Asparagus and Camembert Quiche

Where are the days going? So far 2013 feels like one of those cartoons where the pages just fly off the calendar, one second it’s January and a split second later it’s February!! That’s ok though, I plan to make every minute count this weekend with lots of baking, relaxing afternoons full of buttery shortbread dunked in cups of tea, some quality Mr and Mrs B time exploring the outdoors, and general lounging about. We also have a giant trailer load of wood chips to spread around the front garden too but at this stage I'm choosing not to think about that.

Do you know what is a great meal if you have general lounging about planned, or if you need a quick pick me up after excess wood chip shovelling? Quiche. Super easy to throw together, can be eaten hot, cold or in a sandwich (trust me....) and assuming you can drag yourself off the couch or away from your book for say 10 mins to throw it all together, you’re good to go!

Mr B and I had some of our home made camembert leftover last week so we were looking for a recipe to use it up in, I was thinking asparagus, I was thinking quiche and we were extremely impressed with the results, this quiche has a tonne of flavour from frying off the bacon and the onion first and when you get it out of the oven the camembert will be all gooey and melty and awesome. I would even go as far as to say this quiche was even better the second night (but aren't they all!)

Asparagus and Camembert Quiche - Serves 4

You will need:

1 tbspn olive oil
1 bunch of Asparagus, trimmed
1 onion, finely diced
5 eggs
1 tspn Dijion mustard
½ cup milk
150g (3-4 slices)shortcut bacon, diced
60g Camembert, thinly sliced

Pre-heat oven to 180C.

Heat oil in a frying pan. Add the onion and bacon. Cook for 5-7 mins or until onion has softened and bacon is cooked. Remove from pan and set aside.

Add the asparagus to the pan and cook for 2-3 mins or until softened.

Whisk the eggs, mustard and milk together. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the egg mixture into a quiche dish.

Arrange the camembert and asparagus on top of the mixture.

Bake for 30-40 mins or until set and golden. Serve with steamed vegies and / or salad.

Enjoy!

Mrs B xx

Marshmallow Dessert

Happy Australia Day everyone!!

Mr B is currently out with his friends (in the wind and the cold) floating down the Derwent River....some of them are in inflatable boats, some of them are in kayaks....either way, I am curled up on the couch with a hot cup of coffee and a cheese puff fresh out of the oven and wouldn't switch places with him for the world!

So today I thought I would share Mr B's favourite dessert ever with you because I think it would be the perfect dish to take along to an Australia Day BBQ or picnic, plus it's so very easy!

I will admit that when Mr B first told me about this dessert we hadn't been together very long and I thought he was out of his mind, I mean hello, sour cream and mandarins do not make for a nice dessert, but I was trying to be a nice girlfriend so one night when Mr B's Mum made it for us, I gave it a go and was very pleasantly surprised. The sweetness of the marshmallows mixed with the sour cream and the tart juicy mandarins makes for a pretty delicious dessert and I can understand why Mr B and his brothers and sisters always fight over who will get to take home the leftovers!

To make this Marshmallow Dessert for yourself this is all you need:

500ml tub of full fat sour cream
250g of marshmallows
310g of mandarin segments, drained
1 tspn gelatin
2 tbspn boiling water

In a bowl, combine the sour cream with the marshmallows and mandarins.

In a small jug, mix the gelatin and boiling water until the gelatin has dissolved.

Stir the gelatin mixture through the marshmallow mixture until everything is well combined.

Smooth the surface of the marshmallow mixture and place in the fridge overnight to set.

Overnight, the marshmallows will change to like a cheesecake consistency and you end up with this beautiful creamy marshmallow dessert with these pockets of juicy mandarin. And if you're not normally a fan of mandarin, don't let that bother you because normally I'm not either!

Well I best be off anyway, I have to go see if I can find Mr B floating down the river somewhere!!

Mrs B xx

Home Made Paneer Cheese

Since Mr B brought me some DIY cheese kits late last year, we have been right into this whole cheese making thing. It's just so easy and the end result is so much nicer then anything you buy in the shops. A few weeks ago, we made some Paneer cheese and last night, we decided to try it in a lamb curry. It was beyond awesome and totally took over as the star of the meal. Normally paneer is quite a bland cheese and simply soaks up the flavours of whatever you cook it in, but this home made cheese is made using lemon juice so the end result is soft, creamy and has just the slightest hint of lemon! Best part is, you don't need any fancy gadgets or equipment, just a big pot and some butter muslin (which you should be able to buy at any craft shop). Home made cheese is totally not scary, it's delicious and the end result is very satisfying!! 

Home Made Paneer Cheese

3.8 Litres of whole unhomogenised cow's milk
8-10 tbspns of lemon juice

In a large pot, heat the milk to a gentle boil, stirring often.
Reduce the heat to low and drizzle in 8 tbspns of lemon juice. Cook for 10-15 seconds.

Remove from the heat and stir gently. Allow the mixture to sit for 5-10 mins. If the mixture has not formed large curds in this time, return to the heat and add the remaining 2 tbspns of lemon juice. Basically just keep adding lemon juice gradually until you notice the curds visibly separating and leaving the whey behind. If the whey still looks milky, keep adding the lemon juice.

Remove from the heat and allow to sit for 10-20 mins.

When the curds have settled below the whey, ladle them into a colander lined with butter muslin.

Tie the corners of the muslin in a know and hold the bag under some gently running warm water for 5-10 seconds. Gently twist the top of the muslin to squeeze out any extra whey.

Hang the bag to drain over a bowl for 2-3 hours. Once the bag has stopped dripping, unwrap the cheese. Eat right away or refrigerate for up to two weeks.

Edit - if you like a firmer paneer, instead of hanging the cheese to drain, place it in the colander, still wrapped in the muslin, with a heavy object (such as a bowl full of water) on top for 3-4hrs.

Now before you go anywhere....don't tip the whey down the sink or do anything stupid like that. While it's fresh, use it to make the best ricotta you have ever tasted!

To make the ricotta, simply measure out how much whey you have and adjust this recipe accordingly.

For every 5 litres of whey you have you will also need:
2 cups of full fat, homogenised milk
40ml of white vinegar
Any herbs you may wish to add

Heat your whey to 60C, stirring frequently.

Add the milk and continue to heat until the mixture reaches 90C. Continue to stir.

Once the mixture hits 90C, add the vinegar.

Leave the mixture to stand over low heat for 5-10 mins. Gently scoop off the layer of curd that has risen to the surface into a colander lined with butter muslin. If you wish to add any herbs or flavourings, now is the time to do it. Tie the ends of the muslin up and hang over the bowl for 2-3 hours. Once the mixture has stopped dripping it is ready to eat or to store in the fridge for a week.

Just like with the paneer, this is such a beautiful soft, creamy cheese....it totally won't last the week!

Enjoy!

Mrs B xx

Savoury Cheesy Pumpkin Patties

I am lucky enough to have today off work, which means I am sitting in bed, cup of coffee in hand, plate of toast at my side, writing this to you. Normally my day off falls on a Friday, as does Mr B's, and we spend the day together, but last Friday I had to go into work and Mr B got to spend the day doing his own thing which is lovely for him, but crappy for me. In my opinion, there is nothing worse then dragging yourself out of bed at stupid o'clock to go to work whilst your partner remains all snuggly and warm and sleepy under the covers. In saying that though, today it was quite nice to be the one who got to stay in bed whilst Mr B got up in the early morning hours and went to work for a change! 

These Savoury Cheesy Pumpkin Patties are so simple to make and so tasty! And the best thing is they are fantastic in hot or cold which makes them great for dinner or for lunchboxes!

Savoury Cheesy Pumpkin Patties - Makes roughly 10-12

2 cups cooked mashed pumpkin
150g vintage cheddar, cut into small cubes
1 medium onion finely diced
1 tpsn crushed garlic
1 stick of celery finely diced
1 cup rolled oats
Salt and Pepper to season

In a fry pan over medium heat, combine the onion, garlic and celery and cook for 5-7 mins or until onion has softened.

Add all the ingredients to the bowl of a food processor and process until everything is well combined.

Lightly grease a fry pan over medium heat. Place heaped spoonfuls of the mixture into the pan and flatten out using the back of your spoon. Cook for 2-3 mins on each side or until golden brown.

Now Mr B and I had these fresh out of the fry pan in some salad rolls for dinner, however, I had one cold the next day and I definitely recommend it, don't get me wrong, they are super tasty and delicious when they are hot, but when they are cold you just get so much more flavour from the cheese and the pumpkin and the celery and it's just awesome....plus Mr B had no idea the oats were in there at all so that's a bonus if you have fussy eaters to deal with!!

Enjoy!

Mrs B xx

Old-Fashioned Apple Tea Cake

Last Thursday night, Mr B lined up a lunch date with his Grandfather for Friday and seeing as I was going to be at work that day and unable to attend, I did the next best thing - I baked them a cake!

Now on Friday night when I asked Mr B how it was, he broke out some serious descriptive words like 'cakey' and 'appley'...oh and let's not forget 'great,' meanwhile I'm sitting there saying...'but was it moist? dense? light? fluffy? damn it I need to know!' My final understanding, after quite some time, was that it is a beautiful light butter cake, topped with a appley goodness....I'm good with that.

Old-Fashioned Apple Tea Cake

You will need:
180g butter
2/3 cup caster sugar
3 eggs
1 cup self raising flour
1/2 cup plain flour
1/3 cup milk
2-3 apple
2 tbspns boiling water
1 tspn gelatine
2 tbspns apricot jam (or orange marmalade works just as well)
Cinnamon

Grease and line a 20cm deep cake tin or springform pan. Pre-heat oven to 180C

Beat the butter and sugar together using an electric mixer until pale and creamy.

Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

Add the flours and milk and beat until just combined. Pour the mixture into your prepared cake tin.

Peel, quarter and core the apples. Cut into thin slices. Arrange the slices on the top of your cake. Sprinkle with cinnamon if you want.

Bake for roughly an hour or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Stand for 5-10 mins before removing from pan.

While cake is still warm, combine the water and gelatine in a jug. Stir well until gelatine is dissolved. Stir in the jam. Brush over the top of the cake.

Allow to cool completely before serving.

This cake makes a lovely afternoon tea on it's own, or if you're feeling a little bit fancy, it would be heavenly with a dollop of whipped cream too.

On Friday night, Mr B and I went out for a romantic Italian dinner for two! We went to a little old local restaurant called Don Camillo's and the food (and the company) was perfect. Plus it gave me a chance to wear my new dress (partly purchased with a voucher Mr B gave me for Christmas!)

On Sunday the sun was shining and for a change the wind wasn't blowing so Mr B and I took the opportunity to jump on our bikes and go for a ride. We headed down the highway to Huonville where we hired a pedal boat and went for a paddle up the Huon River. It was a beautiful day for it and cruising up the river was quite peaceful and relaxing.

On the way home we rode up through Cradoc, Cygnet and Margate, and on the way we passed a big strawberry farm, it seemed like all we could smell for miles was fresh strawberry jam! A quick rest (read thickshake) stop later and we were home.

Another hectic, but lovely weekend in the Mr and Mrs B household!

Mrs B xox

Mediterranean Tuna and Rice Bake

I'm tired. Easy meals are super high on my priority list right now, but they can't just be easy, they have to be easy, nutritious, tasty and economical too! I don't ask for much hey....

This recipe here is all of the above. The other thing I love about this dish is that it is comforting and delicious straight out of the oven, but equally (if not more) tasty when served cold the next day. That versatility, plus the fact it is beyond easy to put together, make this a must cook summer meal. 

You will need: 

1.5 cups cooked long-grain white rice

2 x 185g tins of tuna (I use John West Oven Dried Tomato and Basil, but I think it would also be nice with a Lemon Pepper flavoured tuna as well)
3/4 cup grated cheddar (plus extra to top)
100g semi-dried tomatoes, coarsely chopped
100g fetta, crumbled
1 large zucchini, grated
2 tbspn fresh basil, finely chopped
3 eggs, lightly whisked
Salt and Pepper to season

Pre-heat oven to 180C

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.

Spoon into a greased and lined loaf tin and top with extra grated cheese.

Bake for around 40-50 mins - it will be puffed and golden when done and if you stick a knife in the middle, it should be reasonable firm and not 'eggy.' Remove from the oven and allow to sit in the pan for 5-10 mins - it will firm up a little more as it cools.

Remove from the pan, slice and serve with salad (or cool completely and wrap up for lunchboxes!)

Enjoy!

Mrs B xx

Raspberry and Cream Cheese Muffins

Yesterday I had a full day of baking planned and it was so very good to get back into my kitchen - don't get me wrong, the break over the Christmas has been lovely, but yesterday while I was getting my bake on, music up, dancing feet on, I was definitely in my happy place. One of the goodies I baked yesterday was these Raspberry and Cream Cheese Muffins. They smell delicious and Mr B tells me they taste awesome as well! 

Raspberry and Cream Cheese Muffins

You will need:
2 cups plain flour
2 tspns baking powder
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
100ml sunflower oil
125ml milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
180g fresh or frozen raspberries
110g cream cheese

Pre-heat oven to 180C and line a muffin tin with 12 paper cases.

Place all ingredients, except the raspberries and cream cheese, into a large bowl and mix to combine.

Add the raspberries and just fold through the mixture gently.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared cases, filling them about 2/3 full. Place a small spoonful of cream cheese into the centre of each muffin. Now the cream cheese I had was straight from the fridge and fairly solid, so I used a melon baller to get equal sized portions.

Bake for 25-30 mins or until the muffins are golden and bounce back when touched. Allow to cool in the tin before removing to a wire rack to cool.

Enjoy!

And have a look at these little ginger-dead men I made for Mr B's lunches using some cookie cutters Mum and Dad brought me for Christmas. I admit I did squeal and dance around clapping my hands when they came out of the oven - they are just so cute!!

Mrs B xx