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November 21, 2007

Little Miss Chocolate Madeleine

I don't remember whether I have mentioned this before but I have Donna Hay's "Chocolate" cookbook personally signed by her and it is a well put together little cookbook with simple and brilliant recipes and absolutely gorgeous photos. A couple of days ago I bought a very nice madeleine pan from the local David Jones store and was itching to try the chocolate madeleine recipe from Donna's book. The recipe had minimal ingredients and looked quite simple. I followed it to the letter and had a batch of spongy, fluffy, chocolatey madeleines in less than 30 minutes.

The madeleines looked so ethereal and wispy with tiny flecks of vanillin sugar dusted on them that i couldn't resist calling them Little Miss Chocolate Madeleines :)

CHOCOLATE MADELEINE
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Makes : 18
Prep Time : 10 mins
Cooking Time : 10 mins

Ingredients
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1/3 cup plain flour
1/3 cup superfine caster sugar
60g butter, melted
2 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp cocoa powder

Method
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Preheat oven to 180^oC. Grease a madeleine pan and set aside. In a bowl whisk together the butter and sugar till light and fluffy. Add the eggs and continue beating for a minute. In a separate bowl sift the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones and beat to mix well. Spoon into the prepared pan and bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes until the madeleines are just set. Remove and cool. Dust with vanillin sugar before devouring.

Posted by Gel at 9:38 AM | | Comments (1)   

November 20, 2007

Green Mango And Prawn Curry

Rummaging through the vegetable compartment of my fridge today, I saw some shiny eggplants and fresh basil. My mind drawing a blank, I opened the freezer door, staring at the contents in there. Two things that instantly jumped out were frozen prawns and some beautiful frozen raw mango cubes. And idea started shaping up in my head and lunch in the form of Green Mango And Prawn Curry with steamed white rice was ready within the hour.

This curry has a melting pot of influences crammed in it. With a hint of Indian and a dash of Thai, it was extremely simple to make and the flavours were to die for. I especially loved the tang of the green mangoes being balanced by the sweetness of the coconut milk.

GREEN MANGO AND PRAWN CURRY
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Serves 3-4
Prep Time - 5 mins
Cooking Time - 15 mins

Ingredients
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500g precooked prawn meat
1/4 cup raw mango cubes
1/4 cup broccoli florets
1 small eggplant, diced
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup freshly chopped basil leaves
1 tbsp fried shallots
1 cup coconut milk
1 tbsp ginger paste
7-8 curry leaves
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
2 tsp sugar
salt to taste
1 tbsp oil

Method
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Heat oil in a deep saucepan over high heat. Add ground ginger, curry leaves, fried shallots and prawns. Stir fry on high heat for 2 minutes. Add the onions, mango and eggplant. Stir fry for another 2 minutes. Add all the remaining ingredients, reduce heat to low and simmer for 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and set aside for 5-10 minutes before serving hot with steamed white rice.

Posted by Gel at 2:47 PM | | Comments (1)   

November 13, 2007

Paper Scraps Vol 15 : 5 ways with semi-dried tomatoes

Don't you just love those 5-ways with and 10-ways with pages in food magazines, packed with brilliant and quick recipe ideas for a pantry staple or for that opened jar in your fridge waiting to die a slow death. Here are 5 ways with sun-dried/semi-dried tomatoes which make good meal or snack ideas.

1. SEMI-DRIED TOMATO BUTTER
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Place butter [at room temperature], coarsely chopped semi-dried tomatoes and fresh basil leaves in the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Shape into a log and wrap in plastic wrap. Place in the fridge until firm. Unwrap and slice crossways. Serve with barbecued beef, chicken or fish.

2. RICOTTA & SEMI-DRIED TOMATO STUFFED CHICKEN
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Combine coarsely chopped semi-dried tomatoes, chopped fresh rosemary and fresh ricotta in a bowl. Cut a horizontal slit in the thickest part of single chicken breast fillets to create pockets. Divide the ricotta mixture among the pockets. heat a little olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat and pan fry the chicken until cooked through.

3. LAMB, CANNELLINI BEAN & SEMI-DRIED TOMATO SALAD
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Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook lamb steaks until cooked through. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil. Set aside to rest. Thickly slice. Combine lamb, baby rocket leaves, drained canned cannellini beans, semi-dried tomatoes and your favourite salad dressing in a bowl. Toss to mix.

4. SEMI-DRIED TOMATO & MOZZARELLA FRITTATA
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Preheat grill on high. Whisk together eggs, coarsely grated mozzarella, coarsely chopped semi-dried tomatoes and a little cream in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. heat a little olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add crushed garlic and baby spinach leaves and cook until the spinach wilts. Pour in the egg mixture. Reduce heat to low. Cook until frittata is set around the edges but still runny in the centre. Place the pan under grill and cook until golden and just set.

5. SEMI-DRIED TOMATO & BLACK OLIVE TAPENADE
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Place coarsely chopped semi-dried tomatoes, pitted black olives, peeled garlic cloves, capers and olive oil in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. Serve with toasted crusty bread.

Posted by Gel at 9:59 AM | | Comments (0)