce to accompany them using up some fresh herbs on my fridge. I cooked these on the stove top in a pan but they would also work on the BBQ just as well. You could also serve them in burger buns with some lettuce tomato and avocado.

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Ingredients

800g Fresh salmon
1/2 Cup celery, chopped finely
2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped finely
1 Tablespoon fresh dill, chopped finely
1 Teaspoon paprika
1 Teaspoon garlic powder
1 Tablespoon liquid garlic seasoning
Good pinch cayenne pepper
3 Green onions, chopped finely
3 Tablespoons mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
1/2 Cup corn kernels
1 Large egg
1/2-3/4 Cup breadcrumbs

Herb Sauce

100ml Sour Cream
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 Tablespoon fresh dill, finely chopped
1 Tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 Teaspoon dried tarragon
1/2 Teaspoon garlic powder
1 Teaspoon mint sauce
Pepper to taste

Method

1. Boil some salted water in a large pan, add salmon add cook until salmon flakes easily, drain water.

2. Remove skin from salmon and break up into chunks into a large mixing bowl.

3. Add all other ingredients except sauce ingredients, mix well shape into patties, 8 large and about 15-20 if you want to serve these as finger foods, refrigerate until needed.

4. Mix all sauce ingredients and again place in the fridge until ready to use.

5. Heat some oil in a large fry pan, cook patties either side until nicely browned.

To Serve: Either serve over salad as I did or serve in burger buns.

All photos taken by me unless otherwise stated.

Apr 22, 2009

Chicken Avocado and Mushroom Stuffed Vol-au-Vents

This is so simple to make and very yummy, I usually serve this in the really large vol-au-vent shells, but I could not get any, so I had to serve in medium ones. These are not ideal as you can not get much filling into them, I ended up pouring some of the filling over after taking a photo, so we were not eating just pastry cases with no filling, which is ok but does not look the most appealing. I usually buy the 12.5cm cases just so you can get an idea of the size compared to the ones in the photo.

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Ingredients

4 x 12.5 cm Vol-auVent cases (read note above with regards to the ones used in the photo.)
Olive oil
700g Chicken breasts, cut into chunks
3 Cloves garlic, crushed
300g Mushrooms, sliced thinly
1 leek, sliced thinly
1 Packets cream of chicken soup (The one I buy makes up 1 liter)
2 Cups milk
1 cup chicken stock or vegetable stock
1 Teaspoon dried tarragon
1 Avocado, chopped

Method

1. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

2. Heat oil in a pan cook chicken in batches until browned, remove and set to one side.

3. Heat a little more oil in the same pan, add leeks, garlic and mushrooms, cook until leeks and mushrooms have softened, return chicken to pan and removed from heat.

4. In a saucepan whisk soup powder with milk and stock, bring to the boil to thicken, stir in tarragon. (my packet mix requires one more cup of liquid than I use, so that I end up with a thicker version than a soup, to use as the sauce, so bear this in mind.)

5. Pour soup mix into pan with chicken and mushroom mix, stir to combine, gently stir in avocado.

6. Place spoonfuls of chicken mix into pastry cases, bake in oven for about 5-8 Min's until hot.

I served our with honeyed carrots and buttered spinach.

All photos taken by me unless otherwise stated.

Apr 20, 2009

Salmon Steak With Strawberry Sauce

I really will get round to posting some more of my own recipes soon, it has been so hectic here lately with the Easter and the holidays and I have just not come up for air to go through my growing number of photos for my dishes. I made this one a few weeks ago and it was really delicious I served it over salad with an avocado and I really enjoyed it. It was not one of my group members recipes but just a tag of someone's who was playing the game. This was his original recipe and I thought it was quite inventive and worked really well together, I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. I did make this with a salmon fillet rather than a salmon steak but that is just my personal preference. I also added a pinch of sugar to the sauce as I find that always takes the edge off of the tomatoes and herbs. To view more photos of this recipe or to read more reviews please click here.

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Ingredients

2 Salmon steaks (I used fillets)
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 Garlic cloves
1 Cup fresh strawberries
1/4 Cup crushed tomatoes
4 Teaspoons malt vinegar
4 Teaspoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/4 Teaspoon oregano
1/2 Teaspoon basil
1 Teaspoon chili flakes
Pinch sugar
1/4 Teaspoon ground black pepper
4 Sprigs parsley, chopped

Method

1. Crush strawberries in a mortar & pestle. Don't go overboard because the sauce looks nicer with a thick texture.

2. Mix all ingredients except salmon, oil and garlic well in a bowl and place in refrigerator (can be done ahead of time).

3. Cook Salmon on a BBQ or grill. I used a medium BBQ plate for around seven minutes a side.

4. Place garlic and olive oil in a saucepan and place over medium heat.

5. Lightly saute garlic for five minutes, add the sauce mix to saucepan.

6. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Don't let the sauce boil hard, just simmer.

Once the fish is cooked plate up and pour over the sauce. I served ours over a salad with avocado garnished with extra strawberries.

All photos taken by me unless otherwise stated.

Apr 16, 2009

Carrot Cake

I have been doing lots of cooking lately, what with Easter and the holiday's. I have made several more of my own recipes but as I have had family in town I have not had the time to go through all the photos yet to post them. I will hopefully get around to doing this over the weekend and be able to post them next week. until them I give you another recipe made from one of my team mates for the swap I am in this month. This is an absolutely fabulous carrot cake recipe it is truly one of the most moist carrot cakes I have made. My whole family just kept raving about it from the flavour to how moist it was, to asking for the recipe and also please make it again soon. If you would like to read more reviews on this recipe please click here.

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Ingredients

2 Cups flour
2 Teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 Teaspoons baking soda
1 Teaspoon cinnamon
1 Teaspoon salt
2 Cups sugar (I added less just personal preference)
3/4 Cup vegetable oil
3/4 Cup applesauce
4 Eggs
2 Cups carrots, grated
1 (8 ounce) Can crushed pineapple (I drained mine)
1 Cup walnuts, chopped

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Combine dry ingredients.

3. Add other ingredients.

4. Put in 9 x 13 cake pan or a little larger. (The cake pan will be very full.) Bake 30-40 minutes.

5. Frost with cream cheese frosting.

All photos taken by me unless otherwise stated.

Bobby Flay's Shrimp With Barbecue Spices

This is one of the best seasoning mixes I have tried for Prawns/Shrimp all my family loved this one and can not wait to make it again, but next time I will try cooking them on the BBQ. I served ours as a main over a salad which was delicious but as the chef who's recipe I made said it is great as an appetizer or a main course. To read more reviews on this recipe please click here.

If you have been keeping up with the progress of my beautiful handcrafted, Eco friendly camphor laurel chopping, cheese boards and Mezzaluna Boards. My official site is finally finished and live so to see my full collection please click here.

Ingredients

1 1/2 tablespoons sweet smoked paprika
1 tablespoon dried ancho chile powder
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
8 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
2 lbs large shrimp, deveined but not shelled
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 scallions, thinly sliced

Method

1. In a large bowl, mix the paprika with the ancho chile powder, brown sugar, cumin, salt, pepper and garlic.

2. Add the shrimp and toss to coat in the spices.

3. Heat 1/4 cup of the oil in 2 large skillets until shimmering.

4. Add the shrimp to the skillets and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until curled and white throughout, about 4 minutes.

5. Add half of the butter and scallions to each skillet and swirl them inches Transfer the shrimp to a platter and serve.

All photos taken by me unless otherwise stated.

Apr 8, 2009

Asian-Spiced Pork Rissoles

This is another of my team mates recipes for this month, my hubby and I loved this one. The flavour of these rissoles were excellent even without the sweet chili sauce and they turned out so moist. I served ours over coconut rice with green onion for a delicious meal. I was the first person to review this recipe and I did not make any changes to the way it was posted but if you would like to view the original recipe please click here.

If you have been keeping up with the progress of my beautiful handcrafted, Eco friendly, camphor laurel chopping, cheese, platter boards and mezzaluna boards. My official site is finally finished and live so to see my full collection please click here

Ingredients

2 Garlic cloves, chopped
3cm Piece fresh ginger, peeled
2 Small red chilies, roughly chopped
1 Stalk lemongrass, bruised (I used 1 teaspoon of jar lemongrass)
4 Green onions, roughly chopped
1/2 Cup coriander leaves
750g Pork mince
1 Egg, lightly beaten
Olive oil flavored cooking spray
2 Lebanese cucumbers
2 Cups steamed jasmine rice (I served ours with coconut rice.)
Sweet chili sauce, to serve

Method


1. Combine garlic, ginger, chilli, lemongrass, green onions and coriander in a food processor, Process until finely chopped.

2. Transfer to a bowl. Add mince and egg. Season with salt and pepper. Using clean hands, mix until well combined.

3. Using 2 heaped tablespoons mixture at a time, roll mixture into 16 balls. Flatten slightly. Place rissoles on a plate. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes, if time permits.

4. Preheat a greased barbecue plate on medium-low heat. Spray both sides rissoles with oil. Cook, turning occasionally, for 12 to 15 minutes or until cooked through.

5. Using a vegetable peeler, peel long, thin strips from cucumbers. Spoon rice into bowls. Top with rissoles, cucumber and sweet chilli. Serve.

All photos taken by me unless otherwise stated.

Apr 7, 2009

Chicken Casserole

This is a great quick and tasty casserole, I made this as part of the swap I am in this month and this is one of 2 recipes I made from my team mate. I will be posting her wonderfully moist carrot cake recipe soon as we all enjoyed that one over the weekend. Back to the casserole it was really good and my family really like it we all liked the topping which was very creative using the Bisquick mix. I used carrot, mushroom, corn and peas as the vegetables and then it is just throw all the ingredients together and wait for it to cook. If you would like to read more reviews on this recipe or see more photos please click here.

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1 1/2 Cups cooked chicken (I used a whole BBQ Chook)
1-1 1/2 Cup frozen vegetables, any combination
2-3 Medium potatoes
1/2 Cup chopped onion
1/2 Tablespoon parsley
1/3 Cup parmesan cheese
Paprika
3/4 Cup Bisquick
1 1/2 Cups milk
1/2 Cup cheddar cheese (I used Gruyere cheese as it is more tasty here in Switzerland)
1 (11 3/4 ounce) Can cream of chicken soup

Method


1. Dice potatoes. Cook until tender. Drain.

2. Combine chicken, vegetables and potatoes in large bowl.

3. Combine soup with onion, parsley and parmesan cheese in medium bowl. Add to chicken mixture and combine gently.

4. Place in 9x13 baking dish. Top with cheddar cheese.

5. Add enough milk to bisquick to make a thin mixture - similar to pancake batter.

6. Pour over casserole, Sprinkle with paprika.

7. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until top is golden brown.

All photos taken by me unless otherwise stated.

Apr 4, 2009

Quick and Easy, Lightly Curried Cauliflower and Egg Cheese

This is a great side dish or it would also make a nice vegetarian dish. I served this as a side to some steaks I cooked and it went really well. My hubby loves cauliflower cheese and this has now become his new favourite. It all goes together really well and we loved the addition of the egg and croutons. If you would like to read more reviews on this one or view more photos please click here.

If you have been keeping up with the progress of my beautiful handcrafted camphor laurel chopping, cheese boards and Mezzaluna Boards. My official site is finally finished and live so to see my full collection please click here.

Ingredients

1 Medium cauliflower, chopped into florets
1 Medium onion, sliced
2 Eggs, hard-boiled, peeled and chopped
3 Tablespoons whole meal flour
1 Teaspoon mild curry powder
2 Tablespoons butter or margarine
2 Cups milk
1/2 Teaspoon dried thyme
Salt & fresh ground pepper
4 Ounces mature cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 Cup crouton

Method

1. Boil cauliflower and onion in enough salted water to cover, until they are just tender. (10 - 15 minutes) Be careful not to overcook. Drain well.

2. Arrange the cauliflower and onion in a shallow ovenproof dish, and scatter over the chopped egg.

3. Put the flour, curry powder and butter/margarine in a saucepan, and cook gently, stirring constantly, to a smooth paste. Add the milk gradually, stirring all the time, gradually bring to the boil, stirring well, until thickened and smooth.

4. Stir in the thyme and seasoning and allow the sauce to simmer for a minute or two.

5. Remove from the heat, and stir in about 3/4 of the cheese.

6. Pour the sauce over the cauliflower, scatter over the croutons, and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

All photos taken by me unless otherwise stated.

Easy, Easy Beef Stew

This is one of the easiest and best tasting stews I have made in ages, a true winner in my books. We all loved the flavour of this stew and the meat came out superbly tender as it should. I followed the recipe as listed below except for subbing sweet potato instead of regular and I could not get any turnips. If you would like to read more reviews on this one or view more photos please click here.

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1/2 lbs Beef, stewing
10 Ounces mushroom soup, can
7 Ounces tomato sauce
2 Onions, medium, coarsley chopped
10 Ounces water
1 Cup celery, coarsley chopped
1/2 Cup turnip, coarsley chopped
1 Cup carrot, coarsley chopped
1/2 Cup parsnip, coarsley chopped
1/4 Cup mushroom, wild, halved
1/2 Cup potato, coarsley chopped
1/2 Teaspoon garlic powder
1 Teaspoon pepper, black, fresh ground
1 Teaspoon salt
1/8 Teaspoon thyme
1/8 Cup parsley, chopped (garnish)

Method

1. Combine the uncooked meat, soups, water and tomato sauce in pot.

2. Place pot in oven, uncovered and cook for 2 hours, at 325 degrees .

3. Now add all your vegetables and seasonings, cover pot and cook for an additional hour or until the vegetables are tender.

All photos taken by me unless otherwise stated.

Apr 1, 2009

Honey Hoisin BBQ Salmon

This is fabulous salmon recipe that comes together so well from the marinade to the glaze. I love the taste of the ginger, garlic and cilantro (coriander) in the marinade. I made the same amount of marinade and glaze for 4 salmon fillets as mine were quite large. I served ours over egg noodles and fresh vegetables for a really lovely meal. If you would like read more reviews on this recipe or see more photos please click here.

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Ingredients

6 Salmon fillets

Marinade for salmon

1 Tablespoon fresh ginger, chopped
2 Tablespoons roasted garlic, pureed
1 Teaspoon cracked black pepper
2 Teaspoons sesame oil
2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
1 Tablespoon cilantro, chopped

Honey Hoisin BBBQ glaze

1/2 Cup honey
1/2 Cup hoisin sauce
2 Green onions, finely chopped
2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
1 Teaspoon sesame oil
Salt

Method

1. Rub the marinade all over salmon and marinate for 2 hours.

2. Preheat grill to medium high.

3. Place marinated salmon skin side down on grill and cook for 5 to 6 minutes until skin is crisp and easy to lift from grill.

4. Turn fillets over and baste liberally with honey hoisin BBQ glaze.

5. Continue to cook for another 4 to 5 minutes for medium doneness.

6. Turn fillets over and baste meat side liberally with the glaze before removing from grill.

You may cook this in the oven if you so desire.

Chicken With Sour Cherry Sauce

I made this with duck breast instead of chicken and it was very nice, it was a little too orange flavoured for us so I added some port to the sauce to counteract this. We much preferred it with the addition of the port but that was just our preference. I served ours over celeriac mash and some fresh asparagus for very enjoyable meal. To view the original recipe please click here.

If you have been keeping up with the progress of my beautiful handcrafted, Eco friendly camphor laurel chopping, cheese boards, platter boards and mezzaluna boards. My official site is finally finished and live so to see my full collection please click here.

Ingredients

8 chicken breasts
dark soy sauce
8 slices lemons (sliced thinly)
ground black pepper

Sauce

2 Tablespoons cider vinegar
4 Tablespoons soft brown sugar
2 Tablespoons cornflour
1(425 g) Can pitted cherries
1 Cup chicken stock
1 Tablespoon grated orange rind
1 Tablespoon grated lemon rind
1/2 Cup orange juice
2 Tablespoons lemon juice

Method

CHICKEN

1. Brush the chicken with the soy sauce.

2. Place a slice of lemon on each breast and season with the pepper. Line a tray with foil and grill chicken (b.b.q. works well also) until chicken is tender and serve the chicken with the sour cherry sauce.

SAUCE

1. Drain the pitted black cherries and reserve the juice.

2. Place vinegar and sugar in a saucepan, bring to boil, and cook stirring constantly until mixture caramelizes.

3. Blend the cornflour with 2 tablespoons of cherry liquid, and put the left over juice into the saucepan with the stock, rinds juices, cherries and liquid, cook another 3 minutes.

4. Add cornflour paste stirring until combined (with no lumps) and thickened.

All photos taken by me unless otherwise stated.