Braised Rabbit, lemon onions and capers with casarecci

Demonstrated in store by a local Chef “Dean Smith” using one of my Fissler Pressure cookers.

  • 2 rabbits (ask your butcher to cut each rabbit into 6 pieces)
  • ½ cup plain flour                                                    
  • Freshly ground black pepper                                 
  • 2 large brown onions, sliced                                   
  • 2 bay leaves                                                         
  • 2 lemons                                                               
  • 1 litre chicken stock                                             
  • ½ cup chopped flat leaf parsley                             
  • 500g Benedetto Cavalieri Casarecci, cooked
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • Sea salt
  • 1 clove garlic, sliced
  • Fresh thyme sprigs
  • 1 cup white wine
  • 1 tbs capers
  • 125 g butter

Season flour with sea salt and pepper, coat rabbit in flour.

Heat oil in Fissler pressure cooker.

Sauté rabbit in oil on both sides until golden brown then remove and set aside.

Add onion and garlic to same oil ad sauté for 2 minutes.

Return rabbit to pressure cooker and add stock, wine, herbs, capers, the zest of 2 lemons& the juice of 1 lemon. (Reserve the juice of the other lemon for latter use)

Bring to boil, close lid and set on high heat until indicator rod is on 2 rings.

Turn heat down and cook for 45 minutes. Turn off heat and depressurize

Allow to cook to luke warm then remove rabbit from sauce.

Remove the flesh from the bones and discard bones.

Add rabbit back to sauce and bring to the boil.

Add diced butter parsley and lemon juice.

Add cooked pasta and serve immediately with Parmesan cheese

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Sicilian beef stew on creamy polenta

Demonstrated in store by a local Chef “Dean Smith” using one of my Fissler Pressure cookers and my magimix.

  • 1 cup pancetta, cut into batons
  • 1 tbs chopped anchovies
  • 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
  • 1 kg diced King Island round steak
  • 1 stick celery, roughly chopped
  • 1 carrot, roughly chopped
  • 1 onion, roughly chopped
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 red capsicum, de-seeded & roughly chopped
  • 5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
  • ½ cup pitted black olives
  • 2 x 400g tins whole peeled tomato
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 1 tsp cumin seed
  • 1 cup basil leaves
  • 2 tbs tomato paste
  • 1 cup red wine
  • Sea salt

Place celery, carrot, onion, capsicum, basil, garlic & olives into a food processor and pulse for 4-5 seconds. Scrape down sides and pulse for another 2 seconds. The vegetables should be chopped but not pureed. Reserve for latter use.

Heat oil in Fissler pressure cooker.

Add pancetta and cook for 3-4 minutes or until it starts to brown then add cumin seed & chili flakes and cook for 1 minute.

Add vegetables and cook for 5 minutes until softened, then add tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.

Add diced beef, tomato, red wine, salt and pepper. Bring to boil, seal with lid and turn heat up high until indicator rod show second ring.

Adjust heat to low and cook for 45 minutes. Turn off heat and depressurize.

Creamy polenta

  • 250g Moretti 5 minute polenta
  • 1 litre milk
  • 1tsp sea salt
  • 50g butter
  • 100g Parmesan cheese

Heat milk & salt in a saucepan until almost boiling.

Rain polenta over milk stirring continuously and evenly until all polenta is used.

Stir over low heat for 5 minutes then add butter and cheese. When combined serve immediately.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Quiche Lorraine by Pillivuyt

The french made high quality porcelain dinnerware, serving ware and bake ware. Is freezer to oven to tabletop. If you need a power ball in your dishwasher to clean your dishes. You obviously don’t own pillivuyt!

Pastry

  • 2½ cups plain flour
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 6 Tbs butter
  • 6 Tbs margarine
  • 10 Tbs cold water

Filling

  • 230g bacon, diced and fried until crisp
  • 1 cup grated Swiss cheese
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 Tbs plain flour
  • 11/2 cups milk or light cream
  • ½ Tsp salt
  • 1/8 Tsp nutmeg
  • 2 Tbs butter, melted
  • Freshly ground pepper

Pastry-Sift flour and salt in a large bowl. Cut the butter into small pieces and combine with your fingertips or pastry blender. Add the margarine and blend in the same way.

Stir 8 tablespoons of water with a fork. Add remaining water if necessary, to form dough into a ball. Wrap dough in wax paper and chill for 20 minutes. Roll out on a floured board, fit into the 25cm quiche dish. Trim the excess pastry. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 190c for 10 minutes. (keep oven on at 190c)

Filling-Place the crisp bacon and grated cheese in the pastry shell. Combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl, stir with a wire whisk. Pour the mixture into a pastry shell and bake for 30 to 35 minutes.

For a 29cm dish, increase the milk or cream by ½ cup and add one egg.

Variations-Shrimp or lobster quiche, omit the bacon and add 230g shrimp or lobster, 2 Tsp tomato paste, 1Tsp dill weed and 3 Tbs chives, chopped.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Pork won tons with chilli oil dipping sauce

This was Demonstrated be a French Chef “Danniell” when we were doing men only cooking classes.

  • 500g minced pork belly
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 4 dry shitake mushrooms (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon soy
  • ½ teaspoon sugar
  • ½ teaspoon sesame oil
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • 1 teaspoon shoa xing
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 1 egg white
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 packet wonton skins
Dipping sauce
  • 2 tablespoon chilli oil
  • 4 teaspoon kecap manis
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 2 tablespoon minced shallot
  • 2 teaspoon Chinese red vinegar
  • Freshly ground pepper

Soak mushrooms in water overnight, discard stalks and chop into very small dice.

Mix all wonton ingredients (excluding wontons skins) together until well combined.

Half fill wok with water place on high heat and bring to the boil. Place a bamboo steamer and turn down heat unto just boiling.

Place one wonton skin in palm of hand and spoon in one heaped teaspoon of pork mixture into the centre of skin.

Wet edges of wonton skin with water and pinch together to form a drawstring purse shape. Continue until all mixture is used. Place in bamboo steamer and steam for about 5 minutes.

Mix all the dipping sauce ingredients together and serve on a side dish with wontons.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Confit of duck leg with mushroom and spinach spätzle

Demonstrated in store by a local Chef “Dean Smith” who introduced me to cook duck!

  • 4 fresh duck legs                                                   
  • 1 Lt. rendered duck fat                                           
  • Fresh rosemary                                                      
  • Sea salt                                                                
  • Freshly ground black pepper                                    
  • 200g washed baby spinach leaves                             
  • 250g oyster mushrooms
  • 1 clove garlic
  • Balsamic vinegar
  • 20g butter

Spatzle Batter

  • 300g plain flour
  • 3 eggs
  • 300ml milk
  • Sea salt
  • 50g parmesan cheese

Season duck legs with salt, pepper, garlic and rosemary and set aside.

Heat duck fat in heavy based deep pan until melted.

Immerse duck legs in melted duck fat and bring to boil then turn down to simmer immediately. Cover pan and simmer gently for 1 hour. Take off heat and allow duck to cool in fat.

To make spätzle batter place flour, salt and grated parmesan into mixing bowl and make a well in the centre. Add eggs and whisk to thick batter. Add enough milk to loosen batter and set aside. Bring 4lt of water to boil and season with salt. Scrape batter from a board using a metal scraper as per demonstration. Boil spätzle for a minute or two then scoop from pot and place into cold water to cool. Repeat until all batter is cooked. Drain spatzle and set aside.

To assemble heat a cast iron grill plate/pan over medium heat. Drain duck legs from fat and place skin side down onto grill plate/pan. Cook until skin is crisp 3-4 min then turn over and continue cooking for another 3-4 min. While duck is cooking heat a nonstick pan over medium heat.  Melt butter until foaming and add spätzle. Toss in torn up oyster mushrooms and cook until golden brown. Toss in spinach and wilt for 30 seconds and serve immediately. Place duck leg on top and drizzle over balsamic and truffle oil.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Green goddess sauce

Demonstrated in store by Scottish Chef “Alan Taylor” who specialised in flavors and sauces.

  • 2 tsp anchovy paste or 2-4 canned anchovies
  • 1 small garlic clove, minced
  • 3/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 3/4 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 cup chopped parsley
  • 1/4 cup chopped tarragon
  • 3 tbs chopped chives
  • 2 tbs lemon juice
  • Salt and black pepper to taste

Put all ingredients into a food processor and pulse until smooth.

*Great for sauces for fish, chicken and salad dressing.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Basic Brodo

This basic brodo was from a series of Italian cooking classes from Chef Daniela.

  • 1 large carrot
  • 2 celery sticks
  • 1 large onion
  • 2 ½ litres water
  • 1 dessert spoon salt
  • 1 dessert spoon chicken booster
  • 1 large Maryland chicken

Roughly chop vegetables and add to water and chicken. Bring to the boil and simmer for 45 minutes.

*To make a vegetable stock simply double the vegetables, leave out the chicken and change chicken booster to vegetable booster to enhance the flavour. You can leave out the vegetable booster but then add bayleaves, parsley or leek to get a stronger stock.

*You can also use ½ chicken and ½ beef to make another stronger meatier version.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Thai green curry paste

This is a spicy but yummy curry paste that was demonstrated in my store by Scottish Chef “Alan Taylor” who specialised in flavors and sauces.

  • 1 tbs shrimp paste
  • 1 tbs coriander seeds
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 long stalk of lemongrass, sliced into rings
  • 1″ piece of galangal, peeled (or ginger)
  • 10 Thai basil leaves
  • 2 x coriander roots
  • 1 tbs black peppercorns
  • zest and juice of 1 kaffir lime (or lime)
  • 10 long green chillies
  • 8 garlic cloves
  • 3 shallots, peeled
  • 2 tbs oil
  • 2 tbs fish sauce
  • 1 tsp salt

In a dry frypan on medium heat, toast the shrimp paste, coriander seeds and cumin seeds until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

In your mortar and pestle, pound the lemongrass, ginger, Thai basil leaves, coriander roots, lime and peppercorns.

If your mortar and pestle is big enough add the rest of the ingredients, if not use your mini food processor to form a paste. Place in a sterilised jar.

You will use one and a half tablespoons of the paste per curry.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Why I love to cook with the world’s finest quality cookware and kitchenware!

I have hundreds of recipes from chefs and passionate cooks that were demonstrated in my store over the 27 years we were in business.

I want to share these recipes with you.

My passion was to provide high quality brands with specialised knowledge for the basic to the advanced passionate cook in all of us. 

The product selection I stocked was the best cookware and kitchenware available.

New products were scrutinised and where possible they were tested, prior to going in the store.

The brands I personally demonstrated were: Le Creuset, Fissler, Silit, Swiss diamond, Mauvel, Essteele, Circulon, Solidteknics, Emile Henry, Romertopf, Magimix, Breville, Bamix, Cuisinart, Pillivuyt, Denby, Cornish blue, Portmeirion, Dunoon, Hudson & middleton, Queens, Royal Worcester, Wushtof, Henkles, Robert Welch, Wilkie brothers, The big chop,  Laguiole, Opinel, Victorinox, Kai Shun, Fat daddio, Nordicware, Chef Inox, Chicago metallic, Soehnle, Peugeot, Cole & mason, William bounds, Mason & cash, Le parfait, Bormioli, Weck, Epicurean, Zyliss, Culinare, Progressive, Oxo, Microplane, Metaltex, Monopol, Borner, Dreamfarm, D-line, Gefu,   Plumm, Spiegalu, Dartington, Rideau, Krosno, Oasis, Contigo, Anchor, Pyrex, Guzzini, Bialetti, Vev, Avanti, Wilton, Edible art, Squires, Uber and Vacu vin. Just to name a few!

Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken.

— Oscar Wilde.

This is the first post on my new blog. I’m just getting this new blog going, so stay tuned for more. Subscribe below to get notified when I post new updates.