Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once

Redux - Milk Ice Cream

2009-07-10T12:04:00.000+10:00

This time of year the only cold white stuff I'm interested in is snow but for half of the world, the interest is in the edible variety.

Since it's a bit too cold to actually make ice cream why not dip into the archives and revive what I think is the best ice cream there is - Milk Ice Cream.

Unlike traditional ice-cream there's no eggs, no need for a custard base. It is a simple mix of milk, milk powder, cream and sugar.

Try it - you won't regret it.

Email Abuse

2009-07-08T08:13:00.002+10:00

At the start of this year one of the many changes undertaken in regard to this blog was the introduction of a new email system. The old gmail account though still active has been replaced with a new self-managed system.

Things were running perfectly until the beginning of March when I received a spate of emails from various sites, indicating that I had signed up for what can be classed as junk mail. What concerned me is that the email address that supposedly had signed up for these things, is one that has never been published and the only way people will have seen it, is if I have emailed them. In other words, this is not something random.

Fortunately one of these emails had a safety measure and included the IP responsible for requesting the sign up, so I saved it and the others I'd received and carried on as normal.

At the end of the month a few more of these emails came through including another one that listed the IP. Now I could compare and sure enough, they both originated from the same IP. While I can't prove the origin of the other emails I had received, I knew that at least two were from the same source.

I decided to check where this IP was located and to my surprise discovered it was in Florida. Now part of me could not believe that someone is really that vindictive and petty but in checking with the IP address I'd saved when dealing with a certain photo thief, would you believe, the numbers were identical!

So if stealing photos and writing insulting and abusive emails weren't enough, they now have stooped to fraudulently using my email address to sign me up to spam.

So I wrote to the ISP, with the details and as I expected I never heard back from them but at least the spam stopped.

Flash forward to today, another 6 spam this morning and another 9 tonight and guess what another one has that security feature and yes it's coming from the same source.

I really don't know what goes through a person's head to behave in this manner - perhaps bullying is the way they usually handle things. I have news for them, I am not one to be bullied or harassed.

Apricot and Pistachio Upside Down Cake

2009-07-07T23:44:00.003+10:00

The only thing wrong with winter is that you miss out on all that lovely stone fruit. Sure you can buy the canned variety but they lack the spark you get with fresh fruit. Apricots especially seem to be a pale imitation of there fresh counterparts. So while in summer I can make an Apricot Upside Down Cake without any additions, this winter version using canned Apricots has a few twists to impart some more interest to an otherwise dull flavoured fruit.

For fragrance, Orange Blossom water has been added to the batter as well as slivered pistachios to give it a middle eastern touch.

Apricot and Pistachio Upside Down Cake

150 grams brown sugar
75 grams butter
canned apricots, drained
Cake
250 grams plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
180 grams caster sugar
200 grams melted butter, cooled
40 grams slivered pistachio
2 eggs, lightly whisked
1-2 teaspoons Orange Blossom Water
80mls milk, approx

Make the topping:

Place the butter and sugar into a small saucepan and cook over a low heat until the butter has melted and sugar has dissolved

Pour this into a prepared pan - I used a loaf tin but you use a 20cm/8inch cake tin instead.

Arrange the apricot halves neatly over the surface - canned apricots seem to shrink a lot more when cooking so be warned, make sure you pack them in.

Make the cake:

Sift the plain flour with the baking powder and place into a bowl. Add the caster sugar, eggs, Orange flower water, cooled butter and pistachios and beat, adding enough milk to create a spoonable batter.

Spread the batter carefully over the apricots and then level off the surface with a palette knife.

Bake in a preheated 160°C/320°F until golden and cooked through. If you find the surface is browning too quickly, cover with the cake pan with foil.

Once done, let it sit in the pan for a few minutes before turning out onto your serving plate.

You could also add the orange blossom water to the topping or maybe serve it with some orange blossom flavoured thick yoghurt.

Inside you have that lovely golden buttery cake, studded with those bring green slivers of pistachio. A warming treat for a cold day

Other ideas for Apricots and Pistachio:

Croissant and Apricot Butter Puddings
Apricot Brioche Breakfast Plait
Apricot Almond Oatmeal Cookies
Pistachio and White Chocolate Cupcakes

Weekend Herb Blogging #191 - Hosting

2009-07-06T15:17:00.004+10:00

Many thanks to Laurie for hosting and if you like strawberries you must check out the recap for some really imaginative recipes involving this wonderful fruit

This week our host will be Cheryl from Gluten Free Goodness.

Entries must be received by:

3pm Sunday - Utah Time
10pm Sunday - London Time
11pm Sunday - Rome Time
7am Monday - Melbourne (Aus) Time

To participate:

Post about any herb, plant, fruit, vegetable or flower - the complete rules can be found here.

Send your email to cheryl AT eharrishome DOT com with WHB#191 in the subject and the following details:

Your Name
Your Blog Name/URL
Your Post URL
Your Location
A photo: 300px wide

Like to be a host?

If you'd like to host then send an email to:

weekend.herb.blogging AT gmail DOT com

and include your blog name and url, your preferred email address and photo requirements.

Turnip Gratin

2009-07-04T22:25:00.001+10:00

Laurie from Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska is hosting this edition of Weekend Herb Blogging and this week I've opted for the ever so humble, Turnip

My previous adventure with turnips had been in the form of baby turnips and that had left me with a new appreciation for this brassica.

Usually turnips have been reserved for the minor parts in my dishes but this time I was going to change that - turnip would be the star. To accomplish this task I decided to make a turnip gratin!

Turnip Gratin

Turnips, peeled and sliced evenly
Spring Onions/Green Onions, sliced
cream
milk
salt and freshly ground white pepper
grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

I haven't specified quantities as you can make as much or as little as you like - the method remains the same.

Prepare the spring onions:
Once you've sliced the spring onions, heat a little butter in a small pan over a medium heat. When the butter has melted, add in the spring onions and sauté very briefly until the just begin to wilt - this should take somewhere between 30 seconds and a minute. Take them off the heat and set to one side.

Make the gratin:
Take a casserole dish and layer it with turnip slices - sprinkle over with a little of the wilted onions, then repeat with another layer of turnips and onions - on every second layer add a little finely grated Parmigiano. You should finish with the turnips with a few pieces of onion poking through.

Pour cream and milk into a bowl and season lightly - whisk, the mixture should have the consistency of slightly thick milk. You can make this to your own preference, some will use just cream, some will use different combinations.

Carefully drizzle this over the turnips, it should just cover them. Finish the dish with an extra sprinkle of Parmigiano.

Place in a pre-heated 160ºC/320ºF oven until golden and bubbling and the turnips have softened.

Best served immediately.

I don't know if it's due to the variety of turnips used or the way they are cooked but these most definitely had a subtle taste of horseradish - combined with that creamy texture it had us dipping in for seconds!

More ways with turnips:

Brisket Stracotto
Roasted Vegetable Frittata