Like an ominous feeling creeping up the back of your neck, I can just feel the stale heat of summer creeping in through the end of the spring breezes. And because I’m an absolute wuss about the heat, I’ve got a recipe for a rosy pink fruity iced tea that will chase the sticky heat away.
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I think the moral of the story is that I should never be in charge of buying prosciutto. I had originally bought prosciutto to make these Peach and Prosciutto canapés, but somehow bought wayyyyy too much. So I also made these Dried Fig and Prosciutto parcels, but there are only so many canapés I can make.
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As we move ever closer to Christmas, the number of parties and social situations seem to just go through the roof. Sometimes it just involves you turning up, and sometimes you might have to bring a little somethin’ somethin’. If you’re in the mood to bring a whole main, I did a roundup here that you might be interested in. Otherwise, how about canapés for little bite sized treats that can be dead easy, but are sure to impress at your next party.
1. Fig and Prosciutto Parcels
If you’re a child of the 80s (and prior), you’re sure to have heard of Devils on Horseback (that involves prunes and bacon). Since that flavour explosion proved to us that dried fruit and cured meat are a dynamo flavour combo, why not try this variation with dried figs?
2. Mini Quiche
More food from the 80s party! Mini quiches were all the rage, and it’s not hard to see why. With a buttery pastry shell and soft luscious filling, you can have many variations of quiche prepared wayyy in advance, leaving you free to enjoy your own party on the day. Just pop it into the oven to reheat and out comes magic delicious canapés.
3. Sea Urchin Butter on Oysters
With Christmas happening in the heat of an Australian summer, it’s no wonder that seafood is a huge favourite for parties. If you want to add another level of flavour to your oysters, why not try this sea urchin butter that you can just melt over the top, adding another layer of luxury.
4. Peach and Crispy Prosciutto Crackers
For a refreshing and simple canapé that you can ‘just throw together’, these peach and crispy prosciutto crackers pair the refreshing fruit of summer, with the wafer thin crispy prosciutto. It’s like bacon, but more sophistimicated.
5. Brazilian Cheesebread
Cheese, in bread! I don’t need to say anymore.
6. Sea Urchin Chawanmushi
If you want to throw something a bit more fancy, then try these teeny weeny chawanmushi. These Japanese steamed egg custards don’t need to have sea urchin in them, and can be totally vegetarian if you want (and if they eat eggs). Only downside is that you’ll need to have/rent little cups that you can steam the custards in. But well worth the effort.
Christmas is around the corner, and although Australia isn’t exactly the land of white Christmases, some things still remain the same – a big family feast, homes decorated with so many twinkling lights you can see them from space, and some holiday baking fun with the kids.
It’s very hard to turn away brightly iced gingerbread that are perfect for that instant sugar high.
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After making my Peach and Crispy Prosciutto canapés for a party, I learnt a few lessons:
1. Prosciutto is my favourite cured meat for that sweet/salty combo
2. Don’t buy so much prosciutto!
I had wayyyyyy too much prosciutto left over because I over estimated how much to buy, and now I’ve gotta use them up. The answer? This version of Devils on Horseback.
Devils on Horseback is usually made with prunes and bacon, and this fig and prosciutto idea first came to me from Nigella.
I used:
The rest of it is just a matter of assembly. Simply cut a dried fig into half – or quarters – add a touch of blue cheese, or any cheese you prefer, and roll up in prosciutto. I only needed half a slice of prosciutto for mine, but it would really depend on what you prefer. And how thick your prosciutto is sliced, and so forth. Then when it’s all on a platter, I just drizzled the lovely Habenero Honey that I got from Honeycomb Valley and garnished with baby mint leaves from my garden.
If you want to make it ahead of time, this dish is great to hold as little parcels. Simply arrange them on a platter and keep them in the fridge. When you’re ready to serve, leave them at room temperature for about 10 minutes – the prosciutto will thank you for it – and drizzle over the honey and scatter those mint leaves!
Simple, and delicious, if I do say so myself.
‘Tis the season…to get your eat on! And if you’re the cook in the house, you’re not just in charge of your own belly, you’re also in charge of feeding everyone else. So if you’re scratching your head of what to make this year, here’s a quick roundup of my favourite recipes to feed a party.
1. Twice Cooked Lamb Ribs with Basil Chimichurri
This recipe for golden brown and delicious lamb ribs takes a bit of effort, but also provides you with lamb stock for risotto, and lamb fat for your roast potatoes. It’s the recipe that keeps on giving. Oh, and did I mention that you can make this up to three days ahead as well? No stress on the day!
2. Pulled Pork Shoulder with Cabbage Slaw
Pork shoulder is the new pork leg! This cheap cut of pork is super easy to cook, and can be left to its own devices for most of the day while you sip on your wine. You can then magically pull it out when everyone is hungry, and voila! Instant lunch. Recipe here.
3. Persian Burgers
Everyone loves a good burger at a family barbecue, so why not make these Persian patties instead of your same old beef patty? Once fried, these patties can keep warm in an oven, ready to be part of the build-your-own-burger section of the table.
4. Korean Fried Chicken
A cross between part of an actual meal and finger food, chicken wings are always a winner at every party. I first learnt this at a Korean cooking class, and it’s been a crowd favourite ever since. If you’re not a chicken wing kind of person, chicken thighs cut into pieces will do too.
Simply marinate your chicken in cooking sake (rice wine), and then drain and dust in a mixture of potato starch and flour. Blanch in hot oil once (150C) till lightly brown, then lay out in a single layer on a tray. Place in the oven at 180C to finish.
For a chilli glaze, sauté 1 tbsp minced garlic with 1/2 tbsp minced ginger till fragrant. Then add 3 tbsp kochujang (korean chilli paste) and tomato sauce (if you prefer it really hot, omit the tomato sauce). Stir till combined, then add 2 tbsp of liquid glucose. Once the glaze is runny, add the crispy chicken in and stir to coat. Serve hot.
5. Slow roasted Lamb Shoulder
Australia has beautiful lamb, and it’s time to take advantage of it. If you like the idea of a whole roast and carving at the table, try this slow roasted lamb recipe. Sure it takes some time, but most of the work is done by just leaving it in the oven.
With the temperatures climbing, it’s time to once again dust off the ice cream machine, and get cracking on those frozen treats that make a hot day bearable.
This time I chose to go for a tropical themed sorbet because I love how it evokes images of being in the tropics, by the beach…and also because my local green grocer had a special on guava juice. I simply mixed pineapple one part pineapple juice to two parts guava juice, and dissolved 25% by volume of sugar – the magic sorbet ratio provided for by David Lebovitz.
The holiday season is drawing near, and so is the season of fantastic produce!!! This year, peaches caught my eye, and I have soft spot for peaches grilled with a touch of butter. And you know what goes well with stone fruit? The salty cured porky goodness called prosciutto.
And how better than to share that with friends than to put it on a canapé for the holidays?
This recipe is so simple I almost didn’t want to call it a recipe.
I used:
Peaches, pitted and cut into 8ths
Prosciutto, 1 slice per canapè
Roquefort
Rocket, to garnish
Truffle honey
Butter
Crackers
To pit the peaches, just half it vertically, and twist gently to separate the two halves. It can get a bit soft when the peaches are really ripe, so it might get a touch fiddle-y. Then, carefully, use a paring knife to take the pit out. Cut each peach half into quarters, giving you 8 wedges per peach. Give it a bit of colour in a pan or under a grill with a touch of butter.
For the prosciutto, lay out flat pieces on a non-stick pan on medium heat. Some of that fat will render out, and the prosciutto will start curling slightly and get crispy. When it’s all nice and brown – it will still be slightly limp – place them on to a flat tray lined with paper towels. You can keep them warm in the oven, or even do them the day before. They stay crispy in an airtight container for up to three days.
The rest is just an assembly job. Place two wedges of peach on your cracker, one if your cracker is small, and crumble over the roquefort. Or any blue cheese you like. Top with the crispy prosciutto and arrange on a platter. Drizzle over honey and scatter over rocket for colour and some flavour.
Street food features dominantly in Asian cuisine. If you ask natives for food recommendations, fine dining rarely ranks higher than a particular stall in the corner of a local market or hawker centre. My Thai friends, for example, are more likely to send me to a place with a name I can’t pronounce, than David Thompson’s Nahm, as nice as the latter might be.
I was very nicely invited to try out the new branch of Wok On Inn at the Rocks by 6dc. Sitting in the ‘fast casual’ classification, Wok On Inn is a chain of eateries that wants to deliver the restaurant quality food of casual dining, but with the convenience of fast food.
The new branch of Wok On Inn is at located at a beautiful courtyard at the rocks. Surrounded by a few other eateries, this gorgeous venue gets plenty of natural light, and a cool breeze coming through every so often.
If you’re not familiar with the concept of Wok On Inn, it’s basically like a choose-your-own with noodles, with a few suggestions made. You get to choose your noodle, sauce, and toppings, with all the flavours inspired by the street food of Asia.
For lunch, I got to try a few of the suggested combinations.
Drunken Noodles (Pad Prik King)
Cashew Noodles
Bangkok Noodles
What surprised me the most was how each dish had its own identity. Many Asian sauce bases have many common base ingredients, and it can’t help that in order to allow for the preferences of the Australian public – chilli levels, for example, have to be dampened ever so slightly. In order to help keep the flavours as authentic as possible – and to retain the core identity of each dish – the owner has developed a relationship with a chef in Thailand, to create these sauces with Asian ingredients local to the region, and then import these sauces to all of the Wok On Inn outlets, to keep consistency up.
In all, it was quick, delicious, and quality that you rely on. I also really like that there are child-size options as well, so I can indulge and try many more varieties!
What’s your favourite?
Note: Tammi from Insatiable Munchies dined at Wok On Inn as a guest of 6dc and Wok On Inn.
I ate at:
Wok On Inn
(02) 9247 8554
17/31 Playfair St, The Rocks Playfair Street, The Rocks NSW 2000
Furikake Crusted New Zealand, All Natural Ora King Salmon on Ochazuke Risotto.
Located inside Macy’s at the Ala Moana Shopping Centre, the Pineapple Room is Alan Wong’s casual dining counterpart to his fine dining restaurant on South King Street. Not having dined at either, I was originally a bit reserved about all the reputation surrounding both restaurants, especially when I read that the Pineapple Room is borne of a chef at Alan Wong’s expressing a wish to run his own restaurant.
I ordered the Tasting Menu – I always find that the best option if you don’t know what to order.
Ho Farms Tomato and Watermelon Salad, with Hawaii Island Dairy Goat Cheese and Li Hing Mui Dressing
Miso Garlic Butter Fish (Black Cod) with Curry Kabocha Potato Salad, Karashi (Japanese Mustard) and Gobo (Burlock Roots)
Braised Beef Short Ribs and “Taegu” Shrimp, with MAO Farms baby vegetables
Walalua Chocolate Candy Bar, with Macadamia Nut Praline Crunch, Hawaiian Salt Caramel, Chocolate Ganache, Triple Chocolate “Brownie” Cookies
The food was excellent – the butter fish was divine and the watermelon salad was amazing in its simplicity and elegance. And did I mention the melt-in-your-mouth short rib? – but what really blew me away was the service. If you don’t know already, I really like asking questions, and the service staff not only answered every question I had about the food, they even brought out the sous chef to talk to me about the menu and its development. I had particular questions about the Sea Asparagus – which taste kind of sea salty and capery – and they even sent out a note at the end of the dinner with alternate names so that I could find out more information if I was interested.
The Pinapple room provided me with not only a great dinner, but a fantastic dining experience. Definitely one worth repeating if I was in Hawaii again. Yes, you can get more affordable food on the islands, but this is a place to treat your family and yourself to a nice dinner out. With a true passion for food clearly evident in every member of the staff, this is a dining destination for eager foodies.