Bitter Sweet Recipes

I am the first to admit that I don’t like eating bananas once they get to that brown spotted stage. Usually when my bunch of bananas start to ‘turn’ they are immediately peeled and chopped into small bits to be frozen and used in smoothies. This time I got to them a bit late and they were already quite brown and beginning to go soft, perfect for banana bread.

Because the weather is starting to warm up I wanted to make a summery banana bread, I was searching around for a recipe and came across Janelle Bloom’s Banana and Coconut bread (as featured in Super Food Ideas magazine), which intrigued me because it used coconut milk as the ‘wet’ ingredient.

So now I am writing this waiting for my banana bread to bake and enjoying the delicious scents wafting from the oven. My teapot is waiting and the water is boiled so I can have a nice cup of tea with that first slice hot from the oven…

An hour later the banana coconut loaf is ready, it has a nice sweet chewy crust and a very moist spongy texture. Definitely my new favourite recipe for banana bread, this is going into my permanent collection, nice one Janelle!

Two days later and the banana loaf is still moist and delicious, it has a wonderful texture with lots of little bits of banana and the coconut flavour complements it wonderfully.

This recipe makes a large loaf… don’t do what I did and put it in a small tin! Janelle’s recipe states that it will keep well in an airtight container for about a week.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup desiccated coconut
1 cup castor sugar
1 1/2 cup self raising flour
1 cup mashed banana
1 cup coconut milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

METHOD

Grease and Line a large loaf tin, and preheat your oven to 170 degrees Celcius.

In a large bowl combine dry ingredients.

Mash your banana and combine with the rest of the wet ingredients in a separate bowl.

Pour wet mixture over dry mixture and mix until combined. (it will look a little lumpy due to the chunks of banana and the coconut)

Place batter in your prepared pan and cook for about one hour until your loaf is lightly browned and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

My best friend’s Mum has been making her own fabulous yoghurt for years and I was always intrigued as to the process of turning milk into thick, delicious, tangy yoghurt.
Home made yoghurt, when made correctly, is in a world of its own in terms of flavour and texture. But it is also really good for your body as it has no preservatives or additives and it is full of good bacteria that can really nourish and aid in intestinal function.

After doing a lot of research, having lots of batches of awful yoghurt, giving up, deciding to try again, and talking to my friends mum wondering why mine wasn’t as good as hers, I came up with a way of making yoghurt that works for me every time.

INGREDIENTS

a sterilised large glass jar that holds about 2 1/2 cups of liquid
a milk thermometer (you can get one of these pretty cheaply at the supermarket)
a container that fits your jar in

Skim milk or Full Cream milk (enough to just about fill your jar)
Powdered skim milk about 2-3 tablespoons
2 tablespoons of plain natural yoghurt with cultures ( I usually use Pauls Natural Yoghurt in the blue tub)

Clockwise from left; Sterilised Jar, Skim Milk Powder, Skim Milk, Incubation Container, Thermometer, Commercial Yoghurt

METHOD

Make sure your glass jar is clean and sterile. I do this by filling it up with boiling water and leaving it for 10 minutes. Do the same with the lid you dont want any foreign bacteria in your milk.

Fill the jar almost to the top with skim milk, but leave some room for other ingredients. Stir in about 3 tablespoons of Powdered milk. You will need this if you are using skim milk because it will add milk solids and help the yoghurt to set nice and thick.

Now you need to heat the milk. You can do this on the stove top just pour the milk into a small saucepan and over medium heat take it to 80 degrees celcius then pour it into the jar and let it cool to about 48 degrees celcius.
Alternatively you can leave it in the jar and heat it in 1 minute bursts (make sure you stir to get even heat distribution) until it reaches 80 degrees celcuis and then let it cool to 48 degrees celcuis. (this is what I do and it is much less messy)

Scalded milk at 80 degrees celcius...

...and cooled to 48 degrees celcius

When the milk mixture is cooled to 48 degrees celcius stir in about 2 tablespoons of store bought yoghurt (stir well until there are no lumps). Put the lid on tightly and place your jar inside the larger container.

Fill the container with Hot tap water making sure the jar in completely immersed

Your tap water should be around 45-50 degrees.

Yoghurt in incubator container filled with hot tap water at 50 degrees celcius

Place the container in a dark, warm place where it will be undisturbed. I usually put it back into the microwave (off) because it is insulated and wont let the heat escape as easily as it would if it were sitting on the bench.

Every 3 hours change the hot tap water, being VERY careful not to jostle or tip the yoghurt you must treat it like a baby. If the yoghurt is moved around too much or too roughly it will not set properly.

After about 7 hours you will have a yoghurt that is set and quite mild tasting. If you are happy with this, place it in the refrigerator until it is well chilled before eating (usually overnight).
If you prefer your yoghurt to have a more tangy flavour allow it to sit in the hot water for 8 or 9 hours before refrigerating. The longer you leave it the thicker and tangier it will be.

When you are ready to make your next batch just use a big spoonful of your previous batch as a starter (instead of the Pauls Natural Yoguhurt).

VARIATIONS

While I have not successfully varied the base recipe, there are a lot of ways that you can flavour the yoghurt to eat it. You can mix in fresh or frozen berries or fruit, drizzle it with honey or eat it with your museli. Its yummy in a banana smoothie and it is also a great, healthier option instead of sour cream on mexican dishes an in other recipes.

I had a houseful of boys this weekend, and after a boozy late night they were all looking a bit groggy in the morning. So I whipped up a big batch of pancakes and strong coffee for them. This is my absolute fail safe pancake recipe that is made up of a conglomerate of many different recipes and tips from cookbooks and my mum. Its very quick and easy to make and always produces a light fluffy pancake that will rival any you get in a cafe or restaurant.
I have added some cinnamon and nutmeg to spice the batter slightly, which just adds a hint of something extra that you cant quite put your finger on and makes for an unforgettable and different-in-a-good-way pancake experience.

This recipe make about 6 large pancakes, you can double it or even triple it if you are feeding lots of people. It needs to be made just before cooking and doesn’t require and resting period like some other pancake batters do. Once the pancakes are made, if you have leftovers they can be frozen quite successfully in a airtight ziplock bag and toasted in the toaster for a quick crispy pancake, however they will lose some of their light and fluffy qualities. See the variations section below for pancakes that freeze well.

INGREDIENTS

1cup self raising flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
2 tablespoons castor sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 egg
about a tablespoon knob melted butter

METHOD

In a medium mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, sugar and spices.

Mix with a fork and make a well.
To the well add the milk, vanilla essence and egg.

Whisk well until the batter is free of lumps.

This next stage is very important in producing a beautiful light fluffy and well risen pancake.
In a nonstick fry pan melt the tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Once melted pour the butter into your batter.
Now mix your batter VERY gently with a whisk until the butter is JUST mixed in.

Under no circumstances should you over mix you batter once the butter is in this will result in a flat and rubbery pancake.

Do not rest the batter in the fridge, or on the bench, you need to cook them immediately after adding the melted butter to the batter.

Now using a paper towel rub the butter residue around the pan and heat to medium heat to prepare for cooking of your pancakes.

Gently ladle 1/3cup of batter (I like the size of pancake this amount produces but if you want large pancakes of pikelets instead adjust the measurement accordingly)  into the center of your fry pan.
Wait for bubbles to start forming on the surface and a crust to form on the bottom and flip the pancake over.

A few seconds after you flip you will notice that the pancake is rising up, This creates air bubbles and makes a deliciously light and fluffy pancake.

When the bottom of the pancake is lightly browned it is ready to be served.

You may need to adjust the heat of your pan during the cooking of the pancakes, I usually turn the heat down a notch or two after the first 2-3 pancakes are cooked to stop them cooking too fast and burning. If you are using a non stick pan you should not need to add anymore butter to the pan, but if you like the extra flavour you can use the paper towel from the beginning to rub some extra butter into the pan.

Ideally it is best to eat the pancakes when they come hot off the pan, but if you are cooking for a few people and this is not possible you can place them in a warm oven (warmed to 100 degrees celcius and turned off) for a few minutes while you cook the rest. But be warned don’t leave them in for too long or they will deflate and go crisp on the edges.

VARIATIONS

Once you have your basic pancake batter down pat you can really do any variations that take your fancy. Here are some suggestions;

Berry pancakes: Stir in your choice of frozen or fresh berries before cooking and serve with berries in syrup and a dusting of icing sugar.

Banana pancakes: Finely slice small segments of banana and stir into the batter before cooking also, substitute 1 tablespoon of sugar for 1 tablespoon of honey, the banana will caramelise while the pancake is cooking and the honey adds a delicious depth of flavour. These ones are great for freezing to have for a delicious quick weekday breakfast.

Apple and cinnamon Pancakes: Grate a green apple and add it to the pancake mix and increase the cinnamon to 1.5 teaspoons. These ones are also great for freezing.

Pikelets: As mentioned above, this recipe makes really good pikelets too. They are great with afternoon tea, or to put in the kids lunches. Instead of 1/3 cup measures of batter, use 2 tablespoons of batter. Serve with jam and whipped cream.

You really cant go past a piece of buttery, flaky brioche smothered with home made jam on a cold and rainy morning with your cup of tea.
The rich aroma of this eggy French bread really warms up my kitchen and the irresistible scent makes the neighbours very jealous.

Brioche has a reputation for being fiddly, time consuming and difficult but I recently came across a recipe in an old French cookbook that turned out a perfectly pillowy loaf with a browned crust and was surprising quite easy with no special pots, pans or mixers required. I have altered it slightly but it still produces an absolutely authentic tasting loaf. YUM!

This recipe has been scaled down to make a small loaf or individual servings suitable for around 4 people. It is important to try to eat it the same day that you bake it, as it will stale quite fast due to the lack of preserving agents. However, it can be toasted or made into French toast quite successfully the next day.

This recipe takes around 3 hours from start to finish (or overnight)
- 30 mins mixing, kneading and shaping
- 2.5 hours prooving time (or overnight)

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups plain flour
30 grams white sugar (if you like a sweeter brioche add 40g)
a pinch of salt
1 1/2 teaspoons of instant dry yeast
2 large fresh eggs (or 3 small fresh eggs)
50 grams butter chilled and chopped into cubes

METHOD

In a medium sized mixing bowl combine dry ingredients. Mix with a fork and make a well. Add the eggs to the well and mix in breaking up the yolks and starting from the center gradually incorporating the dry ingredients. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for around 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Flatten out the dough slightly and place the chopped butter in the center, fold the dough over the butter and knead again for another 10-15 minutes.
This step can be very messy… please resist the urge to add more flour to the dough… just keep kneading I promise that the butter will go in eventually.

When the butter is fully incorporated you will be left with a shiny ball of dough, it should not be overly sticky.

Place your dough in a bowl in a warm place for about an hour or until doubled in size.

(If its a cold day my tip for proving dough is to place it in a smaller bowl which is inside a larger bowl filled with warm water. I then put a plastic shopping bag over the top and drape a tea towel on top of it all. This creates the perfect warm dark and damp place for the yeast to grow)

Punch the dough down and roll out in a square with the same width as your pan
roll up the square and place into the buttered pan. Place this in a warm spot for another hour for its second prooving. (if you are preparing this the night before for breakfast/brunch the next day, you can, at this stage place the dough covered in the fridge, it will rise very slowly in the fridge over night. Half an hour before cooking allow the dough to rise in a warm place)

Brush with a little milk and cook in a preheated 180 degree celcius oven for about 15 minutes or until browned and cooked.

Brioche is delicious straight out of the oven, my favourite way to eat it is sliced and spread with danish fetta drizzled with honey!  might sound strange but try it you will be hooked!

VARIATIONS

This dough can also be used to make a croissant shape… while it will not make an authentic croissant its still pretty close with the buttery flakiness and the dough is much easier to make than traditional croissant puff!

Brioche dough can be used to make a variety of sweet pastry treats… you can fold all sorts of fillings into a pocket in the dough such as a good quality dark chocolate, a chunky fruit preserve, or berries in sauce.

You can also make a more savoury brioche if you wish, just cut the sugar down to 5g (you still need some to act as ‘food’ for the yeast) and increase the salt to a large pinch.
You can also stray from the traditional recipe and add cheese, herb, bacon or any extra ingredients at the final stages for a more interesting dough.

However, I strongly suggest making a batch of traditional plain brioche before you embark on making variations.