Cookbook love

Any of my friends who are remotely interested in food have heard about my latest obsession - America's Test Kitchen and Cooks' Illustrated.  Starting with receipt of the ATK 2012 cookbook for my birthday, 3 or 4 sneaky purchases along the way and discovery of the podcast, I am completely hooked on this group and the charismatic founder Christopher Kimball.  What I love about the ATK recipes is that each recipe includes the accompanying food science, describing how the recipe works and how their version stands up against others.

One current favourite is the Light and Healthy Cookbook, which takes various standard recipes and lowers the fat content, explaining the process along the way.  I've made a few dishes out of this book but one that is definitely a keeper is the Pasta with Chicken and Broccoli.  Sounds boring but has a really great taste with the addition of sundried tomatoes and the use of finely chopped anchovies in the sauce (I didn't tell Stos about this until after we had eaten).

So if you haven't checked out America's Test Kitchen, get onto this group ASAP.  I would have to say that this is the closest to idiot proof cooking that I have ever seen.

A Good Friday

Any day off is a bonus but today has been particularly enjoyable - after a 1.5 hour group fitness class this morning, I came home to have a crack at  homemade Hot Cross Buns and while making them, stumbled on a film version of Jesus Christ Superstar on the telly which meant a sing-along while I mixed and kneaded. It was great to feel no guilt in loading up a delicious HCB with butter for afternoon tea and between all this managed to get most of the housework done so that the rest of the Easter break can be filled with reading, sewing and swanning around.  A great day!

Day 337: Planet Earth

The sleep-ins are officially over; Bob is back on the job. At 7.30am on the dot, a large truck arrived with a bobcat and before we knew it, the boys were at work. First the remainder of the garden and the rampant weeds were cleared, then the new soil was brought in and the new garden beds were shaped. Stos and I pulled out the stubborn grass that invades from next door and to keep the boys happy, I made a batch of Auntie Jean's scones for smoko. This would have to be the easiest recipe in my repertoire and even I don 't need to look up the ingredients which are:

4 cups self raising flour, sifted
300ml (a small bottle) of thickened (double) cream
300ml water.

Mix, turn out on to a lightly floured surface, flatten into a rough square approx one inch thick, cut into pieces, glaze with a little milk and cook at 220C for 10 to 15 mins until a light, golden colour. Too easy!  The secrets are to keep mixing/handling to a minimum, don't bother with a rolling pin and don't faff around with scone cutters.  I think even Auntie Jean would give these a tick and Bob certainly approves.  I know our scone queen friend thinks that lemonade scones are the way to go, but for simplicity, these can't be beaten.

Day 309: Downunder

This Australia Day is very different to that of 2010.  One year ago we were packing the house up in readiness to move out.  Not a very relaxing way to spend a public holiday, but it had to be done.  This year is different - back home and gradually settling back into our space.  We did say that we wouldn't do any jobs today, but it seemed a bit indulgent to simply kick back.  Besides, Bob and Pete are putting in our heating panels tomorrow so we needed  to move furniture so that they can access the fittings.  It will be a relief to get these out of the garage and onto the walls (plus the others being delivered tomorrow):

The panels on the left are to go in the kitchen/living area and the chrome panel on the right will double as a towel rail in one of the bathrooms.  I'm not in a hurry for heating but I do want to get rid of the clotheshorse that is serving as a towel rail in the meantime!

We have a few people coming for dinner tonight so the new Smeg oven has been getting a workout.   For dessert, I have made a traditional American dish; sweet potato and bourbon pie (yes, I know, a pav would have been more appropriate today).  Sounds weird (to an Australian) but tastes great.  I went to a function last week where this was on the menu and I was really impressed.  As a result of my fascination with American desserts, the first job the next morning was to find a recipe in order to make it at the earliest possible opportunity.  The finished product isn't the most impressive looking thing I have made but it smells good so I hope it is just as nice to eat.  What did we do before we could look things up on the internet? 

Day 126: To her door

Not much visible progress this week but the garage door has appeared.  Bob has also ordered the insulation for the roof and Stos and Whitty have moved the air conditioning unit from M & N's yard back to the house so that it can be put into place once the roof is finished.  We are hoping like mad that the weather forecast of rain for the next four days doesn't eventuate because precipitation is not conducive to roofing.

Yesterday was day for pottering around, doing jobs and getting ready to move.  Stos has been moving pot plants back to our own back yard and the Landlady and I have been doing a bit of baking.  The Landlady made her mother's ginger cake and it is a cracker.  Lighter than a gingerbread style cake, she made a couple of modifications and took up my suggestion to top it with lemon icing.  It was delicious.

The recipe is:

Madeleine's ginger cake
6oz butter
6oz caster sugar
2 dessertspoons dried ginger
2 eggs
9oz self-raising flour
2 dessert spoons black treacle
1 cup water (the Landlady substituted 1 cup of orange juice and also added some grated orange rind)

Melt butter in a saucepan.  Mix all other ingredients and stir well.  Cook in a greased and lined tin at about 350F/180C for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, I made pistachio macaroons with honeyed white chocolate ganache from a Women's Weekly recipe book.  I think they will taste good but they aren't the most attractive - sizing is a bit uneven and the first tray was a little overcooked.  On the upside, I think I got the food colouring right and the ganache tasted very good.  However, if this had been Masterchef, I'd have been eliminated!  Notwithstanding, we'll have one or two for dessert and I'll take the rest to KB's place later today - another weapon in the armoury.!

Day 64: Homemade

As I was working from home yesterday and wanted to pay a visit to Bob the Builder, I thought I had better take down some morning tea, so made Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. 

These are cookies, not biscuits, because I made them from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook that I bought from Walmart in Orlando, Florida last year.  I have long had a fascination with American cookery but have found the cookbooks incomprehensible.  I have no idea what powdered sugar or light colored (sic) corn syrup is, we don't have Half and Half here and a stick of butter is not a measure familiar to Aussies.  But this little beauty translates most of the tricky terms and measures and cost only USD9. Stos thinks I have had more entertainment out of this purchase than anything else I have bought recently.  It's like a home economics text in that it has a glossary, provides details of cooking basics, kitchen appliances and equipment.  And it contains all the  American recipes that you have heard about such as:

- Biscuits (scones)
- Grits (not really sure of the equivalent, but seems like polenta)
- Red Velvet cake (chocolate cake with lots of red colouring)
- Fried chicken (self explanatory but salt and buttermilk is involved)

I haven't seen a recipe for St Louis Gooey Butter Cake (doesn't this sound wonderful), but maybe this is very localised.

I have made a few things out of this book and they have turned all out well.  Bob was looking forward to having his allocation of the cookies and the folks at the Day Job were very pleased to polish off the rest.