Recipes For Cook Up With Vicki No 2!!!

As mentioned in my other blog...Queen of the Armchair...following are the recipes I used from the Donna Hay magazine June/July 2009...

These recipes were used in the Cook Up with Vicki that we have both agreed to do...

the idea being we both cook something from the magazine and blog about it..

If anyone would like to join us you are most welcome...no rules...just choose a recipe from the current issue and blog your meal!!!

The meal I decided to do was:

Pork with Caramelized Pear and Parsnip

Roasted Balsamic Beetroot

Brussel Sprouts with Melted Butter and Parsley

Sticky Date Pudding

Pork sitting atop the parsnip and pear...

Finished meal...



Sticky Date Pudding...made with Gluten Free Flour!!!


Cover of the magazine...

Recipes from the magazine



Pork with Caramelized Pear and Parsnip


4 x 200g pork chops, trimmed
1 tablespoon olive oil
sea salt and cracked black pepper
2 firm pears, chopped
2 parsnips, peeled and chopped
1 lemon, halved
60g butter, melted
1 tablespoon brown sugar


Preheat oven to 200ºC (390ºF). Heat a large non-stick frying pan over high heat. Brush the pork with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook for 1–2 minutes each side or until browned. Place the pear, parsnip, lemon, butter and sugar in a baking dish and toss until well combined. Top with the pork and roast for 25 minutes or until the pork is cooked through and the parsnip and pear are caramelized. Serves 4



Roasted Balsamic Beetroot



1 bunch beetroot, scrubbed, trimmed and chopped

1/2 C (125 ml) Beef Stock

1T Balsamic Vinegar

2T Brown Sugar



Preheat oven to 180c (355F)

Place beetroot, stock, vinegar and sugar in a bowl and toss to combine

Spoon into 2 x 3 cup capacity (750ml) ovenproof dishes

Cover with aluminium foil, place on a baking tray and bake for 1 hour 15m or until the beetroot are tender. Serves 4



Sticky Date Pudding



1 & 1/2 C (210g) chopped pitted dates

1 C (250ml) boiling water

1t bicarbonate of soda

100g butter, chopped

3/4C (135g) brown sugar

2 eggs

1C (150g) SR flour (I used gluten free flour and it worked well)

double (thick) cream to serve



Toffee Sauce

150g butter, chopped

1C single (pouring) cream

1 & 1/2C (265g) brown sugar



Preheat oven to 180c (355F)

Place dates, water and bicarb in a bowl and allow to stand for 5 m

Place the date mixture in the bowl of a food processor with the butter and sugar and process until well combined.

Add the eggs and flour and process until just combined.

Pour into a lightly greased 26cm x 16 cm tin lined with non stick baking paper

Bake for 30-35m or until cooked when tested with a skewer

Cool in tin for 10m. Cut into squares



To make the toffee sauce, place butter, cream and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat and stir until butter is melted

Bring to boil and cook for 5m or until thickened slightly

Spoon over puddings and top with cream. Serves 6



I must say the pork combined with the pear and parsnip was utterly delicious...as was the beetroot...as for the Sticky Date Pudding...it worked very well with the Gluten Free flour....I can't remember the last time I had a pudding like this due to the gluten level in the flour... and crikey I thoroughly enjoyed it...