tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597379946430699292024-02-22T20:52:33.265+10:30Dingo Dave's Delightfully Daring DelicaciesAll about FOODAlaskan Dave Down Underhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13726448407614912997noreply@blogger.comBlogger152125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-859737994643069929.post-52720368752191252252012-08-26T13:14:00.002+09:302012-08-26T17:08:15.374+09:30Authentic Yorkshire Pudding (Important Update!)What's that I hear you ask? How does a bloke from the Interior of Alaska who now lives in Adelaide, South Oz know anything about making AUTHENTIC Yorkshire Pudding?<br />
<br />
Good question!<br />
<br />
The answer is that my MIL is from Stockton-On-Tees which for the longest time used to be part of Yorkshire. She got the recipe from her mom who got it from her mom so this dates back to the mid to late 1800's. I'd say that is pretty darned authentic.<br />
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No, this is not the original type where you have the pan of eggy-floury-milky stuff under a roast on a fire where the meat drippings infuse themselves into the pudding as it rises. That's what gravy is for nowadays!<br />
<br />
Alrighty then, dave's Authentic Yorkshire Pudding recipe courtesy of his mother-in-law.<br />
<br />
BTW, this dish is a side dish to a nice roast. You must use the pan drippings from the roast to making loads of gravy to go over the puddings and meat slices too. And this will make 12 muffin-sized Yorkshire Puddings.<br />
<br />
What you need:<br />
2/3 cup plain flour (NOT self-rising)<br />
4 large eggs<br />
milk<br />
1/4 tsp salt<br />
dash black pepper<br />
butter<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/7606735626/" title="DSCF0163 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img alt="DSCF0163" height="440" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8166/7606735626_8a2660edf6_o.jpg" width="480" /></a>
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<br />
And a muffin tray to cook them in!<br />
<br />
What you do:<br />
<br />
First thing is to preheat your oven. MIL always says "a hot oven" to which I interpret to mean 210C/425F. You also preheat your muffin tray(s). The muffin tray(s) need be very hot when you pour the batter into them! Butter the muffin trays before you put them in the oven. And do not put them in the oven until the oven itself is preheated.<br />
<br />
Whisk the eggs together in a large measuring cup. Add the salt, pepper, flour and mix till it's a paste. Then add enough milk to bring the volume to 1/2 pint (600 mls or slightly more than <strike>one</strike> TWO cups).<br />
<br />
Whisk it thoroughly until it is the consistency of cream. It should look like this:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/7606735870/" title="DSCF0168 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img alt="DSCF0168" height="445" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7118/7606735870_2cce5de6c5_o.jpg" width="480" /></a>
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<br />
<br />
After whisking the mix thoroughly, take the muffin trays out of the oven. The butter in each muffin cup should be sizzling and bubbling by now, if not then leave them in a bit longer.<br />
<br />
Do not fill the muffin cups more than 1/3 full! These babies are going to foof up like you wouldn't believe!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/7606736174/" title="DSCF0180 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img alt="DSCF0180" height="360" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8433/7606736174_780b979dbb_o.jpg" width="480" /></a>
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<br />
And then immediately put the trays in the hot oven.<br />
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After a few minutes you'll notice (don't open the door, just turn on the oven light!) the puddings are rising very quickly around the sides but not the middle. That means you are doing it right!<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/7606736572/" title="DSCF0182 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img alt="DSCF0182" height="359" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8427/7606736572_9d442a5408_o.jpg" width="480" /></a>
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Let the tops brown nicely whilst in the oven. The whole cooking process should take anywhere from 15 to 20. This should be the time when you make your gravy and mash the potatoes. When the tops are browned then it is time to take them out<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/7606736776/" title="DSCF0184 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img alt="DSCF0184" height="399" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7131/7606736776_004bf08cd1_o.jpg" width="480" /></a>
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<br />
and immediately serve them! A plateful of roast beef, mashed spuds, Yorkshire puddings with lashings of gravy over everything is some seriously great comfort food on a cold day!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/7606737152/" title="DSCF0186 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img alt="DSCF0186" height="505" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7106/7606737152_fb49dcf1b3_o.jpg" width="480" /></a>
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<br />
Enjoy.<br />
<br />
UPDATE: Important! Did you see where I said that 600 mls was slightly more than ONE cup? My bad. I doubled the recipe to make 12 muffins and went thru and changed everything but I missed the one cup to two cup. Gack! 600 mls is 2 and 1/4 cups!!!!!Alaskan Dave Down Underhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13726448407614912997noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-859737994643069929.post-90057317693575224352012-07-24T13:11:00.002+09:302012-07-24T13:11:47.120+09:30Deep-Fried AvocadoYes mates, you can deep fry avocado. And it is oh so tasty too! It's really rather simple. So simple in fact that I wasn't even going to post this.<br />
<br />
But since it turned out so great and I have great pictures then I figured I may as well inform you (my loyal readers) of Deep-Fried Avocado!<br />
<br />
You'll need an avocado or 2 or 3. Some breadcrumbs. An egg or two. Some cornflour (cornstarch is what it's called in North America). A vessel for deep frying, I prefer a wok. And some deep frying oil --I prefer rice bran oil but peanut oil works great too.<br />
<br />
Firstly, peal, pit, slice however many avocados you'll be using. 1 cm thick slices worked just fine for me.<br />
<br />
Put some cornstarch on a small plate. Whisk the eggs in a small bowl. Put the breadcrumbs in another small bowl. Your kitchen cutting board should end up looking something like this:<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/7634013636/" title="DSCF6748 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img alt="DSCF6748" height="422" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7266/7634013636_0df08760f2_o.jpg" width="480" /></a>
<br />
Or at least the layout of the fixin's should be similar.<br />
<br />
As the breading process only takes a minute or two, this would now be a good time to light a fire under your wok which should have some deep frying oil in it at around a 3 cm depth.<br />
<br />
To bread the avocado slices just dust them in the cornflour/cornstarch, dunk them in the beaten eggs, then dredge through the breadcrumbs, no worries. Hopefully you'll end up with something resembling this:<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/7634013888/" title="DSCF6749 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img alt="DSCF6749" height="337" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8427/7634013888_db2f828693_o.jpg" width="480" /></a>
<br />
<br />
And of course the requisite close-up:<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/7634014108/" title="DSCF6750 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img alt="DSCF6750" height="415" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7276/7634014108_7cb43b65f3_o.jpg" width="480" /></a>
<br />
<br />
Alrighty, time to deep fry them! You want the oil temp to be 380F-400F, yes that is rather hot so be careful.<br />
<br />
When you deep fry the breaded avocado slices DO NOT TURN YOUR BACK ON THEM! They only take 60 to 90 seconds to fry nicely. You want the breading browned and crispy but the inside NOT turned to mush, hence the high temp and short time.<br />
<br />
See what I mean?<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/7634014424/" title="DSCF6751 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img alt="DSCF6751" height="563" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8023/7634014424_46dac69538_o.jpg" width="480" /></a>
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<br />
As soon as I pulled them out of the oil to drain I sprinkled a bit of sea salt on them and a pinch of cumin powder. Very very tasty mates!<br />
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Mmmmmmmm, seriously yummy.<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/7634014742/" title="DSCF6753 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img alt="DSCF6753" height="472" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7107/7634014742_542c98c390_o.jpg" width="480" /></a>Alaskan Dave Down Underhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13726448407614912997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-859737994643069929.post-20368358402099772362012-06-16T17:11:00.000+09:302012-06-16T17:11:57.734+09:30Deep Fried TurkeyYes, I am back from my trip to the USofA. I ate at some very wonderful restaurants, and one or two not very nice ones. Reviews coming soon to a blog near you!<br />
<br />
But this post is about the deep-fried turkey that my uncle Bill (a totally great and dinkum bloke!) cooked up on the USofA's Memorial Day.<br />
<br />
Wonderful.<br />
<br />
Succulent.<br />
<br />
Tender.<br />
<br />
Juicy.<br />
<br />
Crispy-skinned.<br />
<br />
Best turkey I've ever had (sorry mom).<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/7378017406/" title="turkey01 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img alt="turkey01" height="758" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7245/7378017406_8c59d2179a_o.jpg" width="480" /></a><br />
<br />
One thing to make sure you do whilst deep frying a turkey is to have the frying pot and burner set up well away from the house. Settling the burner and pot on pavers is also a wise idea.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/7378017600/" title="turkey02 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img alt="turkey02" height="590" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5456/7378017600_8f7d532e56_o.jpg" width="480" /></a><br />
<br />
I am also very well aware of reading (and watching on You-Tube) some rather disastrous accounts of turkey deep frying. Those "accidents" are caused by one of three reasons: Having the initial oil temperature too hot, and/or having too much oil in the pot, and/or putting a larger turkey in the pot than you should.<br />
<br />
Avoid those 3 things and you will have a GREAT deep-fried turkey!<br />
<br />
One of the nice things about deep-frying the bird is that it takes waaaaay less time than baking that dude (or dudette). I do believe that our 12.5 pound (5669.904625 grams, but who's counting?) bird took a whole whopping 46 minutes to cook.<br />
<br />
Try to beat that you pesky oven you!<br />
<br />
The first thing to do to the turkey is inject it was some sort of yellowish, creamy concoction. No, I did not hazard a glance at the ingredient list (if there was one). All I know is that it made the turkey SOOOOO wonderfully tender and juicy!<br />
<br />
Next you rub some sort of spices and seasonings (came with the package, I know not what it is) onto the skin of the bird. Your 12.5 pound turkey should now look something like this:<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/7378017746/" title="turkey03 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img alt="turkey03" height="364" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8154/7378017746_d288b15bc9_o.jpg" width="480" /></a><br />
<br />
Please note that the yellowish goop is the injected liquid. Make sure you only inject it to a shallow depth into the meat, otherwise you'll waste it in the interior of the turkey.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/7378017916/" title="turkey04 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img alt="turkey04" height="597" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5328/7378017916_345343c10b_o.jpg" width="480" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
BTW, whilst you are injecting and rubbing the seasonings on the turkey, you really should have had the burner lit under the deep-fryer. The temp you want for the oil is only 325F (165C) but remember that it does take a wee bit of time for that amount of oil to get up to temperature.<br />
<br />
Once your oil is at 325 (use a thermometer; <u>DO NOT GUESS!</u>) then you get to lower the bird into the oil. Your turkey deep fryer will come with a stand and hook for doing this, no worries.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/7378018134/" title="turkey05 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img alt="turkey05" height="864" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5116/7378018134_2e124f6093_o.jpg" width="480" /></a>
<br />
<br />
And DOWN she goes!!!!<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/7378018318/" title="turkey06 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img alt="turkey06" height="702" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7218/7378018318_f0f1359ec4_o.jpg" width="480" /></a><br />
<br />
Make sure you lower the turkey slowly and carefully into the hot oil as a bit of the oil may bubble over the side of the pot.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/7378018680/" title="turkey07 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img alt="turkey07" height="718" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7093/7378018680_18e214fac2_o.jpg" width="480" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
One of the reasons why a turkey cooks quicker this way is that there is direct heat from inside the bird (where the stuffing would be on a baked turkey). The hot oil is in the cavity of the turkey (where most of the offal used to be) so the bird cook quickly.<br />
<br />
In fact, the instructions even make a point of saying "Note: While cooking, hot oil will SPEW up through the turkey's body like a fountain."<br />
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Needless to say, I have proof:<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/7378018768/" title="turkey08 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img alt="turkey08" height="53" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7233/7378018768_08e6b8b4f8_o.jpg" width="480" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, the "liveliness" of said "hot oil fountain spewing up through the turkey's body" is not nearly as dramatic as you might suppose.<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/7378018930/" title="turkey09 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img alt="turkey09" height="459" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8025/7378018930_3bbb1f26bd_o.jpg" width="480" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Perhaps a bit of scribbling on the picture may give you a better idea of the flow direction from the fountain of hot oil spewing forth from the turkey's body?<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/7378019256/" title="turkey09a by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img alt="turkey09a" height="459" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7086/7378019256_2366f48c75_o.jpg" width="480" /></a><br />
<br />
Then again, perhaps not.
<br />
<br />
Snarkiness aside, the finished turkey looked AWESOMELY great!<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/7378019108/" title="turkey10 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img alt="turkey10" height="590" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7087/7378019108_a0351bf6af_o.jpg" width="480" /></a><br />
<br />
It was so tender, juicy and seriously succulent! I know for a fact I have not had a better tasting turkey than the one that my uncle Bill made for us on Memorial Day. Good on ya Bill!<br />
<br />
Great taste in turkeys, bad taste in beer.<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/7378300770/" title="DSCF8231 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img alt="DSCF8231" height="536" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5235/7378300770_be7aa64135_o.jpg" width="480" /></a><br />
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Don't worry Bill, you're still dinkum mate!Alaskan Dave Down Underhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13726448407614912997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-859737994643069929.post-79486726105052339392012-05-02T16:37:00.001+09:302012-05-02T17:35:15.693+09:30Prawn Squid Chili AlfredoNow does that just sound ultra tasty mates? Well to me it does! And since I uploaded a picture of the final, plated product to twitter and I have a few folks asking for the recipe, I suppose I should share it with YOU.<br />
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This is what the finished dish should somewhat look like:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/6988484176/" title="DSCF0053s by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img alt="DSCF0053s" height="405" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8158/6988484176_a01f06254e_o.jpg" width="480" /></a><br />
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Your plates and cutlery may vary of course.<br />
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This is also one of dave's (tm) seat-of-the-pants whatcha-got-cuz-I'm-in-a-hurry creations.<br />
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The above being typed, this of course means that the following amounts may or may not be somewhere in the general vicinity of the amounts I used. But hey mates, I'm trying! Gotta give a bloke credit for that, right?<br />
<br />
Here is what I *sorta* did:<br />
<br />
What you need and do:<br />
<br />
For the first part...<br />
2 tbsp minced red onion<br />
1 tbsp minced garlic<br />
1 tbsp chili paste (try to find the kind at least 90% chilis)<br />
1 small handful of fresh, minced basil leaves<br />
1 small handful of fresh, minced, onion greens<br />
1 tbsp olive oil<br />
sprinkle of sea salt<br />
Add all the above ingredients to a large cast-iron skillet. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/7134570069/" title="DSCF0046 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img alt="DSCF0046" height="428" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7179/7134570069_7e34277546_o.jpg" width="480" /></a>
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<br />
Simmer and stir for a few minutes till the garlic is close to browning.<br />
<br />
Then add 1 cup of white wine (or water) and let it simmer for a few minutes till the liquid is *almost* reduced to nothing.<br />
<br />
For the next part you'll want to have these two things handy:<br />
200 grams prawn meat, peeled and deveined<br />
100 grams minced squid tube, cleaned of course<br />
<br />
Perhaps your seafood may look something like this:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/7134570171/" title="DSCF0049 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img alt="DSCF0049" height="490" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7121/7134570171_4d9cd5deb7_o.jpg" width="480" /></a>
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Your cutting board may vary of course.<br />
<br />
Add that wonderful, delicious seafood to your that large saucepan that has just simmered down!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/7134570257/" title="DSCF0051 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img alt="DSCF0051" height="440" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7077/7134570257_ccfdbdb979_o.jpg" width="480" /></a>
<br />
Oh yeah, I'm getting hungry just thinking about the wonderful smell from the saucepan last night.<br />
<br />
Turn the heat up a bit and stir for a minute, then turn the heat to low. Add 1 cup water, cover and simmer till the liquid is gone.<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/6988484092/" title="DSCF0052 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img alt="DSCF0052" height="408" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7138/6988484092_cb8844be39_o.jpg" width="480" /></a><br />
<br />
Now you get to make it "Alfredo"!<br />
<br />
Add 1 cup of full cream milk and 1/2 cup cream. Stir to combine while heating. Grate 1/2 cup cheddar cheese over the simmering mix, sprinkle on a pinch of sea salt. Stir to combine well.<br />
<br />
Turn off the heat and cover.<br />
<br />
Now you thicken it a bit. I use tapioca flour to thicken these type of sauces but if you only have cornstarch then that's ok.<br />
<br />
Mix 1 tbsp tapioca flour with 1/2 cup cold water. Add to the saucepan with all your wonderfully smelling goodies in it; quick stir to combine. Wa-La!<br />
<br />
Serve over any kind of pasta as takes your fancy. Garnish with fresh basil.<br />
<br />
Note, MIL wanted spaghetti, Wifey-Poo wanted fettuccine, and I wanted angel-hair. Here's a pic of MIL's plate.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/6988484176/" title="DSCF0053s by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img alt="DSCF0053s" height="405" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8158/6988484176_a01f06254e_o.jpg" width="480" /></a>
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<br />
Enjoy!Alaskan Dave Down Underhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13726448407614912997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-859737994643069929.post-60817382855986424012012-04-29T13:10:00.000+09:302012-04-29T13:13:29.457+09:30ANZAC Biscuits<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/6977107396/" title="DSCF0023 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img alt="DSCF0023" height="387" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7054/6977107396_e5a0efec99_o.jpg" width="480" /></a>
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<br />
Dang, I wanted to write up the recipe for the onion/garlic gratin I made last night, but I realised I'd better get this ANZAC bikkie recipe up before it gets even FARTHER past ANZAC Day.<br />
<br />
Me? Procrastinate? Nevah!<br />
<br />
A quick notice to my American readers; biscuits do NOT mean what you think they mean. Down here in Oz (and in the UK) bikkies (slang for biscuits) are what Americans know as "cookies". And what Americans know as "biscuits" are what Aussies (and POMS) know as "scones".<br />
<br />
Yes, the first time I told the family down here I was making Biscuits n Gravy for dinner I received some rather peculiar looks.<br />
<br />
So if you are in the US, think of these as ANZAC cookies!<br />
<br />
And for you longtime Aussies, these are NOT the hard, break-your-teeth, thin bikkies that are still in an "edible" state after almost 100 years. These are soft, chewy, delectable bikkies that won't last 100 minutes as they will all be devoured as soon as they are cooled!<br />
<br />
I found this recipe in a mailer from me local member of Parliament regarding the ANZAC celebrations. It was originally credited to a certain Mr Bob Lawson who was at the landing in Gallipoli all those yonks ago.<br />
<br />
I'm guessing that Bob was a cook with the ANZACs and wanted to come up with a slightly more palatable version of the ANZAC wafers they were being served. A bikkie that could perhaps be used for something besides scrapping mud off the bottom of you boot perhaps.<br />
<br />
The recipe didn't specify what type of sugar to use so I, of course as always, used raw sugar. That's probably more in keeping with the times back then than today's highly refined gunk referred to as "sugar".<br />
<br />
Even if you don't like coconut or oats in your bikkies (cookies) make sure you include them as these are the most absolutely BESTEST tasting cookies or bikkies EVAH!<br />
<br />
ANZAC bikkies (cookies)<br />
<br />
What you need to make 25 to 30 bikkies:<br />
1 cup flour<br />
1 cup raw sugar<br />
1 cup rolled oats<br />
1 cup shredded, dessicated (fancy word for "dried") coconut<br />
<br />
1/2 stick of slightly softened butter --no, DO NOT use margarine!<br />
1 tbsp golden syrup (treacle) You can use molasses, but DO NOT use corn syrup!<br />
<br />
2 tbsp boiling water (H2O)<br />
1 tsp bi-carb (baking soda)<br />
<br />
What you do:<br />
Grease up a coupla baking sheets. I use butter. Preheat your oven to 180C which is about 356F.<br />
<br />
Stir the dry stuff together in a mixing bowl. That's the first four (4) ingredients on the list.<br />
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In a separate bowl, mix the butter and golden syrup together. A large spoon should do the trick nicely.<br />
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Combine the boiling water with the bi-carb then immediately add to the butter/syrup mix. Stir quickly to combine.<br />
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Pour the contents of the butter etc mix into the bowl that has the dry ingredients. Mix with a strong, solid wooden spoon. Feel free to drizzle in a bit of hot water if it's too dry.<br />
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Grab a ping-pong sized ball of dough and plop it on a buttered baking tray. Continue till all the dough is on the trays. Make sure you leave plenty of room for spreading as these will soften and spread.<br />
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Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. When they start to brown around the edges they'll be done. Remove the trays from the oven and let the bikkies cool for about 10 minutes before you put them on a cooling rack. Trust me on that!<br />
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These bikkies are powerhouses of calories and energy! Seriously, if you aren't going on a 200 km bike ride immediately then I wouldn't suggest eating more than 2 or 3 at a time. Of course the fact that they taste sooo darned delicious may make that difficult!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/6977107396/" title="DSCF0023 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img alt="DSCF0023" height="387" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7054/6977107396_e5a0efec99_o.jpg" width="480" /></a>
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Full disclaimer: I had 13 of these for dessert the day I first made them. Ummmm, I didn't need to eat the next day, that's for sure!<br />
<br />Alaskan Dave Down Underhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13726448407614912997noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-859737994643069929.post-10219453403284766432012-01-14T14:40:00.000+10:302012-01-14T14:40:22.366+10:30Easy Flour Tortillas WITHOUT Lard or Shortening!<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/6692735355/" title="DSCF8071 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img alt="DSCF8071" height="313" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7004/6692735355_d36067b58d_o.jpg" width="480" /></a><br />
<br />
And these are SOOOOOO easy to make. They're ultra-easy if you have a tortilla press, but still very easy if you only have a rolling pin.<br />
<br />
Very tasty, nice and flexible, and if you are vegetabletarian or even vegan these will be perfect for you!<br />
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The key is, of course, to use olive oil. Lots an lotsa olive oil! These tortillas are so healthy you won't feel at all bad having 5 or 6 homemade burritos in one sitting!<br />
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One caveat to add though: These are not Tex-Mex flour tortillas. It seems Texans for some reason like their tortillas slightly "foofy". That means they add a leavening agent, usually a bit of baking powder, to their tortillas. I personally don't like that for tortillas, as I prefer more of a traditional Mexican tortilla but without the lard and without the modern addition of shortening.<br />
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So, here's whatcha need and here's whatcha do:<br />
<br />
<b>What you need:</b><br />
2 cups plain, unbleached flour (or 1 wholemeal and 1 plain)<br />
1/4 to 1/2 tsp sea salt<br />
2/3 cup (Yes, TWO-THIRDS!) extra virgin olive oil<br />
just under 2/3 cup (call it halfway betwixt 1/2 to 2/3 cup) water (H2O)<br />
<br />
<b>What you do:</b><br />
This is pretty simple. Mix everything together in a bowl, knead it for a few minutes till it's a dough. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes.<br />
<br />
Divide your dough into 6 pieces. The easiest way to do this is to roll/shape the dough into a tube, slice it in half, then cut each half into thirds. Although I'm sure you could have figured that out on your own, right?<br />
<br />
If you have a 12 inch tortilla press, then you just, ummmmm, ahhhhhh, make your tortillas!<br />
<br />
If you only have a 6.5 inch tortilla press (like me) then you still press out the tortillas and then finish them to 12 inches with a rolling pin.<br />
<br />
If you have neither, then just roll em out to 12 inches in diameter.<br />
<br />
When you stack up the uncooked tortillas make sure you put wax paper
or a tea towel
betwixt each tortilla.<br />
<br />
For "cooking" the tortillas the best cooking implement to use is a large, well-seasoned, cast-iron fry pan. A thick-bottomed stainless steel one will work just fine too.<br />
<br />
Once your fry pan is heated up on your stovetop then you just "cook" the tortillas for 20 to 40 seconds a side, only flipping once. Pile up all six, then spread them out on a board to cool for a few minutes.<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/6692735355/" title="DSCF8071 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img alt="DSCF8071" height="313" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7004/6692735355_d36067b58d_o.jpg" width="480" /></a><br />
<br />
Once they are cool enough to handle easily but still warm you want to put them into a plastic bag for 15 minutes.<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/6692735449/" title="DSCF8070 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img alt="DSCF8070" height="470" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7021/6692735449_9c30ab7e60_o.jpg" width="480" /></a><br />
<br />
Take the tortillas out of the bag to finish cooling completely and you'll find they nice and flexible and won't tear no matter how much good filling you stuff into them and wrap up!<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/6692735271/" title="DSCF8066 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img alt="DSCF8066" height="383" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7141/6692735271_c6175ec789_o.jpg" width="480" /></a><br />
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Load em up with whatever you want! Beans, veggies, shredded seasoned meat, souvlaki fixings, etc. I'm sure you can figure out what to do with them.<br />
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Don't worry about how long they'll keep in the fridge, they'll all be eaten in one day -possibly two if you are on your own.Alaskan Dave Down Underhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13726448407614912997noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-859737994643069929.post-39827379666929322662012-01-07T14:20:00.000+10:302012-01-07T14:20:15.889+10:30Maggie's Creamy Vegetarian Pepper Pot Soup<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/6513035373/" title="DSCF7784 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img alt="DSCF7784" height="421" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7148/6513035373_9400668570_o.jpg" width="480" /></a><br />
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I have fun trading recipes, cooking tips n tricks, ingredients substitution, etc on twitter. One of my most wonderfullest twitter mates is named Maggie. She's a vegetabletarian but she also puts my meatiness recipes on her daily paper.
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<br />
The other day (month!) we were chatting about soups and she said she'd send me her pepper pot soup recipe.
<br />
<br />
Of course I had to make it!
<br />
<br />
And of course I had to change it around a bit! Why? Cuz I didn't have all the ingredients at hand so I subbed a couple of items. I also changed the amounts a bit as I was only making it for myself.
<br />
<br />
She later told me that she herself had modified the original recipe from the person she received it from! Hey, all's fair in the kitchen mates!<br />
<br />
<b>Here is her original ingredient list plus directions:</b><br />
<br />
PEPPER POT SOUP<br />
<br />
2 Cups Water<br />
2 Cups Veggie Stock<br />
2 Good Sized Potatoes, Shredded<br />
2 Medium Carrots, Shredded<br />
2 Celery Stalks, Chopped fine<br />
2 Medium Onions, Chopped fine<br />
1 Green Pepper, Chopped fine<br />
½ Cup All-Purpose Four<br />
2 tsp Salt<br />
½ tsp Pepper, fresh hand milled<br />
1 Cup Water<br />
6 Cups Milk<br />
<br />
Mix first 7 ingredients together in a large saucepan. Bring to boil. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Mix flour, salt, pepper, and 1 Cup Water together in a small container until no lumps remain. Stir into the simmering soup to thicken it slightly. Add milk. Heat through. Check for seasoning. <br />
<br />
Makes 12 ½ Cups
<br />
<br />
Not being one to take directions too well, I decided to make a few changes based upon why I had on hand. And remember, I was only wanting to end up with 6 to 8 cups. Here's what I came up with:<br />
<br />
<b>Maggie's Modified Vegetarian Pepper Pot Soup</b><br />
<br />
<br />
1 Cup Water<br />
2 Cups Veggie Stock<br />
1 Good Sized Potato, Shredded<br />
1 Medium Carrot, Shredded<br />
1 Bok Choy, rough chopped, leaves included<br />
1 Medium Onion, Chopped fine<br />
1 Red Bell Pepper, Chopped fine<br />
1 Handfull of fresh Rocket (the peppery kind)<br />
A few fresh basil leaves, rough chopped.<br />
A few fresh coriander leaves (cilantro to North Americans)<br />
½ Cup All-Purpose Four<br />
2 tsp Salt<br />
½ tsp Pepper, fresh hand milled<br />
1 Cup Water<br />
2 Cups Milk<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/6513034645/" title="DSCF7774 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img alt="DSCF7774" height="433" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7033/6513034645_93e3030e3d_o.jpg" width="480" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/6513034813/" title="DSCF7777 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img alt="DSCF7777" height="409" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7030/6513034813_29bf82aa60_o.jpg" width="480" /></a><br />
<br />
I mixed first 10 ingredients together in a large saucepan and brought it to a boil. <br />
<br />
It was then covered and simmered for 30 minutes.<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/6513034941/" title="DSCF7780 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img alt="DSCF7780" height="360" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7162/6513034941_b532c4556f_o.jpg" width="480" /></a>
<br />
<br />
Then the flour, salt, pepper, and 1 Cup Water were whisked together and that slurry was stirred into the simmering soup as a thickener and a spicy-er.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/6513035067/" title="DSCF7782 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img alt="DSCF7782" height="397" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7015/6513035067_9d88fb517b_o.jpg" width="480" /></a><br />
<br />
The milk was added and the soup was brought back up to temperature. <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/6513035225/" title="DSCF7783 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img alt="DSCF7783" height="435" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7145/6513035225_980dd3e6e3_o.jpg" width="480" /></a>
<br />
<br />
I checked to see if it needed any more seasonings (like salt) and I added a pinch of sea salt.<br />
<br />
And it of course looks great in a bowl!<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/6513035373/" title="DSCF7784 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img alt="DSCF7784" height="421" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7148/6513035373_9400668570_o.jpg" width="480" /></a><br />
<br />
I of course just had to make one little, itsy, bitsy, teeny, tiny final adjustment...<br />
<br />
<br />
Fresh grated Parmesan!<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/6513035617/" title="DSCF7785 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img alt="DSCF7785" height="433" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7023/6513035617_3c7b2f4c4f_o.jpg" width="480" /></a><br />
<br />
The soup was very very tasty, I thoroughly enjoyed it. And you can all thank <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/nuisance_beaver" target="_blank">Maggie</a> up in Canada for sending me the recipe!Alaskan Dave Down Underhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13726448407614912997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-859737994643069929.post-42747473285887901872011-12-12T14:43:00.004+10:302011-12-12T17:17:16.383+10:30Deep Fried Zucchini Fingers<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/6464267361/" title="DSCF7787 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7157/6464267361_9c377f83b5_o.jpg" width="480" height="455" alt="DSCF7787"></a><br><br><br /><br />These are so easy to make and oh so tasty! Don't worry if you don't normally like zucchini, you'll LOVE these!<br /><br />AND you don't have to worry about salting n "sweating" the zucchini fingers. Why? Since they are deep fried any bitterness that may be in the zucchini (if it's not fresh) is gone during the cooking, woo-hoo!<br /><br />These are breaded, not battered. The battered ones come out a bit on the soggy side I've found. However if you do have soggy battered deep fried treats, you can chuck 'em in a hot oven for a few minutes to crispy them up, no worries mates.<br /><br />Alrighty then, let's get to the breaded zucc's.<br /><br />What you need:<br /><br />one zucchini<br />bread crumbs (around a cup should do)<br />1 tsp cumin powder (cuz I LOVE cumin)<br />1 tbsp (or so) of freshly grated Parmesan (cuz I LOVE Parmesan)<br />sprinkle of sea salt<br />one beaten egg<br /><br />The oil you want to use for deep frying is something that'll take a good hot temp of around 400 to 425F. The two best for deep frying, in my opinion, are peanut oil and rice bran oil. Both are very healthy, have a very high smoke point, and aren't GMO.<br /><br />What you do:<br /><br />Add the bread crumbs, cumin powder, Parmesan, and a pinch of sea salt to a bowl<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/6464267533/" title="DSCF7788 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7147/6464267533_1857294302_o.jpg" width="480" height="429" alt="DSCF7788"></a><br>and mix it all together!<br /><br />Next, prepare your zucchini. Just cut each end off and rinse it, no need to peel it. Cut it in half, then halve each half lengthwise. Slice each halved half into finger sized pieces.<br /><br />You should now have a bowl of seasoned bread crumbs, a bowl with a beaten egg (do I really need to tell you how to beat an egg? Thought naught) in it, and a small plate of zucchini fingers.<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/6464267701/" title="DSCF7790 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7029/6464267701_bb5604593f_o.jpg" width="480" height="389" alt="DSCF7790"></a><br><br><br /><br />Hopefully you remembered to light a fire under your oil before you started all this so you should have a wok with an inch of hot oil in it.<br /><br />Put one fourth of the zucchini fingers into the egg, move around to thoroughly coat, put them in the bread crumbs and make sure they are well coated in the seasoned crumbs.<br /><br />Carefully plop the breaded zucchini fingers into the oil without splashing any oil on you. Cuz, well, like, you know, that kinda like HURTS!<br /><br />After around 45 seconds or so, give em a stir and turn. I suggest using tongs instead of your fingers BTW.<br /><br />Once they are nicely browned, take them out of the oil and drain on paper towels. Continue deep frying in batches till they are all cooked.<br /><br />A little sprinkle of sea salt and they'll be perfect! No dips are needed for these, trust me.<br /><br />And don't they look delicious?<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/6464267865/" title="DSCF7794 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7018/6464267865_af8866c421_o.jpg" width="480" height="482" alt="DSCF7794"></a>Alaskan Dave Down Underhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13726448407614912997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-859737994643069929.post-9849031926165965082011-12-02T14:08:00.000+10:302011-12-02T14:09:18.539+10:30Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs with pics and humor!<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/6209529552/" title="hb12 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6154/6209529552_a1dd1e31b9_o.jpg" width="480" height="433" alt="hb12"></a><br /><br /><br /><br />Hard boiled eggs. Yes, I wrote "hard boiled" instead of "hard cooked". Why? Cuz I can, that's why. And I'd never heard the term "hard cooked" until just recently.<br /><br />Apparently there's a recent(?) move afoot to call them hard cooked instead of hard boiled. The method involves putting the eggs into cold water, bring the temp up to just boiling, cover, then turn heat off and let sit for a certain length of time.<br /><br />Harumph, says I!<br /><br />As long as the yolks are solid and there's no green tinge around the outside of the yolk then they're fine without doing some new-fangled cooking technique. So there.<br /><br />BTW, that thar greenish tinge is not harmful and doesn't stink and doesn't taste like crud... it just looks like it!<br /><br />But what is it? It's just iron sulfide formed when the iron in the yolk reacts with the hydrogen sulfide in the white. Oh, the hydrogen sulfide is what makes rotten eggs stink. It does the same thing to crude oil too!<br /><br />Anyways, it's quite easy to make perfect hard boiled eggs that peel easily, never crack whilst cooking and have no iron sulfide formed around the yolk.<br /><br />How is this done? Quite easily as it turns out. And since eggs are the original Meal Ready to Eat, you want to know how to cook them in their shells properly.<br /><br />Here's how:<br /><br /><strong>Dave's Perfectly Cooked Hard Boiled Eggs</strong><br /><br />What you need:<br />3 medium eggs<br />some water<br />salt<br />vinegar<br />some sort of slotted spoon/ladle type thingy<br />ice cubes<br /><br />What you do:<br /><br />Take the eggs out of the fridge for an hour before you'll be BOILING them. The shells are much less likely to crack if they aren't cold to start out.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/6209012435/" title="hb01 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6226/6209012435_79b586205a_o.jpg" width="480" height="452" alt="hb01"></a><br />Above is the eggs coming up to room temp. Eggsciting, eh?<br /><br /><br /><br />Once the eggs have warmed up, get the water boiling (I'd suggest using a saucepan to contain the water), give it a sprinkle of sea salt and a splash of vinegar.<br /><br />Why salt? It makes the eggs much easier to peel, that's why.<br />Why vinegar? If the eggs do crack, the vinegar will seal them up so none of your egg whites leak out.<br /><br />Once the salted, vinegary water is boiling (here's a handy reference pic in case you don't know what boiling water looks like)<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/6209528024/" title="hb02 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6083/6209528024_82caea2189_o.jpg" width="480" height="483" alt="hb02"></a><br />you want to very carefully load your room temp eggs into your slotted/holey spoon/ladle<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/6209012729/" title="hb03 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6007/6209012729_a4e5038524_o.jpg" width="480" height="414" alt="hb03"></a><br />and slowly walk across the kitchen to your boiling water without dropping any eggs!<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/6209528372/" title="hb04 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6013/6209528372_6f1f8b24cc_o.jpg" width="480" height="534" alt="hb04"></a><br /><br /><br /><br />Lower the eggs over the boiling water, but DO NOT IMMERSE!<br><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/6209528528/" title="hb05 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6014/6209528528_6b416db225_o.jpg" width="480" height="502" alt="hb05"></a><br><br />Hold the eggs over the boiling water till condensation forms (20 to 30 seconds)<br><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/6209013163/" title="hb06 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6173/6209013163_b0107057e8_o.jpg" width="480" height="396" alt="hb06"></a><br><br />and then carefully lower the eggs into the boiling water<br><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/6209013357/" title="hb07 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6140/6209013357_74af5e2ca8_o.jpg" width="480" height="458" alt="hb07"></a><br>then cover the saucepan and set your oven timer for TWELVE (12, XII) minutes.<br><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/6209013465/" title="hb08 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6216/6209013465_eb6e596b4b_o.jpg" width="480" height="305" alt="hb08"></a><br><br><br /><br /><br /><br />Whilst you are waiting for your eggs to finish cooking, you can prepare the ice water that you'll plunge them into to stop the cooking process.<br><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/6209529150/" title="hb09 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6230/6209529150_48da372338_o.jpg" width="480" height="360" alt="hb09"></a><br /><br /><br /><br />Once your 12 minute oven timer beeps, turn off the heat and rinse the eggs under cold tap water for a moment, then plunge them into the ice water! Ker-sploosh!<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/6209013709/" title="hb10 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6196/6209013709_731847f6eb_o.jpg" width="480" height="424" alt="hb10"></a><br />If you omit this step, you will not halt the cooking process and the outer surface of your yolks Will. Be. Green.<br /><br />After they've been in the ice water for 30 minutes then go ahead and chuck em in the fridge, use whenever you want them!<br /><br />And you'll find that the shells practically fall off!<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/6209013871/" title="hb11 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6001/6209013871_5b93d4607b_o.jpg" width="480" height="430" alt="hb11"></a><br /><br /><br /><br />And of course the yolks will be perfect when you slice them:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/6209529552/" title="hb12 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6154/6209529552_a1dd1e31b9_o.jpg" width="480" height="433" alt="hb12"></a>Alaskan Dave Down Underhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13726448407614912997noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-859737994643069929.post-8489300852893104452011-10-14T10:52:00.002+10:302011-10-14T17:04:01.626+10:30Sticky Fingers Dessert! A Happy Accident!Sometimes you do something in the kitchen without thinking about it and you end up with something miraculous. Usually this doesn't happen, but this happened to be one of those times when it did! So I'll share it with you, no worries.<br /><br />Side note: I AM the Iron Chef of leftovers, as you'll soon see.<br /><br />A few days ago I made my Award Winning* <a href="http://dingodavedelightfullydaringdelicacies.blogspot.com/2010/12/beer-batter-waffles.html">Beer Batter Waffles</a>. I made enough so that there'd be some for lunch the next day.<br /><br />I had forgotten that BIL would be out the next day and that MIL doesn't usually eat large lunches. I had some batter LeftOver! No dramas though, this is the point where I cook it all up in the waffle iron, chuck the finished ones in the freezer, then use em in the toaster for brekkie for the week.<br /><br />This time though, I needed the large mixing bowl the batter was in to make <a href="http://dingodavedelightfullydaringdelicacies.blogspot.com/2011/03/soup-fritters.html">The Dish</a> that crowned me Iron Chef of Leftovers and I had already put the waffle iron away.<br /><br />I casually reached into the cupboard and pulled out the first thing I found that would hold waffle batter. It happened to be a 9 inch diameter glass pie dish! No worries, poured in the batter, rinsed the bowl and proceeded to make <a href="http://dingodavedelightfullydaringdelicacies.blogspot.com/2011/03/soup-fritters.html">The Dish</a>.<br /><br />Later on I puzzled over the fact that the waffle batter was in a pie dish. Hmmmm, I hadn't buttered the dish, no crust, and there wasn't too much --about 1.5 cm or just over 1/2 inch.<br /><br />"I wonder how it'll bake like this," I thought. Next thing I knew I had chucked it into a cold oven, turned the heat to 180 C (350F) and went on to other tasks... completely forgetting to set a timer.<br /><br />tick<br /><br />tock<br /><br />45 minutes go by and I notice a nice odor emanating from the cooker! Ah, memory is jogged!<br /><br />As I took the waffle pie out of the oven I notice it had (quite predictably) foofed up whilst baking. I left it in the dish, set it on a cutting board, and continued with whatever it was I was doing.<br /><br />In 10 minutes it had fallen back down to level. "Hmmmmm, maybe if I dust it with icing sugar they might actually eat it," I thought.<br /><br />dust<br /><br />dust<br /><br />dust<br /><br />cool<br /><br />cool<br /><br />cool<br /><br />When it came time for dishing it up for dessert, it was very easy to cut, had a cheesecake-like texture, and had formed it's own bottom and top "crust"! See, here's proof:<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/6240094462/" title="DSCF6943 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6040/6240094462_5c8cf23ac0_o.jpg" width="480" height="413" alt="DSCF6943"></a><br><br><br /><br />When Wifey-Poo saw it she said it'd be perfect with some maple syrup and cream on top! Ummmm, yes dear, that's exactly what I had in mind.**<br /><br />So the beer batter waffle pie (which had been previously dusted with icing sugar) was cut into thin wedges and then had maple syrup and fresh cream drizzled over it.<br /><br />Sticky Fingers Dessert was born!<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/6240094582/" title="DSCF6869 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6091/6240094582_9e0377f3f1_o.jpg" width="480" height="499" alt="DSCF6869"></a><br><br><br /><br />Yes, it tasted even better than it looks!<br /><br />*dave is lying his *ss off, but they are darned good tucka!<br /><br />**quick thinking on my part mates!<br /><br /><br />Stay tuned to this channel as next time dave learns how to boil water!Alaskan Dave Down Underhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13726448407614912997noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-859737994643069929.post-11422958660978451212011-10-02T09:56:00.002+10:302011-10-02T16:48:36.534+10:30Fried Parsnip SlicesAh yes, the humble and venerable parsnip!<br><br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/6167850888/" title="DSCF6117 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6171/6167850888_5206ecebc0_o.jpg" width="480" height="346" alt="DSCF6117"></a><br><br><br /><br />This veggie has been known and eaten since antiquity. The ancient Romans considered the ones from what is now Germany but was then called Germanica to be the best. They were also a staple diet of the poor in the Middle Ages --that means prit-near everyone in Europe back then ate 'em! Parsnips were also used as a side dish to salted cod or smoked herrings as they complimented the strong fish flavours nicely.<br /><br />They fell out of fancy as the ole humble spud from the New World gradually replaced them. Even to this day there are many that hate parsnips, probably from ingrained thinking over the last few hundred years.<br /><br />There's one Aussie TV chef/personality who caused quite a stir (Ha! "A stir" get it?) a couple of years ago when he went on a bit of a rant against parsnips as they are starting to come into fashion down here in Oz. Says he wouldn't even feed 'em to a pig!<br /><br />Believe or not Ripley, but until recently I'd never had a parsnip nor even knew what they looked like! I got a few kilos of them at a ridiculously low price a coupla months ago and asked via twitter what I should do with them.<br /><br />Quite a lot of great suggestions I did receive. Curry was one of the suggestions but I didn't want to make that first as I wanted something that let the parsnip flavour speak for itself. So I went with the by far #1 suggestion of parsnip chips (fries)!<br /><br />I even baked one batch and deep fried another to find out the taste difference. Not surprisingly, the deep fried ones tasted better. Well, at least to us! I made the baked ones the first day and we all thought they were tasty, even BIL who is a very fussy eater and doesn't eat many veggies. But the deep fried ones the next day were waaaaay better! The whole platter of them disappeared in under a minute.<br /><br />Not that I was timing it though, too busy eating!<br /><br />The key to baking or frying the parsnips is to slice them lengthwise making sure all slices have the same thickness. Otherwise thin strips will be burnt before the thick strips are done. After peeling the parnsips I contemplated how to do this.<br /><br />"Duh," my brain said, "use a cheese slicer you moron!"<br /><br />Wouldn't you know it worked great? Yes, my brain can be smart at times. Here's proof (of the procedure working, not my brain being smart)<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/6167850698/" title="DSCF6123 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6152/6167850698_e6dc11cf6b_o.jpg" width="480" height="498" alt="DSCF6123"></a><br><br><br /><br />To bake them, toss the strips in olive oil, lightly salt them, and put them in a hot oven till they're crispy. They come out lookin', smellin' and tastin' good!<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/6167315919/" title="DSCF6128 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6171/6167315919_41f07ec1d3_o.jpg" width="480" height="365" alt="DSCF6128"></a><br><br><br /><br />For even better ones: deep fry them thar strips! Use the same temperature of oil as you would for fries, no worries. I recommend rice bran oil as it has a very high smoke point of 495 F and the fried food comes out light and crisp.<br /><br />The strips fry up very quickly so keep a close eye on them else you'll end up with burnt strips of crud. So don't go tweeting while deep frying!<br /><br />Here's what the first round out of the wok (my deep fryer) looked like:<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/6167315979/" title="DSCF6188 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6158/6167315979_5853722704_o.jpg" width="480" height="432" alt="DSCF6188"></a><br><br>Just a quick sprinkle with salt and then EAT THEM!Alaskan Dave Down Underhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13726448407614912997noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-859737994643069929.post-16947153926412703722011-09-23T11:04:00.004+09:302011-09-23T11:18:04.275+09:30Vote for the Holiday Menu!Yes folks, it's that time of year again when I start thinking about the Holiday Feast Menu. Which Holiday you ask? The Holidays that stretch from the Winter Solstice (Summer Solstice Down Unda!) through till Twelfth Night (January 5th).<br /><br />Many of you are aware that I do to great lengths to make sure the tribe down here is well-fed during those 15 days, and this year will be of course no exception.<br /><br />And I'd love for you (yes, YOU) to have a wee bit of a say as to the menu for this year. So please peruse the Holiday Feast Menus from years gone by and then use the comments to tell me what your Top Ten Dishes Dave Must Make This Year Or He Will Rot In Hell For All Eternity are so that I have some idea of the phate that awaits me should I neglect any of your favorite dishes.<br /><br />Here are the previous menus:<br /><br /><a href="http://dingodavedelightfullydaringdelicacies.blogspot.com/2010/12/2010-holiday-menu.html">2010</a><br /><br /><a href="http://dingodavedelightfullydaringdelicacies.blogspot.com/2009/12/daves-2009-holiday-feast.html">2009</a><br /><br /><a href="http://dingodavedelightfullydaringdelicacies.blogspot.com/2008/11/holiday-feast-20082009.html">2008</a><br /><br /><a href="http://dingodavedelightfullydaringdelicacies.blogspot.com/2007/12/holiday-feast-down-unda.html">2007</a><br /><br /><a href="http://alaskandavedownunder.blogspot.com/2006/11/guy-fawkes-down-unda.html">2006</a><br /><br />And please note that over the next coupla months I reserve the right to add any dishes that I want to the menu that aren't listed in any of the previous Holiday Feast Menus. If you don't like that, then tough!<br /><br />So please pick your Top Ten dishes and lemme know what they are in the comments!<br /><br />I'll be tweeting this post every week or so until at least a few of my regulars have voted. So there.<br /><br />And lastly, my Peanut Butter Cheesecake With Chocolate Chip Cookie Crust Served With Hot Fudge Sauce WILL be on the final menu. Otherwise I'd be sleeping on the couch for all of 2012!Alaskan Dave Down Underhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13726448407614912997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-859737994643069929.post-34494022737713788142011-07-11T11:00:00.001+09:302011-07-29T12:17:01.803+09:30Roasted Brussel SproutsI've been trying for a month now to get this post up! It's been rather difficult as most of my daytime activities since July 2nd have been seen through a sleep-deprived haze.<br /><br />"Why?" I hear you ask.<br /><br />It is because the French decided to have a big ole bike race in the middle of the night. You'd think they could have the decency to have it at normal hours, but no, it's on live in the middle of the night here down unda.<br /><br />Now that it has been 5 days since the end and I've caught up on a month's worth of sleep, I can now devote time to this here food bloggie thingy.<br /><br />BTW, Cadel Evans won the Tour de France. Just in case you didn't know.<br /><br />Back to brussel sprouts.<br /><br />Brussel sprouts are in season down here now so I've been eating lots of them. I used to just steam them, butter em up, and then eat them. Someone suggested that I bake em with olive oil and garlic. Hey, that works for me! Thanks <a href="http://silicon2tanana.blogspot.com/">Arvay</a>!<br /><br />They were very good, I quite like them that way. I then tried baking them with some other veggies at the same time and found that onions make a nice accompaniment.<br /><br />I also used them in a couple of stir fries; again success!<br /><br />But why not combine the two, thought I? Guess what? It WORKED!<br /><br />ROASTED BRUSSEL SPROUTS<br /><br />What you need for one serving as a side dish:<br /><br />4 raw brussel sprouts, halved<br />1 thick slab of raw onion<br />2 cloves garlic (I used some that I stored in olive oil), thick sliced<br />olive oil<br />sea salt<br />splash of white wine<br />freshly grated parmesan<br />A fry pan that is oven safe (I recommend cast iron)<br /><br />What you do:<br /><br />Drizzle a bit of olive oil in your pan, heat it up, then add the brussel sprouts, cut side down. It should look something like this:<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5911699696/" title="DSCF5702 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5320/5911699696_d9267548d5_o.jpg" width="480" height="431" alt="DSCF5702"></a><br>No, these aren't giant brussel sprouts, it's just a small cast iron pan!<br><br><br /><br />When the flat side has browned, turn 'em over and add the onion and garlic. Like this, see?<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5911699738/" title="DSCF5703 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6020/5911699738_6dffcd9895_o.jpg" width="480" height="450" alt="DSCF5703"></a><br><br><br /><br />Go ahead and give it a sprinkle of sea salt now. Or later, no worries either way.<br /><br />Once the onions are just starting to cook<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5911140393/" title="DSCF5705 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5239/5911140393_d9d80c9a4a_o.jpg" width="480" height="411" alt="DSCF5705"></a><br><br><br />add a splash of white wine --around half a glass-- to deglaze the fry pan. Simmer till the wine cooks down.<br /><br />Once the wine cooks down put the pan in a medium oven and cook till the garlic is just soft. This should only take 12 to 15 mins. When you take the pan out of the oven it should look something similar to this:<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5911699878/" title="DSCF5708 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5316/5911699878_9a1aea0e4e_o.jpg" width="480" height="477" alt="DSCF5708"></a><br><br><br /><br />After plating, grate some high quality Parmesan over the top and enjoy!<br /><br />Here it is as a side dish to Twice-Baked Potatoes:<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5911699618/" title="DSCF5713 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6009/5911699618_99d8f76d32_o.jpg" width="480" height="352" alt="DSCF5713"></a><br><br><br /><br />And here is the obligatory closeup:<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5911140279/" title="DSCF5712 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5311/5911140279_2f6622be1d_o.jpg" width="480" height="343" alt="DSCF5712"></a><br><br><br /><br />Don't forget that brussel sprouts are very healthy! In fact this entire side dish is just oozing with healthy goodness!Alaskan Dave Down Underhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13726448407614912997noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-859737994643069929.post-16241310759769434092011-06-16T11:17:00.003+09:302011-06-16T15:51:08.558+09:30The Perfect Grilled Cheese SandwichOr sammy. Or sarnie. Or buttie. Or pieces. They all mean SANDWICH!<br /><br />I don't think (yes, I'm sure you all know that already) that I've ever posted a sandwich recipe before as they always seemed rather intuitive to mean. I also didn't think anyone would be interested in a sandwich recipe.<br /><br />Boy was I wrong. I sorta kinda let it slip (accidently of course) that I make a really good grilled cheese sandwich. So I now feel honour-bound to post my Perfect Grilled Cheese Sandwich recipe complete with the high quality pictures you've come to expect from me.<br /><br />This is my basic, standard grilled cheese. I also make premium ones with various additions which I'll put on the end of the post, no worries.<br /><br />The most important thing for making a grilled cheese sandwich is to have a pan or griddle that heats evenly and holds it's heat for a while. I recommend cast iron. Something like this:<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5837631831/" title="grilledcheese01 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3308/5837631831_b6dcd396ce_o.jpg" width="480" height="360" alt="grilledcheese01"></a><br><br><br /><br />If you don't have cast iron, then a thick bottomed stainless steel one will do, no worries. I don't recommend anything thin, but if you are used to that and can control the temp then it should work.<br /><br />Some folks say white bread only for grilled cheese. I'm not one of them. I prefer wholemeal. I don't use multigrained bread for my grilled cheese sarnies as I don't like the taste of the multigrain bread to interfere with the toasty, gooey, cheesy goodness.<br /><br />The basics needed for The Perfect Grilled Cheese Sandwich<br /><br />2 slices of bread, white or wholemeal<br />2-3 tbsp of butter<br />4 slices of REAL cheddar cheese<br /><br />The first thing you need to do is just slightly melt the butter. Just enough to soften it, but not enough to separate the butter. Have a look at the melted butter up at the top of this picture and you'll see what I mean:<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5838182676/" title="grilledcheese02 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2765/5838182676_58971b4ab1_o.jpg" width="480" height="378" alt="grilledcheese02"></a><br>Don't worry if your cheddar isn't white, but please don't use any of the "processed" stuff.<br /><br />Spread the melted butter over one side of each bread slice. Make sure you get all the way to the crust as that is VERY important, trust me. What I do is spoon on a bit of the butter, then spread it around with the back of the spoon. Remember, you only want the butter to be *just* melted so it doesn't seep through the entire slice.<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5838182716/" title="grilledcheese03 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5116/5838182716_19ff010382_o.jpg" width="480" height="364" alt="grilledcheese03"></a><br><br><br /><br />You should have put your frypan on the heat before you spread the butter, that way it should be just about ready by now. A low heat is to be used as you don't want the bread to burn before the cheese is melted. I've been known to turn the heat off completely for a few minutes and let the residual heat from the pan continue to toast the bread and melt the cheese.<br /><br />Place one slice butter side down on your pan and cover EVENLY with the cheese. A common mistake is to have too much cheese in the middle. If you do that the edges will be dripping out onto the pan before the middle is melted. Just break up the pieces to whatever shape is needed to cover the bread evenly.<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5838182762/" title="grilledcheese04 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3449/5838182762_50cb14ef78_o.jpg" width="480" height="371" alt="grilledcheese04"></a><br>Now immediately place the other slice of bread on top, butter side facing up of course.<br /><br />After about 2 minutes it'll be ready for it's first flip. The first flip is the only one that's hard as the cheese hasn't melted into the "top" slice to hold things together yet. I just lightly place my fingertips on the top slice as I quickly flip the sandwich.<br /><br />If the fry pan is heating up too quickly at this point you can turn the heat way down or even off. This is the point I turn the heat off for 3 to 4 minutes and let the heat from the cast iron frypan take over. This lets the cheese melt evenly while not burning either slice of bread.<br /><br />Don't worry if you need to turn the sandwich a couple more times in order to get both slices of bread evenly toasted. Besides, when the bread is evenly toasted it also means the cheese is melted through if you use a low heat.<br /><br />The finished product should look like this:<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5838182808/" title="grilledcheese05 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3452/5838182808_bfa29af113_o.jpg" width="480" height="423" alt="grilledcheese05"></a><br><br><br /><br />And if you are sharing the sandwich with someone and you slice it, you'll notice the cheese is melted evenly throughout.<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5837632093/" title="grilledcheese06 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5189/5837632093_9f1d9aaecc_o.jpg" width="480" height="349" alt="grilledcheese06"></a><br><br><br /><br />That's my basic Perfect Grilled Cheese Sandwich.<br /><br />There are other things you can do. Some folks like to press the sandwich together. In fact, sandwich presses are very popular down here in Oz. Personally though, I don't like them pressed. But if you do want to press them you can, just don't let me catch you doing it with mine!<br /><br />Additions:<br />salt<br />thin-sliced onion<br />minced garlic<br />thin-sliced tomato<br />shaved ham<br />various types of salami type meats<br />any type of pickled veggie<br /><br />Salt: Some people sprinkle some salt on the buttered side of each bread slice before or after cooking. I've been know to do this, but mostly not.<br /><br />Thin-sliced onion: And I do mean THIN! I don't like thick slabs of onion on the sandwich as it can (and will) slide apart as you eat it. Put the onion down before the cheese, that way the cheese will melt the onion onto the base slice so it doesn't slide apart as you flip it.<br /><br />Minced garlic: You can spread it on the buttered side so the garlic toasts along with the bread, or on the inside if you really love that garlicky flavour!<br /><br />Thin-sliced tomato: Again, very thin slices so the sandwich doesn't slide apart as you eat it. Use same as the onions.<br /><br />Shaved ham: Same thing as the onion or the tomato.<br /><br />Salami type meats. Cured meats are much denser than shaved ham so after slicing them I'll slice each slice into strips. That way when you bite into the sandwich you won't pull out a whole wedge of salami at once.<br /><br />Pickled veggies. Ah yes. Pickled veggies. Obviously pickled cucumber leaps to mind, but pickled cabbage or pickled carrots go quite well. Pickled peppers too! Whatever pickled veg you choose to use, make sure it is drained well! Otherwise the pickle juices will seep into the bread and it won't be nice a crispy, toasty, grilled-like, crunchy texture. It'll be soggy instead and I don't like that --and neither will you I'd imagine.<br /><br />I will get the seitan recipes up! I promise! I'm doing many different things with it so it'll be like 3 or 4 posts in one, lucky you!Alaskan Dave Down Underhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13726448407614912997noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-859737994643069929.post-76888617988636441142011-06-03T10:14:00.002+09:302011-06-03T15:10:05.072+09:30Braided Bread RollsI'm sure many of you have been wondering why I haven't been posting food stuff lately. Well, I have a very good reason! I've been busy. Working on a <span style="font-weight:bold;"><span style="font-style:italic;">project</span></span>. What kind of <span style="font-weight:bold;"><span style="font-style:italic;">project</span></span>? I'll tell ya at the end of this post. Or you can just scroll to the end but you'll miss all the cool pics.<br /><br />Braided Bread Rolls. These are very easy to make, look beautiful and taste even better. Plus they'll impress the heck out of whoever you are cooking for!<br /><br />First you need to make a simple bread dough. Not difficult!<br /><br />4 cups baker's flour<br />400 ml water (just over 1 2/3 cups)<br />1 tsp salt<br />2 tsp yeast<br />2 tbsp sugar<br />2 tbsp olive oil<br /><br />Mix the dry stuff. Then add the wet stuff. Mix together, then knead in a bowl or lightly floured surface till it is dough.<br /><br />Drizzle a bit of olive oil over the dough and let it rise in a warm spot for an hour. Punch the dough down, knead for a minute.<br /><br />Ta-da. Simple bread dough. Your bowl should now look something like this:<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5779481560/" title="DSCF5424 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2731/5779481560_b159fa7d25_o.jpg" width="480" height="500" alt="DSCF5424"></a><br><br><br />Separate the dough into 9 somewhat, sorta, kinda-like evenly sized pieces. Something like this:<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5779481656/" title="DSCF5426 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3451/5779481656_d384fe59b0_o.jpg" width="480" height="360" alt="DSCF5426"></a><br><br><br /><br />Now roll out each piece into a strand around 16" long. You'll end up with 9 16" long strands of dough. Here's what they look like. Oh, these are the same length, it's just the perspective distortion that makes the far ones seem shorter.<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5779481758/" title="DSCF5427 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5143/5779481758_01b261225c_o.jpg" width="480" height="640" alt="DSCF5427"></a><br><br><br /><br />Here's where you get to braid them! Do 3 at a time. Lay out 3 strands parallel to each other and start by laying an outer strand over the middle, then the other other strand over the new middle. Like this, see:<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5778936965/" title="DSCF5428 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2115/5778936965_98a4cdf664_o.jpg" width="480" height="360" alt="DSCF5428"></a><br>If you aren't sure on how to braid just ask your mother, wife, sister, girlfriend, daughter, gay neighbor, etc. It really is easy to do. My wife showed me how.<br /><br />Don't worry about finishing the end nicely, no need to. You should now have 3 bread braids and each one should look something like this.<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5778937073/" title="DSCF5429 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5188/5778937073_17c758fda8_o.jpg" width="480" height="420" alt="DSCF5429"></a><br><br><br /><br />You'll need a baking dish. I used one that's a foot square. Worked perfect. Olive oil the bottom and sides of the dish. Now lay each braid into the dish. As you stuff them in you'll understand why you didn't need to finish off the braid. Here is what you should have.<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5778937183/" title="DSCF5430 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5303/5778937183_ddd62491b9_o.jpg" width="480" height="442" alt="DSCF5430"></a><br><br>I also drizzled a bit of olive oil along the outer edges of the bread. Put it into a COLD oven, turn heat to around 180 C or 360 F. You want the oven to be cold so that the bread rises in the dish as the oven heats up.<br /><br />Bake for 40 minutes or so. Or until it looks like this.<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5779482146/" title="DSCF5431 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3153/5779482146_00714dcceb_o.jpg" width="480" height="455" alt="DSCF5431"></a><br><br><br /><br />Let it cool in the dish for a few minutes. Put a plate on top, flip over, then flip back over onto a cooling rack. Ta-Da! Done and DONE!<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5778937371/" title="DSCF5432 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2006/5778937371_ff30191f31_o.jpg" width="480" height="386" alt="DSCF5432"></a><br><br><br /><br />I made it as a pull-apart for dunking in soup, everyone loved it. You can also separate it along the two central seams and the slice up each braid for rolls.<br /><br />And it looks as good as it tastes!<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5778937453/" title="DSCF5433 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5107/5778937453_e547e87ff3_o.jpg" width="480" height="265" alt="DSCF5433"></a><br><br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5778937725/" title="DSCF5434 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2665/5778937725_00a5aae452_o.jpg" width="480" height="437" alt="DSCF5434"></a><br><br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5779482788/" title="DSCF5435 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2409/5779482788_094d349f2f_o.jpg" width="480" height="384" alt="DSCF5435"></a><br><br><br /><br />Now then, since you've made it this far, I'll tell you why I've been busy. I'm working on a series of cookbooks. Yes, you read that right. The bloke who has no official culinary training nor any official writing training (except for the odd research paper in kolledge) is writing a SERIES of cookbooks.<br /><br />Needless to say, this project has strained my last few remaining brain cells to the point where food blogging was neglected. But no more!<br /><br />Next post will be how to make a meat subsitute out of plain ole flour so stay tuned mates.Alaskan Dave Down Underhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13726448407614912997noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-859737994643069929.post-25519367543526620102011-04-17T16:32:00.002+09:302011-04-25T17:23:42.980+09:30Dave's Decadent Death By Chocolate CakeSo what makes this cake so special? I mean BESIDES the fact that I made it? Heck, it even uses a standard off-the-shelf cake mix as the Base! What make this special is the add-ons and various wonderful chocolaty "things" you do to this cake.<br /><br />Like adding a bunch of chocolate drops to the chocolate fudge cake batter before baking. *drool*<br /><br />There will be pictures, no worries. This is not one of my most photogenic creations, but it ranks waaaaaaaay up there on the taste scale! And the chocolate scale.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">What you need:</span><br /><br />One box of Betty Crocker Super Moist Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix <br />1/2 cup of chocolate melts -see the first picture<br /><br />1 cup heavy whipping cream<br />1/4 cup raw sugar<br />1/3 cup cocoa powder<br /><br />1 bar (375 grams or 12 oz) dark cooking chocolate<br />1 tbsp butter<br />1/3 cup of cream<br /><br />You'll also need some sort of oven-like heating device, I'd suggest using an actual oven. Don't forget a cooling rack, and a LONG bread knife.<br /><br /><br />What you do:<br /><br />Firstly, you'll want to make the cake mix according to the directions, pour it into a circular baking dish, but DON'T put it in the oven yet. This is the EXACT kind of cake mix you want:<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5626988744/" title="dbc01 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5261/5626988744_eaf20573bd_o.jpg" width="480" height="403" alt="dbc01"></a><br><br><br /><br />Do you see those chocolate drops to the left in the above picture? You do? Good! Now take about 20 or 30 or them and carefully put them into the batter you've already poured into the baking dish. You want to insert them vertically so they don't float on the top. What happens when the cake is baking the melts don't fully "diffuse" through the cake so that when the cake cools you have a whole bunch of "nuggets" of chocolate throughout the cake!<br /><br />When the cake is done --ALWAYS test it with a skewer, NEVER trust the time on the directions-- take it out and put it on the cooling rack. Let it cool for hours. You don't want any heat left in it at all.<br /><br />Once it is completely cooled off, you want to slice the cake in half horizontally. Make sure you use a long, serated bread knife and don't be in a hurry. Remember, you'll encounter pockets of chocolate from the drops you put in the mix.<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5626403845/" title="dbc02 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5024/5626403845_6257b181a8_o.jpg" width="480" height="360" alt="dbc02"></a><br><br><br /><br />Now you want to make the chocolate cream! Add the 1 cup heavy whipping cream,1/4 cup raw sugar,1/3 cup cocoa powder to a mixing bowl and whip it up with you electric beaters till it's stiff.<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5626403913/" title="dbc03 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5269/5626403913_183a19307e_o.jpg" width="480" height="360" alt="dbc03"></a><br><br><br /><br />Put 1/3 to 1/2 of the stiff, chocolate cream betwixt the cake layers thusly:<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5626988992/" title="dbc04 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5223/5626988992_1a9c7c55c4_o.jpg" width="480" height="360" alt="dbc04"></a><br><span style="font-style:italic;">I'm sure you can figure out the process yourselves.</span><br /><br />Oh, remember that bit of "icing" that came with the cake mix? Slather it around the sides of the cake, there will not be enough for more than that.<br /><br />Next you want to slather on the rest of the cream around the top edge of the cake. Don't worry if it doesn't look all "showy" as all you really want is a lip so the sauce (next step) doesn't drain off.<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5626404133/" title="dbc05 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5149/5626404133_b1ac285f1b_o.jpg" width="480" height="360" alt="dbc05"></a><br><br><br /><br />Now put it in the fridge to chill of 30 mins or so.<br /><br />Is it chilled yet? Good, time to make the chocolate sauce. You may note that this sauce has different amounts of butter and cream in it from my usual ones as I want this to firm up and almost harden upon cooling.<br /><br />And no, you don't need a double boiler. A small, thick bottomed NON-COATED stainless steel saucepan works perfectly fine.<br /><br />Add the last 3 ingredients into your saucepan. That'd be<br />1 bar (375 grams or 12 oz) dark cooking chocolate<br />1 tbsp butter<br />1/3 cup of cream<br />and put it on your lowest heat. Whisk everything together whilst everything melts together. This really should only take 3 mins at the most. Once everything is just melted, turn the heat off and continue to whisk for another minute.<br /><br />Set the saucepan aside for 5 minutes or so till the sauce is partially cooled yet still pour-able.<br /><br />Take the cake out of the fridge and slowly pour the chocolate sauce over the top. Put it back in the fridge. When the sauce on the top is firmed up (30 to 45 mins), then call it DONE!<br /><br />Slice it and serve it!<br><br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5626989186/" title="dbc06 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5184/5626989186_5dbb1d713b_o.jpg" width="480" height="391" alt="dbc06"></a><br><br><br /><br />Your taste buds will thank you for making this. Your waistline may not. You've been warned.<br /><br />As a variation you can make more of the choc sauce and less of the choc cream and use the choc sauce as the layer betwixt the cake halves. I think I'll do that next time.Alaskan Dave Down Underhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13726448407614912997noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-859737994643069929.post-23261756686088772242011-04-11T13:19:00.003+09:302011-04-11T16:46:01.881+09:30Baked Crab CakesI wasn't planning on making crab cakes last night. In fact, not for a while till fresh crab prices come down. But someone needs a crabcake recipe that has just a "hint of 'heat'".<br /><br />That someone being http://twitter.com/#!/cheeriogrrrl<br /><br />I had to use the fake crab stuff. I'm sorry. I really am.<br /><br />And I'm also a bit sorry --well, not really-- that this is another recipe with no exact amounts. Why? Cus when I make crab cakes or fish cakes I never measure stuff. The amounts depend really on just how much leftover mashed or baked potato I have leftover and I eyeball the seasoning amount.<br /><br />But at least this should point you in the general direction! And there are pictures to help you.<br /><br />And these are baked. That means healthy.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Dave's crab cakes</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">What you need:</span><br /><br />Some leftover mashed or baked potatoes<br />Volume of crab meat that's about 2/3 of the amount of leftover potatoes<br />half an onion<br />minced garlic<br />dillweed<br />capers<br />dried mint<br />sea salt<br />white pepper<br />olive oil<br />grated parmesan<br />breadcrumbs<br />cayenne powder<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">What you do:</span><br /><br />Put the large chunks of crab meat, the chopped onion, and a bit of olive oil in a saucepan. Cook on med-high heat for a few mins. Turn off heat, add the minced garlic, give it a good stir.<br /><br />These pics show the before and after process.<br><br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5608461027/" title="cc02 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5070/5608461027_bdc5ef62db_o.jpg" width="480" height="383" alt="cc02"></a><br>This is before it goes on the heat<br><br><br>This is after 5 mins on the heat with the garlic added, and everything then minced finely.<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5609043220/" title="cc03 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5182/5609043220_af2be25fff_o.jpg" width="480" height="328" alt="cc03"></a><br><br><br /><br />Now take 6 to 10 capers and chop them up. See, look: capers!<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5609043338/" title="cc04 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4111/5609043338_1c17799a2a_o.jpg" width="480" height="749" alt="cc04"></a><br><br><br /><br />Add to a large bowl the leftover potatoes, the minced crab-onion-garlic, the chopped capers, sea salt, white pepper, dillweed, dried mint. This pic may help you with the relative amounts:<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5609043480/" title="cc05 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4105/5609043480_14e34f9b48_o.jpg" width="480" height="428" alt="cc05"></a><br><br><br /><br />Mixing it all together is the fun part!<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5608461483/" title="cc06 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5027/5608461483_607996e701_o.jpg" width="480" height="452" alt="cc06"></a><br><br><br /><br />Form them into "cakes" around 2.5 to 3 inches in diameter<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5608461599/" title="cc07 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5224/5608461599_64e5d9f74e_o.jpg" width="480" height="427" alt="cc07"></a><br><br><br /><br />Since I'm baking these I don't need to dip the cakes into eggwash to get the breading to stick as I would have to if I deep-fried them, so that step can be omitted when baking them.<br /><br />Time to make the breading. Breadcrumbs, cayenne powder, sea salt and freshly grated parmesan.<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5608461699/" title="cc08 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5266/5608461699_79182c804d_o.jpg" width="480" height="433" alt="cc08"></a><br><br><br /><br />Carefully coat the cakes with breadcrumbs and put on a baking tray. Sprinkle whatever leftover breading you have between and over the cakes.<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5609043940/" title="cc09 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5303/5609043940_94a73cde95_o.jpg" width="480" height="447" alt="cc09"></a><br><br><br /><br />Drizzle a bit of olive oil over each cake and bake in a hot oven till tops are browned (around 12 minutes or so). Carefully turn them over, drizzle with a bit more olive oil and bake for another 12 mins or so. All ovens are different so keep an eye on them since you don't want the breading to blacken.<br /><br />For serving them I made a quick parsley sauce and fried some chips (french fries for you US folk). Doesn't this look tasty?<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5609043002/" title="cc01 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5265/5609043002_c141f47ed0_o.jpg" width="480" height="370" alt="cc01"></a><br><br><br /><br />If you have questions about relative amounts or anything else about these just ask away in the comments, no worries mates.Alaskan Dave Down Underhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13726448407614912997noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-859737994643069929.post-13052386574863617152011-04-09T09:42:00.002+09:302011-04-09T13:11:44.653+09:30What would you make with...The other day I came back from the shops with a load of really good, fresh veggies. I had a fair few ideas of what I was going to do with them too.<br /><br />And then I thought, "Hangabout mate! P'haps some of me tweeterers may wanna give it a go?" So I put the list up on twitter and also mentioned a well stocked pantry plus herb garden, and asked what folks would make!<br /><br />Unfortunately, I don't have many foodies following my tweets, so only 2 people gave it a go. One was braise some of the veggies then through it all into a quiche. Ummmmmm, not exactly what I had in mind. The other was stuffing the bell peppers with the chilli, put them and the rest of the veggies in a casserole dish, cover with cheese and bake. Not bad. But again, not exactly what I had in mind.<br /><br />Remember, it's hard to get the meaning through in only 140 characters via twitter!<br /><br />So how's about we try it here!<br /><br />You may assume a very very very well stocked pantry and good garden goodies. This means things like garlic greens, wild onions, fresh herbs, potatoes, spuds etc can be used. Pretty much any kind of dried spice, dried herb, or herb mix you can think of can also be used. As far as cheese goes, just make sure you use ones <a href="http://dingodavedelightfullydaringdelicacies.blogspot.com/2008/11/cheese-cheese-glorious-cheese.html">that I've heard of</a> as I usually have 7 to 10 different kinds of cheeses on hand at any one time.<br /><br />And lastly, let's keep this meat free. Just cuz I feel like it.<br /><br />And try not to go overboard on the pantry items. Fettuccine with a creamy cheese sauce and a few of the fronds from the fennel bulb sprinkled over the top ain't gonna make the cut! The idea is to see what you would make from this list that features the ingredients, not the accessories.<br /><br />And here is the list of goodies you get to work with:<br /><br />Brussel sprouts, red n green n yellow bell peppers, green beans, large fennel bulb w/stalks and fronds, button mushrooms, fresh juicy just-off-the-vine tomatoes, fresh thai chillis, 3 bok choys.<br /><br />I came up with a dozen dishes I'd make off the top of my head, and then pared it down to 6 simple, tasty ones. <br /><br />If you feel the need to help your knowledge a bit (cheat) by using cookbooks or the internets then you may, but you'll have to live with your guilty conscience. (I'm just joking of course!)<br /><br />Obviously, there's no need to go out and get all this stuff, I'm just curious to see what other folks would make. Use the comments, it'd be nice to get into double digit comments so spread the url for this post around!Alaskan Dave Down Underhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13726448407614912997noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-859737994643069929.post-83092943141608601692011-03-11T12:33:00.002+10:302011-03-11T13:49:54.424+10:30Soup FrittersYes, I can hear the collective head-scratching from all the way down in South Oz.<br /><br />Lemme 'splain it to ya! Firstly you have to understand that I am the undisputed Iron Chef of leftovers. That's right, I am.<br /><br />Now then, how soup fritters came about. I made some soup the other day by boiling the dekerneled corn cobs and the husks in a lot of water. Plus 2 bay leaves and a large sprig of fresh rosemary from the garden.<br /><br />I then diced up a spud (potato), half a leftover onion, and the last 2 rashers of bacon from a kilo pack. Quick fried them all up, then added to the strained soup stock. Simmered till spuds were done. Salt n pepper to taste. Served with a fresh, crusty, pull-apart loaf.<br /><br />Very tasty. We all loved it.<br /><br />Surprisingly enough, there were a couple of cups left in the bottom of the pot the next morning. Obviously I wasn't going to toss it. I thought about having it for brekkie but then I thought that just perhaps I could make a nice side dish out of it.<br /><br />But what?<br /><br />*insert light bulb here*<br /><br />I know! I'll put it in the blender to liquefy it, then add an egg or two, then add enough self-raising flour till it's a batter. Then I'll deep fry small spoonfuls of the batter! Instant fritters! Wonderfully flavoured too.<br /><br />That really is all there is to it. No, I can't give you amounts as this is definitely a "seat of the pants" type recipe. But to help you out, I do have pictures!<br /><br />First though, if you have over 4 cups of blenderized soup then definitely use 2 eggs.<br /><br />Here is the consistency of the batter you are aiming for:<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5516011129/" title="soup fritters 01 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5094/5516011129_f6f55882ce_o.jpg" width="480" height="423" alt="soup fritters 01" /></a><br><br><br /><br />Now just drop a small spoonful into some hot oil. You don't need a deep fryer, a wok over some flame will do fine. And make sure you use rice bran oil for your deep frying! Very high smoke point and very high in mono-unsaturated fats. It deep fries food wonderfully well!<br /><br />They'll swell up to around twice their size so don't crowd them. They'll also practically flip themselves in the oil once the submerged half is cooked! Here's a pic of a batch of the them deep frying after turning.<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5516600100/" title="soup fritters 02 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5292/5516600100_8141cb2502_o.jpg" width="480" height="416" alt="soup fritters 02" /></a><br><br><br /><br />Once they are nicely browned all over and are just about done "bubbling" you'll want to remove from the oil and drain on paper towels. Like this:<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5516600572/" title="soup fritters 03 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5173/5516600572_25b89d80ed_o.jpg" width="480" height="375" alt="soup fritters 03" /></a><br><br><br /><br />Give em a little sprinkle with salt and ENJOY! When you bite into one it'll be soooooo nice, light, and fluffy on the inside. See, look!<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5516011483/" title="soup fritters 04 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5178/5516011483_e958e42709.jpg" width="480" height="481" alt="soup fritters 04" /></a><br><br><br /><br />I found they are also very nice sprinkled with powdered sugar and cinnamon powder! Like savoury donut holes! Try it, you'll like it.Alaskan Dave Down Underhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13726448407614912997noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-859737994643069929.post-30824557474206290442011-02-18T07:48:00.002+10:302011-02-18T09:14:54.027+10:30Cheesy Garlic CrumbleYes, you read that right. No, it has nothing to do with the Aussie candy bar called Violet Crumble. But I thought the name sounded cool when I came up with it so you're stuck with it!<br /><br />What do you do when it's 10 minutes before your spaghetti dinner and you realize you have no french bread with which to make garlic bread -with cheese, of course? Simple! Come up with something using breadcrumbs, fresh basil, garlic, olive oil, and cheese!<br /><br />There's no measurements for this as I really did make it up as I went along, but I did take plenty of pics which really illustrate the process.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Garlic crumble</span><br /><br />What you need:<br />some breadcrumbs<br />fresh basil leaves<br />garlic (I used the jarred stuff for this)<br />olive oil<br />cheese<br /><br />The cheese I used was cheddar which down here is called Tasty. Cheddar is only called cheddar in Oz if it comes from the Cheddar Gorge which is just outside of Cheddar.<br /><br /><br />What you do:<br /><br />First, you'll need to find out the amount of bread crumbs you need. Use whatever oven-proof saucepan you need for making this and cover the bottom with 1 cm of breadcrumbs.<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5452302694/" title="gc01 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5133/5452302694_3c58678bf3.jpg" width="480" height="360" alt="gc01" /></a><br><br><br />Then chuck that in a mixing bowl. See? Easy way to measure, isn't it?<br /><br />Go outside and snip some fresh basil, then chop it up. How much basil? About this much:<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5451691181/" title="gc02 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5138/5451691181_333e85e06e.jpg" width="480" height="360" alt="gc02" /></a><br><br><br /><br />Now add a good sized splat of garlic. How much is a splat? This much:<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5451691247/" title="gc03 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5100/5451691247_91a0477172.jpg" width="480" height="360" alt="gc03" /></a><br><br><br /><br />Put some fennel seeds in the palm of your hand. Run the thumb of the other hand over the seeds to partially crunch them, then add to the bowl. Here's what I mean:<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5451691297/" title="gc04 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5253/5451691297_d33c8b8a85.jpg" width="480" height="360" alt="gc04" /></a><br /><br />Mix it all together and then add some olive oil. Like my olive oil can? It's from India.<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5452302906/" title="gc05 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1398/5452302906_ce7b37f10c.jpg" width="480" height="360" alt="gc05" /></a><br><br><br /><br />Stir it all together then add some grated cheese. I used around 1 cup's worth of cheddar (tasty).<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5452302956/" title="gc06 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4080/5452302956_313d854b97.jpg" width="480" height="360" alt="gc06" /></a><br><br><br /><br />Mix it together using your fingers. Make sure you don't let the grate cheese clump together. Your bowl should now look something like this:<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5452303012/" title="gc07 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5052/5452303012_6bb3c0e013.jpg" width="480" height="360" alt="gc07" /></a><br><br><br /><br />Add a bit of olive oil to whatever ovenable frypan you'll be using:<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5452303076/" title="gc08 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4082/5452303076_9385ee89eb.jpg" width="480" height="360" alt="gc08" /></a><br>This is my small Gabrial Gate (tm) small frypan from a set of two. The ONLY reason I have the set is that I got them on an 80% off sale at Harris Scarfe. Otherwise there wouldn't have been no way I could afford those two wonderful frypans.<br /><br />Now spread the mixture evenly over the bottom of the saucepan and cook on low heat on the stovetop till the bottom crumbs JUST start to brown. Do NOT leave the frypan unattended for any length of time as it can go from slightly browned to BURNT in the blink of an eye.<br /><br />This was actually the second batch I made as I did turn my back on the first batch. Oops.<br /><br />Now that the bottom is browned, it should look something like this:<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5452303122/" title="gc09 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5171/5452303122_447ac81bd8.jpg" width="480" height="360" alt="gc09" /></a><br><br><br /><br />Grate some more cheese over the top:<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5451691617/" title="gc10 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5014/5451691617_4e614603df.jpg" width="480" height="360" alt="gc10" /></a><br><br><br /><br />And then bake it in a hot oven till the cheese melts (only a few minutes). Slid it onto a cutting board <br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5451691679/" title="gc11 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5258/5451691679_7fcf71d378.jpg" width="480" height="360" alt="gc11" /></a><br><br><br /><br />and then cut it up into pieces, serve on the side of your spaghetti in place of garlic bread.<br /><br />Tada! Garlic Crumble!<br /><br />Here's a closeup<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5452303304/" title="gc12 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5013/5452303304_248aeb467a.jpg" width="480" height="473" alt="gc12" /></a><br><br><br /><br />Mmmmm, it was tasty.Alaskan Dave Down Underhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13726448407614912997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-859737994643069929.post-35222402902144739112011-01-07T09:18:00.002+10:302011-01-07T12:22:42.725+10:30Dabbling With DumplingsMy guess is that there are many different ways to make dumplings as there are food bloggers. And that's a lot. Is any one particular way the "right way" to make dumplings? No, of course not silly. It's whatever suits YOU!<br /><br />This happens to be the way I like them. I like them soft, fluffy and simple. And they should pick up the flavour of the soup nicely.<br /><br />The very first time I wrote this recipe down would be... oh, right about NOW! It's one of those ones that is so simple you really don't need exact measurements and the ingredients are pretty easy to remember. And this is one of the few times I use self-raising flour.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Dave's Dumplings</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">What you need:</span><br />A big pot of soup you've made that the dumplings will go into<br />1 to 1 1/2 cups self-raising flour<br />2 to 4 tbsp butter<br />dash of salt<br />1 or 2 tbsp sugar<br />some water<br /><br />See? Isn't that an easy list? You'll find you can vary the amounts easily, very forgiving it is.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">What you do:</span><br />Mix all the dry ingredients together. Then add the butter and work the butter in using your fingers. Add water a few tablespoons at a time whilst mixing the dough --I use a wooden spoon for the mixing part. You want to end up with an almost sticky dough. Hopefully it'll look something like this:<br><br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5276145186/" title="dumpling dough by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5121/5276145186_267f02769b_o.jpg" width="480" height="360" alt="dumpling dough" /></a><br><br><br /><br />Now you want to tear off small pieces of the dough and quickly roll them into small balls. How small? Smaller than a ping pong ball. About the size of those small, bouncy, superballs you had when you were a kid.<br /><br />Your plate should end up looking like this:<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5272075347/" title="raw dumplings by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5244/5272075347_f130547439_o.jpg" width="480" height="360" alt="raw dumplings" /></a><br>I put a 1/2 cup measuring cup so you can see the size of the dumplings.<br /><br />The last step is to put them in your lightly boiling soup. Don't crowd them as they'll more than double in size. Let them cook, covered for 20 to 25 minutes. Your soup pot should now look like this:<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5272075427/" title="cooked dumplings by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5004/5272075427_69ec9701a4_o.jpg" width="480" height="360" alt="cooked dumplings" /></a><br><br><br /><br />That cast iron dutch oven holds a lot of soup, more than enough for 2 days worth in fact. The plate you saw in the second picture fits inside it with room to spare. That should give you an idea at how large the dumplings get!<br /><br />Dish it up, eat, and enjoy!Alaskan Dave Down Underhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13726448407614912997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-859737994643069929.post-91491035502986643722010-12-31T10:54:00.003+10:302010-12-31T15:44:25.680+10:30Satan's TrifleOh yes. The many folks on twitter and various blogs have been BEGGING me to post the how to for to make it.<br /><br />Satan's Trifle.<br /><br />Firstly, let me give full acknowledgment for the name to one of my twitter followers, <a href="http://twitter.com/#pinkscorpio38">Michelle Rodriguez</a>.<br /><br />Nextly, to my wonderful Wifey-Poo for coming up with the idea.<br /><br />And finally, thanks to all of you for letting me string you along for a week as you wonder about this wonderful dessert.<br /><br />Does anyone like chocolate? Does anyone like cherries? Does anyone like Baileys? If you answered, "Hell yeah!" to all of those queries then you'll love this trifle.<br /><br />Wife and I came up with this as we were perusing the pantry trying to find trifle fixin's. We saw that if we made it all chocolate then we'd have everything 'cept the chocolate sponge roll. Poof! Idea was born!<br /><br />Please note, I used Father O'Leary's instead of Baileys as O'Leary's is better. And Australian. So there.<br /><br />And a last note, if you don't feel confident making your own chocolate custard (it is easy, trust me) then you can use a choc custard or choc pudding mix but you've got to make it THICK. Very thick.<br /><br />Last note... I never measure for this type of dessert, but I did measure for the custard. You're welcome. For those of you who normally make your own custard, the amounts will seem "off". That's ok, it's is supposed to be very thick and set like chocolate concrete.<br /><br />On with the show, cus the show must go on.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Satan's Trifle</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">What you need:</span><br />One chocolate sponge cake roll (see pictures)<br />Father O'Leary's Velvet Cream --or Baileys<br />Cornflour --cornstarch to you North Americans<br />Large bar of dark cooking chocolate<br />Skim milk powder --I usually use full cream milk powder<br />200 grams of pitted, halved, fresh cherries<br />milk chocolate melts<br />raw sugar<br />thickened whipping cream<br />drinking chocolate OR 100% cocoa powder plus confectionery sugar<br /><br />Now doesn't that just put POUNDS on your middle? Ohhhhhhhhh... Yeaaaaaaaaaah!<br /><br />Here's the assembled goodies:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5299202382/" title="trifle ingredients by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5170/5299202382_03cfa4cd11_o.jpg" width="480" height="360" alt="trifle ingredients" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />Lastly, you may want to use a trifle dish. You can't use mine as it's from the 1890's and is leaded crystal. It also has a big crack in it from MIL's mum. See, me granmum-in-law was kind of a dill in the kitchen and she had inherited this trifle dish from her mum. She thought cleaning it with boiling water after just serving up a cold trifle in it would be a good thing. Sigh.<br /><br />But if you can't get a trifle dish, then use a large plate and make SURE the chocolate custard is very thick. Like mortar consistency thick.<br /><br />What you do:<br /><br />This particular "what you do" will be picture orientated as I know you all likes piccies. Food piccies, of course.<br /><br />The first thing is to slice the chocolate sponge roll into one inch thick slices. Thusly,<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5298600623/" title="trifle01 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5210/5298600623_2d604986f6_o.jpg" width="480" height="360" alt="trifle01" /></a><br />Yes, that is a 50 year old Pierre Santini bread knife, thankyouverymuch.<br /><br /><br /><br />At this point you want to lay the slices out flat on a plate...<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5299202550/" title="trifle02 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5128/5299202550_ebf0fee7f8_o.jpg" width="480" height="360" alt="trifle02" /></a><br />and put them in a very warm place to dry out for an hour or two. Being in Oz, that means I just put em outside in the sun for a few minutes.<br /><br />The reason you want the slices to dry out is so that when you saturate the slices with O'Leary's it (being the Baileys) doesn't cause the chocolate sponge cake to go mushy. If you aren't sure what I'm talking about, just trust me and dry out the slices, 'k?<br /><br />Whilst the slabs of chocolate sponge cake roll are drying, you'll want to make the chocolate custard. If you choose to use packet mixes of chocolate pudding or chocolate custard, then you are excused from looking at the next few pics. Just make sure you make your custard THICK!<br /><br />Now, let's assemble the stuff for the chocolate custard. That'd be raw sugar, cornflour (cornstarch), milk powder, thickened whipping cream, and dark cooking chocolate.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5299204620/" title="trifle03p by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5050/5299204620_22f7657ee5_o.jpg" width="480" height="360" alt="trifle03p" /></a><br />And a thick bottomed steel saucepan.<br /><br />First, melt 100 grams dark cooking chocolate. You can use a double boiler, but I usually use a microwave on low.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5298600791/" title="trifle04 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5285/5298600791_5b8d319d28_o.jpg" width="480" height="360" alt="trifle04" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />To make the really thick chocolate custard do this:<br />to 1 and 3/4 cup water (H2O), mix in<br />8 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)<br />5 tbsp raw sugar<br />7 tbsp skim milk powder (or full cream, your choice)<br /><br />Whisk it all together THOROUGHLY!<br /><br />Heat it in your thick bottomed saucepan whilst whisking the whole time. It will, not surprisingly, thicken up till the whisk stands up!<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5298600901/" title="trifle05 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5287/5298600901_eb67884af0_o.jpg" width="480" height="360" alt="trifle05" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />Once it starts to really thicken, you obviously want to take it off the heat and let the heat from the pan base do the rest. At this point, it'll be close to concrete like consistency and you'll have thought you ruined it. No, you didn't.<br /><br />Now, to that pan add 1/2 cup thickened whipping cream plus 2 tbsp icing sugar and beat like crazy! I recommend an electric beater.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5299202818/" title="trifle06 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5165/5299202818_81495c957d_o.jpg" width="480" height="360" alt="trifle06" /></a><br /><br /><br />Then add the melted chocolate as the electric beaters do their thing!<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5298601101/" title="trifle07 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5289/5298601101_e124448836_o.jpg" width="480" height="360" alt="trifle07" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />You should (fingers crossed) end up with a chocolately custard of a consistency like thus:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5299202950/" title="trifle08 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5087/5299202950_35e75947b6_o.jpg" width="480" height="360" alt="trifle08" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />It really does only take ten minutes to make the custard, and no fridge setting time either. I much prefer this to using the pre-made powder packets.<br /><br />Getting back to the trifle.<br /><br />Spread your semi-dried slabs of chocolate sponge roll onto your trifle dish. Feel free to cut some of them in half so they all fit nicely into the dish:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5299203064/" title="trifle09 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5003/5299203064_9e828318dd_o.jpg" width="480" height="360" alt="trifle09" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />Didja notice that bottle next to the dish? Of course you did. Next pour at least 1 cup of Baileys or O'Leary's over the slices.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5298601467/" title="trifle10 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5082/5298601467_c4a8b20803_o.jpg" width="480" height="360" alt="trifle10" /></a><br />You'll be quite happy you dried the slices, otherwise the liquid would turn the whole thing into mush at this point. And you don't want that!<br /><br />Remember those chocolate melts and the cherries?<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5299203440/" title="trifle11 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5169/5299203440_9b4153404b_o.jpg" width="480" height="360" alt="trifle11" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />First, fill all the gaps betwixt the chocolate cake slices with chocolate melts. Then layer a few on top just for the heck of it!<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5299203570/" title="trifle12 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5050/5299203570_6b2b1af6d5_o.jpg" width="480" height="360" alt="trifle12" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />Your delicious, fresh, pitted, sliced cherries go on next:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5298601895/" title="trifle13 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5121/5298601895_68e442248b_o.jpg" width="480" height="360" alt="trifle13" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />Now it's time to start packin' that chocolate custard on!<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5299203794/" title="trifle14 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5202/5299203794_924cb53a06_o.jpg" width="480" height="360" alt="trifle14" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />As you are packing on the custard, you want to make sure it gets into all the gaps. Cus when you put this baby into the fridge to set, you'll have chocolate mortar betwixt the chocolate cake bricks!<br /><br />Smooth all the custard out till it looks all purdy like.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5298602103/" title="trifle15 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5049/5298602103_06a7ed4e00_o.jpg" width="480" height="360" alt="trifle15" /></a><br /><br /><br />Now it's time to make the chocolate whipped cream. If you are using "drinking chocolate" then add a 4 tbsp to 300 mls (that's one cup plus a bit) cream. Then beat with your electric beaters till "stiff peaks form". If you are using cocoa powder and icing sugar, then use a tbsp or two of each, no worries.<br /><br />Your chocolate whipped cream should now look thusly:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5299204044/" title="trifle16 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5167/5299204044_4510495aeb.jpg" width="480" height="360" alt="trifle16" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />Not even sure if I need to tell you this next step, but go ahead and start slathering that chocolate cream over the chocolate custard which itself covers the cherries, chocolate melts, and chocolate cake.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5299204122/" title="trifle17 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5282/5299204122_a8f2ca3745_o.jpg" width="480" height="360" alt="trifle17" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />Don't forget to clean up the edges for presentation purposes!<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5298602317/" title="trifle18 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5207/5298602317_ddc2815a52.jpg" width="480" height="360" alt="trifle18" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />At this point, your Satan's Trifle should look something similar to this:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5299204304/" title="trifle19 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5044/5299204304_258aac31ac_o.jpg" width="480" height="360" alt="trifle19" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />But we aren't done yet! Remember that other half of your bar of dark cooking chocolate? Good, you do. Go grab it and grab a cheese grater.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5299204404/" title="trifle20 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5205/5299204404_9c571aa0fe_o.jpg" width="480" height="360" alt="trifle20" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />Ladies and Gentlemen... Start your grating!<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5299204500/" title="trifle21 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5288/5299204500_0307ab203b_o.jpg" width="480" height="360" alt="trifle21" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />And don't stop grating till you are out of chocolate and your Satan's Trifle looks like THIS!<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5299203160/" title="trifle22 by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5002/5299203160_cb8561598f_o.jpg" width="480" height="360" alt="trifle22" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />Chill that baby in the fridge for a few hours, then ENJOY!<br /><br />It took 4 of us 3 days to finish this. It is rather... rich.<br /><br />Disclaimer: blog author is not responsible for pimples, heart palpitations, sugar highs, or anything else you can damned well think of. So there.Alaskan Dave Down Underhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13726448407614912997noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-859737994643069929.post-746361684692645902010-12-24T10:25:00.002+10:302010-12-24T10:29:09.916+10:302010 Holiday MenuAfter careful deliberation and careful pantry n freezer stocktake AND a careful look at the balance on Wifey-Poo's credit card...<br /><br />The 2010 Holiday Feast Menu is ready!<br /><br />In fact, we already had the first bit of it on the solstice: The Maple Syrup & Pineapple Glazed Ham. Side was steamed broccoli with a homemade cheese sauce from a 300 yr old French recipe.<br /><br />So, here's the list!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Mains (not an exhaustive list of course)</span><br />Polynesian Pork Ribs<br />Roast Chook<br />Various Sushi Platters<br />Grilled Basa Fillets<br />Banana Leaf-Wrapped Marinated Pork Shoulder<br />Homemade Pizzas (great way to take care of leftovers)<br />Mexican Feast (leftover pork shreds great!)<br />Maple Syrup & Pineapple Glazed Ham<br />Numerous cold platters<br />Beer n Brats<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">A few of the planned side dishes</span><br />Candied Sweet Potatoes<br />Char-grilled Eggplant<br />Green Beans n Red Bell Peppers in Peanut Sauce<br />Potato Salad --both hot and cold varieties<br />Herbed, Baked Potato Pieces<br />Lots of green salads<br />Marinated Onion n Cucumber Salad<br />Homemade Teriyaki Beef Jerky<br />Toasted Chilli n Garlic Almonds n Peanuts<br />Nacho Platters (DUH!)<br />Various Cheeses, Feta, Camenbert, Bleu, etc<br />Dolmades<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Dips</span><br />Hummus<br />Miti<br />Guacamole<br />Lots of different gravies<br />Tzatziki<br />Hot Fudge Sauce<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Desserts!</span><br />Satan's Trifle --h/t to Michelle for the name of the dish<br />Frozen Peanut Butter Cheesecake with Hot Fudge Sauce<br />Champagne and Strawberries with choc sauce for dipping<br />Devonshire Cream Tea<br />2 or 3 loaves of Cinnamon Bread<br />Pineapple Pie<br />Waldorf Salad (me mum's secret recipe)<br />Pineapple Sherbet<br />Banana Tarts<br />Pineapple Dip/Topping<br />Highland Oatcakes<br />Shortbread<br />Irish Whiskey Fruitcake<br />Christmas Pudding<br />Pineapple-Coconut Pie with Meringue Topping<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Booze</span><br />Homebrews (Got a few cases of different varieties ready!)<br />Father O'Learys Velvet Cream (like Baileys but better)<br />Red Wines<br />White Wines<br />Champagne<br />Cream Port<br /><br />I think it'll be a very nice feast this holiday season. What are your thoughts?Alaskan Dave Down Underhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13726448407614912997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-859737994643069929.post-21239393515412921942010-12-07T09:16:00.000+10:302010-12-07T09:17:43.213+10:30Vote for the 2010 Holiday Menu!And just why does your vote count here at this ole blog? Cus you dear reader get to vote on what this year's Holiday Feast! Why is there a Holiday Feast at the ole hamstead down unda? Read on... read. on.<br /><br />This here whole tradition goes back to when I first arrived in Adelaide. Firstly, you knead to know there is no Tryptophan Overdose Day down here. That means no Thanksgiving. So I decided that I'd whip up a nice Holiday Feast. And I'd do it with fairly non-traditional foods that my Aussie (formerly border-country english) in-laws wouldn't know how to cook or eat.<br /><br />It has since grown. I now include some very traditional Holiday foods.<br /><br />Why do I call it The Holiday Feast instead of Christmas dinner? Because this lasts two weeks. Why two weeks? Cus it starts on the summer solstice of December twenty-oneth and goes for two weeks till January threeth or fourth. Or whenever we are too full to eat.<br /><br />Down here betwixt Christmas and New Years there's really only one day of work, and not that much gets done then anyways. Why is that? Getcher calender out and I'll 'splain it to ya.<br /><br />25th is a Saturday this year, 24th friday. Now no one really wants to work Christmas Eve so last real day of work is the 23rd. But since that's full of office parties and the like let's count that as holiday too. That leaves Dec 22nd. But since solstice in the 21st, how's about we just start the festivities then? After all. South Oz is known internationally as The Festival State.<br /><br />Boxing day (26th) is a Sunday. The Official Christmas day holiday is Monday the 27th, so the Official Boxing Day holiday is Tues the 28th. Dec 28th is also Proclamation Day for South Oz. Boxing Day is also the start of the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, so not much to be done till at least the 29th. Boxing day also starts the Boxing Day Test Match (cricket) which goes on for 5 days. New Year's Day is Saturday, with New Year's Eve being Friday. Since no one works New Year's Eve, then Dec 29th and 30th would be the only two days of work. Screw that, there's a yacht race and a Test match on, why should Adelaide work? Then Monday the 3rd is the Official New Year's Day holiday and if you're lucky enough you'll be in a place that also celebrates The Day After New Year as a holiday.<br /><br />All in all, you gots nothing to do betwixt Dec 21th and January 4th. So why not cook, eat, watch cricket, watch a boat race, lay on the beach, drink lotsa beer, and gain 15 pounds?<br /><br />What I'm going to do here is paste the Holiday Feast from years gone by. That'd be 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009. You'll notice there are some dishes that appear throughout and these dishes will be cooked. And also my extra special Frozen Peanut Butter Cheesecake with Hot Fudge Sauce will be made. Otherwise I'll be sleeping on the couch all of 2011.<br /><br />So vote in the comments for the dishes you'd like. Vote for as many dishes as you'd like, or as few as you'd like, no worries. If there aren't too many folks voting then I'll call the vote an abstention and make whatever the heck I want from the lists. But if LOTS of you vote then I'll go with what y'all vote for. Including the "always to be made" stuff.<br /><br />Ok, here we go!<br /><br />WAIT! How's about a picture of a sleeping koala first?<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5236668280/" title="asleep koala by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5042/5236668280_0c59b99fc9_o.jpg" width="708" height="814" alt="asleep koala" /></a><br><br><br>And followed up with a sushi platter:<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/5236668526/" title="more sushi by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5242/5236668526_79852278b8_o.jpg" width="712" height="534" alt="more sushi" /></a><br><br><br><br /><br />Alrighty then! Let's have a squizz at the previous menus!<br /><br />2006 Holiday Feast blog post:<br /><br />Saturday, November 25, 2006<br />Guy Fawkes Down Unda! <br />Ha! Didn't that title fool y'all? I'll bet right now everyone in the US is busy googling the name Guy Fawkes. What? You're not? Damn, oh well... I guess I'll fill ya in.<br /><br />In 1605 AD (Before Dave--The "A" is just a typo) a bloke named Guy Fawkes was arrested for trying to blow up the English Parliament on Nov 5th, 1605, BD. He didn't succeed, but there is a sort of unofficial holiday for either "Guy Fawkes Night" or "Bonfire Night".<br /><br />So, now you know... But why/how do I know this? Cus the Most Wonderful Woman In The World (my wifey-poo) was born the day before on the 4th of Nov --yes, she is now 401 years old but doesn't look a day over 250. It just MIGHT have something to do with me being able to see in the dark and those two little scars on my neck that don't heal... Feral yellow eyes at night, geesh, doesn't everyone have those?<br /><br />"Dave, just tell us the 'supposed' relevance of Guy Fawkes and today's post, thank you." Ah! I heard you think that.<br /><br />Burning down Parliament requires fire. A by-product of fire is ashes. The Ashes Test Series is going on right now down unda (that's aussie pronunciation of 'under'). The Poms are going down in FLAMES!<br /><br />Now do you get it???<br /><br />I can take solace in the fact that in the previous Ashes up in the Old Country the Poms got the sh*t kicked outta them in the first test, then battled back and won the Ashes for the first time in yonks. Go POMS!<br /><br />Since 99.99% of my readers are in the USA, I figure this has been a great lesson in what's happening in the rest of the world, eh?<br /><br />No story today but I will share with you my Yuletide and New Year Holiday menu with you. In fact, each post from now till the 22nd of Dec, BD (I'll be busy cooking after that) will have a recipe from the menu.<br /><br />So, without further intellectual wanking from yours truly (that means I'll shut me trap), here's the menu for my Holiday Feast:<br /><br />Remember: a recipe from something of the menu follows, so read on:<br /><br /><br /><br />This is in no particular order, I've still got to organise it on a day to day basis. Oh, everything is homemade from scratch.<br /><br /><br />Holiday food:<br /><br />Panforte (type of a christmas cake)<br /><br />Polynesian Lamb Spare Ribs<br /><br />Cinnamon bread (2 or 3 loaves)<br /><br />4,5 or 6 loaves homemade white bread<br /><br />Polynesian Ham<br /><br />Pineapple Pie<br /><br />Pineapple Sherbet<br /><br />Pineapple Topping --for the ice cream<br /><br />Banana Jam --for the ice cream<br /><br />Homemade Ice Cream --for the above toppings to cover<br /><br />Charlotte Rouse<br /><br />Pineapple-Coconut Pie<br /><br />Miti<br /><br />Roast Chook<br /><br />Roast Pork Leg --persian style seasonings<br /><br />Lots of Stuffing<br /><br />Candied Sweet Potatoes<br /><br />5 types of Gravy<br /><br />Guacamole dip<br /><br />Chunky Mild Salsa<br /><br />Hot Smooth Salsa<br /><br />Apricot Cobbler (at least 2)<br /><br />Herbed Potatoes --oven roasted<br /><br />Sushi Platter --6 or 7 varieties<br /><br />Dolmades<br /><br />Herbed, Buttered, Pumpkins Chunks<br /><br />Waldorf Salad<br /><br />Potato(e) Salad<br /><br />Beef Roast --seasoned with either egyptian or morrocan herbs<br /><br />Advokaat Cheesecake --Advokaat is a liquer made from brandy and egg yolks<br /><br />Baked Cheesecake --either strawberry or blueberry, freshly picked<br /><br />Tzatziki dip<br /><br />Homemade Corn Chips<br /><br />Homemade Potato(e) Chips<br /><br />Green Beans and Red Capsicums (bell pepper) with bacon and nuts<br /><br />Champagne with strawberries<br /><br />Garden Greens Salad<br /><br />Marinated Onion and Cucumber Salad<br /><br />Champagne (case)<br /><br />Sherry -one bottle for cooking<br /><br />Beer (2 cases variety of types)<br /><br />Red Wine (one cask)<br /><br />White Wine (one cask)<br /><br />Tequila, White Curacuao (triple sec), lime juice --for margaritas<br /><br />Sake (1 or 2 bottles)<br /><br />Advokaat (one bottle)<br /><br />Brandy (1 or 2 bottles)<br /><br /><br />Aaaaannnnnnnnnddddddddd........ Today's recipe is....<br /><br />MITI<br /><br />Miti is a coconut dip from Fiji. The miti that I make is a variation from a traditional recipe tailored (or seamstressed) for ease of use of westerners. Oh, I have made it the traditional way, but it takes a while and (as you can tell from the menu) I'll need to shortcut where (wear) I can.<br /><br />What you need:<br /><br />1 cup (237 mls) dried coconut<br />1 tbsp (15 mls) fresh lemon juice (if you don't have a lemon tree out front then snag a lemon from the neighbors lemon tree)<br />1 fresh red chilli (chili) finely minced<br />1 small (small) onion, finely minced<br />1 1/4 cups (296.25 mls) boiling H2O (water)<br /><br />What you do:<br /><br />Chuck everything into a bowl. Let it sit for 2 to 4 hours. Strain the liquid into a bowl. Then take the leftover solids in your hand and SQUEEZE the heck out of them to extract the rest of the juice (do this over the strained liquid --you'll figure it out).<br /><br />You can toss the SQUEEZED solids, or use them in a stir fry, or freeze em, or add em to rice while cooking the rice, hey: whatever.<br /><br />The resulting liquid makes an awesome dip for dave's special homemade corn chips (stay tuned for that recipe).<br /><br />Oh, you can use lime juice instead of lemon, they both work grate (great).<br /><br /><br />*****************************************************************************<br /><br />Next up, the 2007 Holiday Feast blog post:<br /><br />Saturday, December 22, 2007<br />THE Holiday Feast Down Unda <br /><br />I'm a little late getting this years holiday feast typed in. In fact, we've already started on it --3 days ago! Some of you may notice it's a wee bit similar to last years feast; that's cus we've got many favorite recipes. Also, I've some new ones, and some that are just too darned expensive.<br /><br />This is in NO particular order, but it'll feed four adults for two weeks. Oh, we're having a pool party and barbeque on the 28th, so the 4 or 5 kilos of snags are for the sausage sizzle.<br /><br />Unless otherwise noted, everything is homemade by yours truly, or adapted (by yours truly) from recipe book --of which I have LOTS.<br /><br />If'n any of you'd like a recipe for any of the following, just let me know via a comment, no worries.<br /><br /><br /><br />Highland oat cakes<br /><br />Shortbread<br /><br />Peanut butter cheesecake with hot fudge sauce<br /><br />Polynesian pork spare ribs<br /><br />Pineapple pie<br /><br />Cinnamon raisin bread<br /><br />Polynesian ham<br /><br />Pineapple sherbet<br /><br />Chocolate mint ice cream with choc chips<br /><br />Banana jam<br /><br />Pineapple-Coconut pie<br /><br />Miti (it's a dip)<br /><br />Charlotte rouse<br /><br />Banana leaf wrapped pork roast<br /><br />Roast chook (at least 2 of em)<br /><br />Candied yams<br /><br />3 apricot cobblers (had one of em last night)<br /><br />3 kinds of stuffing<br /><br />4 types of gravy<br /><br />3 types of salsa<br /><br />Guacamole<br /><br />5 kilos of sausages (for the bbq pool party)<br /><br />2 kilos onions (for the above sausages)<br /><br />Herbed spuds on the grill<br /><br />My special homemade Dolmades<br /><br />Waldorf salad<br /><br />Tzatziki dip<br /><br />One of my special sushi platters<br /><br />Maple syrup candied pork roast<br /><br />Corn chips and potato chips fresh made<br /><br />Green beans and red capsicums with bacon and peanut sauce<br /><br />Champagne with strawberries<br /><br />Buttered roasted pumpkin pieces<br /><br />2 cases beer<br /><br />2 casks red wine<br /><br />1 cask white wine<br /><br />spicy marinated onions<br /><br />Tequila, triple sec, and lime juice (mum-in-law has requested my special margaritas)<br /><br />1 bottle brandy<br /><br />1 bottle Father O'Learys Irish Cream<br /><br />1.5 liters bourbon and coke<br /><br />1 bottle dry cider<br /><br />1 bottle sweet cider<br /><br />Hot fudge sauce<br /><br />Fudge brownies<br /><br />Mince pies (lots)<br /><br />Banana tarts<br /><br />1 homemade bottle of chilli pepper and honey mead (I'll be the only one having that)<br /><br /><br />I think that should pretty much cover it. Remember, if you want a specific recipe then just ask.<br /><br /><br />****************************************************************************<br /><br />We follow that with the 2008 Holiday Feast Post:<br /><br />Tuesday, November 11, 2008<br />Yes, it's that time of year again. Christmas and New Year! Gotta start planning for it early, doncha know.<br /><br />It appears that summer may actually have arrived early this year, it's 95 F in the shade and 134 F in the sun. The pool in at 80 F. Tomorrow is actually supposed to be warm, so fingers crossed that I can take off the flannel shirt and bunny boots soon.<br /><br />This years' menu will be forthcoming, but first...<br /><br />You know how they say a picture is worth a thousand words? Yeah, that means I'll shut up...<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/3020349877/" title="swinging rainbow lorikeets by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3018/3020349877_8e8dcd128f_o.jpg" width="700" height="578" alt="swinging rainbow lorikeets" /></a><br><br><br><br /><br />Before I begin typing in this years menu, let me tell you that this is to feed the brood from dec 23rd to Jan 3rd. Yes, life pretty much comes to a halt for 2 weeks down unda.<br /><br />Now, I still haven't decided what's gonna be served on which day, and there'll be a couple of days of leftovers spaced throughout. I also reserve the right to add any menu item I want to. Hmmmph!<br /><br />Please note, with the exception of the Christmas fruitcakes and the puddings that have been in the pantry for 6 years, pretty much everything is made from scratch. No, I don't go out and milk the cow's for the cream... you know what I mean!<br /><br />At this point there is no particular order, or rhyme or reason to anything; I'm just jotting down the stuff that I plan to prepare.<br /><br /><br />Holiday Feast 2008/2009 Menu<br /><br /><br />Peanut Butter Cheesecake with hot fudge sauce (does this surprise you?)<br /><br />2 Christmas fruitcakes<br /><br />2 Roast chooks with all the fixin's --that includes stuffing, gravy, spuds, etc<br /><br />Dave's Polynesian Pork Roast --yes, it's wrapped in banana leaves and slow roasted<br /><br />Souvlaki chicken with tabouli and tzatziki<br /><br />BBQ Roo burgers<br /><br />Teriyaki Roo burgers<br /><br />Dave's extra special chips<br /><br />Homemade pizza<br /><br />Grilled Basa fillets<br /><br />Homemade crumpets and cream<br /><br />Charlotte Rouse (you'll love it, I'll put up pics of the process)<br /><br />Potato Salad<br /><br />Coleslaw<br /><br />Candied Sweet Potato with marshmallow and cherry topping<br /><br />Waldorf salad --with mom's special dressing<br /><br />Herbed, baked spuds<br /><br />Pineapple glazed ham<br /><br />Herbed, baked pumpkin<br /><br />Roasted pumpkin seeds<br /><br />Mexican buffet with all the fixin's (let your imagination run wild on this)<br /><br />At least 2 sushi platters<br /><br />Various chocolates<br /><br />Hummus<br /><br />Many salsas<br /><br />Banana jam<br /><br />Pineapple sherbet<br /><br />Pineapple topping<br /><br />Pineapple tarts<br /><br />Pineapple Coconut pie<br /><br />Pineapple meringue pie<br /><br />Chocolate mint Chocolate chip ice cream made with fresh choc mint from the garden<br /><br />2 Xmas puddings<br /><br />Fresh plate of homemade dolmades<br /><br />Pitcher (or 4) of margaritas<br /><br />case of Cascade's<br /><br />case of Boag's<br /><br />Strawberries and cream<br /><br />Champagne and strawberries<br /><br />A few cases of vino<br /><br />Apples and bleu cheese<br /><br />some champagne<br /><br />Devonshire Cream Tea --made from homemade scones, fresh whipped cream, and fresh picked strawberries.<br /><br />I'm sure I've left something out, but you kinda get the idea... If I don't gain 15 pounds this year then I'll consider this holiday wasted!<br /><br /><br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/3021183116/" title="glaring rainbow lorikeets by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3194/3021183116_903c30b09a_o.jpg" width="700" height="586" alt="glaring rainbow lorikeets" /></a><br><i>Oi mate! What about the sunflower seeds?</i><br /><br /><br />*******************************************************************<br /><br />And finally here is the 2009 Holiday Feast:<br /><br /><br /><br />Tuesday, December 08, 2009<br />Holiday Feast 2009 --Keeping It Simple *UPDATED*<br /><br />Yes, this year I've been told to keep Dave's Annual Super-Awesome Holiday Feast down to a more, shall we say, <span style="font-style:italic;">reasonable</span> level than in years' gone by.<br /><br />So to help with that, I've started making tofu.<br /><br />Yes, tofu.<br /><br />Turns out it's very quick and easy to make! Very cheap too AND you get a big batch of okara leftover to make things like fake burgers, fake roasts, fake pork, fake roast chook... well, you get the idea.<br /><br />And then there's all the neat things you can do with tofu! Marinate it, smoke it, grill it, stuff it, feed it to someone you don't like... See? There's so much you can do with just some plain soy beans and magnesium chloride!<br /><br />In fact, I have decided that this years' feast will be meat free and all the meat dishes will be made with my own homemade tofu!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Bullshit.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />But I have started making tofu. It will, however, of course, have practically NOTHING to do with any of the food this holiday season.<br /><br />Many of you may be familiar with my previous menus, many of you may not. Just keep in mind that all but a few dishes on the menu are homemade. By me. <br /><br />And the pots and pans are home cleaned. By me.<br /><br />Yes, it's amazing what I go through, sigh...<br /><br />Oh, if you want to learn how to make any of these, then just lemme know and hopefully one of these recipes will appear (like magic!) on my food blog.<br /><br />And don't worry, there'll be a funny pic of dave at the end of all this, so please read. And keep in mind that this is meant to be spaced out over 3 weeks. And it's in no particular order. And no food is wasted.<br /><br /><br />And.<br /><br />Here.<br /><br />We.<br /><br />GO!<br /><br />holiday feast 2009<br /><br />stout beer n brats w onions<br /><br />homemade pizzas<br /><br />peanut butter cheesecake w/ hot fudge sauce --I've been told if I don't make this each year then I'd better sleep with one eye open.<br /><br />3 sushi platters<br /><br />homemade chocolates<br /><br />homemade tofu, marinated, smoked, grilled, etc.<br /><br />roast chook w/ all the fixins<br /><br />baked pumpkin<br /><br />roasted pumpkin seeds --from the above pumpkin<br /><br />toasted chilli n garlic almonds & peanuts<br /><br />pork roast wrapped in banana leaves and slow roasted with polynesian <br />seasonings.<br /><br />highland oat cakes<br /><br />apples n bleu cheese<br /><br />various homemade cheeses<br /><br />1 xmas fruitcake<br /><br />1 xmas pudding<br /><br />pineapple & maple syrup glazed ham<br /><br />candied sweet potatoes<br /><br />fried worms<br /><br />cinnamon raisin bread<br /><br />many loaves of white and wholemeal bread<br /><br />grilled basa fillets<br /><br />many servings of my extra special chips (thick fries)<br /><br />advokaat cheesecake<br /><br />1 bottle of advokaat for above cheesecake<br /><br />lots of homebrews; stout, lager, dark ale, regular ale, chilli beer, etc.<br /><br />garden greens salads<br /><br />marinated fish & onion & cucumber salad<br /><br />4 kilos of sausage --if we have a pool party<br /><br />onions for above sausage<br /><br />1 apricot cobbler<br /><br />mexican buffet with all the fixin's<br /><br />champagne n strawberries<br /><br />green beans n red capsicums w/ bacon & peanut sauce<br /><br />panforte --awesomely great xmas cake<br /><br />souvlaki chicken w/ tabouli & tzatziki<br /><br />devonshire cream tea<br /><br />pineapple sherbet<br /><br />pineapple topping<br /><br />pineapple tarts<br /><br />pineapple coconut pie<br /><br />banana jam<br /><br />charlotte rouse<br /><br />O'Leary's Irish Cream<br /><br />brandy<br /><br />cask of red wine<br /><br />cask of white wine<br /><br />shortbread<br /><br />hot fudge sauce<br /><br />waldorf salad<br /><br />herbed, baked spuds<br /><br />hummus<br /><br />whipped cream stuffed crepes w/ dark chocolate sauce<br /><br />*UPDATE!*<br /><br />How could I forget my <a href="http://dingodavedelightfullydaringdelicacies.blogspot.com/2009/09/polynesian-hibiscus-water.html">Polynesian Hibiscus Water</a>?<br /><br />*END UPDATE*<br /><br /><br />See? I've kept it simple this year! Harumph.<br /><br />And now for a bit of foreshadowing...<br><br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10207557@N04/4167837727/" title="foreshadowing by fencerbikerdave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2534/4167837727_c7ab4aafb4_o.jpg" width="700" height="933" alt="foreshadowing" /></a><br><br>I'm quite sure many questions leap to mind.<br /><br />"Why is the ladder in the pool?"<br /><br />"Does dave know about elektrikery and water?"<br /><br />"Is there a happy ending? Cus I hate sad endings, but in dave's case I'll make an exception."<br /><br />Why don't YOU come up with your own questions for the pictures and put it in the comments?<br /><br /><br />*****************************************************************************************<br /><br />So, that's it! Loosen up your typing fingers and start typing! Use the comments vote for loads of goodies! Please, PLEASE vote for LOTS of stuff!!! I'll give y'all till Friday, December Tenth, and then I'm gonna start cookin'!Alaskan Dave Down Underhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13726448407614912997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-859737994643069929.post-59603058533007465502010-12-05T11:51:00.004+10:302010-12-11T11:55:55.960+10:30Beer Batter WafflesAlight, confession time... This is another post from my other blog before this here food blog was hived off. So you'll have to put up with my silliness.<br /><br />But trust me, these are ultra delicious! Serve em with butter, dollop of freshly whipped cream, and maple syrup, side of bacon and you've got some seriously happy campers.<br /><br />And here for your reading pleasure is THE recipe for Dingo Dave's Extra Special Beer Batter Waffles!<br /><br />Special Beer Batter Waff-lees<br /><br />You may notice something here as time goes on (ummm, besides the ticking of the clock), and that something is the fact that you'll see quite a few beer battered goodies from yours truly (or at least from me).<br /><br />Remember, the founding fathers of the US of A were home brewers (we'll just go along with modern revisionist history about ignoring them pretty much all being slave owning folk too, eh) and I believe it was one of those dudes (I can't remember which, my memory is hazy from that long ago) who said in reply to a tax on beer "But sirrah, it is liquid bread!"<br /><br />Alrighty, enough waffling already: here's what you need for some really great waffles:<br /><br />One waffle iron --well, DUH! However, I am soooo glad that I brought my waffle iron down here from Alaska as I have yet to see a single waffle iron of ANY kind for sale here in the land down under... SHEEESH, the Belgian immigrants must be furious.<br /><br />Alrighty, no dramas, here we go...<br /><br /><br />What you need:<br /><br />2 1/4 cups (533 mls) flour --note, not self-rising!<br />3 (45 mls) tablespoons sugar --I use raw sugar for everything (well, almost, snicker snicker)<br />1/2 tsp (1/2 teaspoon) salt (NON-iodised sea salt --see a previous rant of mine somewhere)<br />6 tbsp (6 tablespoons or 90 mls) melted butter (not clarified... ah, perhaps I should clarify that term...)<br />2 eggs (chicken eggs, not platypus eggs) lightly beaten --don't forget to crack them outta their shells before beating them suckers<br />1 tsp (5 mls) vanilla essence --imitation or real, don't matter except for the price<br />1 tbsp (15 mls or 1 tablespoon) orange juice --if you don't have an orange tree out front (snicker, I gots a lemon tree out front too), then try to<br />use the freshest you can obtain (orange, not tree)<br />1 can of brewskie --a light pilsner works best, but hey, to each his/her own<br /><br /><br />Here's what you do:<br /><br />Mix flour, sugar, and salt. Ummmm, I'd suggest using a large bowl to mix it in...<br /><br />Melt the butter and let it cool --How to melt butter: microwave for 20 seconds (1/3 minutes), then stir, then nuke another 1/3 of a minute (20 seconds)... repeat till it's all melted (the butter you fool).<br /><br />Chuck everything (including melted, cooled butter) into the bowl with the flour, sugar, and salt. Beat the heck out of it with a wooden spoon until the batter is smooth.<br /><br />Let the batter sit at room temp* for at least an hour (overnight works too).<br /><br />Give the batter a quick stir before using it in your waffle iron. If I have to tell you how to use and clean your waffle iron then I think you are on the wrong blog.<br /><br /><br />*room temp... Damn how I LOVE that term!!! The room temp here when the a/c is off is around 100 F (38 C). In the mornings room temp in the back can be 5 C (41 F).<br /><br />So, like, try it, you'll like it!Alaskan Dave Down Underhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13726448407614912997noreply@blogger.com0