Mmmm. Delicious autumn food

[is it still autumn??!]

Who knew cauliflower could be so delicious?

Twice-baked cauliflower souffles

Ingredients

• 200g cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 fresh thyme sprigs
• 350ml milk
• 80g unsalted butter
• 120g plain flour
• 4 eggs, separated
• 300ml thickened cream
• 140g gruyere, grated
• Radicchio leaves to serve

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180C and grease four 1-cup (250ml) ramekins. Place the cauliflower, onion, bay leaf, thyme and milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low and cook, partially covered, for 8-10 minutes until cauliflower is tender. Strain, reserving cauliflower and milk, and discard the other solids.
• Melt butter in a clean saucepan over low heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes, then gradually whisk in the reserved milk. Cook for a further 2-3 minutes until thickened and combined.
• Whisk in the egg yolks, 1/2 cup (125ml) cream and half the cheese until combined. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Whiz the cauliflower in a food processor until smooth, then add cheese sauce and pulse to combine. Season.
• In a large bowl, using electric beaters, whisk eggwhites to stiff peaks. Fold one-quarter of eggwhites into cauliflower mixture to loosen, then gently fold in remainder. Divide among prepared ramekins, place in a deep baking pan and fill with enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of ramekins. Bake for 20 minutes or until puffed and golden.
• Remove from pan and set aside to cool slightly before turning out onto a baking tray (they can be covered and refrigerated for 24 hours at this stage).
• Preheat oven to 180C. Pour some of remaining cream over souffles and scatter with remaining cheese. Bake for a further 10-15 minutes until souffles rise again and sauce bubbles.
• Place in radicchio ‘cups’, drizzle with remaining sauce grind some black pepper over and enjoy.

from Taste.com.au

 

Prefer something different as an appetizer?

Herb and feta bread

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 150 grams (1 1/4 cups) plain flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 3 large  eggs
• 60 ml (1/4 cup) olive oil
• 150 grams plain unsweetened yogurt
• 1/2 teaspoon  salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 200 gramssheep’s milk feta cheese
• 1 bunch fresh herb leaves (flat-leaf parsley, basil, chervil, chives, mint, fennel preferably a mix), about 20 grams or 1 cup loosely packed, roughly chopped

Method

• Preheat the oven to 175°C.
• Butter or grease a 24-by-12-cm  loaf pan and sprinkle half the sesame seeds onto the bottom and sides, shaking the pan to coat.
• Combine the flour and baking powder in a bowl.
• In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, yogurt, salt, and pepper. Stir in the cheese and herbs.
• Fold the flour mixture into the egg mixture.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan, level the surface with a spatula, and sprinkle with the remaining sesame seeds.
• Put into the oven to bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the loaf is golden and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Allow to cool for a few minutes and run a knife around the pan to loosen. Unmold and transfer to a rack to cool.
• Cut in slices or cubes just before serving, slightly warm or at room temperature.

from Chocolate and Zucchini

 

Now lets talk about main course – enough to have delicious leftovers in your lunch box the next day.

Moroccan slow cooked lamb

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 1/2 pounds trimmed boned lamb shoulder, cut into 5 cm cubes
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 cups low-salt chicken broth
• 1 can chickpeas, drained
• 1 cup dried apricots
• 2 large plum tomatoes, chopped ( or a can of tomatoes)
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
• 2 teaspoons (packed) grated lemon peel
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander

Method

• Mix first 6 ingredients in large bowl.
• Add lamb and toss to coat.
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large frypan over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add lamb to skillet and cook until browned on all sides, turning occasionally and adding 2 more tablespoons oil to pan between batches, about 8 minutes per batch. Transfer lamb to slow cooker after each batch.
• Add onion and tomato paste to drippings in pan. Reduce heat to medium; sauté until onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add broth, garbanzo beans, apricots, tomatoes, cinnamon sticks, ginger, and lemon peel and bring to boil, scraping up browned bits.
• Transfer everything to slow cooker and cooke for at least 4 hours on low
• Serve with pearl couscous and coriander.
• Enjoy leftovers the next day at work.

From epicurious

 

Looking for something sweet to finish? How about a piece of cake? ( yes, pomegranate seeds make two appearances on the blog today)

Blackberry ricotta cake

Ingredients

• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 large eggs
• 1½ cups ricotta
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup frozen blackberries, divided

Method

• Preheat oven to 175°C. Line a 22cm-diameter cake pan with baking paper.
• Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
• Whisk eggs, ricotta, and vanilla in a medium bowl until smooth; fold into dry ingredients just until blended. Then fold in butter, followed by ¾ cup berries, taking care not to crush them. Scrape batter into prepared pan and scatter remaining ¼ cup berries over top.
• Bake cake until golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 50–60 minutes. Let cool at least 20 minutes before unmolding.
• Sprinkle with more berries to serve. Make sure you also have lots of cream, Add pomegranate seeds to make it look extra pretty.

from bon appetit

Returning  to regular programming of sewing soon..