Blog | Crazy About Cooking

Lavender and Lemon Swirl Cookies

Kerrin Beginners Baking, Sweet Treats 18/07/201918/07/2019 0 Comment

It seems like lavender is everywhere in recipes at the moment and I have to confess, I’ve been very keen to try a few concoctions of my own with it. When the lovely Karina kindly offered me some that she had, I jumped at the chance and created these delightful cookies.

Ingredients

125gm butter
2/3 cup caster sugar
1 egg
2 cups plain flour
1/2 cup plain flour (this is extra flour that you may or may not need depending on how wet your dough mix is)
2 tsps lavender
2 tsps lemon juice
10 drops purple food colouring (you can make these without the food colouring but they wind up just looking gritty rather than a lovely purple)

Method

Whip the butter with either a hand mixer or food processor. Add the sugar and continue mixing until they are thoroughly creamed. I like to do this separately, rather than just putting the butter and the sugar in to begin with – I think it creates a lighter final cookie.

Add the egg and beat until well combined.

Divide the mix in two and set one half aside.

Working with one of the batches, add the lemon juice, and one cup of the plain flour and mix together to form a soft dough. You may need to add more flour at this point to make it come together, depending on how old your flour is and the weather conditions when you’re making these. Pat the dough a ball, wrap in cling wrap and set aside.

Wipe your food processor out with some paper towel to get rid of most of the moisture.

Put the lavender in the food processor and whizz until it’s coarsely ground up (or use a bullet blender or mortar and pestle).

Next add the remaining butter/sugar/egg mix, the food colouring and 1 cup of flour to form a soft dough. Again, you may need to add extra flour to get the right consistency here. The dough should be pliable and not sticky. Don’t worry if it seems aggressively purple at this point – it will lighten up as it cooks.

Wrap in cling wrap and set aside for about 15 minutes. Unless it’s the height of summer, I don’t like to refrigerate the dough at this point as it becomes too hard to work with.

The pinwheels are made by rolling both batches of dough out into rectangles, laying one on the other and then rolling them up together to make a log.

Once you have your log, wrap it in your baking paper and then cling wrap and pop it in the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 weeks. You can literally make a roll of cookie dough once every couple of weeks and slice some rounds off when you want fresh cookies. It’s fantastic!

When you’re ready to bake, cut the log into slices, bearing in mind that the cookies will stay roughly the thickness that you cut them at. Because these use plain flour they don’t tend to rise much at all.

Bake for 10-12 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius on a cookie sheet lined with baking paper.

Cool on a wire rack and enjoy.

Sweet Potato and Chickpea Curry

Karina Savoury Temptations, Vegan, Vegetarian 14/06/201924/07/2019 0 Comment

Indian food is always (wrongly) associated with some sort of curry. The truth is, we have a plethora of dishes and ingredients that vary from state to state, mostly depending on the climate and produce available.

However, we do love our curries, especially during the winter months. The food is richer and if vegetarian, will usually be made of warming ingredients. This recipe, adapted from Jamie Oliver’s sweet potato, chickpea and spinach curry (I left out the spinach) is made with coconut milk and combines North and South Indian flavours. The sweet potato cuts through the spice and chickpeas add a protein packed punch to this flavoursome dish.

Serves 2-3 people

Prep time – 45 mins + additional time if you’re using fresh chickpeas

Ingredients

2-3 tbsps olive oil
1 large red onion (sliced)
2 cloves garlic (crushed/chopped small)
1 green chilli
2 cm piece ginger
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp each cumin and coriander powder
1 can of chickpeas (400 gms)
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut roughly
4 ripe tomatoes, chopped roughly (or 400 gm can)
1 can coconut milk
Salt and pepper, according to taste

Method

Heat a deep pan and the olive oil on a medium flame. Fry the onion till it softens and turns translucent. Tip in the garlic, chilli and ginger. Once softened, mix in the spices and fry till fragrant (you might need to add more oil).

Add the cut sweet potato and stir till coated with spices, and then stir the chopped tomatoes.

Bring to a light simmer and stir in the coconut milk (be sure the flame isn’t too high or the milk will split).

Once the potatoes are semi cooked (poke with a fork, if you can pierce the skin it’s good to go), add the can of chickpeas and stir till they are coated with the gravy.

Simmer till they soften and the potatoes are cooked. You can leave the lid open for the last few minutes if you prefer a semi-dry curry.

The health benefits of the ingredients are always a consideration when it comes to cooking Indian food at home. Whether it is the addition of mint and yogurt to cool the body, fennel or cumin seeds for digestion, turmeric for immunity, and many more fragrant spices which elevate the flavours of the dish, they are all perfectly paired with a bland base of carbs (rice or roti) for balance.

Happy Cooking!

Karina

French Toast with Berries and Mascarpone

Karina Brunch Favourites, Sweet Treats 11/06/201924/07/2019 0 Comment

French Toast is one of those dishes which may seem a little too decadent for breakfast, but is worth every bit of effort and is as easy as frying an egg (with a sprinkle of fairy dust).

Most recipes suggest using day old brioche for the best results. If I’m honest, I find brioche too rich and heavy, especially if it’s topped with mascarpone. You can use a thickly sliced Vienna loaf like I did, or plain sandwich bread. I added a pinch of cinnamon and a splash of vanilla to my batter for an extra flavourful result.

Makes 6 slices of french toast

Prep time – 30 mins

Ingredients

6 slices of Vienna loaf/Brioche cut thick
3 eggs (room temperature)
2 tbsps brown sugar
100 ml full cream/coconut milk
1 tsp vanilla essence
Pinch of salt
Pinch of cinnamon (optional)
Butter and olive oil (as needed)
Raspberries, maple syrup and softened mascarpone to serve

Method

Whisk the eggs with milk until frothy. Add sugar, vanilla and cinnamon till combined. Pour into a flatter bowl and reserve some of the mix.

Heat a large frying pan with a splash of oil and a knob of butter (adding butter directly to a pan makes it burn faster).

Soak the thick slices of bread (30 seconds each side), and fry till golden brown on both sides.

Serve warm with a dollop of mascarpone, fresh berries and maple syrup.

For a more decadent version, make a small slit in the middle of the slices , and stuff with a spoonful of Nutella, or squares of chocolate.

If you choose to make a dairy free version using coconut milk, try and use the full fat, canned version and sprinkle the slices with desiccated coconut just before serving.

Happy Cooking!

Karina

Eggs and Dairy

Kerrin Cooking Tips, Pro Tips 07/06/201907/06/2019 0 Comment

Never boil eggs again

Want super smooth, perfectly cooked boiled eggs? Stop boiling them. Bring the water to the boil, then turn off the heat and cover the pan. Leave them for 6-12 minutes depending on how soft or hard you like them – there are several good apps that will help you time this, based on how large your eggs are and how well you like them cooked.

Upscale your cheese sauce

Use packet mix (gasp!) mix with half water/half milk and then add a good dollop of ricotta cheese. Pour over broccoli and cauliflower and bake for about 20 minutes. You can thank us later.

Grate your butter

Use a cheese grater to grate butter for making pie dough if you don’t have a food processor and have to rub the butter in by hand.

Random Tips

Kerrin Cooking Tips, Pro Tips 07/06/2019 0 Comment

Keep staples on hand

Who needs 5 different types of flour, 4 different sugars and 3 different types of rice in the house? E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E.

Experiment!

Always ask yourself, ‘What if …’
‘What if I added pomegranate molasses to spaghetti sauce?’
‘What if I use sweet potato instead of pasta in lasagne?’
‘What if I sprinkle dried chilli flakes on my choc chip cookies before baking them?’
The worst that happens is a funny story, the best is a new divine taste.

Play ‘Surprise Chef’ every couple of weeks

We’ve all got dregs of different ingredients that we bought for a particular recipe haunting the back of the pantry. Every couple of weeks, make a deal with yourself to cook something with ONLY the ingredients you have on hand – you’ll need to get creative and improvise, but it means you can reduce food waste and that’s always a good thing!

Get salty

Don’t. Be. Afraid. Of. Salt.

Sharpen up

A sharp knife is a safer knife as there’s less chance it’ll slip off the food and cut you. And everything is easier with a sharp knife. Get a good knife sharpener and learn how to use it properly.

Butter ’em up

Want your sauces to really shine? Add a little butter (just a teaspoon or so) at the end of the cooking process and watch that restaurant-like gloss shine through.

Fruits and Veggies

Kerrin Cooking Tips, Pro Tips 07/06/2019 0 Comment

Sugar and salt

In tomato based dishes, always add a dash of sugar with the salt. Tomato bleeds the flavour out of food so you need to boost it back up.

Peel gingerly

Peel ginger with a spoon to get the thinnest peel possible and reduce waste.

Hulling strawberries doesn’t have to suck

Well, it kind of does … especially if you use a straw. Put the end of the straw over the end of the strawberry and push and twust gently to force it through the strawberry and push the stalk out. Grab one of those wide straws from the bubble tea places or pick up a pack of them from your local variety store. You can reuse the straws several times, just make sure you wash them thoroughly. Plus, you can reduce wastage here by freezing the hulls to add to ice cream, make coulis or add to baking.

Make mega-fast wedges

Use an apple slicer to cut spuds into fast wedges. Depending on the size of your potato, you may need to halve the wedges again after you’ve cut them, but it does make producing a load of wedges faster. And you get the round middle bits, which make the most amazing fluffy fries.

Cook corn in the husk

Trust us on this one – it’s amazing. Cut the silks off the top of the ear of corn and loosen the top of the husks gently, but don’t peel them back. Soak the corn in water for a few minutes and then put directly in a moderate oven or on the BBQ for about 20 minutes. The outside husks will char and blacken and the corn inside will be steamed to a sweet, juicy perfection. You won’t even need butter, it’s that good.

Take it up a notch by sprinkling some liquid smoke into the husks before you cook them. Life. Changing.

Get your timing right

As a general rule, the harder a vegetable is the sooner you add it into the cooking process.

Reduce waste by freezing your veg

Freeze veggies that are on the edge of turning soft and soggy (like carrots, onions, zucchini) in a big bag labelled ‘stock veg’. Once the bag is full, use it to make a pot full of beautiful veggie stock, which you can then freeze in containers to use later. Or make stock ice cubes with one of these huge ice cube trays.

Up your herb game

Dry herbs and spices are added at the beginning of cooking as they need time to release their flavours. Fresh herbs are added at the end so that you don’t overcook them and lose their flavour. Unless you’re talking fresh ginger and lemongrass, which will sometimes need to be added at the start.

Storage

Kerrin Cooking Tips, Pro Tips 07/06/201907/06/2019 0 Comment

Airtight containers FTW

Get rid of all your open packets. Invest in some containers – you can get fancy ones that stack, glass jars from all of the coffee your family drink (thanks Dad) or even cheap 10 for $2 Chinese food containers from the supermarket. Whatever it is, get your ingredients into airtight storage once you open the packets.

Keep veg fresh for longer

If you’ve stocked up on some lovely veg, you want to make sure you can use it all. Store veggies in the crisper section of your fridge stacked between layers of absorbent paper towel. Ive had market fresh zucchinis in the fridge like this for 5 weeks now and counting and they’re still perfectly fine.

Freeze veggies for soups, stocks and stews

Meats and Proteins

Kerrin Cooking Tips, Pro Tips 07/06/201907/06/2019 0 Comment

Tenderise, Tenderise, Tenderise

We’re not going to say this is life changing, but once you’ve tried this you’ll never go back to not pre-tenderising your meat and protein again. It’s a very simple two-step process and you only need two ingredients, one of which is water. It works on all kinds of meats and seafood, although if you have very delicate ingredients like a flaky fish, it’s probably not a good idea to tenderise them as they may become too tender and just turn to mush.

Step 1: mix together 1 1/2 cups of cold water with 1 tsp of bicarbonate soda and pour over your meat. Make sure that whatever you’re soaking is completely covered and leave it for at least 15 minutes.

Step 2: rinse thoroughly to remove all traces of the bicarb from the meat.

Next, you can simply pat the meat dry with a paper towel (if you’re grilling) or throw it straight into whatever you’re cooking (for things like fast soups and stir fries).

You can also marinate the meat from this point – we tried this with Buffalo Wings and it was an absolute game changer.

Cook meat from room temperature

We’ve all heard this one – but who actually ever does it? Well, we all should, especially if you’re someone who likes their steak cooked medium rare, rare or blue, as it allows you to get that beautiful sear on the outside and pink-red perfection on the inside without the centre of your steak being stone cold. Obviously, it does depends on the temperature of the room somewhat as well – we don’t recommend doing this in the height of summer when you break a sweat just blinking. But definitely don’t be cooking your meat straight from the fridge.

What’s a blue steak? If you’re not familiar with this term, it’s because not many people like their steak this way. It’s basically seared on the outside and pretty much raw on the inside. So it’s essential that it’s not pretty much raw AND colder than a White Walker’s heart when you go to eat it.

Make sure the thickness of your meat is as consistent as possible

Basic common sense but your meat will cook more evenly if it’s a consistent thickness throughout. Try to either slice your meat consistently OR roll it out with a rolling pin if you have a good heavy one.

Stop playing with it

Leave your meat alone. Put it on to sear and then walk away. For at least 3 minutes. And only ever flip a steak once.

Season after searing

Never season your meat with salt and pepper before you cook it. The salt will leach the juice out of the steak and the pepper will burn

Pickled Baby Radishes with Fennel

Karina Condiments, Savoury Temptations, Vegan, Vegetarian 06/06/201906/06/2019 0 Comment

This lovely, refreshing recipe is very different to pickles we have back in India, but is more of a condiment that can be used in salads for a mouth-puckering bite, with fried chicken, or even on top of sandwiches. Finely sliced pink radishes, paired with the umami flavours of red wine vinegar and honey, come together in a beautiful, crunchy, salty-sweet harmony. Paired with fennel seeds for an aniseed-y touch, you will always have a jar in your house, just like I do.

Prep time – 15 minutes

Ingredients

5 pink baby radishes, sliced paper thin (use a very sharp knife or a mandolin)
1 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup water
2 tbsps honey
1 tsp fennel seeds
salt to taste

Method

Put the sliced radish in a jar and set aside.

In a small saucepan, boil the vinegar, water, honey and fennel seeds together till vinegar is reduced by half (vinegar has a very strong smell when boiled, so be sure to keep windows open)

Once reduced, pour hot liquid in jar, on top of radishes.

Leave for half an hour and serve as you prefer, or leave overnight in pickling liquid and have the next day.

Store in a cool, dry area for up to 2 weeks.

Growing up in India, pickled vegetables were always present on the table as the perfect, spicy condiment to pair with rice/roti, a big bowl of veggies and of course, some homemade yoghurt. I have an unhealthy love for everything sour (except candy) and often ate spoonfuls of carrot, turnip (my absolute favourite), raw mango or lemon pickle.

It may sound silly, but pickles are almost a way to connect to the past. My grandmother is an expert pickle maker and uses recipes passed down from her mother and I still remember sneaking outside and picking out slices of turnips in their heady mixture of spices, jaggery and salt – doing their magic as they fermented in the sunlight. The aniseed is a homage to those flavours, but baby onions and radishes in vinegar are often a staple in many Indian households and restaurants, a thick slice of beetroot in the jar providing a delightful, pink tinge to the delicious condiment.

Happy Pickling!

Karina

The Best Banana Bread

Karina Beginners Baking, Snack Food, Sweet Treats 04/06/201908/06/2019 0 Comment

This beautiful, super simple banana bread is adapted from Australian Chef Karen Martini’s cookbook New Kitchen.

A combination of super ripe bananas and lovely, creamy Greek yoghurt, this is the perfect breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacky cake (just eat it all day, everyday – I dare you to stop).

I’ve adapted the recipe slightly and used walnut meal and desiccated coconut for a toasty, extra moist result.

Prep Time – 15 mins + 30 mins baking time

Serves – 4-5

Ingredients

100 ml extra virgin oil (I used 50 ml neutral vegetable oil)
80 gms brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 egg
50 gms greek yogurt
100 gms wholemeal/plain flour
70 gms walnut meal
50 gms desiccated coconut
Pinch of salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp soda bicarbonate
2 large, extra ripe bananas (mashed)
1 banana and some walnuts for topping

Method

Line a loaf tin with some baking paper and pre-heat oven to 180° c.

Combine the oil and sugar together and whisk till fluffy. Add the vanilla essence and the egg, then slowly beat in the Greek yogurt till it is smooth and no lumps remain. Add mashed bananas to the mixture (you can add a little more sugar if the bananas aren’t ripe enough).

Combine all the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Slowly add to wet ingredients and fold till combined. Be sure you don’t over mix the batter. You can add a little milk while folding if the batter is too dry.

Tip into your prepared loaf pan and top with a banana slices lengthways down the middle. Sprinkle with walnuts or desiccated coconut and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden.

Serve warm with cream, vanilla ice cream or just by itself.

My aunt once told me that you should always use the ripest bananas to make banana bread. The soft texture and concentrated sugars ensure a strong banana flavour and you end up using half the amount of sugar.

A simple trick to ripen your bananas is to lay them flat on a baking sheet (skin on) and pop them in the oven (200° c) for 10-15 minutes. The skin should turn black and slightly sticky! Mash when cooled and use as directed.

Happy Baking!

Karina

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