Vegetables Soup

The weather in September is quite unpredictable.  It could be sunny and warm one day then it could be cool and windy the next day.  The rain keeps the garden growing very well.  My pansies are all smiling at me in the flower pots.  Even though the weather is getting warm, I still feel like having soup to keep me warm and to increase the fluid intake.  The western style soup is very different to the Asian's.  It is thick and chunky that can be serve as a meal whereas the Asian soup is usually very thin.  The first time I tasted the vegetable soup was at my friend's cafe many years ago.  It was located in a country tourist area where you could look over the farm view from the dinning area.  It made you feel very natural and relax by having something so simple and nice.  After a few trial and error, I create this recipe as my best vegetable soup.  I can fool my kids to eat the vegetables that they don't like.

3 Litres of water
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 small sweet potato, peeled and chopped
1 small zucchini, chopped
1 small carrot, peeled and chopped
2 small potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 stalk of celery, chopped
1/2 red capsicum, chopped
1/4 sugar loaf cabbage, chopped
kernels cut from a cob of corn
1/2 cup soup mix (red lentil, yellow spilt peas, green peas and barley)
1/4 cup brown rice
chives for garnish
bread rolls to serve

Method:

1. Wash and rinse the soup mix and the brown rice.
2. Boil water in a large saucepan.  Add the soup mix and brown rice.  Then add in the rest of the vegetables and boil for about 1 hour 30 minutes in moderate and slow heat.  Use the back of the soup laddle to mess some the chuck of the vegetables to get a thicker soup.  Garnish with chives and serve with bread rolls.  

Note: The left over soup may be a bit thick, simply add in some water to thinning it during reheat.

Strawberry Feast - Strawberry Jelly Slice and Strawberry Kebabs

We have a Strawberry Festival to celebrate the strawberry season in the area where I live in September.  Local school has a school fete to invite the locals to join the fun that kids enjoy merry-go-round, face paintings, dancing performance and most important of all, eating strawberries all day long.  Strawberry is not only a very delicious and nutritious fruit, it can be prepared in a variety of ways.  To name a few, there are strawberry and cream, strawberry jam and strawberry sponge cake.  It would not be perfect having chocolate fondue without strawberry.  I like to buy the biggest strawberry as it tastes the sweetest.    Let's celebrate the strawberry season with my strawberry jelly slice and strawberry kebab.  Recipe of the jelly slice is based on the recipe from Cakes & Slices Cookbook published by the Australian Women's Weekly.

Strawberry Jelly Slice

Ingredients:
Make about 10 slices

2 cups (250g) sweet biscuits
125g butter, melted
100g pink marshmallows
1 teaspoon gelatine
1/4 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla essence
2/3 cup Pauls low-fat thickened cream
5 strawberries, halved
2x100g packets strawberry jelly
2 cups boiling water

Methods:

1. Grease a 19cmx29cm lamington pan.
2. Process the biscuits into crumbs by an electric blender.  Combine crumbs and butter in a bowl, mix well.  Press evenly over base of the pan and put into the fridge for about 30 minutes or until firm.
3. Combine marshmallows, gelatine and milk in a saucepan, stir over low heat without boiling until marshmallows are melted.  Add in the vanilla essence.  Leave cool to room temperature.
4. Whip cream in a separate bowl until soft peaks form,  add the marshmallow mixture.  Pour over the biscuits base.  Refrigerate for another 30 minutes or until firm.
5. Dissolve jelly in boiling water, cool to room temperature.  Pour jelly over the marshmallow filling.
6. Push the halved strawberries into the semi-settle jelly and refrigerate until firm before cutting. 

Note: Pauls' low-fat thickened cream is the only brand that can be whipped.  It takes a bit longer to whip than the full cream one and it does not whip perfectly.  The gelatine helps the marshmallow filling to set.   I am trying to cut down as much fat as possible in this recipe.

Strawberry Kebabs

make 4 kebabs

Ingredients:

strawberries

white & pink marshmallows

50g dairy milk chocolate, melted

4 bamboo skewers

Method:
Simply skew the strawberries and marshmallows through the skewer and drizzle with warm melted chocolate.  Enjoy! 

Baklava

I finally decided to try making Baklava after watching the Australian Junior Masterchef.  When I went travelling in Melbourne years ago, many different types of Greek's sweet were selling in the Greek pastry shops.  Some were in a roll and some were in layers but they all look awfully sweet.  We bought a few for sampling and you couldn't eat too much as they were very rich.  It is a nice compliment to go along with a cup of coffee.  Anyway, we enjoy our trip and never forget the awesome looking of all the different varieties of Greek sweet.  I follow the kids in the Junior Masterchef to make the Baklava in a roll rather than in flat layer as stated in my recipe.  Oh, my goodness!  It's crispy, crunchy, buttery and not as sweet as the one I have tasted.  The honey-lemon syrup cuts into the saltiness of the pastry.  I take a big bite of it and thinking whether I should have a second piece.  It's never too old learning tricks from kids.  My Baklava is based on the recipe from Cooking Class Cookbook from the Australian Women's Weekly.

Baklava
Make 6 pieces

Ingredients:
15 sheets fillo pastry (about 23cmx23cm), thawed
2-3 tablespoons of butter, melted
1 cup walnut, finely chopped
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons sugar

Honey-lemon Syrup:
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons honey

Methods:

1. Line the non-stick baking paper onto the tray.  This will be your working station.
2. Place the first sheet of pastry onto the tray.  Brushing it with melted butter.  The fillo pastry I have is about 23cmx46cm, I cut it in half and work on the square shape.
3. Repeat the brushing process for each layer of pastry.  Fillo pastry is as fine as rice paper.  Try to patch it if it breaks rather than throwing the whole sheet away.  You don't notice it in the end product. 
4. Combine walnuts, cinnamon and sugar, sprinkle evenly over top layer. 
5. Fold the two ends of the pastry toward the middle.  Then fold it again so you have one end stacking on top of the other like a roll.  Brush the top and side of the roll with butter.
6. Bake in the pre-heat oven at 170C for about 30 minutes or until crisp and golden brown.
7. Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan pan, stir over low heat until sugar has dissolved.  Add in lemon juice and honey and boil until the syrup starts to thicken.
8. Trim the end of the roll, then cut the roll into 2cm thick pieces.  Drizzle hot syrup over the Baklava.

Black Forest Cupcake (黑森林杯仔蛋糕)

We have moonlight market once a month in our town.  There are live music, alfresco dinning and other specialty stalls selling homemade skin product, olive oil, plants and fudges.  It's not a huge market but I enjoy eating out in the street which bring back my childhood memories in Hong Kong.  My favourite store is the organic chocolate store selling homemade chocolate and cakes.  The chocolate is smooth and the cake is not too sweet and it tastes just "perfect".  The store's young owner has been working with Jamie Oliver and he is such a humble person.  His food is simple but delicious that you'd never forget its taste.  One time, I bought a black forest cupcake for my son, he got very upset as I took a little sample of it.  Unfortunately, the chocolate store is not there in every moonlight market and I have to make some of the cupcakes to satisfy my sweet tooth until the store is up for business again.

Black Forest Cupcakes
(make 12)

165g butter
3/4 tablespoon dry instant coffee
1 cup hot water
100g dark chocolate
50g milk chocolate
1 1/2 cup caster sugar
2 cups self-raising flour
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
2 small eggs (60g)
1 teaspoons vanilla essence
300ml cartons thickened cream
2 teaspoons icing sugar
1 can of 415g pitted black cherries, drained
2 tablespoons kirsch
Finely grated dark chocolate for decoration

Methods:

1. Line a 12 cakes muffin tin with paper cases.  Preheat oven to 160C.
2. Melt butter in saucepan, stir combined coffee and hot water, then add in chocolate and sugar.  Stir over low heat without boiling until smooth.  Transfer to a large bowl, cool to warm.
3. Beat the chocolate mixture in low speed with electric mixer, gradually beat in sifted dry ingredients in two lots.  Beat in egg one at a time, then essence.  Spoon batter into muffin tin till it is 3/4 full.  Bake in oven for 30 minutes or until it is cooked.  Cool cake in the rack till it is completely cool.
4. Beat cream until firm beak form, then add in icing sugar.  Keep whipped cream in the fridge.
5. Cut 6 whole cherries in half and set aside.  This will be the garnish for the cake.
6. Cut the rest of cherries into chuck pieces, soak it with the kirsch for few hours.  If you have young children, you may like to omit the kirsch. 
7. Cut a deep circle around the top of cake leaving a 1 cm edge as you would do for a butterfly cake.  Cut the bottom off the cut piece so you have got a flat bottom piece to put back to the cake.
8. Spoon in some cherries into the hole until it is levelled with the cake.  Then fill up the top with the flat piece.  Spoon in a little bit of cherries over the top again and spread the whipped cream over and top the cake with a halved cherry.  Finally sprinkle some grated chocolate for decoration. 

Note:  I prefer to mix the dark and milk chocolate in making cake as I find that the cake taste a bit rich if I only use dark chocolate.  It is an individual choice.  If you have put the cake in the fridge, leave it at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before serving.  The cake will be nice and soft again.

黑森林杯仔蛋糕
( 12 隻份量)

材料：
牛油 165g
咖啡粉 3/4 茶匙
熱水 1 杯
黑朱古力 100g
牛奶朱古力 50g
砂糖 1 1/2 杯
自發粉 2 杯
可可粉 1 湯匙
60g 雞蛋 2 隻
雲尼那香精 1 茶匙
忌廉 300ml
糖粉 2 茶匙
415g 罐頭去核櫻桃 (車里子), 隔水
kirsch 酒, 2 茶匙
磨碎朱古力, 裝飾用

做法：

1. 預熱焗爐 160c, 一個 12 個鬆餅盆放好蛋糕紙。
2. 用熱水溶好咖啡粉。把牛油和咖啡水一起放進小煲，待牛油溶化後再加入黑朱古力、牛奶朱古力和糖。用低溫攪伴至混和，倒入另一個盆待涼。
3. 用電攪拌机的慢速攪至蛋糕糊混和，分 2 次隨隨加入篩過的自發粉和可可粉，然後每 1 次加入 1 隻雞蛋，最後拌入雲尼那香精。倒蛋糕糊到蛋糕盆直至每個 3/4 滿為止。焗 30 分鐘，把焗好的蛋糕放在蛋糕架待涼。
4. 用電攪伴机打發忌廉至企身，加入糖粉。放入雪櫃待用。
5. 把 6 粒櫻桃切 1 半作裝飾。
6. 然後把其餘的櫻桃切大粒，用 kirsch 酒浸數小時。如家有小孩不想用酒可以免用。
7. 用小刀在蛋糕切出一個頂，放入櫻桃和忌廉。然後再回蛋糕頂，鋪上忌廉，半粒櫻桃和碎朱古力。

Father's Day Special: Banana Pancakes with Butterscotch Sauce

Australia's Father's Day is on the first Sunday in September, it is also the first week of Spring.  Gardening and hardware tools are the popular gift ideas for this occasion.  We have just put in new mulch for our garden and I have planted some pansies and roses in the pots.  What a life to have by having these sweet, fluffy pancakes at the veranda surrounded by blooming flowers this Father's Day!

Banana Pancakes with Butterscotch Sauce    
Serve 4

Ingredients for pancakes:
1 cup self-raising flour
1 1/4 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 thinly sliced banana
extra sliced banana and whipped cream to serve

Ingredients for Butterscotch Sauce:
30g butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup low-fat thickened cream

Methods:

1. Sift flour into a bowl.  Add sugar.
2. Make a well in the middle of the bowl, add in egg and then gradually stir in buttermilk, maple syrup, melted butter until smooth.  Finally fold in sliced banana and rest for a few minutes.
3. Grease a non-stick pan with butter.  Change the heat from high into medium.  Spoon or pour the batter into the pan until the pancake is about 8cm in diameter.  Flap over the pancake when bubbles appear around the edges.  Cook pancake until golden brown on both sides.  Make 12 pancakes.
4. To prepare the butterscotch sauce: Melt butter and sugar in a pan.  Stir in cream.  Bring to the boil, keep stirring.  Set aside.
5. To serve: Stack 3 pancakes on top of each other on a plate and drizzle the warm butterscotch sauce over the pancake, serve with extra sliced banana and whipped cream.