Pittwater Life December 2020 Issue

Food Life
with Janelle Bloom
For more recipes go to janellebloom.com.au
Food Life
Recipes: janellebloom.com.au; facebook.com/culinaryinbloom; instagram.com/janellegbloom/ Photos: Adobe
Feast and give cheer to the
end of a truly difficult year
Before we can all say goodbye (and
good riddance!) to 2020, we have a
wonderful Christmas celebration and
feast to plan… and I can’t wait! It’s been a
tough year for so many, but it’s time to put
the party dress on, break open the bubbles
Smoked trout slider
with pickled beets
& dill mayonnaise
Makes 16
2 x 350g packets hot smoke
rainbow trout
100g mixed salad leaves
16 small brioche buns,
warmed
Pickled beets
3 medium raw beetroot, peeled
1 cup rice wine vinegar
4 tbs caster sugar
1 small garlic clove, thinly
sliced
1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
1 long red chilli, thinly sliced
Dill mayonnaise
1 cup whole egg mayonnaise
½ small lemon, juiced
3 tsp horseradish cream
2 tbs chopped dill
1 tbs drained capers, chopped
1. To make the pickled beets,
thinly slice the beetroot with
a mandolin. Place into a
bowl. Combine the vinegar,
sugar, garlic, cinnamon and
chilli in a small saucepan.
Bring to simmer, stirring
until sugar has dissolved.
Pour hot mixture over the
beetroot, stir to combine.
Cover and set aside 2 hours
or refrigerate overnight.
2. To make the dill
mayonnaise, combine all
ingredients, season with
salt and pepper. Refrigerate
until ready to assemble.
3. Gently peel skin off trout.
Remove head and any
brown flesh. Carefully
remove flesh using your
fingers, checking there no
bones. Break the flesh into
pieces, place onto a plate,
cover and refrigerate until
ready to assemble.
4. Drain the beets and place
into a bowl. Add the salad
leaves. Toss gently to
combine.
5. To assemble, spoon dill
mayonnaise onto the base
and plan the menu for some fabulous food
to share with loved ones. Here are a few
ideas, ranging from finger food starters to
traditional main plus salad and dessert.
From mine to yours, have a safe, happy
healthy festive season!
of each brioche base. Top
with smoked trout and
pickled beet salad. Secure
with a toothpick or skewer.
Serve.
Pineapple & quince
glazed ham
Serves 12-16
(with leftovers)
8 kg cooked leg ham
20 cloves, optional
Pineapple & quince glaze
440g can sliced pineapple
½ cup orange juice
120g quince paste
1/3 cup maple syrup
¼ cup Dijon mustard
1 tbs red wine vinegar
1. To make the glaze, drain
the pineapple, reserving
½ cup juice. Set rings
aside. Combine the ½
cup pineapple juice and
remaining ingredients
in a saucepan. Bring to
boil. Gently boil, stirring
occasionally, for about
10-15 minutes, or until
thickened. Set aside to cool.
2. Preheat oven 160°C fanforced.
To remove rind,
run thumb around edge
of rind, just under skin.
Start pulling rind from the
opposite end to the shank.
Continue to peel away up
to the shank. Remove rind.
Using a small sharp knife,
carefully make shallow cuts
into the ham fat, about 2cm
apart, in a wave or diamond
pattern. Don’t cut all the
way through the fat when
scoring or it will spread
when exposed to the heat.
Insert cloves into the fat.
3. Wrap shank end in foil to
prevent burning. Place the
ham in a large, greased
roasting pan. Brush glaze
evenly over ham fat. Bake,
brushing with every 20
minutes for 1 hour. Increase
heat to 22°C, bake 10
minutes, watching carefully
or until golden and sticky
all over. Meanwhile, brush
the pineapple slices with a
little glaze, and pan fry or
barbecue until golden and
sticky. Stand the ham for
30 minutes before carving.
Serve sliced warm or at
room temperature with
charred pineapple.
84 DECEMBER 2020
The Local Voice Since 1991
Roast turkey
Cobb salad
Serves 8
1 x 2kg turkey breast fillet, skin
on
60g butter, softened
4 eggs, at room temperature
8 rashers rindless bacon,
chopped
2 Cos lettuce, chopped
250g cherry tomatoes, halved
2 avocados, sliced
¼ cup thinly sliced fresh chives
Dressing
¼ cup whole egg mayonnaise
¼ cup buttermilk
½ lemon, juiced
½ tsp sweet paprika
1 small clove garlic, crushed
1. Preheat oven 200°C. Place
the turkey fillets skin side
up onto a board. Loosen the
skin with fingers, leaving
it attached at long edge.
Season the butter with salt
and pepper together. Push
butter under the skin. Truss
breast with kitchen string at
3cm intervals. Spray the top
lightly with oil and season
with pepper and a little salt.
2. Heat a non-stick frying pan
over medium-high heat until
hot. Place 1 breast skin side
down into hot pan and cook
2 minutes until golden, turn
and cook a further 2 minutes.
Transfer to a roasting pan,
skin side up. cover tightly
with foil, cook 30 minutes.
3. Remove the foil and roast
uncovered further 15-20
minutes or until juices run
clear when a skewer is
inserted into thickest part.
Remove from the oven, cover
loosely with foil and allow to
stand 20 minutes. Cut into
chunks or slice.
4. For the dressing: Whisk all
the ingredients together.
Refrigerate until ready to
serve.
The Local Voice Since 1991
5. Next, lower the eggs into a
saucepan of gently boiling
water. Boil gently for 7
minutes for medium-boiled,
or to your liking. Submerge
into a bowl cold water until
cool enough to handle. Peel
and quarter.
6. Cook the bacon in a frying
pan over medium heat until
golden.
7. To serve, arrange all the
ingredients in a large bowl or
board. Sprinkle with chives,
season with salt and pepper.
Serve with dressing.
Janelle’s Tip: You can order
turkey breast fillets from
Devitts in Narrabeen.
Mango &
passionfruit
curd tart
Serves 8
200g Nice biscuits
½ cup shredded coconut
150g butter, melted
3 large firm ripe mangoes
2 passionfruit, halved, to serve
Passionfruit curd
4 eggs
2 egg yolks
3/4 cup caster sugar
3/4 cup passionfruit pulp (see
tip)
125g butter, chilled, chopped
1. For the passionfruit curd,
place eggs, egg yolks and
sugar in a 6-cup capacity
heatproof, microwave-safe
jug or bowl. Whisk with a
balloon whisk until well
combined. Add passionfruit
pulp and butter. Stir to
combine. Microwave,
uncovered, on Medium/50%
power for 6-10 minutes,
whisking every minute, or
until thick enough to coat
a spoon. Cover the surface
with plastic wrap and
refrigerate until cold.
2. Process biscuits and
coconut until finely crushed.
Add butter. Process until
combined. Press over base
and three-quarters of the
way upside of a 22cm (base)
springform pan. Refrigerate
for 20 minutes.
3. Spoon the passionfruit curd
into the biscuit shell. Smooth
the top, refrigerate at least
2 hours, but it will keep 8
hours in the fridge.
4. Peel and thinly slice the fruit.
Carefully release the side of
the pan and slide the tart
onto a serving plate. Cut the
cheeks from the mangoes.
Peel and slice the fruit,
arrange over the top of the
tart. Spoon over passionfruit
pulp. Serve.
Janelle’s Tip #1: You will need
6-8 passionfruit for the curd.
Tip #2: For easy removal of the
tart from the pan, invert the
base so the flat side faces up
and lock into place.
Reindeer cookies
Makes 30
2 cups plain flour
½ cup icing sugar mixture
1 tsp ground cinnamon
200g cold butter, chopped
2 egg yolks
1 tbs cold water
1 tsp vanilla extract
200g milk melts, melted
30 Jaffas or red smarties
1. Grease and line three large
oven trays with baking paper.
2. Process flour, sugar,
cinnamon and butter in a
food processor until mixtutre
resembles fine crumbs.
Combine the egg yolks,
water and vanilla and add
to the processor. Pulse until
mixture comes together to
form a ball. Remove; divide
into two portions. Press each
into a disc, wrap in grease
proof paper and refrigerate
1 hour, or until firm. Preheat
oven 160°C fan forced.
3. Roll out each portion of
dough between two sheets
baking paper until ½cm
thick. Using a 6 cm round
cutter, cut out 30 shapes, rerolling
dough as necessary.
Place onto trays leaving
a little space between for
spreading. Place 2 trays in
the fridge. Bake, one tray
at a time for 10-12 minutes,
or until edges are lightly
golden. Cool on trays.
4. Spoon chocolate into a snap
lock bag or piping bag, snip
edge to form a small hole.
Pipe a little chocolate on one
side of 1 Jaffa or smartie
and position chocolate side
down on the cookie as nose.
Repeat to secure all noses.
Use remaining chocolate to
pipe eyes and antlers. Allow
to set.
DECEMBER 2020 85
Food Life