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Clafoutis

// July 10th, 2011 // 2 Comments » // Food

This recipe was on SBS’s French Food Safari which is billed as

The ultimate food lover’s feast, returns with a spectacular new French inspired, nine-part series. French Food Safari is a celebration of exquisite French cuisine in all its delicious complexity, filmed around Australia and France. Presented by Maeve O’Meara, French Food Safari follows one of France’s best exports to Australia, renowned chef Guillaume Brahimi on a personal voyage. They visit many of France’s top kitchens and the many places of food pilgrimage in both Paris and regional France – tracking down world-renowned butter, cheese, chocolate, charcuterie, truffles and wine.

This recipe for Clafoutis by Guillaume Brahimi is so simple to make and very decadent. I spotted a large punnet of ripe sweet cherries at my local fruit and veg and topped them Mövenpick vanilla-bean ice cream. I made mini versions with 3-5 cherries each and a bigger one in a small earthenware pot.

Creamy Brie, Leek & Mushroom Risotto

// July 3rd, 2011 // 2 Comments » // Food

Last night I texted my Mom “Oh my god! I just made the most divine risotto”, and I think I have achieved risotto nirvana, if there is such a thing. This recipe is from the latest edition of ABC Delicious magazine (July 2011), our Saturday routine at the moment is to lay out all our foodie magazines and select recipes to make for the week, these are then added to the glass splashback with a whiteboard-marker and shopping lists are made. Mark has a nifty iPhone app that has everything on the shopping list arranged by aisles so we can speed through the supermarket as quickly as possible. Continue Reading

Worm Shake

// June 3rd, 2011 // 1 Comment » // Uncategorized

So this is not really an edible recipe. A few weeks ago be bought a nifty plastic worm farm from Aldi (have I mentioned how much I love Aldi?) that sits in the garden under the shade of the mango tree. It’s filled with 1200 earth worms that munch their way through our kitchen scraps and produce a delicate brew called worm-tea. The tea is diluted in water and used for fertilising our Orchids, herbs, veges and pot plants. Its early days but the little tykes seem happy with the snacks we give them. We have a composting bucket under the sink where all vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, and eggshells are stored, I have been alternating giving them the whole scraps and making this tasty worm-shake.

Kumara and Coconut Fritters

// May 15th, 2011 // 1 Comment » // Uncategorized

Sunday brunch is a big deal in the Deveraux house, and can be simple bacon and eggs on a turkish bun with lashings of HP sauce or something more substantial to keep us going until dinner time. This morning I made these fritters. The recipe is from a book called Zarbo Zest. Zarbo is a delicatessen and café in Newmarket in Auckland that is a family favourite. Kumara is the Maori term for sweet potato, also called yams in the USA. These are best served with baby spinach, poached eggs, bacon and topped with tomato relish.

Paella

// May 15th, 2011 // No Comments » // Food

My aunt Margie as famed in our family for making Paella and it has always been a favourite at large family gatherings. Last week I picked up a large paella pan for a bargain price of $6.99 from Aldi (I love Aldi!). This is my version based on a recipe by Ian Parmenter that is featured in Poh Ling Yeow’s book Poh’s Kitchen. Mark and I bumped into Poh at a book-signing of the book and were very chuffed to get a signed copy. The book has some quirky facts about Ian, my favourite is how once while traveling he had no access to a kitchen and lots of fresh seafood in his possession, he was once driven to cook scallops with and iron from his hotel room.

I managed to track down a bag of Calasparra Rice. This short-grained rice is perfect for paella, producing a sumptuous, creamy dish and comes in a stitched cloth bag. If you can’t find this any medium-grain rice will do. Paella can use any seafood at hand, scallops, Moreton Bay bugs or crab claws would all be fantastic as well. Making this made me really homesick for NZ green-lipped mussels. In NZ these are sold live in supermarkets in tanks that spray them with water, and you have to push a button to temporarily stop the spray so you can get them out. For the fish I used shark, fishmongers here call it flake to make it sound more friendly.

Home Panorama

// May 14th, 2011 // 1 Comment » // Uncategorized

Its been a while since I posted a pic of our home. Mark took this with a panorama app on his phone. I think our place is looking quite funky. Click the image below to embiggen,

Chicken and Ricotta Cannelloni

// May 10th, 2011 // 2 Comments » // Food

Mark is on this no-carb bent at the moment, and I am finding it difficult to sneak them in. While Mr Deveraux was at the gym I went supermarketing to sort dinner and decided on cannelloni. This is the first time I have made cannelloni, and I did not even realise you can buy fresh sheets which simply need to be stuffed and rolled, making this a perfect mid-week not-so-healthy winter dinner. I used two jars of a tomato based pasta bake sauce, and at the moment I cannot get enough of Mainland’s Edam cheese, it is very mild and such a good melter and has a great flavour that riches up when it is cooked.

Soldiers on Toast

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

So last week I was sick at home missing work with a major case of the man-flu. Our pantry is usually well-stocked, but this day I could find nothing to inspire me and had not desire to go supermarketing. Soldiers on toast seemed to be all I could come up with, and this is the perfect brunch for a flu-ridden raining day, sitting on the lounge floor at the coffee table in my tracky-daks watching morning cartoons.

I picked up a clever egg timer a few years ago that is ingenious. You simply drop it into the water with the eggs and it changes colour as they cook, guaranteeing perfectly cooked whites and runny yolks. My other major S on T tips are to free range eggs, thick white bread, and good butter. I also like to apply salt flakes and freshly cracked pepper to the bread dripping with melted butter, rather then to the eggs themselves.

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.