Passion Fruit Creme Brulee
01 January 2012

Serves: 6
Preparation time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

 

  • 3 cups heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup passion fruit pulp
  • 9 large egg yolks
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/8 cup brown sugar

Instructions 

In a sauce pan, bring the cream to a simmer over medium heat. Continue cooking for 20 minutes.

Whisk egg yolks, passion fruit and sugar together.

Slowly whisk in cream and blend until smooth and well mixed.

Place 12 individual creme brulee dishes in a large baking pan in the oven.

Carefully pour about 140g of mixture into each dish.

Pour enough hot water in the baking pan to come about 3/4 inches up to the sides of the dishes.

Bake for about 40–50 minutes or until the custard seems firm and the center is slightly loose.

Remove dishes from the water bath and cool completely.

Cover each with plastic and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Before serving, spread 1 teaspoon brown sugar on each and glaze the creme brulee with a handheld propane torch or grill if you don't have one.

Thai Mussels
01 January 2012

Serves: 3
Preparation time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • handful of torn mint
  • handful of torn coriander
  • handful of torn basil
  • 350g sweet potato
  • 1 Kg fresh live mussels
  • 1 tsp 1 vegetable oil
  • 125ml water
  • 2 shallots, finely sliced
  • 2 Clove garlic, minced
  • 1 (or half a) small red chilli, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
  • 1 tbsp lime juice
  • 1 lime, cut into wedges

Instructions

Cut the sweet potato in large chunks and simmer for about 15minutes. Drain and cut into 1cm dice.
Clean mussels and discard any open ones. Heat the oil, water, chilli, shallots and garlic in a heavy pot and bring to the boil.

Add the mussels and cover, after 2 minutes remove any opened mussels. Cover and continue until all are cooked. You may get some that don’t open, throw these away.

Add the sweet potato, fish sauce, sugar and sweet chilli to the liquid. Stir all ingredients well, toss in the mussels, lime juice and herbs, mixing well.

Serve with lime wedges steamed rice or big thick crusty bread.

Spinach and walnut salad
03 December 2011

Serves: 4
Preparation time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons roughly chopped walnuts
  • 200g baby spinach leaves
  • 1 ripe avocado, peeled, stone removed, sliced
  • juice of 1 lemon

Instructions

Place walnuts into a small frying pan. Cook over medium heat, shaking frying pan often, for 3 to 4 minutes or until walnuts are golden and roasted. Remove from heat.
Arrange spinach and avocado on serving plates. Sprinkle over walnuts. Drizzle with lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Tomato tarts
03 December 2011

Serves: 4
Preparation time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 tbs brown sugar
  • 1 tbs balsamic vinegar
  • 6 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1 x 250g punnets cherry tomatoes or any chopped and de seeded 
  • 1 1/2 sheets (25 x 25cm) ready-rolled frozen butter puff pastry, just thawed
  • 100g baby spinach leaves
  • 60g soft feta
  • 2 tbs olive oil

Instructions

Preheat oven to 220°C. Combine the sugar and vinegar in a small bowl. Pour a little of the vinegar mixture into six 9cm-round (base measurement) tart tins (don't use removable base tins as liquid will seep).
 
Place a sprig of thyme into each tart tin and top with the cherry tomatoes. Pack the tomatoes into the tins firmly.
 
Cut the puff pastry into six 12cm squares. Fold the edges of each square of pastry under to form a rough round and press firmly on to the cherry tomatoes. Continue for each tart.

Place the tarts on an oven tray and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown and puffed. Remove from oven and set aside for 3-5 minutes to cool slightly. Turn out quickly on to an oven tray.
 
Place the spinach and feta in a large bowl. Drizzle with oil and gently toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately with the cherry tomato tarte tartins.

Buffalo Eye Fillet
25 November 2011

Serves: 2
Preparation time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 250g x 2  prime buffalo eye fillet (take the time to source good quality meat from your local butcher)
  • 2 medium beetroot
  • handful of baby spinach
  • 200g mushrooms
  • olive oil
  • 1 tbp butter
  • 1 tbsp hot english mustard
  • 100ml red wine
  • 200ml beef stock
  • 1 tsp redcurrant jelly

Instructions
Pre heat the oven to 200 degrees. Put the beetroot on a tray coat beets in olive oil, then season.

Roast beetroot for half an hour then put the potatoes in and roast for a further half an hour. Thstart making the glaze.

Saute the mushrooms in the butter then add mustard, red current jelly, red wine, beef stock and reduce to a glaze. Remove your vegetables, peel and slice the beetroot.

Cook your buffalo eye fillet medium rare and serve on a bed of baby spinach. Add your roasted beets to the plate and nape the sauce over the fillet.