Pumpkin Coconut Icecream with Candied Spiced Pumpkin Seeds

I've been living in Marysville since the start of the year and although it's a quiet little town with not a lot to do, i always make a little visit to the Marysville Lolly Shop. Not only does the lolly shop sell lollies and chocolate and really yummy homemade ice cream from Butter's Cafe in Buxton, they also sell heaps of local produce from the surrounding towns in the Murrindindi Shire and fruit and veg from their little garden.
This week i managed to buy a beautiful butternut pumpkin from them and decided to experiment a pumpkin ice cream recipe.

Pumpkins are in season at the moment. Yes it's almost winter, but who doesn't eat ice cream all year round? Plus, the warming spices in this recipe will make you forget it's cold outside!

PUMPKIN ICE CREAM:
2 Cups Pureed Pumpkin (1 small butternut pumpkin)
1 Can Full Fat Coconut Milk/Cream
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Ginger Powder
1/4 tsp Nutmeg
1/3 Cup Maple Syrup
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Rind and Juice of One Lime
Rind of One Lemon

FOR THE PUREE:
Cut the pumpkin in half, remove seeds and place skin side up on a baking tray. Pour some water in the baking tray and put in the oven on 200 degrees for about 40 minutes. If the water dries up, add some more. For the last 10 or so minutes, flip the pumpkin over and cover tray with aluminum foil to allow the flesh to become really soft. Once soft, allow to cool and remove the flesh from the skin.

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend into a smooth consistency. If the mixture is still warm from cooking your pumpkin, allow to cool before churning.

WITH Ice Cream Maker:
Churn in your ice cream churner for about 30 minutes, then put in the freezer to freeze for a further 1-2 hours.

WITHOUT Ice Cream Maker:
Place cool mixture in a container in the freezer. Every 30 minutes take out the mixture and stir thoroughly. Repeat this for about 3 hours. 

THE SEEDS:
Pumpkin seeds
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Nutmeg
1/4 tsp Ginger Powder
Tiny Pinch Salt
1-2 tbs Coconut Oil
a drizzle of Maple Syrup

Keep the seeds from your pumpkin and soak in a bowl with warm salty water for about 4 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
Remove seeds from the water, remove any excess pumkin flesh that might still be hanging around and dry them with paper towel or a tea towel.
Mix the seeds in melted coconut oil, maple syrup and spices and lay on a lined baking tray. Bake for about 30 minutes, tossing every 10 minutes.
Sprinkle over the top of your ice cream or eat them as a snack.

When serving your ice cream, it's best to take it out of the freezer at least an hour before you want to serve it as the coconut milk freezes super hard and icy!
 Good luck scooping!

Marysville Lolly Shop: https://www.facebook.com/MarysvilleLollyShop
Marysville Tourism: http://www.marysvilletourism.com/

Green Goodness in a Glass

I'm not gonna lie. I am one to follow food trends. Why do you think i have a food blog?
So to celebrate all things food-trendy I am going to get this one out of my system and post the damn Green Smoothie.

Why?
Well, it shot so well on  the camera and to tell you the truth i do actually drink these for  about 4 out 7 of my breakfasts in the week.They're yummy, energising, quick to make and, well, pretty nutritious.
Smoothies are one of those foods that, while I'm sipping away, i wish it would never end.

1 Big Glass Full of Green Goodness:

1 Green Apple

2 Beetroot Leaves

2-3 Kale Leaves

1/2 Small Avocado

Ice cubes

Lots of Cinnamon

5 cm Piece of Cucumber

Milk of choice (rice, almond, soy, coconut water or just water.)

 Blend well and enjoy slowly. You can top it with oats or anything crunchy is you're feeling adventurous. Mine has popped amaranth and goji berries.

Happy Sipping!

Recycling Soup Pulp

Waste not want not.

Here a some helpful ideas on how to use your left over pulp from soups/veggie juices etc.

After Cook Club a few week ago, Cal and I had a large amount of pulp left from our Spring pea and mint soup. There was so much green-goodness in that pulp that we didn't want to just throw it away!

Freeze your pulp until you're ready to use it! Otherwise it will sit in your fridge and it WILL go off. Wait for that inspiration.

My first batch of pulp.

Spelt Flour Bread Rolls
400g spelt flour
100g strong wheat flour
1/2 tbs instant yeast
1/2 tbs salt
1tbs olive oil
150ml warm water (you may need more)
200g soup pulp (my pulp was quite moist. If you're using juice pulp, that's usually quite dry so  you might need to add morel liquid)
Pumpkin and sunflower seeds for the top

*makes about 15 muffin-sized rolls*

If you've got a mixer with a dough hook (i don't) then use it! Combine all ingredients and knead for 10-15 minutes. You may need to knead a little longer if you're doing it by hand.
You may need to add more liquid or more flour depending if your dough is too dry or too wet.
Place in a lightly oiled bowl and leave to double in size- about an hour.
Knock back the dough and roll in to small balls and into a greased muffin tin. If you don't have one you could make a loaf or just put the balls on a tray. They will keep their shape.
Paint the tops with a bit of milk and sprinkle some seeds.
Bake in 180 degree oven for 15-20mins.

Serve with good butter and ANOTHER soup!

 The second batch of pulp i used was for a simple recipe!

Stuffed Filo Parcels with Goats Cheese
Filo pastry
Good quality butter
Goats cheese
Soup pulp
Poppy seeds

Defrost your soup pulp and heat it through on the stove. If you want, you can add to your pulp.
Layer 4-5 sheets of filo pastry, painted with melted butter in between each sheet.
Cut the filo in to 4 pieces and drop a big spoonful of the pulp in to the centre of each square. Add a teaspoon or so of goats cheese. Pain two edges with butter and fold over the other corner in to a triangle to seal. Give the pastries a little brush with milk, sprinkle with poppy seeds and bake in the oven on 180 degrees for about 20 minutes.

Anything tastes good in pastry! Serve these with a simple salad and some steamed greens. Or whatever inspires you!

Besides from these recipes, you could make burger patties, mix the pulp in with a pie, make a quiche, fritatta, pasta sauce or another soup! Use your imagination and you won't waste a thing!

Sunday Buckwheat Pancakes

Good morning all!
This week i was in the Asian grocer and i stumbled upon 1kg of buckwheat for $3.90. Bargain! Pancakes with the parents on a Sunday morning. What a treat!

Deceivingly, buckwheat is not actually related to wheat. In fact, it's not even a grain at all. Buckwheat is actually a seed related to rhubarb and sorrel. There's a fun fact!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1/4 cup rice flour
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup almond milk (or whichever milk you choose)
1 tsp vanilla essence

 *Makes about 6 small pancakes*

Method:

Heat some coconut oil (or butter) in a  frying pan and drop in a small ladle of the pancake batter. Cook for a few minutes or until bubbles appear on the top of the pancake. Flip and cook the other side for a minute or so.

*These pancakes are a little dense, so if you'd like them a bit more moist, add a mashed banana to the pancake batter before cooking. *

Serve with fruit, yoghurt, maple syrup, nuts, or any sort of nut butter. 

Bon Appetit!

(I should polish my cutlery!)

Cook Club- Seasonal Spring

Spring is here and there's no better way to celebrate than to eat!

For those of you who don't know, 'Cook Club' is a culinary event invented by Emile and Petr and a selection of their friends that involves eating, drinking, learning and teaching. Cook club happens every 4-6 weeks and we take turns hosting the eating and drinking at our respective houses- each time, cooking to a theme.

Past themes:
Christmas in July
Cajun Kitchen
Drunken Dinner
Basque

HOW IT WORKS:
Each person is responsible for one of the following courses

appetizers  (finger food)

entree (cooked, small, on a plate)

soup  (hot or cold)

salad (pulses included here)

vegetables (weather will dictate how..)

main (come with recipe to share with group)

dessert (yum)

Someone will also be responsible for choosing a wine for each course. (Yes there is plenty of drink to be had.)

I've tagged on to a few of the cook club events and have now put my hand up to document the happenings and keep an archive of the wonderful recipes.

Cook club has been happening since early last year, but i'm going to start fresh and blog our most recent eat-drink-meeting, SEASONAL SPRING THEME.

Menu 19/10/13

Dish	Alcohol to match (Matched by Nicola)	Who
Appetizer:  Asparagus and blue cheese, wrapped in filo pastry.	Blood orange and mint infused gin fizz (Recipe for blood orange cordial can be found HERE)	Emile
Entrée:  Thai Fish cakes with dipping sauce	Riesling- Gewurz Traminer from Alsace.	Ross
Soup:  Spring pea, mint and herb soup with spiced pumpkin loaf and homemade butter	Pilsner Beer	Mik and Cal
Vegetable: Ratatouille	(same as main)	Deb
Main: Baked, baby snapper with spring onions, carrots, lemon rind with blanched asparagus and green beans with an olive oil, orange rind and chili reduction	Oaked Chardonnay Pinot Grigio	Petr
Dessert: Lemon tart with limoncello sauce	Italian dessert wine	Zena

Recipes

Appetizer:
Asparagus and blue cheese wrapped in filo pastry:
 This one is pretty self explanatory. Blanche the aspargus and pat dry. Prepare the filo pastry, layering about 4-5 sheets, buttering each piece. Lay out your aspargus on to the filo and add your favourite blue cheese or parmesan. Cut into smaller rectangles and roll each spear in to a cigar. Voila!

Entree:
Thai Fish cakes with dipping sauce:
 Please contact me for recipe

Soup: 

Spring pea, mint and herb soup: 

 Makes enough for about 8 as entrée. Sauté 3 leeks with 2 cloves garlic till soft. Add 4 bay leaves and a handful fresh thyme. Cover with 1.5litres stock,simmer 1/2 hr. Add 1kg peas (frozen works) a big bunch of fresh parsley, mint, spinach  and cook only for 5 mins. Let cool for a while. Blitz soup & pass through sieve. Add Salt/ pepper to taste.Serve with some freshly cooked peas floating, fresh mint/thyme, cream etc (keep the pulp, recipe to come!)

Homemade butter:

 300ml double or thickened cream i used Meander Valley, Pure Double Cream and1-2 pinches of salt to taste.

 In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, place all of the double cream and a couple of pinches of salt. Cover with a tea towel and whip on low initially and then increase the speed to beating or creaming. 

Double cream seems to whip and thicken faster because it has more fat in it (50% minimum). Mine took less than 2 minutes to separate.

 At first it looks likes it has curdled. Keep whisking!

When the butter comes together place it in a sieve to drain off the excess buttermilk. Roll up into a sheet of greaseproof paper and shape into a sausage by rolling it back and forth. I also used a paper towel to pat off any excess buttermilk.

Spiced Pumpkin Loaf:
Recipe can be found HERE

Main:
Baby snapper parcels

Julienne carrots, zucchini, spring onions, Cut baby snapper fillets in half, Salt, Pepper, Lemon slices, Cubes of butter, Basil leaves, Mint leaves, thyme

Use 30cm piece of baking paper to make parcels. 

Place equal amounts of julienned veges in centre of baking paper. Don't be afraid to season ! Add fish on top. Add basil, mint and thyme. Place lemon slice over herbs and cube of butter on top of that. More salt and pepper..  Fold baking paper in half and pleat edges to seal into little parcel. Place in preheated oven (200) for 20 minutes.

Olive oil, chili and orange rind reduction. (for the beans)

 Ratatouille:
 Ratatouille

Leeks, thyme, skinned Roma tomatoes, celery, mushrooms, red and yellow pepper, courgettes

All in a pot and cook for ages.

Dessert:

Lemon and lime tart with lemoncello

165g unsalted butter, chilled

65g margarine

225g plain flour

2 tbs icing sugar, plus extra to dust

6 eggs

       200g caster sugar

1 lemon, rind grated, juiced plus 2 extra lemons, juiced

1 lime, juiced

40ml (2 tbs) lemoncello*  
 

Lemoncello sauce

1/2 cup thin cream 

220g (1 cup) caster sugar

3 lemons, zested

1 lime, zested

80ml (1/3 cup) lemoncello*

Place 65g of butter, the margarine, flour and icing sugar in a processor. Process to combine. Add 1 of the eggs and process until a smooth ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Grease a 2.5 x 26cm round loose-bottomed tart pan. Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface and use to line the pan. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 180°C. Line pastry with baking paper and fill with rice or pastry weights. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove paper and weights and bake for 5 minutes until dry and crisp. Cool.

Place remaining eggs, the sugar and lemon rind in a food processor. Process for 1 minute. Melt remaining butter and add to mixture. Process to combine. Add lemon and lime juice, lemoncello and cream. Process to combine (don't over process). Pour into tart shell and bake for 20-30 minutes until the filling is just set but still has a slight wobble.

To make sauce, place sugar and 1/2 cup water in a pan over low heat and stir until sugar has dissolved. Add zest and lemoncello and boil for 5 minutes. Set aside to cool. Dust tart with icing sugar and serve drizzled with sauce.

Halloween Tricks and Treats

I'm not much of an advocate for Halloween celebrations, but on the weekend I was at a Halloween/birthday party and was very impressed with some of the edible gory bits and pieces.  I thought i would share and inspire those of you who are interested in Halloween.

Spider-web and brain cupcakes.

 

Almond, shortbread finger biscuits

Mandarin, mint pumpkins

 

Decorations also included a bloody, (cauliflower) brain and some carved apple faces! (similar to the one below)

Guacamouldy featured as a snack and main meals were GHOULasch  and macaBONEY pasta bake. 

But, i thought, the scariest thing of all....was that Tony Abbott came to the party.... 

 

Homemade blood orange cordial

It's blood orange season and as the weather gets warmer we're all looking for the perfect drink in the sunshine.

Try this blood orange cordial recipe. Its super tart and tangy and tastes amazing with some soda water ... or gin...

4.5 cups of blood orange juice. That was about 10 oranges for us.
Zest of 4 oranges
30g citric acid
250g caster sugar

Put juice, rind and sugar on stove. Bring to the boil, stirring occasionally,  ensuring the sugar disolves then bring down to a simmer, still stirring occasionally for 15 minutes.  Turn off the heat and stir in citric acid.
Let cordial cool. When cool strain into clean bottle.
The cordial will store in the fridge for a few weeks.

Here's a cheeky cocktail recipe to get you inspired.

Rosemary infused blood orange, gin fizz
  1 cup of Blood Orange Cordial 
1 sprig rosemary - pluse 2 extra for garnish (optional)
30 ml gin per glass (120ml al together)
Soda water or sparkling mineral water
 
Infuse the rosemary sprig in the cordial in a small saucepan over a low to medium heat for approx 10 minutes. Set aside to cool
Pour equal parts gin and cordial into a glass add some ice and pour over the soda. Garnish with a rosemary sprig.