Category Archives: Traditional Ovens

Caramalised onion & goats cheese quiche

March 29, 2016 11:21 am / Leave a Comment /

Caramalised onion and goats cheese quiche

As my daughter said “it’s been ages since we had a decent quiche!”.

Not something I cook a lot, I guess it is not on the low fat radar and still considered a bit of a treat in our house.  There is nothing like a decent quiche with delicious, short pastry and a melt in the mouth filling.

This one was particularly delicious for Easter with a side salad.

Ingredients:

Pastry:
250g plain flour
125g butter
60ml iced water

Filling:
5 large onions, sliced thinly
Olive oil
6 eggs
½ cup cream
pinch salt
115g soft goats cheese or goats curd
fresh thyme leaves

Ingredients:

  1. For the caramalised onion, heat olive oil in a large, heavy based, non-stick frypan and saute onions.  Start on a medium heat until they start to break down and then drop to a lower temperature.  Cook until they turn a light, golden brown and all the sugars are released from the onions.  This can take up to an hour and a half.  Stir frequently so they don’t catch on the base of the pan.  This can be done up to two days before and stored in a covered container in the fridge.
  2. For the pastry, blend the flour with the cold, cubed butter in a food processor until the flour looks like breadcrumbs.  With the motor running add the cold water through the feed tube until the dough just starts to come together.  You may need a couple of teaspoons more water.  Remove from the processor and knead lightly together.   The dough should be soft but not sticky and just come together.  Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.
  3. To assemble the quiche:  Roll out the pastry thinly.  This quantity made 2 x 35x10mm rectangle tins or one large round quiche.
  4. Line the pastry with baking paper and rice or baking weights.  Bake on Fan forced @ 160°C for 15 minutes.  Remove paper and weights and return to the oven for about another 10 minutes until the pastry is cooked, lightly browned and shrinking from the edges of the tin.
  5. In a large jug whisk the eggs, cream and seasonings together.  Spread the cold, caramalised onion onto the pastry base.  Add a reasonable amount, you don’t have to use it all but make sure there is enough for a generous layer.  Pour over the egg mixture, break the goats cheese evenly over the top, sprinkle with thyme leaves and bake Fan forced @ 160°C until the filling is set, about 15-20 minutes.  If you have one deeper quiche use Conventional oven without the fan as it is a more gentle heat.

Slice into generous pieces and serve warm with a side salad.

Posted in: Baking, Dinner parties, Easter, Eggs, Party Food, Pastry, Traditional Ovens, Vegetarian

Need help choosing your appliances?

March 20, 2016 11:45 am / 2 Comments /
Appliances

“So many brands, it’s so difficult to know what to buy!”

I am excited to announce that I am now assisting customers with choosing their appliances!

Just like an Interior Designer helps customers with selecting furnishings I am an Independent Home Economist who knows and understands the many appliance brands, models, types and functions of appliances that are available today.  To be honest it can all be very confusing if you don’t know what you are looking for, have the pressure of dealing with various sales people then ultimately the time pressure to get your appliances selected in time for the final check measure.

There are SO many factors to consider, many which the average sales person will not even ask or tell you about.  Mostly this is due to the time factor or having not qualified you adequately.  It is difficult for sales people to really understand what you need, how you cook and entertain plus what you ultimately want your dream kitchen to look like!  Whether or not you intend to purchase your appliances in-store or online you still need advice.  This is probably the most expensive and important room in the house.  Many of my old customers spent tens of thousands of dollars on these appliances so they must be the right ones!

If you would like some independent help selecting your appliances please contact me.  We can talk about what you need, how you cook and entertain and really get an understanding of the entire kitchen package.  This includes vitally important cleaning zones, dishwasher, rangehood and refrigeration.  I can then meet you in-store* when the time is right to guide you easily through the selection process.

I am not paid commission by anyone and like an Interior Designer I will have an hourly fee that will be a worthwhile investment in your renovation budget.  After all, if you intend to remain in this property for some years this kitchen has to last probably up to 20 years.  It is SO important that you buy the right appliances that YOU will be happy with.

Give me a call for a quote.

Trudy Smith

0416 030 167

cookwise@hotmail.com

*In-store means an Appliance Retailer of your choice that stocks and sells a wide variety of brands in the Sydney Metropolitan area.  Areas out of the Metropolitan zone can also be discussed.

 

Posted in: Appliances, Kitchen design, Traditional Ovens

In-home cooking classes!

March 3, 2016 8:03 pm / 7 Comments /

Don’t know how to use your oven?  Spent heaps of money on all those appliances but can’t even work out how to use the main oven let alone your steam oven or combi steam oven?

I am happy to announce that I am now offering in-home cooking classes in the Sydney metropolitan area!

I will come to your home  and give you an overview demonstration cooking class on how to use your products plus I will prepare you a delicious lunch using those appliances!

For more information please see my cooking classes page here.

In-home cooking classes

Posted in: Appliances, Combi Steamer, Cooking classes, Steam Oven, Traditional Ovens

Roasted pumpkin & curry leaf salad

February 25, 2015 5:47 pm / Leave a Comment /

Roasted pumpkin & curry leaf salad

Adam Liaw cooked a dish like this on his show on SBS TV so I thought I would use the same combination of flavours and turn it into a salad.  I guess we can call it an Indian salad with the addition of the curry leaves.  It would certainly be delicious served as part of a shared table with Indian inspired curries or roasted meats.

Roast the pumpkin in a hot oven and let it come to room temperature before adjusting the dressing and adding the leaves.  You can also add some other green vegetables if you wish.  Remember to steam those quickly to retain the nutrients.  You can find the steaming timing here for vegetables.

You could steam the pumpkin too but the flavour is better roasted.  I have done other salads with steamed pumpkin which you can find in the salad category.

Ingredients:

Large chunk of pumpkin, diced into medium size pieces
Handful shallots, peeled
2 tsp fennel seeds
1 bulb of garlic, broken into cloves and left whole
2 tbsp. Olive oil
4 branches of fresh curry leaves, removed from the stalk
Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp sherry vinegar
Handful of baby spinach to serve
½ tin chickpeas, rinsed
¼ cup pumpkin seeds

Extra sherry vinegar and oil to taste

Method:

  1. Toss everything together except leaves, chickpeas, pumpkin seeds and extra vinegar & oil in a large bowl.
  2. Place a large piece of baking paper on a flat oven tray and pile on the vegetables.
  3. Roast @ 200°C Fan forced for 45 minutes.
  4. Remove to cool to room temperature.
  5. Mix in leaves, chickpeas, seeds and other steamed vegetables if you are using them.
  6. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more sherry vinegar and oil to dress the salad if necessary.

 

Posted in: Indian, Salads, Traditional Ovens, Vegetarian

Flourless chocolate cake

November 9, 2014 11:57 am / Leave a Comment /

Flourless chocolate cake

Julie, the Home Economist from Ilve Appliances in Sydney sometimes makes this delicious cake as part of their cooking class.  I enjoyed it so much when I tried it that I extracted the recipe from her.  She new the ingredients off by heart which is always impressive.  Now that’s a good cook!

I am melting the chocolate and butter in the steam oven here but the rest of the cake is cooked in a traditional oven on Fan Forced.

Another gluten-free option to have up your sleeve for when you need that special dessert.  You can also adapt it to also being dairy free buy substituting the butter with two and a half tablespoons, (50ml) Olive oil.

Ingredients:

180g Lindt, 70% dessert chocolate
100g butter (see note above)
1  1/3 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup almond meal
4 eggs, separated

Method:

  1. Grease and line a 20cm springform tin.
  2. Melt the butter and chocolate together until smooth, you can do this in the steam oven following the link above or in a bowl over a simmering pot of water.  Let it cool.  If you are cooking the cake in the combi, wipe out the steamer now so it will dry before cooking.
  3. Beat egg yolks and sugar until soft and creamy.
  4. Fold in cooled melted chocolate, mix well then add almond meal.
  5. In a separate bowl beat egg whites until soft peaks form.  Don’t overbeat they should be a medium hold.
  6. Gently fold into chocolate mixture starting with one spoonful of the egg white to work it in then very gently with the remainder.
  7. Bake @ 160°C Fan Forced for 1 hour.

Add whipped cream and berries to the top of the room temperature cake to serve. Yum

Note:  Even better if warmed slightly before serving and the cream added at the last minute.  Do not serve cold from the refrigerator.

 

Posted in: Baking, Cakes and Biscuits, Chocolate, Desserts, Gluten free, Traditional Ovens

Potato Gratin

July 15, 2013 5:31 pm / Leave a Comment /

I have this old book from 2BL 702 Radio called “Great Weekends”, published in 1993 with recipes from Maureen Simpson, gardens with Valerie Swane and Tom Ballantyne on holiday.  It was the first book that encouraged me to think in the seasons, and it helped me understand Menu Planning.  I see Maureen is still doing cooking for 702 ABC Sydney as it is called these days.

It contains lots of recipes that I use regularly, including this Potato Gratin that I cooked for Bastille Day.  I hope to eventually work my way through all my old recipes and convert them to being cooked in the Steam Oven or Combi Steam Oven where appropriate but this one is just baked in your traditional oven.  It went really well with the Beef in Red Wine that we had and it’s something that my family has always enjoyed.

When I was cooking for Smeg quite a few of the other Home Economists would do a ‘Potato Bake’, particularly for say a Trade Night or event in the showroom.  It was always heaps of layered potato that we struggled to get cooked on time.  This recipe is better as it’s the boiling of the potatoes in the cream and milk for that short time that makes all the difference.  Try this recipe, your family will love it just as mine do.

Potato gratin

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1kg potatoes, peeled  (Don’t soak in water, you need the starch from the potatoes to thicken the dish)
1¾ cups milk
1/2 cup cream
1 large clove of garlic, crushed
pinch of salt
pinch of nutmeg
freshly milled black pepper
2 tbsp. melted butter
2 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese

Method:

  1. Peel the potatoes without soaking in water as above and cut into the thickness of a $2 coin.
  2. Put into a large pot with the milk, cream and garlic and bring to boil on a medium heat.
  3. As soon as it boils, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for exactly 5 minutes, stirring often so it will not catch.
  4. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg and pour into a well greased, shallow oven proof dish.
  5. Sprinkle with parmesan and drizzle over a bit more melted butter,
  6. Bake @ 180°C Fan Forced for about an hour until the potatoes are soft and creamy and it’s brown on the top.

Delicious served with plain roast chicken, roast beef or for any casual entertaining.

Posted in: Party Food, Side dishes, Traditional Ovens, Vegetarian

Beef with Red Wine & Herbs

July 14, 2013 5:07 pm / 5 Comments /

Today is Bastille Day and the first Bastille Day in many years that we can have a family lunch as my children are now home from overseas.  I plan to cook three courses that I will add to the Dinner party menus.  This classic French main course is another original French recipe from my first Melbourne class.  See my Sweet Pastry link for the whole story.Beef with red wine & herbs

Perfect weather for Boeuf au Vin Rouge et Herbes (Beef with Red Wine and Herbs)Start the day before, it’s always better with slow cooking to do this as the dish will really improve overnight.

 

 

 

I made a point of going to meet my local butcher, Ray’s in Kirribilli and he had the perfect piece of blade steak.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1.4kg chuck or blade steak.
2 onions coarsely chopped
2 stalks of celery, sliced into large pieces
2 cloves garlic, crushed
400mls good red wine
400mls good, brown bone stock
a little plain flour
2 tablespoons of olive oil
bouquet garni made up of 2 fresh bayleaf, 2 strips of orange peel, sprigs of tarragon, thyme, marjoram and parsley stalks
1tsp tomato paste
extra tablespoon of chopped mixed herbs to finish

Method:

  1. Cut the meat into 5cm pieces.  Try not to cut any smaller.  Heat the oil in a cast iron casserole dish or heavy based pot that can go in the oven until hot.  Add the meat only a few pieces at a time and brown on all sides.  Remove and keep warm.  You need to try to get some colour on the meat, drain off any excess oil if that helps.
  2. Add the onions and celery and sweat for 5 minutes on lower heat.
  3. Add the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.  Now add a spoonful of plain flour and cook for another minute or two.
  4. Add the wine, stock, garlic, salt and pepper and bring to boil.  Boil for a few minutes to burn off the alcohol.
  5. Add the bouquet garni and return the meat to the pot.
  6. Cover with a cartouche (a circle of baking paper to fit over the meat) and cook @ 140°C for 4 hours or until meat is tender.
  7. When you are ready to serve, reheat.  Thicken if necessary with a Beurre Manié (Kneaded Butter).   I didn’t need to do this, cooking it for a longer, slower time than my old original recipe gave the perfect thickness to the sauce.  Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

You can really taste the orange rind and herbs in this dish, don’t leave them out as it really makes a difference 🙂

Posted in: Main Courses, Traditional Ovens

Old fashioned Date & Walnut Loaf

July 9, 2013 5:05 pm / Leave a Comment /

This is another OLD recipe I used to make before I was married.  It actually came from an ex-boyfriend’s mother in Melbourne, it takes about 5 minutes to whip it all up once the dates and walnuts are chopped and pop it in the oven.  Thought I would jazz it up a bit by baking it in this cute little tin for a change.  Great buttered and sliced but as we are trying to give up the butter we will just eat it on it’s own 🙂

Date & walnut loafIngredients:

1 cup chopped Dates
1 cup chopped Walnuts
1 cup Boiling Water
3/4 cup sugar (I cut it back from 1 cup)
2 cups Plain Flour
1tsp Bicarb Soda
1tsp vanilla
1tsp Baking Powder
1 tbsp. Butter chopped in tiny pieces
1 egg, beaten

Method:

  1. Sprinkle soda over dates, add boiling water, chopped butter and sugar.
  2. Stir to mix well.  When it cools a little, add the beaten egg
  3. Now stir in the sifted flour, baking powder, walnuts and vanilla and beat well.
  4. Spoon into a loaf or small ring tin as pictured and bake @ 160° Fan Forced or 180° Conventional for 40-45 minutes until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
  5. Let it sit in the tin for 5 minutes before turning out.

Delicious with a cup of tea 🙂

 

 

Posted in: Baking, Cakes and Biscuits, Traditional Ovens

Prune, Apple & Muesli Loaf

July 1, 2013 4:30 pm / Leave a Comment /

This is a quick, easy and healthy loaf recipe to make for the family.  Moist and delicious and a lot less fat than most.  I have also tried it using Flora pro-active margarine seeing as though Simon needs to get his cholesterol down.  It was fine using this instead of butter if you prefer.  Would be great for kids lunch boxes or to have in the cupboard over the school holidays (if it lasts that long!)  Serve warm straight from the oven with a cup of tea 🙂

Prune apple & muesli loaf

Ingredients:

2 cups Self Raising Flour, sifted
1/2 cup raw or Demera sugar
1 cup packaged Muesli, not toasted.  With fruit and nut or whatever is fine.
1tsp Cinnamon
1 apple, peeled and grated + 1 extra apple for the top
1/2 cup chopped prunes or dates
1 cup Buttermilk
85g melted butter or Flora pro-active margarine
1/4 cup milk
2 large eggs, beaten

Method:

  1. Sift flour with Cinnamon.  Add all other dry ingredients including apple and prunes.
  2. Mix eggs with Buttermilk, melted butter and extra milk.  Add wet mixture to dry ingredients and mix well.
  3. Spoon into large loaf pan (22cm x 13cm) that has been greased and lined on the base with baking paper.  I have a new Anolon Non-Stick one that is great and even has soft grip handles on the sides.
  4. For the topping:  Peel and core an extra apple.  Slice thinly and arrange neatly on the top.  Sprinkle with a little extra Cinnamon and Sugar and bake at 160°C Fan Forced for 55-60 minutes until cooked through.  Test with a skewer inserted into the centre.  It should come out clean.  Cool in tine for about 5 minutes before turning out.

Another nice addition would be some chopped walnuts.  This is the sort of loaf that you can put different things in depending on what you have.  Would also be excellent with a large, ripe mashed banana instead of the apple and perhaps slivered, blanched almonds baked on the top 🙂

Option:  Added 1 finely chopped banana, 1/2 cup currents and substituted sugar to soft brown sugar.  Cover the top in half walnuts.  This was delicious too!

Posted in: Baking, Cakes and Biscuits, Traditional Ovens

My ‘other oven’ & Traditional baking

June 11, 2013 1:39 am / 5 Comments /

My ‘other’ oven is a whopping ILVE 90cm Upright Quadra with a Fish Burner which I love for using my char grill plate!
My traditional oven

The specs are identical to the Ilve P90WMP however I actually have the model called the ‘Siena’ which has two wok burners.  This is a model that is only available at Winning Appliances in NSW and maybe other NATA dealers.  Check with Ilve for more information.

It has a massive 110L capacity which is great for cooking large or multiple quantities.  I haven’t ever had a time where I couldn’t fit anything into it!  For my last dinner party I purchased one of those large commercial baking trays that chefs use in commercial kitchens and fitted about 12 lamb shanks in it (which if you have brought any shanks lately you would have struggled to fit 12 into any large dish!), covered it tightly with two layers of foil and cooked them for 8 hours.   I will add this recipe later, it was delicious so keep checking to see my updates.

It has a 10 function electric oven and gas top.  It is a great oven being both accurate and reliable.

Ilve do run regular cooking classes.  Contact them for details.

IF you are reading this, have a combi steam oven and are wondering if you still need a ‘traditional oven’ the answer is ‘yes’.  Except if, as I mentioned in previous appliance posts, you have a tiny little one bedroom or studio apartment.  Then you don’t need a second oven but for general re-sale and family cooking in an apartment, house you do.

 

Posted in: Appliances, Traditional Ovens