Operation: Experimentation Part 2 Beef Wellington

Those of you who follow me on Twitter will be aware that I set myself a cooking challenge this weekend. That challenge to try cooking Pork Belly, Macarons and Beef Wellington. The first two I tried last night and the post on that can be found previous to this one, tonight though it's Beef Wellington.

Again I've seen this recipe done a million times on cooking shows and wanted to try it myself. So here it is my version (and half of Curtis Stone's) of Beef Wellington tahdah:



Golden delicious Beef Wellington



Inside prosciutto & mushroom wrapped around a juicy eye fillet

OK so as you can see this is probably not the best shot of the beef because it certainly does not give justice to the beautiful flavours of the proscuitto, mushroom, lean eye fillet and red wine jus. It's also a dish that's a little messy to plate up because of the delicate flaky pastry, but in saying that I'm hoping you get the picture.

I think it would make a great dinner party dish and I'll defnitely be serving it up again but this time rather than bake it for an hour at 200 degree Celcius (as per the recipe)  I might shorten the cooking time to 30-40mins so it's cooked medium rare - just the way I like it.

Have you guys tried making Beef Wellington and how did it go? I'd love to hear from you B x

Operation: Experimentation!

You're all aware of the fact that I'm looking to try new things in the kitchen and so tonight in the Cooking In Choos' household I served up Pork Belly and Adriano Zumbo's Valentine Macarons! (With Valentine's Day only days away what better time is there to try them)

I've been wanting to cook Pork Belly  for a while so when husby visited the butcher this morning I made sure a nice cut of it was on the list. The Macaron fascination has also been around a long time now and while I'm happy to try Emmanuel Mollois' versions baking them is another story.

You see there's art to making them. The ingredients have to be measured correctly and placed in at the right time, temperatures watched like a hawk and then it's all up to the Parisian God's whether or not you're going to get them looking and tasting the way they should - anyway more on them later.

Now to the Pork Belly; this like the Macarons was a first attempt and I'm pleased to say it was definitely a success. The crisp, crackle seasoned with a little sea-salt, while the pork nestled in an a bed of alfoil and marinated in Olive oil, garlic and Rosemary was sensational.

So what's my secret for perfect Pork Belly? It's easy. To get your crackle, crackling turn the up oven to 220 degrees Celsius for a half hour and then turn it down to 160 for an hour and a half.  Keep your pork tender by nestling it in a bed of alfoil lined with the olive oil, garlic and Rosemary. This will not only seal in the moisture but infuse the pork with the beautiful flavours of the garlic and Rosemary - AMAZE!

Here it is:

Pork Belly Perfecction

OK so after a successful main I was hoping my Macarons were going to follow suit. The result well, they weren't bad but let's just say they weren't Pierre Herme's either. The Macarons themselves although perfectly crisp on the outside; inside (well some anyway) they were missing the chewy centre. The ganache on the other hand was a winner with the combination of Rosewater and white chocolate giving this delightful filling beautiful and musky flavours.

Will I try this Parisian morsel again? I'm thinking yes, because even though it was hard and at times very messy at the end of the day it was a challenge and there's nothing I like more; except of course a Macaron! Bon Appetit x

Oh and here it is, with the recipe to follow:

Adriano Zumbo's Valentine Day Macarons - try it yourself

White Chocolate and Rose Macaron by Adriano Zumbo

Rose Ganache Filling ingredients:
120g cream
180g white chocolate
45g unsalted butter
15g rose water
15g musk oil

Method:

• Break the white chocolate into pieces and place in a large bowl
• Boil the cream on the stove with the rose water and musk oil

• Take the cream mixture off the stove and pour over the white chocolate stirring until the chocolate has melted

• Leave the white chocolate, rose and musk mixture to cool to 50 degrees

• Blend in butter with a wooden spoon

• Cover with cling film and cool further in the fridge

Macaron ingredients:

125g caster sugar

40g water

50g egg whites

135g pure icing sugar, sieved

135g almond meal, sieved

45g egg whites

Few drops of red colouring (to create pink colouring)

• Pre-heat oven to 150 degrees Celsius

• In a medium based saucepan, boil caster sugar and water to 118 degrees on the stove top

• Place 50g egg whites in an electric mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Slowly stream hot sugar mixture down side of bowl, whisk until it reaches around 50 degrees to create a meringue mixture

• In a large bowl place icing sugar, almond meal and 45g egg whites on top

• Add meringue mixture to this and hand mix until combined and then place into a piping bag

• Pipe 20 cent sized pieces of the meringue mixture onto a baking tray lined with baking paper or silicone mat

• Let dry for 30 - 60 minutes until a skin forms and they are dry to the touch

• Bake in oven for 16 minutes at 150 degrees

• Remove from the oven and let shells cool, then flip them onto a clean baking tray and place in pairs

• Place ganache into a piping bag and fill one shell from the pair, then place the other side on top to make a sandwich

P.S: Hey guys that was my attempt and I'd love to see you all try it. Don't forget to drop me a line if you do, I'd love to hear how it goes. B x

Cyclone Bianca vs The Saucy Minx

January and February are crazy times of the year. It's hot; you're broke and still recovering from the excesses that are Christmas and New Year. It's also the time of year where Italian families everywhere gather around someones backyard with crates of tomatoes ready for saucing.

There's Dean Martin's Che La Luna Mezza Mare song playing in the background while Zia brings around freshly made pizza and piping, hot espresso to get you through the morning - cue International Wog Day!

This year though it proved a little tough for la famiglia, with a category 4 cyclone by the name of Bianca trying to ruin the party. All weekend we were on Bianca watch trying to work out if it was even possible to go ahead with the sauce-making parade and would our tomatoes be OK the following week if Bianca hit.

You see it's all about timing when it comes to sauce making. The tomatoes have to be delivered at just the right moment and then it's action time with a production line of de-corers, boilers, mincers, bottlers, cappers and storers.

So..... after getting the all clear from Bianca we were good to go on Sunday morning (6am people) and I was put on de-coring duties and with 23 crates to get through let me tell you it was no easy task.  Slicing tomato after tomato and disposing of the green core filling the bucket ready for boiling, all up taking the six of us fours hours to clear.

After de-coring the tomatoes, they are sent to the boilers and this usually done by the men of the family (in this case it was two of the older cousins) who than boiled and minced the tomatoes ready for bottling.

This year the bottling task went to the brother-in-law who with precision and grace completed it in record time. Once the bottles are filled, it's then time for capping, boiling (again) and voila we have sauce ready to eat.  Saucy Minx 1 - Cyclone Bianca 0!

Here's a picture diary of the day:

Step 1: Cutting out the core of the tomato (in a bathtub no less)



Step 2: Getting rid of all the skins and mincing through



Step 3: Placing the sauce through a funnel-based container and into a bottle

Step 4: Placing bottles in crates ready to be capped



Step 5: Dinner is served

Do you have family, food traditions that you keep? Or do you make a mean pasta sauce? I'd love to hear from you Bx

In other news!!!

Oh one more thing before I leave you today, hubby cooked again! Yep he's doing it regularly and working on something as I type. His latest masterpiece a Blueberry and Apple Cake courtesy of Donna Hay's Fast, Fresh, Simple cookbook - here's the evidence:

Blueberry & Apple Cake

Bx

So I lied!!!

Hey guys I know I promised to blog weekly but things have been a little crazy over the last month. Want to know what I 've been up to? Where do I begin?

Regular readers of my blog will know I'm planning for my trip of a lifetime & I'm happy to say it is almost here. Everything has been booked & paid for and now all we have to do is wait.

I'm blogging today to let you know that there will DEFINITELY be more blogging as we approach take-off and during my travels.

So what have I been up to? Well April was certainly a busy month with a bunch of us organising a Quiz Night for the victims of the Madeira Islands mudslides. It was a successful event with close to 400 people attending and raising lots of money for our beloved little Island. It was hardwork but fun & definitely worth it and got me thinking I'd like to do more fundraising events in the future - more of that to come when I get back.

We've also been innundated with wedding invites this year and have so far attended five all up (and it's not even June!), we've got one more before we leave and then my bff's when I get - can't wait for that one!

Works also been crazy & I'm happy to say I've been doing a wide range roles from researching to writing about No-dig gardens & discovering Perth's Best places to wine & dine. It's been a lot of fun & has only enforced how much I love my role of FOOD JOURNALIST.

Anyway as promised I'll continue to blog about food, wine, fashion, travel & everything lifestyle so if you want to hear more please, please, please continue following my adventures.

In the meantime here are a few pics which tells the story of my last two months - Adeus x

Welcoming everyone to the Quiz Night

Jade, Neli, Myself & Josie at our cousin's wedding in July - we had a ball!!

With left over bananas I'm always creating different recipes - this one a choc banana cake!

The cooler months bring with it comfort food - this dish Beef cheeks ragu Pappardelle

More comfort food - piping hot Spanish Churros with hot choc dipping sauce - yum!!

On the search for Perth's Best Burger - this one was the Crispy Bacon & Cheeseburge from Grill'd (not the winner but close Gourmet on Wray's Chicken Parma took out this year's honours).

Getting into mode World Cup at The Down-Syndrom Butterfly Ball - such a great night!

High Tea bridal Shower at Azure in Mt Hawthorn - GORGEGOUS!!

My attempt at a fancy entree care of Sheila Mag- Grilled scallops, Haloumi & black pig prosciutto

My husband - Il Pizza Maestro

It finally happened my husband, the office working, football watching, "food expert" (or as I like to refer to him Perth's answer to Matt Preston) cooked me dinner tonight!!! It doesn't happen much and the last time I remember him cooking all on his own was when he proposed to me. Since then he gets in the kitchen and helps out here and there but never does something all on his own. Today though, success in the form of a mozzarella, tomato, ham and basil pizza.

I have to to say there's nothing nicer than watching a man in the kitchen cooking up a storm. Not only do you get a break in the kitchen you tend to enjoy it (the meal)more too!

So here it is the proof in the pudding, or in his case the pizza:

Hubby taking the pizza out of the oven!

Ready to eat

YUM

Have you got a pizza oven? What are some of the pizzas you've come up with? I'd love to hear from you - Cooking In Choos :)

Summer Seafood

With Christmas over and New Year fast approaching there's been a lot of indulging - in everything!! So while I was lazing about watching Heston Blumenthal cook door mice and venison during a Holiday Special on the Lifestyle Food Channel, hubby suggested we visit Herdsman Fresh and Seafresh in Innaloo to stock up on some fresh, local produce for the night's dinner.

I love shopping at the Herdsie - everything sold there is fresh, delicious and most importantly made or grown here in WA. We bought fruit, vegetables and dairy products all of which we were in serious need of having not been grocery shopping over the Christmas period. On the way home we stopped by Seafresh Innaloo and bought some fresh squid and West Australian mussels ready to be turned into a couple of dishes I found in my new cookbooks.

Never one to really jump into the kitchen it was nice to hear hubby say he wanted to get his hands dirty so he tackled cleaning the mussels while I cut and scored the squid. Together we created Giada's Chilli Mussels and Cafe style Salt and Pepper squid - here are the results:

Giada's Chilli Mussels

Cafe Style Salt & Pepper Squid

My verdict - I think we work brilliantly well together as a team and the results really speak for themselves!! What do you think? Have you ever cooked something out of the blue and been surprised by the results? I'd love to hear from you!! Bom Aproveito - Cooking in Choos :)

A Very Portuguese Christmas 2009

Hubby and I got married earlier this year so I thought it would be appropriate to hold a Christmas dinner at my house. Every year we do the whole traditional thing, roasted ham and turkey with vegies - the lot really! This Christmas however, I thought I'd go back to my roots and revisit the traditions held by Avo (grandma) and her family in Madeira Portugal.

On the menu were starters of Rissois de Camarao (Prawn Empanadas), Rissois de Carne (Mince Empanadas), Rissois de Bacalhau (Bacalhau Empanadas) an entree of Carne de Vinho e Alhos com pao fresco (pork in white wine and garlic with homemade bread), the mains included Constantina's Assado de Carne (My grandmas traditional roast beef in a tomato base sauce) and Portuguese style Roast Chicken with vegetables while our desserts included a traditional Pudim de Maracuja (Passionfruit pudding) and Bolo de Bolocha (Biscuit Cake).

Everything from the food, wine & decor was a hit especially the personal menu's and bonbonieres all made by Invitings Made Easy by Susana.

For me, there is nothing better than entertaining guests on a summer's day & this little Christmas get-together enforced this even more so. The holiday season is all about family and friends so whether it's a tradition dating back 100s of years or one you want to start up now - invite them all over and share the good times, food, wine and memories today!

My Cousin Veronica, me & Mum in the kitchen getting into the starters for the evening!

Veronica's beautiful place settings

Table for 15

Menu & bonboniere by Invitings Made Easy by Susana
http://www.invitings.com.au/

Constantina's Assado de Carne -my grandmas traditional roast beef in a tomato base sauce

Traditional Portuguese-style Roast Chicken

What did you do for Christmas? Did you have any traditions you kept or did you start some new ones? I'd love to hear from you so drop me a line - Cooking In Choos :)

Tackling Desserts

Readers of my blog will know as a food writer and editor of a food & lifestyle publication, I see, eat and cook food a lot!! It's part of my research to get to know food better and so I eat, cook, write and eat some more.

One of my weaknesses however is dessert; baking in particular gets me all the time and never ever am I quite satisfied with how my baked treats turn out. For instance a few months ago we had a few ripened bananas which were no longer nice enough to eat so hubby suggested I bake a banana cake. Having never baked one before I trawled through my cook books (OMG there are 30 of them, I never knew this until the other day)and after much researching I found one which was easy enough for me to attempt - or so I thought!

When I took the cake out of the oven I could not get it out of the tray - you see I forgot one basic rule - line bottom of try with backing paper!!!Anyway after gentle tapping and a longish wait the cake came loose from the tray and we were all able to enjoy warm banana cake.

But the story continues and I was determined not to let the banana cake get the better of me so weeks later and a few more ripened bananas, I tackled said dessert again.

The verdict - presentation needs more practise, taste however delicious!!

Here's the proof:


Now it seems the dessert bug is catching on in my family. Yesterday I attended a family barbecue & my cousin Josie attempted a passion fruit & kiwi fruit cheesecake. It too was delicious and we polished it off with problems at all. I guess as they say practise makes perfect so even though it's still not my favourite thing to do in the kitchen I will keep on keeping on until I get used to it.

Is there something you struggle with in the kitchen if so I'd love to hear your story - until next time Happy Baking!!

Here is Josie putting the final touches on her cheesecake:

Trying it @ Home with Justine Schofield

So a few weeks ago I was lucky enough to catch up with former Masterchef contestant Justine Schofield during her first visit to Perth. Although only brief Justine managed to pack a lot into her whirlwind trip including visiting PMH, eating out at Pata Negra and catching up with old friends.

Her main reason for stopping by however was part of JVG Events inaugral TRY THIS @ HOME presentation. In conjunction with Buy West Eat Best, the event held at Joondalup shopping Centre saw Justine create four simple dishes that audience members could recreate at home by purchasing $20 showbags filled with all the necessary ingredients needed to do so.

Justine and JVG Events director Jo Garnett in action on the day:


Justine working on the Chicken BLT


After the event I did what any good foodie would do and bought myself a showbag to try Justine's Chicken BLT for dinner that night. The verdict, absolutely delicious, quick, easy and a winner with all who ate it. It's definitely going to become a permanent fixture on my weekly menu - thanks Justine!

My attempt to recreate Justine's Chicken BLT


No visit would be complete without a few questions here's what we chatted about when she was here:

What was it like being on Masterchef:
Amazing, it has really changed my life. Not only career wise but also with my confidence in getting the job done.

Do you think being on MC has changed your cooking technique:
Yes... at the beginning of the process I was just a home cook, but because of Masterchef I have become faster in the kitchen and have learnt to be more methodical. The way I chop, present my dishes and combine flavours have also changed.

What are you doing at the moment:
I've done some work experience at Aria, both in Sydney and Brisbane.
I've done Food demonstrations at the Good food & Wine show in Brisbane, other smaller food demo's, catering, cooking for corporate events, charity, appearances and the most recent thing I'm doing is going to compete the LG world cooking competition in Thailand. I'll be flying the Australian flag and hopefully will do well!

Do you have a favourite ingredient & what do you like to make with it:
Tarragon..... bearnaise sauce, butter,really good olive oil, French shallots and cream are also always in my kitchen!

What is your favourite dish:
Daube de Boeuf... Amazing if done right.
And of course a good aged piece of Steak and chips with bearnaise sauce.

Justine enjoying a glass of white



What were you doing prior to the show & will you go back to it:
I was a sales executive for a security company selling CCTV software.
No I wont because I've now realised have a desk job is just not for me!

Have you had a cooking disaster & what was it:
Slow cooking a shoulder of pork overnight in the oven .... waking up the next day and it was charcoal! Someone had accidently turn the heat up and I didn't realise! ... So lunch was pretty much a disaster that day!

What is your favourite restaurant:
Marque by Mark Best in Surry Hills, Sydney for fine dining, Quay in Sydney also fine dining, Sel et Poivre, Darlinghurst Sydney for casual dining and Nobu in Melbourne again for casual dining.

And who is your favourite chef:
So many!!!!
Raymond Blanc
Alain Ducasse
Mark Best
Matt Moran... to name a few.

Justine & I catch up the day before her Try This @ Home Event

A big thank you must go to Jo of JVG Events for organising such a fantastic event, here's hoping there will be more of them in Perth in the very near future.

Food Glorious Food - Belles Fave Dishes of the last THREE Weeks!!!

A few weeks ago I promised I post about my Favourite Dish of the Week in my blog - BUT I've been quite slack (in posting that is) and have been cooking up a storm in the kitchen instead!! So tonight rather than give you one dish this week I'm listing my fave dishes from the last three weeks. Again if you like what you see email me and I'll email through the recipe - Bom Approveito!!! (I'm learning how to say enjoy your meal in every language possible)


This slow cooked beef stew is one of my favourite things to cook. It reminds me of living at home with mum & day and its so easy it really does cook itself'!! It's the perfect meal to enjoy on a cold winter's night.


This pasta with sugo (Rigatoni with fresh tomato sauce) is a regular in our household. It's so easy to whip up and all you need to do is add some mince or gravy beef and some shaved parmesan and it will transport you to Italy in an instant - YUM!!


This beef stir-fry is a quick and easy meal perfect to whip up after a hard day at work. I haven't really done it much lately and I've missed it so it was good to cook it up again.



I held an afternoon tea for Father's Day and my sister-in-laws birthday so for the first time ever I BAKED!! It may not seem like a big deal because I enjoy cooking but let me tell you cooks and bakers are two different breeds. For me baking requires a lot patience (none of which I have)and I think a lot hope for things to work out the way they look in the cookbooks. So here is my baking attempt Hazelnut Chocolate Tart and Strawberry Tiramisu (no baking required here and actually quite easy), I also threw in fruit skewers dipped in chocolate for good measure too.


The Hazelnut Chocolate Tart was actually a winner on the day despite my pastry making dramas!!!


My version of Tiramisu - Strawberry instead of coffee. This dessert would be great on a hot summers night with a sweet glass of white, just glorious...

So there you have it hopefully this week I'll come up with something new for you to check out - Food is life so eat & enjoy!!!

Belle's Favourite Dish of the Week

OK so those who've been following my blog know that I have huge passion for food and as of late have been dabbling in the kitchen myself. Having a husband whose food critic prowess matches that of Matt Preston (minus the cravat - don't worry it's coming) means that when I cook a meal it's got to be up to scratch.

I've always loved cooking and enjoy being in the kitchen but since the Masterchef invasion and my love for dinner parties growing week by week, I've decided to take my next foodie step.

From now on Life According to Belle will tell you what my best home-made meal for the week was. What I'd like in return is for you tell me if you love it too so I can than post the recipe up for you all to make and enjoy yourselves - see it's a win win situation.

My first home-made meal is Pasta Cartoccio otherwise known as Spaghetti Al Forno made for last night's dinner party. Now I've eaten this dish a few times and it is one that is quite popular with my husband's family. His aunty is a whizz at creating this dish and to emulate it is no mean feat.

Lucky for me I had my trusty assistant who not only helped with prep but helped me put the whole thing together ready for when the guests arrived. You see making the dish is not hard at all but there are a few things that need to be done so it all works.

For instance you must cook the sauce (home-made of course) along with the mince, cook the pasta, cut the olives, add mozzarella and pop it all in individual alfoil baskets ready for the oven. Sounds simple right? Well it is and it's oh so DELICIOUS.

My guests were not only impressed with the packaging but the aroma wafting from the oven had them so excited they could not wait to open their silver little baskets. It went down a treat and the best bit about it was there was no washing up to do. I sat back with the rest of my guests and enjoyed their company without worrying about the dishes piling up - success!

(Disclaimer: My guests also enjoyed a roast pork and vegies for their main and Ferrero gelato for dessert.)

Have you had a successful night in the kitchen? I'd love to hear from you and if you want to know more about Pasta Cartoccio drop me an email - until next time Bon Appetite!!

My Pasta Cartoccio (Spaghetti Al Forno), you can actually see the steam coming out of the piping hot dish!!!