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Pomegranate Granita With Lychee And Gin

christieconnelly — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 07:01:00 +0000

Pomegranate granita with lychee and gin

Are you looking for an impressive yet super easy dessert for your next dinner party?

Look no further, you’ve found it! This simple combination is fresh, sweet, cold and alcoholic. A definite after dinner party starter – for adults only!

Enjoy, Christie x

Pomegranate granita with lychee and gin
serves 6-8

500ml 100% pomegranate juice ( I used a 473ml bottle of POM Wonderful)
1 cup water
1/2 cup lychee syrup* (or sugar syrup)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
4 mint leaves
canned or fresh lychees to serve
gin to serve

1. Mix all the ingredients together, except the lychees and the gin, in a shallow freezer-safe dish until well combined.

2. Place in the freezer for 30mins. Use a fork to mash up the ice crystals and scrape the solid bits from the sides of the tin (the edges freeze the quickest).

3. Repeat every 30mins until you have a granita consistency, about 3-4 hours. It should resemble a ‘slushy’, ‘snow cone’ or large ice ‘bread crumbs’ – see picture above. Remove and discard the mint leaves.

4. Layer the lychees in the bottom of glasses and top with the granita. Serve a shot of gin on the side.

*I used canned lychees so that I could incorporate some of the fragrant syrup into the granita mixture. You could easily use fresh lychees if they’re in season and substitute sugar syrup.

Top 10 Ways To Find Recipe Inspiration

christieconnelly — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 07:01:00 +0000

Even for enthusiastic home cooks there inevitably comes a time when our creative juices dry up and our inspiration gets whisked out the window. After all, we can’t be culinary geniuses all the time!

At this time of year it’s easy to get wrapped up in turkey, ham and cranberry sauce. Why not try one of these 10 easy ideas to bring the flavour, innovation and excitement back to your cooking!

1. Focus on a particular colour
Choosing a colour and sticking to it forces you to be creative within boundaries and sometimes restrictions like that bring out the best in us. How about making a trio of pink desserts or featuring an orange ingredient in each dish of a three course meal? Selecting a difficult colour which occurs quite rarely in nature, like blue, will give you a good challenge.

2. Turn a sweet treat into a savoury one
Or vice versa. My most successful version was a blue cheese panna cotta with red wine poached pears. Delicious! The possibilities are endless but don’t be upset if you end up with a total failure; it’s all part of the creative process and will be worth it when you discover the perfect combination.

3. Cook for someone with a food allergy
Even if they’re imaginary. If you don’t have a friend or relative with a food allergy, that doesn’t matter, just make up a recipe anyway. Try adapting your favourite cake to be gluten free or create a creamy pasta without dairy. It’s not easy, but your special someone will really appreciate it. If you have a blog then post it up – there’s definitely someone out there who will be able to use it.

4. Read restaurant specials boards
Go for a walk along a strip of popular and reputable restaurants and pay extra attention to the specials. They often feature in-season or fashionable produce that restaurants use because they’re plentiful, cheap or guaranteed to get customers in. If you use these ingredients as inspiration in your own kitchen, you’ll find yourself eating in more often!

5. Step into the V zone
A lot of us rely on meat and fish to provide the basis of our meals. There’s no way you won’t be able to come up with something new and inventive using alternate sources of protein, fresh vegetables, herbs and whole grains. Getting inventive with tofu, tempeh and soy beans is surprisingly exciting, so try adding a new vegetarian or vegan meal to your repertoire each week.

6. Check out your local farmers market.
It might seem obvious, but seasonal fruit and vegetables are an absolute joy for our health, the environment, and our taste buds too! Farmers markets give you the opportunity to speak with the growers who will almost certainly have some great ideas about how to use their produce. So next time don’t forget to chat with them about more than just the price!

7. Share inspiration from another culture.
There’s two ways you can go with this. Choose a cuisine, say Japanese, and try and make an authentic dish as possible, or use some common flavours such as wasabi, pickled ginger and dashi to create a brand new fusion dish. Either way, you’ll learn new skills and experience a larger range of delicious flavours.

8. Raid the pantry and fridge.
Go through and pick out all the cans that are approaching their useby date, any half full packets and spread them out on your work bench. Now you have a treasure trove of items just waiting to be married together. Combine these ingredients with fresh meat, vegetables, dairy and whole grains to create a complete meal. Aim to use up as much as you can and don’t forget to write down the recipe or take a photo so you can make it again.

9. Create a new drink.
Don’t just focus on the solid stuff, drinks are important too. Why not create a sophisticated cocktail to serve with a salty canapé, a hot chocolate drink to accompany dessert or a creamy smoothie to compliment a healthy breakfast. Your guests will love you for it.

10. Become friends with your local delicatessen.
If you’re on first name basis they might keep the best stuff aside for you or even give you a little taste of something new each time you shop there. Who doesn’t love perks like that? Be daring and grab a jar of something with the label written in another language — it’s a great chance to give your cooking a new and exotic flavour.

This is by no means an exhaustive list. Can you think of any more? Pop your idea in the comments.

Happy Cooking, Christie

Photo Credit © Samantha Noakes | Dreamstime.com

Top 5 Breakfasts On High Rotation

christieconnelly — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 07:01:00 +0000

I’m not that adventurous with my very first meal of the day. I only have a handful of favorites that are healthy and quick to prepare – imperative after my early morning jog and fired up metabolism.

I do like to take extra time on the weekend to prepare something a bit more special but they’re usually more indulgent and include bacon as it’s one of my hubby’s favorites.

If I had to list my top 5 breakfasts on high rotation, these would be it. They’re all served with a glass of orange juice and a cup of black tea.

1. One soft poached egg with one slice of wholemeal toast
2. Porridge with semi-skimmed milk, raisins and brown sugar
3. Muesli with full fat Greek yoghurt and sliced tinned peaches (in juice, not syrup)
4. Chopped fresh fruit sprinkled with seeds, nuts and a small scoop of ricotta cheese
5. Mushroom and bacon open face omelet (only on weekends, recipe below)

What’s your high rotation breakfast of choice? I’m super interested in this kind of thing and also a real sticky beak, so leave a comment with your answer – don’t be shy!

Happy cooking, Christie

Mushroom and bacon open face omelet
The great thing about omelets is that you can substitute ’til the cows come home. I’ve made some suggestions at the end of the recipe.

3 large free range eggs
2 tablespoons single cream (or milk if you want to be good)
4 rashers of streaky bacon, sliced into short lengths
1 teaspoon butter
150g mushrooms, sliced
50g mature cheddar cheese
chives to garnish (optional)

1. Preheat the over head grill in the oven (broiler) to the hottest setting. You’ll need this at the very end of the recipe.

2. Crack the eggs into a large bowl, add the cream (or milk), whisk to combine then set aside. Heat a medium non-stick frying pan over medium heat, add the bacon and fry until crisp. Remove and drain on absorbent paper.

3. Wipe the pan clean, return to the heat and add the butter. Once it’s melted add the mushrooms, season with cracked pepper and cook until soft and slightly browned. I don’t add salt because the bacon makes the dish quite salty already, but you can add some to taste if you like.

4. Return the bacon to the pan and stir to combine with the mushrooms. Give the egg mixture another quick whisk (not too much or it makes the eggs rubbery when they cook) and add to the pan.

5. This is the important stage. The egg mixture should start to bubble and set as soon as you pour it in. Make sure you keep dragging the uncooked liquid from the edges to the centre and tilting the pan so more uncooked liquid fills the gaps. Continue until it is about three quarters set – there will still be some liquid parts on the surface.

6. Arrange the cheese over the omelette and place the pan under the hot grill (broiler). Warning: If your frying pan has a plastic handle then make sure that is not under the hot coil – it will melt!

7. Broil for about 2 minutes until the egg is puffed up, golden and set all the way through. Slip out of the pan, garnish with chives if using, slice and serve with hot buttered toast (wholemeal please!).

Need variations?
Meaty options: Use chorizo, smoked ham or pancetta instead of bacon.
Veggie options: Substitute the bacon with roasted red peppers, spinach or parlsey.
Cheese lovers: Try topping with gruyère, mozzarella, parmesan or feta.

How To Win Friends and Influence People

christieconnelly — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 14:50:52 +0000

Seriously, I’d become instant friends with someone who served me this dish. Maybe even friends for life.

Although I know this is ridiculously easy to make, the flavour is so gorgeously good that I wouldn’t care they only spent an hour preparing it.

The main reason is because I adore lamb. It’s the juiciest meat that’s best served as pink as you dare. Then when it’s smothered in this fresh mint sauce something magical happens.

Mint sauce is often too sweet and sticky but my version adds freshness without masking the delicate sweetness of the lamb.

It’s made in a two part process; first boiling the fresh mint leaves in a sugar-vinegar syrup to extract the minty goodness and then strained to remove the discoloured leaves. Lastly, fresh mint leaves are added for their glorious bright green colour and texture.

So if you want to make some new friends or impress your in-laws give this recipe a go tonight. I’m not promising miracles, but I think good cooking skills will always win some approval, and maybe if you’re lucky perhaps a little influence too.

Happy cooking, Christie

Lemon & garlic rack of lamb w/ fresh mint sauce
serves 4

2 garlic bulbs, crushed
1 lemon, juiced
¼ cup olive oil
1kg lamb rack Frenched* (3 racks, 4 points)
2 tablespoons caster sugar
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 cup boiled water (from the kettle is fine)
1 small bunch mint, leaves finely chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 200C. In a small bowl whisk the garlic, lemon juice and olive oil to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

2. Place the lamb racks on a large roasting tray and pour over the garlic mixture. Turn the racks to coat completely.

3. Roast for 20 minutes for medium rare or until cooked to your liking. Remove from the oven, cover loosely with foil and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan combine the caster sugar, vinegar, water and half the mint. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes until it thickens slightly. Let it sit for 15 minutes to infuse the flavours.

5. Strain the leaves from the sauce (they will have discoloured). Stir the remaining fresh mint leaves into the sauce and serve immediately with the lamb.

*Frenched is when the butcher removes all the meat and fat from the rack tips leaving the bone exposed. It’s purely for aesthetic and health reasons… which is kind of a shame because I love gnawing the fatty bits off the bone. Don’t you?

That’s The Way the ‘Cauli’ Crumbles

christieconnelly — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 07:01:00 +0000

Cauliflower is one of my favourite vegetables and I cringe when I hear people say they’ll only eat it drowned in cheese sauce. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a gorgeous combination, but there’s so many more possibilities.

It’s fabulous stir fried with chilli, bacon and pine nuts or lightly blanched and mixed with a herb vinaigrette. Italians have the right idea adding it to pasta and topping with bread crumbs and Indians mix it with potatoes, lentils and fragrant spices that the cauliflower soaks right up.

I first came across deep fried cauliflower at an Indian buffet and cinema called Govinda’s. It intrigued me and I wanted to experiment with adding extra crunch and flavour. I decided on cornmeal to provide a delicious crispy contrast to the soft and subtle flavoured cauliflower. Cornmeal is also gluten free, so if you’re that way inclined, it’s a perfect alternative to bread crumbs.

I ate this for lunch on a bed of salad leaves mixed with a few strips of salami and the parsley dressing drizzled on top. It was very satisfying.

Happy cooking, Christie

Cornmeal crumbed cauliflower with parsley dressing
serves 4 as a side dish (or starter)

sunflower oil for shallow frying
1 cup fine grain cornmeal
2 eggs
2 cups cauliflower, broken into florets (about 1/2 medium cauliflower)

For the dressing
1 cup loosely packed parsley leaves
1 clove of garlic
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 lemon, juiced

1. Make the dressing by crushing the parsley, garlic and salt with a pestle and mortar until it forms a thick paste. Add the vinegar, oil and lemon juice, stir to combine and set aside.

2. Heat the sunflower oil in a wide frying pan over medium heat. Test to see if it’s hot enough by adding a cube of bread. If it browns in 20 seconds, it’s ready. Meanwhile…

3. Place the polenta onto a large plate and season generously with salt and pepper. Mix to combine and set aside. Crack the eggs into a small bowl and lightly beat.

4. Dip the cauliflower florets one at a time into the egg and then the polenta to coat completely. Set aside on a clean plate. Repeat with all the cauliflower.

5. Shallow fry all the pieces and drain on a plate lined with paper towels. Serve immediately with the dressing.