pantone801

The Perfect Cupcakes

// April 30th, 2011 // 2 Comments » // Food

I am obsessed with cupcakes at the moment, and on my travels I have been buying cupcake baking cups. I have also discovered a great stationary store called Card and Caboodle that stocks Paper Eskimo baking cups. This is a recipe that came with them and is my new favourite. The trick I have found to ensure they are moist it to remove them from the oven as they are just-cooked and not a minute longer. Test this with a toothpick, and if it come out clean they are done.

Quail Egg and Caviar Canapés

// April 30th, 2011 // 1 Comment » // Food

Quail eggs are heavenly, and our local fruit shop seems to have a regular supply. I like them just-hard boiled with salt flakes and a glass of Pino Grigio (see previous post). This is a more fussy way to eat them, but is quite simple to put together and looks impressive. The saltiness of the caviar is a perfect partner for the delicate creamy eggs.

Cucumber and Dill Sandwiches

// April 30th, 2011 // No Comments » // Food

Another dish from our Royal Wedding bash, these look quite impressive, and are so tasty. In the first act of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance Of Being Earnest (1895), cucumber sandwiches that have expressly been ordered and prepared for Lady Bracknell’s expected visit are all voraciously eaten beforehand by her nephew and host, Algernon Moncrieff; consequently he is forced to tell a little lie, with his butler’s connivance: namely that “there were no cucumbers to be had at the Covent Garden vegetable market that morning, not even for ready money“!

I cut an A4 sheet of paper in two and placed these over the sandwich strips with a small gap; and using a small sieve dusted the smoked paprika over the sangers.

Pimm’s N°1 Cocktail

// April 30th, 2011 // No Comments » // Uncategorized

A last minute decision to have a few mates around to watch the Royal Wedding last need called for some proper drinks. Pimm’s ?1 Cup is so London and delicious, the perfect match to watching a Royal Wedding. This drink uses a mixture of lemon squash, ginger ale and Pimm’s. I like the traditional pub lemon squash, this is much better than lemonade or Sprite as it is not very sweet and very tangy.
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Pride

// April 10th, 2011 // No Comments » // Uncategorized

A bit of a portfolio of some of my favourite pics I have taken at various events from Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Perth, Sydney, Chicago and Orlando.

Lensbaby Love

// April 9th, 2011 // 1 Comment » // Uncategorized

Short video for a competition made using only images taken with a lensbaby 2.0 lens

Double Chocolate Cupcakes

// April 3rd, 2011 // 1 Comment » // Food

I made these for a housewarming last night. When we came back from USA last year I brought back several pounds of Trader Joe’s Pound Plus 72% Dark Chocolate, which is the finest chocolate I think I have ever had. The cupcake cases are from The Essential Ingredient in Canberra, and for the Cocoa- I only use Droste Belgium Cocoa.

In the Club

// March 28th, 2011 // 3 Comments » // Home

Breakfast œuf en cocotte (soft baked eggs)

// March 27th, 2011 // 1 Comment » // Food

I am working my way through a french cookbook this weekend. Yesterday morning we had Piperade for Lunch, breakfast this morning was this delicious recipe for œuf en cocotte, and dinner will be Beef Bourguignon which is slowly cooking away as I type. This recipe is not healthy- butter, cream, eggs, ham, cheese… perfect for a Sunday brunch!

Ingredients:

15 grams butter, melted
350 milliliters thickened cream
4 button mushrooms, sliced
4 slices smoky ham, chopped
40 grams gruyere cheese, grated
8 eggs
1 small handfull chives, chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat over to 200°C (400°F/Gas 6) and put a baking tray on the top shelf.

2. Grease four small ramekins with melted butter. Pour 3 tablespoons cream into each ramekin, reserving the rest. Divide the mushrooms between the ramekins then top with ham and gruyere cheese. Break an egg (or two) into each ramekin. Mic the chives with the remaining cream and pour over each ramekin.

3. Bake on the hot baking tray for 15-20 minutes, depending on how runny you like your eggs. Season well and serve immediately with toasted baguette slices.

(Serves 4)

Download recipe.

Piperade

// March 26th, 2011 // No Comments » // Uncategorized

This is a rustic French-Spanish dish from the Basque region of France and makes a hearty brunch or a late lazy lunch like we did today. The sweetness of the onion and peppers work so well with the velvety egg and smoky ham.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings
2 capsicum, seeded and sliced into batons
2 cloves garlic, crushed
4 tomatoes
1 pinch cayenne pepper
8 eggs, beaten
10 grams butter
8 slices smoky ham

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a large heavy-based pan and cook the onion for 3 minutes, or until softened. Add capsicum and garlic. Cover and cook over medium heat for 8 minutes, stirring often.

2. Score a cross in the bottom of each tomato. Plunge into boiling water for 20 seconds. Refresh under cold running water. Peel away the skin and discard. Roughly chop the tomatoes discarding the cores. spoon the tomatoes over the capsicum mixture and sprinkle with cayenne pepper. Cover the pan and cook at a medium heat for a further 5 minutes.

3. Remove the lid from the pan and increase the heat. Cook for 3 minutes or until the juices have just evaporated, shaking the pan often. Season well with salt and pepper. Add the eggs to the mixture and stir until well-combined and the eggs are just cooked.

4. Meanwhile heat the butter in a small frypan and cook the ham until browned. Arrange the ham of the Piperade and serve immediately with crusty bread.

(Serves 4)

Download recipe.