Confit Byaldi

Ever since the animated movie "Ratatouille" which starred a mouse as an aspiring master chef, Joesph Keller's confit byaldi ("French Laundry" cookbook) became a dish for kitchen snobs to serve with flair if visited by the most famous food critic. In Australia, that food critic is Matt Preston of Channel 10's Masterchef TV cooking competition.

Confit byaldi is a version of the French provincial ratatouille dish which comprises rustic vegetables cooked in a tomato sauce. In confit byaldi, the vegetables are sliced, attractively arranged, and then slow cooked (at 135 degrees Celsius) in a capsicum and tomato sauce known as piperade. Traditional vegetables are zucchini and eggplant.



Here is a simple version which can be cooked in the microwave as well. Serves 4 as a vegetarian lunch. By using seasonal vegetables with potato as the main ingredient, accompanied by pasta or bread (including crepe or chapati), this dish suits budget meal plans for "Living Below the Line" challenge.

1 small capsicum, sliced (100 g)
2 Roma tomatoes, sliced (120 g)
2 shallots, sliced (50 g)
1 potato, sliced (250 g)
2 cabbage leaves, cut into 5 cm squares (150 g)
400 g canned diced tomatoes in juice
1 garlic, finely chopped
1/2 t parsley
1/4 t thyme
1/4 t basil
1/4 t pepper
1/2 t salt
2 T olive oil

1. Mix garlic, herbs with diced tomatoes in juice. Place half in bottom of pie dish. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
2. Arrange sliced vegetables over the tomatoes base.
3. Season well. Drizzle with remaining olive oil.
4. Top with rest of diced tomato in juice.
5. Microwave 4 minutes on high until liquid starts to bubble.
6. Bake, covered with foil, for 2 hours at 135 degrees Celsius.

To serve, neatly lift the sliced vegetables onto a plate and fan out. Sprinkle with herbs, drizzle with olive oil and a splash of balsamic vinegar.

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Chocolate Fondant With Custard Sauce

Cooking disasters are many, even at high class restaurants. No one is going to admit to serving raw food, especially a fancy chocolate dessert with a price that matches. Thus is the origin of chocolate fondant, a rich chocolate cake with a runny centre. Other names include molten chocolate cake or lava cake. Grandma's generation knows this dessert as self-saucing chocolate pudding, made simply by pouring hot water over chocolate sponge batter. Restaurants refine, reinvent and serve it as haute cuisine that commands a high price.

Here's a basic recipe that uses cocoa powder instead of expensive couverture chocolate. The cake is dense and rich. The centres when cooked yields a flowing sauce. If a thicker fondant is preferred, reduce the amount of fluid. It doesn't take long to realize that you don't need to be masterchef with years of experience to produce this dish.

Chocolate Fondant
60 g butter, melted
20 g cocoa powder (4T)
50 mL milk
2 T liqueur (or milk)
1 egg
2 egg yolks
60 g sugar
50 g flour (half SR & half plain, or plain with 1/4 t baking powder)

Prepare 4 espresso cups or 2 ramekins by greasing with butter and lining bottoms. Dust with cocoa powder.

Combine butter, cocoa powder, milk, and liqueur. Fold in the flour. Whisk eggs with sugar. Fold egg mixture into the batter.

Pour into molds. Rest for at least 1 hour or until ready to serve.

Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 8-10 minutes for espresso cup size or 10-12 minutes for 1-cup ramekins. When ready, the top of the cakes look cooked and a skewer comes out with thick batter. Unmold onto serving plates. Serve immediately with custard sauce.

Variations:
For espresso version, substitute 1 t espresso coffee powder and 2 T water or freshly brewed espresso. For jaffa version, replace liquids with juice of 1 orange (90 mL).

Custard Sauce
30 g butter, melted
400 mL milk
5 egg yolks
1 t vanilla
60 g sugar

Combine and whisk ingredients. Stir over the stove or over double boiler until thick enough to coat the back of the spoon. Remove from heat and cool. Do not over cook. If cuddling starts, add 1 tablespoon butter and whisk in a blender. Cornstarch (1 t) may be added to thicken.

Easy Mocha Fondant
60 g extra virgin olive oil
20 g cocoa
50 g SR flour
1 egg
60 g sugar
50 mL espresso coffee
20 mL milk

Mix in a blender. Pour into 2 greased and bottom lined teacups. Bake at 180 degree Celsius for 10-12 minutes. This recipe gives a thick, mousse-like centre.

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Spices that Look Like Ginger

... these ginger-looking spices are found in Southeast Asian curries.

Turmeric = yellow ginger



Galangal = blue ginger

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Siamese Laksa

A spicy coconut flavoured broth eaten with noodles, also known as laksa lemak, Nyonya laksa or Thai laksa. Traditionally flavoured with laksa leaves (Vietnamese mint). As with curries, the flavour is carried in the oil. Below is the general technique for developing the aroma of the spices. This recipe makes use of dried spices.

Spice paste:
1 T Kashmiri chilli powder (or to taste)
2 t coriander seed, roasted and milled
2 t turmeric powder
1 t galangal powder
2 t ginger powder
1 t dried shrimp paste, belachan (optional), roasted
4 T water

Sauce:
1 onion, around 1 c when finely chopped
1 garlic, around 1 t when finely chopped
4 T oil, plus more as needed
2 T spice paste
4 kaffir lime leaves (or lemon zest)
1 lemongrass stalk (or lemon zest), bruised
2 pieces tamarind skin (or lemon juice)
2 candlenuts (or Brazil nuts or macadamia), milled (optional, for thickening sauce)
1.5 L water (or stock from poaching the meat below)
1/2 c coconut cream
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
laksa leaves (Vietnamese mint), optional

Noodles:
250 g rice stick noodles, soaked in hot water for 7 minutes
1 c bean sprouts, blanched
1 c oriental vegetable like choy sam, blanched
1 c poached/steamed fish, prawn and/or chicken
1 sprig coriander
1 red chilli, sliced
lemon or lime slices for serving

1. Make the spice paste by mixing dried spices with water. Let stand for 15 minutes.

2. Next make the sauce. Gently saute the onion with oil until softened, then add the garlic and continue to saute until the garlic turns golden. Adjust oil as needed.

3. Add the spice paste and gently fry until the mix darkens slightly and the oil separates.

4. Add lime leaves, lemongrass, tamarind, candlenuts and water. Simmer 30 minutes, until oil floats to the top.

5. Add coconut cream, and season with salt and pepper. Simmer gently for 5-10 minutes.

6. Add laksa leaves.

7. Assemble the noodles, vegetables and meat in serving bowls

8. Pour over the sauce, garnish with coriander, chilli slices and lemon slices. Serve immediately.

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The Princess and Domo

Domo, the fuzzy brown monster mascot for a Japanese TV station, took centre stage as birthday cake for Princess, much to the envy of the young invited guests. Well everyone knows the famous Domo except Noodle Cook.

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Waffle

Golden, crisp and buttery. Perfect with maple syrup. Here are 2 generic recipes to make 4 waffles for two people:

Basic batter for use with electric waffle maker
3/4 c plain flour
1/2 t dried yeast, optional
3/4 t baking powder
1 T 1/3 c sugar
1/2 t salt
1/2 c milk
30 g butter, melted
1 egg, separated

Combine dry ingredients. Add butter, milk and egg yolk. Stir to make a batter. Whisk the egg white till stiff. Fold into the batter. Cook for 5 minutes in preheated waffle maker.


Yeasted Waffle after Marion Cunningham
1/4 c warm water
1 t dried yeast (1/2 packet)
1 t sugar
1 c warm milk
60 g butter, melted
1/2 t salt
1 c plain flour
1 egg
1/8 teaspoon baking soda

Activate the yeast with warm water, and sugar. Allow 5-10 minutes. Add milk, melted butter and flour to make a thin batter. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise overnight or 4 hours. Just before cooking whisk the egg and add to the batter with the baking soda. Keep unused batter in the fridge for up to 1 week.


Variations

• Use cream in place of milk for golden waffle.
• Use buttermilk for a moist waffle.
  
• Add 1 tablespoon cornflour for each cup of flour for crispy waffle.
• Whisk egg white before folding into batter for puffier waffle.
• Self raising flour may be used in place of plain flour and baking powder/soda.

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Cornish Pasty

A rustic dish made from finely diced potato, turnip, onion and seasonal vegetable seasoned with Worcestershire sauce. Encased in a crispy robust shortcrust baked at 180 degrees Celsius for 45 to 60 minutes.

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The Birthday Gift

Birthdays are special, and so are the intrinsic gifts of love inside the wrapper.

On the day Noodle Cook woke up to the ringing phone expecting a birthday greeting and breakfast in bed, the greatest gift was received some 4000 km away in Sydney. This is no ordinary gift. A family in their time of great lost, courageously, offered a kidney so some other has a second chance at life. A generous gift to Noodle's sister, a most deserving mum with 2 wonderful kids.

On this memorable birthday for Noodle Cook, John enjoyed savory crepes stuffed with tomatoes, cheese and fennel, with a topping of golden buttered mushroom.

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Laminex

It's too good to resist a free apron AND a chance to win a $20 000 kitchen by Laminex! There's plenty of kitchen inspirations at the website, and free samples available by mail.

Of particular interest is the squareform benchtop range which comes in many beautiful stone designs. Abyssinian Stone looks wonderful in a French provincial kitchen, like where the 2-minute Noodle Cook brews up endless kitchen drama. Unlike the tiled bench top with grout which needs a lot of work to clean, Laminex surfaces are easy care and just perfect for rolling pastry and dim sums. With a tiled benchtop, it's a bit like cleaning bathroom grout after each meal.

Everyone dreams of a new kitchen ...

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Buns

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