Friday’s Food Quiz Number 19

Posted on May 5, 2012 by Tandy

I am in Scotland and will return to South Africa on the 8th of May – I will reply to blog comments then. This post has been scheduled in advance.

1. What is tahini?

a thick smooth paste made from roasted ground sesame seeds

2. Where do pomegranates originate from?

it is of Asian origin and spread west to the African shores of the Mediterranean many thousands of years ago

3. What is cataplana?

Portuguese seafood dish and the word also refers to the clam like pot it is cooked in

4. What is cilantro more commonly known as?

coriander (dhania)

5. What type of bread is traditionally made in a tandoor?

naan

6. Where would one put forcemeat?

stuffing mixture of of finely chopped or ground meat, herbs and seasoning – to go into a chicken or turkey

7. What is rice paper made from?

it is made from the straw of rice

8. Who invented the hamburger?

it evolved in the USA in the early years of the 20th century

9. What is cassata?

an iced dessert which originated in Italy. is usually consists of layers of ice cream at least one of which contains chopped nuts and glazed fruit and sometimes also a layer of sweetened whipped cream. Sicilian cassata consists of strips of sponge cake soaked in a liqueur or sweet dessert wine, encasing ricotta cheese, mixed with nuts and glazed fruit cake. both types are traditionally made in a rectangular mold hence the name which is derived from the Italian word for ‘little brick’

10. What is falafel?

deep fried balls of ground and spiced chickpea. a snack of Middle Eastern Origin – goes well with hummus which is made with tahini

Tandy

Top of Page

Licorice

Posted on May 4, 2012 by Tandy

I am in Scotland and will return to South Africa on the 8th of May – I will reply to blog comments then. This post has been scheduled in advance.

Licorice is a graceful, arching, deciduous perennial which grows to about 1.5m. It has a thick, deep taproot and spreads underground via extensive stolons. Above ground it has pinnately compound leaves and loose spikes of purple flowers. Licorice grows particularly well on the rich alluvial plains of Turkey, which, together with Spain and Greece, is still a leading world supplier.

photograph sourced from Wikipedia

Licorice prefers a rich, deep, sandy loam and a sunny position. New crops are propagated by rhizome segments planted in spring, but can also be propagated by seed. Portions of rhizome left in the soil at harvest time will generate new plants.

Both the taproot and the rhizomes can be used. They are usually dug when 3 years old and air-dried before being ground and then processed. Licorice root is one of the many spices and herbs used in Chinese master stocks, adding to their intensity and depth of flavour. Add the chopped root sparingly (as it can be bitter) when stewing fruit.

Tandy

Top of Page

In My Kitchen

Posted on May 1, 2012 by Tandy

I am in Scotland and will return to South Africa on the 8th of May – I will reply to blog comments then. This post has been scheduled in advance.

Please join Celia, who blogs over at Fig Jam and Lime Cordial, by sharing with us what is in your kitchen!

In my fridge on the 1st of April was ….

© Sue was worried there was no wine in my fridge

In my kitchen …..

are two new egg holders – I looked long and hard, high and low, for something suitable. These are great as they have their own salt shakers and I can indulge in breakfast in bed over the weekend.

In my kitchen …..

are two little poaching pods for when I don’t feel like soft boiled eggs. They work really well and I am glad to never again have to worry that my eggs are not super fresh.

In my kitchen …..

is a gift from the bloggers cook off hosted by Canderel at Jenny Morris Cooks Play Ground

In my kitchen …

Is this three in one funnel which should make my life so easy. I am going to start making jams etc. when we get back.

Wishing you all a Marvelous May.

Tandy

Top of Page

Layered Sponge Cake For Aspiring Bakers

Posted on April 30, 2012 by Tandy

I am in Scotland and will return to South Africa on the 8th of May – I will reply to blog comments then. This post has been scheduled in advance.

I have never taken part in an Aspiring Bakers Challenge before, but when I saw challenge number 18 on Sweet Sam’s blog I knew that the idea I had been playing around with in my mind, needed to take shape on a plate. I have been thinking about making a layered cake since I watched an episode of Master Chef Australia last year. I don’t usually make layered cakes, as it is only Dave and I at home, and the cake I make is a simple pound cake (thanks Celia for teaching me this) which stays moist all week. It has a simple ganache frosting and we enjoy a slice a night after dinner. April and May are very short months for me, as we spend a week of each month overseas. This leaves little time for challenges as the only time I can bake is over the weekends. I decided that our last weekend at home this month would be dedicated to packing the toiletries we need for our trip, and baking this cake.

The recipe I have used is a basic sponge recipe. It worked so well with my time constraints as you can get one layer going while the oven heats, and the next two layers started during the baking process. I used a simple whipped cream filling and topping as I wanted to blend the flavours. My idea was for a multi coloured layered cake, with vanilla on the bottom, coffee in the middle and chocolate on the top. I tied this all together by using nutmeg in the cream. The verdict – I would make this again but if I were making it for friends I would double the ingredients for each layer, to make it really stand out (and stand up). However, I made a small layered cake so that it would be finished before we left for Scotland.

LAYERED SPONGE CAKE

Ingredients:

For the vanilla layer:

1 egg

30g caster sugar – I used fructose

5mls vanilla extract

30g self raising flour

For the coffee layer:

1 egg

30g caster sugar – I used fructose

25g self raising flour

5g finely ground coffee

For the chocolate layer:

1 egg

30g caster sugar – I used fructose

25g self raising flour

5g cacao powder

For the filling and frosting:

1 cup cream

50g honey

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

Cacao for dusting

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180° Celsius

For the vanilla layer:

Place the egg, sugar and vanilla into a stand mixer bowl

Beat on a medium heat until the eggs are pale and more than doubled in size – the longer you beat the eggs, the more air you incorporate into them

Sieve the flour and gently fold into the egg mixture

Pour into a lined baking tin and smooth the top with a spatula

Bake for 10 minutes

Turn out straight away onto a sheet of baking paper and carefully remove the baking paper from the sponge

For the coffee layer:

While your vanilla layer is baking, place the egg and sugar into a stand mixer bowl

Beat on a medium heat until the eggs are pale and more than doubled in size

Sieve the flour and coffee and gently fold into the egg mixture

Pour into a lined baking tin and smooth the top with a spatula

Bake for 10 minutes

Turn out straight away onto a sheet of baking paper and carefully remove the baking paper from the sponge

For the chocolate layer:

While your coffee layer is baking, place the egg and sugar into a stand mixer bowl

Beat on a medium heat until the eggs are pale and more than doubled in size

Sieve the flour and cacao and gently fold into the egg mixture

Pour into a lined baking tin and smooth the top with a spatula

Bake for 10 minutes

Turn out straight away onto a sheet of baking paper and carefully remove the baking paper from the sponge

Leave each layer to cool completely before assembling

To assemble:

Whisk together the cream, honey and nutmeg until thick

Place the vanilla sponge onto your serving plate

Use a third of the cream on top of this layer and smooth it off

Then place the coffee sponge on top of this

Use another third of the cream on top of this layer and smooth it off

Then place the chocolate later on top of this

Use the balance of the cream on top of this layer and smooth it off

Dust the top with cacao to finish it off

LAYERED SPONGE CAKE PRINTABLE VERSION

My friend Colleen asked me how I got the cream so smooth. I have a lazy Susan in my kitchen and I use it for icing my cakes. The cake plate goes on top of the lazy Susan, and I use my palette knife to smooth the frosting while I slowly rotate the lazy Susan. I keep the palette knife steady and the rotation does the work for me.

I am submitting this recipe to Aspiring Bakers #18: Layers of Love (April 2012) which is being hosted this month by Sam of Sweet Samsations.

Tandy

Top of Page

Friday’s Food Quiz Number 18

Posted on April 28, 2012 by Tandy

I am in Scotland and will return to South Africa on the 8th of May – I will reply to blog comments then. This post has been scheduled in advance.

1. Where did the yule log originate from?

Germany

2. What is abalone?

an edible sea mollusc commonly known in South Africa as Perlemoen.

3. What is TVP?

textured vegetable protein = soya

4. What is the difference between a velouté and a béchamel sauce?

a veloute is a sauce made from a stock which has been thickened with a roux. A bechamel sauce is made up of warm milk added to a roux

5. Which bone is specifically used in flavouring soups?

I use shin, but I would guess that Marrow bones is a better answer

6. What would you be eating if you ordered tori udon in a Japanese Restaurant?

we had udon noodles for supper last night, but have no idea what tori is.

7. Is Feta a matured cheese?

yes

8. What is so special about Darjeeling tea?

it is a tea grown in a specific area same as Champagne can only be grown in Champagne and Port comes from Portugal

9. What is another name for the tree tomato?

Tamarillo

10. Why is it advisable not to boil gelatine?

it will destroy the setting ability of the gelatine

11. Which pastry cream, flavoured with ground almonds, is used to fill or top pastries and cakes?

frangipane

12. Besides giving a professional finish, what else does a glaze do to a fruit flan?

seals it

13. What is another name for a hero sandwich?

a submarine

14. What is a kipper?

a herring that has been salted and smoked and eaten for breakfast!

15. What do we call Italian potato and semolina dumplings?

gnocchi

Tandy

Top of Page

Lemon Verbena

Posted on April 27, 2012 by Tandy

I am in Scotland and will return to South Africa on the 8th of May – I will reply to blog comments then. This post has been scheduled in advance.

The deliciously fresh, refined and intense lemon fragrance of this herb, which is native to Peru and Argentina, has long been prized for use in tisanes, liqueurs and cooking.

It is a shrub with arching branches and pointed leaves arranged in whorls of three around the stems. In summer the bush produces large terminal panicles of tiny, four petalled, white or pale lavender flowers.

photograph sourced from Wikipedia

It requires full sun, and a free draining loam with neutral pH. Propagate by semi ripe tip cuttings. Lemon verbena is cut back by frost, so should be winter mulched in cool climates. In heavy frost areas grow in a pot and bring it under protection during winter dormancy. Trim to shape . Bushes often leaf out very late in spring; don’t discard them prematurely.

Leaves can be harvested at any time to use fresh or for air-drying. The leaves are best used fresh and young. Use sparingly, otherwise the flavour can overwhelm the food and be reminiscent of lemon scented soap. It is a common ingredient in many herbal teas, imparting a wonderfully fragrant flavour, and can be substituted for lemon grass in Asian recipes. The leaves are used to give a lemon flavour to fruit salads and other fruit dishes, desserts and drinks. Infuse them in custard based sauces for desserts or finely chop and add to Asian dishes, poultry and stuffings. Add whole leaves to apple jelly, and chopped young leaves to fruit salads. With its digestive and relaxant properties, the tea is ideal for drinking after dinner.

information sourced from The Complete Book of Herbs

Tandy

Top of Page

Tandy Goes To Scotland!

Posted on April 25, 2012 by Tandy

I am leaving for Scotland today (the 25th of April) and I will be returning to South Africa on the 8th of May. I have no idea how much internet coverage we will have, or how much time I will have to play on the internet. So, I will not be replying to any comments on my blog – but I do have some posts scheduled. I will reply to each and every comment on my return. I have loaded a RSS reader onto my PlayBook and I will try and read blogs when I can – if I LIKE your post, it means I have read it! Hope you all have a lovely time between now and then.

Tandy

Cranberry and Raisin Muffins

Posted on April 25, 2012 by Tandy

For those of you who are regular readers of my blog you will notice that I always replace sugar with fructose in my recipes. I am sucrose intolerant which means my body cannot digest sucrose. I have been asked on a few occasions recently about this and I hope this post helps. I am not going to get into the benefits or lack thereof of any product. However, knowledge is power and so hopefully, the following will add to what you already know.

Sucrose, which we see most commonly in the form of cane sugar is a molecule that is a disaccharide composed of glucose and fructose and has the molecular formula C₁₂H₂₂O_11.Both cane and sugar beets are used to make sucrose. We come across various forms of sugar in our daily life and this is a ‘hidden’ ingredient in a lot of prepackaged products.

Glucose and fructose are both simple sugars (monosaccharides). Glucose is commonly known as dextrose. The molecular formula for both is C₆H₁₂O_6.Fructose is sourced from plant sources and is found in honey, tree and vine fruits, flowers, berries and most root vegetables.

Diabetics have a real problem with sucrose, glucose and fructose in their diets and it is important to keep this in mind when reading my recipes. They are designed for people like me, people that cannot process sucrose. However, this particular recipe is diabetic friendly. It uses Canderel Yellow, which is a sucralose based product. The most important thing to keep in mind here is that sucralose is a volume for volume replacement for sugar / fructose and so if you would like to substitute this for any sugar / fructose in my recipes, you need to do it per volume (i.e. cups) and not per weight (i.e. grams).

I made these muffins with two aims in mind – firstly would they have the same texture and taste as my regular muffins and would they store well? They are slightly sweeter than my blueberry muffins, but this could be because of the dried fruit. They kept very well and I was still eating them three days later for breakfast.

CRANBERRY AND RAISIN MUFFINS

Ingredients:

215g flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

½ cup Canderal Yellow (or your locally available Sucralose product)

50g dried cranberries

25g raisins

60g butter

1 egg, lightly beaten

½ cup milk

Method:

Preheat the oven to 200° Celsius

Mix together the dry ingredients

Melt the butter

Add the milk to the egg and then add the melted butter

Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour in the liquid

Gently fold in until just mixed – you want a lumpy texture

Spoon the mixture into a prepared muffin tin

Bake for 15 minutes

Allow to cool on a wire rack

CRANBERRY AND RAISIN MUFFINS PRINTABLE VERSION

Tandy

disclaimer: I have not been paid to advertise Canderel Yellow, however, the product was given to me at no charge at a bloggers event hosted by Canderel.
Top of Page

Pak Choi And Carrot Meatballs For The Secret Recipe Club

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Tandy

This month, I have been assigned Lick The Spoon for The Secret Recipe Club challenge. The name of the blog conjures up images of cake baking and offering the spoon to Dave – something he loves to do. It also reminds me of my niece Sasha, who licks away at her fingers the whole time during the baking process. Louise is an experimental Australian cook who is also a mum and a housewife and she shares with us that she bakes when she has time! I considered trying a baking recipe, but we are still on diet! I spent quite a long time browsing and trying to decide what to make. Not an easy thing to do before breakfast, when you are hungry and all the dishes look good! I finally decided I would make the Spinach and Carrot Meatballs as we are eating a lot more vegetables now that we are on a low carbohydrate diet. I had just purchased a packet of pak choi (bok choy) which is a Chinese cabbage. It has a soft green leaf, similar to that of spinach, and I thought it would make a great substitute. I included the entire stem and this may have resulted in my balls not forming without the aid of an egg yolk. The meal was delicious (thanks Louise) and we had enough meatballs for a generous portion for supper, as well as lunch for me the following day.

and if you are wondering what all the marks are on the plate, it is flaked oryx salt I used as a finishing salt.

PAK CHOI AND CARROT MEATBALLS

Ingredients:

20mls olive oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

A clove garlic, finely chopped

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon ground coriander

1/8 teaspoon ground paprika

250g ground beef

125g pak choi, finely sliced

1 medium carrot, grated

A very generous amount of salt to season

1 egg yolk

Method:

Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a pan

Sauté the onion and the garlic until soft

Add the spices and cook until you can smell the spices

Set aside to cool

When cool add to the ground beef

Add the pak choi and the carrot

Season well

Add the egg yolk and mix together

Form into just bigger than bite size balls

Place into the fridge for 30 minutes to allow them to firm up

Heat the balance of the oil in the pan and cook the meatballs for about 3 minutes per side

Make sure they are cooked through before serving

Tandy

To see other recipes from the click the linky below:

And click here to see what was made from my blog this month!

Top of Page

Friday’s Food Quiz Number 71

Posted on April 22, 2012 by Tandy

If you would like to take part, please go to Pink’s blog and see what you need to do. Or, just read my answers – which may or may not be correct

1. What does “to butterfly” means in culinary term?

I am going to try and explain this as best as I can in my own words – to butterfly a fillet (this is my example) you cut it in half without fully cutting it. The edge left uncut then becomes the middle of the steak. This technique is used in restaurants for people who want their meat medium – well done, and for when you want to stuff and roll the meat.

2. What are traditional peperonata’s main ingredients?

It is an Italian stew made of peppers

3. What is a whoopie pie?

it resembles a large oreo cookie, two slices of cake sandwiched with a frosting in the midde

4. Mission, Manzanillo, Sevillano and Ascolano are varieties of which fruit?

olives

5. What are traditional financier’s main ingredients and why are they called financiers?

they are meant to resemble a small bar of gold, and are made from almonds, beurre noisette and egg whites

6. Where does lemongrass originate from?

Southeast Asia

7. Where did Swiss rolls originate from and what are the main ingredients of a Swiss roll?

originating in Europe a Swiss roll is made from a sponge – flour, sugar and eggs and then has a filling of jam or cream on it.