Bitter Sweet Recipes

This is one of my favourite dinners at the moment. My mum used to cook it when I was a child, and it was really the only meaty thing that I missed when I turned vegetarian for 10 years.

Its a nice quick asian meal that is really easy to make in your own home.

This recipe serves 4. It cannot be frozen but the cooked chicken will keep in the fridge for 2 days. If you have leftovers they are great to add to a salad for lunch, or to include with some steamed rice in your bento. I find that the chicken does not reheat well, but it is delicious cold anyway.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups Diced Chicken (you can use the meat from breast, thigh, tenderloins etc)
1 cup Plain Flour
Salt and Pepper
1/3 cup Teriyaki Marinade

Steamed rice (to serve)
Steamed Assorted Vegetables (to serve)

METHOD

In a Clean Plastic (or ziplock bag) shake the flour with the salt and pepper. Add the diced chicken and shake until coated.

Heat up 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a hot nonstick frypan and place the pieces of coated chicken in one by one making sure you shake off excess flour.

Brown the pieces on both sides, adding some more oil if needed.

When the chicken is cooked, pour in the teriyaki marinade and shake the pan to coat all the chicken. The flour on the chicken will suck up the marinade and the heat plus the flour will thicken it and it will become saucy.

Shake the pan as you add the teriyaki to coat the chicken

Turn the heat off and let the pan sit for two minutes on the hot plate.

Serve the chicken with Rice and Vegetables.

VARIATIONS

For a more flavourful  japanese feel to the dish , shake a little furikake (japanese rice seasoning) over the rice.

To liven up your steamed veggies, crumble a vegetable stock cube over them before cooking and add some finely sliced chilli, ginger and a sprikle of white and black sesame seeds to serve.

I love bread… all that carbohydratey goodness that you know you really shouldn’t be eating a second helping of but do anyway. Well this is a super easy, super fast, super tasty bread that you wont be able to resist. It uses beer and baking powder as its leavening agents so there is no need to fuss around with dried yeast or prooving time, rising temperature and whatnot.

I think its best if you use a reasonably nice beer (one that you like to drink), in this recipe. While the bread doesn’t taste overly beery when its cooked there will be undertones of the yeasty, hoppy, caramelly beer flavour.

I also like to add some flavourings such as cheese and herb to make it super tasty, but you can change these to suit your tastes. You can also substitute half of the plain flour for rye flour, soy and linseed breadmix flour, or wholemeal flour.

This will make a loaf suitable for 4 people (or 2 people if you are a greedy bread muncher like me). As with any home made breads, due to the lack of preserving agents it wont keep well so you will need to eat it on the day of baking

INGREDIENTS

2 cups of plain flour
1/2 Tablespoon of white sugar
1/2 – 1 Teaspoon Salt
2/3 tablespoon of Baking powder
1 teaspoon thyme (dried or fresh)
1/2 teaspoon oregano (dried or fresh)
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
240ml Beer of your choice

Ingredients (clockwise); Grated Cheese, Plain Flour, Salt, Pepper, Sugar, James Boag Beer, Baking Powder, Thyme, Oregano, Basil, Garlic, Olive Oil.

METHOD

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees celcius and prepare a bread tin or baking tray lined with baking paper.

In a medium mixing bowl stir all dry ingredients together until well combined.

Pour in the beer and wet ingredients, mix with a spoon (it will foam up) while you are mixing.

It will come together to form a very sticky wet and stiff dough.

Turn the dough out onto your prepared baking tray and, using damp hands, shape it into the desired shape. ( I usually do a loaf shape or a round shape)

Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes, until it is browned on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

It is a slightly heavier bread than usual but REALLY delicious.

Slice and serve warm with butter.

... or serve with your favourite (chicken) soup

VARIATIONS

You can really add any flavour combinations that you like, just make sure you get the quantities of the basic dough correct. You can also experiment with different beers too.

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.

My lovely boyfriend bought me a little hand crank pasta machine today, after I have been wanting one for so long. I love fresh homemade pasta, its a world apart from the boring dried pastas that you find in the supermarket and it tastes way better than the ‘fresh’ supermarket pasta too.

Before I got this little machine I had been making pasta (and gyoza wrappers) with a good old fashioned rolling pin and ALOT of elbow grease (I figured the effort to make it would burn off the calories gained when I ate it)… which sadly meant that I didn’t make it all that often and I succumbed to the store bought kind. But from now on there will only be fresh homemade pasta in my kitchen!

Pasta is such a quick, easy and filling meal and you can really make it as simple or as fancy as you like. I have a pot in my garden overflowing with basil at the moment so I am looking forward to making some basil and macadamia pesto for my pasta. I have also been seeing a lot of squid ink pastas in various deli’s and would love to have a go at making it myself. The black squid ink pasta looks so luscious and exotic on the plate and I think it will be delightful served with some roasted garlic, fresh lime, chilli and of course some squid.

I have seen all sorts of fancy and intriguing things done to basic pasta dough. I was watching iron chef (the asian one) a while back and the guest chef was rolling tiny florets of broccolini between two sheets of pasta. It made the most beautiful and unusual sheets of speckled green pasta I have ever seen.

Then of course are all the exciting prospects of filled pastas. My current favourite being a roasted pumpkin ravioli served with a sage browned butter. I am also a big lover of cannelloni and there is of course lasagna, which is always a winner.

Here is the basic recipe for pasta dough from the amazing italian cookbook The Silver Spoon

INGREDIENTS

400 grams of Type 00 Flour
4 whole eggs
a pinch of salt

METHOD

Mix the flour and salt together then form a well. Crack the eggs into the well, and, using a fork, whisk the eggs slowly incorporating the flour into the center. Once you have a ball of dough turn it out onto a lightly floured bench and knead lightly. Wrap in plastic so it does not dry out and allow it to rest for 15 minutes. During this resting period the flour will ‘take on’ the egg. Once rested, lightly knead your dough until smooth and silky. It is now ready for rolling in the pasta machine or by hand.

So, over the next few weeks, expect to see a few homemade pasta dishes gracing the pages of bittersweetrecipes.com.

This is actually the first time I made this yummy little dessert and I will definitely be making it again! I found the original recipe in Gourmet Traveller Magazine, but I have made some improvements to suit my tastes.

Its not the prettiest dessert to serve up as it is practically a wobbly baked custard with fruit, but what it lacks in looks, it makes up for in taste. I think if I were to make it for a dinner party, I would probably bake it in individual ramekins to save the bother of trying to serve it in a presentable manner.

This recipe will serve 6.

INGREDIENTS

1/3 cup plain flour
3 tablespoons of white sugar
3 whole eggs
450 ml of full fat milk
1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
1/2 teaspoon of grated nutmeg
30 grams of melted butter, plus a little extra to grease
300 grams of tinned or fresh apricots
2 tablespoons of granulated sugar (to sprinkle)

METHOD

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees celsius and grease a baking dish with butter ( I used a pyrex pie dish).

If using tinned fruit, drain it well. If using fresh fruit slice in half and remove the stone. Arrange your fruit cut side up in your prepared dish.

In a medium mixing bowl mix the flour, sugar, eggs, vanilla and melted butter. Mix the milk with grated nutmeg and heat in a saucepan or microwave until it is hot.

Slowly whisk your milk mixture into your egg mixture, then pour it over the fruit.

The original recipe stated to dot the butter over the dish instead of including it in the batter, but in my opinion, this does not yield desirable results

Bake in your preheated oven on the bottom rack for 40 minutes, until the clafoutis is puffed, golden and set.

Sprinkle with granulated sugar and allow to cool slightly (it will be easier to cut) before serving with some good quality vanilla bean ice cream.

VARIATIONS

The classic clafoutis is made with cherries, and I would love to try this come summer when there is an abundance of fresh cherries.

You can really use any stone fruit in this recipe and it can be canned or fresh. I used canned apricot when I made it (which was delicious), but I have a sneaking suspicion the taste and texture would be much improved using fresh fruit.

I would also like to try some variations using fresh berries, or a pear and almond one. But I cannot vouch for the success of this as I am yet to test it. Ill post back on these variations when I get my hands of some fresh berries…

This lentil soup is a really tasty warming winter soup. I use green lentils because they tend to retain their shape during the cooking process better than red lentils and they are higher in protein and fiber too.
I think lentils get a bit of a bad rap for being bland boring vegan food, but with the right spices and veggies they are absolutely delicious.

This recipe serves 6, it can be frozen after cooking for up to a month in an airtight container, defrost in the refrigerator for a day and then reheat.

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
2 teaspoons of minced garlic
2 teaspoons of dried thyme
2 teaspoons of dried oregano
2 bay leaves
2 carrots, finely diced
2 sticks of celery, finely diced
1 medium potato, finely diced
1 cup of green lentils
4 cups of chicken or vegetable stock
salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

Heat the olive oil over medium heat and cook the onion, garlic, thyme and oregano until fragrant.
Add the finely diced vegetables and stir over medium heat for 5 minutes until slightly softened and coated in the herbs.
Stir in the lentils and the chicken stock.

Turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for 40 minutes until all of the vegetables and lentils are soft and most of the stock is absorbed. You will need to keep an eye on the stock level, and top it up if you think it is becoming too thick.
Season with salt and pepper
Serve with crusty bread a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of smoky paprika.

VARIATIONS

You can really add whatever veggies to this that you like, but I think this is the best combination.

This is a vegetarian recipe… in fact i am pretty sure it is suitable for vegans too. But if you like your meat it also tasted great with 3/4 cup of diced bacon thrown in with the onion.

If you have lots of leftovers you can boil off the rest of the stock until you are left with a very thick lentil mixture, add some curry powder, cayenne pepper and a dash of cream and use this as curried lentil pie filling. Spoon it into the pie dish, top with a trimmed sheet of puff pastry, use an egg wash and bake in a 200 degrees celcius pre heated oven until the pastry is puffed and golden.

Biscotti is one of my all time favourite things to dunk into my coffee. I used to work in a cafe that sold delicious biscotti, and when I stopped working there I decided it was high time for me to have a go making it myself. I discovered that there are so many different types of biscotti out there, and even more ways to make it. My first biscotti were Christmas cranberry and pistachio biscotti… great flavour, but hard as a rock, these ones really were made for dunking (if you didn’t want to break your teeth). My second biscotti was an almond flavoured flop, once again tasted great, but after the first baking the log flattened out like a pancake with chunks of almond poking out. My third biscotti was almond and cherry, surprisingly it kept its shape, had a good level of crunch and most importantly tasted like biscotti should. This recipe is an amalgamation of the first two recipes with a few critical alterations to produce a delicious and good textured biscotti.

Biscotti are dried biscuits, so they will keep very well for quite a long period of time in an airtight container. They are great for gifts and easy to post in the mail to friends and relatives. This recipe will make about 13 biscuits, you can double or triple the recipe if you would like more biscuits, just make 2 logs instead of 1.

INGREDIENTS

30 ml of melted butter
75 grams white sugar
5 ml of Vanilla essence
2 ml of Almond essence
1 egg
125 grams plain flour
pinch of salt
3 grams of baking powder
40 grams of glace cherries (whole)
80 grams of raw almonds (whole)

METHOD

Preheat your oven to 160 degrees celcius and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.

In a medium bowl mix the butter, sugar, essences and egg until well combined.
Sift in the flour, salt and baking powder and mix well.
Stir in the cherries and almonds.

With wet hands form the dough into a log on the prepared baking tray. Taper the sides to produce the biscotti shape.

Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the log is springy to touch and lightly browned.

Turn the oven down to 120 degrees celcius.

Remove it from the oven and allow it to cool slightly until you can comfortably handle it.

Transfer it to a cutting board and using a wet, sharp serrated knife cut the log into 1.5 cm biscuits.

Arrange the biscuits on their sides, back on the baking tray and bake for about 5-10 minutes on each side turning once.

The biscotti should now be ‘dry’. Allow them to cool before storing in an airtight container.

VARIATIONS

There are countless variations on the biscotti recipe. You can substitute the almond essence for a different flavour, or omit it and add extra vanilla essence in its place.
You can also substitute glace cherries for dried cranberries or any other dried fruit. Similarly, the almonds may be substituted with any variety of nut that complements the dried fruit of your choice.

Biscotti are also partial to being dunked in or drizzled with melted white or dark chocolate for added flavour and presentation.

I saw this on ABC’s “The cook and the chef” the other night and was inspired to make one too.
A traditional pound cake uses a pound of each ingredient (flour, butter, eggs and sugar) and there are many added flavour variations of the recipe.

I had some left over dried fruit from my hot cross bun making at Easter time so I decided to make a fruit pound cake. It turned out with a delicious moist golden crumb with a hint of fruit and brandy, perfect with your mid morning cup of tea.

This is a smaller version of a pound cake, as, frankly, I don’t have a small army to feed 4 pounds of cake to. This cake will produce 4-6 serves but you can double the recipe for a larger cake.

INGREDIENTS
100 grams dried mixed fruit
100 grams of softened butter
1 teaspoon Vanilla essence
100 grams white sugar
2 eggs at room temperature
1 tablespoon brandy
1 teaspoon of baking powder
100 grams plain flour

METHOD

Preheat oven to 170 degrees Celcius. Prepare a small cake or loaf tin grease and line with paper.

Soak fruit in some boiling water for 10 minutes and drain.

Beat butter and vanilla until fluffy and slowly add the sugar. Beat for another 5 minutes on high speed until pale and thick.

Stir in eggs and brandy to the butter mixture until just combined.

Sift flour and baking powder together and fold into butter mixture. Gently mix in the fruit until just combined.

Pour into prepared tin, smooth over the top and bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Allow to cool and slice.

This can be stored in an airtight container for about 5 days.

There is nothing like a delicious gooey bread and butter pudding to warm you up during the cooler months. The sweet custard combined with the crispy sugary bread bits on top make this my favourite dessert during winter.

This recipe will serve 6 people. It is a good idea to use good quality butter to achieve a rich smooth and creamy flavour.

INGREDIENTS

10 slices of white bread, buttered on both sides
2 cups skim milk
5 whole fresh eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla essence
5 tablespoons of white sugar
ground cinnamon
ground nutmeg

METHOD

Lightly grease a medium sized baking dish with melted butter.

Spread your bread on both sides with good quality butter.

Whisk together the milk, eggs and vanilla in a medium mixing bowl.

Slice the buttered bread into four triangles and arrange one layer of bread in the bottom of your baking dish.
Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of sugar, some cinnamon and nutmeg.

Continue making layers like this until all of the bread is used up and the baking dish is full.
Push down on the bread with a wooden spoon to compress it slightly and pour the milk mixture carefully over the bread and sprinkle with the remaining sugar and a little cinnamon.

Allow the pudding to stand for half an hour, the bread will soak up some of the milk mixture during this time.

Preheat you oven to 160 degrees celcius during the resting time. Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes or until the custard is set and the pudding is puffed and lightly browned.

Serve warm with whipped cream or a good quality vanilla ice cream.

VARIATIONS

There and many variations on this classic pudding. Here are some of my favourites;

Include a sprinkle of sultanas and toasted slivered almonds between each layer of bread. sprinkle some of the almonds on top before baking.

When buttering the bread, you can also spread each piece with some good quality marmalade or preserve of your choice, you will need to reduce the sugar depending on the sweetness of the jam or marmalade you have chosen.

Mix in 4 tablespoons of cocoa powder into your milk mixture, and sprinkle dark chocolate buttons in between layers of bread. Do not sprinkle the chocolate on top as it may burn during cooking.