6 litres cold water
3 spring onions (scallions), trimmed and sliced
10 garlic cloves, crushed
1 cup sliced ginger
2 tablespoons sea salt
1 medium-sized red onion, sliced
1 tablespoon white peppercorns
6 bay leaves
1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley, cut in half crossways
1 x 1.5 kg (3 lb) organic free-range chicken
Place all ingredients except chicken in a 10-litre stockpot and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer gently for 15 minutes to allow the flavours to infuse.
Meanwhile, rinse chicken under cold water. Trim away excess fat from inside and outside cavity, but keep neck, parson's nose and winglets intact.
Lower chicken, breast-side down, into simmering stock, ensuring it is fully submerged. Very gently poach chicken for exactly 14 minutes, then immediately remove pot from stove and allow chicken to steep in the stock for 3 hours at room temperature to complete the cooking process.
Using tongs, gently remove chicken from stock, being careful not to tear the breast skin. Place chicken on a tray to drain, and allow to cool.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
The urban legend $250 cookies
The recipe:
2 cups butter
4 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups brown sugar
5 cups blended oatmeal (measure oatmeal and blend in blender to a fine powder)
24 oz. chocolate chips
1 tsp. salt
1 8 oz. Hershey bar (grated)
4 eggs
2 tsp. baking powder
3 cups chopped nuts (your choice)
2 tsp. vanilla
Cream the butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla; mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and soda. Add chocolate chips, Hershey bar and nuts. Roll into balls and place two inches apart on a cookie sheet..Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees.
Makes 112 cookies..Recipe may be halved
The urban legend:
My daughter and I had just finished a salad at Neiman-Marcus Cafe in Dallas & decided to have a small dessert. Because both of us are such cookie lovers, we decided to try the "Neiman-Marcus Cookie". It was so excellent that I asked if they would give me the recipe and the waitress said with a small frown "I'm afraid not." Well" I said, "would you let me buy the recipe?"
With a cute smile, she said YES". I asked how much and she responded, "Only two fifty, it's a great deal!" I said with approval, "just add it to my tab".. Thirty days later, I received my VISA statement from Neiman-Marcus and it was $285.00. I looked again and remembered I had only spent $9.95 for two salads and about $20.00 for a scarf. As I glanced at the bottom of the statement, it said, "Cookie Recipe - $250.00". That's outrageous!!!
I called Neiman's Accounting Dept. and told them that the waitress said it was "two-fifty," which clearly does not mean "two hundred and fifty dollars" by any POSSIBLE interpretation of the phrase. Neiman-Marcus refused to budge.. They would not refund my money, because according to them, "What the waitress told you is not our problem. You have already seen the recipe - we absolutely will not refund your money at this point." I explained to her the criminal statutes which govern fraud in Texas. I threatened to refer them to the Better Business Bureau and the State's Attorney General for engaging in fraud. I was basically told, "Do what you want, we dont give a damn, and we're not refunding your money." I waited a moment, thinking of how I could get even,or even try to get any of my money back. I just said, "Okay, you folks got my $250.00, and now I'm going to have $250.00 worth of fun."
I told her that I was going to see to it that every cookie lover in the United States with an e-mail account has a $250.00 cookie recipe from Neiman-Marcus... for free..She replied, "I wish you wouldn't do this" I said, "Well you should have thought of that before you ripped me off", and slammed down the phone on her.. So, here it is!!! Please, please, please pass it on to everyone you can possibly think of. I paid $250.00 dollars for this... I don't want Neiman-Marcus to ever get another penny off of this recipe....
Comments:
Here is a "true story" almost everyone has heard by now, generically known as "The $250 Cookie Recipe" and most recently associated with the Neiman Marcus company, though during the 1980s it was the bane of cookie diva Mrs. Fields.
If you hadn't figured it out already, it is not true, by the way. It's a classic urban legend -- a variant of a popular tale traced by folklorist Jan Harold Brunvand as far back as 1948, when the ridiculously expensive recipe yielded a red velvet fudge cake belonging to the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, the asking price for which was $25.
The current adjusted-for-inflation version (reproduced above) is still making the email rounds and its popularity shows no signs of waning, even though it has been debunked repeatedly over the past two decades. To paraphrase the ancient Klingon proverb, "Revenge is a dish best served warm out of the oven."
As to the recipe itself, I haven't tried the cookies, but by most accounts it yields damn good ones (and plenty of them). No one knows whose kitchen it came from, but we do know it wasn't Neiman Marcus, whose restaurant didn't even sell chocolate chip cookies when this legend first began circulating. The company chefs did create a chocolate chip cookie recipe after the fact, however, which Neiman Marcus now distributes free of charge as an antidote, if you will, to the defamatory urban legend. Bon appetit!
The real thing:
NM Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-3/4 cups flour
1-1/2 teaspoons instant espresso powder, slightly crushed
8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
2 cups butter
4 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups brown sugar
5 cups blended oatmeal (measure oatmeal and blend in blender to a fine powder)
24 oz. chocolate chips
1 tsp. salt
1 8 oz. Hershey bar (grated)
4 eggs
2 tsp. baking powder
3 cups chopped nuts (your choice)
2 tsp. vanilla
Cream the butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla; mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and soda. Add chocolate chips, Hershey bar and nuts. Roll into balls and place two inches apart on a cookie sheet..Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees.
Makes 112 cookies..Recipe may be halved
The urban legend:
My daughter and I had just finished a salad at Neiman-Marcus Cafe in Dallas & decided to have a small dessert. Because both of us are such cookie lovers, we decided to try the "Neiman-Marcus Cookie". It was so excellent that I asked if they would give me the recipe and the waitress said with a small frown "I'm afraid not." Well" I said, "would you let me buy the recipe?"
With a cute smile, she said YES". I asked how much and she responded, "Only two fifty, it's a great deal!" I said with approval, "just add it to my tab".. Thirty days later, I received my VISA statement from Neiman-Marcus and it was $285.00. I looked again and remembered I had only spent $9.95 for two salads and about $20.00 for a scarf. As I glanced at the bottom of the statement, it said, "Cookie Recipe - $250.00". That's outrageous!!!
I called Neiman's Accounting Dept. and told them that the waitress said it was "two-fifty," which clearly does not mean "two hundred and fifty dollars" by any POSSIBLE interpretation of the phrase. Neiman-Marcus refused to budge.. They would not refund my money, because according to them, "What the waitress told you is not our problem. You have already seen the recipe - we absolutely will not refund your money at this point." I explained to her the criminal statutes which govern fraud in Texas. I threatened to refer them to the Better Business Bureau and the State's Attorney General for engaging in fraud. I was basically told, "Do what you want, we dont give a damn, and we're not refunding your money." I waited a moment, thinking of how I could get even,or even try to get any of my money back. I just said, "Okay, you folks got my $250.00, and now I'm going to have $250.00 worth of fun."
I told her that I was going to see to it that every cookie lover in the United States with an e-mail account has a $250.00 cookie recipe from Neiman-Marcus... for free..She replied, "I wish you wouldn't do this" I said, "Well you should have thought of that before you ripped me off", and slammed down the phone on her.. So, here it is!!! Please, please, please pass it on to everyone you can possibly think of. I paid $250.00 dollars for this... I don't want Neiman-Marcus to ever get another penny off of this recipe....
Comments:
Here is a "true story" almost everyone has heard by now, generically known as "The $250 Cookie Recipe" and most recently associated with the Neiman Marcus company, though during the 1980s it was the bane of cookie diva Mrs. Fields.
If you hadn't figured it out already, it is not true, by the way. It's a classic urban legend -- a variant of a popular tale traced by folklorist Jan Harold Brunvand as far back as 1948, when the ridiculously expensive recipe yielded a red velvet fudge cake belonging to the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, the asking price for which was $25.
The current adjusted-for-inflation version (reproduced above) is still making the email rounds and its popularity shows no signs of waning, even though it has been debunked repeatedly over the past two decades. To paraphrase the ancient Klingon proverb, "Revenge is a dish best served warm out of the oven."
As to the recipe itself, I haven't tried the cookies, but by most accounts it yields damn good ones (and plenty of them). No one knows whose kitchen it came from, but we do know it wasn't Neiman Marcus, whose restaurant didn't even sell chocolate chip cookies when this legend first began circulating. The company chefs did create a chocolate chip cookie recipe after the fact, however, which Neiman Marcus now distributes free of charge as an antidote, if you will, to the defamatory urban legend. Bon appetit!
The real thing:
NM Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-3/4 cups flour
1-1/2 teaspoons instant espresso powder, slightly crushed
8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
Directions
Cream the butter with the sugars until fluffy.
Beat in the egg and the vanilla extract.
Combine the dry ingredients and beat into the butter mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Drop by large spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet.
Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes, or 10 to 12 minutes for a crispier cookie.
Makes 12 to 15 large cookies.
Cream the butter with the sugars until fluffy.
Beat in the egg and the vanilla extract.
Combine the dry ingredients and beat into the butter mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Drop by large spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet.
Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes, or 10 to 12 minutes for a crispier cookie.
Makes 12 to 15 large cookies.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Pesto Pasta Salad
This quick and easy salad is a great accompaniment to BBQ meat. I made this tonight to go with my Beef Rissoles but there is plenty left over for lunch tomorrow. Adjust the amount of vegetables and pesto to suit your taste and what you have in the fridge.
Preparation Time 20 minutes
Cooking Time 10 minutes
150g green beans, topped, cut into 5cm lengths
150g snow peas, sliced diagonally
100g broccoli, separated into small florets
375g dried small penne pasta
250g (1 punnet) cherry tomatoes, halved
1 zucchini, thinly sliced crossways
100g red capsicum, thickly diced
3-4 Tbs basil pesto
Cook beans, snow peas and broccoli in a saucepan of salted boiling water for 2 minutes or until tender crisp. Use slotted spoon to remove from pan and refresh under cold running water. Bring water back to the boil. Cook pasta in boiling water following packet directions or until al dente. Drain and rinse well under cold water. Drain well. Place in a large serving bowl.
Stir pesto through pasta. Add the beans, snow peas, broccoli, tomatoes and zucchini to the pasta and toss gently until well combined.
Serves 4
Preparation Time 20 minutes
Cooking Time 10 minutes
150g green beans, topped, cut into 5cm lengths
150g snow peas, sliced diagonally
100g broccoli, separated into small florets
375g dried small penne pasta
250g (1 punnet) cherry tomatoes, halved
1 zucchini, thinly sliced crossways
100g red capsicum, thickly diced
3-4 Tbs basil pesto
Cook beans, snow peas and broccoli in a saucepan of salted boiling water for 2 minutes or until tender crisp. Use slotted spoon to remove from pan and refresh under cold running water. Bring water back to the boil. Cook pasta in boiling water following packet directions or until al dente. Drain and rinse well under cold water. Drain well. Place in a large serving bowl.
Stir pesto through pasta. Add the beans, snow peas, broccoli, tomatoes and zucchini to the pasta and toss gently until well combined.
Serves 4
Basil Pesto
45g (1/4 cup) pine nuts, lightly toasted
1 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves
2 small garlic cloves, halved
60g (3/4 cup) shredded parmesan
5 tbs olive oil
Place the pine nuts, basil, garlic and parmesan in the bowl of a food processor and process until finely chopped. With the motor running, gradually add the oil in a thin steady stream until well combined.
1 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves
2 small garlic cloves, halved
60g (3/4 cup) shredded parmesan
5 tbs olive oil
Place the pine nuts, basil, garlic and parmesan in the bowl of a food processor and process until finely chopped. With the motor running, gradually add the oil in a thin steady stream until well combined.
Couch to 5km - Week 2 Day 2
After four days of inactivity I headed out for a run yesterday morning at around 10:30am...that was my first mistake.. It was getting warm and I was feeling very sluggish. I hadn't eaten beforehand and felt like I had no energy. As such my pace was little better than if I'd just done a brisk walk. I seem to do my best times at night so I'm planning to have a rest day today and then set out for W2D3 tomorrow evening.
Brisk 5 minute warm-up walk, then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and 2 minutes of walking for a total of 21 minutes. Finish with a 5 minute cool down.
Duration 30:00, Pace 9:15 per km, Distance 3.35km
229 cal, Cal from fat 24%
Avg HR 139 BPM, Max HR 195 BPM
Zone 1: 7:52
Zone 2: 12:27
Zone 3: 8:38
Brisk 5 minute warm-up walk, then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and 2 minutes of walking for a total of 21 minutes. Finish with a 5 minute cool down.
Duration 30:00, Pace 9:15 per km, Distance 3.35km
229 cal, Cal from fat 24%
Avg HR 139 BPM, Max HR 195 BPM
Zone 1: 7:52
Zone 2: 12:27
Zone 3: 8:38
Coq Au Vin
A delicious Coq Au Vin that is quick and easy to prepare and is the perfect comfort food served with some creamy mashed potato and crisp green beans or the vegetables of your choice. I usually make this with chicken pieces as they are often on special more often than marylands.
COOKING TIME: 30 minutes
PREP TIME:15 minutes
4 chicken marylands, cut in half or a mix of chicken pieces
salt & pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium red onion, diced
1 medium carrot, diced
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 tsp plain flour
1 cup mushrooms, cut in half
1 cup reduced salt chicken stock
500 ml dry red wine
1 bay leaf
3 sprigs fresh thyme
COOKING TIME: 30 minutes
PREP TIME:15 minutes
4 chicken marylands, cut in half or a mix of chicken pieces
salt & pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium red onion, diced
1 medium carrot, diced
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 tsp plain flour
1 cup mushrooms, cut in half
1 cup reduced salt chicken stock
500 ml dry red wine
1 bay leaf
3 sprigs fresh thyme
2 tbsp parsley, roughly chopped
Mashed potato and steamed green beans to serve
Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in large saucepan over high heat. Add the chicken, skin side down and brown well, for about 10 minutes turning once. Remove to a plate and set aside.
Return pan to medium heat. Add onion and cook for 2 minutes. Add carrot and garlic and cook for another 3 minutes.
Add flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add mushrooms, stock, wine, chicken and herbs and reduce heat to low simmer. Cook for 12 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and liquid is thick and saucy. Discard bay leaf and thyme.
To serve, place 1 leg and 1 thigh on each plate with a mound of mashed potato and spoon over sauce and vegetables.
Mashed potato and steamed green beans to serve
Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in large saucepan over high heat. Add the chicken, skin side down and brown well, for about 10 minutes turning once. Remove to a plate and set aside.
Return pan to medium heat. Add onion and cook for 2 minutes. Add carrot and garlic and cook for another 3 minutes.
Add flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add mushrooms, stock, wine, chicken and herbs and reduce heat to low simmer. Cook for 12 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and liquid is thick and saucy. Discard bay leaf and thyme.
To serve, place 1 leg and 1 thigh on each plate with a mound of mashed potato and spoon over sauce and vegetables.
Freaky Freekeh for Breakfast
I've had a box of Greenwheat Freekah in my pantry for quite a while but not being quite sure what to do with it or what it will taste like it's continued to take a back seat to more conventional grains.. But Freekah will be ignored no more!
150g cracked grain Greenwheat Freekeh
1 Granny smith apple
1 pear
pinch of cinnamon
Dried fruit - sultanas, dried apricots, raisins etc
To serve - Walnuts, cashews, almonds, tinned fruit
Pour Freekah in a medium saucepan and cover with water by an inch or so. Cook for about 15-20 minutes.
(One other possibility is instead of cooking the Freekeh to simply soak it overnight in the fridge with water with a towel on top).
While waiting for the grains to cook, chop and dice apple and pear. Place in a dry pot on low heat and stir for about 1 -2 minutes. Add 2 Tbs water and a pinch of cinnamon and stir for one more minute. Wash dried fruit and add to the apples. Stir for 1 more minute or so or until soft.
Tip the fruit mixture over the already cooked grains and mix well. Let cool. Place in the fridge. The breakfast cereal should keep for 10 days or even more.
To eat hot: Take a scoop or two of the mixture add some milk and put some nuts on top. Heat in the microwave for about 1-2 minutes on high. Remove from the microwave and place a dollop of vanilla yogurt in the middle with tinned fruit.
To eat cold: Take a scoop or two of the mixture and add yogurt and sprinkle with nuts and tinned fruit.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Slow cooked honey glazed goat
This is a quick and easy recipe that you can start and then forget until the aromas take over your kitchen! While in Melbourne I always had a plentiful supply of goat from my mother and step-father's farm. It is now becoming easier to source from good butchers.
1 goat leg roast (approx 1kg)
1 goat leg roast (approx 1kg)
Salt and pepper, to taste
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp honey
1/4 cup orange juice
Combine brown sugar, honey and orange juice; mix well.
Place roast in slow cooker and set to High.
Pour glaze over goat and season with salt and pepper.
Pour glaze over goat and season with salt and pepper.
Cook for 4 hours basting occasionally.
Remove leg and reserve glaze.
Remove leg and reserve glaze.
Carve and serve with reserved glaze.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Macadamia, white chocolate and raspberry muffins
Is there anything better than the smell of freshly baked muffins? Try this divine recipe which combines white chocolate and tangy raspberries - it's sure to satisfy even the sweetest tooth.
Makes 6
1/2 cup (95g) white chocolate buds
3/4 cup (155g) caster sugar
2 cups (300g) self-raising flour
1/2 cup (80g) coarsely chopped macadamias
1 cup (125g) frozen raspberries (or mixed berries)
1 egg, lightly whisked
1/2 cup (125ml) macadamia oil
3/4 cup (185ml) buttermilk
Preheat oven to 200°C. Line six 3/4-cup (185ml) capacity Texas muffin pans with paper cases.
Combine the white chocolate, sugar, flour and macadamias in a large bowl. Coarsely chop half the raspberries. Add all the raspberries to the mixture. Stir to combine. Make a well in the centre.
Whisk the egg, oil and buttermilk in a jug. Pour into the flour mixture. Gently stir until just combined. Spoon evenly among the pans. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Remove from oven, set aside for 5 minutes. Serve warm.
Notes: The delicate taste of macadamia oil makes it an ideal choice for baking and other sweet dishes.
Special-K 09:43 Thu 14Jul11
So easy and delicious! The only change I made was to use a frozen forest fruits mix instead of frozen raspberries. Very quick and so good warm straight out of the oven.
Special-K 17:30 Sun 02Oct11
This has become my go-to muffin recipe because it is so quick and easy and taste divine! I didn't have macadamias or buttermik so I used chopped almonds and a quick and easy buttermilk substitute.
As I have on the other two occasions I used frozen mixed berries instead of raspberries.
I also sprinkled some brown sugar on top for a bit more crunch
1/2 cup (95g) white chocolate buds
3/4 cup (155g) caster sugar
2 cups (300g) self-raising flour
1/2 cup (80g) coarsely chopped macadamias
1 cup (125g) frozen raspberries (or mixed berries)
1 egg, lightly whisked
1/2 cup (125ml) macadamia oil
3/4 cup (185ml) buttermilk
Preheat oven to 200°C. Line six 3/4-cup (185ml) capacity Texas muffin pans with paper cases.
Combine the white chocolate, sugar, flour and macadamias in a large bowl. Coarsely chop half the raspberries. Add all the raspberries to the mixture. Stir to combine. Make a well in the centre.
Whisk the egg, oil and buttermilk in a jug. Pour into the flour mixture. Gently stir until just combined. Spoon evenly among the pans. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Remove from oven, set aside for 5 minutes. Serve warm.
Notes: The delicate taste of macadamia oil makes it an ideal choice for baking and other sweet dishes.
Special-K 09:43 Thu 14Jul11
So easy and delicious! The only change I made was to use a frozen forest fruits mix instead of frozen raspberries. Very quick and so good warm straight out of the oven.
Special-K 17:30 Sun 02Oct11
This has become my go-to muffin recipe because it is so quick and easy and taste divine! I didn't have macadamias or buttermik so I used chopped almonds and a quick and easy buttermilk substitute.
As I have on the other two occasions I used frozen mixed berries instead of raspberries.
I also sprinkled some brown sugar on top for a bit more crunch
Buttermilk Substitute
Making a recipe that calls for buttermilk? Use this simple substitute, and you won't need to buy any:
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Milk (just under one cup)
1 Tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice
Place a Tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice in a liquid measuring cup.
Add enough milk to bring the liquid up to the one-cup line.
Let stand for five minute. Then, use as much as your recipe calls for.
Total Time: 5 minutes
Milk (just under one cup)
1 Tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice
Place a Tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice in a liquid measuring cup.
Add enough milk to bring the liquid up to the one-cup line.
Let stand for five minute. Then, use as much as your recipe calls for.
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