I know, I know, it's not even December yet (pretty close, though!). I like to be organised, though, and start thinking about Christmas presents a wee way out from the day itself so I can think long and hard about what people might really like and maybe even nab some bargains (if you can save $10 or $20 on what you had budgeted to spend you can add some delicious chocolates, which always seem to go down pretty well).
So what do I think makes a great gift? I would say anything that involves food but that's not quite true - a tin of baked beans might not quite cut it. ;-) For me, things that cost a bit more than I can justify on 'grocery' items, things that a bit unusual or new on the market, or nifty tools and consumables are always welcome.
One of my key tips for gift buying is to spend time thinking, not buying. If you figure out what you want most of the time you can nip in and out of the shops - and though I do like shopping most of the time, it's not really my favourite thing in December! Even better, you can get most of this stuff online - which leaves you lots of time to wrap it prettily.
Food hampers are always great - the pre-made ones can be bland and boring but if you know your audience and choose items specially they can really have the wow factor. And doesn't everyone love having some unusual treats to nibble on during the holidays - you know, some spiced nuts to break out when you get peckish in the afternoon, or a fancy sauce to drizzle over your ice-cream at pudding time. You can provide eat-straight-from-the-packet items for folk who just love the eating, or go more for the ingredient side of things for keen cooks.
Barbecue rubs and marinades are a more manly take - for a distant rellie a little bottle of marinade might do it, or for a more elaborate gift team up a snazzy apron or some tools with a selection of flavourings and even perhaps a recipe book. I love gifts like this - they show thought, you can hand-pick every aspect. Apply any relevant theme - last year I gave pie-themed bits and bobs to my youngest sister; pie dishes, pie weights, some tins of fruit for fillings, a pastry brush - you get the idea.
Another twist is a selection of baking consumables - well, they're consumable, so keen bakers will always appreciate well-targeted supplies. Cupcake papers are the obvious choice - and there are so many pretty designs now you're spoilt for choice. Pretty sprinkles, lustre dust, disposable piping bags and gel or powder food colours are other fun ideas. Again, a nice wee box or kit can amaze - a shoebox or other unwanted container can be covered with wrapping paper, padded with shredded paper or tissue and used to beautifully present such things.
And of course, there's the whole baking ingredient category - go for the more upmarket versions of everyday ingredient: Valrhona Dutch process cocoa, for example, or Billingtons muscovado sugar in place of normal brown sugar. More unusual things like the wild hibiscus flowers in syrup I got for my birthday or cacao nibs add intrigue and interest.
When it comes to kitchen gadgets things get a bit trickier - unlike with consumables, where it doesn't matter so much, you want to go for something your recipient doesn't already have, especially since these things can cost a bit more – but there are still lots of options. I really appreciated the digital thermometer I received for my birthday, love my brulee torch and couldn’t live without my electric hand beater or kitchen scales. Quirky cake tins – like the Nordicware ones (Mr Cake gave me the train one a couple of years ago) are great, and pretty specialised so you’re unlikely to double up – and the cupcake carrier is a very handy transporter for cupcakes and cakes alike.
Last, but definitely not least, are the more experiential gifts – my chocolate tour at She Chocolat was my birthday present, and they do courses as well. There are all sorts of cooking classes and experiences around the country – Milly's in Auckland have great cake decorating courses - and of course restaurant vouchers, chosen to suit the diners, are another fitting gift. For a more personal touch you could make your own voucher for a meal cooked by you: the ultimate meaningful gift – plus you’ll get to enjoy it too!
Hopefully there are a few ideas in there to help inspire you – now maybe you can help me a little. ;-) What are your best gift ideas? And do you start well ahead, or leave all your shopping ‘till Christmas Eve?
Useful links
Cake Stuff
Denheath Desserts
Kiwi Cakes
Living & Giving
Milly's
Sabato
She Chocolat
Tablepride
Torte
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
The Cupcake Collection - Westfield Riccarton, Christchurch
I've long thought The Cupcake Collection is Christchurch's champion of cupcake purveyors - I wouldn't say I've tried them all but of the ones I had tried they'd always come out on top. So when I heard that they'd opened a new stand at Riccarton Mall I figured it was worth dropping in (not, you know, all the way from Wellington, but about a week ago when we were in Christchurch anyway).
The stand is upstairs, in the new food area, part of the gigantic extension which seems really new to me because I moved away from Christchurch just after it opened, but is actually about 18 months old. It looks neat and cute and very clean. The girls keeping shop were wearing bright red lipstick, which is cutesy, I guess, but irritates me when it's clearly the uniform - I'm sure they don't mind but I would. ;-) I'm not working there, though, so I guess that's fine.
The cupcakes are all lined up, spectacularly uniform and pretty but somehow a little soul-less. I suspect this is probably something to do with the way the mall seems to suck the life-blood out of everything.
As well as the regular cupcakes (which are $4.50 each) there were also the extra pretty ones over to one side - these were $6.50 and though they did have very pretty decorations I think they were all vanilla (there was no indication of flavour that I could see, so I am guessing) which is pretty, well, vanilla, for such a pricey cupcake. They also had macarons - but argh, they spelt it wrong on their signs! This is going from bad to worse! (my high school friends will tell you that I can be a bit of a spelling Nazi sometimes. They also might tell you I'm actually pretty fond of vanilla and used to splash it around with reckless abandon in home economics, so I shouldn't be so judgemental)
Because it's the mall, not a lovely wee tea shop like the Beckenham store, the cupcakes are boxed up - neat little boxes, with a cardboard insert that holds the cupcake safely in position all the way home, or perhaps for as long as it takes to find a table and sit down because really, who can wait until they get home for cupcakes? ;-)
We chose a cookies & cream one, topped with a mini Oreo, and peach and passionfruit.
I was actually really disappointed by the cookies & cream flavour - the topping (and perhaps I shouldn't be surprised but I was) seemed to be stabilised cream, or something similar - a texture I didn't enjoy it all, fluffy and a bit greasy and not very flavoursome. The flecks of cookie through it helped but not enough. The cake itself was even more disappointing, mainly because I've had quite a few Cupcake Collection cupcakes over the past couple of years and they've all been good - the sort of moist, flavoursome cake that is pretty scarce in the big wide world. This one, though, was a bit oily and quite bland.
The peach and passionfruit was better, though the cake was also a little dry. The fruity filling was delicious and the cream cheese icing was a good match.
So, while I still think The Cupcake Collection has a lot going for it, and definitely recommend the Beckenham store for a treat, I don't think Riccarton measures up. Go and enjoy the pretty china and lovely surrounds over the other side of town instead!
Sorry that this is a bit negative - I'm interested to hear if any of you Christchurch folk have had similar (or contrasting) experiences - what's your top cupcake pick?
The Cupcake Collection is located at 140 Colombo Street (on the corner of Tennyson Streets), Christchurch. It's open 10.30am-5.30pm weekdays and 10.30am-3.30pm weekends, ph 03 332 8432.
The stand is upstairs, in the new food area, part of the gigantic extension which seems really new to me because I moved away from Christchurch just after it opened, but is actually about 18 months old. It looks neat and cute and very clean. The girls keeping shop were wearing bright red lipstick, which is cutesy, I guess, but irritates me when it's clearly the uniform - I'm sure they don't mind but I would. ;-) I'm not working there, though, so I guess that's fine.
The cupcakes are all lined up, spectacularly uniform and pretty but somehow a little soul-less. I suspect this is probably something to do with the way the mall seems to suck the life-blood out of everything.
As well as the regular cupcakes (which are $4.50 each) there were also the extra pretty ones over to one side - these were $6.50 and though they did have very pretty decorations I think they were all vanilla (there was no indication of flavour that I could see, so I am guessing) which is pretty, well, vanilla, for such a pricey cupcake. They also had macarons - but argh, they spelt it wrong on their signs! This is going from bad to worse! (my high school friends will tell you that I can be a bit of a spelling Nazi sometimes. They also might tell you I'm actually pretty fond of vanilla and used to splash it around with reckless abandon in home economics, so I shouldn't be so judgemental)
Because it's the mall, not a lovely wee tea shop like the Beckenham store, the cupcakes are boxed up - neat little boxes, with a cardboard insert that holds the cupcake safely in position all the way home, or perhaps for as long as it takes to find a table and sit down because really, who can wait until they get home for cupcakes? ;-)
We chose a cookies & cream one, topped with a mini Oreo, and peach and passionfruit.
I was actually really disappointed by the cookies & cream flavour - the topping (and perhaps I shouldn't be surprised but I was) seemed to be stabilised cream, or something similar - a texture I didn't enjoy it all, fluffy and a bit greasy and not very flavoursome. The flecks of cookie through it helped but not enough. The cake itself was even more disappointing, mainly because I've had quite a few Cupcake Collection cupcakes over the past couple of years and they've all been good - the sort of moist, flavoursome cake that is pretty scarce in the big wide world. This one, though, was a bit oily and quite bland.
The peach and passionfruit was better, though the cake was also a little dry. The fruity filling was delicious and the cream cheese icing was a good match.
So, while I still think The Cupcake Collection has a lot going for it, and definitely recommend the Beckenham store for a treat, I don't think Riccarton measures up. Go and enjoy the pretty china and lovely surrounds over the other side of town instead!
Sorry that this is a bit negative - I'm interested to hear if any of you Christchurch folk have had similar (or contrasting) experiences - what's your top cupcake pick?
The Cupcake Collection is located at 140 Colombo Street (on the corner of Tennyson Streets), Christchurch. It's open 10.30am-5.30pm weekdays and 10.30am-3.30pm weekends, ph 03 332 8432.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Easy Summer Dinner
This weekend has been spectacular in Wellington - sunny, barely any wind, and scores of people stripping down to their underwear (or for those who are actually prepared, togs) and leaping into the harbour. Actually, seeing people gleefully leap into the sea is one of the best things about walking around the waterfront for me - it shouts of summer and being carefree and happy and even though I am not game to join the fun (that water has got to be freezing!) I like to hear the splashes and see the frantic scrambling once they hit the water and realise just how chilly it is. ;-)
The problem with summer, though, is that it becomes immensely more appealing to be out strolling by the waterfront than indoors cooking. And there are only so many nights that a sandwich can take the place of dinner. ;-) So last night as we strolled home we popped into New World and picked up four ingredients for a simple, delicious, moderately balanced five-minute dinner: gnocchi; pomodoro sauce; basil leaves; and a bottle of pear cider to share.
I'm all for cooking from scratch when it makes sense - and cost-wise it tends to work out that way most of the time. Though gnocchi is a bit too time-consuming it doesn't take very long to whip up a simple and delicious tomato sauce - but sometimes not very long is still too long!
Once the water is boiling (which I do in the jug, then pour into the saucepan as the jug is quicker and more energy efficient) the gnocchi takes less than a minute to cook. When it floats to the top you know it's ready.
We drained it, threw the sauce and the basil leaves in and gave it a bit of a stir - and once it was heated through we were good to go. Pop the top of the cider, pour into glasses, spoon dinner into bowls, sprinkle with a bit of parmesan - and there we have it! A great meal, cheaper and healthier than a takeaway in less time - without sacrificing our time outdoors. ;-)
What do you do for dinner in summer when the day's activities take precedence over food prep?
I'm all for cooking from scratch when it makes sense - and cost-wise it tends to work out that way most of the time. Though gnocchi is a bit too time-consuming it doesn't take very long to whip up a simple and delicious tomato sauce - but sometimes not very long is still too long!
Once the water is boiling (which I do in the jug, then pour into the saucepan as the jug is quicker and more energy efficient) the gnocchi takes less than a minute to cook. When it floats to the top you know it's ready.
We drained it, threw the sauce and the basil leaves in and gave it a bit of a stir - and once it was heated through we were good to go. Pop the top of the cider, pour into glasses, spoon dinner into bowls, sprinkle with a bit of parmesan - and there we have it! A great meal, cheaper and healthier than a takeaway in less time - without sacrificing our time outdoors. ;-)
What do you do for dinner in summer when the day's activities take precedence over food prep?
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Pumpkin Pie - a surprisingly un-pumpkin-y and easy to make dessert
Naturally, having an American Thanksgiving dinner meant pumpkin pie was an essential dessert. Most American recipes call for tinned pumpkin - something I've never seen on the shelves here. I found one which gave actual measurements for the pumpkin (not just "1 can pumpkin puree") and hacked up a pumpkin, which was the only even slightly difficult part of this dessert. And that can be made easy if you put the whole pumpkin in the oven for an hour or so - it'll soften up, the flesh will cook, and you'll be able to easily cut it open, scoop out the flesh, and puree it up.
Of course, if you're like me and don't think ahead about the fact that there's already a turkey in your pretty small oven that might not be an option, and you might have to take to the pumpkin with the biggest knife you have, and spend 20 minutes hacking it to bits. Still, once that's over you're 90% done. ;-) You could steam it - I just boiled it in a pot and drained it. To get it nice and smooth a food processor is almost essential - our little blitzer did a fine job though I had to do it in batches - but you want to break down all the fibres pretty thoroughly. Mashing then straining should also do the trick at a pinch.
To make life easy I used pre-rolled pastry - although the sheets were a bit small so I still had to do a bit of rolling to make enough to line the tin.
I used New Way pastry, which I haven't tried before, and I was a bit disappointed - it shrunk excessively. Now, I confess that on pie #1 I didn't chill the pastry, so expected some shrinkage, but I have been lax with pastry many times and this was well and truly the worst I've seen - and because I do actually learn from my mistakes, with the second pie I thoroughly chilled the crust first and it was still just as bad.
Pastry experts, do you have any clues? I know the normal reason for this is that the gluten hasn't sufficiently relaxed, but with pastry I barely had to roll anyway and then had chilled this shouldn't have been a problem!
Once the pumpkin is cool, pop it in a (big) bowl with eggs, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, vanilla, cornflour and some evaporated milk. And mix it together. Yup, that easy. Then you just pour it into your pre-baked crust and pop it in the oven.
It's essentially a custard tart - but with pumpkin - so it's done when it's got just a little bit of wobble left in the middle.
This is a seriously good dessert - I am proud to say that Mr Cake, who didn't think he liked pumpkin pie, gave it 8/10, and a lot of my colleagues were also pretty keen on it (I took the second one to work). It tastes very much like a festively spiced custard - the pumpkin gives it a slightly different texture and a sweetness, but it's not really pumpkin-y. In fact, because most of the creaminess comes from pumpkin it's pretty healthy on the scale of custard pies (which, let's face it, will never win awards for nutrition but hey, I'll take my veg any way I can!).
The recipe made two, and I've pared it back to just make one but if you are into custardy things you might want to double it. ;-) I served it with maple cream - just whipped cream with maple syrup folded in at the end - but it stood pretty well on its own, too.
Pumpkin Pie (adapted from Martha Stewart)
1.5 cups cooked, pureed pumpkin - about 500g
2 sheets pre-rolled short sweet pastry
3 eggs
3/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp cornflour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1 1/2 cups evaporated milk
Preheat oven to 180 C. Roast pumpkin on baking sheet until soft, 50 to 60 minutes. Alternatively, cut the pumpkin into small pieces and steam or boil until soft. Let cool completely. Puree in a food processor or mash then strain.
Reduce the oven temperature to 160 C. Cut one sheet of pastry in half and join one piece to the top and one to the side of the other sheet by dampening a finger, running along the edge of the pastry sheet, then rolling it until the pieces stick together. Fit into a 25cm pie dish, cutting off excess pastry. Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes.
Line the pie shell with baking paper and place pie weights, rice or beans into the shell to bake blind. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove weights and baking paper. Cool.
Combine pumpkin brown sugar, cornflour, salt, cinnamon, ginger, vanilla, nutmeg, eggs, and evaporated milk in a large bowl; whisk until combined.
Place pie dish on a rimmed baking sheet. Pour pumpkin mixture into the shell. Bake until all but centre is set, 35-40 minutes. Let cool completely. Cut into wedges, and serve with maple cream.
Of course, if you're like me and don't think ahead about the fact that there's already a turkey in your pretty small oven that might not be an option, and you might have to take to the pumpkin with the biggest knife you have, and spend 20 minutes hacking it to bits. Still, once that's over you're 90% done. ;-) You could steam it - I just boiled it in a pot and drained it. To get it nice and smooth a food processor is almost essential - our little blitzer did a fine job though I had to do it in batches - but you want to break down all the fibres pretty thoroughly. Mashing then straining should also do the trick at a pinch.
To make life easy I used pre-rolled pastry - although the sheets were a bit small so I still had to do a bit of rolling to make enough to line the tin.
I used New Way pastry, which I haven't tried before, and I was a bit disappointed - it shrunk excessively. Now, I confess that on pie #1 I didn't chill the pastry, so expected some shrinkage, but I have been lax with pastry many times and this was well and truly the worst I've seen - and because I do actually learn from my mistakes, with the second pie I thoroughly chilled the crust first and it was still just as bad.
Pastry experts, do you have any clues? I know the normal reason for this is that the gluten hasn't sufficiently relaxed, but with pastry I barely had to roll anyway and then had chilled this shouldn't have been a problem!
Once the pumpkin is cool, pop it in a (big) bowl with eggs, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, vanilla, cornflour and some evaporated milk. And mix it together. Yup, that easy. Then you just pour it into your pre-baked crust and pop it in the oven.
This is a seriously good dessert - I am proud to say that Mr Cake, who didn't think he liked pumpkin pie, gave it 8/10, and a lot of my colleagues were also pretty keen on it (I took the second one to work). It tastes very much like a festively spiced custard - the pumpkin gives it a slightly different texture and a sweetness, but it's not really pumpkin-y. In fact, because most of the creaminess comes from pumpkin it's pretty healthy on the scale of custard pies (which, let's face it, will never win awards for nutrition but hey, I'll take my veg any way I can!).
The recipe made two, and I've pared it back to just make one but if you are into custardy things you might want to double it. ;-) I served it with maple cream - just whipped cream with maple syrup folded in at the end - but it stood pretty well on its own, too.
Pumpkin Pie (adapted from Martha Stewart)
1.5 cups cooked, pureed pumpkin - about 500g
2 sheets pre-rolled short sweet pastry
3 eggs
3/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp cornflour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1 1/2 cups evaporated milk
Preheat oven to 180 C. Roast pumpkin on baking sheet until soft, 50 to 60 minutes. Alternatively, cut the pumpkin into small pieces and steam or boil until soft. Let cool completely. Puree in a food processor or mash then strain.
Reduce the oven temperature to 160 C. Cut one sheet of pastry in half and join one piece to the top and one to the side of the other sheet by dampening a finger, running along the edge of the pastry sheet, then rolling it until the pieces stick together. Fit into a 25cm pie dish, cutting off excess pastry. Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes.
Line the pie shell with baking paper and place pie weights, rice or beans into the shell to bake blind. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove weights and baking paper. Cool.
Combine pumpkin brown sugar, cornflour, salt, cinnamon, ginger, vanilla, nutmeg, eggs, and evaporated milk in a large bowl; whisk until combined.
Place pie dish on a rimmed baking sheet. Pour pumpkin mixture into the shell. Bake until all but centre is set, 35-40 minutes. Let cool completely. Cut into wedges, and serve with maple cream.
Friday, November 26, 2010
Roast Turkey and an American Thanksgiving Celebration
I know that Thanksgiving isn't much of a Kiwi thing - but the world is just a big global village now, right? And I read so many American food blogs I've been drooling over turkey and pumpkin pie for weeks. I also figured it would be a great opportunity to test some simple roasting techniques for Christmas. And we even have friends from North America, to lend authenticity (though one is Canadian and Canada celebrates Thanksgiving in October).
I hunted down the smallest turkey I could find, as we weren't having a huge party and half of the eight at dinner are vegetarian. It still seemed huge to me - but then I'm more accustomed to seeing roast chickens.
I didn't do much to it; cut a lemon in half and put that along with a bunch of sage into the cavity, tied the legs together, and smeared a little bit of butter under the skin on the breast (a step which feels pretty gross but which did make for deliciously crispy skin.
I put it in an oven bag to save our oven - I was pushing my luck with a medium bag, though, go for the large ones if you're doing a turkey! - tied it up, and popped it in the oven. For the first 20 minutes I cooked it at about 240 C - this makes the skin nice and crispy - and then turned it down to about 150 C. The general guideline is about 40 minutes per kilo (after the first 20 minutes), but the best way to tell if it's done is with a meat thermometer - the breast meat should be 75-80 C. These are only about $30 from kitchen stores and I think are worth it if they stop you drying out your roast dinners "just to make sure" (plus you can use them for chocolate!). I would never want to undercook poultry - ew! - but it does lose its appeal pretty quickly when it gets overcooked.
I actually ended up cooking this too much - I was a bit distracted and not focussing on the turkey - but it was reasonably good, and I was happy with everything except the cooking time.
I was in such a hurry to get it on the table I didn't get a photo of the cooked bird - but you can see how awesomely crispy the skin is. The bag said the turkey was enough for 8-10 people, and the four omnivores between us got through about half of it, so that seems pretty accurate - and now we have some for sandwiches, yum!
I made a sage and onion "stuffing" as well - if you want you can actually stuff the bird (though it will need longer to cook as air won't be able to circulate as well when the cavity is crammed full of bread) but I prefer squishing it into a log and baking on a tray for about 15 minutes. There are a couple of bonuses with this: veggie friends can partake because it wasn't in the meat; and you can make lots more of it because it doesn't all have to fit inside the turkey! (and to be honest, I like the stuffing just as much as the meat)
This is super simple - an onion, a bunch of sage (or any herb, but I like sage in this - and you can use dried but sage is the only herb we've actually managed to convince to stay alive in our window box!), 4 pieces of bread and an egg. Oh, and salt & pepper to suit your taste. Multiply to suit your crowd; pulse in a food processor; form into balls or a log and bake.
We had quite a spread (and the best kind - everyone bringing a dish makes for a relatively easy but very generous feed), and were all feeling pretty full by the end of it.
Sally and Charles made a delicious pumpkin lasagne, as a sort of vegetarian twist on the Thanksgiving feast, and also brought a salad which was very welcome, as the only green veg on the table. Sylvia made gorgeous wee tarts which were largely gobbled up before I got near them with the camera - they were definitely well-liked!
The award for weirdest dish goes to Oakley and Fred, who made what is apparently an iconic American Thanksgiving dish. The dish consists of kumara (well, American sweet potato - slightly different but close enough), a syrup including maple syrup and brown sugar, and then, when it's all cooked through it's topped with marshmallows (often apparently of a spreadable variety but marshmallow all the same) and cooked again until it's all melty and good.
Except good would be a particularly subjective term in this case. I had some, despite being entirely apprehensive, and it was okay - but I didn't at all like it mingling with my turkey. As a dessert, maybe - but not on my dinner plate, thanks very much!
What do you think - do marshmallows ever have a place with savoury food? Would you be willing to give this dish a try or would you steer clear altogether?
Turkey with Sage & Onion Stuffing
Ingredients
Turkey - size to suit your gathering
1 lemon
bunch of sage
2 Tbsp butter, softened
Stuffing (serves 6-8 people - multiply recipe to suit)
1 onion
bunch of sage
4 slices of bread
1 egg
salt and pepper, to taste
Calculate your cooking time by multiplying 40 (minutes) by the weight in kg of your turkey, then adding 20. E.g. for a 3kg turkey 40 x 3 = 120 + 20 = 140 minutes, or 2 hours 20 minutes, plus 15-20 minutes to rest when cooked. .
Preheat the oven to 240 C. Cut the lemon in half and stuff both halves and the sage into the cavity of the turkey. Separate the skin from the breast of the bird and smear the butter in between to ensure a crispy skin. Tie the legs together and place in a large oven bag. Put into a roasting dish and place in the oven.
After 20 minutes, reduce the temperature to 150 C.
For the stuffing, place the onion and sage into a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add bread, egg, salt and pepper and pulse to combine. Form into a log or balls and place on a tray.
When a thermometer inserted into the breast of the turkey reads 75-80 C remove from the oven. Put the stuffing in the oven. Rest the meat for 15 minutes, then carve and place on a warmed serving plate. Remove the stuffing and cut into slices. Serve immediately.
I hunted down the smallest turkey I could find, as we weren't having a huge party and half of the eight at dinner are vegetarian. It still seemed huge to me - but then I'm more accustomed to seeing roast chickens.
I didn't do much to it; cut a lemon in half and put that along with a bunch of sage into the cavity, tied the legs together, and smeared a little bit of butter under the skin on the breast (a step which feels pretty gross but which did make for deliciously crispy skin.
I put it in an oven bag to save our oven - I was pushing my luck with a medium bag, though, go for the large ones if you're doing a turkey! - tied it up, and popped it in the oven. For the first 20 minutes I cooked it at about 240 C - this makes the skin nice and crispy - and then turned it down to about 150 C. The general guideline is about 40 minutes per kilo (after the first 20 minutes), but the best way to tell if it's done is with a meat thermometer - the breast meat should be 75-80 C. These are only about $30 from kitchen stores and I think are worth it if they stop you drying out your roast dinners "just to make sure" (plus you can use them for chocolate!). I would never want to undercook poultry - ew! - but it does lose its appeal pretty quickly when it gets overcooked.
I actually ended up cooking this too much - I was a bit distracted and not focussing on the turkey - but it was reasonably good, and I was happy with everything except the cooking time.
I was in such a hurry to get it on the table I didn't get a photo of the cooked bird - but you can see how awesomely crispy the skin is. The bag said the turkey was enough for 8-10 people, and the four omnivores between us got through about half of it, so that seems pretty accurate - and now we have some for sandwiches, yum!
We had quite a spread (and the best kind - everyone bringing a dish makes for a relatively easy but very generous feed), and were all feeling pretty full by the end of it.
Sally and Charles made a delicious pumpkin lasagne, as a sort of vegetarian twist on the Thanksgiving feast, and also brought a salad which was very welcome, as the only green veg on the table. Sylvia made gorgeous wee tarts which were largely gobbled up before I got near them with the camera - they were definitely well-liked!
The award for weirdest dish goes to Oakley and Fred, who made what is apparently an iconic American Thanksgiving dish. The dish consists of kumara (well, American sweet potato - slightly different but close enough), a syrup including maple syrup and brown sugar, and then, when it's all cooked through it's topped with marshmallows (often apparently of a spreadable variety but marshmallow all the same) and cooked again until it's all melty and good.
Except good would be a particularly subjective term in this case. I had some, despite being entirely apprehensive, and it was okay - but I didn't at all like it mingling with my turkey. As a dessert, maybe - but not on my dinner plate, thanks very much!
What do you think - do marshmallows ever have a place with savoury food? Would you be willing to give this dish a try or would you steer clear altogether?
Turkey with Sage & Onion Stuffing
Ingredients
Turkey - size to suit your gathering
1 lemon
bunch of sage
2 Tbsp butter, softened
Stuffing (serves 6-8 people - multiply recipe to suit)
1 onion
bunch of sage
4 slices of bread
1 egg
salt and pepper, to taste
Calculate your cooking time by multiplying 40 (minutes) by the weight in kg of your turkey, then adding 20. E.g. for a 3kg turkey 40 x 3 = 120 + 20 = 140 minutes, or 2 hours 20 minutes, plus 15-20 minutes to rest when cooked. .
Preheat the oven to 240 C. Cut the lemon in half and stuff both halves and the sage into the cavity of the turkey. Separate the skin from the breast of the bird and smear the butter in between to ensure a crispy skin. Tie the legs together and place in a large oven bag. Put into a roasting dish and place in the oven.
After 20 minutes, reduce the temperature to 150 C.
For the stuffing, place the onion and sage into a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add bread, egg, salt and pepper and pulse to combine. Form into a log or balls and place on a tray.
When a thermometer inserted into the breast of the turkey reads 75-80 C remove from the oven. Put the stuffing in the oven. Rest the meat for 15 minutes, then carve and place on a warmed serving plate. Remove the stuffing and cut into slices. Serve immediately.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
She Chocolat Chocolate Tour, Governors Bay, Christchurch
She Chocolat have been around for a few years - they often pop up at markets and special events with their amazing hot chocolate and decadent treats, and I have tried their chocolate on a couple of occasions, but had never been to their base in Governors Bay, just over the hill from Christchurch (it's about a 30 minute drive from the central city).
When I got an email from my Mum on my birthday saying my present was a tour at She, I was pretty excited. Half a day of chocolate - how could that not be fabulous? Her birthday is about a month after mine and a couple of weeks later when I was racking my brains for something she might like I realised that actually she'd be pretty keen to come along, being every bit as much the chocoholic as I am (it had to come from somewhere!), and these things are more fun when you're with someone, right? So guess what I gave her...
The tours are weekdays only, and they'll pick you up from and drop you back to Cathedral Square. As my parents live close to the other side of the hill we chose to drive, which also had the bonus of stress-free parking - no traffic jams in Governors Bay!
The cafe/restaurant is quite large, and despite it being a Monday quite a few groups were there for lunch, so it's obviously a popular spot.
We were greeted warmly by the lovely Arjuna and seated at a very comfortable sort of lounge area, which was set up with an array of gorgeous chocolates and chocolate-related paraphernalia.
Very soon after we were seated we were served decadent hot chocolates, which were rich, velvety and had the tiniest hint of chilli. I love the triangular mugs! Did you know that saucers were invented for hot chocolate, as it was so valuable no-one wanted to risk losing even a drop of it?
I don't want to spoil all the secrets so won't tell you everything I learnt, but I did learn a lot - about the history and uses of chocolate, the composition of what we eat now and how that particular incarnation came about, and about the growth and process surrounding the beans. And it was all very conversational and interactive, which made it even more interesting - I really felt it was tailored to us.
Morning tea was a chocolate fondue - we were advised to each take a little pot of chocolate, and try the various items dipped in it. Strawberries (always a winner), melon, kiwifruit, as well as avocado, salted crackers, and gouda cheese! Sounds weird, I know - I baulked a little at the idea of chocolate and cheese - but it was okay. Probably not good enough to put cheese out next time I have a chocolate fondue, but I can see how the flavour combo could work in other instances. I did quite like the avocado - and I'm a long-time fan of salt with my chocolate (will it gross you all out if I tell you that hot, fresh, salty fries dipped in a McDonald's sundae (chocolate or caramel) is a taste sensation?) so the crackers were a good match.
Next on the agenda was a tasting - we had five samples, and Arjuna taught us how to experience the chocolate, to smell, feel and really taste it. We wrote notes on smell, taste, texture etc. on a tasting sheet, and had to try to identify the cheapest and most expensive. They were all dark chocolate, and I easily picked the Cadbury and Whittakers ones - the sugary smell gave them away. The others were harder to pick - and in fact were brands I didn't know - and I preferred the Michel Cluizel one, but my least favourite ended up being the most expensive of the bunch - I think it was just too dark for my tastes!
We were then shown into the kitchen, and supplied with stunning little paper hats so we could watch the chocolatier at work. It's a bit of a chocoholic wonderland - and we were offered little tasters here and there, so our tastebuds wouldn't miss out on the fun. ;-) The chocolatier spoke about all the varieties they make, and how they specially design flavours for weddings, to represent the bride, the groom, and the union. How fantastic would that be, to have your own personalised chocolate flavour?
While we were gazing about in wonderment Arjuna queued up a video of Oonagh, the master chocolatier, exploring the cacao farm in Fiji where they source whole beans for their chocolate coated cacao beans and cacao nibs. Currently they can't source their chocolate from Fiji, as the equipment required to process the beans into chocolate are costly, and lack of stability has made large capital investment unviable, but it looks as though this may be a possibility in the future, so they have been working closely with the farmer and Fijian officials towards this.
It was fascinating to see something which really only appears to us in a very processed state growing - it is nice to understand where your food comes from and chocolate is one of those things we're so far removed from it can be easier just to accept it as we see it.
After our viewing we were shown to a table upstairs - did I mention the restaurant has spectacular views? It's always nice to have something nice to gaze upon as you eat your delicious lunch. Speaking of which...
... Our lunch was a glorious tasting platter, with many components and - of course - lots of chocolate. This changes depending on the day and the chef's whim, but among other things we had lamb with a boysenberry and rhubarb compote, chicken mole, seafood salad with a chocolate balsamic reduction, and a gorgeous fig and chocolate relish served on a roast vege salad. Everything was delicious, but that relish was incredible - and I'm told that the chef is planning to bottle and sell it, so I'll be first in line for that!
As if we needed more chocolate (who am I kidding, I always need more chocolate!) our dessert was a large "decadent moment" truffle each. Mum also had a coffee, which came with a very generous sprinking of chocolate and some chocolate-coated coffee beans. We both scoffed down our chocolates and Arjuna came over and asked if we'd tried each others' one. Oops - didn't even think of that, we were just so focussed on the delicious treat on our own plate. Mine was called 'Bula' - for the Fijian cacao farm - and had a smooth milk chocolate ganache and pieces of cacao bean to lend it some texture. It was very, very good. If I remember correctly Mum's had a cardamom filling, but due to my haste to gobble mine down I can't tell you what it tasted like! Perhaps she'll oblige in the comments.
At the end of our gluttony (almost) we were each presented with a certificate of chocolate appreciation. Well, I have appreciated chocolate for pretty much my entire life - but I learnt heaps from this day and definitely gained a finer appreciation for it. She Chocolat also have a Chocolate School, which sounds fantastic - you learn the hands-on stuff - and of course if you're just wanting the food component the restaurant is open to the public. And, trust me, the tour makes a truly great birthday present!
She Chocolat is located at 79 Main Road, Governors Bay, Lyttelton, Christchurch, ph 03 329 9222, www.shechocolat.com
When I got an email from my Mum on my birthday saying my present was a tour at She, I was pretty excited. Half a day of chocolate - how could that not be fabulous? Her birthday is about a month after mine and a couple of weeks later when I was racking my brains for something she might like I realised that actually she'd be pretty keen to come along, being every bit as much the chocoholic as I am (it had to come from somewhere!), and these things are more fun when you're with someone, right? So guess what I gave her...
The tours are weekdays only, and they'll pick you up from and drop you back to Cathedral Square. As my parents live close to the other side of the hill we chose to drive, which also had the bonus of stress-free parking - no traffic jams in Governors Bay!
The cafe/restaurant is quite large, and despite it being a Monday quite a few groups were there for lunch, so it's obviously a popular spot.
We were greeted warmly by the lovely Arjuna and seated at a very comfortable sort of lounge area, which was set up with an array of gorgeous chocolates and chocolate-related paraphernalia.
Very soon after we were seated we were served decadent hot chocolates, which were rich, velvety and had the tiniest hint of chilli. I love the triangular mugs! Did you know that saucers were invented for hot chocolate, as it was so valuable no-one wanted to risk losing even a drop of it?
I don't want to spoil all the secrets so won't tell you everything I learnt, but I did learn a lot - about the history and uses of chocolate, the composition of what we eat now and how that particular incarnation came about, and about the growth and process surrounding the beans. And it was all very conversational and interactive, which made it even more interesting - I really felt it was tailored to us.
Morning tea was a chocolate fondue - we were advised to each take a little pot of chocolate, and try the various items dipped in it. Strawberries (always a winner), melon, kiwifruit, as well as avocado, salted crackers, and gouda cheese! Sounds weird, I know - I baulked a little at the idea of chocolate and cheese - but it was okay. Probably not good enough to put cheese out next time I have a chocolate fondue, but I can see how the flavour combo could work in other instances. I did quite like the avocado - and I'm a long-time fan of salt with my chocolate (will it gross you all out if I tell you that hot, fresh, salty fries dipped in a McDonald's sundae (chocolate or caramel) is a taste sensation?) so the crackers were a good match.
Next on the agenda was a tasting - we had five samples, and Arjuna taught us how to experience the chocolate, to smell, feel and really taste it. We wrote notes on smell, taste, texture etc. on a tasting sheet, and had to try to identify the cheapest and most expensive. They were all dark chocolate, and I easily picked the Cadbury and Whittakers ones - the sugary smell gave them away. The others were harder to pick - and in fact were brands I didn't know - and I preferred the Michel Cluizel one, but my least favourite ended up being the most expensive of the bunch - I think it was just too dark for my tastes!
We were then shown into the kitchen, and supplied with stunning little paper hats so we could watch the chocolatier at work. It's a bit of a chocoholic wonderland - and we were offered little tasters here and there, so our tastebuds wouldn't miss out on the fun. ;-) The chocolatier spoke about all the varieties they make, and how they specially design flavours for weddings, to represent the bride, the groom, and the union. How fantastic would that be, to have your own personalised chocolate flavour?
While we were gazing about in wonderment Arjuna queued up a video of Oonagh, the master chocolatier, exploring the cacao farm in Fiji where they source whole beans for their chocolate coated cacao beans and cacao nibs. Currently they can't source their chocolate from Fiji, as the equipment required to process the beans into chocolate are costly, and lack of stability has made large capital investment unviable, but it looks as though this may be a possibility in the future, so they have been working closely with the farmer and Fijian officials towards this.
It was fascinating to see something which really only appears to us in a very processed state growing - it is nice to understand where your food comes from and chocolate is one of those things we're so far removed from it can be easier just to accept it as we see it.
After our viewing we were shown to a table upstairs - did I mention the restaurant has spectacular views? It's always nice to have something nice to gaze upon as you eat your delicious lunch. Speaking of which...
At the end of our gluttony (almost) we were each presented with a certificate of chocolate appreciation. Well, I have appreciated chocolate for pretty much my entire life - but I learnt heaps from this day and definitely gained a finer appreciation for it. She Chocolat also have a Chocolate School, which sounds fantastic - you learn the hands-on stuff - and of course if you're just wanting the food component the restaurant is open to the public. And, trust me, the tour makes a truly great birthday present!
She Chocolat is located at 79 Main Road, Governors Bay, Lyttelton, Christchurch, ph 03 329 9222, www.shechocolat.com
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