Showing posts with label appetiser. Show all posts
Showing posts with label appetiser. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Three Recipes - Coriander Panna Cotta, Cauliflower Crackers, Quinoa Crackers

Three Recipes - Coriander Panna Cotta, Cauliflower Crackers, Quinoa Crackers

Three Recipes - Coriander Panna Cotta, Cauliflower Crackers, Quinoa Crackers

A few years back I was at a restaurant and full after eating a massive plate of ribs. But they brought out the dessert menu in that usual dance that has me reading the list and nothing really grabbing my eye, so I end up just getting the bill and going. Or maybe a coffee. I can be fairly selective about desserts, if there’s not something that sounds a bit different or exactly what I feel like, I usually don’t bother. Basil panna cotta. Interest officially piqued, I ordered it. A wobbly pale green mound was brought out to me, the aroma of basil evident before I’d even tasted it. The bright herb punched through the cream and sweetness, made brighter still by lime zest. It was such a fun little dessert. Ever since then, I’d had it in my mind to make some herby panna cottas. It sat on my flavour combination list and was largely ignored as I chose to make new dishes that cropped up. Until one day, it just jumped out at me. I needed to make a herb panna cotta. Only I needed it to be savoury.
This makes enough for 6 or so panna cotta, depending on how big your mould/serving dishes are, which meant I got two goes at serving it for Lance and I. The first time I served it with pulled beef and cauliflower crackers and called it Coriander Panna Cotta. The second time I served it with seed crackers and salsa and called it Guacamole pannacotta. The base for the panna cotta is the usual cream, but rounded out by avocado and Greek Yoghurt, which makes it more acceptable, nutrition-wise as a dinner option than just cream. Both ingredients adding their own special silkiness and flavour profiles to the dish. The cream portion is infused with coriander and spring onions with just enough honey to take the bite out of the yoghurt’s tang.
I’ve included both cracker recipes below as well. The seed crackers come together particularly quickly. I made them as some friends stood around one afternoon and they were done and baked before the first glass of wine was finished. They were fairly impressed! The cauliflower ones are almost as easy, but with the added step of steaming and draining the vegetable first. If you were going to make them fresh for a dinner party, the vegetable cooking portion could be done a day ahead and refrigerated. The addition of linseeds also helps to soak up some of the cauli’s excess water and bind the crackers together.

Three Recipes - Coriander Panna Cotta, Cauliflower Crackers, Quinoa Crackers
Three Recipes - Coriander Panna Cotta, Cauliflower Crackers, Quinoa Crackers
Three Recipes - Coriander Panna Cotta, Cauliflower Crackers, Quinoa Crackers

Three Recipes - Coriander Panna Cotta, Cauliflower Crackers, Quinoa Crackers
Three Recipes - Coriander Panna Cotta, Cauliflower Crackers, Quinoa Crackers


Coriander Panna Cotta


500mL cream
1 bunch coriander
2 spring onions, white and tender green tips
1 tbsp honey
½ tsp pink peppercorns
½ tsp salt
½ cup greek yoghurt
2 ripe avocadoes
¼ cup water
2 tsps gelatin powder

Place 450mL cream in a small saucepan along with the coriander, spring onions, honey, salt and pink peppercorns. Gently heat until just below boiling, then take off heat, cover and set aside to infuse for 30 minutes. Strain into a clean saucepan. Place the remaining 50mL of cream in a small glass and sprinkle the gelatin powder, set aside to ‘bloom’ for 5 minutes. Reheat the infused cream to a simmer and then stir in the bloomed gelatin cream. Stir to combine and continue stirring until the gelatin dissolves, then take off the heat.
Using a blender, combine the avocadoes, yoghurt water until smooth. Blend in the cream and check for seasoning. Pour into moulds and refrigerate 24 hours or so until set.


Three Recipes - Coriander Panna Cotta, Cauliflower Crackers, Quinoa Crackers
Three Recipes - Coriander Panna Cotta, Cauliflower Crackers, Quinoa Crackers
Three Recipes - Coriander Panna Cotta, Cauliflower Crackers, Quinoa Crackers

Three Recipes - Coriander Panna Cotta, Cauliflower Crackers, Quinoa Crackers


Cauliflower Crackers

½ head cauliflower
1 tbsp linseeds/flaxseeds
1 egg
Cajun seasoning to taste (around 1/4 tsp ought to do it)
Cut the cauliflower into tiny rice-like pieces (alternatively, process to ‘rice’ in a food processor). Steam or microwave for a few minutes until tender, then set aside to cool. Place in muslin and squeeze out as much liquid as possible.

Preheat oven to 160C. Grease an oven tray.

Mix together the cauliflower, linseeds, egg and seasoning. Mix well to combine, then press firmly into the greased oven tray. Set aside for 10 minutes, then bake for 15 minutes, or until golden on top. Cool 5 minutes, then slice.

Three Recipes - Coriander Panna Cotta, Cauliflower Crackers, Quinoa Crackers
Three Recipes - Coriander Panna Cotta, Cauliflower Crackers, Quinoa Crackers
Three Recipes - Coriander Panna Cotta, Cauliflower Crackers, Quinoa Crackers

Three Recipes - Coriander Panna Cotta, Cauliflower Crackers, Quinoa Crackers

Quinoa and Seed Crackers

½ cup quinoa flakes
2 tbsp sunflower seeds
2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
2 tsp sesame seeds
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1 egg white
Preheat oven to 130C

Mix all the dry ingredients together. Create a well in the centre and add the egg white. Gently whisk the egg, then slowly start bringing in the dry ingredients until completely combined. Dump onto a piece of baking paper. Place another piece of baking paper on top and roll out with a rolling pin until very thin – around 2mm. Gently pull the top piece off and discard.
Bake for 7-10 minutes, or until the edges start to look golden. Watch carefully. Remove from the oven, slice into desired cracker size and gently flip over. Pop back in the oven for another 5-7 minutes, or until they’re golden on the other side too. Set aside to cool, then enjoy!


Three Recipes - Coriander Panna Cotta, Cauliflower Crackers, Quinoa CrackersThree Recipes - Coriander Panna Cotta, Cauliflower Crackers, Quinoa CrackersThree Recipes - Coriander Panna Cotta, Cauliflower Crackers, Quinoa CrackersThree Recipes - Coriander Panna Cotta, Cauliflower Crackers, Quinoa Crackers
Three Recipes - Coriander Panna Cotta, Cauliflower Crackers, Quinoa Crackers
Three Recipes - Coriander Panna Cotta, Cauliflower Crackers, Quinoa Crackers
Three Recipes - Coriander Panna Cotta, Cauliflower Crackers, Quinoa Crackers
Three Recipes - Coriander Panna Cotta, Cauliflower Crackers, Quinoa Crackers






Thursday, November 12, 2015

Feels Like Summer - Mango Tamarind Prawn Cocktail Sorbet

Feels Like Summer - Mango Tamarind Prawn Cocktail Sorbet
Feels Like Summer - Mango Tamarind Prawn Cocktail Sorbet


Lance doesn’t like sorbet. In fact, when he saw me pouring this mango mix into the ice cream maker, we had a conversation a bit like this:



“Ooh, you’re making me ice cream! What flavour are you making?”

“Not ice cream, something different”

“What? Hang on, are you WASTING our mangoes making sorbet? You don’t love me!”



And yet, there I was, making sorbet for us as part of our date night dinner. Now, I see what you’re thinking  - maybe he’s right. Maybe if I know he doesn’t like sorbet but I’m still specifically making it for an important meal – then maybe I don’t love him. First, how dare you question my love! Secondly, remember the pie incident?
Yeah. And remember our Wills Domain Degustation? Lance loved the herby sorbet palate cleanser.

I would never serve Lance a sorbet for dessert. Nor would I serve him a nut milk ice cream, or coconut milk ice cream for dessert. This sorbet? Not a dessert. This sorbet is an entrĂ©e (or appetizer, for my American readers! Hi!) Riffing on the herby sorbet we both loved, I decided to make a more ‘savoury’ sorbet that would in essence be the sauce for a fun spicy and fruity prawn cocktail. Using some of our homegrown mangoes and jalapeno, I added some tamarind for a tart hit. Served with some cold prawns that are dusted with some smokey hot paprika and the traditional iceberg lettuce bed, it was quite the cute little dish. And a perfect date night/dinner party appetizer as everything can be made in advance. Just churn the sorbet right before you want to serve it.


Feels Like Summer - Mango Tamarind Prawn Cocktail Sorbet


Feels Like Summer - Mango Tamarind Prawn Cocktail Sorbet
Feels Like Summer - Mango Tamarind Prawn Cocktail Sorbet

Mango Tamarind Prawn Cocktail Sorbet

2 cups water
5 tsp tamarind puree
¼ tsp pepper
½ tsp salt
2 jalapenos
3 mangoes, flesh removed
1 egg white
cooked, cooled prawns (6 or so per person)
iceberg lettuce, shredded to serve
hot smoked paprika, to serve

Finely mince the jalapenos and add the mangoes, water, tamarind puree, salt, pepper, jalapenos and egg white and blend until fully homogenised. Leave for 5 minutes to allow some of the air to leave the mixture, and then give one quick stir before pouring into your ice cream maker. Churn for 30-45 minutes, depending on your machine's instructions.

Place lettuce on your serving plate/bowl. Scoop a ball of sorbet on top of the lettuce, arrange the prawns artfully and dust with smoked paprika. Serve immediately.

Leftover sorbet can be tightly wrapped in the freezer for a week. Soften in fridge 30 minutes before serving like this again. Alternatively, blend up with a little tequila for a killer cocktail!

Feels Like Summer - Mango Tamarind Prawn Cocktail Sorbet
Feels Like Summer - Mango Tamarind Prawn Cocktail Sorbet
Feels Like Summer - Mango Tamarind Prawn Cocktail Sorbet