Char grilled corn on the cob

Microwave corn cobs for 4 mins each. This gives them an initial steam cook and loosens the husk for easy removal
Cut 2.5 cm off the bottom of the corn. Grasp the top of the husk and shake gently. The corn will drop out completely husked
Place on hot bbq to char the corn kernels, rotating only after each side has picked up a bit of char.
Brush with melted butter and serve immediately.  

Lemon Butter in the Microwave

·      200g caster sugar

3 eggs

250 ml fresh lemon juice

100g unsalted butter, melted

Zest of a lemon or two (optional)

Pour boiling water into glass jars to sterilise them.

In a microwave bowl, whisk together the melted butter, caster sugar and eggs until smooth. Stir in lemon juice.

Cook in the microwave for one minute intervals, stirring after each minute until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon.

Remove from the microwave, and pour into small sterilised jam jars. Store for up to three weeks in the fridge.

Peanut Biscuits

125g butter

230g castor sugar (scant ¾ cup)

150g SR flour (1 large heaped cup)

1 egg

¾ cup unsalted peanuts

Cream butter and sugar.

Add egg and beat.

Fold in flour and peanuts.

Cook at 150 for 10-15 mins. They should be brown only around the edges.

This recipe is from Leila, Ted Hudson’s mother. Granny often made these for us and they’re really yummy.)

South East Asian Beef Curry

Not a beef rendang because there’s too much sauce. Not a massaman curry because there’s no potatoes. This is a compilation of my favourite curry ingredients, served as Mum served her sweet curry and rice back in the 60’s. The sauce lacks 2 things – chilli and coconut milk. But it is thick with spices. You’ll need a blender or food processor for this recipe.

2 onions, chopped

2 tbsp neutral flavoured oil (not olive)

1 tbsp chopped fresh ginger

1 tbsp chopped galangal (or another tbsp of fresh ginger)

1 tbsp chopped garlic

1-2 stalks lemongrass

6 kaffir lime leaves

½ cup desiccated coconut

1 cinnamon stick

750g beef cut into 1cm cubes

2 tbsps soy

1 tspn red curry paste

1 tbsp tamarind water or juice of a lime

Fry onion with a little salt in oil until just browned.

Process finely galangal, ginger, lemongrass, garlic, kaffir lime and desiccated coconut. Add enough water to ensure it processes finely. Reserve 2 tsps. to add later. Fry remainder with the onions for 30 seconds.

Add beef, cinnamon stick, tamarind, curry paste and soy. Add enough water to just cover meat, stir to combine, and place in oven at 90 degrees Celsius for at least 3 hours, or until tender.

To serve, place plain rice in the centre of a plate, and make an indentation in the middle. Place curry in the indentation. Place accompaniments around the curry.

Accompaniments

Tomatoes chopped combined with fresh coriander

Bananas mixed with desiccated coconut

Cucumber grated and combined with yoghurt

Poppadums

Sweet chutney

Lemon cake

This cake has an intense lemon flavour and a crispy crust from the sugar put on top after baking. It is my favourite cake of all time, and that's saying something!

3/4 cup (180ml) vegetable oil  

2 eggs  

1 tablespoon finely grated lemon rind  

2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup (280g) thick natural yoghurt  

1 3/4 cups (385g) caster sugar  

2 cups (300g) self raising flour   

Crunchy Lemon Topping 

3/4 cup (120g) granulated (not caster) sugar  

1/4 cup (60ml) lemon juice    

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.  

Place oil, eggs, rind, lemon juice, yoghurt and sugar in a bowl and whisk to combine.  

Sift over flour and stir until smooth.  

Pour the mixture into a greased 24cm ring or loaf tin and bake for 35 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer.  

To make the lemon frosting, gently stir together the sugar and lemon juice. Spoon over the cake while it is still in the pan and allow to set. 

 Serves 10-12  

Pistachio Rose Cake Recipe

Created by Steve Parle and Emma Grazette
12 filo pastry sheets, cut into 30 cm (12 inch) discs

75 g (2½ oz) butter, melted
300 g (11oz) pistachios, roughly chopped
4½ tbsp honey
4½ tbsp rosewater
500 ml (2 cups/18 fl oz) cream
dried or fresh rose petals, (optional) 

Preheat the oven to 160˚C (325˚F/Gas 3). Line two baking trays with baking paper, then butter the baking paper.

On the baking tray, divide the filo discs into three piles, painting a little butter in between the layers of each pile. Mix the nuts with the cumin seeds, honey and 3 tablespoons of the rosewater, then spread one-third of the mixture over each pile. You will have three stacks of filo and pistachio mix. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until the pasty is golden.

When cool, beat the cream with the remaining rosewater until you have soft, undulating waves. Spread the cream over two of the pastry stacks, then layer the stacks on top of each other, finishing with the stack without cream. Scatter with the rose petals and serve. 

Homemade Nutella (yes it is possible!)

• 2 cups (225g) hazelnuts

• 1 cup icing sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• teaspoon salt

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Place hazelnuts in single layer on rimmed baking sheet and roast until fragrant and dark brown, 12 to 15 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through roasting. 

Transfer hazelnuts to medium bowl. When hazelnuts are cool enough to handle, place second medium bowl on top shake vigorously to remove skins.

Process peeled hazelnuts in food processor until their oil is released and it forms a smooth runny paste, about 5 minutes, scraping down bowl often.

Add sugar, cocoa powder, oil, vanilla, and salt and process until fully incorporated and mixture begins to loosen slightly and becomes glossy, about 2 minutes, scraping down the bowl as needed.

Transfer spread to jar with tight-fitting lid. Chocolate-hazelnut spread can be stored at room temperature or refrigerated for up to 1 month.

makes 1 1/2 cups

Keena's notes
This makes a dark chocolate version. You could add less cocoa powder and a little milk powder for a milk choc version. 
Frangellico would make a delicious addition instead of the oil. Especially good for breakfast!!

Adapted from Cook's Illustrated

Naomi's Choc Chip Cookies

Adapted from the New York Times recipe

300g butter, softened
175g brown sugar (1¼ cups)
200g caster sugar (1 generous cup) 

1 ½ teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
3 1/4 cups plain flour
1 1/4 tspns bi carb soda
1 1/2 tspns baking powder
500g choc chips - preferably flat discs so they form layers
Sea salt  

1. Using an electric mixer, cream butter, sugars, salt and vanilla together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
2. Reduce speed to low, add flour, bi carb soda and baking powder and mix until combined. Add choc chips.

3. Refrigerate dough, covered, for 24 to 36 hours. Dough can be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.

4. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 180°C. Line a baking sheet with baking paper.
5. Scoop 6 100g mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto baking sheet. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt.

6. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until golden brown but still soft. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day. makes: 24 12cm cookies.

Keena's note: I have made these with smaller balls of dough and they're just as delicious.
You could use glace ginger, m+m's, nuts, dried fruit as well as, or instead of, the choc chips. 

Rice Pudding with date and pistachio topping

1 litre milk
240ml cream
1 tspn vanilla extract 
1/2 tspn salt
120g arborio rice
300g sweetened condensed milk

Optional
200g pitted dates
3 tbsp pistachios

Bring milk, vanilla, salt and cream to the boil, add the rice and turn the heat down very low. 

Stir frequently till rice is soft and thick - 30-45 minutes. 

Add sweetened condensed milk and continue stirring and cooking for a few more minutes. Take off the heat. Allow rice to stand in the pot for 5 minutes before serving.

Meanwhile, cover dates with 1 cup of water and bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes.Lightly mash with a fork. 

Toast pistachios in the oven for 5 minutes. Once they have cooled, crush lightly.

Top rice pudding with dates and pistachios.

Mango Sticky Rice (in the microwave)

2 cups sticky (glutinous) rice
1 400 mls (14oz) coconut milk
1/2 cup sugar
pinch salt
½ tsp cornflour
½ tbsp toasted sesame seeds
2 ripe mangoes, cheeks sliced diagonally

1. Soak the glutinous rice in water for at least 3 hours before cooking.
2. When ready to cook, drain off excess water from rice.
3. Reserve ¼ cup of coconut milk and set aside for coconut sauce.
4. Add remaining coconut milk to drained rice and add water as needed to bring the level 1cm (1/2 inch) above the rice level.
5. Cover and microwave for 15 minutes at high, stirring 3 times during cooking.
6. Add sugar to the cooked rice, mix well and cook for another 5 minutes. Fluff rice.
7. To make coconut sauce, mix cornflour with a little water and add to coconut cream with salt. Microwave until thick, around 3 minutes.
8. Peel and slice ripe fragrant mangoes. If mangoes are not in season, use canned jackfruit, palm fruit or lychees.
9. Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on rice and serve with mangoes on the side.
10.   For a different presentation shape tablespoons of rice into sushi shapes, drizzle with sauce, sprinkle with sesame seeds and top with mango slices.

Smoked Tomato Sorbet on Toast

1kg tomatoes
350 mls glucose syrup, appx
3 tbspns olive oil
1 tbspn red wine vinegar
Salt to taste

Puree tomatoes with oil and vinegar, then strain.
Measure amount of tomato juice and add half the amount of corn syrup. This will taste too sweet, but when frozen the sweetness will diminish.
Add salt to taste, remembering that the flavour of the salt will diminish on freezing too.
Add extra red wine vinegar if desired. Tomatoes vary in flavour so the balance of  salty, sweet and tart varies with each batch.
Freeze for at least 4 hours.
Form into quenelles using 2 spoons. You can find instructions here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXcIZ4aRHBU
Place on toasted Italian bread, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with basil.

Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts Poached modified from Cooks Illustrated recipe

Ingredients

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
(Optional brine - 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup salt, 2 tablespoon sugar, 6 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled)

4 litres or quarts water

Method

Pound thick end of chicken breasts until about the same thickness as the rest of the breast.
(Optional) Place in pot with water and brine  Stand at room temperature 30 mins.
Heat over medium heat until 77 Celsius or 175 Farenheight, stirring occasionally to distribute heat evenly.

Remove from heat, cover and stand 17 - 22 minutes. Check thickest part for doneness.

Drain and use.

Tamarind Pork Belly

Tamarind Pork Belly
Serves 4-6
The beauty of this recipe is that the meat sits in a tamarind sauce and retains moisture while the skin stays high and dry and develops a delicious crackle. Use pork belly with the bone out for easier carving, or bone in for juicier meat. Ask the butcher to score it, or score it yourself. How long your pork will take for the crackling to develop depends on how wet the skin is, and how hot your individual oven is. Serve with rice and a salad.
Quantity	Ingredients	Method
		Preheat oven to 240. Use a baking pan that will hold the pork snugly. Line pan with alfoil or silicone paper.
2kg	Pork belly	Score skin along the lines where you want to eventually cut it. I often like thirds lengthwise, then thinner slices. Rub salt into meat and place in prepared pan.
1tspn	Salt
2 tbsp	Brown sugar	Mix all other ingredients together. Pour into pan, add pork and place in preheated oven.  Roast until skin is blistered and brown, but not burned, around 30-60 minutes. Rotate pan if one area is browning more than another. If it gets too brown place a piece of foil loosely over the top. Check the level of liquid and top up with water if it looks too dry.  Turn the oven down to 180°C and cook for 25 minutes. Once cooked, let the roast rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
2 tbsp	Tamarind puree from a jar
1 tsp	Masterfoods Diced Chilli
1 tbsp	Soy sauce
125 mls	Water

x

Best, crispiest, crunchiest pork crackling

This method reliably creates crunchy pork crackling. The aim is to first dry out the skin, and then blast it under high heat so it crackles. If the pork has been cryovacked the skin will be wetter than fresh pork and the result will never be as good. However, you can still get it to crackle. Sometimes I like to remove the skin and treat it separately from the meat. This way you can get rid of the fat that lies under the skin. The methods remain the same. This works for pork leg, shoulder or belly. There is no need to score the rind.

Mix together a paste a little thinner than toothpaste.

2 tablespoons bi carb soda

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon vinegar

Pat the pork skin dry and spread this paste all over. Leave for at least 10 minutes, and up to 30 mins.

Rinse the paste off and pat dry with paper towels. This is an easier job if you use boiling water to rinse, but it isn’t necessary.

Rub the pork skin with 1 teaspoon salt.

Roast the pork as the recipe indicates. Remove the pork from the oven and let it rest at room temperature for 10-30 minutes.

Meanwhile, turn the oven to 250 C (500 F). Replace pork and roast until skin crackles, around 10 mins. You may need to rotate the pork to prevent some areas burning before others have crackled. 

Asparagus Ham and Mascarpone Tart

2 puff pastry sheets

30g unsalted butter

2 tsp olive oil, plus extra to drizzle

1 onion, finely chopped

150g sliced ham

2 tsp Dijon mustard

250g mascarpone cheese

2 bunches asparagus, trimmed, halved

1 egg, lightly beaten

¼ cup shaved parmesan

Preheat the oven to 180°C and line 2 trays with baking paper. Cut each pastry sheet into 4 squares, then lightly score a 2.5cm border around the edges of each square with a knife, without cutting all the way through. Place the squares on the trays and chill while you prepare the filling.

Melt butter with oil in a frypan over medium heat and cook onion for 2-3 minutes, stirring, until softened but not coloured. Cool slightly. Finely chop ham in a food processor. Add onion, mustard and mascarpone, then pulse to just combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Spread mixture within the border of each pastry square, then top with asparagus pieces, alternating tips and ends. Drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper. Brush pastry borders with egg, then bake tarts for 20-25 minutes until pastry is golden and asparagus is tender. Top with parmesan and serve with a rocket salad if desired.

Melitzanosalata

This eggplant dip is adapted from the recipe of Tess Mallos, who died in 2012. She wrote the first cookbook I ever owned, and I still regularly make this recipe. She includes a small grated onion, but I find it too strong.

Eggplant dip (Melitzanosalata)

1 large or 2 medium oval eggplants to about 500 g (1 lb)

1 garlic clove, crushed with 1/2 teaspoon salt

2 slices bread, crusts removed.

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 cup olive oil

2 tablespoon chopped parsley

freshly ground black pepper

Method

Place whole, unpeeled eggplant on a baking tray and cook in a moderate oven for 30–50 minutes, depending on size, until soft to the touch. While hot remove skin and chop flesh roughly.

Process bread into bread crumbs.

Remove the flesh from the eggplant and process with the breadcrumbs.

Add the other ingredients to the processor and pulse briefly. Don't overprocess as the olive oil becomes too bitter.

Place in a bowl and chill well. Mixture thickens when thoroughly chilled. Garnish with black olives and serve with crackers, toast fingers or crusty bread.

Buttermilk Pancakes adapted from Cooks Illustrated

2 cups self raising flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups buttermilk

1/4 cup sour cream

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

3 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled slightly

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

Combine flour, sugar and salt in one bowl, and buttermilk, sour cream, eggs and melted butter in another.

Mix together gently until just combined – it should still be lumpy with streaks of flour. Overmixing will make the pancakes tough. Allow to sit for 10 minutes.

Heat a little oil in a 30cm nonstick frypan on medium heat. 

Spoon ¼ cup batter into pan and tilt to spread it around. Cook on the first side until the edges are set and bubbles form on the surface, about 2-3 minutes.

Use a spatula to flip the pancakes and cook for 1-2 minutes on the second side, or until golden brown and cooked through. 

Oven baked scrambled eggs

This one is great for a crowd. 12 eggs should feed 6-8, but the recipe doubles or triples easily.

Combine in a saucepan

                         1 doz large eggs

                         300 mls milk

                         Salt and pepper

Heat, stirring often, until just starting to set.

Fold through    6 - 12 rashers bacon, diced and fried

                        300 mls sour cream

Top with          grated cheese

Place into an oven proof dish and cover with foil. Refigerate overnight if desired.

Slice Roma tomatoes and place on an oven dish line with silicone paper. Add button mushrooms. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and sugar.

Bake eggs and vegetables at 150 for 1 hour.

Serve with toasted buttered toasted Turkish bread, rocket and avocado.

Dukkah

110g (2/3 cup) hazelnuts
80g (1/2 cup) sesame seeds
2 tbs coriander seeds
2 tbs cumin seeds
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp flaked sea salt (like Maldon brand)
Method
Preheat oven to 180°C.
Spread the hazelnuts over a baking tray and cook in preheated oven for 3-4 minutes or until toasted. Rub the hazelnuts between a clean tea towel to remove as much skin as possible.
Place the toasted hazelnuts in the bowl of a food processor and process until coarsely chopped. Transfer to a large bowl.
Heat a medium frying pan over medium heat. Add the sesame seeds and cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes or until golden. Add to the bowl with the hazelnuts.
Place coriander seeds and cumin seeds in frying pan over medium heat, and cook, stirring frequently, for 1-2 minutes or until aromatic and seeds begin to pop. Transfer seeds to a mortar and pestle. Pound until finely crushed (alternatively, use a coffee or spice grinder). Add the crushed spices, pepper and salt to the hazelnut mixture and mix well.
Serve dukkah with some extra virgin olive oil and crusty bread.

Vienna Schnitzel with Austrian Fat Free Potato Salad

Vienna Schnitzel

I like to marinate the veal in lemon juice before coating with bread crumbs. This is not at all traditional, but to me it tastes delicious. Cook’s Illustrated suggests that you add oil to the egg to encourage the coating to puff up away from the meat. To me, low fat foods don't usually work, but this potato salad is delicious.

Juice from 1/2 lemon

½ teaspoon salt

4 slices veal tenderloin

9 slices white bread

½ cup plain flour

2 eggs

4 tablespoons butter, more if needed

1. Marinate veal with lemon juice and salt for 5-30 mins.

2. Remove crust from bread and cut into 1cm cubes. Place cubes plate and microwave on high for 7 minutes, turning occasionally to prevent burning.

3. Process  in food processor until very fine. In another plate add flour. In a third pie plate, mix the eggs with 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Arrange plates left to right with flour, eggs, breadcrumbs and a on wire rack

4. Toss veal with flour, then eggs, then breadcrumbs. To keep things cleanish, use the left hand for the flour and dropping into eggs, then the right hand for removing from eggs and coating with breadcrumbs. Expect to make a bit of a mess, and clean it up when you’ve finished.

5. Leave on the wire rack for at least 5 mins to allow coating to set.

6. Divide and heat butter in 2 fry pans over medium high heat. When foam subsides add cutlets and cook 2 mins each side. As you turn them you may need to add more butter.

Serve immediately with Austrian potato salad.

Austrian Low Fat Potato Salad

serves 4

1kg potatoes, about 4, quartered lengthways and sliced into 1cm slices

1    cup chicken stock

1    cup water

1    tablespoon sugar

2    tablespoons white wine vinegar

1    tablespoon Dijon mustard

I     tablespoons capers

2    tablespoons minced fresh chives

Salt and pepper

1.   Simmer potatoes, stock, water, 1 teaspoon salt, sugar, and 1 tablespoon vinegar covered until soft, about 15 mins. Remove cover, increase heat to high and cook until water is reduced a little, about 2 mins more.

2.   Remove potatoes to a serving dish and measure out ½ cup of cooking liquid. Whisk remaining tablespoon vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper into cooking liquid.

3.   Add ½ cup cooked potatoes to the bowl with the cooking liquid mixture and mash until thick chunky sauce forms.

4.   Add remaining potatoes, capers, and chives, folding gently with a rubber spatula to combine. Don’t refrigerate, but serve within 4 hours.