Korean Kim Chi Pickle

Makes 1 litre

1.5 kg chinese cabbage
6 tablespoons salt
6 dried red chillies, crushed, 3 tablespoons
1 knob ginger, minced, 2 tablespoons
3 garlic cloves
6 spring onion
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon Kashmiri chilli powder (mild chilli from Indian grocers)

Salt the cabbage. Leave for 2 hours to dewater. Rinse well. Soak for 30 minutes in fresh water. Drain well. Pat dry with clean tea towel.

Mix the remaining ingredients. Add to dried cabbage.

Pack into sterilized glass jars.

Leave at room temperature for 2-3 days until sour.

Store in the fridge. Let mature for 2 weeks.

Use within a month.

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Date and Ginger Loaf

Adapted from Australian Women's Weekly Cake and Slices Cookbook

1/2 cup self raising flour
1/2 cup plain flour
1/2 sugar
1/2 butter (125 g)
1 cup chopped dates
1/3 cup sugared ginger
3 x 67 g eggs
100 mL sour cream

1. Cream sugar and butter
2. Beat in eggs
3. Stir in dates and ginger
4. Fold in sifted flour
5. Fold in sour cream
6. Bake at 170 degrees Celsius for 1.25 hour.

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Masterchef Drama

Go to Channel Ten to view drama

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Avocado Cake

2 cup self raising flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 avocado, mashed
2/3 cup yoghurt

Mix everything together. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 1 hour.

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Sour Cream Chocolate Cake

1/5 cup plain flour
1/2 cup sugar
200 mL low fat sour cream (Brownes brand)
2 eggs
3 tablespoon cocoa
1.5 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup grated carrot
1 cup chopped dates

Mix everything together. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 1.25 hours.

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Disaster Bread

Everyone has one of these baking disasters. Not all is lost. You can make a tea bread from crumbs collected from baking flops.

3.5 cups dried crumbs
1.75 cup self raising flour
2 eggs
2 tablespoons oil
1 cup milk

Mix everything together. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 1.25 hours.

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Slow Cooked Chicken

WARNING: ultra low temperature cooking below food safe temperature. Hygiene paramount.

2 teaspoons dry sherry
1 teaspoon oil
1.2 kg chicken
olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 100 degrees Celsius
2. Rub the chicken with oil and dry sherry. Put chicken in a preheated crocotte
3. Cook at 60 degrees Celsius for 6 hours
4. Cool in the fridge
   
5. Preheat over to 220 degrees Celsius
6. Drizzle with olive oil
7. Brown the chicken for 20-30 minutes or 15-20 minutes for soy sauce chicken

This technique gives a Hainan style poach chicken with a crispy skin. Ice cubes (with rice wine) may be stuffed inside the chicken to prevent over cooking when browning off.

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Midyim Berries - Austromyrtus dulcis

Delicious sweet white berries with purple flecks. Ready to eat straight off the shrub. Traditionally eaten by indigenous Australians in the Eastern parts of Australia where the berries grow naturally. The shrub grows well in a pot. The berries are produced twice a year in January and April.

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Confit Turkey

3 kg turkey legs (about 8)
15 g salt/kg or for longer storage, 50 g salt/kg

Confit Oil
1 tablespoon peppercorn
1 tablespoon juniper berries
1 bunch rosemary
1 bunch thyme
1 garlic bulb
12 pickling onion
10-12 bay leaves
2 L sunflower oil

Rub salt into the turkey legs. Let marinade for 30 minutes to 2 hours for eating within a week. For longer shelf life, cure for 36 hours to 3 days at 4 degrees Celsius in the fridge.

Rinse and pat dry with tea towel.

Confit 12-15 hours at 60 degrees Celsius in a 5L crocotte with lid.

Cool. Transfer to a seal container and store in the fridge.

To use, remove legs from the oil and roast at 220 degrees Celsius until the skin crisp.

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Confit Abalone

150 g abalone
500 mL olive oil
1 tablespoon ginger slivers
1 onion
1 garlic
1/2 cup chopped scallions

Stephanie Alexander:
Confit at 125 degrees Celsius for 3-4 hours until soft as butter

Neil Perry:
Confit at 60 degrees Celsius for 2-2.5 hours.

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