※ My Lovely Birthday Dinner (Thanks Jake's Kitchen)

The husband hijacked the kitchen for my birthday and made a beautiful meal for me.

So proud of him, he had never cooked such an array of items at one time. It was super delicious & I think he needs to cook more!

Tomato Consommé - Jamie Oliver



INGREDIENTS

• 2 kilos lbs tomato
• 0.50 cup vodka
• 2 tablespoons horseradish
• 1 to taste salt
• 1 to taste black pepper
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 0.50 cup fresh basil
• 2 garlic clove
• 1 slice beetroot

NOTES: *** You also need cheesecloth for filtering

METHOD
Put everything except the beetroot into a food processor and run until slushy. (You will probably want to split the tomatoes into 2 batches to avoid spillage.) Place 4 layers of clean muslin cheesecloth in a deep bowl. Pour the tomato mixture into the cloth. Tie up the corners of the fabric. Add the slice of beetroot to the bowl to color the liquid. Hang the bag from a shelf in the refrigerator with the bowl under. Let slowly filter out overnight (or at least a few hours) Serve in a pretty clear bowl with an ice cube to keep it very cold, a nice basil leaf, and a few drops of very good extra-virgin olive oil. We served it in small espresso ceramic cups.

A favourite Mersey Valley Chilli Cheddar! I love cheese.

Jamie Oliver's Meatballs

INGREDIENTS

Servings: 4

• 450 gsm / 1 lb ground beef
• 450 gsm 1 lb ground pork
• 2 slices bread
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 egg
• 6 tablespoons olive oil (divided)
• 1 onion
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• fresh basil
• 2 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese
• 2 ounces grated Parmesan cheese

METHOD
Preheat oven to 425°F In a large bowl, mix together beef and pork. In a food processor, process the bread into crumbs, add to meat mixture. Add seasonings and egg, mix well. With wet hands roll mixture into balls. Warm a large saute pan over med. high heat. Add 3-4 tablespoons oil to the pan.

Fry the meatballs until nicely browned on all sides.

Transfer to a 9 by 13 baking dish. Chop onion and saute with garlic in 1 tbsp oil. Add tomatoes and about 1/2 cup torn basil and simmer 10 minutes. Pour over meatballs. Top with mozzarella and Parmesan. Drizzle with olive oil.

Bake until cheese is golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.

Smashed Chat Potatoes with Chili & Rosemary

There are three characteristics that make potatoes fantastic. Flavor and a creamy, crispy texture. This recipe is versatile and simple. Par-boiling in a separate pan is not necessary. Boiling and roasting all in one pan helps these potatoes retain their flavor and contributes to the contrast in texture. Our flavor profiles are simply suggestions, try your own. The secret is choosing a fat (butter, oil, animal fat) and a flavor (herbs, garlic, zest, vinegar, etc.) and following the technique. Try it and let us know what you think. Oh and serve them HOT!

Parboil your potatoes in salted boiling water for around 10 minutes and drain in a colander. Toss about to chuff them up, this will make them really crispy.

Bake in a moderate (180 deres) oven for about 30 minutes until desired level of crispiness is achieved.

Jake's raspberry bread and butter puddings

Previously blogged a couple of days ago but here it is again.

Donna Hay’s Jake's raspberry bread and butter puddings

INGREDIENTS

soft butter for spreading (he used Lurpak)
12 slices bread, crusts removed200g frozen raspberries


CUSTARD

• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup (single or pouring) cream
• 2/3 cup icing sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
   

METHOD Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius. Butter half the bread and sandwich together with the remaining slices. Cut the sandwiches in half. Divide the sandwiches between 4 x 1 cup capacity greased ramekins, placing the raspberries between the layers of sandwiches. To make the custard, combine the eggs, milk, cream, sugar and vanilla and whisk to combine. Pour over the bread and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Place the ramekins in a baking dish and fill enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for 35 minutes or until just set. 
Makes 4.