Cooking Schoool News

Hi

Cooking schools have exploded in popularity around Australia, this explosion has now fashioned many more schools to spring open; but how to choose the right one?

Cooking Schools vary in essence from quirky & FUN to the more sophisticated! Each one unique in its own right!

People attend cooking schools for a variety of reasons; How to create a dinner party at home, for the pure indulgent love of a food; chocolate! Maybe a present for hubby to teach them that burning food on the BBQ is not cooking!!!
Or perhaps a treat for YOU to feel special, letting your imagination run wild....Perhaps you are sitting in a little trattoria in Italy sipping wine whilst eating delicate pieces of soft buffalo mozzarella with vine ripened tomatoes and freshly picked basil leaves.....Delish!!!

What ever the reason I strongly suggest trying one for yourself.

A great idea for a unique gift for friends & family especially this time of the year to get you ‘out and about’. You can gain loads of fantastic cooking tips and tricks, walking away with a spring in your step and a smile on your face feeling truly inspired.

If you want to learn more about Cooking School News around Australia check out this fabulous new site, Aimee has developed.

Cooking School News

Amie x

I love feeling inspired!

Deliciously moist orange cake

The simple preparation of this sweet orange cake, served lightly sprinkled with icing sugar and a dallop of freshly whipped cream is a 1st place winner.
This Orange Cake will definately impress any sweet tooth for a mouth watering treat. A deliciously moist and sweet citrus cake, which we here at TCT could not get enough of.
To make Wendy's Food Processor cake you will need:

The Ingredients
2 medium oranges, washed, quatered
3 cups (450g) self raising flour
1 ½ cups (250g) caster sugar
250g butter, melted
4 eggs, lightly beaten
The Fun
Pre-heat oven to 180 C for 15 minutes. Grease kugelhopf with cooking oil spray & place on a baking tray.
Place the orange quarters into the bowl of a food processor and blitz for 3-5 seconds or until chopped but not pureed.
Add remaining ingredients to the processor and pulse until the mixture is just combined 3-5 seconds.
Pour the cake batter into the kugelhopf pan.
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a skewer when inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
Invert cake onto a cooling rack and slowly peel off the Flexibake. Allow to cool for fifteen minutes.
Dust with icing sugar, slice cake into wedges.
Chefs Tips: To make orange muffins; pour cake batter into greased 12-cup muffin cups ¾ full & bake in pre-heated oven for 18 minutes or until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the middle of the muffin comes out clean.

This recipe is fail proof & simple, given to me by a consultant from TCT (thanks Wendy P ;-)

Happy cooking and eating

mini g x

SOUPs

Soups are something I really look forward to cooking once winter rolls around each year.

Wintery warm broths, bouillions, smooth or chunky which ever you prefer. Soups are a perfect alternative to the standard soggy sanga and also provide a healthy & nutritional meal, which warms you're heart and soul.
Our love of soups is inspired by our brilliant como advancedTM cookware range. Small or large qty's are covered with the 3.5L, 6L & 9L como cookware range

Delightful pears, which are deliciously ripe this month & Sweet potatoes combine exquisitely in this smooth Curried Pear & Sweet Potato Soup *, delicately spiced with a hint of sweetness you will be SCRAPING your bowl & looking for more...
*If you cant get your hands on Screaming Seeds spice mix, here is a spice mix recipe i use instead. Mine has whole Fresh spice seeds, which are much nicer than their ground sisters. When roasted as in this recipe the volatile oils are much stronger producing nose tingling aroma's throughout your kitchen.

Mini guru’s spice mix
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
¼ teaspoon ground Chili
5 cardamom pods
1 cinnamon stick
¼ teaspoon turmeric
¼ teaspoon sea salt

Combine all the spices into a small bowl.

Add the spice mix to the recipe (Curried Pear & Sweet Potato soup - link above) when required.

NOTE: Remove the cardamom pods & cinnamon stick with the silicone slotted spoon after cooking time (25 minutes), before you blitz the mixture.


Cheers, mini g x

Pearly Pomegranite's

Sunday breakfast or brunch's are an absolute favourite for me.... I excitedly look forward to the one date I keep with myself and any one of my friends who will accompany me each week.

Whether its with your girls for a long, lazy, lip smacking gossip session or quality time spent with your partner or shared with family; each option is as good as the other.

At a friends home sharing breakfast, I was asked to prepare the pomegranite...

I have to confess, in all my love of food i had never prepared pomegranite. Yes i'd read all about this beautiful fruit. I had eaten this delightful treat at beautiful restaurants; with watermelon, in salads, as a marinade and even in sauce's.

How could it be that I had not prepared this at home or through my working career....

That morning I learnt 'How to' de-seed a pomegranite....

here I will share my learnings with you ;-)

1. Score the outside edge of the pomegranite several times, lengthways (we like to use The Chefs Toolbox ct-edge paring knife).

2. Submerge pomegranite into a bowl of clean water.

3. Break apart the pomegranite, removing the seeds from the fruits membranes carefully (the pearly seeds will fall to the bottom of the bowl).

4. Remove the rind from the bowl & strain the seeds, pat dry.

This technique, I was told would eliminate the risk the tiny little red pearls bursting and staining my lovely & clean white top I was wearing! (they obviously know me very well!!!)
But I still managed to get red dots all over my white top!!!

These little delights are one of the oldest known fruits in history and some believe that the apple in the garden of eden was in fact a pomegranite.

This truly exquisite fruit has many uses and is more versatile than you will believe; great served with watermelon in a fruit salad, used to add colour, flavour and bulk to stuffings, made into a thick molasses, served alongside chicken or lamb...

Love mini g x

Roasted Pumpkin Risotto with baby spinach & herbs

A great gluten free fare; Pumpkin and spinach risotto is a fabulous winter warmer to indulge your souls in especially if you are a coeliac sufferer*.
Made with arborio rice (Italian medium grained rice), roasted bite size pieces of buttery pumpkin, a splash of colour with green spinach leaves & then finished with a generous sprinkling of parmesan and a knob of salty butter.
YUM!
Enjoy warm with your favourite dry white vino!

*Coeliacs: Please make sure you purchase gluten free chicken/vegetable stocks as some variants contain gluten. Check the ingredients labels on the packaging.

Chocolate Again!

I just cant get enough of chocolate...
Whether its this cold wintery weather, which has sprung upon us or the fact that Kylie Minogue has just turned 40. I just cant get chocolate out of my head!
So in honour of our beloved Kylie and the TCT's absolute obsession with chocolate this week.
I think we should all celebrate this great Aussie icons birthday with a gorgeous steamed Chocolate Pudding served with a Rich Chocolate Sauce* and fresh cream.
I have to admit, I am slightly addicted to this smooth & velvety melt in your mouth dessert.

I just cant get you out of my head
Boy your loving is all i think about
I just can't get you out of my head
Boy it's more than I dare to think about

Cant get you out of my head - Kylie Minogue - 29/09/2001 - 4 weeks at no.1

Cheers, mini g x




* If the chocolate sauce is too rich, simply add an extra 1/2 cup (125ml) of cream to the mixture & whisk until smooth.

Toolbox training in Sydney

Toolbox training night in Sydney - May 2008

Arrival was early onto the Sydney scene

We were so impressed & the consultants keen

Excitement and laughter

What was to come after

Davids de-brief on como- advanced

With mini's recipes in high demand

Sharon shone on her toolbox skit

Next it was Phip who was such a Hit!

Thanks to all the girls who attended training this month in all parts of Australia - I hope you enjoyed!

Recipes will be posted on the TCT webpage soon....

Steamed Chocolate Puddings

Chocolate Sauce

mini beef pies
Chestnut soup with thyme and rosemary

love amie x mini guru