Snow Balls for Australia Day

So it was Australia Day yesterday and although I'm usually pretty suspicious of any kind of enthusiastic nationalism I put my principles aside to enjoy a boozy BBQ by the water with my mates. Going for a dip in view of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House in extraordinarily clear water was quite special. As with all holidays this one has it particular food traditions. Eschewing the sausages and steak for hummus and tabbouleh I stay faithful with deserts. Last year I made a pavlova topped with cream and mixed berries which was tasty although assembling it after quite a few gin and tonics did not work out so well. This year it was going to be snow balls. One of my all time favourites. Far better than lamingtons they have the perfect proportion of cake, icing and coconut and because they are individually baked in a gem iron they retain their texture and don't go soggy. They were one of my grandma's speciality. She passed away in 2009 but, as an interest in baking skipped a generation, left all her cake tins ect to me. Gem irons are made from cast iron and usually come in two pieces, each with 12 small spherical moulds. You can still buy them from kitchen wear shops and they are a lot of fun and will last (more then) a lifetime. This batch makes enough mixture for 24, and you fill each mould up more than you think you should. I haven't tried this yet, but you could substitute a ganache for the chocolate icing if you were feeling decadent.

Snow Balls

Ingredients:

125g unsalted butter

1/2 cup caster sugar

1 tsp natural vanilla extract

2 organic eggs

1 cup self raising cake flour

1/2 cup self raising flour (can use all self raising flour if you don't have cake flour)

1/2 cup of milk

Icing (adapted from Maureen McKean's 'Crave: a passion for chocolate)

500g pure icing sugar

65g unsweetened dutch cocoa powder

45g unsalted butter, chopped

drop of natural vanilla extract

150ml boiling water

200g dessicated or shredded coconut

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (moderately hot).

Grease gem iron well with butter. Sift flours together. Beat butter, sugar and vanilla extract in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or with an electric beater until pale and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, beat until combined, if the mixture curdles (separates) add a spoonful of the flour mixture. On a low speed add the flour mixture and milk, mix until combined (do not over mix). Distribute mixture between the 24 moulds. Bake for 20 minutes or until they spring back when pressed gently.

When the cakes are cooled, ideally the next day, prepare the icing. Sift the icing sugar and cocoa into a heatproof bowl. Add the butter, vanilla extract and boiling water. Stir until smooth. Place the bowl over a saucepan of hot water, ensuring that the base of the bowl does not touch the water, and stir for 2-3 minutes. The icing should be thin, add a little more boiling water if necessary. Keep the bowl over the hot water. Using a metal skewer or fork dip each ball into the icing, letting excess icing drip off, and then roll in the dessicated coconut. Place on a rack, with a sheet of greaseproof paper underneath to catch any drips, to dry. Once dry, whip cream to stiff peaks, slice the top off each snow ball, pipe or spoon some cream on the larger piece, place the top on a voila! Serve asap after filling with cream, ideally with tea or coffee or i suppose something alcoholic if it's Australia day.

Makes 24

Gnocchi

Most Saturdays I’ll head down to Eveleigh farmers markets in Redfern. They have great organic and biodynamic meat stalls, an heirloom tomato stand, fantastic eggs and herbs. One of my favourite stalls at the moment is the potato stall. They have more than 10 different types of potatoes and I’m well on my way to trying them all. As well as the usual suspects; Nicola, Dutch Cream, and Kipler they have the more uncommon varieties such as Pink Fir, Spunta and Royal Blue. Certain types are better suited to particular uses. There is a big debate out there concerning the method and potato variety which makes the best gnocchi: boiled, steamed or baked; floury or waxy. Gnocchi is one of my favourite ways to use potatoes and I’ve done some serious experimenting over the last year or so, making my way through the potato stands offerings. During this intensive experimentation I’ve switched camps from waxy/steamed to floury/baked. Steaming a waxy potato, such as Nicola, still makes a good gnocchi but is wetter, meaning more flour is necessary and results in much more delicate gnocchi, prone to falling apart. Baking a dry potato (the best results I’ve had so far have come from Kennebec's) require less flour and are more manageable and sturdy but still produce light, soft, pillowy gnocchi. The gnocchi in the picture are made from Innovator potatoes. I probably wouldn't use them again, the potatoes were too dry and thus very hard to push through my drum sieve and the end result was a bit stodgy. As you can see, I like my gnocchi rustic, I probably should add some indents with a fork to aid sauce absorption. As for sauces, you could serve a simple tomato sauce, pesto, or some mushrooms fried up with some garlic and chillies and simmered in vegetable stock.

Gnocchi

Ingredients:

750g floury potatoes

125g pasta flour

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1tsp salt

¼ cup verjuice
Butter

Method:

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Scrub the potatoes, dry with a tea towel/paper towel and bake them, covered in foil, with their skins on for an hour or until they are tender when pierced with a skewer. While still hot and with the aid of a tea towel peel the potatoes. Push through a fine mesh strainer, drum sieve or tammy onto the flour either on a bench top or larger bowl. Add the eggs and salt and mix to combine. Kneed briefly, only until the mixture forms a dough (if using a bowl tip onto a floured board or bench top now). You can leave it now for half an hour or so while you prepare your sauce. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Divide the dough into 4, on a floured surface roll each section into a long, thin sausage, about 1cm wide and cut along at 2cm intervals (mine are a little too big in the picture). Lightly roll each gnocchi between your palms and transfer to a baking tray lined with a tea towel. In batches, drop the gnocchi into the boiling water and as they rise to the surface remove with a slotted spoon and drain. Toss a bit of butter with the cooked gnocchi to prevent them from sticking. Transfer to a lightly buttered baking dish. Bake for 5 minutes. Remove and pour over ¼ verjuice, shake to turn gnocchi over and return to oven for 3 minutes. Remove from the oven; divide between bowls and spoon over sauce of your choice.

    

Serves 3 for a main and 4 for a starter.

Bumper bean crop

 For me, like many, an interest in cooking lead to a desire to know how the food I was working with was grown, processed and/or reared. Using fresh and ideally local and organic ingredients in my cooking has become really important to me. Home veggie patches have been in fashion for a while now, think Michelle Obama's whitehouse plot, and I was desperate to jump on the bandwagon. However, I quickly learnt that I definitely do not have a green thumb. Despite what Jamie Oliver and co say growing your own veggies is not easy. Tiny and tasteless beetroots, forked carrots and floury tomatoes sum up my first few attempts. Finally, last year I set up a proper raised plot, got some soil, blood and bone and sheep poo and gave it a real shot. Beetroots failed and tomatoes aren't looking too promising but with the heavy rain the beans have gone crazy! I'm harvesting a good handful every second day and using them in risottos or salads or just on their own as they are so sweet and tasty. I am particularly proud as i planted them from seeds. They are a mixed variety of heirlooms and I'm loving the purple colour. Unfortunately, they loose their colour once cooked. Along with the last of the spinach i made a tasty and healthy risotto the other night. Risottos are a great dish to master as once you have the basic risotto bianco down pat you can stir in pretty much anything you have on hand.

Spinach and bean risotto.

Serves 4.

Ingredients:

olive oil

1 brown onion, finely chopped

2-3 celery sticks, finely chopped 

1 litre veggie or chicken stock, home made

1 1/2 cups aborio or other risotto rice

half a cup or so of dry white wine or verjuice

good handful of beans

bunch of spinach

parmegiano reggiano

knob of butter

Method:

Heat a splash of olive oil in a thick bottomed, high sided pan (like a Le Creuset) and gently fry celery and onion for 15 minuets or so until soft and translucent but not coloured. At the same time have the stock heating up to a gentle simmer. Wash the spinach, steam or blanch and then plunge in cold water. Squeeze out all excess liquid and finely chop by hand or in a food processor. Briefly steam or blanch the beans, plunge in cold water and chop into bite sized pieces. Add the rice to the onion and celery soffritto and stir on a medium heat for 2-3 minuets, until the rice turns opaque. Add the wine or verjuice, stir. Once the liquid has been absorbed add a ladlefull or two of the hot stock, massage the rice with a wooden spoon. Keep the heat fairly low, you want a gentle simmer. When the stock is absorbed add the next ladlefull. Keep going until the rice is cooked, it should be lovely and soft and creamy but still with a bit of bite to it. Turn of the heat, stir in spinach, beans butter and a handful or so or grated cheese and some cracked pepper. Put the lid on the pan and let sit for 5 minuets to let the rice fluff up. Dish up and serve! 

You can add a pinch of salt with every few ladles of stock for extra flavour.