Muffin Mania

I have a cocktail party to cater for this weekend. 80 people. I will be serving 6 hot options and 1 sweet option.

The menu is...

Chicken,leek and fetta mini tarts

Sugarcane prawn puffs w/green chilli dipping sauce

Pumpkin,sweetcorn and coriander fritters

Moroccan marinated lamb skewers w/tahini lemon dipping sauce

Beef,mushroom and lentil baby pies

Tomato & Zucchini soup served in cups with garlic toasts

Raspberry & White Chocolate Muffin cupcakes.

While I was making the muffins I thought about sharing my tips for making great muffins.

I have a good reputation for my muffins. They were the best seller in both of our cafes.

I find the best result is to not over mix, let it be lumpy and still a bit of flour not mixed in.

Melt the butter in a jug in the microwave, add your eggs to it and then beat it through in the jug then add the milk.

If you follow this sequence I promise you nothing but praise for your muffins!

If your using frozen berries, fold them in the dry mix first before you add your wet mix. This will stop the berries bleeding through the muffin mixture.

I always use white sugar, not caster. I find this gives the top of the muffin its nice crunch.

DON'T over cook them. Take them out a wee bit before you meant too. The muffins will keep cooking a little bit more as they cool down.

Well see how you go with these tips...

Well I must keep going, I'm behind a bit this week. I have had a sick little boy. Winter cold.

His spirits are good, just rough nights....zzzzzzzzzzz

Sweet Muffins & Dreams.

A Winters Pie...

Well winter is really upon us. Its mushroom season and a great time to get out for a walk and pick your own. You really need to know your mushrooms!!  Nature has a way of tricking us.

I made some mushroom and lentil pies the other day and have been asked to share the recipe. It was a recipe I just made up along the way for 80 pies. So I will try to adjust it for a serving of 4.

Mushroom & Lentil Pies.

500gms  diced mushrooms. Use what ever you like.

1/2 brown onion diced

2 cloves garlic diced

1/2 leek diced

1/2 single piece of celery chopped finely

1 carrot grated finely

1/2 red de-seeded chili diced finely

1/2 zucchini grated finely

2 handfuls chopped baby spinach

1/2 cup uncooked red lentils.

2 tsp chopped thyme

4 basil leaves chopped.

Salt and Pepper

1-2 cups of vegetable or beef or chicken stock

splash white wine

olive oil

50gms butter

Shortcrust pastry.(frozen)

Puff pastry. (frozen)

Pre-heat oven to 180.c.

Thaw out your pastry

In a heavy based saucepan put in a splash of olive oil and the butter.

Sweat all the vegetables till soft, might need to add a bit more oil as you go.

De glaze the pan with a splash of white wine, add the stock, 1 cup first.

Add the lentils and stir through.

Season to taste.

This is when you decide to add the rest of the stock, if it needs it.

Cook it out slowly till the lentils are soft. Lentils will thicken up the mixture as they cook out.

You can use cooked tinned lentils. 1 can is plenty. 

Add the end add your spinach,thyme,basil.

This mixture only takes about 30-40 mins to cook.

Make sure your mixture is moist or you will have dry pies.

Use whatever pie mold you want to. I use my Texas cup muffin tin.

Cut out the appropriate amount of pastry to fit your mould with a little over-hang.

Fill with the pie mix.

Top the pie with your Puff pastry.

Press together around the sides with a fork.

Brush with an egg wash ( 1 egg beaten with a splash of milk)

Sometimes I sprinkle the top of the pies with sesame seeds.

Bake in oven for about 20-25 mins. Till your pastry looks golden brown.

The photos of the mushrooms are in my neighbourhood. Not for eating!!

blurry thinking: more bandwidth filler

blurry thinking: more bandwidth filler

Blessed be the vegans...

 Well last weekend I had my first all weekend function to cater for. It was the Australian Home birth Midwifery Retreat. 

60 beautiful women ( and 1 man) who all gathered at this fantastic retreat in the hills. It was a cold but cosy atmosphere, lots of love,laughter,tears and bonding going on.

My job was to feed these magnificent women who are out there caring for pregnant women and giving us the best possible births. I felt honored to do so.

An email was sent out to the retreat guests to ask if anyone had any dietary requirements so I could be prepared. Most of the guests were vegetarian and a few vegans.

I panicked at first then really embraced the idea of catering a weekend for mostly vegetarians.

The menu consisted of soups,lentil burgers,mushroom pies,sweet potato lasagne's, nuts,seeds,roasted vegetables, quinoa salads,muffins,fruit,crumbles,lemon tarts.....  I had a great time cooking outside the square and really enjoyed the fabulous feedback.

I made a particular salad that was a huge hit...it was my Savoury Quinoa Salad.

Quinoa is a super food! (pronounced  keen-wah)

It comes from the spinach family and is a seed. A complex protein! 

You need to cook it like rice and a bit like cous-cous.

Savoury Quinoa Salad

1 cup uncooked quinoa ( this will feed about 4 people)

2 cups water.

1 tbs ground cumin

1 tbs ground coriander

1 tsp sweet paprika

2 cup chopped roasted pumpkin

S'n"P to season

Big splash of olive oil

Handful fresh coriander chopped

Handful fresh mint chopped

1/2 red onion chopped into thin 1/2 rings

1/2 red capsicum diced

1/2 cup currants or sultanas

1 cup slivered almonds toasted

1/2 cup sunflower seeds toasted

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds toasted

Cook the quinoa in the water. Bring to a boil then turn to a simmer, till the water evaporates and the seeds start to sprout a wee bit and its softer to chew on.

Let it cool down.

In a bowl add all the ingredients and add the cooled quinoa. Mix together. Adjust seasoning.

You can add baby spinach or rocket.

Its a great super food. Google Quinoa and see the amazing health benefits it has for you and the kids!

I make a nice cinnamon quinoa porridge with sultanas and my little boy loves it.

Enjoy and cook some vegan food sometimes...its better for you and the environment.

Namaste.

Some like it hot...

Today I had a wonderful day sharing curries and wine with a few of my fabulous friends. It was an idea I have had for sometime but was waiting for a bit cooler weather.

I invited two couples and asked them both to bring a curry each. The result was intoxicating. 

The table was heaving with exotic ingredients and the air was filled with the smell of India. We had a lamb lentil curry, beef madras, butter chicken, cucumber raita, spinach paneer, carrot sesame relish and the usual bandits...rice and pappadums.

We all ate too much and had to go for a walk afterwards to make room for my Lumberjack cake served with lashings of cream. The dogs were all too grateful for this idea. They love a good walk around our leafy neighbourhood.

One of the relishes I made was a home made chilli sambal. It is a very easy recipe and a real hit with chilli lovers.

Chilli Sambal

 1 red capsicum

3 red long chillis

2 green chillis

1/2 brown onion

3 cloves garlic peeled

2 tsp ground cumin powder

2 tsp ground corriander powder

Salt n Pepper

Olive oil

Slice it all up roughly and toss it in olive oil with all the seasonings.

Put it on a lined baking tray in the oven about 180.c

Roast them off till soft and a little bit of color happens.

Let cool down a wee bit, then put it all in your food processor and lightly blitz till your mixture becomes chunky. Don't over puree it.

Makes about 2 cups.

Will keep in the fridge for about 2 weeks. You could make it last longer if you mix in more olive oil.

Enjoy.