mixology monday - fruit liqueurs

Mixology Monday is two years old this month! Congrats to everyone who was there from the outset and to those who have made it every month since its inception. Extra kudos to Paul from The Cocktail Chronicles, for the great idea in the first place.

On this two year anniversary I have the pleasure of hosting a “fruit liqueur” theme.

I must admit I may have confused some people by stating “sweet” as a perquisite and then listing dry alcohols such as Kirsch and Calvados as potential ingredients. Mea culpa.

We had 28 entries and a good assortment of fruit liqueurs covering 16 different fruits, with a heavy emphasis on citrus and berries. There were dry drinks, sour sips, and creamy coolers of all kinds.

And here they are:

Purple Orchid
Crème de Cassis (blackcurrant)
Shawn from Rijiggered (Virgina, USA)
This pretty cocktail is a simplistic but rich (and probably not too sweet) combination of mandarin vodka, crème de cassis and lemon juice. Apparently it’s very easy to drink, so have enough ingredients for seconds, or thirds!


Lemon Frappé
Limoncello (lemon)
Marleigh from Sloshed (Los Angeles, CA, USA)
Using Danny DeVito’s own limoncello, this cocktail brings on all the fresh flavours of citrus, lemons and limes, with gin. No, you didn’t misread, that’s Danny DeVitos’s limoncello, and Marleigh assures us it’s good!


Asian Orange
Rhum Clément Creole Shrubb (orange)
Cameron & Anita from Married With Dinner (San Francisco, CA, USA)
The Married with Dinner duo got their paws on an orange liqueur from the Caribbean island of Martinique and were blown away by its “dusky mysteriousness”. Paired with gin, bitters and the gingery flavours of Domaine de Canton, Anita declared this blind date a roaring success.


Banana Split Martini
Banana Liqueur
Felicia from Felicia's Atomic Lounge (Ithaca, NY, USA)
In defiance of dessert cocktail snobs, this speakeasy hostess has opted for a liquefied banana split with vanilla vodka, strawberry liqueur, banana liqueur, chocolate sauce and a little cream to sweeten the deal.


Polish Orchid
Cherry Vodka
Neil from At My Table (Melbourne, Australia)
Using his homemade sour cherry vodka, Neil whipped up a cocktail he described as “not overly sweet or overpowering in flavour, just wonderfully sophisticated”. The composites of this potent beauty are cherry vodka, regular vodka and a little elderflower syrup for frangrance.


Flying High
Peter Heering (cherry)
Doug from Cocktail Capers (Ohio, USA)
Now here is a man who seeks perfection, trialling three before deciding which one he’d recommend. His final combination of Peter Heering (cherry brandy), gin, egg white, bitters and fresh orange and lemon juices is sweet with the “frou frou” but looks a little scary. That shouldn’t be a problem for a man running his own business for murder mystery parties.


Star-Eyed Daisy
Calvados (apple)
Blair from Trader Tiki's Booze Blog (Portland, OR, USA)
Reintroduce old school style with this take on the Daisy from the 1900s. Combine Calvados, grenadine and limoncello with ginger beer and you’ve got what Trader Tiki’s wife describes as “spicy apple-juice”.


A Georgia Thunderstorm
Crème de Peche (peach)
Marshall from Scofflaw's Den (Arlington, VA, USA)
This post proves all you need for inspiration is a night of rollicking thunder. Try this storm to wet your lips: dark rum, crème de peche, allspice (pimento) dram, bitters and ginger beer. Warm, spicy flavours with the sweetness of peaches.


Summer Crash
Crème de Mure (blackberry)
SeanMike from Scofflaw's Den (Arlington, VA, USA)
Now I must state I’m biased towards this post since it uses one of my favourite fruit liqueurs of all time, a certain brand of crème de mure. But ask you how anyone could go wrong with this fruitastic concoction of fresh blackberries, apple brandy, Cointreau, crème de mure and lemon juice.


Massa Mojito
Limoncello (lemon)
Jacob from Jacok Grier (Arlington, VA, USA)
Using his own homemade limoncello, this cocktail fiend delved up a twist on the mojito using fresh lemon, mint, limoncello and club soda. Refreshing, effervescent with a citric tang.


Midori Margarita
Midori (melon)
Christian from Cocktailwelten (Germany)
German cocktail enthusiast Christian tells the tale of Midori from humble origins in Japan, to 70s it-drink in the US to present-day manufacturing in sunny Mexico. Accompanying the history of the green drink are two cocktail recipes, the Midori Daiquiri and then the Midori Margarita which a surprised Christian has put on his “best of” list.



Ewok Exilir
44 Cordial (orange)
Orlando from El Machete's Rum Reviews (Los Angeles, CA, USA)
This drink would certainly win any naming competition. I’m a sucker for Ewoks. But better still El Machete has gone to the trouble to brew his very own white rum infused with orange and coffee. This then went into the tropical myriad of unfiltered apple juice, coconut rum, apple brandy, mango nectar, dark rum, lemon, orgeat and grenadine.


China Blue
Lychee Liqueur
Seamus from Bunny Hugs (Auckland, New Zealand)
If you need to woo girls with exotic blue drinks, why not try this combination of grapefruit juice, lychee liqueur and hues of blue curacao. The tart grapefruit is balanced by the sweet lychee and the curacao makes everything perfectly blue.


Caribbean Dreaming
Crème de Banana
Haalo from Cook (almost) Anything At Least Once (Melbourne, Australia)
This is one adult milkshake. Creamy milk blended with fresh banana, crème de banana and the coconut aromas of Malibu. Another great liquid dessert with fruity themes.


Spring Break
Banana Schnapps & Pineapple Rum
Amanda from Mrs. W's Kitchen (New York, USA)
Recalling her former life in the Florida Keys, Amanda brings back some of the tropical flavours she enjoyed in her very own Spring Break. Coconut cream, banana schnapps, pineapple rum and frozen berries make this daydream complete.


Normandy Bates Cocktail
Calvados (apple) & Mathilde Orange X.O
Jeff from Rants of a Hedgehog (Portland, OR, USA)
After navigating through various cocktail combinations, and recruiting underage tasters with palates sophisticated enough to recognise “murky molasses”, this very determined hedgehog went for a very citrus theme of Calvados, Mathilde Orange X.O., valencia orange juice and orange bitters


The Catherine
Framboise Liqueur (raspberry)
Vidiot from Cocktailians.com (New York, NY, USA)
Vidiot is no idiot. He basically wrote this synopsis for me. Yes his cocktail is named after Catherine Deneuve. Yes is an amalgamation of the Corpse Reviver No. 2 and the Pegu Club, but there a twist: he used raspberry instead of orange. Try gin, framboise liqueur and Lillet Blanc with lime juice and peach bitters!


East of Eden
Elderflower Liqueur
Jeffrey from Jeffrey Morgenthaler (Eugene, OR, USA)
Here’s a case of stretching the theme a little, but seeing as it looks so good we’re just going to move right along to the punchline: fragrant elderflower liqueur is tempered with lemon juice, jazzed up with homemade pinot gris syrup and given a kick with gin. Pure elegance.


Tom Morello
Cherry Marnier
Darcy from The Art of Drink (London, Ontario, Canada)
With the express purpose of making us all green with envy, Darcy is flaunting his bottle of Cherry Mariner, which he describes as “moderately sweet”, “hints of almond”, “extremely smooth” and “some spiciness in the finish”. What do with such a prize? Why, mix it with Canadian whisky and Punt e Mes of course!


Midori Margarita
Midori (melon)
Cynthia from My Brilliant Mistakes (Butler, PA, USA)
Here is another very satisfied customer of the margarita made with Midori. Perhaps everyone has a never-used bottle of Midori in their cupboard, but this drink seems to be the answer. Midori, tequila, triple sec and lime then shake, shake, shake.


Brambleberry Roffignac
Blackberry Brandy
Craig from Tiki Drinks & Indigo Firmaments (Portland, OR, USA)
This cocktail has a beautiful rich colour and a nice little history, originating from fortuitous discovery of a jar of homemade blackberry brandy. Add a little rye whisky, a few drops of Herbsaint, a splash of soda and serve over ice.


Canton Cocktail
Maraschino Liqueur (cherry)
Stevi from Ana Bolena perdió su cabeza (Redmond, WA, USA)
Not keen on overly sweet drinks, Stevi decided to finally trial a recipe a recipe she’d book marked ions ago. The flavours build on rum and Maraschino, but also includes orange curaçao, grenadine and aromas from an orange twist.


Kirsch & Cassis
Kirsch (cherry) & Crème de Cassis (blackcurrant)
scomorokh from Science of Drink (Ukraine)
Read this blog in English or Russian, but be prepared to wet your lips for the double berry hit of Кирш энд Кассис. Soda water, crème de Cassis and kirsch are mixed over crushed ice to create a deep, vibrant drink.


The Comet
Van Der Hum (tangerine)
Paul from The Cocktail Chronicles (Seattle, OR, USA)
On this event’s two year anniversary, its founder delves into a South African liqueur flavoured with tangerine peel and herbs, mixing up a fast paced cocktail including cognac, yellow grapefruit juice, Van der Hum and bitters.


The Black Forest Epistle
Kirsch (cherry)
gilrain from Lunar Policy (USA)
After confusing the heck out of Gilrain but saying liqueurs must be “sweet” and then listing dry kirsch as a possibility, I’m lucky I got him to join at all. Lucky that wine over dinner made him cocky enough to try. This cocktail required “intense mixological experimentation” using gin, Kirsch, Frangelico and Absinthe to deliver a “roguishly dry cocktail”.


El Diablo
Crème de Cassis (blackcurrant)
Robert from Drink Dogma (Houston, TX, USA)
This post not only reviews the dangers of ordering a margarita in Mexico, but advises on alternative such as the feature drink using lime, tequila, crème de cassis and ginger ale. But our author doesn’t stop here. Look out for more advice on which crème de cassis you should use and links to ginger beer taste tests too. Now that’s service.


Golden Compass
Grand Marnier (orange)
Jimmy from Jimmy's Cocktail Hour (Los Gatos, CA, USA)
Crispy, dry Pinot Grigio is the key to this cocktail, which was not named after the now famous film from Philip Pullman’s book The Northern Lights. Other ingredients include gin and the orange notes of Grand Marnier. Bitters and orange peel finish it off.


Strawberry Schnapps Spiders
Strawberry Schnapps
Anna from Morsels & Musings (Sydney, Australia)
Here’s my own contribution to MxMo. Taking inspiration from an Indonesian soft drink I came up with an adult version of ice cream spiders. Strawberry schnapps is mixed with strawberry syrup, strawberry ice cream and strawberry soda. It was berry, berry nice.

And don’t forget the crew at eGullet who always seem to come up with a wide variety of contributions to any MxMo theme. This week they’ve got instructions on how to make The Bellamy and The Cassiopaea (Dan), some infused liqueur, a cocktail using mirto de sardegna which is from myrtle berries (bostanapothecary) and even pineapple flavoured rum that turns into a Brazilian Daiquiri (Anon).

Well, that's it folks. If I left anyone out, please do email and I’ll fix that. Things got kind of confusing between some people emailing their posts and others leaving links in comments. I hope I tracked you all down!

Thanks and enjoy this bountiful bevy of beverages!

Tags: morsels and musings food blog food and drink australia recipes drinks cocktails cocktail recipes drink recipes mixology monday mxmo

strawberry schnapps spiders

I got this idea all the way back in July 2007 when I was poolside in Bali, sipping cold strawberry calpico.
Strawberry whaaaat?
That’s calpico or calpis (カルピス).

This deliciously sweet-sour soda is one of my absolute favourites. It’s a Japanese product made from water, powdered milk and lactic acid and tastes just like you’d imagine a yoghurt soda would.

I always try to convince my friends to drink it, but they never seem too keen on the idea. I suspect it’s because the pronunciation of the name sounds unfortunately like “cow piss”.

But I’m distracted.

While I drank my can of strawberry calpico, I conjured up a brilliant scheme to make strawberry spiders using strawberry schnapps, strawberry ice cream and the strawberry flavoured calpico.

It took me a while to do it, but in February I had a dinner party and made a trio of strawberry desserts, including this alcoholic spider.

My strawberry syrup was actually the by-product of making strawberry cannoli, so either check out the original batch I made or you can use the below amended recipe as a general guide.

Strawberry Schnapps Spiders
Anna’s very own recipe. Makes 4-6.
Ingredients:
100g strawberries, halved
¼ cup caster sugar
¼ teaspoon orange rind
1 shot of strawberry schnapps per person
Strawberry ice cream
Strawberry soda
Method:
1. In a saucepan, crush the strawberries with a fork then mix through zest and sugar. Add a few drops of water then heat until the sugar melts and strawberries soften.
2. Cook until syrup thickens a little, then put the strawberries into a blender and purée.
3. Strain most of the large pieces and cool completely before chilling in fridge.
4. When ready to serve, fold strawberry schnapps through strawberry syrup then divide between shot or sherry glasses.
5. Gently float the ice cream balls on the syrup then top with strawberry soda. Remember the ingredients will fizz and potentially overflow.

This is my contribution to Mixology Monday’s fruit liqueurs theme which I am hosting right here on Morsels & Musings.

If you want to contribute your own MxMo fruit liqueur cocktail, check out the instructions. I’ll be posting the round-up on Tuesday (Wednesday at the latest) so you’ve still got a bit of time.

baked stuffed peaches

This is the last installment from my five course Italian feast!

Peaches were my mother’s favourite fruit, but she had an intense aversion to their fuzz. If she touched it, she would dry wretch. I am serious!

Since we lived in an area packed with stone fruit orchards, she used to make me peel so many of them. It was one of the few things I could do for her when I was a kid and I think I liked the fact that she needed me in order to enjoy her favourite fruit.

But that didn’t stop me from sneaking up on her and rubbing the peach against her bare arm, just to see her wretch! Kids eh? Gotta love ‘em.

I never understood why she didn’t just eat nectarines instead (they’re the same thing without the fuzz) but I think she thought they were different.

All that peeling and the connotations of peach fuzz producing such repulsion had an effect on me and I have to admit I’d developed my own fuzz aversion by my late teens. But if they’re baked, they don’t seem too bad though.

This dish is simply peaches stuffed with amaretti biscuits and doused in a little alcohol before being baked.

There are two types of amaretti biscuits: Sassellon from Liguria which are soft and moist and Saronno from Sicily which are very light and crispy. The most common amaretti are Amaretti di Saronno, which you need in this recipe to add crunch.

For the alcohol I used Amaretto instead of the Marsala, but it’s really up to your own tastes. Amaretto is a liqueur made of bitter-almonds. It’s sweet with a slight bitter edge and is very fragrant. Marsala is a Sicilian fortified wine made from white grapes but finishing with a deep amber colour.

Pesche Ripiene (Baked Peaches Stuffed w Amaretti)
Recipe from World Vegetarian Cookbook by Sarah Brown. Serves 4.
Ingredients:
4 ripe peaches
100g amaretti, coarsely crumbled
7 tablespoons Amaretto or Marsala
7 tablespoons sweet red wine
2-3 tablespoons unsalted butter
Butter, for greasing
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180’C. Butter an ovenproof dish.
2. Wash and halve peaches then remove the stones without damaging the peaches’ shape.
3. In a bowl mix amaretti with Amaretto/ Marsala. Leave the amaretti fairly coarse to give the dish a crunchy finish.
4. Place the peaches into the ovenproof dish, then stuff each hollow generously with the amaretti mixture.
5. Drizzle with red wine, allowing some to spill into the oven dish.
6. Divide the butter between the peach halves, dotting the peach flesh rather than the crumb mixture. This ensures the crumbs don’t absorb the butter so you get more sauce.
7. Bake for 20 minutes, basting one or twice.

The peach (Prunus persica) is from the genus Prunus, belonging to the subfamily Prunoideae and family Rosaceae.

Peaches have the same subgenus (Amygdalus) as almonds which helps to explain why the soft, white kernel inside the hard stone tastes so much like an almond. In fact it is the kernels of apricots (subgenus Prunus) which produce the Italian Amaretto liqueur.

The word "peach" and it’s mulitple European language variations comes from the belief that they originated in Persia (Iran). It seems that peaches came to Europe from Persia, but that they had travelled to Persia from their native China via the Silk Road.

In China, peaches were the food of the immortals and would indulge in Pantao Hui or "The Feast of Peaches". One of Japan’s semi-historical heroes, Momotaro, was said to be born from a giant peach and his name literally means “Peach Boy”.

Due to the softness and sweetness, peaches are used in many culutrs to describe women, such as the ancient Chinese who used it as slang for a young bride.

White peaches are prized by the Asian palate for their low acidity, but Europeans and Americans preferred the yellow peaches instead, although this may be changing. I like the yellow ones best, which makes purchasing easier on the wallet.

Traditional peach producing nations are China, Iran, France, Italy, Spain, Greece and recently the US, Canada and Australia. Peach trees are the second most commonly cultivated fruit trees in the world after apple trees.

The fuzz on the peaches help protect them from bruising. Nectarines are peaches without the fuzz and can grow accidentally due to a recessive gene. It is common for regular peach trees to occasionally fruit a few nectarines.

This is my contribution to Weekend Herb Blogging, this week hosted by Jai & Bee from Jugalbandi, a stylish blog with great recipes that are usually very healthy.

And don’t forget tomorrow is my turn to host Mixology Monday’s fruit liqueurs theme tomorrow. If you want to contribute your own MxMo fruit liqueur cocktail, check out the instructions. I’ll be posting the round-up on Tuesday or Wednesday so you’ve still got time.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amaretto
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peach#Nectarines

Tags: morsels and musings food blog food and drink australia recipes weekend herb blogging whb stuffed peaches baked peaches pesche ripiene peaches fruit fruit recipes dessert recipes peach recipes italian recipes italian food italian cuisine

brodo piccante con fregola

Yesterday I wrote about the five course Italian feast I cooked for my sisters and although I blogged 3 of 5 recipes yesterday, I promised to save this one for Presto Pasta Night and the baked peaches for Weekend Herb Blogging.

For those after more pasta recipes, visit Ruth's Once Upon A Feast for this week's Presto Pasta Night recap.

My dish is predominantly a chilli-laden broth, but it contains beads of gorgeous fregola which are small toasted semolina dough pasta from the Italian island of Sardinia.

Wikipedia Fast Facts: Sardinia
· Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea (after Sicily).
· Sardinia is a generally mountainous island with a few coastal plains.
· The island has a Mediterranean climate, with hot, dry summers and very mild winters.
· Sardinian is a language of Latin origin with unique elements from Phoenician, Etruscan, and Near Eastern languages. It is still widely spoken in most rural areas and used culturally for folk songs and poetry.
· In 1500 BCE it was known as Hyknusa, meaning island of the Hyksos, a group of people expelled by Ahmose I of Egypt.
· Sardinia’s modern name is after the Shardana or Sherden sea pirates, one of several groups of "Sea Peoples" who appear in fragmentary historical records represented by images of men with horned helmets, round shields, and large swords.
· In 2004, in a cave in Logudoro, a human phalanx was found that was dated to around 250,000 BCE.
· In 1323, the Kingdom of Aragon conquered Sardinia who expelled the native populations of some cities (eg Alghero). The descendants of the conquerors still speak Catalan today.
· Jean-Paul Marat, one of the leaders of the French Revolution in 1792, was the son of a Sardinian father from Cagliari and a Swiss mother.
· In 1860, Vittorio Emanuele II, King of Sardinia became also the first King of a united Italy, after conquering the rest of the peninsula.
· The original Nuraghe inhabitants of Sardinia, currently concentrated in the interior of the island, are a genetic anomaly, belonging to Y-chromosome haplogroup I, which otherwise has high frequency only in Scandinavia and the Croatia-Bosnia area.
· The phrase "sardonic grin" comes from the grimace found on victims of those poisoned by a certain herb found in Sardinia which contains strychnine-like alkaloids. It is said that family members would poison the infirm and elderly with the herb when the family was no longer able to afford to take care of them.
· Today the Sardinian economy is focused on tourism and an increasing income is coming from wines and gastronomy.
· Dried grapes, recently found in several locations, have been DNA tested and proved to be the oldest grapes in the world, dating back to 1200 BC.
· Casu Marzu is a cheese delicacy found in Sardinia, notable for being riddled with live insect larvae.
· Sardines were named after Sardinia because they were once found in abundance there.

Brodo Piccante con Fregola & Gamberi
Anna’s version of Giovanni Pilu’s recipe. Serves 6 as entrée or 4 as main course.
Ingredients:
1 cup fregola
2 cups (500ml) shellfish stock
1 cup (250ml) tomato passata
½ cup (125ml) dry white wine
12 medium green prawns, peeled and de-veined
12 small raw scallops
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 chilli, finely chopped
Freshly milled black pepper
Olive oil
Method:
1. Heat olive oil in a pot and fry chilli and garlic until fragrant and softened.
2. Add pepper and tomato paste and fry for 2 minutes until cooked.
3. Add white and simmer, evaporating alcohol, for 2 minutes.
4. Add passata and stock and bring to the boil.
5. In another pot, boil water and cook fregola as per the packet instructions. Drain.
6. When ready to serve, add fregola, prawns and scallops to broth and cook for 1 minute until prawns have turned white. Do not overcook.
8. Divide between serving bowls and eat piping hot.
Note: you could substitute shellfish stock for fish or even chicken stock.

Giovanni Pilu, an Australian-based Sardinian chef who authored the original recipe (on which mine is only slightly varied), recommended drinking a Vermentino with this soup. Vermentino grapes are grown widely in Sardinia and they make a bold, gutsy, acidic white wine that matches well with seafood. We followed instruction and drank a Vermentino with this course, and we were not disappointed.

References & Map
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/italy
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2004/01/14/FDGSV467611.DTL
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vermentino
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fregula
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sardinia

Tags: morsels and musings food blog food and drink australia recipes entrée starter soup fregola fregola sarda shrimp recipes prawn recipes soup recipes fregola recipes pasta recipes italian recipes italian food italian cuisine

farewell, my stinky

Today is a sad day because my little sister, Stinky, is flying away. She will spend 2 weeks in the wilds and waters of Borneo (Malaysia) before moving to Amsterdam (Netherlands) where she’ll be living for who knows how long. She hasn’t got any firm plans, she just wants to live in another country and experience a new culture. Again.

A few weeks ago I had a “sisters feast” where Stinky, Shamu and I got together and since I promised to cook a multicourse Italian meal as one of my food resolutions and since Stinky loves Italian food, Italian is what I ended up making.

Il Menu
Bresaola di Cervo al Caprino - Venison Bresaola w Goats Cheese Dressing
Brodo Piccante con Fregola e Gamberi - Spicy Broth of Fregola & Prawns
Bistecca con Gorgonzola e Fichi - Steak w Gorgonzola & Figs
Melanzane al Forno - Baked Eggplant
Pesche Ripiene – Baked Peaches Stuffed w Amaretti

I was really pleased with the outcome of this meal. Everything was truly scrumptious, even if Stinky and I got extra when Shamu couldn’t overcome the psychological barrier of eating Bambi, no pun intended (mind you, the following week she devoured deer with relish at a restaurant!).

Although the venison smallgoods manufacturer claimed the product was prosciutto, there was no classic fat lacing that appears on prosciutto and instead was clearly a lean, bresaola style cured meat. I suspect the manufacturer thought no one would know what bresaola was and so chose “prosciutto” for marketing purposes.

The venison bresaola was served with a goats cheese sauce, the recipe coming directly from Giorgio Locatelli's Made in Italy cookbook, which I promised to cook from as another foodie resolution. In the cookbook, Locatelli uses the same dressing on beef bresaola, providing a nice alternative from the traditional lemon juice accompaniment, while still retaining the necessary acidity. I have since used this dressing on other small salads.

The seafood broth was a wonderful, light dish plumped out with sweet scallop and prawns as well as beads of fregola tostata, a type of Sardinian pasta. I plan to share this recipe tomorrow for Presto Pasta Night.

Next came the rich, tender steaks that I bought from the David Jones Food Hall. They were 27 day aged and sublime: the flavour in these steaks is simply amazing. I’d rather eat sublime meat like this once a week than average quality every day. I pan-fried the steaks and melted a layer of creamy gorgonzola dolce on top, a salute to a similar dish cooked by Australian chef Danny Russo. Served with sliced fresh figs and dressed rocket, it is a truly wonderful recipe that functions as an impressive meal on its own.

The side dish of baked eggplant was a bit of an afterthought, but was still surprisingly good. Using the same principles as eggplant parmigiana, I baked chunks of eggplant with a Napoli sauce and a layer of parmesan cheese.

Finally there were the baked, stuffed peaches served with ice cream. These were sweet with textural contrast and were a light, warming end to a very filling meal. I plan to focus on peaches for Weekend Herb Blogging this week, so I’ll post the recipe over the weekend.

Bresaola di Cervo al Caprino (Venison Bresaola w Goats' Cheese Dressing)
Recipe from Made in Italy by Giorgio Locatelli. Serves 4 as starter.
Ingredients:
20 slices venison bresaola
4 handfuls of rocket
100g soft, fresh goats’ cheese
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Juice of ½ lemon
Salt and pepper
Method:
1. Mask cheese with a fork until smooth.
2. Combine with white wine vinegar and 5 tablespoons of olive oil and create a coarse blend
3. Mix the remaining tablespoon of oil with the lemon juice and dress the rocket. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Just before serving, arrange bresaola slices on serving plates, spoon over dressing then top with a little rocket.

Bistecca con Gorgonzola e Fichi (Steak w Gorgonzola & Figs)
Anna’s recipe inspired by Danny Russo. Serves 4.
Ingredients:
4 steaks
100g gorgonzola dolce, thinly sliced
4 large fresh figs, thinly sliced
Olive oil, for cooking
Salt & pepper
Method:
1. Sprinkle the steaks with salt and pepper then brush with olive oil.
2. Heat a little more olive oil in a frying pan then cook steaks for 3-5 minutes then turn and cook for another 3 minutes.
3. Top steaks with cheese slices and cook for another 2 minutes or until cheese melts. This could also be done under a grill if preferred.
4. Plate and serve with slices of fresh figs.
Note: steak cooking instructions are for medium-rare but you can adjust depending on tastes. Just remember to give the cheese at least 2 minutes on the steaks to melt accordingly.

Melanzane al Forno (Baked Eggplant)
Anna’s very own recipe. Serves 4 as a side.
Ingredients:
1 eggplant, peeled and cut into cubes
375ml (1½ cups) passata
1 small onion, chopped finely
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 long red chilli, chopped finely
1 tablespoon tomato paste
¾ cup finely grated parmesan
Olive oil, for cooking
Method:
1. First preheat to oven to 180’C.
2. To make the sauce by frying the onion with olive oil until soft, then adding the garlic and chilli and frying them until soft also.
3. Next add the tomato paste and fry until bubbly and a little thickened. Then add the passata and simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and toss eggplant through the sauce.
5. Transfer to a baking dish and bake until eggplant is soft, about 30 minutes.
6. Remove from oven and mix through some of the parmesan and sprinkling the rest on the top. Return for 5-10 minutes or until cheese melts.

That's three of the five recipes I made for my sisters. The other two will be posted over the next few days.

By the way everyone, don’t forget that I’m hosting Mixology Monday next week, so get your fruit liqueur cocktails ready for blogging!

Tags: morsels and musings food blog food and drink australia recipes starters entrees soup main course gorgonzola beef venison bresaola bresaola di cervo bresaolavenison fregola prawn recipes fregola recipes soup recipes bresaola recipes venison recipes gorgonzola recipes beef recipes italian recipes italian food italian cuisine

svensk fisksoppa

Jonas and I have bought our tickets and we're so excited!

We’ll be off on a 5 week holiday in July/August: catching up with family and friends but also exploring some new places we’ve never been before.

First stop is a few days in Tokyo (Japan) with Jonas’ brother, David, and some other friends: Slinky Minx and Taka.

Next is 2.5wks in Sweden, which Jonas is just thrilled about. Since he migrated to Sydney (2001), he’s only been home once (2003). It's been five years since he was home!

We’ll visit family in Göteborg and Stockholm, Jonas’ home town in Västra Götaland and we’ll also spend time in the Stockholm archipelago at the summer house on the island of Muskö that Jonas’ maternal grandparents owned.

After Sweden we’re going on a road-trip with my sister, Stinky (who will be living in Amsterdam), and our best man, Tim (who is living in London). At this stage we’re planning to drive from Krakow to Budapest and explore southern Poland, eastern Slovakia and eastern Hungary.

From there Jonas and I will fly home, but only after a few days in Bangkok (Thailand). Here I plan to eat real Thai food, take a cooking class and catch up with an old friend, Chanchai.

I’m over the moon because I will be spending time in four countries I’ve never been before and seeing places from Jonas’ past. It’s going to be great.

So, in honour of this mainly Swedish focused activity and, with the knowledge that I will be seeing my in-laws again, I wanted to share the recipe for my sister-in-law’s fish soup.

I think I’m pretty lucky to have Helena for a sister-in-law. She and I are actually friends and I enjoy her company quite separately from the fact that she’s my husband’s sister.

When she and her (Aussie!!!) fiancée, Christian, moved back to Sweden, Jonas and I were sad they were gone. It was quite lonely without them.

She’s a mechanical engineer and I am constantly surprised by the impossible things she builds around the house, as well as the art she produces and the stylish way she decorates her house. I could go as far as to say she’s a “Renaissance Woman” of the modern era.

But best of all she’s a foodie. She makes great meals and puts the same amount of love and effort into cooking that Jonas and I do. It’s so enjoyable to cook for her because she gets it, and she gives it back when you eat at her home.

The very first time I went to Sweden (back in 03) she made me this fish soup and I fell in love with it. When visited for the second time last December she made it again. It's so flavoursome and flush with fresh herbs.

This has become a bit of a tradition so I think I’m going to have to ask for it again when I see her in July, but in the meantime, here it is for everyone else to enjoy too.

Svensk Fisksoppa
Helenas recept. Servar 4.
Ingridienser:
400g sej eller torskfilé (fryst) i bitar
400g räkor, kokta
½ purjolök, delas på långden och skivas
1 gul lök, hackad
2-3 klyftor vitlök, hackad
2 msk smör
1 msk tomatpuré
1½ dl fiskbuljong (z tärningar)
2½ dl vitt vin
2½ dl grädde
1 dl crème fraîche
2 dl vatten
2 msk färsk timjan, hackad
2 msk färsk basilika, hackad
Salt o peppar
½g saffran
Färsk timjan, för garnering
Instruktion:
1. Fräs den gula löken i smöret. Lägg i purjolök och vitlök efter nån minut.
2. När mjukt, häll i fiskbuljongen, salt, peppar, basilika och timjan. Låt puttra några minuter på svag värme.
3. Tillsätt tomatpuré, vitt vin, grädde, crème fraîche och vatten. Låt koka upp.
4. Tillsätt saffran och fiskbitarna. Låt småkoka tills fisken är vit. Tar ca 5 minuter.
5. Häll upp i skålar och lägg i räkorna. Garnera med timjan.

Swedish Fish Soup
Helena’s recipe. Serves 4.
Ingredients:
400g cod or saithe/coal fish, frozen & cut into pieces
400g cooked prawns
½ leek, cut lengthwise and sliced into rounds
1 yellow onion, chopped finely
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped finely
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon tomato paste
150ml fish stock
250ml white wine
250ml cream
200ml water
100ml crème fraîche
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh basil, finely chopped
Salt and peppar
½g saffron
Method:
1. Sauté the onion in butter, after a minute add the leek and garlic.
2. When soft, add the fish stock, seasoning, basil and thyme and allow to heat up.
3. Add the tomato paste, white wine, cream, crème fraîche and water then simmer for a short time.
4. Add saffron and fish pieces, then simmer gently until fish turns white, about 5 minutes.
5. Divide between bowls, top with prawns and garnish with fresh thyme.

This is my contribution to Weekend Herb Blogging, which is back home this week with it's creator, the Herb Goddess Kalyn from Kalyn's Kitchen. Check out the round-up!



Tags: morsels and musings food blog food and drink australia recipes weekend herb blogging whb swedish fish soup svensk fisksoppa soup seafood fish swedish soup recipes seafood soup recipes fish soup recipes fish recipes seafood recipes soup recipes swedish recipes swedish food swedish cuisine

grapefruit meringue w yoghurt

This dessert was pure joy to eat.

I can also say it was only the second time in my life I have enjoyed grapefruit.

The first time was when I lived in Rome and found a gelataria that served a wonderful, sweet yet tart sorbetto di pomelo. It was so refreshing but I never managed to find another recipe that presented grapefruit in a way I found palatable.

Until now.

Jamie Oliver’s Cook With Jamie came in mighty handy when Jonas and I decided to make some meringues, which we had tried before but never reached perfection.

Using Jamie’s instructions (and of course some shortcuts of our own) we created delectable meringues with crispy edges and soft, chewy centres. There has an absolutely perfect texture and were hands down the best meringues I’ve ever eaten. Props to Jonas and Jamie.

We flavoured our meringues with the zest of a ruby grapefruit, which added an elegant floral, aromatic flavour that we adored.

The dessert was for a casual BBQ, so we went for an Eton Mess presentation: broken shards of meringue, layers of rich honey yoghurt all topped with grapefruit scented strawberries. It was so elegant and fragrant but at the same time unintimidating.

The meringues can either be made into flat discs to form one big “cake” or many little ones, or can be broken into pieces after cooling as we have done.

I topped it all off with my usual macerated strawberries recipe, but omitted the liqueur and used grapefruit juice instead of lemon.

Grapefruit Meringue w Yoghurt & Strawberries
Anna’s very own recipe (using Jamie Oliver’s Basic Meringue as a guide). Serves 6.
Ingredients:
500g good quality vanilla yoghurt
6 egg whites
300g caster sugar
Zest of 1 ruby grapefruit
Pinch of salt
Juice of ½ ruby grapefruit
250g strawberries, hulled & halved
3 tablespoons caster sugar, extra
Method:
1. Combine strawberries, 3 tablespoons caster sugar and grapefruit juice in a bowl. Mix until sugar dissolves slightly then leave to sit for an hour or two (even overnight), stirring occasionally.
2. Preheat oven to 150’C.
3. Line baking tray with greaseproof paper.
4. In a bowl, whisk eggwhites on a medium speed until they form firm peaks (the upsidedown-bowl-over-head trick).
5. With the whisker running, gradually add the sugar and salt.
6. Turn whisker onto highest setting and whisk for 7-8 minutes or until very white and glossy. If it feels smooth when you rub a little between your fingers, then it’s ready. If it still feels grainy it needs further whisking, although remember too much whisking will make I collapse.
7. Now fold in the grapefruit zest and ensure it’s well combined without loosing too much air.
8. Spoon or pipe onto the baking tray, allowing space for expansion.
9. Bake in the oven for 60 minutes, which allows the outsides to become crispy and the inside to remain gooey. Allow to cool completely.
10. When ready to serve, layer meringue between yoghurt and macerated strawberries and drizzle with strawberry juice.

Jamie’s tips for making perfect meringues are as follows:
- Make sure your equipment is completely clean and dry as even traces of oil and water can prevent the eggs from whipping.
- Use caster sugar because regular sugar makes grainy meringues.
- Make sure the egg whites contain no egg yolk or shell otherwise they won’t whip up properly
- A good meringue mixture has a ratio of 50g caster sugar for every 40g of egg white
- Frozen then defrosted egg whites whip up better than fresh ones (this wasn’t one of Jamie’s but an Aussie chef)

This is my contribution to Monthly Mingle, an event founded by Meeta from What's For Lunch, Honey? but this month it's under the care of Abby from eat the right stuff.

The theme is Spring Fruit Sensations and gives away Abby's northern hemisphere location, but since it's Autumn in Australia and the beginning of our grapefruit season, I'm sure Abby won't mind my slight deviation!


Tags: morsels and musings food blog food and drink australia recipes dessert grapefruit grapefruit meringue dessert recipes jamie oliver recipes yoghurt recipes meringue recipes strawberry recipes grapefruit recipes grapefruit meringue recipes monthly mingle

send me your fruit liqueur cocktails!

RECAP READY AT THIS LINK

You’ve got just over a week to come up with an exciting cocktail for Mixology Monday XXVI, which I’m hosting on Monday 14 April.

Mixology Monday is a cocktail blogging event and the theme for my reign of terror is fruit liqueurs.

Definition of fruit liqueurs?
Well this is what I’m going for: a sweet alcoholic beverage infused with fruits or fruit flavours.

The only drinks I won’t accept are ones made with fruit only, rather than using a fruity alcohol of some kind.

Need inspiration? How about . . . .
Apple Schnapps
Apricot Brandy
Bauchant
Calvados
Crème de Cassis
Curaçao
Kirsch
La Grande Passion
Limoncello
Mandarine Napoléon
Midori
Tuaca

So here’s how to participate:
1. Make / invent a cocktail using a fruit liqueur
2. Post it on your blog on Monday 14 April with a link back to this blog
3. Email to morselsandmusingsATyahooDOTcomDOTau
- your name
- your blog’s name
- your location and country
- the name of your cocktail
- the hyperlink for the post

Get mixing people!!!

RECAP READY AT THIS LINK