Gordon's Beef Wellington

This may well be John’s pièce de résistance!

Following Gordon Ramsay’s video from his series the F-Word, John made the most amazing Beef Wellington (with some help from Roelof!).

Having watched several seasons of Hell's Kitchen, it has been a Gordon Ramsay recipe we have been wanting to try and we can now see what all the fuss is about. John used our freshly harvested mushrooms and they had a deep mushroomy taste that complemented the parma ham and beef beautifully.

I made roasted new potatoes with sea salt and rosemary, and honey glazed baby carrots as side dishes. It was washed down with copious amounts of red wine.

John, myself, Tara-Lynn, Roelof, Amelia and Charne all got to enjoy the meal and the evening. 

Link to the recipe: http://gordonramsaysrecipes.com/tag/beef-wellington/

Mushroom Farming in a Bucket

While visiting the Clevedon Farmer's market with my good friend Linda,  I bought a mushroom farm ... in a bucket. I drove it home and that was where my involvement came to an abrupt end. For two weeks, John has been looking after our little farm in the garage (hidden in a little corner, under a towel).

Our first harvest has been a great success. We will be using the mushrooms tomorrow night so will let you know if they taste as gorgeous as they look.

Seafood Crepes with Snapper

John and I caught 3 snapper yesterday (John 1 - me 2 - please note) and once filleted, I used one of them in the most delicate seafood crepes. The crepes were made using a low fat recipe (see http://www.yummly.com/recipe/Crepes-Allrecipes_1 (use skim milk and double up on the quantities as it not very much).

For the seafood sauce, I used snapper fillet with the standard marninara mix. It is better if you get the marinara mix from the deli counter as opposed to the frozen version. Start by chopping onion and frying it with garlic, and about two teaspoons of fennel, salt and black pepper. Add all the seafood and cook for 3 - 4 minutes - if you have some white wine - use it!

In a separate pot, make a white sauce with lots of strong cheese such as gruyere or cheddar, a pinch of nutmeg and again some salt and pepper. (For a more luxurious version add some cream and if you are watching the waistline, a skim milk sauce is almost as nice). Add the sauce to the seafood and cook for no more than 2 minutes. If the sauce is not thick enough, rather add cornstarch than try thinning it out by cooking off. The seafood will just end up lifeless and tough.

To put together ... up against the side of a dish lay out your first crepe, sauce it and then wrap - build from left to right. I have still not mastered how to hold them all together when you serve. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and stick under a hot grill for a few minutes.

Again - look at our baby loving her crepe!

Fishing Frittata

A frittata is part of our picnic basket on fishing trips. Tomorrow's one has mushroom, capsicum (green and red), onion and ham cooked in a non-stick pan with some salt, pepper and origanium. Four beaten eggs are added and the heat is turned right down. To cook the top, add some cheese and paprika and hold the pan under the oven grill for a few minutes.

Straight from the sea to our oven

John caught three beautiful snapper on Sunday. We have found a delicious, healthy and simple way to prepare it. Once filleted, I coat it in Coat n’ Cook and then stick it in an oven (180) for 15 – 20 minutes. The only problem is that we cannot seem to get all the coating cooked and there is always a dusty coating (which you cannot taste). The potato dish was a potato and onion bake fromthe Weight Watcher’s web site:

http://www.weightwatchers.co.nz/food/rcp/index.aspx?recipeid=32981

Our potato dish looked nothing like the web site, and it was quite flat! If any of you try it, please let me know if you have more success. A green salad rounded off the meal.

Smoked Salmon on Potato Pancakes

On Monday, while buying our new shiny, red stove top kettle (whistle and all) I found two plates on sale made especially for fun-food-you would-not-eat-every-day 'stuff'.

Being in the throes of Weightwatchers, I found this recipe on their New Zealand website: Smoked Salmon with Potato Pancakes.  I could not find fresh dill so I used a Masterfoods Dill & Lemon mix which was still lovely. To get the potato pancakes fully cooked, I put them in the oven (180) for 10 minutes.

Fantastic!

In the top-left photograph: Caitlyn and Dad toasting Mom's genius. (Note our baby eating smoked salmon on ricotta!)

Recipe link: http://www.weightwatchers.co.nz/food/rcp/index.aspx?recipeid=3861

Prime Rib with Roasted Vegetables and Cous Cous - 7/1/12

John and I discovered a new favourite cut of meat - roasted prime rib. One was prepared with a black pepper crust and the other with whole grain mustard. Baked at 180 degrees for 1.5 hours.

Served with roasted vegetables and cous cous (potato, white and orange kumara and parsnips roasted for 30 mins before adding garlic,  mushrooms, courgettes and brinjal for another 30 minutes. All seasoned with Masters Roast Vegetable Mix, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and a sprinkle of brown sugar).

Two packets of sun dried tomato and garlic cous cous were then added to the mix.

Caitlyn-Jane's favourite meal - baked beans extravaganza

Baked beans topped with a fried egg and melted cheese. Served with bacon and toast. Made by Dad.

My heart was won with chicken and spinach wrapped in bacon

This is one of John's signature dishes - chicken breast (basted with mustard) and filled with homemade creamed spinach wrapped in bacon and baked for 40 minutes. John served it with rice, and a gem squash. 

Smoked Trout

Defining moments in my childhood were spent trout fishing with my family. John (my fiance) helped recapture its magic with his first attempt at smoking trout in our kettle barbecue. Method: Using hickory chips, he brushed the fish with peanut oil, some salt, pepper and fish spice. 10 minutes in the smoker.

Caitlyn-Jane's birthday cakes

Complicated baking is not my first love, but out of love for my child, it is something I do at least once a year. Hopefully by Caitlyn-Jane's 6th Birthday things won't look so "attempted"!

My precious girl's first birthday cake. A good old fahioned box cake!

Caitlyn's 2nd birthday cake - Lamby (her beloved stuffed toy, friend and confidante) personified in a cake

Third Birthday - Dora the Explorer - made by her sister and iced by her Father. Dora stick on bought online. This was was especially special - Dad felt the initial Dora stick on was too small and upgrade to what you see in the photo.

Easy Peesy Snacks

Celebrating New Year 2012 with our dear friend and God Father of our daughter, Roelof, as his wife Amelia was in hospital with a broken foot. Tiered snacks - Garlic Bruschetta with cream cheese and pesto or smoked salmon spread (from the Auckland Fish Market) and a caper, or a tinned mussel with a cream cheese/marmite spread mix. Went down a treat!

Christmas needs a glazed ham

In all it's tacky splendour - the glazed ham is always part of our Christmas table. Being away from our kitchen for the 2011 Festive Season required a simple approach to glazing the ham. A bottle of maple syrup, pineapple rings, glazed cherries and a hot oven did the trick.

The icing on the cake

Tomorrow I start a diet, the morning after I start my food blog! A dieting food blogger feels irrelevant but my diet is more about teaching myself moderation (currently I know as much about moderation as I do about the Japanense language).

If we are what we eat, then I plan to be interesting, exotic, comfortable and balanced. Over the past five years, I have developed a love for the mainstream cooks (Jamie, Nigella and Gordon) and celebrated key milestones with Annabel Langbein. Together with my best friend and partner, we have cooked, and cooked, and cooked.

This year is going to be significant. I have a beautiful daughter, a loving partner and a wonderful family. I have a flourishing career. I have so much to be grateful for. And now I plan to give it all some depth through my love of writing and food.

Getting to this point in my life was a rollercoaster (flying highs and roaring lows). To give my journey context, I will reminisce and celebrate and sometimes ... cry. And I hope you will enjoy it with me.