Mushroom Bourguignon

 

Mushroom Bourguignon
Prep Time
45 mins
Cook Time
1 hr
 

Who needs meat! This dish is a fabulous way to showcase beautiful mushrooms, and is perfect made using pine mushrooms, slippery jacks, etc. when available.

Category: Main
Style: French, Vegetarian
Keyword: mushrooms, Vegan Option
Quantity: 6 serves
Author: sbaskitchen
Ingredients
  • 400 ml mushroom stock (including the liqueur from rehydrating the porcini)
  • 2 sprigs rosemary
  • 2 sprigs thyme
  • 15 g 1/2oz dried porcini or shitake mushrooms
  • 1 tbsp 20g butter
  • 150 g 5oz shallots, peeled, and if large, halved
  • 2 garlic cloves crushed
  • 4 carrots thickly sliced
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 3 tsp potato flour
  • 200 ml red wine
  • 850 g mixed mushrooms
Instructions
  1. Heat the oven to 170C (fan).
  2. Bring the stock to boil and add the porcini mushrooms.
  3. Remove from the heat and let the ingredients infuse for 30 mins while you prepare the remainder of the ingredients for the dish.

  4. Drain the porcini mushrooms, and reserve the liquid. Chop the mushrooms and set aside.

  5. Strain the liquid to remove any grit left behind by the mushrooms. Add mushroom stock to make up to 400ml.

  6. Place a large pan over low heat, add the oil, shallots and garlic, and cook until they start to colour and soften (approx. 10 minutes).
  7. Add the carrots, tomato paste, and flour, stir to combine and cook for 1 minute.

  8. Slowly add the wine and stock, mixing well.
  9. Increase heat and continue stirring, until the sauce boils and thickens.

  10. Add the fresh mushrooms along with the rehydrated porcini mushrooms and stir to combine, bring back to the boil, cover with a lid and transfer the pot to the preheated oven.

  11. Cook for 1 hr.
  12. Scatter with fresh parsley and serve with mashed potatoes and steamed green greens.

Notes
  • I like to freeze the liqueur left from rehydrating mushrooms to use as mushroom stock.
  • For vegan option, replace butter with olive oil.

 

Yum

Ora’s Chocolate Mousse

 

Ora's Chocolate Mousse
Prep Time
15 mins
 

I am not normally a fan of chocolate mousse, but when Ora served her chocolate mousse for dessert as we gathered for a delicious meal, I just had to ask her for the recipe. It is delicious and surprisingly does not contain cream!

Category: Dessert
Style: French
Keyword: Chocolate, Chocolate Dessert
Quantity: 8 serves
Author: sbaskitchen
Ingredients
  • 200 g good quality dark chocolate 70%
  • 3 teaspoons boiling water
  • 1 teaspoon instant coffee powder
  • 6 eggs at room temperature
  • Pinch of salt
  • ½ cup of caster sugar
  • 1 teaspoon of rum or more
Instructions
  1. Place the chocolate into the top of a double boiler over hot, barely simmering water. Stir frequently until silky smooth.

  2. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool a little.

  3. Combine the boiling water and coffee, and set aside.

  4. Meanwhile, separate the eggs and beat the whites together with the salt until light peaks form. Add ¼ cup of the caster sugar, continue to beat until stiff,

  5. Then, in a different bowl, beat the yolks, together with the remaining ¼ cup of caster sugar until light and fluffy.

  6. Add the chocolate mix to the yolks and stir well to combine. Stir in the coffee, and rum, if using.

  7. Take ¼ of the egg whites and gently mix into the chocolate mix until combined.

  8. Then add the remaining egg whites and gently fold through the chocolate mix until combined.

  9. Spoon into the serving dishes and refrigerate overnight.

Notes
  • Serve topped with fresh raspberries or other berries.
  • You can also serve this mousse in a large serving dish and place it on the table with a bowl of fresh berries and a bowl of whipped cream for all to help themselves.
  • Apparently his mousse can also be frozen.

Yum

Turning Rhubarb into Madeleines!

Well almost…

I have been wanting to make Madeleines for years, but being restricted to a gluten free diet, I’ve always put the idea into the ‘too hard basket’.

The other day, after continuously being tripped up by the abundance of rhubarb in the vegetable garden, I decided that it was time to harvest it.  I have some preserved/canned in the larder, the roses required for my Rhubarb and Rose Petal Jam are a little while off, so just thought that I’d give it away.

I know that it looks like a lot, and I suppose it was.  But after I bundled it up, there were only seven bundles – maybe I was a little generous, I don’t know.

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Easter – Outdoors – Family

Easter was fabulous.

Our grandson Cooper come to visit from the Tuesday prior.  While he was here, and before everyone else arrived, we made Easter Bunny Pots, and my only real input was making the bunnies feet and assisting with the gluing.  It was a great fun activity, where we had to go in search of everything needed for the project, including the packets of seeds and pots from the local hardware.  When they were finished, he proudly put them out for photos, before hiding them to surprise everyone on Easter Sunday morning.  He was such a proud little man handing them out to his family.

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Aunty Elaine’s Pavlova Recipe

I remember the time that Aunty Elaine made this pavlova for my beautiful friends, Véronique and Yannick, when they visited from France some years ago.  I know that both Véronique and Yannick have very fond memories of Aunty Elaine and Uncle Paul, and Aunty Elaine wrote this recipe out for me so that I could email it to Véronique after she returned home to France.

Aunty Elaine's Pavlova
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
1 hr 30 mins
Cooling
4 hrs
 

Such simple ingredients, and always such a treat.

Category: Dessert
Style: Australian
Keyword: Family Recipes, Gluten Free, Gluten Free Dessert, Meringue, Pavlova
Quantity: 8 serves
Author: sbaskitchen
Ingredients
  • 4 egg whites
  • 1 cup caster sugar
  • 1 tbsp boiling water
  • 2 tsp vanilla essence
  • 1 tsp white vinegar
  • 1 tsp corn flour (see note below)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 120˚C.
  2. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
  3. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form.
  4. Gradually add the caster sugar, a little at a time, beating between each addition, until all of the sugar is incorporated and dissolved.
  5. Add the boiling water, vanilla, vinegar and cornflour and beat until combined.
  6. Spread the meringue in a circle on the prepared baking tray, ensuring that the meringue is 6-7 cm / 2.5 inches thick.
  7. Bake for 1 hour 30 minutes. (see note below)

  8. Turn the oven off and allow the pavlova to cool completely in the oven.
  9. To serve, invert the pavlova onto a serving plate, spread with whipped cream and top with fresh fruit of choice.
Notes

All ovens are not the same!  I find that I need to bake the pavlova for an additional 20 minutes in my oven, as it was still a little soft at the one and a half hour mark.

If making gluten free, you will need to ensure that the cornflour that you use is gluten free.

 

Until next time…

Bon appétit!

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