Asparagus and Ricotta Tart

November 2, 2008

I know, I know. Another asparagus recipe. Another idea for a vegetable which hardly requires more than a quick blanch. The best though, is enjoying them straight from the plant, with no adulteration at all.

So why so so many recipes? Well, the asparagus that we buy here is too old and tough to eat unadorned. Also, the season is so short that I buy it every chance I get (except when its imported, or too expensive – the local, cheap asparagus season is considerably shorter).

Raw Asparagus Tart

Raw Asparagus Tart

The final reason for so much asparagus is that I have only recently discovered it. A few years ago I thought that those limp, grey stalks from the tin were asparagus in all its glory. How quickly it was moved from the despised list to the desired one when I finally realised!

Ricotta and flavours for Asparagus Tart

So, for now, it is another asparagus recipe – a simple, quick and tasty tart. But don’t worry, soon asparagus will disappear and it will be post after post about stone fruit.

Asparagus Tart fresh from the oven

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A contrary Spring, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Biscuits.

October 29, 2008

Spring is not behaving. I mentioned it before, when a sticky date decadence appeared earlier in October, but this is just out of control.  Miserable rain, blustery conditions have seen Sydneysiders unpack their recently mothballed winter clothes and grudgingly pull their heavy jackets back into service. Only to be followed mere days later by midsummer temperatures.

I am sick of it, and hearby announce my intention to switch up the seasons, to turn the hemispheres, to declare this Spring, Autumn. Ok, ignore the new flowers, the scent of jasmine wafting on the breeze, the light in the evening, the warm mornings… Ok, Spring, you’re welcome when you decide to appear, but until then, I’m eating for Autumn, too.

Eating Autumn means pumpkin and warming, earthy spices. My RSS reader has been full of pumpkin + chocolate desserts of late, thanks to the reality of Autumn, so here is my favourite: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Biscuits. And really other than some sunshine, what more could you want?

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Pasta Primavera

October 26, 2008

Springtime.

Springtime means new blooms, hayfever, the end of stewing for another season (and the start of salads) and new vegetables.

How better to celebrate Spring (and the onset of actual Spring weather, here in Sydney) than with a Pasta Primavera. Fresh, lightly cooked asparagus, colourful shards of juicy capsicum, underpinned with a classic soffritto and spiked with toasted pinenuts and slivers of sharp parmesan.

No recipe today, just a suggestion.

Fry some onion and garlic in olive oil. Loosen with a little water, then add sliced vegetables (I used asparagus, red and yellow capsicum). Fry until tender. Then mix through just cooked, still warm linguine (or other long pasta), loosen with a little more olive oil and or butter. Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Serve topped with parmesan and toasted pine nuts. Enjoy!

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The most divine lemon cheesecake.

October 19, 2008

This cheesecake was a happy mistake. I wanted to make something for dessert, and for some reason had all the ingredients for this cake, except biscuits for a base. The idea of an extra lemony lemon cheesecake grabbed me, though, and a lack of biscuits couldn’t dissuade me.

I got the idea of making a chocolate cake base from the Chocolate Cheesecake Brownies recipe I wrote about a while ago, and decided it would do at a pinch (I just used the brownie recipe for the base).

I used to be a little adverse to the combination of chocolate and lemon, until I worked in an icecream shop. A double scoop of chocolate and lemon was such a common request, that I had to try it. And I was hooked. Just like I’m hooked on this divine most lemony of lemon cheesecakes.
Cook it gently and slowly, until just set and savour the combination of decadently creamy and sharp citrus acidity against the extra chocolatey dense cake base.

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Spiced Cauliflower Soup

October 19, 2008


It is a joy not to rush. A lazy Sunday morning, a relaxing summer evening, sleeping in, dawdling.
It is a beautiful thing to take things slowly, to simply enjoy the moment.
I feel the same way about discovery. To find everything out at once would be overwhelming, disappointingly leaving nothing for the future. This is why I am glad to have only recently discovered the joy of Cauliflower.

As a child, cauliflower was the unnecessary vegetable. Revoltingly pungent, squishy and grey. But recently I have started to love its subtle flavour, its different faces, its ability to transform in different situations.

Paired with chilli, cumin and cooled with coconut cream, this soup highlights and spikes the gentle cauliflower.

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