Cafe SeCretS

Image © Copyright D.Sharon Pruitt
Cafe Secrets
episode one
BEETROOT SALAD WITH HOT
BACON DRESSING
Recipe © Copyright Julie Le Clerc 2011
Serves 6
INGREDIENTS
HOT BACON DRESSING:
1kg small beetroots, scrubbed
200g rindless free-range NZ bacon, coarsely chopped
1 small red onion, finely sliced
3 tbsp white or red wine vinegar
400g can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to brown bacon
1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley, basil,
coriander, dill, thyme
1/ Cook beetroot whole in boiling, salted water for 45
minutes or until tender when tested with the tip of a
sharp knife. Drain well and set aside to cool. When
beetroot are cool enough to handle, the skins will
simply slip off in your hand when pressure is applied.
Remove and discard skins.
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
150g feta cheese, crumbled
2/ Cut beetroot in wedges and place in a bowl with
onion, drained chick peas, herbs and season with salt
and pepper to taste.
3/ To make the hot bacon dressing, cook bacon in a
pan with a little oil until browned. Remove pan from the
heat and add vinegar and then olive oil.
4/ Pour dressing over salad while still hot from the pan.
Toss salad well and serve scattered with pine nuts and
crumbled feta.
MINI CHOCOLATE CARROT
CAKES
Recipe © Copyright Julie Le Clerc 2011
Makes 12
INGREDIENTS
CHOCOLATE CREAM CHEESE TOPPING:
2 large eggs
250g cream cheese, at room temperature
3/4 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup icing sugar, sifted
3/4 cup light, fruity flavoured extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp cocoa powder mixed with 2 tbsp boiling water
2 1/2 cup firmly packed grated carrot (3-4 medium
carrots)
1/ Heat oven to 160°C fan bake. Spray 12 standard
muffin tins or 150ml capacity cake tins with oil. Place
eggs, sugar and oil in a bowl and beat for 1 minute
until creamy. Stir in grated carrot and Craisins.
1/2 cup Craisins (dried cranberries)
2/3 cup plain flour
2/ Sift flour, cocoa, cinnamon, baking powder and
soda over the carrot mixture and stir to combine.
1/3 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
Extra 1/2 cup Craisins, to decorate
3/ Spoon mixture into prepared tins, dividing evenly.
Bake for 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the
centre of one cake comes out clean. Remove to cool in
tins then turn out.
4/ To make Chocolate Cream Cheese Topping, beat
cream cheese until smooth then beat in icing sugar
and cocoa mixture. Spread or pipe topping over
cooled cakes and top each with a few Craisins.
SEAFOOD CHOWDER
Recipe © Copyright Julie Le Clerc 2011
Serves 6
INGREDIENTS
3 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
300g rindless free-range NZ bacon, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup plain flour
2 cups fish or chicken stock
2 cups milk
3 large waxy potatoes, peeled and cut in 1cm dice
400g white fleshed fish fillets, roughly cubed
200g scallops, cleaned
200g peeled prawns
200g mussel meat (or pipis or cockles)
1/2 cup sour cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
INSTRUCTIONS
1/ Heat a saucepan, add oil, onion and bacon and cook
over a medium heat for 5-10 minutes until onion is soft.
Stir in flour off the heat.
2/ Stir in stock and milk, and bring to the boil, stirring
until thickened and smooth. Add diced potatoes, turn
down the heat and simmer for 10 minutes to cook
potatoes.
3/ Add fish and seafood and simmer very gently for 10
minutes to cook. Stir in sour cream parsley and season
to taste with salt and pepper. Serve in deep soup bowls
with crusty bread on the side, if desired.
CITRUS OLIVE OIL CAKE
Recipe © Copyright Julie Le Clerc 2011
Serves 12
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup caster sugar
3 large eggs
1/4 cup orange juice
3/4 cup light, fruity flavoured extra-virgin olive oil
2/3 cup ground almonds
Finely grated zest of 1 orange
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
CITRUS SYRUP:
Finely stripped zest of 1 orange
Finely stripped zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 2 oranges
Juice of 3 lemons
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 Place citrus zest and juice and sugar in a saucepan.
Bring to the boil, stirring until sugar dissolves.
1/ Heat the oven to 170°C. Lightly oil a 22cm round
cake tin and line the base with baking paper. Sift flour,
baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl.
2/ In another bowl, beat sugar and eggs together with
an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. On a low speed,
beat in juice and olive oil.
3/ Fold in sifted flour mixture, just enough to
combine. Fold in ground almonds and citrus zest.
Pour mixture into prepared pan and smooth the
surface.
4/ Bake for 45 minutes or until cake is firm and
springs back when pressed with a fingertip. Cool
completely in the tin. Remove cake and place on
serving plate, top-side up. Pour hot syrup over cold
cake.
2 Turn down the heat and simmer for 5 minutes to
form a thick pourable syrup (about as thick as liquid
cream).
Hokianga Fresh Flounder
Serves 4
Ingredients:
Method:
8 squares of cooking foil
1/ Preheat oven to 200 degrees C.
8 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 tbsp tamari
4 Fresh Flounder
4 tsp grated fresh ginger
4 slices lemon
2/Prepare 4 double layers of cooking foil and drizzle 1
tbsp olive oil and half tbsp tamari in the middle of each.
Remove head and tail of flounders and place each,lighter
skin-side down, onto the centre of each square of foil.
3/ Sprinkle some ginger over fish.
1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander
4/ Place 1 slice lemon onto the skin of each fish.
3 spring onions, chopped
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp brown rice vinegar
freshly ground black pepper
Croutons, to serve
5/ Cover with chopped coriander and spring onion.
Sprinkle each fish with half tbsp fish sauce, half tbsp
brown rice vinegar, 1 tbsp olive oil and half tbsp tamari,
finish with ground pepper.
6/ Fold foil length ways over fish and tuck in the two
ends to make a secure parcel, leaving room for fish to
swell a little during cooking and to steam in the juices.
7/ Bake for 15 minutes. Place opened packages onto
plates, serve in the foil topped with crisp croutons.