Baking Bliss

This week has been rather exciting in the Gourmet Goddess kitchen, as we took delivery of a new fan forced oven to replace the evil, contankerous old beast that I have been cooking with since we moved into our house almost two years ago. I have to admit I was pretty happy to see the demise of the old one, which had a penchant for cremating the bottom of whatever you put in it, whilst leaving the top of everything unpalatably raw. I don't really bake much at the best of times, but the crappy oven really didn't make me want to change that situation!

Well, I am very happy to report that the new oven is a whole other world - one where things cook as they are meant to and your pastry ends up golden and puffed (and cooked evenly!) just like it should. Hell, I may even be tempted to bake a cake - or Goddess forbid - a meringue! Watch this space.

So, my first oven baking experiment was a couple of simple apple, almond and nashi pear tarts. The golden tarts are given a lovely sweetness and glossy finish by an easy maple syrup glaze.

You could actually use any kind of fruit for these - apricots, peaches or nectarines when in season would be gorgeous - cherries, berries or quinces would work a treat too. I used apples and nashi pears because they happened to be in the fruit bowl at the time. Whatever fruit you decide to use,  the result is a delicious, easy to make tart that looks lovely too. This style of tart reminded me a lot of the apple galettes that you would always see in the patisseries around Paris. I confess I enjoyed a slice of mine with a nice big milky Cafe au Lait, and a generous serve of nostaligia -  imagining I was back, sitting in a cafe in St Germain on my honeymoon watching the world go by. Food is always so evocative of past memories and this one really did that for me.

Maple Glazed Apple and Nashi Pear Tarts

You will need: 2 sheets ready rolled puff pastry, 2-3 apples or nashi pears (I used some of both), 1 1/2 cups almond meal, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 2 tablespoons warm water, 30g melted salted butter, 1/3 cup maple syrup, 1 beaten egg.

Method: Preheat the oven to 200C.

Peel and core the apples/nashi pears, cut them in half and slice them thinly. In a bowl, combine the almond meal, vanilla, brown sugar, melted butter and warm water. Mix well to make an easily spreadable paste. Add a little more warm water if the mixture is a little too firm.

Take the two sheets of pastry and cut them in half, lengthways. You should now have four lengths of pastry of equal size. Take two of the pastry sheets and cut a border into them, about 2 cm wide, removing the pastry in the middle. You will be left with two "frames"made of pastry.

Brush the other two peices of whole pastry with a little of the egg. Carefully lay one of the "frames" onto each of the pastry peices. Press the edges down gently. Now evenly spread half of the almond mixture onto each of the tarts, smoothing it up to the edge of the border you have created.

Take the sliced apple/nashi pears and carefully arrange the slices, so that they slightly overlap, until you have covered the tarts. Brush the edges of the pastry with a little bit of the egg wash.

Bake the tarts for 15-20 minutes until they are lightly golden. Remove them from the oven and using half of the mixture, brush the top of the tarts with the maple syrup. Return to the oven for another 5-10 minutes until they turn a deeper golden colour.

Remove the tarts from the oven, and while they are still warm, brush the remaining maple syrup over them.

Serve warm or cold. Makes two medium sized tarts.

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Winter Sunshine

As most of you would be aware, each week the Gourmet Goddess kitchen receives a delivery of local, organic and chemical free produce from the fabulous folks at Food Connect in Sydney. One of the great things about this, apart from the first rate, ethical produce - is that they often include seasonal vegetables or fruit that are not terribly common on most dinner tables. This was one of those weeks. Amongst the cornucopia of seasonal produce was a stash of freshly dug Jerusalem artichokes - dirt still attached. At first glance I thought they were ginger roots, but I was thrilled when I realised that they were in fact the first Jerusalem artichoke crop of the winter.

Native to the eastern part of North America, also called sunroot or earth apple, the Jerusalem artichoke is in fact not an artichoke at all. It is actually a tuber vegetable related to the sunflower and does not resemble the well known green globe artichokes in any way, either in looks or in taste. So if you started reading this post and immediately thought - "Ick. I hate artichokes" - don't despair. These are artichokes in name only. Just to confuse things, they also have absolutely nothing to do with Jerusalem. So the name is not only 100% misleading, it is also geographically incorrect. On top of the identity crisis, they are also - let's be frank here -pretty damned ugly looking. Now that we have that out of the way, let's talk flavour. Nutty, slightly creamy and delicious, these gorgeous winter vegetables taste great roasted', fried into crispy chips or pureed with potatoes for a beautiful tasting mash. Because they are in season at the moment, now really is the time to enjoy them at their best.

Jerusalem Artichokes

- not an artichoke and not from Jerusalem.

Go figure.

Today, I decided to team them with fresh seasonal cauliflower and create a creamy winter soup. These flavours work in perfect harmony and make a change from the usual repertoire of winter soups. This soup is not only great served in a rustic style with a hunk of freshly baked bread, it is also perfect all dressed up, as part of a dinner party or degustation menu.

Cauliflower and Jerusalem Artichoke Soup

So, give these mis-named, not so pretty winter vegetables a try. They are absolutely delicious - however you choose to cook them -  and will become part of many a winter menu once you discover their inner beauty. It's cold outside - let this relative of the sunflower bring some winter sunshine in!

You will need: 2 large brown onions, 2 large peeled potatoes, 1/2 cauliflower, about 400g jerusalem artichokes, 3 cloves garlic, 6 cups chicken or vegetable stock, 1/2 cup milk (if you want something really sumptuous, use cream), 1 apple, 1/2 cup flaked almonds, 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt, pepper, pinch of cayenne pepper, parsley or chives and a drizzle of fruity olive oil to serve.

Method: Scrub the artichokes to clean any dirt off them - you do not need to peel them. Cut the cauliflower into florets. Roughly chop the onion, potato and artichokes into generous chunks. Roughly chop the garlic.

Heat the olive oil in a pot and add the onion. Cook it gently for about 5 minutes until it starts to soften. Add the garlic and the artichokes and cook for another 5 minutes or so. Add the potato and the cauliflower, season generously with salt and pepper, add the pinch of cayenne and allow to cook for another 5 minutes.

Add the chicken stock. Bring the mixture to the boil and allow to simmer for about 30 minutes, until the vegetables are very soft. Remove from the heat and blend the mixture until smooth with a hand blender or food processor. Add the milk (or cream) and taste for seasoning. Add salt and pepper as required.

When you are ready to serve, spoon the soup into bowls and top with a little of the parsley or chives. Drizzle with olive oil and serve with crusty bread.

Serves 4-6 people

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Middle Eastern Inspiration

In winter, I really love to eat food that is full of warm, aromatic and earthy flavours - and today's dish has this in spades. I have used a fragrant and warming middle eastern inspired spice mix to flavour frenched lamb cutlets, and added to this beautiful seasonal roasted vegetables, fresh herbs and seeds from one of my favourite fruits, the pomegranate. To top it off, a perfectly balanced sweet and slightly piquant dressing.

This dish is also my first experiement with using quinoa, that superfood favoured by the Incas and popping up on menus everywhere these days. It really seems to be the ingredient de jour, particularly amongst my vegetarian mates. I decided it was about time I gave it a try, so I included it in my lamb dish in place of the cracked wheat or cous cous I would normally use. I really loved the slight chewiness to the grain and the nutty taste. By all accounts it is also incredibly good for you - there is a reason the Incas called it the "mother of all grain"

This dish is really big on flavour, and although there are a few components, it is actually really easy. It really is worth hunting down fresh pomegranate if you can find it - the little bursts of juicy jewel coloured seeds are just beautiful, as well as looking fabulous on the plate.

There are potentially heaps of variations you could try with this recipe - try whatever veges are in season that you like - eggplant, squash, asparagus, sweet potato would all be great. If you are a vego, leave out the lamb and make the vegetable component as a dish in itself, along with the dressing. I was also thinking that chicken thighs or even fish or prawns would work well too. Toasted almonds or pistachios would also add another texture and flavour dimension.

This dish would be lovely served on a big platter as part of a shared, buffet style meal, even at a BBQ. You will fall in love with the middle eastern influenced flavours and the delightfully varied textures.


 

Middle Eastern Lamb Cutlets

with quinoa, roasted vegetables and fresh pomegranate

You will need:
(For the lamb) 6-8 Frenched lamb cutlets, 1 teaspoon sumac, 2 teaspoons ground coriander, pinch cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon mild paprika, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon warm water, salt and pepper.

(For the vegetables) 2 cups cooked quinoa, about 6 cups assorted raw vegetables cut into chunks about 3cm square (I used red capsicum, pumpkin, zucchini, red onion), 1 cup sliced cooked green beans,1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 cup fresh pomegranate seeds, 1/2 cup fresh parsley, 1/2 cup deseeded sliced olives, salt and pepper.

(For the dressing) 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon pomegranate balsamic (use plain balsamic if you can't find this), 1 clove minced fresh garlic, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, 1 tablespoon warm water, generous pinch of salt, pepper.

Method:
Preheat the oven to 220C.

Combine the sumac, coriander, paprika, olive oil, cayenne, water and salt and pepper to make a paste. Rub the paste into the lamb cutlets and set aside to marinate.

Whisk together the dressing ingredients and set aside at room temperature until you are ready to serve.

Combine the chunks of vegetables with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Place the vegetables on a baking tray and bake for around 30 minutes, until they are well cooked.

Heat a grill pan (or BBQ) and cook the lamb cutlets - they will not take very long (about 5 minutes), so keep an eye on them so that they are not overcooked. Ideally, they should be a little pink in the middle. Set the cutlets aside to rest.

While the cutlets are resting, gently mix the quinoa, roasted vegetables, green beans, parsely, olives and half of the pomegranate seeds all together in a large bowl.

To serve, place a few generous spoonfuls of the vegetable mixture on the plate, top with the cutlets and then drizzle over a little of the dressing. Add the remaining pomegranate seeds and serve.

Serves 2 - 4 People

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A Warm Welcome to Winter

With only a few days to go until the official start to winter, today I thought that I would share a delicious one pot comfort food dish that is packed with wintery flavour. The natural sweetness of pork is given a turbo boost, courtesy of a gorgeous caramelised fennel gravy and the addition of my favourite tipple at the moment, Monteith's Pear Cider. The cider gives sweetness, but also just the right amount acidity to the sauce. The pairing of cider and pork meat is not a new one, but this was my first time putting pear cider into a dish - usually I would use apple. I must admit, I really prefer the pear option and I think it will be my go-to cooking cider from now on.

When selecting cider, make sure that you buy one of a good quality - unfortunately a lot of them sold in bottle shops are made from nasty fruit concentrate, which I find cloying and unpleasant. I choose Monteith's because it is all pure crushed fresh fruit with no concentrate additive. If you can't find Monteith's, ask the bottle shop person to point you in the direction of a good quality alternative.

Although this recipe has a fennel component, don't be put off if you aren't a fan of fennel like I am. (I could happily eat it every day!) The fennel in this dish caramelises with the the onions to create a meltingly sweet gravy that is to die for. Because the dish is cooked for a long time, the aniseed flavour becomes very subtle and all you taste is soft, sweet goodness. To finish the sauce, I have added a little soft cream cheese (I used the low fat kind) I have found this a great, lighter alternative to cream, that still gives that wonderful richness. A touch of mustard and a little sweet honey adds warmth and depth to the dish.

Tonight I chose to serve this dish very simply with some roasted Dutch carrots and super fresh, seasonal green beans. It would also be great with mash or rice - or even a serve of golden polenta. Whatever you serve with it, this lovely pork dish will make you warmer than a leopard print snuggie on a chilly winter night. Snuggle up folks!

Slow cooked pork with pear cider

and braised fennel

You will need: 1 piece pork neck or scotch fillet - 1 to 1.5kg, 2 large chopped brown onions, 1 large chopped stalk celery, 1 large fennel bulb cut into generous pieces, 4 finely chopped cloves garlic, 2 cups rich chicken stock, splash of olive oil, pinch cayenne pepper, 1 tablespoon honey, 2 teaspoons wholegrain mustard, a few finely chopped fresh sage leaves, 1 x 375ml bottle pear cider (I used Monteith's crushed pear cider), 1 tablespoon soft cream cheese, 3 teaspoons cornflour mixed with enough water to make a loose paste, salt and pepper.

Method: Preheat the oven to 160C. Season the meat generously with salt.  In a large heavy dish with a lid that can go from stove top to oven, heat a splash of olive oil and brown the meat on all sides. Set aside.

Add the chopped onion and celery and cook for a few minutes, until it starts to soften. Add the fennel and the garlic and cook for another minute or two, seasoning well with salt and pepper. Add the honey, mustard, cayenne and sage. Mix well.

Add the the cider and then the stock and combine thoroughly. Cover and cook for 1 hour. After an hour, give the dish a stir through and baste the meat with the sauce, turning it over once. Allow the dish to cook for another 45 minutes.

After the second stage of cooking, remove the dish from the oven and add the soft cream cheese and the cornflour mixture. It will begin to thicken a little. Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed. Return it to the oven for another 10 minutes.

Remove the dish from the oven and allow it to rest for a few minutes, before slicing the pork into generous thick slices. Pour over the sauce and serve with seasonal vegetables.

Serves 4-6 people.

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A Message from Gourmet Goddess

Morning folks - just a quick message to let you know that I haven't fallen off the face of the earth! Life has been super busy over the last couple of weeks, and this teamed with pesky computer problems have meant no posts for the last couple of weeks. I'm happy to say that the computer is off for an overhaul this week and will hopefully return behaving itself. A few of you have messaged me eager for the next Gourmet Goddess installment, and I promise that I will be back in the groove of things in about a week.

In other news, we are busy in the final planning stages of our July trip to northern Borneo - which will include a side trip to that temple of all things culinary and delicious, Singapore. I am excited to report that we have managed to secure a reservation at Tetsuya Wakuda's new restaurant Waku Ghin. Perched above the Singapore skyline, seating only 25 patrons and boasting a menu that is reputedly one of the most innovative in Asia right now, Waku Ghin is by all accounts a truly exceptional experience. I will of course give you all a full report when I return.

Hope that you are all enjoying the cooler weather and all of that gorgeous autumn produce too. A good excuse for some hearty comfort food, slow cooked treats and delicious baked goods I think. Nothing better than a warm kitchen full of something tasty cooking on a cool day.

See you all again in about a week Gourmet Goddess devotees.

Delicious regards

GG XX

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