Tapas-style Garlic Prawns with Chorizo in new dishes

Believe it or not, this recipe came about because of a couple of stoneware serving dishes.
Take a look at these dishes and tell me if you don't think that they are the very, very  good-looking...(said in a Zoolander voice)...

They have the unfortunate name of 'Microstoven' because they can be used in the microwave, on the stove and in the oven.  But best of all, they are non-stick!  I saw the square baking dish first of all, then got the smaller round dishes when they went on sale (the dishes are by Maxwell and Williams, available from Myer and David Jones, etc).

I wasn't sure what to do with the round dishes, but they are the perfect size for tapas for two.  Here is a recipe for garlicky prawns and chorizo that does them justice. 

Garlic Prawns with Chorizo
serves 2

Ingredients
1 large chorizo sausage, sliced thinly
60ml (1/4 cup) olive oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed
400g large green (uncooked) prawns, peeled with tails intact
2 tblsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 tblsp dry sherry
Lemon wedges, to serve

Method
1.  Heat a large non-stick frypan over high heat.  Add the chorizo and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until golden and crisp.  Transfer the chorizo to a plate lined with paper towel.
2.  Reduce frypan heat to low.  Add oil and garlic to the pan and cook for 1 minute.  Add the prawns and cook, stirring for about 3 minutes or until the prawns curl and change colour.
3.  Add the chorizo, parsley and sherry to the pan and stir to combine.
4.  Divide the prawn and chorizo into serving dishes.
5.  Serve with lemon wedges, if desired.

Sliced chorizo sausage, ready for cooking

Garlic prawns with chorizo.  And yes, those are potato gems in the other dish.

Adriano Zumbo Patissier's 60 Flavours of Macaron

It's the day we've all been waiting for, the birthday of Adriano Zumbo, Patissier!  And in celebration, Zumbo himself has created 60 flavours of Macaron, available for this day only.

The hype was built up through the shop, twitter and word of mouth, and so an orderly queue was to be expected at the Patisserie.  Some macaron diehards were the first in line at 7.30am!  Most people had already visited the Zumbo website and worked out which macarons they wanted, but some (like me) were happy to take their chances with the colourful surprises.

Charlie from Zumbo was kept busy with constand deliveries of macarons from the Zumbo kitchens, with box after box being unloaded into the shop.

Yes, that's Adriano Zumbo getting a good deal on a couple of boxes. Heck, they even had his name on them.

The shop window was decorated somewhat with what I assume are macaron rejects, though they look alright to me.

Inside the shop, the senses are overwhelmed by the choice of macarons on the counter and on the shelves.  The whole store was macaron heaven. The macarons were $2 each, except for the black truffle one.

...Macaron heaven, or macaron on a stick...the blue macaron is chup-a-chup flavour, and chocolatesuze is a happy consumer.  And the black truffle macaron ($10 each) would have attracted any truffle-sniffing pigs in the vicinity.

The Zumbo counterstaff were kept busy with filling bags and boxes with macarons.  I have to say that, when I was there, it was done efficiently and with good humour.  It helps when there are so many amazing flavours to choose from and admire.

I actually lost track of which macaron was which, but if you want, do me a favour and try and match the flavours with the pictures below.  Thanks to Charles from the shop for helping with the selection...

Among these macarons are: mastic/yoghurt/cucumber/mint, Vegemite sourdough, burnt toast and butter, Golden Gaytime, Turkish delight, Tanzanian salted chocolate, chocolate and salted caramel, lamington, chup-a-chup, and toasted marshmallow.

I would have gotten more, but I have my lovely figure (ha!) to consider.  So, Happy Birthday, Zumbo, you're a star. 

Sydney Food and Wine Fair 2009 - Fun in the Sun

Q: What do you get when you cross a perfect Spring day with a city that is in the midst of an International Food Festival? 

A: A perfect Sydney Food and Wine Fair, that's what!

Believe it or not, this is the first Food and Wine Fair that I've attended, because in previous years, I've been away on holidays or the weather has been rainy and windy (not too good for outdoor events).  This year, the event was calling out to me, so I made a last-minute effort.  It was held on Saturday, October 31.

Before we get there, here are some pictures taken while waiting for the bus.  Spring has definitely sprung, and it's good to know that my council rates are going towards the upkeep of the local floral displays.  Aren't they gorgeous, especially the jacaranda trees in the church where Balmain markets are held.

I finally arrived at north Hyde Park, where the Fair was on, and it seemed that many others had the same idea as me - to see what food and drink was on.  The Fair was like a more civilised version of the Night Noodle Markets in that the queues at the food stalls were fairly short, maybe because I arrived at 1.30pm, and the food was supposed to be on from 12-2pm. 

They use the coupon system for paying for the food, with each coupon worth $3 though they come in sheets of five.  So, armed with my 5 coupons, I toured the stalls looking for something tasty.

The stalls are quite spread out, from the Macquarie Street end of the park down to past the fountain.  You can sit on the grass or on provided seating, though on a great day like Saturday, the grassed areas were popular.  Also popular was the Ben and Jerry's ice cream van, because they were giving out free ice creams - the queue for it was the longest of them all!

There were even tables set up around the Archibald Fountain, though you may have gotten sprayed by water when the breeze swung around.

Some of the stalls had run out of food when I got there, though some were still serving after 2pm.  Restaurants like Quay, Longrain, Ocean Room and Jonah's were represented, serving mini-dishes that cost 3 to 4 coupons each.

I scored a delicious sausage sandwich from Brasserie Bread (2 coupons).  The bread was lovely, as was the salad which included red slaw and walnuts.

Some stalls served desserts (2 coupons), though I didn't have enough coupons to get anything... I had spent another 2 of my coupons on a Vogue Entertaining showbag which, it eventuated, contained a back issue of the magazine that I already had.... things that make you go 'hmmmm...'.

By this time, I'd finished my sandwich and walked around the park a couple of times.  I had one coupon left, enough for a piece of Rocky Road from Bondi's Brown Sugar.  It was a sweet way to end my quick tour of duty at the Food and Wine Fair.  

This was also the final event of the Sydney International Food Festival, and by most accounts, a successful month all round.

Spaghetti with Crab and Surprise Tomatoes

I've reached the point in my cooking life where I've started to base my homecooked meals on what I have on hand, or what looks good at the grocer or supermarket.  This doesn't happen for parties, or when I've decided to make something in particular, obviously, but lately certain ingredients have been looking rather fetching.

Case in point: these red truss tomatoes.  Usually, my local supermarket has very ordinary ('sub-par') fruit and veg, all pasty, powdery and phewy.  I've been disappointed before, so I am wary.  But these tomatoes tasted as good as they looked (and only $3.98/kg!).  Hopefully they (yes, Woolworths, I'm talking about you) will get their act together now that summer is approaching and the exotic and tropical fruits begin to appear.

With surprise tomatoes in hand, I used this recipe which is based on one from the Gourmet Traveller site, and it's as easy to make as it is to eat.  Red, red tomatoes notwithstanding.

Crab and Tomato Spaghetti

serves 2

Ingredients

60 ml (1/4 cup) olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, crushed

5 anchovy fillets

4 ripe tomatoes, chopped into 2cm (1 inch) pieces

200g crabmeat (I used tinned, but fresh would be better)

300g dried spaghetti or other long pasta

2 tblsp parsley, chopped (I used salsa verde)

Method

1.  Heat olive oil in a large frying pan, add onion and garlic and saute over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until softened.

2.  Add anchovy fillets and stir until dissolved.  Add tomato and cook for 2 minutes.

3.  Stir in the crab and season to taste with salt and pepper.

4.  Meanwhile, cook pasta in boiling salted water until al dente.  Drain and add to crab mixture.

5.  Toss to combine and serve topped with parsley.

Cooking the pasta; ingredients, including crab and anchovies

Serve with parsley - or salsa verde, which also has anchovies in it

Of Halloween cats and bats

I wanted to show something food-related for Halloween, but all I had were some sweets I'm saving for the hordes of children I'm expecting for trick or treat on October 31.  Actually, whenever I don't have anything on hand, there is always a knock on the door and 'Trick or treeeaattt!'.
And whenever I'm prepared (like this year), no one turns up.  Oh well,..

Anyway, Tabitha cat and I hope you have a candy-filled, ghoulish Halloween.

Zumbo Classics with a Twist

In my opinion, the main point of differentiation with Adriano Zumbo Patissier's cakes is the incredible variety and combination of flavours.  The pairing of savoury tastes (of herbs, spices and salt) with the traditional sweetness of cakes keeps us on our toes and constantly surprised.

So it is an obvious step for Zumbo to present 'Classics with a Twist' - old favourites that are given the 'ooh, what's that?' treatment.  Here are some tastes from the 2-week range that graced the patisserie.

Tart Tatin [sic]- apples in sage, brioche pudding, celery jelly, brown sugar crumble.

I really don't know about this one, the sage lends a strange flavour to the apple tartin, and the celery jelly is unusual (you can tell it's celery), but overall, it doesn't work for me.

Belle Helene Millefeuille - Chocolate, mascarpone creme, poached pears, caramelised puff pastry.

The puff pastry in the one I had was slightly burnt, and the chocolate was very rich, so probably not the best of the batch.  Not sure where the 'twist' is, maybe it's the chocolate or pear?

Fraisier - Maple pecan creme mousseline, sponge and fresh strawberries.

The maple creme is smooth and honey/maple flavoured. Delightful.

My only criticism is its size - for it's an incredibly small cake for the price ($7.90).

Opera - Coffee-soaked jaconde, coffee buttercream, liquorice ganache, passionfruit ganache.

The liquorice is the twist in this cake (it's the greyish layer), and it contrasts beautifully with the coffee cream. The passionfruit square on top is sour-tangy and perfect.  Again, it's a bit small, but worth every bite.

There are several more from this range that I haven't tried yet. I'll try to get them *fingers crossed*, but the range does finish this weekend.

Hello Cookie: Chai Spice Cookies

The Hello Cookie project is up and running again.  After a couple of weeks of eating out (hello birthday, hello Sydney Food Festival and hello Melbourne), it's time to get the mixer out and start baking again.

The HelCoo project was helped by the delightful delivery of 2 tins of 'indulge your senses' Pure Chai*, a form of drinking powder (like drinking chocolate) that you mix with skim milk and heat in the microwave.  It is a very light version of traditional chai (or chai latte, at least) and is a convenient way to enjoy an afternoon coffee without the coffee.

Of course, it can also be used in cooking, which is where these Chai Spice Cookies come in.  I modified a basic cookie recipe with the addition of the Pure Chai and some ginger and cinnamon to bump up the flavour - replace the chai powder with 1/4 cup sugar and more ginger and cinnamon if you like.  You end up with a very moreish, delicious biscuit.  Hope you enjoy it.

Wait - before we dive into the recipe, check out this carton of eggs from the supermarket. A number of things make it stand out, namely the black carton (tres fancie!), the fact that they are labelled as 'Australia's premium gourmet eggs', and that there are 9 eggs in the carton.  What do you call that - a 'three-quarter dozen' or '3-4-12'?

Oh, alright, here is the recipe.

Chai Spice Cookies

makes 60

Ingredients

2 3/4 cups plain flour

1/2 cup indulge your senses Pure Chai (honey and vanilla flavour)

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp cinnamon

225g (1 cup) butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla essence

Method

1.  Sift the flour, chai powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt, ginger and cinnamon into a large bowl.

2.  In another bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until it becomes pale in colour and fluffy in texture.  Beat in the eggs and vanilla until combined.

3.  Gradually add the flour mixture and beat on low speed until it is all combined.

4.  Cover and refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes to one hour.  This will make it firm up a bit.

5.  Preheat the oven to 200 deg C (400 deg F). 

6.  Roll the dough into walnut-sized balls (about 2cm across).  Sprinkle with additional sugar and flatten slightly.  Place on a lined baking sheet about 4cm apart.

7.  Bake for 6 to 8 minutes, until lightly browned (be careful, they may brown quickly after this).

8.  Cool on the tray for a minute before placing on wire racks to cool completely.

And yes, I did end up with exactly 60 cookies.  They keep for up to 1 week in an airtight container.

Product placement - a handy way to get some flavour into the cookies. Or you could just drink it!

Mixing the dough; coating the dough with more sugar

'[Hot] pink is the navy blue of India'

* An appreciative Thank You to Rachel from Polarity Consultants for the Pure Chai!