Mum’s potatoes

Mum was no cook when I was a kid..her spaghetti bolognaise consisted of mince meat & a can of tomato soup simmered for about 2 hours, slop it over some noodles & viola!

Everyone gets lucky once in a while though. Mum could manage to cook 2 things beautifully:

1) A cracking good roast chook (even if it’s wing tips were always burnt)

2) Mum’s potatoes

I don’t really know what kind of dish you would call my Mum’s potatoes, they’re not a gratin..because there’s no cream or cheese, they’re not quite a galette either. So they have always just been called Mum’s potatoes. They’re not hard & they’re made of things everyone keeps in the house..they’re simple, yummy, crunchy, salty & garlicky.

Mum & I don’t speak to each other these days which I guess is a little sad, we have just never been able to see eye to eye. I can completely & wholeheartedly agree with her though that these potatoes are ace!

Mum’s Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 2 waxy potatoes
• a sprig of rosemary (dried is also fine)
• salt & pepper
• 1-2 chicken or veggie bullion cubes dissolved in about 1/3 cup of hot water (depending on how salty you like things, use low sodium bullion if you like too)
• 2 tsp crushed garlic
• 1 Echalotte
• Extra virgin olive oil

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 180c
2. Finely slice the potatoes & the echalotte (I used my mandolin & managed not to cut myself)
3. Drizzle some olive oil into a shallow oven proof dish (I usually use a pie dish) and add half the garlic & rosemary
4. Layer the potatoes on top of the oil & pour over the bullion
5. Add the rest of the rosemary & garlic, crumble over the echalotte,  drizzle over some more olive oil & season.
6. Bake uncovered for about 35 minutes until crispy & golden & potatoes are cooked through

I love how these potatoes are all gooey & sticky underneath & crunchy on top, it’s addictive! I must admit I pulled these out of the oven a bit prematurely, took the photos, tasted & then stuck them back in the oven for a further 15 minutes.

mmm-mmm baby, come to Mama!

Good news too! I have engaged the services of Dionne from StudioChic to give my blog a shiny new face-lift, so Bake & Bloom will be a whole lot prettier in a few weeks.

Ricotta Hotcakes with Simple Lemon Syrup

Hello my lovelies

 There are certain charms a woman must possess to keep a man interested… soft skin, silky hair, a certain way with his mother..and, an outstanding recipe for pancakes.

I’m gonna put this out there.

These are the best pancakes, EVER.  I know this is a pretty huge claim but I have confirmed it with a number of people who agree & I am pretty confident about this one. Think about what you want out of a pancake:

• light & fluffy….CHECK!
• moist….CHECK!
• crispy golden on the edges…..CHECK!
• carry flavours of syrups & toppings well…..CHECK!
• not give you that god awful floury cakey feeling all over your teeth….CHECK!
• freakin’ delicious….CHEEEEEECK!

I am so confident about these little beauties, I guarantee your kids, boyfriend/husband, friends, dog will give you big wet kisses for making these.  The best thing about them is they’re not too filling, I find regular pancakes just sit in my stomach all day like a thumping big rock..not these guys.

O.K enough trumpet blowing

Ricotta Hotcakes with Simple Lemon Syrup

Ingredients:

• 2 large eggs, separated
• 3 tablespoons of ricotta
• ¾ cup plain flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ cup caster sugar
• Pinch of salt
• ¼ cup milk
• ½ tsp lemon zest if desired
• ½ tsp vanilla essence
• Butter or oil for frying

 For the syrup:

• 1 cup sugar
• ½ a lemon
• Splash of water

Method:

1. In a clean bowl whisk together ricotta, egg yolks, vanilla, milk, sugar & lemon zest
2. In a separate bowl sift flour, salt & baking powder
3. Add the ricotta mixture to the flour & whisk until smooth
4. In a 3^rd bowl whisk egg whites to stiff peak consistency
5. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter in 3 batches
6. Heat a large skillet to medium heat & add butter or spray with oil (I did both)
7. Add 2 heaped tablespoons of batter & cook until lightly golden, flip, cook until golden & remove from the pan. (they don’t really bubble up too much to tell you they’re ready, you just have to check)
8. Continue cooking hotcakes 1-2 at a time until all the batter has been cooked

To make the syrup simply put the sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat with the lemon & a splash of water, cook until bubbling & syrupy in consistency. Allow to cool slightly before serving. If desired, garnish with the candied lemon.

Serve dusted with powdered sugar, drizzled with syrup & with a dollop of ice cream.

(Serves 2)

See how thick & fluffy they are

(Killer) Coconut palm sugar cookies

Thank you Google, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

A few months ago I was searching for recipes I could use my coconut palm sugar in & I was fortunate enough to stumble upon Natalie’s Killer Cuisine & her recipe for Brown Sugar Cookies. This recipe is a winner, I challenge you not to eat 20% of the dough before baking, just you try..it’s completely impossible.

I was feeling a bit naughty & sandwiched some with cinnamon cream cheese frosting but to be honest, they really don’t need it. I preferred them plain.

Coconut Palm Sugar Cookies

(Adapted from Natalie’s Killer Brown Sugar Cookies)

Ingredients:

• 195g butter
• 1 3/4 cup coconut palm sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 large egg plus 1 yolk
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups plain flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 cup sugar (for rolling cookies in)
• 1/4 cup brown sugar (for rolling cookies in)

Method:

1. preheat oven to 180c
2.  Melt 170g butter in a small pan and keep on the low heat for approx 4 minutes until the butter is a light brown color and smells nutty. Pour into a separate bowl and add the remaining  butter and whisk to melt the butter.
3.  Let cool 3 minutes , then add coconut palm sugar and salt. Whisk to incorporate sugar as much as possible, it will not completely adsorb don’t worry if it looks like a weird greasy mess (it comes together once you’ve added the eggs). Add egg, egg yolk and vanilla extract, continue mixing until a smooth mixture is achieved.
4. In a separate bowl soft together flour, baking soda and baking powder. Add to the wet mixture and mix until fully combined, using a spatula. You will now have a sexy smooth dough that looks suspiciously like peanut butter.
5. Combine 1/4 cup of each sugar and brown sugar and mix. Roll out 36 balls of dough and coat in the sugar combination.
6.  Bake the cookies for 8 minutes, placing only one cookie sheet in the oven at a time to ensure even baking. Rotate the cookies after 4 minutes.
7. Allow to cool & hide from your kids/spouse/neighbours/coworkers…consume while hidden in your larder or linen closet at midnight. (Trust me, you don’t want to share)

These cookies are perfect with either the coconut palm sugar or the brown sugar, perfect fluffy insides & crispy sweet outsides. I suspect with the addition of ground ginger may just make the best gingerbread cookies ever too.