If you were enticed by that delicious looking and sound roasted chicken with herbs in the last post, then you will not be able to resist this cake, which is the perfect dessert to complement your main course. Again, this is from Art Smith’s kitchen.

Ingredients:
Makes 12 servings
• 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 8 egg yolks
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter , cut into 8 pieces
• Grated zest of 2 lemons
• Pinch of salt
• 3 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups sugar
• 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) butter , softened
• 4 eggs , at room temperature, separated
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup well-stirred, canned unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 egg whites , at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 bag (17 ounces) shredded sweetened coconut (2 2/3 cups)

In a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan, combine lemon juice and 1/2 cup water. Add cornstarch, and whisk to dissolve. Add sugar, egg yolks, butter, lemon zest and salt. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until mixture comes to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and whisk 1 minute. Strain through a coarse sieve into a medium bowl. Let cool to room temperature, press a piece of plastic wrap directly on surface, and refrigerate until very cold. (Filling may be prepared up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated.)

Position a rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 350°. Lightly butter and flour three 9-inch round cake pans; tap out excess flour. Line bottoms of pans with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, cream sugar and butter with an electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg yolks, one at a time, then vanilla. On low speed, add flour in three 1-cup additions, alternating with two 1/2-cup additions of coconut milk, beginning and ending with flour, and beat until smooth, scraping bowl often with a rubber spatula. In a medium bowl, beat egg whites (with clean beaters) on high speed until they form stiff peaks. Whisk 1/4 of the whites into batter, and then fold in remainder. Spread evenly in pans.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Be sure pans don’t touch each other and that they clear sides of oven by 2 inches.

Let cakes cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Invert onto racks and unmold, removing parchment paper. Turn right sides up and cool completely.

In the bottom of a double boiler, simmer water. In the top of a double boiler, combine sugar, egg whites, corn syrup, cream of tartar and 1/3 cup water. Place over simmering water. Beat on high speed with a handheld electric mixer until icing forms soft peaks, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and beat in vanilla. Continue beating 5 minutes, or just until stiff peaks form.

Place one layer upside down on a serving plate. Spread with half of lemon filling. Place another layer on top, right side up. Spread with remaining half of lemon filling. Add the final layer right side up. Spread icing over top and then sides of cake. Press handfuls of coconut all over icing. (Cake tastes best the day it is made.)

This recipe and the previous one are actually part of Oprah’s Christmas menu, which can be found on her web site. I wish I had Art Smith to whip up these goodies himself!

Here is a recipe that made my mouth water even as I read the name. If you remember, my last post was a recipe using kangaroo meat. I think that I shall stick to the tried and tested beef or venison. For the life of me, I just cannot imagine eating kangaroo. Anyway, this recipe is from British celeb chef Alan Coxon. If you’re not familiar with ale-gar, it is simply a dark Vinaigre that is full of flavor. It is perfect for marinating meat in.

6 tbsp Ale-Gar Vinaigre, plus extra for drizzling
4 x 125-150g (5-6oz) fillet steaks
2 large courgettes, thinly sliced diagonally
2 peppers, deseeded and cut into chunks
2 red onions, sliced into wedges
4 tbsp olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Parsley sprigs, to garnish

Method:
Spoon the Ale-Gar Vinaigre into a shallow non-metallic dish. Add the fillet steaks, turning them to coat. Cover and leave to marinate for 30-40 minutes, turning once.

2 Heat a char-grill pan or grill. Put the courgettes, peppers and red onions into a bowl and add 2 tbsp olive oil, tossing them to coat. Char-grill or grill the vegetables in batches until tender and lightly browned. Set aside and keep warm.

3 Drain the marinade from the meat, then add the remaining olive oil, tossing the steaks to coat them. Char-grill or grill the steaks for 3-4 minutes per side, or until done to your liking.

4 Serve the steaks and vegetables on warm plates. Season with a little salt and pepper, then drizzle a little extra Ale-Gar Vinaigre over them. Garnish with parsley sprigs.

Cook’s tip: Try this recipe with venison steaks instead of beef.

I have never ever thought about eating kangaroo meat. I mean, I had this book in grade school with CA Zoo and Kangaroo; I don’t know if you have ever heard of that book but I have always seen kangaroos as nice cuddly animals (even though I know they aren’t in real life) and I can’t even bear the thought of eating its meat. In any case, Australian celebrity chef Benjamin Christie has this interesting recipe with kangaroo meat as the focus. Perhaps you’d be interested. Here it is, courtesy of the chef himself.

Ingredients
750g (1½ pounds) kangaroo mince
1 large onion ( chopped )
2 cloves of garlic ( crushed )
500g (1 pound) bush tomato chutney
100ml (3½ fl oz.) merlot
30g (2 tablespoons) tomato paste
5g (1 teaspoon) wildfire spice
1pkt fresh lasagne sheets (pre-cooked)
300ml (10 fl oz.) béchamel sauce
5g (1 teaspoon) lemon myrtle
250g shredded mozzarella cheese
125g (½ cup) parmesan cheese
salt as required

Cooking instruction
In a large saucepan on medium heat, cook the kangaroo mince, onion, and garlic until brown. Then stir in tomato paste and wine then cook until reduced. Add bush tomato chutney and wildfire spice, and then allow to simmer for at least 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt as required.

When making the béchamel sauce, as it cools whisk in the lemon myrtle, this will ensure maximum flavour.

Lightly grease the sides and bottom of an individual serve dish. Then spread a little of the kangaroo sauce over the bottom. Then place a cooked lasagne sheet on the kangaroo sauce. Spread the lemon myrtle béchamel sauce on the cooked lasagne sheet. Then spread with kangaroo sauce and a little mozzarella cheese. Repeat the layers till you get to the top of the dish. Finish with lemon myrtle béchamel sauce and sprinkle parmesan cheese over top.

Bake at 180 degrees celsius for 35 to 45 minutes or until golden on top. Sprinkle wildfire spice on the top and allow to stand for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh herbs.

No she’s not a Contessa, and she doesn’t go barefoot. But if you’re wondering why Ina chose that name for her show, it’s actually based on a store she used to own.

Barefoot Contessa is the name of a classic movie from the 1950′s with Humphrey Bogart and Ava Gardner. When I bought the store in 1978, it was called Barefoot Contessa. The former owner is Italian and her family called her the Barefoot Contessa when she was young. It’s about being elegant and earthy which is what we’re about.”

An American celebrity chef who specializes in sushi? Or so this website claims. Of course some would say that’s kind of cheating, since you don’t actually cook sushi. But who are we to disagree?

Nigella’s cooking advice has always been very practical for home cooks. Here are her secrets to handling meat, from her website

A 1 and three quarter kg chicken will take an hour and 15 minutes to roast in a 200°C oven.

Lamb needs 20 minutes per 500g at 200°C to make it pink but not rare. If you want your lamb better cooked, add another 20 minutes onto the overall cooking time.

Rare beef needs 15 minutes per 500g at 220°C. Add 5 minutes per 500g for medium, 10 minutes per 500g for well-done.

Pork needs 30 minutes per 500g at 200°C.

When boiling ham I reckon on 25 minutes per 500g plus 25 minutes for the pot.

Always let meat rest for at least 15 minutes when it comes out of the oven as the meat will be juicier and easier to carve.

The above timings are based on meat being at room temperature before it goes into the oven.

When I first saw Alton Brown‘s show, “Good Eats” some years ago, he didn’t strike me as a chef, and had as much “celeb” in him as that fish you see on the picture above. Bespectacled and always clad in those Florida-esque loose short-sleeved shirts, Alton may not have the silkiness of Wolfgang or the pukka charm of Jamie, but his shows are by far the most interesting and well-informed.

In fact, Alton Brown won’t just give you the recipes to the typical yummy-looking dishes, you’ll learn about the ingredients, the alchemy and the cookware used too. Top that off with a little history, more trivia and Alton’s dry sense of humour, and you’ve got one great show, uniquely Alton Brown’s.

Alton started off as a cinematographer and video director (which you can see through the unique way his shows are shot and edited), but decided to pursue his real passion (food!), when he saw the lack of “good” cooking shows on television at the time. Remember the video of REM‘s “The One I Love“? Alton was the director of photography.

He enrolled at the New England Culinary Institute to learn the fundamentals of cooking, finishing in 1997. In July of 1998, the pilot of Good Eats made its debut, and has been going steadily strong to this day, most popularly known for its quirky references to pop culture, where Alton dresses up and makes us giggle, while making some very good points on food and cookware too.

Technorati Tags: Alton Brown, Chef, Good Eats, Recipes

Sometimes, parties are more about the drinks than the food – is this right? Whether you think so or not, I do believe that you will enjoy this mulled wine recipe by celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse.

INGREDIENTS
3 star anise pods
3 allspice berries
6 whole black peppercorns
3 cinnamon sticks
1 large orange
6 whole cloves
3 bottles fruity red wine, such as Rioja, Grenache, Shiraz, or Raspberry Merlot
1 1/2 cups brandy or Grand Marnier
1 cup whole dried figs
1 cup chopped dried apricots
1 cup dried cherries
1 cup dried, pitted and chopped prunes
3 hibiscus flowers, (optional, for garnish)

Special equipment: cheesecloth and butcher’s twine

To make the sachet:

Place a large square of cheesecloth on the cutting board. Add the star anise, allspice berries, peppercorns, and cinnamon sticks directly to the center. Tie up the cheesecloth with the twine to make a small package and set aside.

To make the spiced wine:

1. Take the orange and stud it with the cloves. In a large pot (not aluminum) over medium heat, add the sachet, clove-studded orange, wine, and brandy. Stir to combine. Then add all of the dried fruit. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes until the wine begins to simmer. Reduce heat to low; simmer until flavors have melded, about 30 minutes.
2. To serve, ladle out the spiced wine and some fruit to each glass. Garnish with hibiscus flowers, if desired. Serve immediately.

I don’t know about you but I can almost smell and taste that medley of fruity flavors!

A Valentines Dinner would not be complete without dessert and for me, this dessert should be something chocolate. Call it traditional. Call it mushy. I don’t care. I have to have chocolate on Valentine’s Day! So here is my pick from Rachel Ray’s ideas for the day of love – Chocolate Fondue:

Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
Two 12-ounce bags semisweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Dried apricots, for dipping
Gala apples, cored and sliced, for dipping
Pretzel rods, for dipping
Marshmallows, for dipping

Directions:
1. In a medium saucepan, combine the cocoa powder with 1/2 cup water and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Stir in the milk and sugar and bring to a simmer. Add the chocolate chips and vanilla and cook, stirring, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth, about 5 minutes.
2. Serve the fondue warm with the apricots, apples, pretzel rods and marshmallows for dipping.

There’s nothing like good old chocolate fondue to top off a romantic evening. Imagine having a very satisfying meal together. How much more romantic can you get than this – a cozy conversation while dipping fruits and marshmallows into a sumptuous chocolate fondue? You can’t get any better than that, really. The rest of the evening is up to you. Happy Valentines everyone!

Note: If you do not like the fruits mentioned above, you can always find some other fruits that you prefer. Try bananas or strawberries.

Does Rachel Ray have a man in her life? I was just wondering because I have not heard or seen anyone linked to her romantically. In any case, it does not really matter because she has some awesome ideas for a romantic dinner come Valentines. Here is my pick for the main course – Pan-seared Scallops with Pesto and Tomato:

Ingredients:
2 cups fresh basil leaves, plus 2 tablespoons finely shredded basil
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 plum tomato, finely diced
4 large scallops

Directions:
1. In a food processor or blender, pulse the basil leaves until finely chopped. Add the pine nuts, cheese, garlic and lemon juice. Turn the machine back on and add 3/4 cup of the olive oil in a slow, steady stream. Season the pesto with salt and pepper. Place the pesto in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
2. In a small bowl, combine the tomato and shredded basil and set aside. In a large skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium- high heat until almost smoking. Add the scallops and sear until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer the scallops to a plate. Drizzle 2 teaspoons of the pesto on each scallop and arrange the tomato and basil around the scallops. Serve immediately.

This serves two and takes less than 30 minutes to prepare. And if you have huge appetites – just double the ingredients!