Recipes

Basil and Parmesan Biscuits

by Christine Salins on May 18, 2012

Basil Parmesan Biscuits

The last of our summer basil needed using before the frost got to it and so this dish was born.

It’s not really a biscuit as it is slightly spongy in texture, but I’m not sure what else you would call it. I was quite generous with the spoonfuls on the baking tray and one single biscuit ended up being a perfect size for an appetizer.

What to top it with? I had the last few scoops of Frugii’s Bloody Mary sorbet in the freezer, and inspired (very vaguely) by Movida’s anchovy on crouton with smoked tomato sorbet, I placed a couple of anchovies on top of each biscuit, a few strips of roast capsicum and finally a dollop of the Bloody Mary sorbet.

Frugii makes amazing icecream as anyone who has tasted John Marshall’s superb products at the Capital Region Farmers Market will tell you. Yes, his Bloody Mary sorbet does contain Vodka and it has a real kick to it!

It complemented the salty anchovy and the cheesy biscuit perfectly, and won rave reviews from my taste testers.

Play around with your own combinations and let me know what works for you.

Related post: John Marshall: Frugii Icecream

BASIL AND PARMESAN BISCUITS
Basil Parmesan Biscuits2 cups plain flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
4 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
1 ½ cups plain yoghurt
½ cup milk
1 tablespoon olive oil
Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
In a bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder, bicarb soda, basil and cheese.  In another bowl, combine yoghurt, milk and oil.
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir till the mixture just comes together.
Put small spoonfuls on a baking tray (allowing room for the biscuits to expand) and sprinkle generously with remaining Parmesan cheese.
Bake for about 15 minutes or until nicely golden.
Top with one or two anchovies and a scoop of Bloody Mary sorbet on each biscuit.

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Li-Sun Exotic Mushrooms

by Christine Salins on May 6, 2012

Mushrooms

I wonder why anyone would buy “ordinary” mushrooms when you can buy mushrooms as beautiful as the exotic varieties sold by Li-Sun Exotic Mushrooms.

This Southern Highlands grower produces an impressive range of mushrooms in a disused railway tunnel between Mittagong and Bowral.

In the 1950s, the tunnel became one of the first cultivated mushroom farms in Australia. In 1987, it was taken over by Dr Noel Arrold, a microbiologist who proceeded to develop new mushroom varieties for the Australian market.

The first variety grown was the Swiss Brown mushroom, followed by Asian varieties such as Shiitake, Oyster, Shimejii and Wood Ear.

The mushrooms thrive in the cool, damp, dimly lit tunnel, as you can see from the beautiful photos on the Li-Sun website.

Risotto

Li-Sun regularly has a stall at the Capital Region Farmers Market and I couldn’t resist their mixed tray containing Enoki, Oyster and the very striking King Brown mushroom.

RiceAlong with the tray came a recipe for Mushroom and Pancetta Risotto, which I adapted slightly to create the recipe here.

The original recipe contained pancetta, chicken stock and white wine which I eliminated to accommodate the tastes of various family members (not mine, I might add!)

I used vegetable stock instead, adding the simmering liquid to the rice spoonful by Stockspoonful, stirring the mixture until each spoonful was absorbed before adding the next.

It took about 20 minutes for the whole dish to come together.

Because I had eliminated the pancetta and wine, I threw in a generous handful of dried porcini mushrooms to boost the flavour.

Mushrooms

But the gorgeous Li-Sun mushrooms were the real stars.

Mushroom Risotto

MUSHROOM RISOTTO
Serves 6
50g unsalted butter
250g mushrooms (a mix of exotics)
7 cups stock
1 small brown onion, chopped finely
2 garlic cloves
2 cups Arborio rice
Finely chopped parsley
60g Parmesan cheese
Heat half the butter, add mushrooms and cook until soft. Transfer to a bowl. Bring stock to the boil then turn back to a simmer. Melt remaining butter, add the onion and cook until soft. Add garlic and cook for another minute.
Add rice, cook for 1 minute or until the grains become slightly glossy. Stir in mushroom mixture.
Add a ladleful of the simmering liquid to the rice and cook, stirring until absorbed. Continue to add liquid a ladleful at a time for about 20 minutes until absorbed. The rice should be tender but still have some bite.
Remove pan from heat, stir in Parmesan, parsley and some lemon rind. Season to taste.  Serve sprinkled with extra Parmesan and pepper.

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Brooklyn House, Howard

by Christine Salins on April 29, 2012

Brooklyn House

Preserving Brooklyn House for future generations is a labour of love for Jan and Terry Ward. They live in this grand colonial homestead, sleeping in the beautifully furnished main bedroom by night, and tidying it up to look like a museum by day.

In fact, Jan told me during my recent visit that when her children were small, they got tired of always having to tidy their bedroom in preparation for the influx of visitors.

Eventually, the Wards created rooms in the attic that were out of sight from visitors, leaving the nursery to be displayed with old-time toys and beautiful old clothes.

The fact that Brooklyn House is still lived in and so clearly loved is one of the charms of this historic home in the little town of Howard, near Maryborough in Queensland.

Dining Room

The house was built in 1890 and was originally on 5000 acres owned by the Rankin family. Dame Annabelle Rankin, Australia’s second female senator and the first Queensland woman elected to the Australian Parliament, lived there as a child.

Although the land-holding has since been reduced to 4 acres, it has a beautiful lush garden that almost hides the house from view.

Once a social hub and showpiece of the region, the house is built largely of cedar and beech, with 14ft high ceilings, two marble and two cedar open fireplaces, open 9ft wide verandahs and a grand double-stairway entrance.

Jan Ward

Jan Ward

At one time it was staffed by cooks, maids, gardeners and groomsmen, with grass and “ant bed” tennis courts, a croquet court, a billiard room and stables.

The Wards bought the house in the 1980s when their children were small and have done a huge amount of restoration to preserve it for future generations.

I was surprised to find when we arrived for one of their scheduled guided tours that there was a “For Sale” sign outside. But yes, Jan said, the house is too big now that their children have left home, and the Wards want to be free to pursue other adventures.

So if you’ve always dreamed of living in a beautiful old Queenslander, I’m sure Jan would be delighted to hear from you.

Lounge

We enjoyed a Devonshire tea on the veranda and were very impressed with the scones that Jan had baked that morning. She caters for a lot of bus parties and had just farewelled a group when we arrived, so she had already baked countless batches of scones that morning.

They had a lovely texture and weren’t dry like scones often are. We asked Jan what her secret was and she said it was using cream in the mixture. Jan uses her grandmother’s recipe, which she has kindly allowed me to pass on to you, dear readers. Enjoy!

BROOKLYN HOUSE SCONES

4 cups self-raising flour
1 cup water
1 cup milk
1 cup cream

Preheat oven to hot (about 240 deg C).
Sift the flour. Mix the wet ingredients together and pour them into the flour. Mix the ingredients together but do it quickly, don’t play with it. If it is too dry, add more water till it is playdough consistency. Roll the mixture out till it is about two inches (5cm) high, cut out the scones and flatten them with your fingers till they are about an inch high (2.5cm).
Bake them in the oven – they should take exactly 15 minutes to be cooked perfectly.

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