Caramel Swirl Cheesecake

Maybe I should rename this blog cheesecake.baby instead, as I seem to make a lot of them! I realised I wanted cheesecake quite on the spur of the moment, having begun devouring a packet of butternut snap biscuits and thinking how perfect they would be for a crumb base.

I started with Dorie's Tall and Creamy Cheesecake recipe and then tweaked it a little. Can I just say again how much I adore this recipe? Seriously, the BEST one ever. That and the fact it calls for my little cheesecake to 'luxuriate in a waterbath'. Gets me every time!

Caramel Swirl Cheesecake - Cheats Version

Base

250g buttersnap biscuits (or your favourite plain sweet biscuit)
125g unsalted butter, melted

Caramel

1 tin of caramel top and fill (basically a premade condensed milk caramel - you can definitely make this yourself but with cats and a baby I don't want to worry about exploding tins!)

Cheesecake

500g cream cheese (2 packs) at room temp
2/3 cup sour cream at room temp
2 eggs at room temp
1/2 cup sugar
2 ts vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 160 degrees C. Grease an 8" springform pan and wrap the outside in 2 layers of alfoil. Set aside. For the base, blitz your biscuits in the food processor then pour in the melted butter and combine well. Press over the base of the pan and up the sides as much as you can (I got about 2cm).

Wipe out the food processor bowl to remove any crumbs.

Blitz the cream cheese and sugar together until smooth (about 4 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for about a minute after each addition. Add the vanilla and sour cream and process for a few minutes. The mixture will become smooth and velvety.

Pour about half the cheesecake mixture into the prepared base. Spoon teaspoonfuls of caramel randomly over the top. Pour over the remaining cheesecake mix and dot with more caramel (it will sink during the baking). Drag a butterknife through the mixture to create swirls of caramel, being careful not to touch the biscuit base. (I totally forgot to do this step and ended up with blobs of caramel. Still delicious).

Place your springform pan inside a baking dish. Pour boiling water into the baking pan, until the water reaches about halfway up the side the springform pan. Carefully place in the oven.

Bake at 160 degrees C for about an hour. Turn the oven off and leave your cheesecake to 'luxuriate in its waterbath' for another hour. Remove the pan from the water, allow to cool then refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Serve with an extra drizzle of caramel (not that it needs it). Delicious!!!

Daring Bakers October - Macarons

The 2009 October Daring Bakers’ challenge was brought to us by Ami S. She chose macarons from Claudia Fleming’s The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern as the challenge recipe.

Oooh boy, this month's DB challenge was a doozey! For the first time since I joined the Daring Bakers over a year ago I don't really have a finished product to blog about.

So many bloggers seem to have a macaron obsession that I was really keen to try them myself. After all, I'm not a complete novice now. How hard could they be?

Attempt #1 - I followed the DB recipe for a plain macaron. I weighed and measured everything carefully, aged the egg whites and ended up with these ...

Now I know they're not terrible but they're also not macarons. I didn't bother filling them since I had to scrape them off the baking paper (they were stuck like superglue) and I naievly assumed my next lot would be better. Ha!

Attempt #2 - I tried a different recipe (chocolate flavour) which called for them to be rested on the bench for an hour before baking. This time I didn't even make it to the baking part. Once I folded in the dry ingredients my mix turned almost solid. I could have rolled the dough into balls it was so stiff and dry. It just seemed like the ratio of eggwhites to dry ingredients was completely off. It all went straight in the bin.

Attempt #3 - Same recipe as attempt #2 but this time I added only half the amount of dry ingredients (I stopped as soon as the consistency seemed right).

Dry ingredients weighed, blitzed in the food processor and seived

Aged eggwhites at room temperature whipped with sugar until thick and glossy

Piped onto trays and hoping the peaks will soften

After 1 hour - nope, they look exactly the same

After 15 minutes at 150 deg C

Definitely not right

The best 2, sandwiched together with rosella jam

I am completely in awe of everyone else who made these successfully. Some of the results were absolutely stunning! But for me it was stressful, frustrating and a waste of time as I don't feel any closer to mastering them. I can't even learn from my mistakes because I have no idea what I did wrong.

As much as it pains me to say it, the macarons won. Final score Macarons 3: Susan 0.

Bring on November!

Tuesdays with Dorie: Cottage Cheese Pufflets

TWD time again! Jacque of Daisy Lane Cakes chose Dorie's Cottage Cheese Pufflets this week.

First thought ... what on earth is a pufflet!?? Second thought ... what on earth are they going to look like? Despite reading through the recipe several times I still had no real idea of how these were going to turn out. And now after making them I'm still not sure!

It seems a pufflet is a teeny tiny jam-filled pastry, made from a dough that is quite similar to last week's turnover dough. The main difference was that this dough was the softest, stickiest dough I have ever made! Despite multiple chills in the fridge between every stage it was really hard to manage. I rolled it out between sheets of baking paper and had to freeze it in order to peel off the top layer of paper. After cutting I then had to scrape each piece off the paper with a knife.

End result?

Tasty but definitely not puffy. I will call them flatlets instead. The boysenberry jam I used was brilliant. I only rolled about 1/6th of the dough (the rest is frozen) and I got 7 flatlets. I think I will roll them a bit thicker next time and will make them at night when it is (slightly) cooler.

Thanks for picking the pufflets Jacque! You can find the recipe at Daisy Lane Cakes.

Triple Treat Chocolate Chip Cookies

After the hot weather we've had lately, it was a relief that yesterday was grey, misty and cool. The kind of day that is perfect for curling up with a good book, a hot drink and something sweet to nibble on.

Which brings me to these.

There is much debate on what consitutes the 'perfect' chocolate chip cookie but I say, to each their own. If your preference is for thin, crunchy or chewy these are not for you. Or they may just convert you!

Triple Treat Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from 'Chocolate Chip Cookies' on p16 of Modern Classics Number 2 by Donna Hay

125g butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1ts vanilla extract
2 eggs, at room temperature
2 cups plain flour
1 ts baking powder
100g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
100g white chocolate, roughly chopped
2/3 cup roasted salted peanuts

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper.

Beat together the butter, sugar and vanilla until thick and smooth. Add the eggs and beat to combine. Using a spatula, fold through the flour and baking powder until just barely combined. Add the chocolate and nuts and fold through.

Roll dessertspoonfuls of mixture into balls and place on prepared trays allowing room for each cookie to spread.

Bake at 180 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes, or until puffed and lightly golden. They will still be very soft. Remove from oven and allow to rest for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Daring Cooks November - Sushi

The November 2009 Daring Cooks challenge was brought to you by Audax of Audax Artifex and Rose of The Bite Me Kitchen. They chose sushi as the challenge.

Yay, sushi! While I'm not exactly a sushi connoisseur (I'm not a raw fish fan - it's a textural thing) I have made it a number of times at home. This meant I already had the rice, mats, vinegar etc and was ready to get started.

Our challenge this month had 4 elements - first the sushi rice itself, which we then made into 3 different end products. I followed the recipe to the letter and have to say my rice turned out better than it ever has before.

First up - Dragon Roll ...

My dragon roll filled with delicious terriyaki chicken and topped with sliced avocado.

And turned into a dragon. Grrrr!

Yes, I am aware my dragon looks like it was made by a 3 year old. Let's pretend it was!

Next, Spiral Sushi Roll ...

I think I rolled these the wrong way because they look like the regular sushi rolls I buy all the time. Very tasty though, filled with terriyaki chicken, avocado, cucumber, carrot, omelette and sesame seeds.

And last, bite sized Ngiri ...


I made two varieties of these, one with smoked salmon and the other with omelette and nori. Yum!

I won't post the recipes here as they are really long, but you can find a printable PDF version here.

Thanks for a wonderful challenge Audax and Rose!

Tuesdays with Dorie: Sugar-Topped Molasses Spice Cookies

Pamela of Cookies with Boys chose Dorie's Sugar-Topped Molasses Spice Cookies this week, and this is the one recipe of the month that I am posting on the actual date!

After last weeks mammoth effort for the chestnut cake I was really happy with this pick. Only thing was I discovered after I started to make them that I was completely out of cinnamon. (Totally not my fault though as hubby threw away the pack because it wasn't sealed properly and then didn't replace it. Love you sweetie!).

Rather than wait and make them another day I compensated by upping the ginger by 1/2ts and adding in 1/4 ts ground cardamon and a very generous pinch of pepper. I also used treacle rather than molasses as I already had some.

The taste test ...

Crispy on the outside, chewy in the middle and packing a real punch of flavour. They'd be perfect for icecream sandwiches or even just dunked in a glass of ice cold milk. And I don't even like milk! These are definitely going on the list for my Christmas baking.

Thanks for an awesome pick Pamela! You can find the recipe on Pamela's blog.

4 to 9 months baby food chart

Your baby does not need to feed often as he reaches four months. His stomach grows bigger by this age and he tends to develop feeding habits that are more like elders.

Despite less feeding, he will still gain weight. He may attempt to snatch the food off elders' plates.

Though he may be unable to chew, due to lack of teeth, he will lick it to test its taste. Parents often mistake this gesture of the baby and encourage him to eat more of the solid food.

Parents should keep in mind that baby food for 4 month baby is very different from what we adults eat.

Mother milk and solid food.

Whether or not a four old month baby is capable of having food other than breast-fed milk or baby formula, depends on the health condition of the baby.

If the baby has not experienced any stomach related problems up till four months, he can start having solid food in his diet.

Generally, smashed food is fed to the baby, as he can swallow it without chewing. Pastes and liquid food can be included in the baby food diet. However, it is advised that nothing spicy or oily should be tried.

Tuesdays with Dorie: Banana Bundt Cake

This week Mary of The Food Librarian chose the Classic Banana Bundt Cake. If you've read Mary's blog you'll know this wasn't a huge surprise - she is the queen of the bundt!

After reading the P&Q for this recipe I decided my current bundt pan wouldn't be big enough (and I was right, this cake was huge!) so we went on the hunt for a new one at Kitchenware Plus down at Loganholme. For a kitchen gadget junkie like myself this place is nirvana! I found a Wilton bundt pan within a few minutes. Perfect. Then I checked the price ... $84.95!! For a cake pan?? Granted it's a great brand and clearly great quality too but that is just ridiculous. I ended up going with a 12 cup silicone pan for just $27.95 instead.

This was a breeze to whip up but I was really annoyed with myself for not buying bananas ahead of time and letting them ripen up. All the bananas I found were a little green and even after a night sealed in a paper bag there were still no where near what I would have liked.

I made the recipe exactly as stated except for using half regular and half gluten free flour. I also accidentally added baking powder instead of baking soda but that didn't seem to do any harm!

The taste test ...

This is one moist cake! I was a little worried as it took FOREVER to cook (about 90 minutes instead 65-75). It just didn't have quite the banana hit I was hoping for but that will be easy fixed for next time. The lemon glaze was delicious too.

Thanks Mary, great pick!

Tuesdays with Dorie: Brownie Buttons

How is it that some things just taste so much better in miniature form? This week Jayma of Two Scientists Experimenting in the Kitchen selected Brownie Buttons, and what fabulous little bites of deliciousness they are!

I've had my issues with brownies over the years and quite honestly they would be the last thing I would choose to make and eat. It's not that I dislike them exactly - they just don't excite me. Unlike Megan for example! When Dorie's book arrived, I wondered why there were so many brownie recipes taking up space.

However, I have finally seen the light! These cute as a button brownies were rich, fudgy and subtly flavoured by orange zest. I had zero issues with them. They even came out of the pan perfectly. The only problem was they disappeared too quickly so I need to make some more!

Because I only have 1 mini muffin pan I made just 12 brownies and baked them for 14 minutes.

The taste test ...

YUM!

Thanks Jayma, I will definitely be making these again.

Cappuccino Brownie Bites

Oh brownies, you have completely sucked me in with your dense, fudgy texture and amazing chocolately taste. One bite and I am immediately thinking of other flavour combinations to make you even more mind-blowingly delicious.

Although you are all gone now, we shall be meeting again soon little cappuccino brownie bites. Indeed we shall ...

Cappuccino Brownie Bites
Adapted from Brownie Buttons on p106 of Baking from My Home to Yours

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons plain flour
Pinch of salt
60g butter
60g dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 heaped teaspoon instant coffee dissolved in 1-2ts boiling water

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Lightly butter a miniature muffin pan. Whisk together the flour and salt. Melt the butter, chocolate and brown sugar in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over very low heat, stirring frequently with a heatproof spatula and keeping an eye on the pan so nothing overheats or burns. When the mixture is smooth, remove from the heat and cool for a minute or two.

Stir in the vanilla, egg and coffee into the chocolate mixture. When the mixture is well blended, add the flour and stir only until it is incorporated. You should have a smooth, glossy batter.

Spoon the batter equally into the muffin cups (they will be almost full). Bake for approx 14 minutes or until the tops of the buttons spring back when touched. Transfer the pans to racks to cool for 3 minutes before carefully releasing the buttons. Cool to room temperature on the racks.

Topping - whip 1/2 cup pure cream with 1 tbs icing sugar until peaks form. Use a piping bag to pipe onto the top of each brownie bit. Sprinkle the tops with cocoa.

Enjoy!

More River-To-Plate

K caught a fish almost as big as Aditi

The next time, the husband went fishing with his brother. His brother, by the way, goes almost every day during the fishing season, and managed to fill his freezer full, and give every one he knows some fish too. Its my favourite part of being back in Canada in the summer (along with being with my in-laws, relaxing in the back garden and going to the lake). Sadly, I only had two weeks this year, but what wonderful weeks they were. It was hotter than in India, and we spent almost all our time outside getting a tan [or in my case, topping up the naturally existing one :-)]!

More fish coming up now!

Another easy recipe, adapted from Aldo Zilli's 'Fish Cook'.

Depending on how much fish you have, increase/ reduce the quantity of the marinade accordingly. This marinade is enough for a whole salmon.

50 ml olive oil
50 ml lemon juice
5 garlic cloves (crushed or Microplaned into a paste)
A couple big handfuls of snipped chives (replace with spring onions, finely chopped)
Seasoning to taste

Whisk together the marinade. Let rest for an hour or so, then re-adjust the seasoning. Marianate the fish in this for at least an hour, if not longer (I do it for about 3 - 4 hours). The lemon juice will start cooking the fish as well. Barbeque or roast for between 10 - 25 minutes, until the flesh flakes easily. Serve with sliced and fried Granny Smith apples and roasted potatoes.

Roast potatoes

More Canadian recipes coming up soon!

Tuesdays with Dorie: Creamiest Lime Meringue Pie

or The Pie Which Almost Wasn't Made.

We're having a pig of a week around here. N is home with the flu all week on doctor's orders (could be swine flu, hence the pig remark. Yeah I didn't think it was funny either but my fever made me type it!). I of course got sick as well almost immediately. What made it all really fun was the heatwave we're having in Brisbane at the moment. I hate the heat at the best of times but to be suffering through 35 degree days, in winter, with a high fever and a grizzly baby as well? Not fun.

Nonetheless, I am a baker. So I soldiered on and baked. But I did make a few minor stuffups from not reading packets or the recipe properly.

I decided to go with a crumb crust for this pie and used my standard recipe which is a 250g packet of sweet biscuits with 125g melted butter. I chose rice cookies for the base this time as they are made without wheat but didn't realise the packets are only 200g not 250. No wonder it was swimming with butter! I chucked in some cornflakes to soak up the excess and carried on.

I kinda forgot what I was making and pressed the crust only over the base of my springform pan not up the sides as well. That came back to bite me later as the filling started to ooze when I unmolded it. So I stuck the whole thing in the freezer for a couple of hours and that worked like a charm.

Our griller is separate from the oven and is no where deep enough to put a pie like this under to brown the meringue. So I drew an 8" template using the base of a baking pan and made a disc of meringue. I baked it at 180 degrees C for15 minutes until it was nicely browned and then plopped it on top of the filling. Done!

I only got one semi decent photo because it was quite late by this stage and still about 30 degrees and my pie was starting to soften like icecream and get the wobbles.

The taste test ...

AWESOME. I had my doubts but this really was the creamiest meringue pie ever. Often the fillings for these are gelatinous and a bit sweet. This was smooth and creamy and zingy from the lime and ginger. I would love to switch it up next time and use the cream filling as a topping for pavlova with lots of whipped cream and fruit. Delightful.

This week's recipe was chosen by Linda of Tender Crumb. You can get the recipe on her blog!

Baby food chart and tips

Fruits are the best weaning foods as they are easy to digest. They should be mashed and then given.

Seasonal fruits like papaya, chikoo, apples, bananas are very healthy.

Mashed fruits are a good first weaning food. They are easy to digest and palatable to the baby.

You can also offer apples instead of bananas to your baby.

Take an apple and cut it into pieces, taking care to remove the center core. Boil it and then mash it either with a spoon or in a mixer.

Start with half an apple and increase it to the limit accepted by the child. It has been observed that many babies get constipation with apple. In this case, try other fruits like papaya.

Other seasonal fruits
Other seasonal fruits like pears (to be prepared like apples), chikoo (simply mashed), papaya (simply mashed), mango (simply mashed) can also be given.

It has been observed that papaya helps soften stools if the baby is constipated.

1.Dal and rice kichidi

You will require 4 tablespoons of rice and 2 tablespoons of dehusked moong dal.
Prepare khichri by cooking rice and dal together, with a pinch of salt (added to taste).
Once khichri is cooked, you can add 2 teaspoons of ghee, butter or cooking oil to the final preparation.
You can also add vegetables like carrots or spinach to the khichri and then mash the mixture. If you want to add spinach, first boil, mash and strain it, and then add this puree to the khichri and stir it. Cool the khichri and serve lukewarm.
When the baby is still young, you should mash the entire mixture in a blender so that it is easy for the baby to swallow. You can gradually increase the consistency to a semi-solid state so that the child's palate starts getting used to regular foods.

Rice preparations are very healthy for the baby.If vegetables and pulses are added to the rice as in khichri then it becomes a full meal and is very nutritious and filling.Rice should be cooked well till tender. Here ate some recipes.

This is one of the simplest recipes of khichdi you can imagine. Great not just for sick people but also when you want to eat light after a heavy lunch. Skip adding ghee on top of khichri if you are calorie conscious.

2.Recipe of rice moong dal khichdi/

1 cup rice

1/2 cup moong dal (split, skinless green gram)

4 cups of water

1 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

A pinch of hing (asafoetida)

1/4 tsp red chilli powder

1. Wash and soak rice and moong dal for 10 minutes. Drain.

2. Heat ghee in a pressure cooker and add cumin seeds. When they turn darker, add hing.

3. Add rice, dal, salt, both the spice powders and water. Mix and close the lid of the cooker.

3.Rice and milk payasam
This is a simple recipe to ensure that the child gets rice (for carbohydrates) and milk (for calcium). Mix 1 cup of boiled rice with 1 cup of milk and 3 tablespoons of sugar. Cook it on the gas for 10 minutes (keep stirring) and allow the mixture to thicken. Cool and serve lukewarm. You can also add badaam (almonds) scapings and elaichi powder for taste.


Proper cooking and feeding tips should be incorporated to avoid loss of valuable nutrients.

Feeding tips should be encouraged early in a child. Here are some tips for feeding and cooking tips.

4.Curd Rice(Yogurt)
1 cup boiled Rice
2 cups Yogurt (Curd)
2 tblsp Oil
1/4 cup Milk
Finely chopped Coriander Leaves
1-2 Green Chilies(optional )
1 tsp Chana Daal
1 tsp Urad Daal
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 1/2 tsp finely chopped Ginger
2 tblsp desiccated Coconut
1/2 tsp Salt

How to make curd rice :
In a saucepan heat 2 tablespoonful of oil.
Add mustard seeds to the oil.
When the mustard seeds start popping add chana and urad daal.
After a minute, add in the ginger, coriander and green chilies.
Saute them for a minute. Take the pan off the gas.
Add in the rice.
Mix the salt and desiccated coconut.
Just before serving, mix all the ingredients with yogurt (curd) and milk.
Feeding Tips

* Washing hands before and after meals should be encouraged.
* Children who do not eat enough at a time should be offered food every 2-3 hours. However, do not force your child to eat.
* Encourage the child to eat with a spoon or with his own fingers.


Cooking Tips

* Use less of sugar, salt and refined flour (maida or all-purpose flour) preparations.
* Unpolished rice or par-boiled rice is better than polished rice.
* Do not overcook vegetables, they lose their nutritive value.
* Do not cook fruits since the essential vitamin C is lost.
* The skin of many vegetables is rich in vitamins and minerals, so offer fresh fruits to the child with their skins.
* Wherever possible, use jaggery instead of sugar, since it is very high in iron.
* Avoid adding too much spice.

Organic food contains higher levels of vitamins and essential minerals


You have realised your child is a very fussy eater. You make the most delicious foods for him, but he will not eat. You try to distract him with toys, but that doesn't work either. You've tried the high chair, the swing and the garden, but he simply refuses.

Tuesdays with Dorie: Chocolate Souffle

Is it just me or is it really hard to photograph a souffle?? Nevermind, this was my first time making one and I'm more excited by the fact that it actually worked!

Souffles have always seemed really daunting and the sort of thing you would only ever order in a restaurant. I made a half recipe and that gave us 4 good servings. It puffed up beautifully but I think it would have looked more souffle-ish if I had collared the dish. Next time.

The taste test ...

Yum! Light, sweet, intensely chocolatey and definitely moreish. Next time I will try individual souffles and now that I have mastered the technique I would love to try a savoury version as well. Watch this space!

Thanks to Susan of She's Becoming DoughMessTic for a great pick this week. I probably wouldn't have made it on my own. You can find the recipe on her blog.

Healthy and nutrition food

All baby food links to Nutrition.When we will prepared homemade food for baby we should see which is good and nutrition.Baby need nutrition. Nutrition helps the baby to maintain a healthy weight.It is essential for the body and all its systems to function optimally for a lifetime. In fact, good nutrition can help to keep physical and mental health. Healthy diet provides energy, promotes good sleep, and gives the body what it needs to stay healthy. When you consider the benefits of good nutrition, it's easier to digest and keep baby healthy.

Information about mother and baby food

Information about mother and baby food As we can see fruit and vegetables are extremely good for us! The Department of Health state that these benefits stem, not only from the individual components, but also from the interactions between these components.

Dietary supplements containing isolated vitamins or minerals do not appear to have the same beneficial effects as fruit and vegetables themselves. Indeed, supplements may even cause more harm than good. Therefore, studies appear to suggest that eating fruit and vegetables is much more beneficial.


Obviously, pregnancy and lactation place major demands on the body. To meet these demands the body needs good nutrition to stay energetic and to enable mother and baby to be as healthy as possible. One way we can do this is by eating a balanced diet, including plenty of fruit and vegetables.

Nutrition food

Then as baby is better able to chew, small, soft pieces or lumps may be included. Care should be taken, as babies with teeth have the ability to break of pieces of food but they do not possess the back molars to grind, so parents should carefully mash or break baby food into manageable pieces for baby. Around 9 months of age, babies may begin to feed themselves (picking up food pieces with hands, using the pincer grasp- thumb and forefinger) with help from parents.

Tuesdays with Dorie: Rosy Poached Pear and Pistachio Tart

Lauren of I'll Eat You chose Dorie's Rosy Poached Pear and Pistachio Tart this week, and wow, what a stunner! Absolutely perfect for the 1st of December because this beauty just screams Christmas.

I think I was lucky to find some ok pears from the very limited selection available as it's not pear season here. Once poached they were perfect, just a little on the small side.

The pastry cream was fabulous, such a full flavour, however it never got as firm as it was supposed to. You can see from the photos that my pears were already sinking into the pastry cream and once cut, it oozed everywhere. Didn't affect the taste though!

The taste test ...

This is definitely a special occasion recipe. Crisp, buttery pastry, rich pastry cream and tart pears. And that pistachio praline? An absolute revelation! It was a shame it was so messy to serve.

Thanks for a wonderful pick, Lauren. You can find the recipe on her blog.

Daring Cooks December - Beef Wellington

Well this will be short and sweet because my Beef Wellington was an epic fail. I can't even show the photo I took because it looks like road kill. In spite of using our super-duper meat thermometer it was massively overcooked and dry as sawdust. Picture a shriveled piece of beef surrounded by brown stuff and pastry crumbs. We couldn't even eat it :(

I imagine if cooked well it would be absolutely sensational!

The official line: The 2009 Daring Cooks challenge was hosted by Simone of Junglefrog Cooking. Simone chose Salmon en Croute (or alternative recipes for Beef Wellington or Vegetable en Croute) from Good Food Online.

For some examples of how Beef Wellington or Salmon en Croute SHOULD be done, visit the other Daring Cooks here.

Vitamin chart for Mother and babies

1 Vitamin A Fortified milk, eggs, cheese, liver, fish oil, carrots, margarine. Growth; night vision; protects the linings of the digestive, urinary and respiratory tracts; antioxidant.

2 Vitamin D Fortified milk, oily fish, egg yolks. Helps absorb calcium and phosphorus for healthy bones and teeth.
Vitamin D is important in helping the body absorb and use calcium from food and supplements.

3 Vitamin E Vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, wheat germ, green leafy vegetables. Helps form blood cells; antioxidants.
Also contributes to a healthy circulatory system and aids in proper blood clotting and improves wound healing. Some studies have shown that vitamin E decreases symptoms of premenstrual syndrome and certain types of breast disease.

4 Vitamin K Spinach, Broccoli, milk, eggs, cereals. Help blood to clot.
Water-soluble vitamins
Vitamin K is necessary for blood clotting. Without it, even a small cut would cause continuous bleeding in the body. Vitamin K also plays an important role in kidney function and bone growth and repair - some studies have even shown that it may help prevent osteoporosis.

5 Vitamin B1 Pork, seeds, nuts, fortified bread, cereals, yeast extract. Needed for muscles and nervous system to function; aids digestion.

6 Vitamin B1, also known as thiamin, helps fuel your body by converting blood sugar into energy. It keeps your mucous membranes healthy and is essential for nervous system, cardiovascular and muscular function.

7 Vitamin B2 Milk, yogurt, meat, nuts, green leafy vegetables, whole grains, lentils. Aids hormone production; keeps eyes, skin and nerves healthy.
Vitamin B2, also called riboflavin, works with other vitamins in the B complex to process calories from carbohydrates, protein and fat. Your body needs it for growth and red cell production, and adequate riboflavin intake promotes healthy skin and good vision.

White Chocolate Gingerbread

I've been thinking a lot about traditions lately. Lots of my Christmas memories involve food so with each new recipe that I try, particularly as we get closer to Christmas, I wonder whether it will be something that Oscar remembers from his childhood.

I found the recipe for this White Chocolate Gingerbread in a free Christmas magazine from Coles (one of our major supermarkets). While there were lots of yummy things this one leapt off the page. White chocolate. Gingerbread. Need I say more?

White Chocolate & Gingerbread Slice
Recipe from Coles Christmas 2009 Magazine, p37

100g unsalted butter
3/4 cup golden syrup
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup milk
2 cups plain flour
180g white chocolate, chopped
icing sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C (350F). Grease and line a 19cm x 29cm slice pan with non-stick baking powder.

Place butter, golden syrup, sugar, ginger and cinnamon in a small saucepan. Stir on medium heat for 2-3 minutes, until butter has melted and mixture is smooth.. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Add the eggs and milk and mix well.

Sift flour into a large bowl. Add the chocolate. Fold through the egg mixture and mix until combined.

Fill prepared pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until firm. Cool completely in pan. Dust with icing sugar and cut into fingers to serve. Makes 18 pieces.

The verdict?

While very tasty I found it a little solid. Next time I would add 1 teaspoon of baking powder to lighten it up a little, and maybe also some crystallised ginger for some extra spice. Otherwise this is a lovely morning or afternoon tea slice, perfect for this time of year!

Tuesdays with Dorie: Cafe Volcano Cookies

A really interesting pick this week for TWD. MacDuff of The Lonely Sidecar chose Dorie's Cafe Volcano Cookies and without a photo, I had no idea what I was actually making! I had to laugh though when I read the storing instructions, essentially 'Humidity will make these go soggy.' Living in Brisbane in December, high humidity is pretty much a given!

So what are volcano cookies? Very similar to a coconut macaroon but with nuts instead of coconut, these cookies aren't exactly photogenic. Probably why there's no picture in the book! I used cocoa instead of espresso powder so my cookies are a rich chocolately colour.

I made a half batch and kept a close eye on them while baking. Just 16 minutes and they were done.

The taste test ...

Totally unexpected but absolutely delicious! I ate 3 before I could stop myself! Very light, the meringue disolves on your tongue leaving crisp toasty nuts and a hint of chocolate. I knew these would be really sweet so I'm glad I added just a pinch of salt. These were a real winner.

Thanks for a great pick, MacDuff! You can find the recipe at The Lonely Sidecar under today's date.

The Kitchen Reader Cookie Exchange - Rum Balls

Ok so I know these aren't technically cookies, but they are cookie-ish! Instead of a book review, this month Jennifer of Cooking for Comfort suggested a Christmas Cookie Exchange for the Kitchen Reader members. So while these aren't cookies they are definitely Christmassey and perfect for sharing.

I'm not sure where Rum Balls originate but there are as many different recipes as there are days in the year (I may be exaggerating slightly!). Basically if there is rum, chocolate and some sort of carb (either cake crumbs, biscuit crumbs or even weetbix) you have yourself a rum ball.

These make the perfect gift at Christmas time and are great to get the kids into as there is no baking involved. Perhaps just leave out the rum!! (cranberry juice would be a great alternative and you would end up with a choc-cranberry truffle).

Susan's Rum Balls

500g cake (a madeira or pound cake is perfect)
1/2 cup cocoa
1 cup dessicated coconut
1/2 dried cranberries
1 tin (approx 400g) condensed milk
2 tbs rum plus extra
1-2 cups dessicated coconut, extra

Roughly chop the cranberries and add to a small saucepan with the 2tbs rum and 1 tbs water. Bring to the boil then simmer until all the liquid is absorbed and the fruit is plump. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

Tear the cake into rough chunks and add to the food processor with the cocoa. Blitz until the cake is in crumbs and the cocoa is evenly distributed.

Turn out the cake crumbs into a large bowl and add the coconut, cooled cranberries and the condensed milk. Mix thouroughly, adding extra rum if you find you need more liquid (an extra tablespoon or so will be plenty).

Roll into walnut sized balls, roll in the extra dessicated coconut then set on a tray. Refrigerate until required. These are best to make the day before you need them to allow the flavours to meld. Makes approx 30.