We were recently asked if we had any recipes for the schools anniversary cookbook and this was the recipe we provided - I thought it was too good not to share, so here is the recipe for Chef's tuckshop choc chip cookies!
The first step is to make a sourdough starter if you don’t already have one. A sourdough starter is a mixture of water and flour that is fermented to make the bacteria and yeast that is used when you start making the bread. This is time consuming, however if you feed it regularly the starter will last for years! When a starter is made you only use a small portion of it at a time and each time you “feed” it you are adding to it again.
Sourdough Starter (a ten day process)
Day 1
Start by mixing 60g organic wheat flour or rye flour and 60g water together in a container or glass jar with a lid. The mixture should resemble a soft dough. Cover and sit at 18°C to 28°C for 24 hours.
Day 2
Add 60g flour and 60g water to the mix, cover and let sit again for 24 hours.
Day 3
Add 60g flour and 60g water to the mix, cover and let sit again for 24 hours.
Day 4
Take half of the starter out and replace with 60g flour and 60g water
Repeat for 2 more days until starter smells fruity, yeasty, and is beautifully fermented.
The starter will need up to 10 days to be ready to be used.
Make sure you store your finished starter in the fridge and feed your starter 8- 12 hours before usage.
The starter that Chef uses in the restaurant has been in use for around 11 years!
Making the bread (a no-knead overnight method that is cooked in a Dutch Oven)
You will need –
500g Bakers Flour
75g of your starter
360ml Water
10g Salt
Dutch Oven or similar
Before you start baking you will need to prepare the Levain (the levain is sourdough starter that has been activated). Take your starter out of the fridge and feed it following the instructions in the sourdough starter section. After you have fed it by adding the flour & water let it sit for around 6-12 hours or until it has developed a lot of bubbles and smells fruity (the length of time this takes can partly depend on the room temperature and how healthy the starter is). Once you have used what you need in the steps below put the rest of the starter back in the fridge.
Making the Dough
Mix the flour and water only and let stand for 45 minutes (this process is called Autolyse). Doing this starts the activity in the dough and makes it easier to stretch, which is how the bread becomes “airy”.
After a 45 minute autolyse period add the 75g of the levain (the active starter) and 10g salt, folding through the dough
Cover and let stand for 45 minutes
After 45 minutes stretch and fold the dough. Do this 4 times, each time being 45 minutes apart
Place the dough onto a work surface lightly dusted with flour. Shape the dough by gently stretching and folding it, creating some tension on the top as you go - shape into a ball and cover the dough so it does not dry out. Rest overnight in the fridge for 12-18 hours.
The next morning pre-heat your oven to 240°C. Also pre-heat your dutch oven.
Take your dough out of the fridge & turn it out of the bowl - it should retain its round shape. Score a shape into the top of the dough with a blade – this will give you a pronounced pattern on top of the loaf when cooked. Place dough into your heated dutch oven, put the lid on and bake for 25 minutes. Then remove the lid and bake for a further 20 minutes.
Once baked take the bread out of the oven and allow to cool a little before eating!
If you tried this recipe and would like to experiment some more, here is a list of recommended books for sourdough and traditional bread recipes –
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There are some well known German dishes that have made their way into food culture all over the world, and one of the best known is Sauerkraut. It has been a staple part of the German diet for hundreds of years and is popular for its health benefits as much as the taste.
In the past every German Oma used to make Sauerkraut at home and although these days it's easier to just grab a jar in the supermarket, nothing tastes as good as the homemade variety.
So whether you love Sauerkraut or just enjoy fermenting, grab a cabbage and test out Chef's easy traditional Sauerkraut recipe!
Sauerkraut - 6 serves
You'll need a 1 - 1.5ltr sterilized preserving jar or fermenting crock pot
Ingredients
1 kg green cabbage, as fresh as possible
16 g sea salt
Optional - 6 bay leaves & 20 black peppercorns. You can also add Juniper berries or carraway seeds
Grate or slice the cabbage finely.
Weigh the cabbage and correct amount of salt. Place the thinly sliced cabbage in a large bowl and sprinkle the salt over it. Knead and squish the cabbage with your hands for about 5-15 minutes. As you knead the cabbage will start to soften and release water - by the end there should be enough liquid brine to cover the cabbage completely.
When finished you should have about 3-4 cm of liquid on top of the cabbage. If this does not happen make up a salt water mixture of 16 g of sea salt to 1 litre of water and add just a little of it to the fermenting jar - but only if necessary.
Stuff the cabbage very tightly into the fermenting crock pot or a large preserving jar, adding the peppercorns and bay leaf to each layer as you go. The bay leaves and peppercorns are optional but will add an extra dimension of flavour to the recipe.
If using a fermenting pot, put the weights on top of the cabbage to submerge it beneath the liquid.
During fermentation the sauerkraut will bubble a little and become cloudy. If scum appears, remove it with a spoon.
Store in a cool, dark area between 15 – 21°C for 10 - 14 days to ferment.
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Anyone who has been to Salsa Bar & Grill in Port Douglas will know the amazing Thai Chicken Spring Rolls. Crispy wrappers packed full of tasty chicken in a light Thai sauce with delicious banana mayo for dipping, these spring rolls have been on the menu for over 15 years and are definitely a crowd favourite!
We are lucky that Chef has allowed us to share the recipe for the Thai Chicken Spring Rolls so everyone can try these at home. This recipe will make 12 large spring rolls.
Enjoy!
Salsa Bar & Grill Thai Chicken Spring Rolls
Ingredients for the spring rolls:
2tbs vegetable oil
500g chicken breast, diced
100g carrots, julienne
50g leek, julienne
50g celery, julienne
50g red onion, sliced finely
50g red capsicum, julienne
40g baja paste
2 tsp green curry paste
1 tbs coriander, chopped
1 cup coconut cream
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbs cornflour
40ml water
1 egg yolk for brushing
12 spring roll wrappers (20x20cm)
Oil for deep frying
Ingredients for the banana mayo:
1 egg yolk
150g banana, very ripe
30g pickled ginger and juice
1 tbs lime juice
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Method for the spring rolls:
Heat oil in wok or pan and cook the chicken for 2 minutes. Add baja paste, green curry paste, leek, celery, red onion and red capsicum and cook for a further 2 minutes.
In a bowl, combine the cornflour and water and mix until smooth. Add to the chicken mixture and mix until thickened. Simmer for another minute and season.
Place the mixture on a tray and refrigerate until set.
To make the spring rolls, place one spring roll wrapper on the bench with a corner facing you. Place 75g of filling in the centre, turn the bottom edge to cover the filling, roll once over, then fold in the two sides. Roll the wrapper up almost to the top before brushing the edge with egg yolk to seal.
Heat the oil in a wok or deep fryer and fry the rolls in batches for about 3 – 4 minutes or until golden. Drain and serve with the banana mayo!
Method for the banana mayo:
Blend the bananas and egg yolk in a food processor until smooth. Add the pickled ginger and lime juice and continue to blend. Slowly add the oil until it reaches the right consistency and season.
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Kimchi (Fermenting time is 2-3 days)
Ingredients
You'll need a sterilised 2 litre glass jar
1.5kg Chinese cabbage ( wombok), cut into 4 cm squares
800g Continental cucumbers, sliced thinly
400g Medium carrots, sliced thinly
250g Daikon, sliced thinly
60g Salt
300ml Water
20g Glutinous rice flour
15g Garlic, peeled
60g Brown onion, peeled
50g Ginger peeled
100g Nashi pear, peeled
30g Korean chilli powder or flakes (gochugaru)
120ml Fish sauce
40g Korean salted shrimp (saewoo gert)
50ml Sesame oil
40g Black sesame seeds
2 Spring onions, sliced thinly
Method
Mix the salt with the vegetables in a large bowl and let stand for 2- 3 hours, or until the vegetables are wilted. Wash the vegetables and drain well. Set aside.
Place 300ml of water and rice flour in a small pot and bring the paste to a boil, stirring continuously. This should take about 1 minute. Place the rice paste into a bowl and let it cool.
Mix the chilli powder with the rice paste and set aside. Blend the garlic, ginger, onion, nashi pear, fish sauce and salted shrimp in a blender.
Mix all the ingredients with the vegetables in a large bowl, adding the spring onions and sesame seeds towards the end.
Pack the kimchi into a clean glass jar and let it ferment for 2-3 days at room temperature. Place the kimchi in the fridge until it’s fermented to your liking.
Tips
You can make the kimchi as spicy as you like by adding more chilli powder or flakes.
You can also use different vegetables like beans, asparagus and so on.
To make a vegan kimchi add tamari or light soy sauce instead the fermented shrimp and fish sauce.
The longer you ferment kimchi, the more intense and sour its flavour will be.
Ingredients for the meat mix
1 small onion (80g), finely diced
1 garlic clove , crushed
80g panko (Japanese bread crumbs )
1000 g minced (ground) pork
500 minced (ground) beef
150g grated carrot
150g grated pumpkin
150g grated sweet potato
25g salt
3g cracked pepper
2g nutmeg ground ( or mace)
3g sweet paprika
3g coriander ground
Pinch of dried majoram
3 eggs
4 sprigs chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
For the pastry
600 g plain flour
400g butter, diced, cold
about 390 ml ice cold water
15g salt
Or if you would rather not make your own pastry, you'll need 6 sheets of puff pastry
1 egg, extra, beaten light
Method
For the sausage roll pastry, sift the flour into a large bowl and add the salt.
Add butter to the flour and place on a work surface, Make a well in the centre, add about 360 ml cold water and combine, adding a little more water if necessary, until you have a firm rough dough. You should still be able to see chunks of butter.
Roll the dough in to a rectangle, until 3 times the width, about 20 x 60cm. Keep edges straight and even as possible. You should be able to see streaks of butter in the pastry.
Fold the top third down to the centre, then the bottom third up and over that. Give the dough a quarter turn and roll out again to three times the length. Repeat folding, rolling and turning twice more. cover with cling film and chill for at least 30 minutes before rolling to use.
Enjoy your hand made sausage rolls!
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Ingredients -
Large 1.5ltr or 2ltr pickling jar with lid
1kg baby cucumbers (for best results use fresh gherkin cucumbers with unblemished skins. Organic is best)
60gr non-iodised sea salt
1ltr water
500ml white balsamic vinegar (the vinegar needs to have at least 6% acidity, it can be substituted with white wine or malt vinegar)
150gr sugar
5gr mustard seeds
5gr coriander seeds
5gr peppercorns
5 sprigs fresh dill
1 thinly sliced clove of garlic
1 fresh long red chilli
(Spices detailed here are optional – this will give you a good basic start but other ideas include fennel seeds, star anise, banana shallots – you can create your own combinations according to your tastes)
Method -
Sterilise Jar and lid
Wash the cucumbers and thoroughly coat them in the sea salt. Let stand for 4 hours, turning & mixing every hour.
Drain the salted cucumbers and arrange in the jar. Add the mustard seeds, coriander seeds, peppercorn, fresh dill, garlic and chilli
To make the brine combine the water, vinegar and sugar in a large pot and boil for 5 minutes
Once boiled remove from the heat and pour the hot brine into the jar. Fill to the top to ensure that the cucumber is fully submerged – seal with lid immediately.
Let the jar sit for at least 2 days.
Pickled Gherkins will hold for around 2 months in the unopened jar.
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So Gnocchi is saved as my carb-loaded treat whenever we go to a restaurant……or whenever Chef is around to cook it for me.
At work Chef always has a hand-made Gnocchi on the menu and the flavours vary day by day, but my favourite is definitely the Ricotta Gnocchi - the subtle cheese flavour is just divine! So I have talked Chef into sharing the recipe with us and as you can see, it’s not difficult to make. The results will have everyone talking about your amazing hand-made Gnocchi!
Ricotta Gnocchi - Serves 4
450g firm ricotta
1 egg
2 egg yolks
80g grated parmesan
200g 00 flour
8g salt
Method
Combine all ingredients, in a large bowl. Mix together by hand until it forms a ball.
Place dough on a benchtop sprinkled with the extra flour and lightly knead until no longer sticky.
Break into three portions and roll into thumb thick sausage shapes. Cut into 2 cm pieces. Press with a fork or run over a gnocchi board if desired.
Spread onto a tray sprinkled with flour and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
In the meantime, boil a large pot of salted water.
Cook gnocchi in boiling water and simmer for about 2 minutes, remove as soon as they float to the top.
Enjoy!
]]>Because it was so close to Christmas I was on the hunt for Chocolate Fudge (which is very hard to find in the stores at the moment) so Chef decided to try out the fudge recipe in Atelier: Confectionary. Of course I can’t publish the exact recipe from the book as it’s covered by copyright, except to say that Chef was very pleased with how it turned out and that this book has some very nice confectionery recipes in it. Everything from marshmallows & marzipan to chocolate, jellies and licorice are in this book with easy to follow steps.
Chef followed the recipe for the dark chocolate fudge, but he modified it slightly by leaving out the candied oranges & adding Macadamia nuts to turn it into a Chocolate Macadamia Fudge - wow, it was sensational! The fudge it created was firm, slightly crumbly and not overly creamy….I could pick it up without it melting into a sticky mess.
Chef started with chocolate, condensed milk, golden syrup, cream, butter and sugar, combining them & bringing them to the boil. Once they had been simmering at the desired temperature the mixture was cooled and beaten until smooth and creamy. Macadamia nuts were then folded into the mixture.
The mixture was then poured into a lined pan and put in the fridge to set. Once set it was simply cut into bite sized squares and there is your chocolate macadamia fudge!
The wonderful thing about these recipes is that they are easily modified to your own personal tastes. You don’t need to be a chef to make a great fudge, you just need some sugar and inspiration!
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For inspiration I turn to Chef, who has mastered the art of the perfect mashed potato! Of course chefs are taught how to make these things during their studies, but it still takes an understanding of the food to make it really work. If you use the wrong type of potatoes they generally go grainy and have the consistency of glue. When buying the potatoes be sure to look for the mashing type such as Desiree, Nicola or Dutch Cream potatoes (supermarkets generally have the cooking type written on the product description). Potatoes for roasting or chipping do not mash well.
To help us out Chef has provided a recipe for the perfect mashed potato. Try this one yourself and tell us what you think!
Pomme Purée (Mashed Potatoes)
Ingredients For the mash:
700g Desiree or Nicola potatoes, peeled
100g butter
80ml cream
80ml milk
Salt & pepper
A pinch of ground nutmeg (optional)
Method
Peel the potatoes and cut into about 4cm pieces Place the potatoes in a pot of salted water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook the potatoes until fork tender for about 25-30 minutes. Drain well.
Return the potatoes to the pan and dry them out for about 1 min, then remove from the heat and mash until smooth. With a wooden spoon, work the butter into the mash a few pieces at a time, then beat in enough hot milk and cream to give a soft, dropping consistency.
Season to taste, and add the nutmeg if you like.
For even lighter, finer potatoes puree, pass them through a very fine drum sieve.
And presto, you have smooth creamy mashed potatoes!
]]>So when a friend of ours asked if Chef had an easy recipe for Blackforest cake I was intrigued. He wanted to make one & had been trying to find a recipe on the Internet but found that they all looked very complicated. Chef grew up in the Black Forest region of Germany and has made countless Schwarzwald Tortes so he was the perfect person to ask. His opinion was that it looks complicated in recipes but isn’t so difficult to actually make. This might be true for a seasoned Chef but maybe not so for someone who’s not a confident cake maker (like myself!). Chef offered to teach our friend how to make an “easy” Blackforest cake by making one together, as he says it’s easier to understand the recipe if you’re being shown rather than trying to read and interpret it from a written text.
So our friend happily turned up to the kitchen in preparation for some serious cake making with all the ingredients in hand. Flour, eggs, chocolate, cherries, cream…but he hadn’t been able to find any Kirsch (Cherry Liqueur). Living in a Far North Queensland tourist town on the edge of the Great Barrier Reef may be glorious, but finding Kirsch at short notice is not the easiest thing here. The bottle shops didn’t have any and a trip to Cairns wasn’t practical.
Luckily Chef had a plan based on many years’ experience – he substituted the Kirsch with a mixture of Brandy & Cherry juice and the desired effect was achieved! One slightly boozy cake was on the way!
After lots of cooking and a few hours in the hot kitchen they had a magnificent Blackforest Cake which from what I understand was extremely tasty…..and Hayden had the step by step instructions he needed to be able to make another one.
The question still remained, is it easy to make a Blackforest Cake? You be the judge! You’ll need the following ingredients –
Cake Ingredients –
Please note this is an ingredient list for a basic sponge cake – you can use just about any chocolate cake recipe .
6 Eggs (60gr )
125gr Caster sugar (some of this is for the cherry mixture)
100gr plain flour
50gr corn flour
6gr baking powder
30gr good quality dark cocoa
pinch of salt
50gr Unsalted Butter melted
(“Lazy cook” cheat hint – a packet mix chocolate cake works just as well!)
Decorating Ingredients -
Large Jar of pitted cherries
25gr Cornflour
1ltr of thickened cream
60ml Kirsch
60gr sugar
300gr Dark chocolate shavings
Method -
Pre-heat oven to 180 c
Combine the Eggs, sugar and pinch of salt in mixer and whip until fluffy.
Sift the flour, corn flour cocoa and baking powder and fold under the egg mix.
At last fold through the molten butter.
Poor mix into non stick 21cm cake tin and bake on 180 degrees celcius for about 30 -35 min, or until skewer comes clean out.
Once cooked and cooled, cut the cake horizontally into 3 layers – you’ll need a large knife and a steady hand.
Drain the bottle of cherries but keep the juice and keep 12 cherries aside to decorate the top of the cake.( In cherry season you can use fresh ones)
Put about 180ml of the juice, about 30gr of sugar and 25gr cornflour into a saucepan. Simmer over low heat while stirring until the mixture thickens. Once thickened add the drained cherries and pop it in the fridge to cool.
In a sauce pan bring 60ml of water with 60gr sugar to boil and then add the Kirsch.
Cool mixture before using.
Whip the cream until stiff.
Take the first layer of cake & lightly spread about ½ of the Kirsch mixture over the cake. With a piping bag and star nozzle pipe the cream in 3 circles on top of the first layer.
Arrange the thickened cherries in between.
Place the second layer of cake on top – repeat the process.
Place the third layer of cake on top. Cover the whole cake with the rest of the cream and then cover the sides in chocolate shavings. Save some shavings for the top of the cake.
With the rest of the cream pipe 12 cream rosettes around the edge of the cake top.
Finish the cake with the rest of the chocolate shavings and place cherries on the rosettes.
Now you have a Blackforest cake! Enjoy your Kaffee & Kuchen!
]]>When Chef Zonai moved to Port Douglas many years ago he found the amazing local organic milk inspiring. It brought back memories of the rich, creamy cheeses he had learnt to make when he was studying cheese-making in Bavaria as part of his Masters Degree. He felt this milk would be perfect for his own cheese making, so he dusted off his cheese-making books, got some cultures and started experimenting in the restaurant!
After some months (and after some trial and error) Chef Zonai finally had a successful batch of cheese and was able to start offering ‘House made cheeses”. They are still on the menu years later and the restaurant always has batches of cheese in the aging process. Making cheese requires some patience and commitment, a temperature controlled room (or fridge), good quality milk and cultures particular to the type of cheese you are making. A good cheese-making book will guide you through the equipment and materials you need for a basic set-up and the rewards are delicious. We will soon have some cheese-making books arriving so keep an eye on our Facebook page or sign up to our newsletter to be keep informed!
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From time to time Chef Zonai will share with us some of the amazing recipes he cooks. This recipe is a favourite amongst the Port Douglas locals and always goes down a treat when it is on the specials at Salsa Bar & Grill.
CHILLI MUD CRAB Serves 2-4
Ingredients
Chilli Mud crab sauce
Chilli Mud Crabs
Coconut Rice
Method
For The Sauce
For the Chilli Mud Crabs
Coconut Rice