Apple and Pecan Cake

We all love to eat cake ! Since the resurgence of the cup cake and the macaroon we have perhaps abandoned the traditional whole cake in favour of the two bite sized, hand held morsels.
Whilst we do love these, they are a fiddle to make, but a cake is so very quick and easy ! It looks just as impressive and can double as a dessert !
This little apple and pecan cake served with some cream does just that. It doesn't require icing and is
moist and delicious on its own.  It takes no time to whip up ! Do not use a mixer for this cake just a spoon or the apple and pecan will get chopped up even more. They need to stay chunky.


2 Granny Smith Apples
1 cup sugar
1 cup chopped pecans 
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 teaspoon bicarb soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice
125 grams butter
1 egg


Melt the butter in a dish in microwave or on stove top and set aside to cool.
Peel core and chop apples into chunks as you would for apple pie, or approx 2 cms.
Place into a bowl and mix through the cup of sugar and set aside.
Sift the flour  into a mixing bowl together with the bicarb of soda, and the spices.
Add the chopped nuts and mix through.
Whisk the egg into the cooled butter and add to the flour mixture. At this stage it will seem a little stiff.
The sugar will have released juices from the chopped apple, so add this last and lightly mix into the flour mixture.
Spoon into a round 8 inch tin and cook in a 160 C oven for 45-50 minutes.

Poached Chicken with Rice Noodles and Asian Salad

I am a huge fan of poaching and braising. Kylie Kwong and Neil Perry introduced me to this beautiful way of cooking, which imparts so much flavour and keeps the meat so moist and tender.
The added bonus of cooking this way for guests is that most of the work can be done well ahead, leaving the meat in the liquid just to be reheated at serving time . A lot of the poaching or braising liquids can be frozen for future use.
This poaching liquid is almost like a laksa, served over the noodles with the salad on the side.
The salad  and indeed the whole dish reminds me of the many meals I had in Thailand. Beautifully light and so tasty, perfect for our summer weather.  You can serve this with any barbequed meat or fish really, and play around with the ingredients. The quantities below are for 4 people but can easily be increased.

2 cups coconut cream
2 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1/4 cup fish sauce
4 slightly crushed garlic cloves
1 red chilli finely sliced or a spoon of minced chilli
4 coriander roots slightly bruised
8 kaffir lime leaves torn
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon palm sugar
1 kilo of chicken I have used breast and thigh
rice noodles 500 gram
Thai basil torn
mint torn

Asian salad

1/4 Chinese cabbage, finely sliced
1 carrot grated or use a vegetable peeler to slice fine strips
12 snow peas sliced into 3 or 4 strips
1/4 finely slice red capsicum
4 sliced shallots
1/4  red onion finely sliced
1 small chilli finely sliced (optional )
2 tablespoons roasted peanuts
1/4 cup chopped coriander
1 clove minced garlic
4 tablespoons fish sauce
4 tablespoons rice vinegar
4 tablespoon castor sugar
4 tablespoons lime juice


Prepare the dressing, by combining the fish sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice, garlic and sugar together and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Cover and set aside until serving. This will keep in the fridge in a screw top jar for weeks. Prepare all of the salad ingredients and place in a bowl and toss to mix. Set aside until ready to serve.
In a large saucepan or wok combine the stock, coconut cream, fish and soy sauces, garlic, lime leaves coriander and chilli. Bring to a boil and simmer for a couple of minutes to infuse the flavours. Gently add the whole breasts or thighs and poach for about 10 minutes or until just cooked. Remove with a slotted spoon and cover and set aside. If you have a while until serving, leave the chicken in the poaching liquid.
Cover the rice noodles with boiling water and soak for 5-10 minutes to soften, or throw into a pot of boiling water for 3 minutes and drain.
After removing the chicken, from the poaching liquid add the sugar and lime juice and simmer for a further 10 minutes. Remove the garlic cloves, coriander root and lime leaves before serving.
At serving slice or shred the chicken. Place a quantity of noodles in each bowl. Add the sliced chicken and ladle over the hot poaching liquid. Scatter with coriander, mint and Thai basil.
Dress the salad and serve separately.                                                                        

Bread and Butter Pudding

As a child my mother made bread and butter pudding regularly. Probably to use up the stale bread. I hated this pudding with its soggy bread and jam and was at a loss to understand how anyone could enjoy it.
Later in life I decided to give it a go myself and am not sure where the inspiration for this recipe came from. I did go through a" French stage" and bought brioche all the time. Maybe the brioche inspired me, being sweeter than bread and a different texture. I now love this pudding.

The weather has turned chilly again as it usually does at this time of year. Perfect for pudding !


100 grams pitted prunes chopped in half
2 tablespoons whiskey
4 eggs
240 grams castor sugar
600 mls milk
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
300 grams brioche preferably a little stale
50 grams butter

Whiskey Sauce

50 grams brown sugar
50 mls whiskey
50 grams butter
50 mls of cream
nutmeg freshly grated or ground
thickened cream to serve

Soak the prunes in the whiskey, for several hours.
Combine eggs and sugar beating well.
Heat the milk and whisk into the egg sugar mixture and add the cinnamon and nutmeg.
Break the brioche into large chunks.
Grease an ovenproof souffle dish about 1.5 litres or 6 cup capacity.
Place alternative layers of the brioche and prunes in the dish. Top with small pieces of the butter.
Pour the custard mixture over the brioche to fill the dish and bake at 180C for 30-40 minutes until firm.

For the sauce in
Dissolve the brown sugar in the whiskey over a low heat. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and cream. This can easily be doubled for extra sauce.
Serve pudding topped with a little of the sauce, a sprinkling of nutmeg, cream and extra soaked prunes if you desire.

Simple Green Chicken Curry

After my trip I felt I had to give you all a touch of Thai. This is a dish I am sure you have all tried in some form or another . I have cooked Green Curry so many times with a variety of ingredients , but this recipe is just so quick and easy you will do it again and again.
Of course you must have the curry paste on hand and a couple of other ingredients are a staple part of Thai cooking, Fish sauce and Palm sugar. You cannot skimp or compromise on these two ingredients. Well at a pinch if you are really stuck you can use brown sugar instead, but it is sweeter than palm sugar I feel, so use less. The other essential is kaffir lime leaves, even those can be bought in a jar on the shelves if you are finding them hard to get.
The secret to the meal is Spicy Sweet and Sour or Salty. There is really no excuse for not having the makings of a great curry in your pantry. They do not have to be purchased at an Asian store either everything is readily available in Australia at the supermarket. Once you have the staples you can make many curries, and this one is made in no time!! Just know your paste ! If using a bought paste they vary greatly in heat so maybe use caution initially if you are not sure.

1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large can coconut cream
2 tablespoon green curry paste
200 gram sliced chicken breast
2 teaspoons palm sugar
1 tablespoon fish sauce
250 grams small white and red eggplant  or a little less with the tiny pea eggplant as well ( if you can't get these do not use normal eggplant it is too strong ) substitute, kumera or pumpkin chopped into small pieces and some snow peas, or broccoli pieces.
2 kaffir lime leaves torn into small pieces
Extra fresh chilli finely sliced optional


Heat the oil in a large pot or wok. Add the paste and stir until fragrant a minute or two.
Add 1 cup of coconut cream and bring to a simmer. When the oil appears at the edges or surface is shiny, add the chicken and when coloured add the rest of the can of coconut cream, which will be milky or thinner in appearance.
Bring to a boil and add the vegetables of choice with the lime leaves. When the vegetables are cooked add the palm sugar and fish sauce. Garnish with the fresh chilli. Serve with steamed jasmine rice.

Want Food Tour of Thailand

I have just returned from a frenetic food and cultural tour of Bangkok and Chiang Mai. It was fabulous and we were treated like royalty.
Asia is so different to Europe, everything operates 24/7, no afternoon siestas which means you aren't forced to rest ! We did manage to get some pool and spa time though ! There is so much to see, so many places to eat and so many shops!!

We ate in many restaurants, from incredibly cheap to the uber cool Nahm operated by David Thompson originally of Darley Street Thai fame. It is rated in the top 50 restaurants in the world and it certainly didn't disappoint on any level. The tasting menu was truly amazing and incredibly inexpensive by our standard .  Having done a cooking course at The Blue Elephant that day and eaten every dish we cooked, we felt we couldn't manage it so we settled on four dishes. Next time !

Crab and Pomelo Salad  at Nahm

Braised Spicy Ribs with Pineapple  from Soul Food

Soul Food Mahanakorn owned and operated by an American, Jarrett Wrisley was a taste sensation of Thai regional dishes with some signature cocktails. The aubergine salad topped with thick chunks of bacon and soft cooked duck egg, was gorgeous as well.









The food is a sensory delight, so tasty and so fresh.
We ate street food, with a guide of course, indulging in some incredibly cheap and delicious bowls of Thai food. I declined the cockroaches, worms and spiders, but did eat duck cheeks. Tiny little bite size morsels that were very tasty. The Thais eat everything, anything that crawls or walks and every part of it, quite fascinating  and only for those Westerners with an iron stomach.

The remainder of a Plate of Duck Cheeks

The markets were so clean and organized, with all of the food so beautifully presented on wickers trays with banana leaves and flowers. All of the produce was very fresh and I was told comes to market every day from the growers. Of course all so inexpensive ! I was a frustrated cook, as I didn't have a kitchen to go home to prepare this healthy gorgeous produce.

Fresh Scallops

Mud Crab

I only took this because I love fresh asparagus

These dear little ladies make the most delicious dumplings which you buy cooked at the Samyan Market. Note the people queueing for them. They spend hours everyday making them and like all Thai people still manage to smile continually.

River Prawns

We also toured the wonderful markets of Chiang Mai, in the north of Thailand.

 Each market has its own speciality and with our guide we explored many edible treasures for a few hours. You can buy anything dried, from fish to fruit, and everything else.

Deep fried chicken heads and grilled frogs, which I didn't try, nor did I try the packets of dried white worms which I was told are delicious!! We did try beautiful miniature fruit and banana dumplings, prepared on the spot. We did a cooking class in a Thai home with Yui and she also took us to her local food market, where she sources produce for her classes. Another day of continual eating !

At the end of our day at the market we returned to our hotel for another assault of the senses... a facial and Thai massage at their gorgeous spa. Two hours of pure indulgence , after which we just had to lie around the pool have some cocktails and prepare for our next meal out !

We also did a lot of shopping, funny about that! Well when in Thailand..... it is their favourite pastime !

As this goes to post, I am working on some tours to Thailand, to take like minded people to discover

the sensory delights of Thai food. Come and enjoy cooking classes, market tours and sampling, gourmet walking tours, have lots of laughs, some genuine fake shopping, search for beautiful antiquities and treasures for the home. Add a little culture to balance things, a regular serving of fabulous cocktails and what more can you want !

Lemon and Herb Barbequed Loin of Lamb

Spring is in the air with a hint of summer ! I refuse to put on winter clothes again and am looking forward to a warm, rain free summer with lots of outdoor entertaining and a few drinkies of course.!
You may have guessed I love lamb and here is another little beauty. I find it never disappoints !
This lamb dish is very simple, can be increased easily if you have more guests or you can use boned legs of lamb. The loins are smaller and very tender, but it works just as well with the small boned legs that are readily available at Thomas Dux,  all good butchers and Woolworths.
Until the weather does get a little warmer serve the lamb with Roast Vegetables Greek style or the Couscous from my previous lamb recipe. I usually make extra to serve at the table.
Until I post some yummy salads with maybe a touch of Thai after my trip to Thailand.


leaves of 2 sprigs of thyme
leaves of 2 sprigs of rosemary
juice and rind, of a lemon
4 cloves crushed garlic
4 slices of ginger finely chopped
3 tablespoons of honey
4 tablespoons butter
2 boned loins of lamb
1-2 tablespoons Rylstone olive oil
salt and pepper

Put into the blender the herbs, juice, rind, garlic and ginger, honey, salt and pepper.
Reserve 1 tablespoon of herb mixture and mix with the olive oil
Add remaining herbs to the butter and reserve 2 tablespoons for later.
Generously spread the loins with the herbed butter and put together using cooking twine.
Score the loins and rub the herb and oil mixture into the meat. Put into a china dish, cover and refrigerate overnight. If you don't have time for this, it needs to be marinated for at least 4 hours.
Cook in a preheated oven 200C for 20 minutes. Cook for a further 15 minutes on a barbeque or
under a grill.
Carve into 2-3 cm slices and serve with the reserved herb butter mixture melted to a sauce.
Make extra to serve at table

Pork and Veal Thai Meatballs with Yoghurt sauce

Getting in the mood with a touch of Thai, again. I had some of the yoghurt sauce in the fridge  from my vegetable pasties and it was also delicious with the meatballs.
Fresh ingredients and beautiful aromas of freshly chopped coriander and mint, have you salivating for these before you have cooked them.
They can be adapted and made a lot smaller for finger food for a party.
Serve them with a really fabulous salad and when the weather gets a bit warmer a mango salsa would be beautiful with them too.


1kilo pork and veal mince
1/2 red capsicum
1 small red onion
2 cloves garlic *
2 teaspoons minced ginger *
3 tablespoons chopped coriander
3 tablespoons chopped mint
1 stalk lemongrass finely chopped
2 tablespoons Thai Sweet Chilli Sauce or to taste
1 egg beaten
S&P
Canola or peanut oil

* I used for this recipe a minced  bottled garlic and ginger bought from an Asian supermarket

 Finely chop onion, capsicum, lemongrass and whole garlic and ginger if not using minced.
Add these along with the chopped mint and coriander to the pork and veal mince. Mix thoroughly and add Sweet Chilli Sauce  and the beaten egg to bind the mixture. At this point you can add salt and pepper.

Shape the mixture into balls  about the size of golf balls. If making them this size a kilo will make about 20 meatballs.
Heat the oil in a shallow fry pan and add the meatballs. Don't put them all in at once and don't overcrowd the pan. Turn them to make sure each side is evenly cooked.
Drain on paper towel and serve when ready with the yoghurt sauce, or alternatively serve with extra Sweet Chilli sauce
They can be made earlier and reheated. They also freeze well.

Fab Finds

Just had to share these finds. I always try out new things, sometimes good sometimes not. This is a goody ! The Woolworths Select brand of Thick Greek Style Yoghurt.
Really thick and delicious.

Also from my local Indian Supermarket Mothers Recipe brand, Garlic and Ginger Paste.
Getting me in the swing of  things for all the Thai, I am going to be cooking ! So easy and a really nice blend. Great if you are in a hurry or haven't got the fresh on hand !

Thai Vegetable Pastie with Yoghurt Sauce

I will be in Thailand as this goes to print, to source some fabulous cooking schools and gourmet walking trips through the unknown parts of Bangkok and Chiang Mai. I hope to get a great Food Tour organized for next year, so watch this space. There is a lot of  eating to do and I have set myself, a pretty hectic schedule.
Before leaving I thought I would get in the mood  and make this little vegetable pastie probably more like a samosa without the right pastry. I used puff pastry and Yellow Curry paste from the Spirit House. There are many store bought curry pastes, use a green if you like, slightly different taste but still a little chilli and Thai ( sort of ) You could use an Indian Curry paste as well, medium to hot
The yoghurt sauce is a fabulous and very versatile . Wait till the summer barbeque, delicious with lamb and chicken too.

2 tablespoon oil
1 onion finely chopped
1/2 red capsicum
2 potatoes peeled and chopped
200 gams chopped pumpkin or sweet potato cut into 2cm pieces
1 carrot
2 cloves garlic
2 cm piece chopped ginger
1 tablespoon tomato paste
30 grams curry paste or 1 good tablespoon
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons chopped coriander
Puff pastry sheets thawed in fridge
1 egg

Yoghurt sauce

1 cup plain Greek style yoghurt
2 tablespoons pine nuts
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 clove crushed garlic
1 tablespoon chopped coriander
1 tablespoon chopped mint
1 tablespoon lemon juice


Make the yoghurt sauce first and keep in the refrigerator.
Toast the nuts in a pan until slightly golden on a low heat. If you don't happen to have pine nuts slivered almond would do. Add the ground cumin and turmeric and cook until fragrant about 1 minute.
Remove from the stove and  cool . Process until finely ground.
Add the remaining ingredients and give a quick pulse to combine or use a hand mixer. Check seasoning, maybe add a little salt.
Set aside.


Heat the oil in a wok or large pan. Add the curry paste and stir until fragrant. Add the onion and garlic and coat in the spices. Add the rest of the vegetables and tomato paste and stir through.
Add one cup cold water, and bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 10 minutes.
Remove lid and add chopped parsley and coriander. Stir and keep cooking until liquid has evaporated. If you find the vegetables aren't cooked and water has evaporated add more water, until they are cooked.
Set aside and cool.
Preheat oven to 175C
I used a bowl turned upside down to mark a 15cm circle on my pastry sheets. Of course if you want to serve them as finger food use a smaller cutting guide.
This mixture will make 6 large pasties.
Divide the mixture into six and place an amount on each pastry circle. Work one sheet at a time at a time, if you find this easier.
Pull pastry up to centre and crimp together with your fingers.
Place on a baking paper lined tray and wash with the beaten egg.
Cook for 15 minutes or until pastry is golden.
Serve with the yoghurt sauce and a chutney if desired.

Leek and Prosciutto Risotto with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

Leeks are plentiful at the moment and I love cooking with them. Risotto is not hard to make it just requires 20 minutes of your undivided attention with continual stirring. You can always pour yourself a big glass of wine and chat to your guests as you make it ! There are a number of oven bake risottos and I haven't tried this one in the oven , purely because I prefer to cook them the old fashioned way !
Although, some steps for this are done in the oven making it a little simpler.
I think the secret to a good risotto is a good strong stock and it must be boiling hot when it hits the rice to keep the cooking going. If you don't make your own there are many great stocks available in store these days other than a stock cube. But by all means use this if you have too, but keep in mind they are quite salty. Try a Massell stock powder instead !
If you prefer pancetta to prosciutto that is fine too, as long as they are thin slices.
How much stock to use is approximate, you may end up using slightly less or more. It doesn't matter. The important thing is for the risotto to be creamy, not too dry or too runny. Do not drown the rice in stock it should only be just covered maybe 1/4 cup at a time , absorb and repeat until done approx 18-20 minutes. This recipe will serve four, it is easy to increase amounts !



300 grams Arborio rice
1 large leek finely sliced
6 slices thin prosciutto
1/2 punnet cherry or truss tomatoes ( if they are small use the lot )
2 large cloves crushed garlic
1 litre chicken stock
80 grams butter
3/4 cup  white wine
2 tablespoons fresh or dried tarragon if fresh unavailable
1 cup finely grated Parmesan



Preheat oven to 180C. Place prosciutto and tomatoes on a baking paper, lined tray in the oven for approx 10 mins.
Remove from the oven and break the prosciutto into smallish pieces and set aside.
Place stock in a saucepan alongside the pan you are going to cook the risotto in and bring to the boil.
In the pan  you are cooking the risotto, melt 60 grams of the butter and saute the leek and the garlic with the wine, until soft.
Place the rice into the pan and stir to thoroughly coat in the butter, leek mixture.
Begin ladling the hot stock, about 1/4 cup at a time, and wait until totally absorbed until the next ladle of stock is added, keep repeating and stirring the whole time.
About 5 minutes before finishing, add the tarragon, and stir through.
When the rice is done, turn off the heat and add the prosciutto, the remaining butter, a twist of black pepper and gently toss the tomatoes through trying to keep them whole. If some break up that's fine, but it is quite nice when you are eating to get a burst of tomato every now and again.
Just be careful with salt content, prosciutto and parmesan and stock are all salty !
Serve at once with extra parmesan.