Coffee Panna Cotta

I am hosting a dinner party tonight to celebrate Paolo's 30th Birthday, and afterwards we're going to some late night comedy as his gift. For dessert I decided to try and make panna cotta. It is such a luscious and light dessert. I hope he likes it. I made it last night, and it was really simple, and very quick to make. I used Lucullian's recipe at http://lucullian.blogspot.com/, with some very minor adjustments.

500ml cup fresh cream, I used thick cream (which probably accounts for needing more gelatin)
100ml milk
100ml very strong coffee
75ml cup caster sugar
10-12g gelatin leaves, I used the lesser amount but I think it probably needed the extra
Dark chocolate for decoration

Put the gelatin leaves to soak in cold water.

Mix cream, milk and coffee in a small pan, add sugar and bring to boil.

Squeeze the water out of the gelatin leaves and melt them in the hot coffee cream, stir really well and leave it to cool down a bit.

Pass through some muslin before pouring the cream into cocktail glasses. Refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours.

Decorate as you wish.



Enjoy!

Gotye

This is the latest offering from Gotye, in the band 'The Basics' (Gotye is a pseudonym for Wally De Backer). Can't stop playing it. And can't wait for the album. (I feel like I've used these words before on this blog.)

The Pyrophone Juggernaut

P came to visit and given it is the MAD MONTH OF MARCH in Adelaide, it was only appropriate that I organise a few Fringe shows to head out to.

Saturday night we went to see House of the Holy Afro. A show best described as "Afro Celt Sound System" meets "Ministry of Sound". Or if you don't know who they are, African music on acid will draw a pretty clear picture. http://www.houseoftheholyafro.com.au/

Sunday we spent a lazy day at a BBQ at mum's house before heading out to some comedy - Best of the Edinburgh Festival.

Monday (thank God for Public Holidays), we went to Grange Kiosk for coffee, Glenelg for some lunch and then we headed out to Semaphore Beach for some fish and chips and to see a free fringe event - The Pyrophone Juggernaut. More on that shortly.

Tuesday night we topped it all off by going to see Arj Barker. Professional comedians have real talent. They get on stage and drivel crap for an hour, and yet manage to keep the audience entertained the whole time.

Back to the Pyrophone Juggernaut... a "tightly choreographed percussive symphony spectacle". It was weird, but oddly entertaining. It looked a bit like a pirate ship from the future, and when the sun went down the show started. The musical instruments were metal and plastic pipes of different lengths placed to look like a massive organ; and wheel rims and other manner of metal objects. Blow torches were used to fire up through the pipes generating different sounds, among other effects.

At this point I think it best that the photos do the talking:















I love the Fringe, but soon, the Fringe will be over, Womadelaide truly done with for another year and the Clipsal madness forgotten, and Adelaide can wake up in 11 months time to start the March madness all over again.

Pasta Sauce

Well I've finally made another batch of pasta sauce, and have taken the time to take a couple of shots to blog it. This is how I make it, which is very similar to how my mum makes it. Of course we use mum's home made tomato sauce where we (or she, depending on who can help), takes a day or two out in January to make anywhere from 100 - 150 bottles of the stuff.



You can buy 'pasata' in most shops to make a reasonable sauce yourself (although I do find it slightly runnier, so needs more simmering time). This recipe uses 2 bottles, but that's because I make a large batch and then freeze it in smaller batches for when I need something fast.

You need:

2 bottles of sauce
garlic
onion
chuck steak (or something similar)
chilli
basil
olive oil

Generously coat the bottom of a large saucepan with olive oil and add the chopped onion. Soften the onion then add your meat.





Seal the meat before adding the tomato sauce. Add basil, garlic (whole), chilli and of course salt to flavour.



Cook at med/high heat until it comes to the boil, but keep it boiling for a good 10 or 15 mins before reducing the heat to simmer it. Stop cooking when you feel you have a good consistency and flavour (could be up to 2 hours). You want the meat to be falling off the bone by the end of it.



Add to your pasta and serve (with parmesan cheese of course).

Enjoy!

Garden pickings

I got all of these lovely items out of my garden today.



I couldn't be more proud of these few measly items. I just wish the rest of my garden wasn't dead, and that I had more time and nous to grow more things.

It's all in the genes

The more I read about human behaviours and traits, the more I believe that it's all in the genes...

Recently I posted a music video by Luke Steele who had teamed up with Nick Littlemore from PNAU to form Empire of the Sun, and I raved about how much I loved the song. I first heard about Luke from his band the Sleepy Jacksons whose albums I have and love. Luke has a sister, Katy Steele, who is in another great Ausie band, "Little Birdy", whose albums I also own and love. Little Birdy has just realeased a new song (and will release a new album soon I presume) called 'Brother'. I can't tell you how much I adore this song, and it features the one and only Paul Kelly too.



This video was filmed on a DIY video camera one day in Katy's bedroom.

So much talent in one family - it's all in the genes I tell you!

New York Brownie Cheesecake

I have never made a cheesecake before yesterday, but I was in the mood for trying something new, so cheesecake it was! I found this recipe in Janelle Bloom's "fast fresh & fabulous". I don't know how fast it was, and given I made a batch of biscuits in between layers, it took a fair while. But it is pretty fabulous.

You will need:

100gm dark chocolate, chopped
100gm butter, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup of plain flour
2 tablespoons SR flour

Filling:
750gm cream cheese, at room temp, chopped
1 cup caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 eggs, at room temp
2 tablespoons plain flour
300gm sour cream

To serve:
300 ml double cream
2 tablespoons limoncello liqueur
cocoa powder

Preheat over to 180c no fan. Grease and line 23cm springform pan.

Combine chocolate and butter - now Janelle says to microwave on high for 2 mins, then stir til smooth. But I think I prefer to do this the old-fashioned way in a bowl over a pan of boiling water. Whisk in cocoa powder until smooth. Stir in sugar, egg and flours. Spread mixture over base of prepared pan. Bake brownie base 15 mins. Set aside and reduce over to 160c no fan.

For the filling, use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until just combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the flour and sour cream until just combined. Pour over warm base and place on a baking tray.

Bake cheesecake for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean (the centre should still wobble slightly). Turn oven off, leave the door ajar, and allow to cool completely in the oven. Refrigerate until chilled.

Place the cream and limoncello in a bowl, whisk gently until combined. Cut the cheesecake into wedges with a warm knife, dust with cocoa powder and serve with the cream.



Enjoy!