cook
WITH BERN THE CHEF
www.bernthechef.com.au
Bern the Chef
is a local caterer who has been in the Lane Cove area for over 15 years. She has worke in many corporate catering positions as well as operating a small business. Bern love catering and the freedom that clients give her to do what she does best. Cooking is her forte and Bern loves the classics as well as keeping up to date with the latest foo trends. www.bernthechef.com.au
Mother’s Day Treats Autumn bliss
There’s nothing quite like walking into a warm home with aromas There are many ways to let your of baked puddings and a roast dinner. With more time spent inside, the change of mum feel the love on May 9th. season provides the perfect excuse to try new recipes. BY BERNADETTE KENNEALY. Some may wish the house to be tidy - but not of their own doing, and certainly with no fights, or to Cooking is great for so many reasons, whether it be therapy; to crack open that great red wine; or to grab a bunch of enjoy a cup of tea which is hot ‘til the last sip. An friends weekend nourishment, afternoon onon theacouch withafternoon a favourite for book and silence. a laugh and a bowl of comfort.
Walkingcafe past the butcher’s daily offerings, are there If a morning brunch is your ideal - please organise it in meat cuts you wish you knew how to use? Perhaps skirt steak, pork advance. Every cafe will Maryland? be inundated withcheeks lost looking family cheeks or chicken Pork are one of my favourites and my ears prick up every time I hear of a new recipe. members trying tobelow nab a would seat outside at 10amwith that Sunday. The version be delicious rice noodles and broth and is best made the morning of, or even the day before. Alternatively, a plan with details nutted out the day before could be very relaxing. Set the table the night before. If it’s brunch, a beautiful fruit platter, freshly-baked muffins, a savoury quiche/frittata and croissants from a French Patisserie.
Mandarin and Ginger Pork Cheeks
Pink Lady Apples are in season now. Try this baked breakfast crumble recipe. Made the day before and reheated with a dollop of Greek yoghurt and a few pomegranate seeds would • Oil for frying look very pretty. • 3 onions, finely chopped garlic, peeled and • 4 cloves Pecan & Pink Lady Apple Crumble
finely chopped APPLE COMPOTE • 2 carrots, roughly chopped. • 8 pink lady apples (approx 1 kilo) pork cheeks - approx 1 kilo • ½ cup brown sugar • 4 tbsp• 6cornflour for thickening substitute with beef cheeks) • 1 cup water • Juice &(or zest from 1 lemon • 1 tsp vanilla extract • 1 tsp cinnamon • 2 inches ginger, peel and slice • ½ tsp nutmeg • A pinch of sea salt • 1/2 cup light soy sauce Peel and core your apples, cut into thin slices. Toss apples into • 500mls chicken stock a saucepan with brown sugar, cornflour, water, lemon zest and • 1/4 cup wine juice, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg andShaoxing salt. mandarin peel Bring apples to boil, reduce heat to• a3 pieces simmerdried to cook. Continue (Asian grocer) simmering until apples are desired consistency (approx 30 minutes total). Pour into a 2L ceramic dish.anise • 2 baking whole star • 2 dried red chillies (or to taste) CRUMBLE • 1 cup oats • 1/4 cup meal • 2almond cinnamon sticks • 1/2 cup pecans coarsely chopped• 1 tspn white peppercorns • 1/4 cup brown sugar • 1 pinch of sea salt • 2 tblspn soy sauce • 1/4 cup butter melted (or use coconut oil fordark dairy-free)
2 tblspn brown Prepare your crumble topping. In a•mixing bowl addsugar oats, almond flour (ground almonds), pecans, coconut sugar, • 6 mandarins, wholeand salt. Melt butter in a saucepan/microwave and pour over the crumble topping. Mix well. Sprinkle over your apple mixture lightly. Leave in theSauté fridge overnight. Preheat ovenpot to 160 and bake onions in a heavy based withdegrees, oil for 4-5 minutes for 30-35 or until golden brown. Serve with thick greek until minutes translucent. Add the trimmed pork cheeks and brown yoghurt, a drizzle of honey and fresh pomegranate seeds.
on each side. Add the ginger, carrot and aromatic spices and cook stirring for another 3 minutes until the whole pot is 14 TVO fragrant. Add the stock and Shaoxing wine, transfer into an oven dish, cover and slow cook on 140 degrees for 2 hours. Add the whole mandarins, the dark soy and brown sugar,
Chicken Maryland with Bacon Polenta My friendand Annabelle’s Spicy Nut recipe
• Spice rub These spicy nuts go very well with a Gin & Tonic, • 1 make tblspnasea salt gift with posh ribbon. and lovely • 1 tblspn smoked paprika • 1 egg white • 1 tblspn ground cumin • 850g (about 6 cups) nuts • 55g castor fresh (superfine) • 4 springs thymesugar leaves • 2• 1tsp fine salt tspn dry mustard powder • 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper • 1 tspn ground white pepper • 1 tsp curry powder • ½ tsp ground cumin • ½ tsp ground cinnamon Any cooked on the bone has more flavour. Although it does •½ tspmeat cayenne pepper take longer to cook, the flavour intensity is worth it! • pinch of ground cloves
This recipe is to based onand feeding 6 people. Work on one Maryland Preheat oven 160C line baking trays with baking paper.skin In aon. large bowl, whisk the egg white per person, to stiff peaks, then add the nuts and stir through until they’re evenly coated. Mix all the remaining ingredients together in a small bowl, then add to Mix all of spice inisa covered bowl. Slash the the bowl nutsingredients and stir untiltogether every nut chicken legs, place a couple of slashes on the thigh and then in the spice mixture.
rub the spices into all the nooks and crannies. Place onto a
Tip the nuts onto your baking trays, spreading tray in a single layer and refrigerate for a couple of hours. them out in a single layer – this is important, Add a couple of wedge Spanish because a crowded nut iscut a soggy nut,onions, and you4 smashed whole garlic cloves, 1 punnet of cherry tomatoes (whole), and one want these babies to be crispy. If in doubt, grab orange cut into quarters. Drizzle with olive another tray. Bake until they are a nice deep oil and place into acolour medium hotshould oven (160 golden – this take degrees). around 15–30 minutes. As 30 they their spicy coating will set Roast for tocool, 40 minutes. hard and crunchy. Into an airtight jar, they keep As that roasting, sauté a couple of chopped bacon rashers about twoisweeks.
in a heavy based pot. Add 2 cups of polenta and 1 litre of chicken stock, working quickly until a soft porridge consistency. Turn the heat off and cover. Leave for 5 minutes to absorb and soften, add 100gms butter, freshly chopped
