Simply Nougat!

Have you ever attended an Italian Wedding reception and been gifted colourfully wrapped nougat? The presentation alone grasps your eye and you are instantly excited about unwrapping the lollie in anticipation that it is as good to eat as it looks.

As a Wedding Coordinator, or as my boss calls it, a "Wedding Fairy" I have on a number of occasions hosted Italian Weddings, I have salivated as I opened containers filled with nougat, the sweet, sugary sent wafting into the air after being cooped up for hours in its plastic cage.

 

I have promised myself for years that "one day" I would attempt making nougat, of course one day turns into the next and then, after years of procrastinating my attempt of making nougat has still not been achieved, that is until last week when finally it was time, I had hosted a wedding and after sneaking a piece of nougat decided that if hundreds of people from across the world have attempted it and been successful that I too should be able to.

 

First things first I asked my good friend google for a fool proof nougat recipe, after punching the enter key, pages upon pages of "relevant articles" appeared. Not being one to search through every recipe to find the "Ultimate" one I settled on the "Best ever Nougat recipe" with a label like that how could it be wrong? I read through it step by step, I was unaware of how simple nougat was to make and that it contained just a small amount of ingredients.

 

One of the ingredients for nougat is edible rice paper, I searched high and low for this rare commodity, living in a small town made it even more of a challenge, I was eternally grateful for the help of a local cake decorator who set me in the right direction, with her help I found my rice paper in a gourmet deli, it was proof that I am indeed a mushroom, unaware that a treasure like "Victors Gourmet Deli" even existed in Cairns, I became side tracked beyond belief, wrapped up in the thought of devouring gourmet salami's and cheeses, wanting to try a little bit of this and that. After my not so quick venture to the shop to pick up glucose syrup, almonds rice paper and cellophane I settled in my tiny kitchen and began to prepare my sweets, it was the first opportunity for me to use the sugar thometer my husband had given me as a gift months prior.

 

The recipe stressed that the use of hand held beaters is a deffinate no, no, it suggests that the nougat would become to thick whilst beating it and the motor would burn out, only having hand held beaters I chose to ignore the suggestion and I used them. I found that they coped well, being of a high quality the motor had been guaranteed for a life time, I'm not sure how long a life time is for an inanimate object but I can say that they lived up to their reputation.

 

Another point stressed in the recipe is to refrain from deviating from the instructions, the importance of following it to the letter is of  the up most. I ignored this advice in my first attempt and boiled my sugar syrup mixture to a measly 140 degrees, my finished product although delicious and moreish was chewy and terribly hard to cut, even after chilling it in the fridge our resident pastry chef at work still had issues cutting it for me. 

 

My second attempt was perfect, I refrained from chopping the nuts and boiled the syrup to 150 degrees, after beating it, it was smooth and creamy in texture and as the recipe suggests fiddly to spread but totally worth it. I did not even need the help of our pastry chef to cut it, the bread knife used in a sawing motion was a dream.

 

Don't be put off by how nougat looks or horror stories you have been told that have traveled through the grape vine before reaching you, try making nougat, if not today why not some day in the future? It is simple to prepare and make, just make sure that you acquire a sugar thermometer before you do. Making lollies is allot of fun, it may require you to act quickly in some stages but the finished product is the plus, make sure if you have children to stress to them to stay away from the sugar syrup when boiling it, if it was tipped onto the skin it would burn into the young flesh and set on it.

 

I have had trouble controlling my urge to eat nougat since I have made it, one small piece becomes two and so on, I must admit that eating it doesn't bother me in the slightest, I enjoy it, and am sure that you will as well, keep up with the cooking, I hope that you feel inspired. Until next time create, create, create! 

Cheesecake mmmm

There are times when I am out for coffee with my friends and find myself staring long and hard into the cake cabinet drooling over beautifully presented cakes that have been strategical placed as to catch the eyes of those waiting to be served, any form of calorie counting instantly go out the window as my gaze deepens with desire, as I procrastinate over which dessert to thicken my hips with I always find myself leaning toward the very creamy and Moorish delights of cheesecake.

 Although I enjoy spooning cheesecake into my mouth whilst oohing and ahhing as it slides down my throat whilst I sit with my friends in the ambiance of my favorite coffee shop, I find it particularly satisfying to make a cheesecake in the comfort of my own home. I am a huge fan of the no bake cheesecake, filled with condensed milk and lemon juice, it is, as the expression goes as easy as pie to make.

Firstly,  turn one packet of Butter Crunch biscuits into crumbs, these days people use a food processor to do so, being an old fashioned girl and not being lucky enough to own such a tool, I place my biscuit's in a large zip lock bag and beat the living day lights out of them using a rolling pin until they resemble fine bread crumbs, I place them into a bowl and add a teaspoon of Cinnamon and 125g of melted butter, I mix them until they are well combined and then turn my crumb base into a lined spring form pan, I press them into shape using my fingers and palms and then place my base in the fridge to chill, I then beat 2 x 250g tubs of Cream Cheese using an electric mixture until smooth, to that I add one tin of condensed milk, beating once more until they are well combined, I add the freshly squeezed juice of two lemons that have had 2 level table spoons of gelatin dissolved in it, and as repetitious as it sounds I then mix it all until well combined, to that I fold in half a 600ml tub of thickened cream, I pour my luscious creation into the prepared tin, I sprinkle it liberally with cinnamon and then place it in the fridge to chill until firm.

Whilst waiting impatiently for my heavenly dessert to chill I curl up on my couch with the bowl and a wooden spoon, I scrape the sides of the bowl with the spoon and eat the left over delights, fending off the kittens as I do so, for if for the slightest moment I drop my guard they would pounce at the bowl and lick it clean leaving no trace of there ever being a cheese cake made in it and causing a ruckus as they bicker over who will be first in line in the pecking order.

Once chilled and my penance in patience has been served I remove my sinful creation from the fridge, I unclasp the spring form pan and remove my cake, I cut it into slices and serve it with swirls of fresh cream and strawberries all along promising myself that I will in deed be good and eat only a slither, with that slither of course being backed up by yet another slither until I have consumed a full slice, the little Lucifer sitting on my shoulder convincing me that it is the right thing to do, besides I wouldn't like to upset the chef would I?

Cheese cake is dead easy to make, it is a perfect dessert for family get togethers and can be dressed up to be fancy by setting jelly on top of it once it is set and serving it with cream and fresh fruit or can you keep it simple and sweet, by serving it with a scoop of ice cream .

Cooking is a joy and sharing that experience is brilliant to everyone that is involved, share the experience of making a cheese cake with your children if you are lucky enough to have some, let them man the beaters and watch as the batter spits from the bowl and covers your kitchen bench with condensed milk, watch them as they press the biscuit base into the pan and help them as they lick the bowl when you are done. If you don't have any children of your own why not share the experience with a friend.

I must be off now, I have the aromas of a chicken and asparagus quiche filling my home and I must go and tend to it, happy cooking to all of you that are reading this and I hope that your baking experience is a successful one. Till the next time I write, good bye.

Meat Ball and Spaghetti.. all covered in Cheese!

Well I might be fibbing in the title just a little, this recipe does not contain meat balls, it is however good old fashioned spag bol. Everyone that I know has their own take on Spaghetti, it has feed many of us through years of University and bachelor hood, it has soothed our cravings for comfort and eased our heads after a big night out, we reheat it the next day and make toasted sandwiches from it. Some of us like to use Spaghetti simmer sauces, others, like myself like to create our spaghetti from scratch.

I don't know how long spaghetti has been a staple meal of thousands of families across the world, I can tell you that I have been creating it since a teenager, forever experimenting as to create the perfect batch of noodle slurping goodness. After a crazy day at work recently and finishing a little earlier than normal on a Sunday afternoon my husband and I decided that spaghetti would be the perfect easy meal for our tired family. As I delved deep into the abyss of my freezer like a carnivore in hunt of its prey I found a surprise tray of minced beef, I pull it from it's frozen waist land and gently defrosted it in our trusty microwave.

Whilst our surprise package of minced beef was being buzzed in a circular motion in our trusty tool of modern technology my husband and I diced an onion, minced an excessive amount of garlic and picked from our garden fresh, basil, lemon thyme, oregano, parsley and spanish sage. We browned the onion and garlic in a large heavy based saucepan and once defrosted we added the star of the dish, the minced beef. When the beef had browned and it appeared to be cooked we added a large tin of tomatoes, and half a jar of tomato paste that gave the dish a thick, rich appearance, to that we added a good splosh of red wine, unfortunately we had to sacrifice a glass or two of a 6 year old bottle of merlot that we had been drinking sparingly over the course of the previous day. Once the tomatoes appeared to be disintegrating we added half a diced egg plant, an amazing vegetable when added to other flavors, the flesh, like the tinned tomatoes disintegrates in the pot and adds a wondrous texture and flavor to the completed dish, last but not least we add a grated carrot, some salt and pepper, with a sprinkle of my secret ingredient celery salt. We allow our creation to simmer away for half an hour, at this time we pop garlic bread in the oven to cook. Now is the perfect time to boil water, thats right, you guessed it, in another heavy based pot. We add to it some cooking salt, and a small amount of olive oil, it has been brought to my attention that it is no longer the done thing to add oil to pasta as it cooks, it is apparently un nessacary, I believe that it still makes a difference and, being a creature of habit I will keep doing so until the day I am dead and buried. Once the water is bubbling away I add to it good pasta, you can taste the difference and it makes your meal that little more special, we boil it until it is aldente and rinse it in hot water as to prevent it from sticking together.

We scoop the pasta into bowls, we top it with a generous amount of spaghetti sauce, some grated cheddar cheese and place by it's side a piece or two of crunchy garlic bread.

In our family this meal is traditionaly eaten on the couch, it is what we call a "lazy meal" and eaten whilst listening as David Attinbrough narates one of his wild adventures from lands unbeknown to us.

This particular attempt was as I say every time that I make spaghetti "the best batch I have ever made", I think it was the extra love of a second pair of hands that added to the goodness. Spaghetti is a heart felt dish, it reminds many of us of growing up, of meals that mum makes and awakeness memories of leaving home and learning to fend for ourselves, it is easy to make and satisfying, it is also different in every household I have ever visited.

Today's challenge is to dust off your spaghetti recipe, if you don't have one I'll let you phone a friend. Make a batch and slurp the noodles into your mouth whilst watching a documentry on the telly. Until then, happy cooking adventures to you all and remember that you don't know how it will turn out until you give it a go!