Category Archives: Cooking

Gingerbread – A Christmas Tradition

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Christmas is just around the corner. The decorations are up, and the Christmas events are in full swing. But, until yesterday, there was something missing – our traditional Christmas gingerbread snowflakes.

We started making gingerbread three years ago (I think), when we received the gorgeous snowflake cookie cutters pictured below, and it has become our little Christmas tradition.

Gingerbread dough, cutter, and rolling pin

Gingerbread dough, cutter, and rolling pin

Gingerbread snowflake shaped cutter

Gingerbread snowflake shaped cutter

Snowflake shaped gingerbread biscuits

Snowflake shaped gingerbread biscuits

Cooked gingerbread biscuits on a cooling rack

Cooked gingerbread biscuits on a cooling rack

Caramelising sugar

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Last week, I picked up some cute little blue and white ramekins. I’ve wanted dessert-size ramekins for a while, and have been fantasising about all the wonderful desserts I’ll be able to make now I have some. I knew the first thing I had to make was a French custard-based dessert, but there are so many to choose from: crème brûlée, petits pots de crème, crème caramel.

After much indecision, I settled on crème caramel. But that meant caramelising sugar; something I have never done before, and have always been a bit scared of.

Caramel in ramekins

Caramel in ramekins for crème caramel

My first attempt did not go well. The recipe called for 2/3 cup of sugar and 1 tablespoon of water, shaken in a saucepan until it caramelised. Instead of caramel, I ended up with a solid white lump stuck to bottom of my saucepan (which, thankfully, dissolved in hot water).

I turned to YouTube for help, and for my second attempt decided to try caramelising just the sugar without any water. With just sugar in the saucepan, I watched with amazement as it started to melt around the edges, and eventually became a pool of golden brown liquid. I had just made caramel for the first time!

Growing bean sprouts: Lentils, chickpeas, and mung beans

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Since growing mustard seed sprouts and discovering the world of sprouting, I have tried sprouting lentils, chickpeas, and mung beans.

The lentils and chickpeas are really easy to grow and take just a day and a half. I was surprised to find they don’t taste anything like cooked lentils or chickpeas. They taste more like fresh peas and are satisfyingly crunchy. I’ve been adding them to salads and stir-fries.

Sprouted lentils and chickpeas in jars

Sprouted lentils and chickpeas

Sprouted and dried lentils

Sprouted lentil before and after

Sprouted and dried chickpeas

Sprouted chickpea before and after

The mung beans took about a week, and required a little more effort. Mung bean sprouts are the crunchy white bean shoots you can buy in bags at the supermarket. Mine did not get as big as the supermarket ones, but they were crunchy and tasty.

Sprouted mung beans

Sprouting mung beans

I bought dried whole lentils and chickpeas from the supermarket, and found dried mung beans at the local Asian grocery store.

The instructions I used for sprouting are available at the links below:

Continuing problems with our Avanti Pasta Wiz

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Our second Avanti Pasta Wiz broke for the same reason as the first. The manufacturers have used soft metal gears that can not take the stresses involved in rolling pasta. It seems we are not alone in encountering this problem.

We have not been able to make a single batch of pasta successfully with this machine before the gears distort, jam, and the mechanism can no longer turn.

Damaged gears in an Avanti Pasta Wiz.

Damaged gears in an Avanti Pasta Wiz.

Broken gear (second from left) in our Avanti Pasta Wiz.

Broken gear (second from left) in our Avanti Pasta Wiz.

This second machine was a replacement provided by the retailer.

The life time warranty is unhelpful if the core problem is not fixed in the replacement. We will be recycling the machines and looking for an alternative.

Growing mustard sprouts

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Last week, I grew some mustard seed sprouts. For some reason, Graham and I had been discussing growing alfalfa and cress on the kitchen windowsill as children – my childhood alfalfa grew as “hair” out of the top of an egg shell with a face drawn on it.

Sprouting mustard seeds

Tiny mustard seed sprouts

So, when I found a little packet of mustard seeds in my spice box, I wondered if they would grow. I put a wet paper towel on a plate, sprinkled a few of the mustards seeds on top, and put it by the window.

Sprouting mustard seeds

Mustard seeds staring to sprout

Sprouting mustard seeds

Sprouting mustard seeds

Over the next few days, I watched them grow tiny roots, then open up to reveal little leaves, and turn into tiny plants leaning towards the sun. We eventually ate them when they started to look like they might not be doing so well. They had the slightest spicy flavour.

Sprouting mustard seeds

Mustard seed sprouts

A little bit of research has since revealed  a whole world of sprouting, and I have learnt that sprouts are usually grown in jars with a regime of soaking, rinsing, and draining. Even more surprisingly, I have discovered that sprouts are not limited to alfalfa and cress, but you can sprout big things like lentils and chickpeas.

I’m still deciding what I will try next.

Mexican spice

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Burritos are a Friday night special at our place, and over time we have replaced the kits you buy at the supermarket with our own tortillas and spice mix.

My spice mix has evolved over time. It’s not an exact science, so feel free to use this as starting point and experiment to find the perfect combination for you.

Mexican spice mix

  • 3 tsp dried onion flakes
  • 2 tsp chilli powder
  • 2 tsp cornflower
  • 1 tsp dried garlic flakes
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds, crushed
  • 1 tsp stock powder
  • 1/2 tsp dried coriander
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/2 tsp cocoa powder
  • 1/2 tsp paprika (use smoked paprika if you want that smokey bbq flavour)

Put all of the ingredients in an air tight jar and shake well to mix.

I add about 2 teaspoons of the spice mix to the beans and vegetables as they cook.

Easy chocolate truffles

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Decadent chocolate truffles are surprisingly simple to make. They are great with coffee, or packaged in a pretty box as a gift.

Homemade chocolate truffles

Homemade chocolate truffles

You will need:

  • 200g block of dark chocolate
  • 1/4 cup fresh cream
  • 2 tablespoons of your favourite liqueur (optional)
  • cocoa powder

Break up the chocolate, put it in a small saucepan with the cream, and stir over low heat until the chocolate melts. Turn off the heat and stir in the liqueur. Pour the chocolate mixture into a bowl, cover, and put it in the fridge overnight to set.

Take the chocolate mixture out of the fridge, shape teaspoons of the mixture into balls, and roll in the cocoa powder until completely covered (don’t try to do this on a hot day or your truffles will melt).

Your truffles are done. Store them in an airtight container in the fridge between layers of baking paper.

You Can Freeze Fresh Cream

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I recently discovered that fresh cream freezes well.

Cream is not something we use often. I had a lot leftover after making some chocolate truffles, so decided to try to freeze it.

I froze 1/4 cup portions in a silicone muffin pan. Once frozen, I turned the portions out of the muffin pan, wrapped them individually in plastic, and kept them in freezer.

Frozen cream in a silicone muffin pan

Frozen cream in a silicone muffin pan

The cream did separate as it defrosted, but came back together nicely after a good shake, and accompanied some delicious chocolate cake.

Making Steamed Buns (Baozi)

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Yesterday, while the rain poured down, I decided to make a batch of Chinese steamed buns, or Baozi. Our favourite variety are filled with sweet red bean paste. The buns are like fluffy white clouds with a gooey sweet centre.

The first step is making the dough. The dough is a simple mix of flour, water, yeast, sugar, and salt.

Flour for steamed buns

Flour for steamed buns

Yeast mix for steamed buns

Yeast mix for steamed buns

Kneading dough for steamed buns

Kneading the dough

Dough after kneading

Dough after kneading

Leaving the dough to rise

Leaving the dough to rise

After leaving the dough to rise, you add baking powder to it before shaping the buns.

Steamed bun dough after rising

Steamed bun dough after rising

Adding baking powder to dough

Adding baking powder to dough

Steamed bun dough after kneading in baking powder

Steamed bun dough after kneading in baking powder

The dough is rolled out into small circles. You put some filling in the centre (in this case, some red bean paste I picked up from our local Asian supermarket), and then fold the edges together to seal the filling inside the dough. Twisting a piece of dough off the top of the bun makes sure it is well sealed.

Rolling out dough for steamed buns

Rolling out dough for steamed buns

Preparing to add filling

Preparing to add filling

Adding red bean paste

Adding red bean paste

Steamed bun dough with red bean paste

Steamed bun dough with red bean paste

Folding in the dough to close the bun

Folding in the dough to close the bun

Steamed bun dough with all edges folded in

Steamed bun dough with all edges folded in

Sealing a steamed bun by twisting the top off

Sealing a steamed bun by twisting the top off

Sealed steamed bun

Sealed steamed bun

The buns are placed on squares of baking paper and left the rise again before steaming them. The baking paper stops the buns from sticking to the steamer.

Sealed steamed bun left to rise

Sealed steamed bun left to rise

Steamed buns after rising

Steamed buns after rising

Steamed buns in the steamer ready for cooking

Steamed buns in the steamer ready for cooking

We keep our left over buns in the freezer and reheat them in the microwave as we want them.

You can find the recipe I used here.