Entertaining

Perfect Boiled Eggs

(with no grey around the yolk)

NB: Fresh eggs will sink, out of date or potentially bad eggs will float.

6 eggs - (chicken)

Guacamole

3 large ripe avocado

1 red onion, finely diced

1 red chilli - deseeded, deveined and finely diced juice and zest of 1 lime (or lemon)

2 ripe tomatoes - deseeded and flesh diced

¼ cup sweet chilli sauce

200ml sour cream - optional

Quiche Lorraine

when making quiches - large or small - it is much more economical to make a batch rather than just, one this recipe makes 2 large quiches quantity of either Rough Puff Pastry or Shortcrust Pastry (or frozen pastry)

Filling:

8 bacon rashers

2 medium sized brown onions

2 cups grated matured cheddar cheese

1½ cups pure whipping cream

4 eggs

1-2 Tblsp freshly chopped flat leaf parsley

½ tsp fresh thyme salt & pepper

Shake & Bake Quiche

1½ cups milk

4 eggs

1 dessertspoon melted butter or olive oil

Method

Place eggs in a deep saucepan and cover eggs with cold tap water, 2-3cm above the level of the eggs.

Bring to a rapid boil on high heat in unlidded pan.

Remove from heat, cover saucepan with a lid and allow to sit for exactly 13 minutes. Rinse the eggs in cold water to stop the cooking process.

Method

In a mixing bowl mix well the onion, chilli, sweet chilli sauce, lime juice and lime zest.

Scoop out avo flesh into the bowl and mash with a fork - don’t over mash the avo as it is good to have some texture to it.

Stir through the tomato flesh and finally, if using sour cream, fold through enough sour cream to suit your tastes.

Season with salt & pepper to taste.

Place one of the avocado seeds into the dip while chilling, to prevent dip from discolouring.

Refrigerate for an hour before serving.

Method

Prepare the pastry case and blind bake at 160˚C for minutes (or thaw the pastry). Remove the blind baking beads/rice/legumes and return to the oven for a further 5 minutes, or until golden.

Sauté the onions then add chopped bacon and brown until crispy. In a jug, beat together the eggs, cream, salt, pepper, parsley and thyme until foamy.

Spread bacon and onion mixture evenly over the base of the pastry and sprinkle over the grated cheese.

Place onto a baking sheet and place into the oven on extended shelf. Pour the liquid/egg over the filling to within 1cm of the top of the pastry case, doing this while on the oven shelf prevents spillage.

Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until the top is golden and the ‘custard’ has set.

Method

Beat the milk, egss and butter/oil together in a mixing bowl, then add:

• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese

• 3/4 cup sifted Self Raising flour

• 1 grated onion

• cubed ham or chopped bacon

• sliced green onions

• 1 grated potato

• 1 grated carrot

• sliced capsicum

• small florets of broccoli

Bake in a deep pie dish at 200˚C for approximately 45 minutes or until top is browned and custard has set.

Spring Rolls

500g finely ground lean pork mince

500g finely ground lean chicken mince

4 finely diced brown onions

200g snow pea shoots/sprouts - chopped in half

200g mung bean sprouts

4 green chillies - deseeded, deveined and finely chopped

2 red chillies - deseeded, deveined and finely chopped

1 whole (smallish to medium) finely shredded Chinese cabbage (leaves onlyNO stalky bits)

1 Tblsp minced or grated ginger

8 cloves garlic, finely grated/minced or chopped olive oil generous quantity of kecap manis (½ a cup or more, depending on your tastes)

1 Tblsp fish sauce

1-2 Tblsp Hoisin sauce

1 cup white wine - preferably a dry white like chardonnay or Shaohsing (You can use a commercially prepared Chinese cooking sauce - Black bean, etc for a saucier result or instead of the KM/Fish/Hoisin)

3 to 4 packets of Spring Roll wrappers at room temperature (thawed)

1 egg white + 1 cup water

Method:

Heat oil in a heavy casserole and stir fry the meat in batches until browned/cooked.

Have a very large bowl (stainless preferably) on hand to store the cooked ingredients.

Remove meat once browned.

Add a little oil and stir fry garlic, ginger and chilli till fragrant.

Add diced onions and fry until transparent. Remove from the pan and reserve (with meat).

Heat a little more oil, add shredded cabbage, snow pea shoots and mung beans.

Stir fry until well and truly cooked/limp.

Return meat and onion/chilli/garlic/ginger to the casserole and stir well to incorporate cabbage etc.

Drizzle the kecap manis into the pan, and mix well. I prefer the kecap manis to straight soy (which is too salty for my liking) as it’s thicker and sweeter.

Add wine and perhaps a little water if mixture is too dry.

Simmer, on very low heat for around 30 minutes. The end result should be thick and relatively ‘dry’ - not watery or too saucy.

Allow to cool in the pan with a lid on. Mix well so all ingredients are dispersed. Once cooled you can start rolling and folding, rolling and folding till the cows come home!

Make yourself comfortable (sit!!) at the kitchen table or bench.

Place a damp tea towel, or board, in front of you and keep another damp teatowel covering the opened wrapper of spring roll sheets.

Place one sheet of spring roll wrapper on your tea towel/board with a point facing you. Brush all four sides sparingly with egg white/water mixture.

Place 2-3 tsp mixture about 2” in across the point (horizontal to you). Flip the point closest to you over mixture and push to shape & remove air. Bring in each side to form an envelope and seal in the mix. Use your fingers to compact the mixture into the space, expelling any unwanted air or gaps, then roll away from you until spring roll wrapper is almost at the point furthest from you.

Add another flick of eggwhite/water and seal. Place on a tray lined with freezer wrap, Glad Bake etc.

Continue on to number two.... etc etc etc etc.... it takes about 40 minutes or so, once you get into the swing! You can comfortably stack (with freezer wrap, alfoil or greaseproof between each layer!!) 2- 3 layers on each tray.

Place tray/s into large bags, or wrap in cling film, and freeze.

Makes about 12 odd dozen 4” (or so) spring rolls. Bag in lots of 12 once frozen.

Samosas

60g ghee or canola oil

1 large onion, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, finely diced

1 Tblsp Madras curry powder*

2 tsp tomato paste

500g finely minced lean beef or lamb

1 Tblsp plain yoghurt or sour curds# salt & freshly ground white pepper shortcrust pastry

Shortcrust Pastry^

2 cups Plain flour

150g cold butter, chopped

1 egg yolk, whisked iced water pinch of salt

Method

Heat ghee in a deep, heavy skillet and fry off the onion and garlic until tansparent. Add curry powder and tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes on low to medium heat.

Add crumbled meat and yoghurt/curds.

Mix well, season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cook until meat is completely cooked. This is not a very dry curry, nor is it a wet curry. There should not be any discernable ‘gravy’.

Allow mixture to cool, then make shortcrust for the samosas.

Sift flour and salt into a bowl.

Rub through the butter until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the beaten egg yolk and sufficient iced water to bring the dough together. Knead on a lightly floured surface, wrap in cling film and allow to rest for an hour. Roll out the pastry, cut into rounds of about 10cm.

Place a dessertspoon of the filling into the centre of each disc of pastry.

Brush edges with a little milk, fold over to form a samosa shape, crimp with a fork to seal the arc.

Place on a lined baking sheet leaving room between. Repeat until all filling is used.

Bake in a moderate to hot oven 180˚C for approximately 20 minutes or until golden.

The filling is already cooked, you’re simply cooking the pastry.

* Curry powder - Usually I make my own - 1tsp ground cumin, 1½ tsp ground coriander, 1 level tsp chilli powder, 1 heaped tsp turmeric, pinch ground fenugreek

# Sour curds - squeeze the juice of one lemon with one dessertspoon of full cream milk. Mix well and allow to curdle.

^ You can also use Pampas Shortcrust pastry, cut into squares or rectangles (9 per sheet)

Vol-au-vents

Woolworths brand vol-au-vent cases - either 12 small hors d’ouvres size, 6 entree size, or 2 main meal size

150-250g grated extra tasty cheddar cheese

2 heaped Tblsp butter

1-2 heaped Tblsp plain flour milk

Method

Ham & Cheese

• finely diced ham

• small tsp Djion mustard

• finely chopped spring onions

• seasoning to taste

In a heavy based large saucepan, melt butter and add flour to make a roux. Cook for 1 - 2 minutes on gentle heat without browning, until mixture is bubbly, lighter in colour and the flour has been ‘cooked out’. Over medium heat gradually add liquid - either milk or consomme or a combination of the two - stirring constantly to create a thick white sauce. The amount of liquid required will depend a lot on the flour - sometimes it will take more liquid, sometimes less. Generally, 1½ to 3 cups of milk will be required. Once the sauce has thickened, add grated cheese and stir until melted. Mix the bechamel sauce with various fillings to a thick mixture and spoon into the pastry cases.

Asparagus & Cheese

• bottled/tinned drained asparagus pieces

• freshly ground black pepper

The pastries can be kept in the case in which they came, placed in zip lock bags and frozen for up to 6 months.

• seasoning to taste

• additional grated cheese - parmesan or pecorino

To cook, place apart on lined baking sheets and cook (frozen) for approx 20-30 minutes at 170˚C.