Sunday mornings usually follow a routine in my home - wake up, read for a bit, get up to make a big brekky of bacon and poached eggs and bake. It wouldn't be Sunday without baking of some sort! On Sundays, I like to bake things that require no specific shopping - I like to create beautiful and delicious things with whatever is in my pantry and fridge and for last Sunday, that meant something orange as I had half a dozen languishing about. I also had excess cream cheese frosting leftover from another baking expedition the day before, and so I thought that orange and poppy seed muffins (with or without cream cheese frosting) would be perfect!
Ingredients
3 oranges, zested and juice squeezed
125g butter, melted
2 eggs, lightly whisked
2 1/2 cups self raising flour
3/4 cup caster sugar
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
3/4 cup skim milk
Method
1. Preheat oven to 190 degrees Celsius and line a muffin tin with paper cases.
2. In a small bowl, pour 1/4 cup of skim milk and add the poppy seeds. Let it sit for 10 minutes.
3. In a large mixing bowl, place the flour, butter, sugar, eggs, orange zest and juice and the remainder of the skim milk.
4. Add in the poppy seed and milk mixture, and stir with a wooden spoon until all combined - make sure that you don't overmix!
5. Spoon into the muffin cases until three quarters full and bake in the oven for 25 minutes. You'll find that at that time, the tops will be crunchy but the insides gloriously light and fluffy.
6. Remove from the oven, allow to cool on a wire rack and then dust with icing sugar (or as I did, frost with leftover cream cheese frosting!).
As you can see, this is a fool proof and insanely easy baking recipe. The smell that permeated the house from these babies were amazing, and I loved that the muffins were not overly sweet. These will make perfect morning tea snacks for the work week ahead and also freeze well. If you're aiming to freeze them, let them cool to room temperature, then seal them individually in zip lock bags, making sure all air is expelled. Freeze for up to a month, and when you want them, take them down to the fridge to defrost overnight. These would also be good zapped quickly in the microwave with a dab of butter!
Fast, easy and delicious - and it required no special shopping for me. This is the ultimate easy Sunday morning baking recipe!
thesuzchef x
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Platform 7 Cafe & Espresso Bar, Sydenham
Everyone loves a lazy and indulgent hot breakfast or brunch on a weekend - sitting at a cafe, generous plates of hot delicious food in front of you, coffee or tea at hand, reading the paper or chatting, this is the ultimate when it comes to weekend relaxation. K and I don't often go out to have breakfasts or brunches on the weekend, usually we whip up our own bacon and eggs at home, so when Food Morning Sydney came knocking and offering a free breakfast at Platform 7 in Sydenham, of course I took them up on it!
As we are not locals, our GPS guided us to Sydenham where we found Platform 7 located just next to Sydenham station - its name a clever play on the fact that it's right next to platform 6 of the station. Parking was freely available in the side street and we happily sat outside on a rain-free morning and felt ourselves relax immediately. A tiny little cafe, it seats only about 10 or so indoors with another two tables out the front. Service was prompt, friendly and efficient with our waitress bringing out the menus and tap water, and then our freshly squeezed orange juice, teas and breakfasts in short order.
Platform 7 had a previously had a deal on Food Morning - $15 for any two breakfasts from their menu, with freshly squeezed orange juice and coffee. It is an amazing deal, fabulous value for money considering the sizes of the breakfasts and the quality of the food served. I ordered the spinach and feta scrambled eggs, whilst K ordered the P7 - two eggs done to order, a huge mound of delicious bacon, field mushrooms, grilled tomato and toast.
My scrambled eggs were delicious - just the right amount of feta in the eggs that I didn't need to add any salt, just some pepper and we were good to go. K was very happy with the P7 even though I stole bits of his bacon and mushroom, and we were so inspired by the freshly squeezed orange juice that we even went to Victoria's Basement afterwards to look at juicers! The only thing that affected our enjoyment of the process was our shock over the noise of the planes and how low they fly over Sydenham - but next time, we'll just sit inside and that would effectively take care of that situation.
Platform 7 is a very solid local cafe, offering quality breakfasts for great value - even without the Food Morning deal. Go early to secure a coveted spot inside, order the P7 and you won't be sorry!
thesuzchef dined as a guest of Platform 7 and Food Morning
Platform 7 Cafe & Espresso Bar - 4 Burrows Street Sydenham.
Open Mon - Fri 6am - 5pm and Saturdays 7am - 3pm (breakfast available all day)
thesuzchef x
As we are not locals, our GPS guided us to Sydenham where we found Platform 7 located just next to Sydenham station - its name a clever play on the fact that it's right next to platform 6 of the station. Parking was freely available in the side street and we happily sat outside on a rain-free morning and felt ourselves relax immediately. A tiny little cafe, it seats only about 10 or so indoors with another two tables out the front. Service was prompt, friendly and efficient with our waitress bringing out the menus and tap water, and then our freshly squeezed orange juice, teas and breakfasts in short order.
 |
| Note the fancy water bottle - when did tap water go upmarket? |
Platform 7 had a previously had a deal on Food Morning - $15 for any two breakfasts from their menu, with freshly squeezed orange juice and coffee. It is an amazing deal, fabulous value for money considering the sizes of the breakfasts and the quality of the food served. I ordered the spinach and feta scrambled eggs, whilst K ordered the P7 - two eggs done to order, a huge mound of delicious bacon, field mushrooms, grilled tomato and toast.
 |
| Just looking at this makes me happy! |
 |
| This photo does not do justice to the mountain of bacon that was on the plate! |
My scrambled eggs were delicious - just the right amount of feta in the eggs that I didn't need to add any salt, just some pepper and we were good to go. K was very happy with the P7 even though I stole bits of his bacon and mushroom, and we were so inspired by the freshly squeezed orange juice that we even went to Victoria's Basement afterwards to look at juicers! The only thing that affected our enjoyment of the process was our shock over the noise of the planes and how low they fly over Sydenham - but next time, we'll just sit inside and that would effectively take care of that situation.
Platform 7 is a very solid local cafe, offering quality breakfasts for great value - even without the Food Morning deal. Go early to secure a coveted spot inside, order the P7 and you won't be sorry!
thesuzchef dined as a guest of Platform 7 and Food Morning
Platform 7 Cafe & Espresso Bar - 4 Burrows Street Sydenham.
Open Mon - Fri 6am - 5pm and Saturdays 7am - 3pm (breakfast available all day)
thesuzchef x
Friday, December 9, 2011
Milo ice cream
When I look back to my childhood, I smile when I think of all the small things - such as the morning routine before school - I would sit in front of the TV, watching Agro's Cartoon Connection, my mum sitting behind me, braiding my hair up with royal blue ribbons, a tall glass of Milo in front of me. My dad, without fail, every morning from my first day of kindy to my last day in Year 12, prepared me a glass of Milo - hot with a little bit of condensed milk in winter, and then over ice in summer. In my household, we never had it stirred through with just milk and after drinking it day in day out as a kid, I haven't touched it much in the years since.
Can you make Milo better? Yes - and this rich, creamy and oh-so-delicious ice-cream is exactly that! This is a recipe that I saw on Nigella Lawson's website (link here: http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/milo-ice-cream-4834), and despite my disdain at Nigella's overt food porn act, I myself was almost tempted to start licking the spatula and swirling my finger in the melted chocolate and sucking it off - this ice-cream is THAT good!
Ingredients
600mL thickened cream
6 egg yolks
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 cup Milo
50g melted dark chocolate - make it the good 70% stuff!
3 extra tablespoons of Milo
Method
1. In a bowl, lightly whisk the egg yolks with the sugar. Add the Milo and whisk together for a minute or two. It'll get really thick!
2. Pour the cream into a saucepan and heat over low heat - do not let it boil!!
3. When the cream is warm, take it off the heat and add it to the egg yolk mix, whisking to combine.
4. Return the mixture to the saucepan and stir over very low heat until the custard thickens considerably - it won't take long, only a few minutes.
5. Remove from the heat and put it in a cold water bath in the sink to let it go down to room temperature. When it does, transfer to the fridge so that the custard is completely cold before you churn it. Leave if for overnight, but if you don't have time, put it in the freezer for 45 minutes or so.
6. Remove mixture from the fridge and churn in your ice-cream maker. At the last few minutes of churning, add the extra tablespoons of Milo. It will get it to soft serve consistency, so remove from the machine into a container and return to freezer for a little longer if you can resist eating it right then and there!
When serving, scoop into a bowl and sprinkle a little more Milo over the top - tasting this for the first time, it took me right back to my childhood!
thesuzchef x
Can you make Milo better? Yes - and this rich, creamy and oh-so-delicious ice-cream is exactly that! This is a recipe that I saw on Nigella Lawson's website (link here: http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/milo-ice-cream-4834), and despite my disdain at Nigella's overt food porn act, I myself was almost tempted to start licking the spatula and swirling my finger in the melted chocolate and sucking it off - this ice-cream is THAT good!
 |
| Just looking at this makes my mouth water... |
Ingredients
600mL thickened cream
6 egg yolks
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 cup Milo
50g melted dark chocolate - make it the good 70% stuff!
3 extra tablespoons of Milo
Method
1. In a bowl, lightly whisk the egg yolks with the sugar. Add the Milo and whisk together for a minute or two. It'll get really thick!
2. Pour the cream into a saucepan and heat over low heat - do not let it boil!!
3. When the cream is warm, take it off the heat and add it to the egg yolk mix, whisking to combine.
4. Return the mixture to the saucepan and stir over very low heat until the custard thickens considerably - it won't take long, only a few minutes.
5. Remove from the heat and put it in a cold water bath in the sink to let it go down to room temperature. When it does, transfer to the fridge so that the custard is completely cold before you churn it. Leave if for overnight, but if you don't have time, put it in the freezer for 45 minutes or so.
6. Remove mixture from the fridge and churn in your ice-cream maker. At the last few minutes of churning, add the extra tablespoons of Milo. It will get it to soft serve consistency, so remove from the machine into a container and return to freezer for a little longer if you can resist eating it right then and there!
When serving, scoop into a bowl and sprinkle a little more Milo over the top - tasting this for the first time, it took me right back to my childhood!
thesuzchef x
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Elmo red velvet cupcakes
So my cutie pie niece turned 1!!
As the first baby in my husband's family, Isla is spoiled rotten - especially by K and I. We love nothing more than to carry and cuddle her, play with her, make her laugh, give her toys and clothes - and hand her back when she starts getting irritable and tired! Isla, of late, has become a huge fan of Elmo - only he can keep her still and captivated as she watches him sing and dance on Sesame Street. As such, with Isla turning one, I decided that I would bake her Elmo cupcakes - red velvet ones at that!
Ingredients (for 12 normal sized cupcakes or about 30 baby cakes)
60g unsalted butter - at room temperature
150g caster sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
10g cocoa powder
20mL red food colouring
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
120mL buttermilk
150g plain flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon bicarb
1 1/2 teaspoon white wine vinegar
Frosting
300g icing sugar, sifted
50g unsalted butter - at room temperature
125g cream cheese
Ingredients
1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees Celsius and line a cupcake pan with cases.
2. Cream together the butter and the caster sugar until pale and fluffy.
3. In a small bowl, mix together the food colouring, cocoa and vanilla extract into a thick paste.
4. Add the paste to the butter and beat together until the colour is evenly mixed through, making sure to scrape down the sides.
5. On slow speed, add half the buttermilk and beat, and then add half the flour and beat for a minute or two.
6. Add the remainder of the buttermilk and flour and beat together until all combined.
7. Add the salt, bicarb and vinegar, turning up the speed and beating for a few minutes until the mixture is completely light and fluffy.
8. Spoon into the patty cases and bake for 22 minutes if normal sized cupcake and 15 for babycakes.
9. Allow the cupcakes to cool for a few minutes in the tin and then turn out onto wire rack to cool completely.
10. For the frosting, beat together the sifted flour and the butter for a few minutes. Add the cream cheese and beat on medium-high speed for a few minutes until the frosting is light and fluffy.
11. When the cupcakes are cool, frost the cupcakes and enjoy!
I had purchased on eBay Elmo cupcake toppers as well as a Elmo cupcake stand. The cupcake toppers were a bit fiddly, cutting them out, spritzing the cupcakes with water before pressing them on. I much preferred the cupcakes without the toppers, but for the spirit of Isla's love for Elmo - so be it!The cupcake stand was great, very easy to assemble and then dissemble for ease of storage and transportation.
Isla loved the cupcakes - especially smooshing them up in her hands. This was her first taste of cakes or cupcakes - and she started with red velvet! I think I may have spoilt her for life!
thesuzchef x
As the first baby in my husband's family, Isla is spoiled rotten - especially by K and I. We love nothing more than to carry and cuddle her, play with her, make her laugh, give her toys and clothes - and hand her back when she starts getting irritable and tired! Isla, of late, has become a huge fan of Elmo - only he can keep her still and captivated as she watches him sing and dance on Sesame Street. As such, with Isla turning one, I decided that I would bake her Elmo cupcakes - red velvet ones at that!
Ingredients (for 12 normal sized cupcakes or about 30 baby cakes)
60g unsalted butter - at room temperature
150g caster sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
10g cocoa powder
20mL red food colouring
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
120mL buttermilk
150g plain flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon bicarb
1 1/2 teaspoon white wine vinegar
Frosting
300g icing sugar, sifted
50g unsalted butter - at room temperature
125g cream cheese
Ingredients
1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees Celsius and line a cupcake pan with cases.
2. Cream together the butter and the caster sugar until pale and fluffy.
3. In a small bowl, mix together the food colouring, cocoa and vanilla extract into a thick paste.
4. Add the paste to the butter and beat together until the colour is evenly mixed through, making sure to scrape down the sides.
5. On slow speed, add half the buttermilk and beat, and then add half the flour and beat for a minute or two.
6. Add the remainder of the buttermilk and flour and beat together until all combined.
7. Add the salt, bicarb and vinegar, turning up the speed and beating for a few minutes until the mixture is completely light and fluffy.
8. Spoon into the patty cases and bake for 22 minutes if normal sized cupcake and 15 for babycakes.
9. Allow the cupcakes to cool for a few minutes in the tin and then turn out onto wire rack to cool completely.
10. For the frosting, beat together the sifted flour and the butter for a few minutes. Add the cream cheese and beat on medium-high speed for a few minutes until the frosting is light and fluffy.
11. When the cupcakes are cool, frost the cupcakes and enjoy!
I had purchased on eBay Elmo cupcake toppers as well as a Elmo cupcake stand. The cupcake toppers were a bit fiddly, cutting them out, spritzing the cupcakes with water before pressing them on. I much preferred the cupcakes without the toppers, but for the spirit of Isla's love for Elmo - so be it!The cupcake stand was great, very easy to assemble and then dissemble for ease of storage and transportation.
Isla loved the cupcakes - especially smooshing them up in her hands. This was her first taste of cakes or cupcakes - and she started with red velvet! I think I may have spoilt her for life!
thesuzchef x
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Banh Chuoi Nuong (Vietnamese Banana Cake)
My parents, of Chinese origin but having been born and raised in Vietnam, were fond of telling my brothers and I how good we had in Australia. Growing up, we had a lovely mix of cultures - we had the Vietnamese food, the Chinese food and then we also acclimatised quite well into Australian culture with our barbecues, McDonalds and Dad's adoption of VB! One of my childhood memories is that of my Auntie making delicious banana cake, cake that I devoured. She made it with sweet lady finger bananas, and when I was recently faced with the luxury of a bunch of over ripe bananas, I started searching for recipes and was elated when I quickly came across one for Vietnamese banana cake!
The recipe was from Luke Nguyen, of Red Lantern and Fat Noodle, in his Song of Sapa cookbook. However, as I read through the recipe, I couldn't help myself (as I rarely can!) and adapted it to reduce to reduce the butter and sugar content - having my parents' good health in mind of course!
Ingredients
5 medium ripe bananas, sliced thinly
1/4 cup caster sugar
7 eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup butter, melted (the Luke Nguyen recipe calls for 1 cup of melted butter)
1 cup condensed milk (the Luke Nguyen recipe calls for 1 1/4 cups of condensed milk)
1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup dessicated coconut
Method
1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius and grease and line a round cake tin.
2. In a bowl, place the bananas and sugar, toss to combine.
3. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs for a minute until combined.
4. Add the butter and condensed milk, stir with a wooden spoon until combined.
5.Add the flour, stir until all the flour thoroughly mixed in.
6. Fold in the coconut and banana, and then pour the mixture into the cake tin.
7. Place in the oven and bake for 50 minutes. You might want to check it at 40 minutes - I found that the top of mine got quite dark, so I covered it with foil for the remainder of the baking time.
8. At 50 minutes, check the cake with a skewer. If it comes out dry, turn off the heat yet leave the cake in the oven for another 15 minutes. If not dry, continue to bake for another 10 minutes.
9. Remove from oven and let it cool completely in the pan before turning out and serving.
This cake is by no means fluffy and light like traditional baked cakes - it is dense and has a smooth texture, and a small slice was more than enough for me. It is a very faithful replication of the traditional Vietnamese cakes that I remember from my childhood - albeit not as sweet as I reduced the sugar content. If you like your cakes to be quite sweet, add another 1/4 cup of condensed milk as the true recipe calls for!
I baked this and took it over to my parents' place, eager to see if they thought it was the same. Their more refined and critical tastebuds detected that I used dessicated coconut whereas the family recipe had traditionally used coconut milk, but other than that, the cake was as they remembered it to be... and for that, I consider it a success!
thesuzchef x
The recipe was from Luke Nguyen, of Red Lantern and Fat Noodle, in his Song of Sapa cookbook. However, as I read through the recipe, I couldn't help myself (as I rarely can!) and adapted it to reduce to reduce the butter and sugar content - having my parents' good health in mind of course!
Ingredients
5 medium ripe bananas, sliced thinly
1/4 cup caster sugar
7 eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup butter, melted (the Luke Nguyen recipe calls for 1 cup of melted butter)
1 cup condensed milk (the Luke Nguyen recipe calls for 1 1/4 cups of condensed milk)
1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup dessicated coconut
Method
1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius and grease and line a round cake tin.
2. In a bowl, place the bananas and sugar, toss to combine.
3. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs for a minute until combined.
4. Add the butter and condensed milk, stir with a wooden spoon until combined.
5.Add the flour, stir until all the flour thoroughly mixed in.
6. Fold in the coconut and banana, and then pour the mixture into the cake tin.
7. Place in the oven and bake for 50 minutes. You might want to check it at 40 minutes - I found that the top of mine got quite dark, so I covered it with foil for the remainder of the baking time.
8. At 50 minutes, check the cake with a skewer. If it comes out dry, turn off the heat yet leave the cake in the oven for another 15 minutes. If not dry, continue to bake for another 10 minutes.
9. Remove from oven and let it cool completely in the pan before turning out and serving.
This cake is by no means fluffy and light like traditional baked cakes - it is dense and has a smooth texture, and a small slice was more than enough for me. It is a very faithful replication of the traditional Vietnamese cakes that I remember from my childhood - albeit not as sweet as I reduced the sugar content. If you like your cakes to be quite sweet, add another 1/4 cup of condensed milk as the true recipe calls for!
I baked this and took it over to my parents' place, eager to see if they thought it was the same. Their more refined and critical tastebuds detected that I used dessicated coconut whereas the family recipe had traditionally used coconut milk, but other than that, the cake was as they remembered it to be... and for that, I consider it a success!
thesuzchef x
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)