Easy Apple Tarte Tatin...

The weather has been cold...I have been indoors a lot doing a bit of stitching...reading...doing physio to get my arm moving again (although it will take 12 months to get full function back...and I am still struggling to do my apron up)...

  I felt like warming the kitchen up with something that was quick and easy to prepare with ingredients on hand seeing it was coming up to dinner time...

Flicking through my new favourite magazine Australian Good Food I came across Apple Tarte Tatin...

here is my version...

The recipe is easy as...

Peel and quarter 8 apples (I had a choko so I added that as well...how old fashioned is that ha ha!!!)

Melt 40g butter and 1/3C brown sugar...

Add apple and cook, stirring for 5m until soft...

Cut 24cm puff pastry (I used a gluten free pastry sheet) and place over apple...

Bake at 220c or 200c fan oven for 15m until golden

Serves 6...can't get much easier than that!!!

For another version of a Tarte Tatin recipe check out Manu Fieldel's recipe over here

Bon Appetit...Dzintra

Tomato and Basil Soup...

With the last of the summer tomatoes a couple of weeks ago I made a Tomato and Basil Soup... 

from this fabulous Donna Hay magazine...

full of great easy things to make and with lots of the ingredients already here in the cupboards...

And not too much work as I still don't have full movement of my arm...

Our Basil as well...

Recipe is under and I adapted it from the magazine...

Cheat's Tomato, Basil and Bread Soup

~ 2t vegetable oil

~1 brown onion, finely chopped

~ 2 cloves garlic, crushed

~ 400g can whole tomatoes

~ 410g tomato puree

~ 2t granulated sugar

~ 2C chicken or vegetable stock

~ 1/4 C roughly chopped basil leaves

~ sea salt and black pepper

~ 2 thick slices Italian style bread, crust removed, torn into large pieces

~ shaved Parmesan Cheese to serve

~Heat a large deep frying pan over high heat

~ Add oil, onion and garlic and cook for 2 m or until onion is softened

~ Break up whole tomatoes with fork and add to the pan with the puree, sugar and stock

~ Allow to simmer for 5 m or until the soup thickens slightly

~ Stir through the basil, salt, pepper and bread

~To serve, ladle into bowls and top with the Parmesan

Serves 2

Without the Parmesan...

And with the Parmesan...Easy Peasy!!!

Bon Appetit...Dzintra

Valentine's Day 2011...Nigella Lawson style!!!

Catching up here on posts...no cooking done lately by me due to my broken arm...

thankfully (and very gratefully) I am out of the sling and have commenced physiotherapy...ouch

enough of that now...let's get onto our Valentine's Day dinner this year...

Mr Dolce Vita came home with this lovely bag with treats in it...one of which were these organic handmade chocolates by Lindsay Edmunds...

The menu is out of Nigella Lawson's book Nigella Express...

Avocado Crayfish Cocktail (I used Australian King Prawns)

Duck Breasts with Pomegranate and Mint

Flourless Chocolate Brownies with Hot Chocolate Sauce

JoJo gets very excited about any celebratory occassion...

the table was set at 3.30pm when she arrived home!!!

Mr Dolce Vita's contribution!!!

JoJo's not that keen on a whole half avocado...she was more than happy with a simple Prawn Cocktail...

 Avocado Prawn Cocktail...sprinkled with our own Coriander...

half a Pomegranate...

Duck is not something we cook at home...this is a first...and definitely not the last!!!

All on the plate...and absolutely delicious!!!

Chocolate...Double Cream...Coffee...Golden Syrup heating gently...

Brownies before being cut up...

all so delicious I forgot to take a pic!!!

Thank you so much Nigella...terrific combination of flavours!!!

Bon Appetit...Dzintra

sticky pork with buk choy...and a broken arm!!!

typing here one fingered so it's going to take a while...

i broke my arm...

it's amazing how quickly these things happen...

walking along in our dining area...my thongs 'stuck' to the floor and over i went...

splat, right onto my left shoulder...ouch

a day of hospital...x-rays...doctor...etc and i'm in a sling now and have to stay that way for 6 weeks...

followed by physiotherapy to get the arm moving...

providing it heals well without surgery...

this isn't easy being a carer for our daughter jojo who has a disability...

mr dolce vita was luckily here and able to assist me up...

and  has been able to take some carers leave from work to care for jojo and me...and he is run off his feet...

one of the last meals i made before this happened was 'sticky pork with buk choy' from one of my favourite magazines...donna hay

donna sggested a pinot noir for this meal and mr dolce vita was happy to oblige...

the magazine purchased about 5 years ago...

donna's version...

i love my vegies and decided on pumpkin, potato, onion and garlic along with herbs from our little herb garden...

buk choy atop the pork...

vegies roasted...

all cooked and smelling delicious...

and all done in no time...

and this is what i look like...

it still hurts...doctor trip tomorrow to assess it all...

and i wouldn't mind being able to cook that meal again...

the positive side...i am having an enforced break from caring due to a very supportive husband...

bon appetit...dzintra

Chicken Breast stuffed with Spinach and Ricotta

From what has turned out to be one of my very favourite food magazines comes tonight's dish...

Chicken Breast stuffed with Spinach and Ricotta!!!

I had often bypassed this magazine without looking at it closely until my daughter showed me one of her copies and I was hooked!!!

The recipes are so achievable...ingredients seasonal and mostly on hand...

The magazine...Australian Good Food

This latest issue Jan/Feb 2011 features recipes from Masterchef Australia Judges, Gary Mehigan, George Calombaris plus to mention a few others, Kylie Kwong, Suzanne Gibbs and Miguel Maestre...

From the mag...

I added some baked potatoes, garlic and sage leaves along with red onion...

Chicken frying...

all done in no time...

Pretty good after browsing the magazine over morning coffee and then saying we're having this for dinner!!!

And the best part...all the ingredients we already had!!!

Chicken Breast stuffed with Spinach and Ricotta

Serves 4

• 125 g baby spinach
• 200g fresh ricotta
• 40g (1/2 C) grated parmesan
• 1 garlic glove, crushed
• 4 x 180g chicken breasts
• 2 T plain flour
• 2T olive oil
• 250m chicken stock
• 1/4C chopped parsley
• 400g green beans

Place spinach in large heatproof bowl.  Cover with boiling water.  Stand 1-2 minutes until wilted.  Drain and refresh under cold water.  Drain again, pressing out water.  Roughly chop and place in bowl

Add ricotta, parmesan and garlic to bowl.  Season and stir to combine.

• Add ricotta, parmesan and garlic to bowl.  Season and stir to combine.

• Cut a pocket in thick side of each fillet.  Fill with spinach mixture.  Dust chicken pieces with flour, shaking off any excess.

• Heat oil in large frypan on medium.  Cook chicken for 5 m each side, until browned.  Add stock to pan.  Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 8-10 m until cooked through.  Stir in parsley and season.
• Meanwhile, cook beans until tender
• Slice chicken and serve with sauce from pan, green beans...

Serve with bread...potatoes etc

Bon Appetit...Dzintra

Chocolate Apple Gluten Free Cake!!!

One of my favourite food blogs...Not Quite Nigella recently feautured a Chocolate Apple Gluten Free Cake which I immediately tried the next day...

Just in time for our Wedding Anniversary!!!

How delicious was this...and oh so easy to make!!!

Thank you so much Lorraine...this was a perfect addition to our day!!!

Out of the oven...

Sprinkled with icing sugar...

With a dollop of cream...a strawberry and some mint, Just Perfect!!!

The recipe can be found over here...

Thank you so much Lorraine...we loved it...now one of our favourites!!!

Almond and Blueberry (Raspberry) Friands (Gluten Free)!!!

I am a big lover of Friands!!!

And to my absolute delight when I received the latest issue of Donna Hay and saw the recipe it didn't take me long at all to get stuck into it!!!

Setting the cases up...

Even though the recipe stated Raspberries I substituted Blueberries!!!

I also substituted gluten free flour for the plain flour...and it worked really well!!!

And I couldn't stop taking pics of them!!!

Absolutely delicious!!!

(Gluten Free) Almond and Blueberry/Raspberry Friands

• 1 C (120g) almond meal (ground almonds)
• 1 and 2/3 (215g) icing (confectioner's) sugar, sifted
• 3/4C (105g) plain (all purpose)...I used gluten free flour, sifted
• 1/2t baking powder, sifted
• 5 egg whites
• 125g butter......melted
• 150g blueberries

• Preheat oven to 180c (350f)
• Place the almond meal, sugar, flour, baking powder, egg whites and butter in a bowl and whisk until smooth
• Spoon mixture into 12x1/3 cup capacity (80ml) patty cases
• Top with berries
• Bake for 25m or until golden

Yuuuummmm!!!  Bon Appetit...Dzintra