Grilled Beef with Teriyaki Sauce

Grilled Beef with Teriyaki Sauce

Ingredients

2 x 220g Scotch fillet beef steaks
Ground black pepper
Vegetable oil

Teriyaki sauce:
1/4 cup Kikkoman soy sauce
1/4 cup mirin
1/4 Japanese cooking sake
2 tbsp brown sugar (or to taste)

Method

Prepare the sauce first. Combine everything in a saucpan and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes or until sauce is reduced to half. Transfer to a heatproof bowl to cool.

Place steaks in a ziplock bag (or just use a dish) and add 2 tbsp of the sauce that has cooled down. Add some ground black pepper if desired. Mix well and leave to marinade for about 1 hour.

Heat a grillpan or frying pan on high, lightly greased with some oil. Drain the excess marinade from the steaks and fry the steaks for about 3 minutes each side. Pour in 1-2 tbsp of teriyaki sauce and let it coat the steaks. When the steaks are cooked (medium rare), transfer to a plate and let it rest for 5 minutes, covered with aluminium foil. Reserve any remaining sauce in the pan for later.

Slice the beef thinly on the diagonal, and arrange on a serving plate. Drizzle with extra teriyaki sauce and enjoy with a bowl of steamed white rice.

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Creamy Cheddar and Ricotta Cheesecake

The addition of milk and ricotta in this recipe makes for a light, fluffy and creamy cheesecake.



Cheddar and Ricotta Cheesecake

Ingredients

110g cheddar cheese slices, roughly torn
40g butter
125ml milk
70g ricotta cheese
20g plain flour
15g corn flour
2 egg yolks
3 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
80g sugar

Method

Grease and line an 8 inch square baking pan with baking paper. If using springform pan, wrap the outside of the pan with 2 layers of aluminium foil as the cake will be baked in a water bath.

Prepare a large roasting tin (large enough to fit the baking pan in). You can start boiling some water for the water bath.

Preheat oven to 150C.

Place cheddar cheese, butter and milk in a bowl and place over a pot of simmering water. Stir the ingredients until dissolved and the mixture turns smooth and creamy. Remove from heat. Then stir in the ricotta until evenly mixed. Sift the plain flour and cornflour into the mixture and fold through until smooth. Then, stir in the egg yolks.

In a large clean bowl, whisk the egg whites with cream of tartar until frothy. Then add the sugar and whisk until the point when it's almost stiff (but not too stiff!). Fold one third of the egg white into the cheese mixture, then fold in the rest until evenly mixed. Do not overmix as it will knock out all that lovely air from the egg whites.

Pour into the lined baking pan, and place it in the roasting tin. Place the roasting tin halfway into the oven and carefully fill the roasting tin with boiling hot water, until it comes halfway up the sides of the baking pan. Bake for 50 minutes until the middle is just set and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Turn off the oven and leave the oven door slightly ajar (I wedge some mittens in between the doors). Let it cool in the oven for 30 minutes, then remove and set aside on a wire rack to cool. Refrigerate overnight before serving. Serve cold.

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Crispy-Skin Salmon Teriyaki

One of the best cooking tips that I picked up from watching Take Home Chef was that when cooking salmon, you should always start with a cold pan, and never hot. That will give you perfectly crispy salmon skin. I tried this method and it totally worked! Crispy skin everytime, which is the main reason why we love to eat salmon, especially with sweet, salty and sticky teriyaki sauce. I usually make extra sauce and store it in the fridge, which comes in handy not only for grilled meats/seafood, but also for quick stir-fries, noodles or as a tasty drizzling sauce. Served with rice and some steamed vegetables, teriyaki salmon is a sure fire hit with the kids (and adults too)! We especially love the sauce on our rice!


Crispy-Skin Salmon Teriyaki

Ingredients

2 x 200g (7oz) salmon fillets, skin-on (preferably a thick and long rectangular piece)
1 tbsp vegetable oil

Teriyaki Sauce:
5 tbsp Kikkoman soy sauce
5 tbsp sake
5 tbsp mirin
1/4 tsp dashi stock powder (dashinomoto)
1 1/2 tbsp sugar

Method

Prepare the sauce by combining all ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer over medium heat until the sauce is reduced by almost half and starts to turn syrupy. Transfer to a small bowl. It will thicken slightly upon cooling.

Wash the salmon, then pat dry. Rub a litle salt all over the skin. Place a non-stick frying pan on the stove and add the oil to the pan.  Place the salmon fillets skin side down into the cold pan, and then turn on the heat to medium-high. Cook the salmon for about 5 minutes (depending on the thickness of the salmon) until the bottom half of the salmon turns pink and cooked. Check the skin to ensure it has crisped evenly, slightly browned or charred. If not, turn up the heat to high. Once the skin is firm and crisp, brush some teriyaki sauce over the top and sides of the fillets, and flip the salmon over to cook the other side. It should cook fairly quickly in about a minute, depending on whether you like it medium or well done. Turn the heat down to medium if it's too hot. Take care not to overcook the salmon. If the teriyaki glaze on the salmon starts to burn in the pan, add a splash of water to the pan. When it's cooked to your liking, transfer the salmon to a serving plate and drizzle the extra teriyaki sauce over. Serve immediately with hot white rice and steamed vegetables.

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The Ultimate Pad Thai Recipe

I was pretty excited when I saw that Lorraine had posted this wonderful recipe for Pad Thai on her blog. The photos simply said it all. The almost deep and rich orange hue of the noodles was the sign of a winner and it's as authentic as it gets. None of the dry, pale-looking noodles with dry chunks of chicken meat and scattering of chives, egg and tofu that I usually get in Sydney. For the record, I never order pad thai though Mr TFWL likes to always give it a chance. My preference is still to order pad kee mao (my favourite pad kee mao is from Pom's Thai in Burwood, now Strathfield).

Anyway, this is how I like my pad thai - saucy and moist noodles with the right balance of sweet and sour from the tamarind and palm sugar, with saucy bits of egg crumble tossed through the noodles. Notice the key word is saucy. Loving this pad thai sauce and if you make a big batch of it, the rest of the preparation and cooking is a breeze (well, almost!). Thanks Lorraine for the recipe!

Pad Thai Recipe
Adapted from Not Quite Nigella

Ingredients (for 2 servings):
125g/4.41ozs. rice noodles, soaked in hot water for 10 minutes until almost softened
Oil for frying
150g shelled prawns (or subsitute with pork or chicken)
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 carrot, julienned finely (optional)
2 tablespoons sweet preserved turnip* washed with some warm water and then squeezed and drained (optional - I didn't have any)
2 eggs
1/4 cup garlic chives cut into inch long pieces
2 cups bean sprouts
1/3 cup chopped, roasted peanuts
Sauce 1 (stir fry sauce)

Stir-fry sauce (combine in a bowl):
1/3 cup chicken stock (or use 1/3 cup water mixed with 1/3 tsp chicken stock powder)
1.5 tablespoons Thai sweet chilli sauce
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons lime/lemon juice
1 tablespoon soy sauce
3 teaspoons palm sugar
Sauce 2 (pad thai sauce)

Pad Thai sauce (makes a large batch for enough for 16-20 servings):
3 coriander roots, well washed and finely chopped
150g/5ozs. garlic, peeled and chopped
150g/5ozs. shallots, peeled and chopped
50g/1.7ozs. dried large chillies (not small, they're too hot)
2 tablespoons salt
4 cups water
240g/8.5ozs. palm sugar, sliced
220g/7.7ozs. tamarind puree

Method

1. Prepare the pad thai sauce first. You can make a small batch if you like. I reduced the quantities by one fifth (enough for 3-4 servings). Place the coriander roots, garlic, shallots, chillies, salt and water in a medium sized pot and boil for 30 minutes uncovered. Much of the water will evaporate. Blend this mix in a food processor. Add the sugar and tamarind puree and process until smooth. Place back on low to medium heat to cook for another 30 minutes making sure that it doesn't boil rapidly - we don't want the sugar to caramelise as we want this to retain its sourness.
2. Heat the wok or a large frypan. Drain the noodles and have all of the other ingredients ready to add to the wok as it is quick once you start cooking it. Heat the wok and add oil and fry the prawns until about 90% cooked through. Remove and set aside. Add the garlic and cook for a minute, then add the carrot and preserved turnip.
3. Push to one side of the pan and then break the eggs into the pan and scrambled and mix with the rest of the pan items. Add the noodles and add half of the stir fry sauce and gently mix to combine. Add the bean sprouts, garlic chives and then the prawns back into the pan. Add the pad thai sauce 1/4 cup at a time until it coats the noodles and keep adding until it has that magical taste of sour and sweet and the noodles turn a rich amber colour. If the noodles are too dry, drizzle a few tablespoons of water around the side of the pan and toss the noodles.
4. Remove from the pan and serve with extra bean sprouts, lime/lemon and topped with the peanuts. Serve immediately.

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Polish Plum Cake (with olive oil)

It's been a long long while since my last post. Summer has been super hot these last few days and we've been staying indoors (although the air-conditioning didn't work too well in these extreme conditions). It didn't help that I decided to bake  yesterday afternoon knowing that it was already as hot as an oven outside!



So, ever since i tried the Polish plum cake from Monarch Cakes at St Kilda a couple of years ago, I've been wanting to bake something similar though I never settled on which recipe to use (there are a few on the internet, where they differ in terms of whether butter or oil is used, and some are yeast-based (which is apparently the traditional Polish version). With plums being in season right now, I decided it was time I made the attempt to bake a light, airy, sponge-like cake studded with tart plums that have caramaelized to a jammy consistency. Well, at least that's how I remembered it.

Ready for tea with a dusting of icing sugar

Although using butter gives the cake a richer and "superior" flavour compared to using oil, I wanted the cake to have that light sponge-like texture that I remembered. So, I settled on a recipe by Ren Behan who grew up in a Polish household, and she learnt this recipe from her mum. Perfect! I'm so glad I made this cake. Not only did my kitchen smell so good that I forgot how hot it was, but the cake tasted totally fabulous! Amazingly good and such a simple recipe too. It was so moist, light, sweet and delicious with the jammy plum that had partially soaked into the cake. I also topped the cake with raw sugar before baking which gave it a lovely crunchy top. And what's more, this cake is filled with plums (healthy and full of fibre!) and contains NO BUTTER! Instead, it uses olive oil which boasts plenty of health benefits as it contains monounsaturated fatty acids (the good stuff!).

Scroll down for the recipe, and start baking!

Lovely fresh plums going into the batter

Polish Plum Cake
(adapted from Ren Behan)

Ingredients

8-10 plums, stones removed (I used 6 large plums instead)
1 cup / 200g caster sugar
4 large free range eggs, lightly beaten
1  cup / 240ml mild, light olive oil
1 teaspoon vanilla bean extract
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons plain, natural yoghurt
2 cups / 250g self-raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon raw sugar (optional)
Icing sugar for dusting

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius / 375 F. Grease and line a rectangular baking tray (20x30cm) with parchment paper.

Chop the fresh plums into halves or quarters and remove and discard the stones. Set to one side.

Put the beaten eggs and sugar into a bowl and whisk well, using an electric whisk if you have one until the mixture starts to thicken. Gradually pour in the oil and vanilla extract and keep whisking until the mixture is pale and creamy. Add in the vanilla, lemon zest and yoghurt. Mix together well.

Sift in the flour and baking powder and gently fold or mix with a metal spoon until all the flour is incorporated.

Pour the batter carefully into the tray and gently press the plums into the top.
(Optional: sprinkle the top of the cake with raw sugar)

Bake in the pre-heated oven for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the centre of the cake.

Leave to cool before serving in slices. You can serve this cake with more yoghurt and fruit on the side, or with a spoonful of fresh cream. It will keep will in a tin for up to four days.
(Note: I stored it in the fridge, and it was delicious eaten cold!)

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Honeycomb Ice-cream Sandwich

This quick and easy ice-cream dessert is great if you're serving a large crowd at a party. It's also very convenient as you only need to slice and serve - no plates, cups or utensils required! Even the pan doesn't need washing up!

Honeycomb Ice-cream Sandwich

Ingredients

1 packet rectangular-shaped biscuits (I used Arnotts Milk Coffee, but you can use plain, chocolate or other flavour)

1 1/4 cup thickened/heavy whipping cream

5 tbsp condensed milk

1 chocolate bar (Crunchie, Violet crumble, or Cherry Ripe if you prefer), roughly chopped

Method

Whisk cream and condensed milk until thick and almost stiff. Fold in the chopped chocolate bar until evenly mixed.

Line an 8 inch square tin with clingwrap, leaving the sides overhanging with enough to fold over later. Arrange biscuits on the base. Pour the cream mixture over. Arrange another layer of biscuits on top. Cover with clingwrap and freeze for 8 hours or overnight. Slice into sections and serve.

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