Fabulous Friday Pizzas!

One thing I have learnt over the last week is- never wear ballet flats in the rain- big mistake, I mean huge! It has been raining in Queensland over the past week, so much so rivers are forming where they shouldn't, fields are turning into lakes and.... well it is impossible to do anything outside. I parked my car on Monday night and jumped out stepping right into what seemed to be a newly formed sea! I was drenched- soaked to the bone. My spirit was damaged, as were my shoes (which still have not recovered from the drowning) so for the rest of the week I have tried to stay out of the rain. As soon as the rain starts and the temperatures drop I can feel the kitchen beckoning me- it is my only retreat to this wild weather! Nothing makes me feel better than to put on some Norah Jones get a hot cup of green tea, cosy up and start cooking! Today was a day for homey comfort food- the type of cooking that makes you forget the worries of the world, sometimes only rich flavorful food will do- and today that food was  pizza!

To make a good pizza, really you need homemade pizza base (one that is light, fluffy and crispy), a rich pizza sauce and quality toppings. You really have to make the base by hand- trust me it makes the world of difference! Making pizza base is quite an easy thing to do, and it can be quite relaxing, the kneading could help anyone work out the stresses of life! The amount of dough makes enough for 2 good sized pizzas (each would feed 3 very hungry people) you could also double the recipe if you are ravenous or simply have lots of mouths feed.

The tomato sauce is such a cooking basic- while I used it for the pizza base, any left over’s can be popped in the freezer. It also tastes great tossed through pasta with some grated parmesan on top; it is a very versatile staple. When I make pizza I like to make a tandoori chicken with lime yogurt and coriander, and a pancetta, potato, mozzarella and basil- both very different, but very very yummy! The best thing about making pizza is you can get creative- pretty much put on it what you - it is a safe place for experimentation.

Pizza

Pizza Sauce

• 
  
  2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes
• 
  
  2 ½ tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 
  
  1 teaspoon of brown sugar
• 
  
  1 teaspoon of sea salt
• 
  
  Cracked pepper
• 
  
  2 cloves of garlic

In a saucepan cook the tomatoes over a medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and turn the heat right down to a gentle simmer and simmer for approximately 25 minutes or until the sauce has reduced and has thickened. Remove from the heat.

Pizza Base

• 7g of yeast (one sachet)

• 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

• 500g of strong flour

• 2 teaspoons salt

• 300ml of luke warm water

Pour the water into a bowl, sprinkle the dry yeast in and whisk with a form until all the yeast is dissolved (the water will become milky), then add the olive oil, mix and set aside.

In a separate bowl mix the flour and salt together. With a hand mixer with the dough hooks attached mix the flour on a low speed gradually adding the liquid containing the yeast- I usually leave 1 or 2 teaspoons in order to help to fold in the remaining flour that might have been left behind- also this ensures that the dough does not become too wet, you can always add more if needed. Continue kneading the dough on a low speed for 15 to 20 minutes- or you can knead by hand on a lightly floured surface. After the dough has become smooth and springy, knead for 1 minute by hand.

Place the dough in a large bowl that has been lightly brushed in oil (this will stop the dough sticking to the sides) then brush the top of the dough lightly to stop a dry crust forming and cover with a damp tea towel or cling film. Place the bowl in a warm place or in a very low oven for about 1 hour- the dough will then have become very light and airy and should have doubled in size.

Take the dough out and knead for 1 or 2 minutes on a lightly floured surface- this is called knocking back the dough and helps to get rid of excess air. Turn the oven to 230 degrees celsius to preheat for the pizzas.

Separate the dough out into 2 large portions, or alternatively you can make 4 smaller individual pizzas. Flatten the dough out with your hands as best you can, then using a large rolling pin roll out the dough into the shape of your choice (circle or rectangle is the easiest). Try to get the dough to a thickness of about 3 mm as it will rise when cooking- if the dough is too thick at this stage when cooked the base will become quite thick and will not have as much crunch.

Spread the base with the tomato sauce using the back of a spoon.

Chicken Tandoori, with lime yoghurt and coriander

• 2 chicken breasts- I like to use a BBQ chicken for this as it is easy and the meat remains tender after being cooked in the oven

• ½ of a red onion very thinly sliced

• 1 vine ripened tomato

• 1 tablespoon of tandoori paste- can use less if you do not like it hot

• 2 ½ tablespoons of natural yogurt

• 1 lime

• Grated Cheese

• Handful of fresh coriander

Shred the chicken and mix with 1 tablespoon of yogurt and Tandoori paste and set aside. Can add more yogurt if you do not want the chicken to be too hot.

Top the pizza with the sliced onion then the slices of tomato. I usually put the grated cheese on at this stage as I find that it helps the ingredients to stay put when cooking. Then top with the chicken and you can sprinkle a little more cheese on top if you like.

Put the pizza in the oven and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the base has puffed and crisp. Finally mix the left over yogurt with half of a lime and drizzle over pizza, top with the coriander and serve with extra lime wedges.

Pancetta, Potato, Mozzarella and Basil

• 5 slices of pancetta

• 1 small potato thinly sliced

• Mozzarella

• Handful of torn basil

Lightly fry the potato until just cooked through, place on paper towels to remove excess oil. Once oil has been removed from potato place on the pizza base, top with torn pancetta and fill in the gaps with slices of the mozzarella. Like the chicken pizza, cook in the oven and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the base has puffed and crisp. Remove from the oven and top with torn basil and enjoy!

Good bye summer, hello autumn!

Well its official- autumn has arrived!! I don't know about you, but I am very much looking forward to mugs of hot chocolate, baking pastries, and cooking comfort food- all of which go beautifully with the cooler days and longer nights that are to come. Well its been nice, but I will see you soon Summer!

Mss xx

Creative Chocolate

 They say that diamonds are a girl’s best friend, but in my opinion so is chocolate. I found these quirky blocks of chocolate when I was wandering the aisles of the supermarket which definitely put a smile on my dial, so I thought I would share them with you! (sorry about the photos, they were taken on my phone)

Bochox

For the relief of wrinkles and crows feet.

Warning: may cause weight gain if used incorrectly

Directions: Simply break off the desired dosage and consume.  You should quickly be overcome by stress relieving endorphins, and no longer concerned in the slightest about your wrinkles.

Martial Bliss Bar

(Enough said really!)

GirthControl Chocolate:

Directions: Simply break off the desired dosage and consume. You should quickly be overcome by stress relieving endorphins and no longer concerned about 'those' thoughts.

Warning: If you experience a hot flush, do not loosen clothing under any circumstances, as this may aggravate your condition.

 

Emergency Chocolate

For Immediate relief of: Chocolate cravings, lovesickness, exam pressure, mild anxiety

Mss  xx

Thursday is tea day!

"Would you like a tea or coffee?" I'm sure we have all been asked this question countless times in our lives, and for me the answer was always coffee, simply because I found tea to be a tad boring. I mean just go to Starbucks and there is an endless array of possibilities for the humble coffee bean- villa soy latte, mocha, iced coffee, cappuccino etc etc. In my mind tea was only ever white, black or green. However I now consider myself quite the tea connoisseur! Lately I have been noticing a very strong movement towards tea. I find that it has become almost a boutique drink, there are now hundreds of different flavours to choose from, not only that, tea is so accessible and easy to make- really the only equipment you need for a good cup of tea,  is a kettle!

T2 is fast becoming one of my favourite stores; it is a tea drinker’s paradise! The choices here are endless; seriously, if you love Chai Lattes, why not try the chocolate chip chai ? or maybe strawberries and cream, or maybe a simple green and jasmine tea. T2 is a great place to get comfortable with the idea of drinking tea. It is has plenty of mood lighting, is very cosy and I find the staff to be friendly and very knowledgeable- which is a must in a store like this as a novice could easily be overwhelmed! All you need to do to find the drink that suits you, is simply tell them what you like and they will find a tea to match your taste.  Simple!

                                        

Rosebud tea

Today I took home the Crème Brulee, and can I just say it is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! It really is a fantastic tea! It is a vanilla and caramel flavoured black tea and really is quite sweet, the perfect antidote to a hard day at the office. The kind gentlemen helping me suggested it is best with vanilla soy milk and a little sugar, and just quietly,  he says it works a treat after a big night out (this is always a bonus!). I whipped up a cup when I returned home and just used plain milk and it still knocked my socks off!

                                                         Creme Brulee, $12.75 per 100g

Another favourite of mine is the Turkish apple, which falls into the fruit tisane category- this is particularly sweet, they normally suggest to serve it cold, and on a hot summer day it is a god send! I have also been told that this particular flavour is particularly delicious with a splash of vodka! Who would have thought?!

If you prefer a more conventional black tea, then there is the simple English Breakfast, you can't go wrong with this classic. If you are bored with English breakfast they have tea inspired by some of the Australian capital cities. Brisbane Breakfast which has a mango flavour, the Melbourne breakfast a vanilla favoured tea and the Sydney breakfast which is a full bodied tea with a hint of bergamot.

 

T2 is very hands on, they have teas you can sample in store or they normally can make up a sample packet so you can take home and try a particular tea before you buy. They have little tea pots, delicate tea cups and saucers and anything else that is needed in making a perfect cup of tea!

If you do not have a store close by, do not fear! You can always  jump onto their website (http://www.t2tea.com.au/) where you can buy tea and also pick up a few hints and tips on how to brew a great cuppa! T2 is defiantly worth a try!

Mss xx

                                          

A new edition to my culinary library

I am always very excited when I purchase a new cookbook; actually I think I am addicted to collecting recipe books (an addiction that like most takes a toll on my pocket book). Putting that aside, I am happy to report I have just purchased my very first Nigella Lawson cook book!! And for some strange reason, I feel like I have just become a member of a very coveted club..... the Nigella Lawson cooking society…. or something along those lines.

Now at times I can be a very indecisive person, I literally spent an hour in the "cooking" section of the book store trying to decide which of her many books to adopt- so I came to the conclusion that the best thing to do would be to start at the beginning with "How to Eat: The pleasures and principles of good food." I am very much looking forward to getting into the kitchen with my new companion!

Mss xx

Home sweet home

I am back from my little overseas trip! Although it was only 2 short weeks, I am very happy to be back in Australia, it is true what they say- there is no place like home. I say this now, but I love to travel and have the ability to experience cultures that are so different from your own, travelling to other countries really is an eye opening experience.

My first stop was Singapore- and what a lovely city it is! Singapore is a beautiful place, it is very green with trees lining main roads and massive parks, also it is very clean with fantastic shopping- although is slightly more expensive than cities such as Hong Kong.

Singapore like most large Asian cities is very faced paced and is always go go go. I loved the food in Singapore, it has a very Malay influence. I got the impression that Singaporians love seafood, all of the travel book tell you that one of the  signature dishes is the chilli mud crab- so noting this I made a bee line to a popular seafood restaurant by the name of Jumbo.

The food at Jumbo was y-u-m-m-y and the chilli crab was HOT!!! It is a very soupy dish and is quite tricky to eat, however they do give you have a very attractive and stylish plastic bib and a multitude of napkins and wet wipes- lucky we did not know anyone because it was a messy experience.

                                                      Chilli Crab

Another dish that is very popular is the black pepper crab, like the chilli crab dish it packs a punch, but is not cooked or served in a heavy sauce. The crab is slightly salty in comparison to the other dishes, but I put this down to the fact that it is absolutely covered in black pepper. I thought both dishes were amazing! If you ever go to Singapore and you are a seafood lover then these dishes are a must- although be warned, each crab dish was rather big, about 1kg of crab, so definitely eat on an empty stomach!

                                         Black Pepper Crab

Another dish that is a must in Singapore is crispy skin duck. The duck in Singapore is delicious and is everywhere! I decided to try a slight variation on the normal dish and tried crispy skin duck with slices of mango- the mango was the perfect accompaniment to the duck, it is great especially if you find the taste of duck to be very rich.

                      Crispy skin duck with mango slices

 Something I noticed when venturing around the city of Singapore was how reasonably priced the noodle dishes were.  For around $6 Australian I had a huge bowl of beef noodle soup, with a side of ginger and endless cups of green tea.  That is another thing about Asia the tea with dinner- it is fantastic!!

Well that is just a snippet of my dining experience in the beautiful Singapore, there is still more to come, but tell me dear reader what is a delicious dish you have discovered during your travels at home or abroad?

Happy Valentines Day!!

As most of you know today is Valentines Day, a day that can be an unhappy one for the singletons out there (a group of which I am a proud member) but it doesn't have to be! I mean it is the one day of the year that you should not feel bad about indulging your sweet tooth; you have a license to eat things like chocolate or cake without feeling guilty. Now I am sure that a lot of you have heard how Valentines day came about- that it was a clever trick made up by greeting card companies to induce people to part with their cash in exchange for a card containing a loving message to give to their beloved, however as I found out this morning, this is not where Valentines day originated. In actual fact Valentines Day was begun by a Bishop who lived over 1000 years ago whose name was, you guessed it- Valentine. During his life the Roman emperor Cladius II banned all Roman soldiers from marrying as he believed that unmarried soldiers were far better soldiers as they did not have any emotional attachment. However Valentine, a true romantic secretly married couples without the emperor’s knowledge. Cladius of course found out about the ceremonies and locked Valentine up. During his imprisonment, Valentine purportedly had saintly powers as was able to heal the jailer’s daughter. Evidentially a close friendship manifested between Valentine and the daughter, and on February the 14th, the day of his execution, he supposedly penned a farewell note to her, signing it "From your Valentine".

So there you have it, the true beginnings of the day of love, however while most people buy chocolates and flowers, why not bake something sweet!! My butterfly cupcakes are perfect for such an occasion, they are perfect for sharing with your loved one, or simply enjoying one over a nice cup of tea ( my preferred method of consumption).

Butterfly Cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 120g of unsalted butter at room temperature
• 145 (2/3 cup) caster sugar
• 185g (1 ½) cups of self raising flour
• 125 ml of Milk
• 2 eggs
• 125 ml whipping cream
• Strawberry jam
• Icing sugar for decoration

Preheat the oven to 180 °C, and place paper patty cake cases in a 12 hole muffin tray.

In a bowl beat the butter, sugar flour, milk and eggs with an electric or stand mixer with a whisk attachment on low speed until ingredients are totally combined, then increase the speed and beat until the mixture is smooth and pale in colour.

  

Spoon the mixture into the paper cases and bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. Once ready cool on a wire rack.

Cut a shallow round from the centre of the cake using a sharp knife ( must be sharp otherwise the cake with crumble). Cut the small piece of sponge in half (these will later be the butterfly wings). Once the hole has been cut fill it half with jam and top with cream, then position their 2 halves of the cake to create the wings- then place a tiny drop of jam between the wings. Dust with the icing sugar and voila! a lovely little sweet treat!

A  little hint, do make sure all of the ingredients are at room temperature when baking. Altough they do make 12, you will no doubt finish them off in one sitting! Enjoy!!