Life sucks... and then you die!
Friday, 27 May 2011
Wednesday, 25 May 2011
Dutch Style Sausage Rolls a.k.a. Brabantse Worstenbroodjes
This is a really yummy treat. They go very well with a pint of cold beer and you can eat the rolls warm or cold. For people who like to dip, serve with tomato ketchup or sweet chili sauce. It is really delicious with the Dutch style 'Curry sauce'. (Not available in NZ.) Make the rolls as big as you like. We were having friends over for drinks and nibbles and I decided to go for the bite-size option.
Ingredients:
For the Dough
- 500 gr High Grade (strong) flour
- 25 gr fresh yeast or 1 sachet instant dried yeast (is 7 gr)
(when using dried yeast, add 1 tsp sugar to activate the yeast)
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 250 ml lukewarm milk
- 50 gr butter, melted
- 2 eggs
- plain flour
- 1 tsp olive oil
Filling
- 500 gr minced meat
- 70 gr bread crumbs or 2 slices of white bread, cut off crusts and crumble
- 1 egg
- 4-5 tsp Gehaktkruiden*
*In the Netherlands you can buy specific spices for mince, also known as 'gehaktkruiden'. However, it is quite difficult to get your hands on these spices when living on the Southern Hemisphere. Therefore, I made my own mix and will share this highly confidential secret with you guys!
Gehaktkruiden:
- 4 tsp salt
- 3 tsp ground nutmeg
- 2 tsp ground white pepper if available, otherwise black pepper will do just fine
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp mustard powder
- 1 tsp marjoram
- 1½ tsp ground coriander
- 1½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp ground cloves (optional). careful with cloves, it can be overpowering
About 4 tsp is enough for 500 gr of mince. You can store the rest of the spice mix in an airtight container.
Utensils:
- big mixing bowl x3
- measuring spoons
- whisk
- cling film
- cup
- fork
- knife
- pastry brush
- baking paper
- baking tray
- tea towel
Preparation:
Start with the dough. Mix the high grade flour with the salt in one bowl. In another dissolve the yeast in the milk. (When using dried yeast, stir 1 tsp of sugar and the yeast in the milk. Let it sit for 10 minutes or until frothy. That means that the yeast is activated and ready to use.) Whisk in the melted butter and one egg until combined. Add the flour to the milk and yeast mixture and combine. Tip out of the bowl onto a lightly floured bench top and knead for about 10 minutes. The dough must feel smooth and bounce back when pressing with your finger tip. When the dough is too wet to knead, add a little more flour, but be careful because you might end up with a very tough and dry dough. It is better to have a relatively wet dough than a dry and tough dough. If the dough feels a bit dry, wet your hands with water and knead again.
Clean the bowl and rub the inside with 1 tsp olive oil. Put the dough in the bowl and cover with cling film. Leave to rise in a warm place (25ºC) for 1-1,5 hour or until doubled in size.
For the filling, combine the mince, breadcrumbs, egg and gehaktkruiden and mix thoroughly. Take a little bit of the mixture and roll a sausage between the palms of your hands. If you find the meat is too sticky and you can't roll properly, try wetting your hands with cold water. Make the sausages as big as you would like to serve the bread rolls. For a snack I made the sausages about 5 cm long. If you're already finished preparing the sausages, but the dough isn't ready yet, cover the sausages and put back in the fridge. Cover the baking tray with baking paper.
Once the bread is ready, carefully turn it on a lightly floured worktop. Press the dough gently to flatten it. Roll the dough out to 5 mm thick and cut it into rectangles. I always cut the dough as I go to prevent cutting the rectangles too small. Put one sausage at the beginning of your rectangle and gently roll it like a wrap. You can leave the sides open if you want, or you can tuck both sides underneath the roll. Place the bread roll onto the baking tray, seam side down. Repeat the same steps with all the sausages.
Cover with a tea towel and let the rolls rise for another 30-60 minutes, until the rolls have doubled in size. Preheat the oven to 220ºC and beat the second egg in a cup. Brush the rolls with the beaten egg. Bake the sausage rolls on 220ºC for 25-30 minutes or when they're golden brown and a skewer comes out clean when tested. Cool on a wire rack if you can wait that long, or dive in straight away!
If you have any dough left, shape it in any form you like and let is rise as well. Bake together with the sausage rolls. (Same temperature, same time.)
Ingredients:
For the Dough
- 500 gr High Grade (strong) flour
- 25 gr fresh yeast or 1 sachet instant dried yeast (is 7 gr)
(when using dried yeast, add 1 tsp sugar to activate the yeast)
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 250 ml lukewarm milk
- 50 gr butter, melted
- 2 eggs
- plain flour
- 1 tsp olive oil
Filling
- 500 gr minced meat
- 70 gr bread crumbs or 2 slices of white bread, cut off crusts and crumble
- 1 egg
- 4-5 tsp Gehaktkruiden*
*In the Netherlands you can buy specific spices for mince, also known as 'gehaktkruiden'. However, it is quite difficult to get your hands on these spices when living on the Southern Hemisphere. Therefore, I made my own mix and will share this highly confidential secret with you guys!
Gehaktkruiden:
- 4 tsp salt
- 3 tsp ground nutmeg
- 2 tsp ground white pepper if available, otherwise black pepper will do just fine
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp mustard powder
- 1 tsp marjoram
- 1½ tsp ground coriander
- 1½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp ground cloves (optional). careful with cloves, it can be overpowering
About 4 tsp is enough for 500 gr of mince. You can store the rest of the spice mix in an airtight container.
Utensils:
- big mixing bowl x3
- measuring spoons
- whisk
- cling film
- cup
- fork
- knife
- pastry brush
- baking paper
- baking tray
- tea towel
Preparation:
Start with the dough. Mix the high grade flour with the salt in one bowl. In another dissolve the yeast in the milk. (When using dried yeast, stir 1 tsp of sugar and the yeast in the milk. Let it sit for 10 minutes or until frothy. That means that the yeast is activated and ready to use.) Whisk in the melted butter and one egg until combined. Add the flour to the milk and yeast mixture and combine. Tip out of the bowl onto a lightly floured bench top and knead for about 10 minutes. The dough must feel smooth and bounce back when pressing with your finger tip. When the dough is too wet to knead, add a little more flour, but be careful because you might end up with a very tough and dry dough. It is better to have a relatively wet dough than a dry and tough dough. If the dough feels a bit dry, wet your hands with water and knead again.
Clean the bowl and rub the inside with 1 tsp olive oil. Put the dough in the bowl and cover with cling film. Leave to rise in a warm place (25ºC) for 1-1,5 hour or until doubled in size.
For the filling, combine the mince, breadcrumbs, egg and gehaktkruiden and mix thoroughly. Take a little bit of the mixture and roll a sausage between the palms of your hands. If you find the meat is too sticky and you can't roll properly, try wetting your hands with cold water. Make the sausages as big as you would like to serve the bread rolls. For a snack I made the sausages about 5 cm long. If you're already finished preparing the sausages, but the dough isn't ready yet, cover the sausages and put back in the fridge. Cover the baking tray with baking paper.
Once the bread is ready, carefully turn it on a lightly floured worktop. Press the dough gently to flatten it. Roll the dough out to 5 mm thick and cut it into rectangles. I always cut the dough as I go to prevent cutting the rectangles too small. Put one sausage at the beginning of your rectangle and gently roll it like a wrap. You can leave the sides open if you want, or you can tuck both sides underneath the roll. Place the bread roll onto the baking tray, seam side down. Repeat the same steps with all the sausages.
Cover with a tea towel and let the rolls rise for another 30-60 minutes, until the rolls have doubled in size. Preheat the oven to 220ºC and beat the second egg in a cup. Brush the rolls with the beaten egg. Bake the sausage rolls on 220ºC for 25-30 minutes or when they're golden brown and a skewer comes out clean when tested. Cool on a wire rack if you can wait that long, or dive in straight away!
If you have any dough left, shape it in any form you like and let is rise as well. Bake together with the sausage rolls. (Same temperature, same time.)
Friday, 20 May 2011
Mastering The Art Of French Cooking
Problably the whole world, except me, has seen the film 'Julie and Julia'. I've read the book though, does that count as well?... Strolling through the library I found the 'most influential cookbook of American history'; Mastering The Art Of French Cooking, by Julia Childs. I couldn't resist it and took the book home with me. It turns out to be the Fourtieth Anniversary Edition. Julia Childs herself has written an introduction. She declares that everybody can cook the recipes from her book. So I would like to give it a try. She didn't mention dummies though, but we'll see. I know it's all been-there-done-that and it is a far cry from originality, but what the heck. One recipe a week will be my goal. Keep you guys posted!...
Marinated Mushrooms
Start this dish one or two days in advance. The flavours and herbs need time to develop. This is an easy recipe and will take no longer than 25 minutes to prepare.
Ingredients:
- 150 ml white wine vinegar
- 6 black peppercorns, crushed
- 2 cloves garlic, finely diced
- 75 ml (5 Tbsp) olive oil
- 75 ml (5 Tbsp) water
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 Tbsp oregano (dried)
- 1 tsp salt
- 500 gr white button mushrooms
Utensils:
- piece of paper towel
- small pot
- measuring spoons
- sieve or colander
- bowl
- cling film
- serving dish
Preparation:
Put everything except the mushrooms in a (small) pot and bring to the boil over a medium heat. Then turn the heat low and let the marinade simmer for 15 minutes.
In the meantime, clean the mushrooms with the paper towel (Do not rinse with water otherwise they will soak up all the water and go soggy!) and add to the pot. Cook for five minutes. Turn the heat off and let the mixture cool. When cold, transfer the mushrooms and marinade to a bowl and cover with cling film. Let it sit in the fridge to marinate for 1-2 days.
Before serving, drain the mushrooms in a colander and transfer to the serving dish.
Serve with fresh French bread (baguette), toast or garlic bread and a good glass of your favourite wine.
Ingredients:
- 150 ml white wine vinegar
- 6 black peppercorns, crushed
- 2 cloves garlic, finely diced
- 75 ml (5 Tbsp) olive oil
- 75 ml (5 Tbsp) water
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 Tbsp oregano (dried)
- 1 tsp salt
- 500 gr white button mushrooms
Utensils:
- piece of paper towel
- small pot
- measuring spoons
- sieve or colander
- bowl
- cling film
- serving dish
Preparation:
Put everything except the mushrooms in a (small) pot and bring to the boil over a medium heat. Then turn the heat low and let the marinade simmer for 15 minutes.
In the meantime, clean the mushrooms with the paper towel (Do not rinse with water otherwise they will soak up all the water and go soggy!) and add to the pot. Cook for five minutes. Turn the heat off and let the mixture cool. When cold, transfer the mushrooms and marinade to a bowl and cover with cling film. Let it sit in the fridge to marinate for 1-2 days.
Before serving, drain the mushrooms in a colander and transfer to the serving dish.
Serve with fresh French bread (baguette), toast or garlic bread and a good glass of your favourite wine.
Wednesday, 18 May 2011
Flying Cupcakes
Last night was a bit of a disaster actually. During daytime I work as a nurse in the operating theatre and today we had a big day at the office. So I thought I could bring something for morning tea. It's always good to please the doctor, isn't it?!
I must admit, I've never made cupcakes before. I always thought it was more of a girly-girl thing. Turns out I was completely wrong, it's a true art!
So far my first ever made cupcakes...
I tried one myself and the dog was quite happy to sacrifice herself for the rest. To be honest, the taste was not too bad. When I read the recipe from the Internet site, it turned out they put the paper cupcake cases in a muffin tin. This really helped the cakes shape nicely. OK, useful tip that I discovered áfter things went wrong.
Next step was the gluten free cakes. I substituted the self-raising flour for rice flour and 1 tsp baking powder. But as I discovered along the way, rice flour works a bit different than ordinary flour. The first batch was bubbling and foaming like an erupting volcano (or something like that), the second one needed twice the amount of cooking time and finally, third time lucky, the last batch came out quite nicely. Well, good enough for my standards anyway.
Paul had to work late, so I had the kitchen to myself. (It's always better to screw up alone...) One of my colleagues has a gluten allergy and I decided to bake something gluten free. I quickly googled for a cupcake recipe and used the one from http://www.vanillacupcake.co.nz/
(Looking back it might have been a better idea to look for a gluten free option, but hey I'm a dummy and for some reason I like to do things the most difficult way possible!)
I must admit, I've never made cupcakes before. I always thought it was more of a girly-girl thing. Turns out I was completely wrong, it's a true art!
I planned on a quickie and bought an easy-to-make-failing-is-not-an-option packet for the normal cupcakes. You only have to add milk, eggs and oil and voíla, piece of cake you would think. Only this ready-to-make mix was for a cake instead of cupcakes. But how hard can it be?! According to the directions I had to pour the cake in the tin and bake in the oven for 60 minutes on 140ºC. So I decided to pour the mixture in little cupcake cases instead and baked it for 20 minutes. After 15 minutes, the cakes were still very wet (almost liquid), so I decided to increase the temperature to 180ºC. This helped cooking the cakes, but the mixture turned out to be too moist and this is the result:
So far my first ever made cupcakes...
I tried one myself and the dog was quite happy to sacrifice herself for the rest. To be honest, the taste was not too bad. When I read the recipe from the Internet site, it turned out they put the paper cupcake cases in a muffin tin. This really helped the cakes shape nicely. OK, useful tip that I discovered áfter things went wrong.
Next step was the gluten free cakes. I substituted the self-raising flour for rice flour and 1 tsp baking powder. But as I discovered along the way, rice flour works a bit different than ordinary flour. The first batch was bubbling and foaming like an erupting volcano (or something like that), the second one needed twice the amount of cooking time and finally, third time lucky, the last batch came out quite nicely. Well, good enough for my standards anyway.
After three gruelling hours, both the dog and I were nauseous of eating all the 'miscarriages' and I had had enough of it. It felt beyond humanity! At one stage I really felt the urge to see if cupcakes can fly... I poured the last batch of mixture into a 20cm round cake pan and threw it literally in the oven. I quickly made some icing and tried to decorate the tops. I decided to sprinkle some rainbow strands over the cakes to cover up the chaos underneath it all.
So no more cupcakes for me. Done and dusted! And the worst thing of all this is that I almost missed Desperate Housewives!...
P.s. Everybody said they loved the cupcakes and by the time I went home there were only three cakes left. I'm not completely sure if they were truly honest or just being polite...
Sunday, 15 May 2011
Chocolate Mousse
This is the most divine chocolate mousse I ever tasted! It is one of my favourite recipes and you really wow your guests with this dish. The most tricky bit of this recipe is splitting the eggs and beating the egg whites to stiff peaks. make sure your bowl and utensils are clean and fat free. Even if there's a tiny amount of yolk in the bowl with the whites, you can beat until your arm falls off, but you won't get stiff peaks. A fool proof method is to break one egg at the time into a small cup. Then pour the egg white into the big bowl and break another egg above the small cup. This will prevent you from throwing the bowl through the window! And it will save you on eggs. Trust me, I've been there...
The Brandy gives a nice touch to the mousse. You can also leave the Brandy out if you want an alcohol free chocolate mousse. But I have to tell you it won't be the same!Serves 6.
Ingredients:
- 200 gr good quality chocolate, chopped (I use Whittaker's 50% cocoa)
- 30 gr unsalted butter, diced
- 5 eggs
- 2 Tbsp Brandy
- 3 Tbsp caster sugar
Utensils:
- 2 big bowls
- 1 heatproof small bowl
- Cup
- Electric mixer or hand mixer
- Large metal spoon
- Scale
- Small pot that can hold your small heatproof bowl,
filled with about 2 fingers of water
- Spoon
- Knife
- Teaspoon and Tablespoon for measuring
- Big serving bowl or small lemonade glasses
- Stove and fridge
Preparation:
Put the pot with water on the stove and heat the water. Do not let the water boil or you'll burn the chocolate. Put the chopped chocolate and diced butter in the small heatproof bowl and place the bowl on the pot. Make sure the water in the pot does not touch the bowl. Melt the chocolate and butter, stirring occasionally. Do not let the chocolate get too hot or it will be oily and go grainy when stirring in the egg yolks. As soon as most of the chocolate has melted, take the bowl of the pot (careful not to burn yourself) and stir a couple of times until all the chocolate pieces have been dissolved.
In the meantime, separate the eggs. Combine the egg yolks with the Brandy in one bowl and the egg whites and caster sugar in the second bowl. Gently stir the chocolate mixture in the egg yolks. Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks. (They will look thick and glossy.)This will take approximately 6-7 minutes. You can test if the whites are stiff enough by holding the bowl upside down. If the whites will stick, then your good. Don't put the bowl upside down over your head though. Make sure you trust your skills enough before you do that. If you really want to challenge yourself, do it when nobody is watching!
Using the large metal spoon, stir a 1/4 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to enlighten it. Fold in the remaining egg whites, gently but thoroughly, leaving no white streaks or lumps in the mixture. If you beat vigorously then all the air you've been trying to create inside the whites while mixing them, will disappear and you'll get a dense, slimy mousse that is not nice to eat. Let alone serving it to guests. Pour the mixture into the serving bowl or the small glasses and refrigerate until set.
Really delicious with a good dollop of cream and a big scoop of ice cream. You can also scatter some chocolate shavings over the mousse before serving and serve with a little bit of the Brandy. If there's any left...
Note: This recipe is not suitable for pregnant women, as it contains raw eggs!
Soft Fresh Cheese
When making cheese the best recipe to start off with is soft fresh cheese. You don't need any fancy equipment or cultures for this delicious cheese. I've tried several recipes, but this one works best for my taste buds. This recipe requires overnight draining, so start preparing the cheese one day before you actually want to serve it.
Makes about 2 cups.
Ingredients:
- 1 liter plain unsweetened yoghurt ( I prefer Greek style yoghurt)
- 1 to 1.5 tsp salt (according to taste)
- Generous handful of mixed fresh herbs, such as rosemary, thyme, basil, chives; finely chopped
Utensils:
- 1.5 liter capacity bowl x2
- Big lid that can cover the sieve
- Sieve or fine colander
- Muslin cloth (cheese cloth) or thin tea towel (I use a bandana)
- Spoon
- Teaspoon
- Chopping board and sharp knife
You can also use dried herbs, but it will definitely give a different taste to the cheese. You can use all of the above herbs, or only one variety. Just use what you like and try different flavourings every time you make the cheese. After a while you'll know what you like the most.
Preparation:
Mix the yoghurt with the salt in one bowl. Drape the muslin cloth or clean tea towel over the sieve and place the sieve over the second bowl. Make sure the sieve can stand in the bowl. (A wobbly sieve can collapse as soon as you pour the yoghurt mixture in the sieve.) Pour the yoghurt mixture into the sieve and put the lid on top of the sieve. Place it in the fridge and let it drain overnight.
In the morning you'll see that all the liquid has drained from the yoghurt. This is also called whey. You can either discard the liquid (Do not pour it down the sink if you have a septic tank! The bacteria in the tank won't thank you for that and it can destroy the good bacteria.) or give it to the chooks. They'll go mad and it is good for the egg production as well. You can also pour it onto compost if you have some. Seems to be really beneficial.
You'll see that there is a firm substance left in the sieve. That's your cheese. Ladle the cheese out of the sieve into a clean (serving)bowl and stir in the finely chopped herbs. Cover the bowl with cling film and let it sit in the fridge for a couple of hours for the flavours to develop.
This cheese will keep in a covered container for over a week in the fridge and is delicious served on a piece of warm French bread (baguette) or crackers. After a couple of days you might see some water (whey) on the bottom of the bowl/container. No worries, you can still eat the cheese. Just drain the whey and stir the cheese and you'll be fine.
Variation:
If you have a sweet tooth and would like to serve the cheese as a dessert, omit the fresh herbs and mix 2 Tbsp of liquid honey and 1 tsp ground cinnamon through the mixture.
You can use the sweet version for breakfast with toasted muesli and fresh fruit or as a light snack. When serving for dessert pour a generous dollop of cheese on a plate and scatter nuts around the cheese. Garnish the plate with fruit (pear, dates, figs or slices of green tart apple) and drizzle with some honey.
Makes about 2 cups.
Ingredients:
- 1 liter plain unsweetened yoghurt ( I prefer Greek style yoghurt)
- 1 to 1.5 tsp salt (according to taste)
- Generous handful of mixed fresh herbs, such as rosemary, thyme, basil, chives; finely chopped
Utensils:
- 1.5 liter capacity bowl x2
- Big lid that can cover the sieve
- Sieve or fine colander
- Muslin cloth (cheese cloth) or thin tea towel (I use a bandana)
- Spoon
- Teaspoon
- Chopping board and sharp knife
You can also use dried herbs, but it will definitely give a different taste to the cheese. You can use all of the above herbs, or only one variety. Just use what you like and try different flavourings every time you make the cheese. After a while you'll know what you like the most.
Preparation:
Mix the yoghurt with the salt in one bowl. Drape the muslin cloth or clean tea towel over the sieve and place the sieve over the second bowl. Make sure the sieve can stand in the bowl. (A wobbly sieve can collapse as soon as you pour the yoghurt mixture in the sieve.) Pour the yoghurt mixture into the sieve and put the lid on top of the sieve. Place it in the fridge and let it drain overnight.
In the morning you'll see that all the liquid has drained from the yoghurt. This is also called whey. You can either discard the liquid (Do not pour it down the sink if you have a septic tank! The bacteria in the tank won't thank you for that and it can destroy the good bacteria.) or give it to the chooks. They'll go mad and it is good for the egg production as well. You can also pour it onto compost if you have some. Seems to be really beneficial.
You'll see that there is a firm substance left in the sieve. That's your cheese. Ladle the cheese out of the sieve into a clean (serving)bowl and stir in the finely chopped herbs. Cover the bowl with cling film and let it sit in the fridge for a couple of hours for the flavours to develop.
This cheese will keep in a covered container for over a week in the fridge and is delicious served on a piece of warm French bread (baguette) or crackers. After a couple of days you might see some water (whey) on the bottom of the bowl/container. No worries, you can still eat the cheese. Just drain the whey and stir the cheese and you'll be fine.
Variation:
If you have a sweet tooth and would like to serve the cheese as a dessert, omit the fresh herbs and mix 2 Tbsp of liquid honey and 1 tsp ground cinnamon through the mixture.
You can use the sweet version for breakfast with toasted muesli and fresh fruit or as a light snack. When serving for dessert pour a generous dollop of cheese on a plate and scatter nuts around the cheese. Garnish the plate with fruit (pear, dates, figs or slices of green tart apple) and drizzle with some honey.
Saturday, 14 May 2011
First Kickoff
Welcome to the Cooking for Dummies-Blog. Hope you find yourself some useful recipes, tips and tricks to help you whip up some really delicious treats for yourself, family and friends. Keep in mind though that all recipes have been thoroughly tested and will only be published if both Paul and I are convinced the recipe is amazing and a keeper. Having said that, not all recipes are of great benefit for your waistline! If on a diet, please substitute or omit certain ingredients.
Enjoy, indulge and live the good life...
Cheers,
Paul & Claudia
Enjoy, indulge and live the good life...Cheers,
Paul & Claudia
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