All Recipes
Category
Chocolate Buttercream Birthday Cake – Decadent and delicious
I decided, since it was my eldest daughter’s 21st birthday, to have some fun with her birthday cake. I wanted to make it pretty, girly, chocolatey and most of all – it had to taste good. It was also imperative the cake was befitting such a momentous occasion. I think the end result summed up all of those things. This chocolate cake, smothered in chocolate butter cream, is rich, moist and tastes heavenly. I was really happy with the denseness of the cake – being middle ground between buttercake and mudcake. In other words, not as light and fluffy as … Continue Reading
Red Wine Jus – dark, rich and velvety.
If you are going to hold a dinner party, I think going that little bit further is definitely the way to go. Sure, it usually means more work for you but the rewards of having your guests sigh with pleasure when they taste your food most definitely makes it all worthwhile. So to accompany my show stopping centrepiece crown roast, I wanted to provide a dark, rich and velvety jus to drizzle over the dainty cutlets. This recipe is easy to make. There is an intensity as well as a good balance of flavours. Besides, any leftover can be frozen and used … Continue Reading
Wild Rice Stuffing – the perfect filling for a succulent crown roast.
As a follow on from the crown roast post, I thought I should add the recipe for the vibrant and colourful stuffing that uses a mixture of white and wild rice. Apart from providing a tasty accompaniment to serve with your roast, it’s alternative purpose is to provide support for the crown roast as it cooks, allowing the roast to keep its shape. It also looks beautiful when served in the centre of the roast on a beautiful platter. Wild Rice Stuffing Recipe Ingredients 1 cup long grain rice 1 cup wild rice 4 cups of chicken broth 4 stalks … Continue Reading
Baking Masterclass #2 at The Australian Women’s Weekly Test Kitchen with Pamela Clark
There is no better way to spend a rainy, cold day than in the kitchen baking. I always enjoy being in the kitchen with Pamela Clark, Food Director of the Test Kitchen at The Australian Women’s Weekly. Pamela is wonderfully generous with her knowledge and expertise and I always come away with a head swirling with excellent tips and tricks to try at home. All recipes in this post can be sourced in The Australian Women’s Weekly Old-Fashioned Favourites. Today, we are tackling sweet, glossy pear frangipane tart. This is fantastic news for those who are a little reluctant to make their … Continue Reading
Passionfruit Sponge – A Timeless Classic
The New Concise Larousse Gastonomique quotes:- “SPONGE CAKE – A cake that is usually lightened with baking powder or whisked egg whites. There are many varieties, the best known being the French Savoy sponge cake, Swiss (jelly) roll and pound cake.” The sponge cake was thought to have originally been invented in Europe in the early 19th century. Queen Victoria was known to have enjoyed a slice or two for afternoon tea. What other incentive did I have to make this classic cake? Well, my eldest daughter actually requested it, so, being the good mother that I am, I … Continue Reading
Christening Cakes – Mes assez peu de gâteaux de baptême – My pretty little Christening cakes.
“A child is a precious gift from God. And Baptism is God’s gift wrapping” (www.love-of-poems.com) My beautiful little niece was christened recently and I wanted to make something delicate and feminine to celebrate this momentous occasion. These precious little morsels were a great success and made the perfect centrepiece for the buffet table. Glistening royal icing with a slight hint of pink set off with the deeper, fluffier pink butter cream frill and a dainty flower. As you can tell – I love all things ‘sugar, spice and everything nice!’ To start – make your favourite sponge recipe into two slab cakes … Continue Reading
Baking Masterclass – From Cupcakes to Macaroons with Pamela Clark, Food Director of The Australian Women’s Weekly Test Kitchen
I am finally back from my self-imposed hiatus. I enjoyed, over that period of time, many things such as cooking classes, devouring new Cookbooks and of course, cooking for my family and friends. I have also been researching and planning for my trip to the south of France later in the year. Plenty of things to keep an avid cook and writer occupied. Today I want to share with you my experience at the inaugural cooking class at The Australian Women’s Weekly Test Kitchen. The Weekly has finally opened it’s kitchen door to the public for a variety of classes this … Continue Reading
Ruth Reichl’s Boeuf À La Bourguignonne from ‘Tender at the Bone: Growing up at the Table’
As promised, here is the Boeuf A La Bourguignonne recipe – rich, hearty and full bodied. This is ‘the one’s’ favourite for a cold, wintery night. I have to admit I was a little nervous about leaving the meat to marinate for two whole days. I followed the recipe to the ‘T’ and it turned out perfectly. This recipe is sourced directly from Ruth Reichl’s Book - Tender at the Bone: Growing up at the Table. Ingredients 3 cups of red … Continue Reading
Poisson en Papillote with Mango Avocado Salsa
With such a busy household, I always like to have a speedy, yet healthy, recipe on hand for dinner. This is one such recipe. The thing I love about this recipe, apart from being speedy and healthy, is that there are many variations. So you can add flavours as you see fit to suit your tastebuds at the time. You can also use any soft white fish fillets as the parchment holds in the moisture and protects the delicate flesh. Keep in mind that the fillets are steaming, not poaching, so add liquid sparingly. Halibut, Cod, Sole, even Bream … Continue Reading
Classic Sponge Cake
With girlfriends coming, I wanted to put on an elegant but simple afternoon tea. What to make to impress, taste wonderful but be simple to make? The answer: Classic sponge cake! A few people have commented that they find sponges difficult. This is an easy recipe to follow and the results are terrific. A few tips when making: sift the flour three times to make sure it is super fine, make sure your eggs are room-temperature and when adding the sugar, keep beating after each addition until you cannot feel the sugar grains when you rub the mixture between … Continue Reading
Hi I’m Linda
 I’m a food author. Join me as I explore the depths of food, family, friends and fun. | |||
 |
 |
 |
 |
