~Cook Up With donna hay~

I recently did another cook up from the donna hay magazine Issue 75 Jun/July 2014

Menu from the magazine was

Crispy Pork Belly with Cider Pickled Pears

Whole Spice Roasted Cauliflower

Kale Chips

Lemon and Goat's Yoghurt Cake

and I added Roast Potato

I use all Organic and Free Range if it all possible (and it mainly is)

All my meals are gluten free

Cauliflower in White Wine, Chicken Stock and Spices

and after Roasting

Kale Chips

The Pork

Next door's Lemons which I had frozen

And the cake (all gluten free) sprinkled with Thyme

And of course I forgot to put the Kale on for the photo

During the evening Mr Armchair took a photo unbeknownst to me lol

Recipes 

(Crumbed Pork with Apple and Potato Mash and) Kale Chips

Lemon and Goat's Yogurt Cake

The lovely Irina from America has joined me in the Cook Ups.......check her blog over here

I am 2 issues behind so I better get cracking!!!

Bon Appetit.......Dzintra

Easy Pear Tea Cake...

This would have to be one of the easiest cakes around to make...

I found this on Lorraine's blog, Not Quite Nigella a little while ago...

Being gluten free I substituted soy flour for the wholemeal flour and used gluten free self raising flour...

I sprinkled rapadura sugar on top...

Rapadura is one natural alternative to white sugar that has a distinct caramel flavor and grainy texture...

It is considered to be a healthier option because it is less refined...

As it less processed rapadura retains a natural, caramel flavour...

It can be substituted for refined white sugar, which I am doing more and more...

Going into the oven...

Being a last minute cake I used tinned pears...how easy is that!!!

All out...

I even used store bought custard...easy peasy!!!

For the original recipe go over here...

My variation of Not Quite Nigella's Easy Pear Tea Cake...

    3/4 soy flour

   3/4C gluten free SR flour

  3/4C caster sugar

   1 egg, at room temperature

   125g unsalted melted butter

1t vanilla

  400g tinned pears, diced

   2T rapadura sugar

   icing sugar to serve

Oven at 180c

20cm springform tin, greased and lined

• Mix the 2 flours, sugar, butter, egg and vanilla in a bowl
• Press 3/4 of the mix into the base of the tin, it will be like a sticky, buttery dough.  Scatter the diced pears on top.  Then place small pieces of the dough on it in a patchwork pattern so that the pear is not entirely covered up.
• Sprinkle with the rapadura and bake for 40-50m.  Sieve some icing sugar on top.

Easy, easy...easy...I love it...Thanks so much Lorraine for this!!!

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...

Birthday Dinner!!!

Here I am...back after 4 days of wonderful birthday celebrations and being utterly spoiled...what more could a gal ask for...I hope you had a wonderful one as well MichCherieI made my own cake...a gluten free Harry Potter buttercake...complete with jelly beans...little chocolate chips...and yep...they're gluten free as well together with chocolates to indulge the sweet tooth in us all...

Can't help it...I am a fan of Harry Potter...I bought rubbers, colouring books, pens, scrapbook, folder...even handed one of my assignments in my cookery course in a Harry Potter folder!!!


Following on from last week...here we are at Waterview at lunchtime...our table overlooking the well known Clyde River...well known for some of the cleanest oysters on the East Coast of Australia...

I didn't get our lunch pics as Fiona and I were too busy indulging...our Host very generously gave me...with compliments...a small bottle of bubbly...

Here is my Dessert...Mascarpne Cream with Poached Pears and Sesame Tuille...scrumptious...and complete with a gold candle!!!


And Vodka and Lime Tart...

Thank You Mitch for looking after us so well!!!


I bought myself this fabulous book...


Dinner the following evening at On The Pier

Tempura Prawns, Spiced Plum Sauce and Lemon


One of the meals...Char Grilled Beef


Greek Salad...

Fat Chips with Lime Aioli...

Vegetables...green beans, broccoli...at first look I thought they were accompanied by potatoes but they were the sweetest stickiest onions...

Sticky Rice with Mint Anglaise Sauce...

And at the end of it all this wonderful Happy Birthday on a plate...

this tasted like an apple sauce...and very yummy!!!

Thank You for looking after us so well!!!

There are a few more food pics on my other blog if you want to check it out...just click here

This is one of the best birthdays I have had...and now I sound like a big kid!!!

It's back to my course next week to do more at the Training Restaurant...till next time have a lovely week...Dzintra ♥