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Feb 15th

passionfruit semifreddo and xanadu lime & lemon sherbet

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Even with Summer coming to an end, we’ve been getting some steaming hot weather in Brisbane this last week. I thought I would try to get one more summery dish in, as a bit of a farewell to the season.  I’ve been experimenting with desserts of the frozen nature, an wanted to share 2 in particular with you. Quick, have a go at these before the weather turns cool!  This passionfruit semifreddo was my January special.  It was so popular, I think I knocked it out about 3 times in 1 week! It is so light and subtle.  And it’s hard to go wrong with beautiful passionfruit.

On our week off in Byron, I went right into cooking mode. With loads of limes to enjoy from the lime tree in beautiful Newrybar, I didn’t want them to become just the garnish for Josh’s Coronas.   Jamie came to the rescue with a recipe for lemon sherbet in the pages of Jamie’s Italy. In contrast to the semifreddo, the sherbet was very sweet and sharp, and more refreshing.  I made 2 lots, one with just lemons, and one with a combination of lemons and limes. The lemon lime combo was the winner…and disappeared too quickly for me to get a photo, but here’s the lemon sherbet.

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Jan 22nd

sopa de lima – a summer soup

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I’m not quite sure what has brought on the sudden obsession with Mexican cuisine in Brisbane. It seems to be the flavour of the moment, with numerous restaurants like Guzman y Gomez and the Burrito Bar popping up left, right and centre. But whatever the reason, we’ve embraced the Mexican fever at home and have started a bi-weekly tradition of Mexican feasts.  Although, there are only so many tacos and burritos a person can take, so I have extended my repertoire, and in the process, have discovered some fresh Mexican flavours.  One dish that I really enjoyed was sopa de lima which translates to lime soup – a Yucatan specialty. Like burritos or tacos, you can still get everyone involved in the dish, by placing the bits and pieces in bowls, the soup or stock in a large jug, and have everyone assemble their own creations at the table.  It’s a very light, fresh soup, which I think is much better suited to summer than winter.   The soup, or broth rather, is based on the chicken stock that you have to make first. The avocado, corn chips, coriander, chilli, lime and feta give it great contrasting elements which really make the dish.  The great thing is, you can keep some of the chicken aside, and serve it with burritos or tacos afterwards if you just can’t get enough of the Mexican favourites… it’s great panfried with some cumin and garlic.

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Dec 28th

homemade pappardelle + fresh basil, oven roasted cherry tomato & chorizo

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Homemade pasta is a breeze. There are just 2 things to remember; ‘many hands make light work’ and ‘go hard or go home’. Invite friends over and put them to work. Get a production line happening, hand them a glass of red for their troubles and you’ll be laughing.  After having the right ratio of flour to eggs (which you will after you read this recipe), the next most important step is in the kneading and working of the dough.  You need to be prepared to give it some good elbow grease and body heat to develop the gluten, as this is what makes the end product springy and al dente. You want the texture of the dough to be silky smooth. You’ll soon see that it really isn’t hard at all to have perfectly al dente, fresh, home made pasta everytime you feel the urge for a bit of I-talian.

In making great pasta, it’s also important to use Tipo 00 flour. This refers to how finely the pasta is milled, and Tipo 00 is the finest durum wheat flour available. Containing high levels of gluten and protein, it’s perfect for pasta making (and pizza too).  You can get it at most supermarkets these days.

As for the accompanying sauce or flavours, the key is; less is best. After you’ve gone to the effort of making fresh pasta, you want it to be the hero, and the additional flavours to complement, not overpower. My favourite pasta is fat pappardelle because it’s big enough that there’s still loads of texture if cooked to perfection. My favourite accompaniments are chorizo for its saltiness, spiciness and meatiness, basil for its beautiful flavour and the colour it adds to the dish, lemon for its freshness and the way it makes everything taste that little bit healthier, mozzarella for its subtlety, parmesan for its savouriness and bite, and olive oil – but only the best.

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