Gumnut Patisserie

My new job involves a lot of travelling. Occasionally I'm in Bowral and I like to stop over at the Gumnut Patisserie to have some morning tea since they have so many amazing sweet cakes on display. Today I tried a hazelnut layered cake and my colleague tried the Opera Gateau. 

This cake has layers of hazelnut mousse and apricot jelly, on top of a hazelnut biscuit base. The mousse is very light and the cake tastes absolutely delicious. The many different textures within these layers of cake make it a taste sensation for the mouth

My colleague ordered an Opera Gateau which was also delicious and rich tasting. Lots of chocolate, coffee & cream!

My coffee (latte) was so-so, a bit too watery for my liking and no creamy frothiness. I've also tried their quiche which tasted nice but unfortunately the pastry had gone soft.

I've heard the pies and sausage rolls are also good but I have yet to try them. Will add an update to this post next time I order one to try.

All in all, if you happen to be in Bowral, Gumnut Patisserie is a really nice place to visit and grab a slice of cake to savour. They've won many awards for their pastries and cakes and I must say, the quality and taste of the 2 cakes I've sampled so far is really impressive. Looking forward to trying some more the next time I'm in Bowral!

Fruit slice & Passionfruit cheesecake

Short Soup with Dumplings (Cheat's Version)

Recipe from Coles Magazine, October 2012 issue, page 43

Ingredients

1L chicken stock
¼ cup soy sauce
1 cup water
2x 200g pkts Crazy Dragon Dumplings
1 cup shredded wombok
3 spring onions, sliced

Method

1. Heat stock, soy and water in a saucepan on high, until boiling. Reduce heat to low. Add dumplings and cook according to packet directions.
2. Remove from heat. Stir through wombok. Ladle into bowls and top with sliced spring onions.

Chilli Crusted Lamb Cutlets with Pea Mash

Recipe from Coles Magazine, October 2012 issue, page 20

Ingredients

5 long red chillies
1½ cups panko breadcrumbs
¼ cup plain flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
12 lamb cutlets, French Trimmed
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus 1/4 cup extra
1-2 garlic cloves, crushed
500g frozen peas
3/4 cup chicken stock
¼ cup chopped mint
1/3 cup whole egg mayonnaise
1 tablespoon lime juice, plus wedges to serve

Method

1. Finely chop 4 of the chillies. Place in a shallow bowl with breadcrumbs, toss to combine. Place flour in one bowl and egg in another. Coat each cutlet in flour, shaking off excess. Dip into egg and then breadcrumb mixture, pressing down to coat evenly. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, make pea mash. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a small saucepan on medium. Cook garlic for 30 seconds. Add peas and stock and simmer 4-5 minutes, until tender. Cool slightly. Process pea mixture and mint in a food processor until smooth. Return to a clean saucepan and stir on low heat, until warm.
3. Thinly slice remaining chilli and mix together with mayonnaise and lime juice.
4. Heat 1/4 cup oil in a large frypan on medium. Cook cutlets for 2-3 minutes each side, for rare, or longer to your liking. Serve with pea mash, chilli mayonnaise and extra lime wedges.

How hot?

Chillies vary in heat, but removing the seeds may lessen the heat intensity. If you want a milder effect, halve chillies lengthways and remove seeds before chopping. Wear gloves when handling chillies, or wash hands well after.

Chicken Provencale

Spend a night in Provence with this French classic, rich with wine and the Mediterranean flavours of olives, tomatoes and roasted capsicum.

Recipe adapted from Australian Good Taste Magazine, May 2009 issue, page 8

Ingredients

1 red capsicum, quartered, deseeded
1 yellow capsicum, quartered, deseeded
1 tablespoon olive oil
1.5kg chicken thigh pieces, excess fat trimmed
2 red onions, halved, cut into wedges
4 garlic cloves, crushed
½ cup white wine
400g tinned tomatoes with herbs
1 cup chicken stock
2 bay leaves
8 sprigs fresh thyme
½ cup pitted black or kalamata olives
Mixed salad leaves or mashed potato, to serve

Method

1. Preheat grill on high. Place combined capsicum, skin-side up, under grill and cook for 8-10 minutes or until charred and blistered. Transfer to a sealed plastic bag. Set aside for 10 minutes (this helps lift the skin). Remove the skin from the capsicum and cut the flesh into thick strips.
2. Preheat oven to 200°C. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add half the chicken and cook, turning occasionally, for 5 minutes or until browned. Transfer to a large baking dish. Repeat with the remaining chicken.
3. Add the onion to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until golden. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes or until aromatic. Add the wine and cook for 2 minutes or until reduced by half. Add the capsicum, tomato, stock, bay leaves and thyme. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Pour the sauce over the chicken. Bake for 45 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Stir in olives. Serve with mixed salad leaves or mashed potato

Notes & Tips

Use pre-bought char-grilled capsicum instead to save on time

Freezing tip: Cool at the end of step 4. Label, date and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in fridge.
Serving tip: For extra sides, serve mashed potato and crusty bread for mopping up the juices.

Exotic Lamb Cutlets

Recipe adapted from Woolworths Fresh Magazine, Issue 79, September 2012, page. 18

Serves 4

Ingredients

¼ cup tandoori paste
¼ cup Greek yoghurt
12 lamb cutlets, French trimmed
(600g roast mixed vegetables- onion, pumpkin, potato, carrot)
2 tablespoon oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
½ teaspoon ginger, grated
½ cup water
400g tinned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
150g green beans, cut into 5cm lengths
1 punnet cherry tomatoes, halved
50g baby spinach
lemon wedges, to serve

Method

1. Combine tandoori paste and yoghurt in a bowl. Add cutlets and turn to coat well. Marinate for at least 30 minutes (better overnight).
2. Meanwhile, chop onion, potato, pumpkin and carrot into smaller pieces (3cm). Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and ginger. Cook for 1 minute. Add vegetables and water, stirring to combine. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 12-15 minutes until nearly tender. Add chickpeas and beans and cook over medium high heat until liquid has evaporated.
3. Heat a barbecue grill or char-grill pan over medium high heat. Cook cutlets for 4 minutes each side until golden.
4. Stir cherry tomatoes and spinach into vegetables. Serve cutlets with vegetables and a wedge of lemon.

Notes & Tips

You can also cook this recipe using other cuts of lamb: lamb forequarter chops or lamb mid loin chops

Veal Osso Bucco with Cannellini Beans

I love Gary Mehigan's recipes from TV show Masterchef Australia. I've been meaning to try out this recipe for quite some time and finally got the chance to cook it this weekend. Thankfully, this is one of the easier recipes to cook and it's absolutely delicious! Packed full of flavour and perfect to eat on a cold Winter's night.

Recipe adapted from Masterchef 2011, Masterclass 

Ingredients

1.5kg veal osso bucco
½ cup plain flour
50ml olive oil
2 stalks celery, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
¼ bunch parsley stalks, leaves picked and roughly chopped, stalks reserved
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
250ml white wine
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 bay leaf
6 sprigs thyme
zest of 1 lemon
400g tin crushed tomato
2 cups veal or beef stock
100g dried cannelini beans, soaked overnight or 100g tinned cannellini beans, drained, rinsed

To finish

Freshly cracked pepper and sea salt
½ bunch parsley leaves, roughly chopped
zest of 1 lemon
1 loaf crusty bread, thickly sliced

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180⁰C.
2. Season meat with salt and pepper and toss in flour to coat, shaking off excess. Heat oil in a frying pan over high heat, add meat and pan fry until caramelized then remove meat from pan and set aside to a plate. Reduce to medium-high heat. Add celery, onion, carrot, reserved parsley stalks and garlic to pan, cook for 8-10 minutes.
3. Add tomato paste and cook for 1-2 minutes then deglaze pan with wine.
4. Add all remaining ingredients including the meat to pan. Cover with a lid and cook in oven for 1½-2 hours.
5. Remove lid, cook for a further 45 minutes or until sauce has thickened.
6. Remove pan from oven, sprinkle with cracked pepper, sea salt, chopped parsley and lemon zest.
7. Serve with crusty bread.

Notes & Tips

If using tinned cannellini beans, add when almost ready to serve

Easy Lamb Cutlets

Recipe adapted from Coles Magazine

Ingredients

500g potatoes (par boiled)
500g frozen baby carrots
olive oil spray
16 lamb cutlets
3 tbsp mint sauce
2-3 fresh rosemary sprigs
250g frozen green beans

Method

1. Preheat oven to 220°C. Arrange potatoes and carrots in a baking dish. Spray with oil and bake for 20 mins. Reduce heat to 200°C.
2. Sear lamb cutlets in batches, in a hot non-stick frying pan, until just brown on each side. Arrange over vegetables and brush with mint sauce. Scatter rosemary sprigs over dish.
3. Return to oven for 15-20 minutes to cook the meat. 
4. Serve with green beans, cooked according to packet directions.

Portuguese Custard Tarts

Ingredients

2 egg yolks + 1 whole egg
2/3 cup caster sugar
2 tablespoons cornflour
225ml cream
150ml milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 sheet puff pastry

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Lightly grease a twelve hole (80ml capacity) muffin tray.
2. Put the eggs, sugar and cornflour in a pan and whisk together. Gradually whisk in the cream and milk until smooth.
3. Place the pan over a medium heat and cook, stirring, until the mixture thickens and comes to the boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Strain the custard into a bowl, cover the surface with cling film to prevent a skin forming and leave to cool.
4. Meanwhile, cut the puff pastry sheet in half, put one half on top of the other and set aside for 5 minutes. Roll up the pastry tightly from the short end and cut the pastry log into 12 x 1cm rounds. 
5. Lay each pastry round on a lightly floured surface and use a rolling pin to roll out until each is 10cm in diameter.
6. Press the pastry rounds into the muffin tin. Spoon the cooled custard into the pastry cases and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the pastry and custard are golden. Leave the tarts in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. 
7. Brush the top of tarts with sugar syrup glaze (optional)

To make sugar syrup glaze:
Ingredients

4 tablespoons water
4 tablespoons sugar
1½ teaspoons cornflour
5g gelatine powder

Method

1. In a small pan, add water, sugar, cornflour and gelatine powder. Whisk all together thoroughly until no lumps remain and all the cornflour and gelatine has dissolved.
2. Over medium heat bring to a boil and boil all ingredients 3 to 4 minutes, stirring consistantly. Remove from heat. Cool for 3-5 minutes. (Do not cool for longer then 5 minutes, or your glaze with set).
3. When glaze has slightly cooled, using a basting brush or a silicone basting brush, lightly brush a coat of sugar glaze over each tart until all is covered. Can repeat if neccessary to get the desired shine look or consistancy.

Egg & Onion Stir Fry

Growing up, this was one of my favourite dishes that I would love to eat. It's very home-style and makes a great side dish.

Ingredients

5 eggs
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon sugar
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon oil
1 onion, sliced half moon
spring onions, chopped (optional)

Method

1. Whisk eggs, water, sugar and salt together in a bowl then set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a fry pan over medium-high heat.
3. Add onions and fry until soft and translucent
4. Add egg mixture, cook for a few minutes then turn off the heat to allow residual heat to cook through the eggs. Garnish with spring onions

Chinese Steamed Sponge Cake Recipe

Recipe adapted from The Australian Women's Weekly Oriental Dinner Party Cookbook, page 15

Ingredients

2 eggs, room temperature (70g each)
½ cup caster sugar
1/3 cup evaporated milk
60g unsalted butter, melted, cooled
¾ cup self-raising flour
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

Method

1. Sift the flour and bicarb of soda into a small bowl.
2. In another bowl, whip the eggs and sugar with an electric mixer for 5 minutes or until thick.
3. Stir in milk and butter; whisk in the sifted flour and soda until incorporated.
4. Line an 18cm bamboo steamer with a sheet of grease proof paper, pour mixture into steamer.
5. Cover, place steamer over wok or pan of boiling water, cook over high heat 15 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.  
6. Turn cake onto wire rack. Serve warm.

Notes & Tips

This cake is best served piping hot from the steamer. If a bamboo steamer is not available, an aluminium steamer can be used instead.