Cinnamon Pannacotta with Cherries

Another recipe using left over ingredients! What do I have left over this time?? Some cherries from the Black Forest Gateau and a small bottle of lite thickened cream! These two ingredients sound like the perfect partner in dessert, so I've decided to make some pannacotta!

It is actually quite easy to make! Add 300ml thickened cream, 150ml of milk, a sprinkle of cinnamon and 2 cinnamon quill in a small heavy pot and bring to a simmer. Then cover it with a lid and remove from heat and let it infuse for an hour. Dissolve 2 tsp of gelatine in 3-4 tablespoon of water, then drizzle into the cream mixture and bring it back to a simmer. Then drain and pour into 4 dariole moulds (or any other ceramic moulds). Refrigerate for 4 hours or over night. Serve with cherries.

Yummy yummy!!!!! I love the taste of cinnamon, and the texture and consistency of this pannacotta are perfect!!! Once you got it out of the mould, it can still wobble but stay in its shape!!!! It's actually quite funny looking at the wobbly panncotta!!!! hahaha...

Double Lamb Burger with Melted Cheese

Last time I went to Woolies, I was in a rush in getting my shopping done so I wasn't looking probably in what I was picking off the shelf. All I wanted to do is to tick off everything from my shopping list! So instead of beef mince, I accidently bought a pack of lamb mince! =.="

Well, our dinner menu is always flexible, so instead of making spaghetti bolognese I made a juicy lamb burger! Today after work, I went downstair to IGA to pick up a couple of panini roll before going back home... yes having a supermarket right below work is always a problem! You tend to go in there and buy all sorts of unnecessary stuff from time to time!

Lamb pattie is easy! Get half kilo of mince (this will make you 4-5 patties) and mix it with a handful breadcrumb, 1 egg and some freshly chopped herbs (you can do your pick: basil, mint, rosemary thymes or even a mix if you want!) and finally add in some salt and pepper to taste. Then you roll the mixture into balls and flatten them. Refrigerate for 15 minutes then pan fried it with a little oil over medium heat.

For the panini roll, you slice it horizontally in half then spread the bottom half with butter, and sprinkle the top half with cheese. Then heat them up in a preheated oven at 180C for 5-10 minute or until crisp. Then you top it with lettuce, tomato and even tzakziki sauce if you want!!!

Ta-da..... dinner is ready!

Black Forest Gateau

Talk about the classic type of cake, how can you miss the all time favourite - Black Forest!

The other day, a friend of mine asked me whether I can make a cake for his home fellowship, and of course I'd say 'yes'! Don't think I have ever declined a cake making request!! hahaha.. Initially I was asked to make a chestnut cake!! Ummm... that's a challenge! I have never made a chestnut cake before, not because I don't want to, (both my mum and hubby loves chestnut cake!) but because I haven't been able to find chestnut puree! If you have seen them around, please let me know, I'd love to give it a go! So at the end I went for his second choice - black forest gateau!

I have made black forest quite a few times already, and it's one of those cakes that requires alot of time and patience! The coating of the entire cake in cream is a very messy process, and making the chocolate shavings is time consuming too! Every time my kitchen would look like a war zone after making a black forest cake, and I had to do the clean up afterwards reluctantly! I so wanted to just scream for hubby and ask him to clean it up for me.... but I thought that's a bit slack! So I ended up cleaning up my own mess! =(

Ingredients

5 eggs

175g caster sugar

50g plain flour

50g cocoa powder

75g butter, melted

Filling

90ml kirsch

600ml double cream

425g can black cherries, drained, stoned and chopped

Decorate

handful of fresh cherries

Chocolate shavings

1) Preheat oven to 180C, and grease 2x 20cm round cake tin

2) Beat together the eggs and sugar for 10 minutes, or until thick and pale. Sift over the flour and cocoa, and fold in gently. Drizzle the melted butter on top and fold gently.

3) Transfer to the cake tins. Bake for 30 minutes. Leave in the tins for 5 minutes then turn out on to a wire rack and cool.

4) Cut each cake in half horizontally and brush each half with the kirsch.

5) Whip the cream to soft peak. Combine 2/3 of the cream with chopped cherries. Place a layer of cake on a serving plate and spread with 1/3 of the filling. Then repeat with the other layers. Use the reserved cream to cover the top and sides.

6) Decorate the gateau with chocolate curls and fresh cherries.

How to make the chocolate curls?!?!? I usually just get a block of chocolate and use either a peeler or shaver to make the curls. It does take a while!! But I have seen them coming in packs in some specialty stores if you feel like being lazy! Of course their curls do look more uniformed in size, but the price is probably 10 times more expensive then buying a nice block of chocolate!!!!

Pastabella @ Glebe

After a day out in the scotching sun on saturday, hubby and I got home in the late afternoon and the first thing we did was to turn on the air con! Arrrrrrrr..... feeling much better! Then I had a quick look at my dog.... ummm... feeling so sorry for him, his white furry coat is perfect for winter, but in summer, probably this is the last thing you’d want on your body! To show my compassion, I went up to him and gave him a hug... =)

Hubby and I were just lying on the couch watching tele, and I of course felt asleep! The minute I woke up, I looked at the clock, it was 5:30 already! Mel said she was gonna come and pick us up for dinner at 5:30! Lucky that she was late as well!

We planned to have an early dinner at 6 in Glebe. Mel was kind enough to make a booking at Pastabella - a restaurant that scored a pretty high rating on eatability, plus being the chauffeur for the three of us! It’s very rare that you see a restaurant having a score of 8.5, so we reckon that it worths a try definitely! We got there and found a parking space right in front of the restaurant! Perfect.

We walked into the restaurant and found that it’s actually pretty small, but very simple, nice and neat! The down thing is, it doesn’t have an air con!!!! Arrrgggghhhhhh.... It only has a ceiling fan, although it wasn’t cool, but I guess at least we weren’t sweating!

We had a look at the menu, and it consists mainly of pasta, and the spaghetti, fettuccine, ravioli, and gnocchi are marked as homemade! Of course we picked the homemade pasta - they’re the same price anyway!

Crumbed Calamari (Main Size)

Pastabella Spaghetti $18

Marinara Fettucinne in white sauce $22

Seafood Risotto

I think this place definitely deserves a 8.5!!!! The food here is very nice indeed, and the portion is decent, and the price is very reasonable! Look at the huge king prawn in the risotto, that's BIG!!! And all the seafood used was fresh, unlike some dodgy restaurants which only use the marinara mix. And throughout the pasta and risotto, there are heaps of ingredients in every mouthful!!!! Delicious!

Pastabella

89 Glebe Point Rd

Glebe

Buttermilk Chocolate Cake with Roasted Almond

After making the buttermilk pancakes, guess what?!?!? I had some leftover buttermilk!! Well... what should I do with it?

This week, hubby and I have been pretty busy and throughout the whole week, we have only been home for dinner probably twice! Very rare for us indeed! I only chance I could use up the buttermilk is to make something for home fellowship on friday! How about a buttermilk cake?

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups plain flour

1 tsp bicarb soda

1/3 cup of cocoa powder

1 cup caster sugar

1 cup buttermilk

2 eggs

125g butter, meleted, cooled

1 tsp vanilla essence

handful of almond flakes, roasted on dry pan

1) Preheat oven to 180C. Line the base of a 20cm round tin with baking paper

2) Sift flour, bicarb soda and cocoa powder into a large bowl. Stir in sugar. Combine buttermilk, eggs, melted butter and vanilla in a jug. Make a well in the centre of flour mixture. Pour in buttermilk mixture. Then beat on low speed until combined. Then increase the speed to high and beat for a further 3-4 minutes or until thick and creamy.

3) Pour mixture into tin and bake for 45 min. Allow to cool in pan for 5 min, then turn out onto wire rack and cool completely.

4) To make the icing, cream 20g butter, and slowly add sifted icing sugar (just continue to add until it reaches your desire sweetness). Continue to beat and add in 1.5 tbsp sifted cocoa powder.

5) Spread the chocolate icing on top of the cooled cake, and sprinkle with the roasted almond.

This cake is so easy to make - basically it's just adding the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients then bake! Such an easy recipe to make on a week night!

Chinese New Year Special!

Chinese new year, which was a couple of weeks ago already - time flies!

Just before the Chinese new year eve, mum brought me a sweet type of new year cake, and a savoury one which is raddish cake. Personally I like the raddish cake better than the sweet one, I guess it's because it has more ingredients in there, and therefore it has more texture in each of the bites! Yummmm...

For the sweet cake I cut it into small square pieces and dip it into whisked egg then pan fried it, and for the savoury one, I just simply reheated it by steaming it then drizzled with some soy sauce. Simple!

Madeira Cake

One night after dinner, hubby and I were just sitting there watching tele, and all of a sudden I said to hubby.... "ummmm.... I feel like making a cake!"

hahahaha.... I guess this thought came up because I haven't made a cake for a long time, can't even remember the last cake I made! Then I went to the pantry and did a search and see what I've got.... Ummm... not much at all, but I've definitely got the basics - butter, sugar, eggs and flour - Madeira Cake that is!

Madeira cake is just like a really simple butter cake perfect as a snack!

Ingredients:

200g butter

finely grated zest of 1 lemon

150g caster sugar

3 eggs

75g plain flour, sifted

150g self raising flour, sifted

1) Preheat the oven to 180C and line a loaf tin with baking paper

2) Beat the butter, lemon zest and sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time.

3) Sift together the flours, then stir into the egg mixture. Transfer the cake mixture to the prepared tin and smooth the surface

4) Bake for 45-50 minutes. Leave the cake in the tin for about 5 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack and cool completely.

Not until I posted this photo on facebook that I realised that there are actually quite a few people who like this kind of simple cake! I always thought that people nowadays actually like the more fancy type of cakes! I guess simple is always the best!

=)

Buttermilk Pancake

Since hubby said he would take care of dinner... then it's fair for me to take care of breakfast! Since we had quite a few eggs over the weekend at Central Coast, I guess hubby's favourite scramble egg is not such a good idea. Although it's one of his favourite but I guess all food has a limit! We need to watch that cholesterol level!!!!

So I've decided to make some buttermilk pancake!!!! Yummmm... These pancakes are so nice and fluffy, and easy to make as well! The only frustrating thing is it needs two bowls to prepare, one to mix all dry and most wet ingredients together, and the second to whip the egg white! Washing has never been a thing that I like to do! My dearest hubby clean up the mess after me most of times! =P

Serves 2

1 cup self raising flour

1/6 cup of caster sugar

1 egg, separated

15g butter, melted

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cup buttermilk

maple syrup

1) Combine flour and sugar in a large bowl, whisk in combined egg yolk, butter, extract and buttermilk.

2) Beat egg white in small bowl until soft peak form. Fold 1/3 of egg white into batter, then fold in remaining.

3) Pour a ladle of batter into a hot oiled pan in medium to low heat until lightly browned on both sides.

I think the most important thing in making pancake is patience!!! If the pan is too hot, the outside will get burn and the inside still uncooked. If the heat is too low, it will just take forever.

This time I've made 6 pancakes from the recipe above. This time I've topped mine with white nectarine which is in season, and the REAL Canadian Maple syrup. Delicious!!!!

Valentines Day Dinner

Orange Sweet Potato and Ditalini Patties

Marinated Lamb Cutlet with Roast Vege

Chocolate & Hazelnut Self-Saucing Pudding with Ice Cream

Well well well... here comes valentines day again! More than one week before Valentines Day, I asked my hubby whether he wants to eat out or eat at home, and he said 'lets eat out!', then I said... 'ok then, you have to go and find a place for dinner!' and he agreed with no problem. And guess what! 2 days before valentines day I asked him where we're going for dinner.... and he said he still haven't booked anything yet! In another word, we'll eat at home!

To make up for his bad, he promised that he would cook dinner for moi!

The night before Valentines Day I saw him doing his last minute homework, going through my collection of cook books to see what he can do for dinner!

Usually he's pretty bad with his cooking time management, usually I have to wait at least an hour before the food appears before me, even though I told him what time I'd be home! But this time, big improvement! 30 minutes wait only! By the time I got home from work and had a shower then settled down, dinner was ready!

Menu for the night:

Entree: Orange Sweet Potato and Ditalini Patties

Main: Marinated Lamb Cutlet with Roast Vege

Dessert: Chocolate & Hazelnut Self-Saucing Pudding with Ice Cream

Although we didn't end up going to dinner as planned, but hubby's homemade dinner was truly awesome, especially when we spent the whole night just watching those Chinese drama, and nothing else!! hahah...

All full and hugged my tummy to snooze that night feeling sweet and satisfied!!! =)