Individual Mediterranean Vegetable Terrines

Mediterranean Vegetable Terrine

A great entertainment starter rolling into the spring months; make this recipe a day ahead and serve when guests arrive with a simple green salad and a sprinkling of fresh pesto.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 25 minutes
Makes: 4-6 people
Keeps: Best served on day of making

The Ingredients
5-6 red capsicums, spilt in half length ways
1-2 medium eggplants, sliced length ways
3 medium zucchinis, sliced into 4 length ways
100mL olive oil
3 large red onions
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 Teaspoon brown sugar
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
200g goat’s cheese, optional

The Fun
Grill peppers until skin blister and blackens, place in to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
Heat Griddle Pan over medium heat, brush or spray eggplant and zucchini slices with oil on both sides. Cook vegetables for 3 minutes each side or until browned and softened. Remove from pan and repeat with remaining slices.
heat saute pan over medium heat, add olive oil & onions, cook for 5 minutes or until onions have softened but not brown. Add vinegar, sugar & tomato paste, reduce heat to low. Cook, stirring for 20 minutes or until jam consistency. Remove from heat, set aside to cool.
Remove skins from capsicums & line base and side of flexibake 1-cups with capsicum slices.
Cut vegetables to fit moulds, layer eggplant, onion jam, zucchini & goats cheese; repeat layers until all ingredients are finished.
Add goats cheese to the top layer & cover with slices of capsicum.
Cover terrine, weigh down and refrigerate for 24 hours.

Love amie x

Chocolate Sprinkle Cake

Just like mum used to make; Chocolate Sprinkle Cake was always my lunchbox treat. Tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and hidden amongst a soggy sanga, a piece of over-ripe fruit, & a salada with cheese and vegetmite!

Which one do you think I ate first?

This is such an easy recipe, in readiness for a sometimes treat the kids will love finding hidden in their lunch box.

Enjoy amie x

Moroccan Salmon w Salad & Lime Yoghurt

Salmon sizzles in my kitchen... A rich & tasty fishy fish, high in omega 3's, which helps keep your skin looking radiant!

Salmon is one of my favourite healthy mid week meals when I'm in a hurry, grilled with a little lemon, salt and pepper and served with salad or vegetables.

Last week Chris & I visited a new cafe close to work called Bitton. After perusing the menu and chatting to the owner (who ordered for us!!!)we walked out happy & laden with lots of goodies. A selection of Bitton sauces, jams and oils (Moroccan Spice Paste to name one) to sample. We felt lighter (literally) with a new found spring in our step and a smile on our face. Perhaps it was the convival European dining experience we experienced...

Mid week I put a little recipe testing into practise ...

Moroccan Salmon w Salad & Lime Yogurt

Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
Serves: 2 people
Ingredients:
1 -2 pieces of salmon fillet
2 Tablespoons Moroccan Spice Paste (I used Bitton)
1-2 teaspoons olive oil
1 Lebanese cucumber, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 avocado, peeled, chopped
5 mushrooms, chopped
1/2 bunch coriander, washed, roughly chopped
1/4 cup Greek yoghurt
juice of 1 lime
extra coriander to serve
salt and pepper to taste

The Fun
Coat Salmon with Moroccan Spice Paste & set aside.
Pre-heat Square Griddle Pan over a medium heat for a few minutes.
Sprinkle Salmon with a little oil and place skin side down onto Square Griddle Pan.

Cook for 5 minutes each side or until cooked to your preferred rareness...

Add salad ingredients to a medium bowl and toss to combine.

In a small bowl combine yoghurt with half the lime juice.
Place salad onto serving plates and top with cooked salmon.

Drizzle with extra lime juice, dollop of yoghurt and sprinkling of coriander.

Minis Tips

Replace Salmon with king green prawns, chicken thigh fillets or lamb fillets.

Love amie x

Low Fat Date & Apple Slice

With Summer just around the corner its time to lay off the tempting treats and look for some healthier low fat alternatives.

Low in fat but not in flavour the Low Fat Date and Apple Slice is a favourite within the TCT walls!

Hungry & greedy eyes lingered briefly over the bulging sweet plate in the tea room....Self restraint is hard to master at TCT especially when fresh baking smells make their way teasingly up the stairs, cheekily running through staff office's like a naughty child....

Maybe just another sliver!

love amie x

PEAR PEARfection

Is your life at times a little Topsy-Turvy with Ups & Downs?
Like life for many you can feel like a ‘busy little bee’ buzzing about & this cake’s name as my friend Brooke put it is not too dis-similar to how life can feel at times!
To turn an ‘Upside-down’ day into a PEARfect one try just a sliver or two of this divine dessert Upside-down Pear Cake.

Upside-down Pear Cake
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 50 minutes
Serves: 8-10 peopleKeeps: Best eaten on day of making

The Ingredients
50g butter, melted
½ cup (125g) demarara/raw sugar
4 Pears, peeled, cored, quartered
1 ½ cups (225g) self-raising flour

pinch salt
1 cup (250g) brown sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
½ cup (125mL) milk
175g butter, softened
2 Tablespoons golden syrup

The Fun
Preheat oven to 180ºC/160 C fan forced for 15 minutes. Lightly grease the sides of Flexibake with cooking oil spray
Pour melted butter over Flexibake base, sprinkle over raw sugar. Arrange pear quarters, cut side up, in the base of the Flexibake.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, salt, brown sugar. Add egg, milk, butter and golden syrup & beat with whisk until mixture is smooth. Pour cake mixture evenly over Pears in the Flexibake.Bake for 45-50 minutes or until skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, invert cake onto a wire cake rack to cool completely.
Chefs Tips
Replace Pears with plums, apples, apricots or dried dates & prunes.

Love Amie x

Made in the Chefs Toolbox Flexibake Round Cake w Rack

Playing with Pears

Poached Pears with Red Wine

Preparation Time: 10 minutes Cooking Time: 45 minutes Serves: 4 people
Keeps: Best eaten on day of making

The Ingredients

1 cup (250g) caster sugar

2 cups (500mL) water
1 cup (250mL) red wine

4 cloves

1 vanilla bean

Juice of 1 lemon

4 Buerre Bosc pears, peeled, stems intact

The Fun

In a saucepan heat sugar & water over medium heat for 2 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Add red wine, cloves, vanilla bean and lemon juice to the saucepan. Cook, stirring, for a further 2 minutes Add the pears and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, turning occasionally, for 20-25 minutes or until pears are tender. Use a slotted spoon to transfer pears to a heatproof bowl. Increase heat to high and bring the syrup to the boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until syrup thickens slightly. Pour over the pears and set aside for 10 minutes to cool. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 4 hours to chill.

Chefs Tips

Replace red wine with sweet white wine, orange or apple juice.

Pears are so lush at the moment and when poached in a light sugar syrup or baked in a moist upside-down cake (coming soon!) they transform into a decadent dessert.

Love Amie x

hOW tO mAKE a gERMAN fEAST

I really thought that my addiction to comfort food would have diminished heading into the warmer Spring months...

But my love of soul warming stews made a come back last weekend.

A girls night in featured Beef Goulash w Herbed Spatzle. Spatzle is a traditional southern German egg noodle or dumpling.

Made from a combination of flour, egg and liquid (water, milk or cream) it can also be flavoured with nutmeg and fresh herbs.

Amie x

Fun FOOD in the Office

Some offices go out to lunch but at The Chefs Toolbox we prefer to eat in!!!
Uruguayan Tart, Gluten Free Beef Lasagna, Snazzy Spring Inspired Salads, Cool Citrus Kugelhopf Cake, a Gingerbread House.
and much more adorned The Tool Box Kitchen this week for a lovely lunch.
Cooking at home can be so rewarding. But with everyone getting increasingly busier and busier. I am often asked for simple, nutritious and delicious meal ideas & recipes.
Here are some simple tips I use to keep healthy on the run...

• Stock up on fresh seasonal fruit & vegetables weekly. Ask your local grocer what's in season; Seasonal produce not only taste's better but it is also has a much higher nutritional value. So don't be shy, ask questions....
• Add frozen vegetables to your next shopping list. If you do run out of fresh then you always have a healthy alternative on hand ready to go. Frozen vegetables can be added to risottos, stir fry's, curries and even pastas! Bon appetite!
• Stock your kitchen cupboards with convenient canned beans; cannellini, chickpea, butter beans & lentils. Fish; tuna, salmon, anchovies and vegetables, which are a great healthy meal starter or a perfect lunch idea for home or the office.

Watch this space for more healthy tid bits & recipes to come. In true spirit of the Olympics, which start this weekend we should all be inspired to eat healthy and stay active.

Go Aussies!

Cheers, Amie x

Pretty in Pink

Growing up in a house of all girls my sisters and I were destined to be girly girl's and more than likely to have a strong affinity & love of all things Pink!

Cupcakes and Flowers included!

Flowers in Food Styling peaked in the 70's and I think perhaps they are making a massive resurgence onto the food scene as seen here!

Whatever your reason for flowers of something sweet I believe A girl can never have enough Pink of anything!

Love Amie x

ToolBox Designs Platter by The Chefs ToolBox

mini cupcakes made in the Flexibake 24 cup muffin tray by the Chefs ToolBox

Moorish Muffins & Cutesy Cupcakes

For a special event or for the pure pleasure & delight one can associate with baking. Aromatic cinnamon coupled with sweet caramel dates & bran muffins are a healthy morning heart starter.
A little more wicked are the Cutesy Cupcakes, tiny but still sweet enough to satisfy!
These baked beauties are two of my favourite childhood treats. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

My mum's overnight Bran & Date Muffins

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Makes: 12 Keeps: Best served on day of making

The Ingredients
1 ¼ cups (200g) plain flour
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup (125g) caster sugar
1 ¾ cup (100g) unprocessed bran
125g dates, finely chopped
½ cup (125mL) oil
1 ½ cups (325mL) buttermilk
1 egg, lightly beaten

The Fun
In a medium bowl, combine flour, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and sugar. Stir in bran and dates.Add oil, buttermilk and egg, mix until combined.
Cover, refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 180ºC for 15 minutes.
Spoon muffin mixture evenly into the 12 cups of the Flexibake muffin Pan.
Bake for 20 minutes or until cooked through.

Chefs Tips
Serve immediately with butter or fresh ricotta and honey.
Thanks Mum ;-)

Cutesy Cupcakes
Prep: 5 minutes
Cooking: 12-15 minutes
Makes: 24
Keeps: 3 days in airtight container

Ingredients
2 eggs
125g (4 oz) butter
180g (6 oz) sugar
250g (8 oz) self raising flour
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Fun

Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Beat butter and sugar together until creamy. Beat in eggs one at a time (take them out of shell first!).Add flour, milk and vanilla extract alternately until combined.
Spoon cake mix evenly into the Flexibake Mini Muffin.
Cook for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.
Decorate cakes as desired.
To make Frosting (Beat together 125g softened butter with 125g pure icing sugar until thick and creamy, add 1 tablespoon milk or water and stir until combined. Add colouring if desired, spoon onto cupcakes and dip little cakes into coloured sprinkles.

Amie x

Kids in the Kitchen

I absolutely adore cooking with my 2 nieces & I think at times even more than they do! But I must admit each time I visit they cannot wait to push their tiny green chairs against the bench and help in what ever way they can; stirring, cracking eggs, pouring milk and even a sneaky hand or two into the mixture when I have my back turned!!!

Cooking with children is a great way to introduce them to the kitchen and teach them life long skills they will have forever....

These delicious muffins are a great mid morning or afternoon snack, which when taken fresh from the oven are simply irrisistable!

Raspberry & White Chocolate Muffins
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Makes: 12

Keeps: Best served on day of making

The Ingredients
2 cups (300g) Self raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ cup (125g) sugar
3/4 cup (100g) white chocolate, chopped
150g raspberries, fresh or frozen
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
½ cup (125ml) milk
150g butter, melted
¼ cup sour cream
12 raspberries, extra
The Fun
Preheat oven to 180ºC for 15 minutes.In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, sugar, chocolate and raspberries.Add egg, vanilla, milk, butter and sour cream, stir until just combined.Spoon muffin mixture evenly between the 12 cups of the Flexibake Pan.Top each muffin with extra raspberry and chocolate pieces
Bake for 20 minutes or until lightly browned and cooked through.
Tips
Banana – Substitute raspberries and chocolate with 1 ripe banana, mashed & 1 teaspoon nutmeg or
Add 1 cup mixed berries; raspberries, blueberries, strawberries.

My little helpers xxx