Chocolate Mud Cake with Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Icing

Matthew bought me a really awesome cake for my actual birthday dinner, a blog and pics of that night to come. But when it came to my picnic celebration that weekend I couldn't get the cake I wanted, so decided to make it myself. This is the result!!

Chocolate Stout Cupcakes with Dark and White Chocolate Ganache

I made these for my friend Cat's birthday.. they were such a hit that I've had many requests for more. Enjoy!!

Chocolate Stout Cupcakes

Mushroom Pie with Seeded Mustard Mash Pototoes and Baby Peas

Tonight I made one of our favourites, Mushroom pie with ginger and shallots, seeded mustard mash, and baby peas. Matthew and I like our pie a bit deeper so we use a 24cm deep quiche dish, but a regular pie dish works just fine and that is how I used to make it.



Mushroom Pie

1 year and counting...

It has been over a year since my last post. A very busy and good year at that. A trip back to the states, my first Christmas in Australia, new company ventures for Matthew and I, our birthdays, some new cars, and our 1 year anniversary. I'll make another post soon with photos from some of those events. Also I plan on bringing back posting recipes that I have been making.

Name Change

So it is official. I am now Mrs. Janelle Andre Morgan. Matthew and I had a lovely wedding ceremony and party. It was just amazing and everyone that came to support us, Thank you!!!

Matthew meets a misshape!!

Wedding Invite

8 September 2008

Mark it in your date book that is the date of Matthew and my wedding.

Recipes!!

Here are a bunch I love (some my creation, some taken from other chefs):

Spinach and Zucchini Soup

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 medium onions, roughly chopped
big pinch of salt
2 1/2 cups potatoes (2 medium) cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 1/2 cups zucchini (2 medium), loosely chopped
4 cups vegetable stock
4 cups fresh spinach leaves, loosely packed
1 cup cilantro, loosely chopped
one lemon

In a large, thick-bottomed pot over medium-high heat, add the olive oil. When the oil is hot add the garlic and onions and saute for a few minutes along with pinch of salt - just until they soften up a bit. Stir in the potatoes and zucchini. Add the stock. Bring to a simmer and cook until potatoes are soft throughout, roughly 10-15 minutes.

Stir in the spinach, and wait for it to wilt, just ten seconds or so. Now stir in the cilantro. Puree with a hand blender until smooth. Whisk in a big squeeze of lemon juice. Finish with some shaved parmesan cheese.

Cheddar-Dill Scones (a bit fattening but so good)

4 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, divided
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 pound cold unsalted butter, diced
4 extra-large eggs, beaten lightly
1 cup cold heavy cream
1/2 pound extra-sharp yellow Cheddar, small-diced
1 cup minced fresh dill
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water or milk, for egg wash

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Combine 4 cups of flour, the baking powder, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the butter and mix on low speed until the butter is in pea-sized pieces. Mix the eggs and heavy cream and quickly add them to the flour-and-butter mixture. Combine until just blended. Toss together the Cheddar, dill, and 1 tablespoon of flour and add them to the dough. Mix until they are almost incorporated.

Dump the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead it for 1 minute, until the Cheddar and dill are well distributed. Roll the dough 3/4-inch thick. Cut into 4-inch squares and then in half diagonally to make triangles. Brush the tops with egg wash. Bake on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper for 20 to 25 minutes, until the outside is crusty and the inside is fully baked.

Asparagus Risotto Recipe
Ingredients

• 1 pound asparagus
• 3 Tbsp plus 1 teaspoon butter
• 1/2 cup chopped shallots
• 1 cup arborio rice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine (or 1 Tbsp lemon juice and 1/4 cup water)
• About 3 1/2 cups vegetable stock, can substitute some of the asparagus cooking water for stock
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper

Method

1 Prepare the asparagus by breaking off discarding the tough ends (about the last inch of the spear). Cut into 1 to 1 1/2-inch pieces (tips longer, base shorter). If your asparagus are especially large, cut into even smaller (bite-size) pieces. Bring a saucepan with a quart of water to a boil. Blanch the asparagus pieces for 2 minutes. At the end of two minutes, use a slotted spoon to remove the asparagus pieces to an ice water bath to shock the asparagus into a vibrant green color and to stop the cooking. Drain from the ice water bath and set aside.

2 In a 3 or 4 quart saucepan, heat 3 Tbsp butter on medium heat. Add the shallots and cook for a few minutes until translucent. Add the rice and cook for 2 minutes more, stirring until nicely coated.

3 While the shallots are cooking, bring the stock to a simmer in a saucepan.

4 Add the wine. Slowly stir, allowing the rice to absorb the wine. Once the wine is almost completely absorbed, add 1/2 cup of stock to the rice. Continue to stir until the liquid is almost completely absorbed, adding more stock in 1/2 cup increments. Stir often to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Continue cooking and stirring rice, adding a little bit of broth at a time, cooking and stirring until it is absorbed, until the rice is tender, but still firm to the bite, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat.

Note the stock amount given is approximate. You may need a little more or less. If you end up needing more stock and you find yourself without, just use water or the cooking water from the asparagus.

5 Gently stir in the Parmesan cheese, the remaining 1 teaspoon butter, and the asparagus. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Creamy Fennel Soup with Herb Salad

5 bulbs fennel with stalks and feathery green tops (2 1/2 to 3 pounds)
2 tablespoons plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
8 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/8 teaspoon finely ground fennel seeds
6 diagonal-cut slices baguette
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

Remove the greens from the fennel stalks, chop them, and reserve. Cut the fennel bulbs and stalks into coarse pieces.
Heat the 2 tablespoons olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until soft, 7 minutes. Add the 1 clove garlic and continue to cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds. Increase the heat to high. Add the chopped fennel and the vegetable stock, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until the fennel is very tender, 15 minutes. Allow to cool slightly.
Puree the soup, in batches, in a blender until very smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean soup pot. Add the cream, and season with salt and pepper.
In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and lemon juice. Add the reserved fennel greens and parsley, toss to coat, and season with salt and pepper. Set the herb salad aside
Melt the butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the ground fennel seeds and stir for 30 seconds. Add the baguette slices in a single layer, and cook, turning once, until golden on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes total. Season with salt, to taste. Remove the baguette slices from the pan and rub each piece lightly on 1 side with the clove of garlic.
Warm the soup over medium heat. Ladle it into bowls, place a baguette slice on top of each, and top each slice with some of the herb salad. Serve.

Penne with Ricotta and Asparagus Recipe
Ingredients

Salt
1 1/4 pound thick asparagus, woody ends trimmed
1 lb gluten-free brown rice penne pasta
1 clove garlic, peeled and mashed
15 oz ricotta cheese
2 Tbsp olive oil
2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Nutmeg

Method

1 Bring a large pot of water to a boil. (You will cook both the asparagus and the pasta in the same pot of water.) Add a couple teaspoons of salt. Have an ice bath ready. Add the asparagus and cook until tender but firm, about 4 minutes. Remove the asparagus with tongs and place in the ice bath to stop the cooking. Cut the asparagus into 1/8-inch diagonal slices, leaving the tips intact.

2 Bring the water back to a boil and add the penne pasta.

3 While the penne is cooking, rub the inside of a large serving bowl with the mashed garlic. Discard the garlic. Add the ricotta, olive oil, and 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water. Mix together in the bowl. When the pasta is done, drain it, reserving some of the cooking water. Add the penne to the ricotta mixture. Fold in the asparagus and half of the Parmesan cheese. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and several dashes of nutmeg. Add some of the reserved pasta water if needed.

Arugula Salad with Beets and Goat Cheese Recipe
Ingredients

Salad Ingredients:
Beets - (boiled until a fork easily goes in it, about an hour), peeled, sliced into strips
Fresh arugula - rinsed, patted dry with a paper towel
Goat cheese - chevre
Walnuts - chopped

Dressing ingredients:
Olive oil
Lemon
Dry powdered mustard
Sugar
Salt and pepper

Method

The amount of ingredients depends on how many people you are serving and how much salad you intend to serve them. The important thing is that this is a good blend of flavors. I didn't try tossing this salad; each plate was composed individually.

The dressing for three individual salads was 1/4 cup of olive oil, 1/2 lemon, 1/4 teaspoon of powdered mustard, 3/4 teaspoon of sugar, salt and pepper to taste. Actually, it is all to taste. These are only approximate measurements.

Assemble the salad according to how much you want. A handful of arugula leaves, a few beet juliennes, some crumbled goat cheese, garnish with chopped walnuts.