Pedro Ximenez Slow Roasted Osso Bucco With Orange and Corriander Gremolata Flavoured Pearl Cous Cous

Osso Bucco is traditionally served with Gremolata -  a mixture of herb and citrus zest with a hint of garlic...match made in heaven.  I have gone a little alternative with this recipe. Inspired by Pearl Cous Cous that I had for the first time in a beautiful Syrian Duck Salad at Almond Bar, Darlinghurst I had recently bought a pack which was stashed away in my pantry so decided to get adventurous. I have made a Gremolata with Corriander, Garlic and Orange Zest and mixed through the Pearl Cous Cous with a little butter.... Sensational match with the slow roasted Osso Bucco which is flavoured with Pedro Ximenex Dry Sherry.   

Serves 4

Pearl Cous Cous Gremolata

1 cup pearl cous cous

2 cups water

1 tablespoon Vegeta (shhhh...I love this stuff)

25gr butter

1 1/2 teaspoon garlic paste

1/4 bunch finely chopped corriander

Zest of 1 medium orange

Salt to season

Add water and Vegeta to a small non stick pot and add pearl cous cous.

Bring to the boil and reduce to a simmer.  Cook for approximately 8 minutes.  

Once all the water has evaporated and the cous cous is cooked add the butter, garlic, corriander and the orange zest.

Season with salt and cover with lid.

Osso Bucco

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees celsius.

4 Veal Osso Bucco

1/2 cup plain flour

Olive Oil

2 onions - quartered

2 carrots - peeled and chopped

2 celery stalks - chopped

1/2 bunch thyme

1/4 bunch parsley - finely chopped

2 large ripe tomatoes - chopped

2 cups beef or chicken stock

1 cup Pedro Ximenex Dry Sherry

8 small chat potatoes - halved

1 cup flat green beens - chopped

Salt / Pepper to taste

I cook my Osso Bucco in a casserole dish which can go from stovetop to oven.

Coat each Osso Bucco with flour and shake out excess.

Add Olive Oil to pan and brown Osso Bucco on each side until golden.

Remove and place on a plate.

To the pan add the onion, carrot, celery and thyme.  Cook until the onion is soft.

Deglaze with Pedro Ximenex.  Add to the pan and cook for 2 minutes.

Add the chicken stock.

Add the tomatoes and the parsley.

Place the Osso Bucco back in the pan.

Cover and place in the oven for 2 hours.

Remove at 1 1/2 hours and add the chat potatoes and the beans.

Continue to cook until the potatoes are done and the meat is falling off the bone.

Serve on a bed of Pearl Cous Cous.

Enjoy!

Cumquat, Lime and Ginger Infused Panna Cotta

 

Velvety smooth creamy Panna Cotta lightly fragranced with Kaffir Lime Leaves, the tang of Cumquat and the subtle but peppery pop of Ginger.  Balanced with a lightly infused sugar syrup...absolutely gorgeous dessert.

Panna Cotta:

250ml fresh cream

50ml milk

50g sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla paste

4 kaffir lime leaves - torn

6 cumquats

5cm piece fresh ginger - finely sliced

2 silver grade gelatine leaves 

Infused Sugar Syrup:

3/4 cup water

3/4 cup caster sugar

6 kaffir lime leaves - finely sliced

5cm pice of fresh finer - finely sliced

Peel of 1 orange - finely sliced

Panna Cotta

Place gelatine is a small bowl of cold water until soft

In a small pot over medium heat place the, fresh cream, milk, sugar and vanilla bean paste.  Stir until sugar has dissolved.

Add the torn kaffir lime leaves, the cumquats and the finely sliced ginger.

Bring to the boil and remove from the heat.

Set aside for approximately 10 minutes for the flavours to infuse.

Remove the gelatine leaves from the water and squeeze out the excess water.  Place the gelatine into the cream mixture and whisk until dissolved.

Using a sieve pour the Panna Cotta mixture into a jug.

Pour the Panna Cotta into individual serving dishes.

Place into the refrigerator for approximately 4 hours or preferably overnight.

Infused Sugar Syrup

Finely slice the kaffir lime leaves.

Peel and finely slice the fresh ginger.

Using a vegetable peeler, peel the skin of 1 large orange - remove any pith from the underside of the peel. Slice very finely.

Place the water and sugar into a small bowl over a medium heat.

Heat until sugar has dissolved.

Add the finely sliced kaffir lime leaves, the fresh ginger and the orange peel.

Continue to cook over a gentle heat for approximately 20 minutes until the orange peel has candied and the sugar has a syrupy consistency.

To Serve

You can choose to de-mould each Panna Cotta or serve in individual dish.  Either way top with the candied orange, kaffir lime and ginger and drizzle with the syrup.

Enjoy!!

Vinocotto Basted Chicken Fillet - David Franz Inspired (David Franz Vinocotto 2013)

On our recent trip to The Barossa Valley we were lucky enough to have had a private wine tasting with David Franz of David Franz Wines.  Well I cannot even tell you how many bottles David opened for us...many! The one that I can definately remember and ordered a beautiful 1.5Litre Magnum of was David's gorgeous 2013 Vinocotto.  I could not wait to try a recipe with it. Vinocotto is a grape juice reduction used to sweeten, brighten and balance flavours. Full bodied...absolutely delicious!

I've used it on tonights dinner - Vinocotto Basted Chicken Thigh Fillet flavoured with garlic and corriander, sprinkled with black and white sesame seeds for a subtle nutty flavour.

6 Chicken Thigh Fillets

Olive Oil - 1/4 cup

Salt / Pepper

Crushed Garlic

1/2 bunch Corriander - finely chopped

1/4 cup David Franz 2013 Vinocotto

Black and White Sesame seeds to sprinkle

3 Onions - sliced in rounds

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees celsius

Place the chicken thigh fillets into a bowl and season with salt.

Add the crushed garlic, corriander and olive oil to the chicken and stir with a wooden spoon to combine.

Add the olive oil to your fry pan and bring to a medium heat.

Add the onion rounds and sweat until they turn clear. This will release their sweetness. Once soft remove from the fry pan and place on a baking tray.  Do not allow the onions to brown as they will release a bitter taste.

Bring the olive oil back to a high heat and add 3 chicken thigh fillets to the pan.  

Cook on both sides until nice and golden - approximately 6 minutes each side.

You do not want to completely cook through in the pan - the pan is starting the cooking process and giving the chicken some colour.  

Once the first batch of chicken is cooked remove and place on top of the onions in the baking tray.

Repeat with the second batch of chicken.

Once the chicken has been fried brush the Vinocotto on each piece, sprinkle with the sesame seeds and place in the pre-heated oven for 20 minutes to cook through.

Midway remove the baking tray from the oven and baste the chicken with the juices from the baking dish. This will form a gorgeous Vinocotto glaze on your chicken.

Serve with Steamed Jasmine Rice.

Enjoy!

Valrhona Chocolate Olive Oil Cake

Amazingly Moist, Decadent & Heavenly...Perfectly matched with it's Nutella topping and Pine Nut Bark

Recipe adapted from Nigella Lawson Olive Oil Cake

Pine Nut Bark

100gr Pine Nuts

1 cup Caster Sugar

1/2 cup Water

1 sheet of baking paper

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius

Place pine nuts on a baking sheet in an even layer and slightly roast in the oven for approximately 3-5 minutes.  Keep a close eye on them as they will burn very quickly as their oil starts to release.  You are looking for a slight golden colour.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool by spreading over a sheet of baking paper whilst you make the caramel.

Place the caster sugar and the water in a small saucepan over a gentle heat. Do not stir.  Allow the sugar to melt.  Keep over heat until the sugar turns to a caramel consistency and colour.  Again keep a close eye on this as once it reaches the caramel point it will burn very quickly if left on the heat for much longer.  

Pour directly over the Pine Nuts and allow to cool.

Once cool break pieces of the bark and use to decorate the cake.

Valrhona Chocolate Olive Oil Cake

Pre heat oven to 170 degrees celsius

150ml Olive Oil -  a lighter flavoured olive oil works best opposed to an Extra Virgin Olive Oil

50g Valrhona Cocoa Powder

125ml boiling water

2 teaspoons Vanilla Paste

150g Almond Meal

1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder

Pinch of Salt

200g Caster Sugar

3 Large Eggs

Grease and line a spring form cake tin with 22cm dimension

Sift the Cocoa Powder into a bowl and add the boiling water.  Mix until you have a smooth paste.  Add the vanilla paste and set aside to cool.

Add the Almond Meal, Baking Powder and Salt to a medium bowl.

Using a mixer with the paddle attachment, add the sugar, olive oil and eggs and beat vigorously until it is pale in colour and thick and creamy in consistency.

Turn your mixer to a slower speed and add the cocoa mixture.

To this add the Almond Meal mixture.

Beat until all incorporated.

Pour mixture into prepared tine and bake for approximately 40 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.

The cake is very moist so there may be a few crumby bits that stick to the skewer.

Remove from oven and allow to cool for approximately 10 minutes before turning out.

Nutella Topping

Once the cake is turned out spread the Nutella evenly over the top.  The warmth of the cake will make it easier for the Nutella to spread.

Once all evenly spread...using a wooden skewer draw diagonal lines each way to form diamond shapes.

Decorate around the cake with the Pine Nut Bark.

You can omit the Nutella Topping and Pine Nut Bark and instead serve warm from the oven with a gorgeous scoop of Vanilla Bean Ice-Cream.

Enjoy!

Orange Scented French Toast

 Scented with Orange Zest and slightly spiced with Cinnamon...A Perfect Sunday Brunch

Orange Scented French Toast

10 slices of Italian Sliced Bread

6 Eggs

Zest of 1 large Orange

1 teaspoon Vanilla Paste

Cinnamon to dust

Caster Sugar to sprinkle

The Juice of 2 oranges

Oil for frying

In a bowl crack each egg and whisk slightly until mixed.

To the eggs add the Orange Zest and the Vanilla Paste.

Mix to combine.

Place oil in shallow fry pan and bring to heat.

Dip the sliced bread one at a time in the egg mixture and coat each side well.

Place in oil and lightly fry until golden in colour.

Remove and place on paper towel.

Drizzle with the Orange Juice and sprinkle with Caster Sugar and Cinnamon.

The addition of the orange juice combined with the sugar and cinnamon creates a slightly sweet spiced syrup. Totally Scrumptious!

Enjoy for Brunch with a nice freshly brewed coffee or tea.

Enjoy!

Baked Fuji Fruit

I am a huge fan of Persimmons.  They are abundant in Sydney during the winter months.  I have however always shied away from their cousin the Fuji Fruit.

Fuji Fruit are crisp and sweet and do not have to be over ripe to be enjoyed, whereas the Persimmons have to be extremely ripe otherwise they are astringent and displeasing to the palate.

I decided to play around with the Fuji Fruit.


I quite enjoy a Baked Brie or Camembert and often pop one in the oven topped with raisins and walnuts and drizzled with maple syrup,  when I have friends round for a drink.  (Recipe Soon).  So I thought the Fuji Fruit would be a great accompaniment to the cheese and yes I was right.  It went down a treat.  Paired with a chilled dessert wine and some crisp crackers, this was a great match with the soft oozing Camembert that we served it with.

Pre heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius


4 Large Fuji Fruit
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup water
1/4 cup Vino Cotto
3 Cinnamon Quills

Remove Stalk and Cut each Fuji Fruit into quarters

Place sugar, water, Vino Cotto and Cinnamon Quills in baking dish*.  Stir to Combine.

Place Fuji Fruit into baking dish.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Once soft, spoon syrup onto Fuji Fruit and place under grill to caramelise nicely for approximately 6-8 minutes.

Serve on a Cheese Platter or as an accompaniment to a Baked Brie or Camambert.



Enjoy!

Golden Gaytime Cake

Who doesn't love a Golden Gaytime? And even more amazing...It's No Bake!

This cake has been trending on the internet lately. Phoodie has a fantastic blog and amazing recipes.   I just had to give it a go.

Actually my twin daughters recently celebrated their birthdays and asked me to make this cake to share with their friends.  It was a hit.  

You could definitely make an adult version by adding a good splash of Baileys Irish Cream which would work a treat and give it that little bit of a kick.




Use a 30cm square cake tin.  Serves 16 small portions (it's quite decadent).

9 Golden Gaytime Ice Creams
2 Litres Plain Vanilla Ice Cream
1 packet Marie Biscuits 250grams

Remove the Vanilla Ice Cream from the freezer and allow to soften.  

Line the square cake tin with plastic wrap allowing the edges to overlap on the sides.  Once you have assembled your cake you will fold these over to enclose.

Carefully remove the ice cream sticks from each of the Golden Gaytimes and place on the bottom of the cake tin.  You will have to halve the last one length ways to fit.

Place Marie biscuits in a food processor and pulse until you have rough chunks of biscuit.  Do not over process as you want some texture in your biscuits.

Add the biscuits to the Vanilla Ice Cream and stir to combine.

Spoon the ice cream biscuit mixture on top of the Gaytimes in the square tin. 

Fold over edges of plastic wrap to enclose and seal.

Place into the freezer for at least 2 hours.

Once set, turn out, remove plastic wrap and dust with icing sugar.

We had the leftovers the day after and it was just as good.



The kids loved this one...Enjoy!  (Try it with Baileys....shhhhh!)

Spiced Cinnamon Baked Pears

I recently visited The Barossa Valley, South Australia and came home with many goodies.  We were fortunate enough to have gone to a Grange Tasting at  Penfolds Winery and I came away with a bottle of Penfolds Father 10 Year Old Tawny Port.  The Port makes these Pears shine...they are just perfect for a cold wintery  after dinner treat.

Perfect on a cold winters night. Nicely spiced with Cinnamon Quills and sweetened with a generous splash of sweet Tawny Port.

I used Beurre Bosc Pears (brown skinned pears). They are perfect for baking as their flesh is sweet and crisp and will not turn to mush once baked. 

Serves 8

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius

8 Beurre Bosc Pears

3/4 cup sugar

1 and 1/4 cups of water

1/4 cup Tawny Port

4 Cinnamon Quills

The peel of 1 lemon

Add sugar, water, port, cinnamon quills and lemon peel to the bottom of the baking tray. Mix to combine.

Add pears upright to the baking dish.

The caramel will form during baking.  At 10 minute intervals spoon the caramel over each pear to coat.

Bake for 40-50 minutes until are soft. Check for softness by inserting a wooden skewer into the pears. 

Enjoy!