JUNE #1. CHOPPING ONIONS MAKE YOU CRY ???
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WONDER WHY ???
Well when you cut the basal plate (or root) of an onion, it releases an enzyme. That enzyme reacts with the rest of the onion to release a gas. When that gas combines with water, it creates an acid. If that water is in your eye, then you have acid in the eye! hence the tears as your body tries to remove it. |
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CHEFFIE TIP :
1. Chill the onions in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes before cutting them. This reduces the amount of the acid enzyme released into the air and has zero effect on taste. 2. Slice, dice or chop your onion on your board, as near to an open flame (gas hob) as possible. The gas released by the onion is drawn into the flame. |
JULY #2. YOUR PASTRY ALWAYS SHRINK?
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WONDER WHY ???
The thing about making pastry is that YES it takes time, BUT oh the rewards! There is nothing like light buttery short pastry that just melts in your mouth. There is no comparison with the pre-made bought stuff. The problem is when you put all that time and effort into it and then is shrinks ! and its tough and your filling is spilling out. Not the result you were after. You will read all sorts of advice but cold and rest are the two important words you need to remember. |
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CHEFFIE TIP :
Cold ingredients, cold equipment and marble boards (if possible not essential) . Keep the butter cold so it doesn’t melt into the flour when you are working it in. This translates in to light flaky pastry. Cold hands and a cold kitchen even help. Once you have mixed the dough, lightly cover it in grease-proof paper and rest it in the fridge for at least 20-30 mins. Roll it, transfer gently to baking dish and then rest again for another 20 mins at least. This is how you will avoid shrinkage ! |
AUGUST #3. AVOCADOS AND CITRUS
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The winter is almost over, but we still have plenty of citrus around - in our orchard right now we have lemons, oranges, yuzu, grapefruit, a few limes still on the go and mandarins starting to turn. In fact I am in the middle of making orange friands as I write this. That's what made me think how many of you may not know that if you want to maximise the about of juice you get from your fruit - make sure that they have been in the sun for half an hour to warm it up first. A microwave for 5 mins will also have the same effect.
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Don't these two natural beauties look fabulous together.
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The imminent arrival of spring is also seeing plenty of local avocados around the place on our local road side stalls (if you don't grow them of course). I'm putting a link here to a quick 3 minute video of Jamie Olivers, which shows you how to prepare your avocados safely, whilst maximising the flesh you get out. Hand cuts is not something we encourage in the LFK! Lemon juice is of course the secret to keeping your avocado pieces from turning brown - or your delicious guacamole !
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SEPTEMBER #4. IT'S ALL ABOUT EGGS
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We are very lucky to have our own chickens. Not so lucky when they dig up your vegie garden or decide they will just wander in to the house and poop on the carpet (both have happened for real at our place). Having said that fresh eggs from happy chickens are definitely a bonus of living in the country. We date ours as we collect them to make sure that we are always using them in date order. These days there are plenty of free-range eggs available in the supermarkets for those who don't have the luxury of having their own hens. They too are date labelled to keep an eye on use by dates - so tip number one is always buy the freshest eggs you can. Farmer's markets are great for sourcing fresh eggs too.
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