Merryn's Menu: Truffle Salt - Made in my kitchen

Merryn's Menu: Truffle Salt - Made in my kitchen:  Truffle Salt I love Truffle Salt, the delightfully aromatic and delicious salt that is perfect sprinkled on all foods, from fried eggs to vegetable tempura and roast beef.  Delicious truffle salt is easy to make in your kitchen too!

Truffle Salt - Made in my kitchen

 Truffle Salt

I love Truffle Salt, the delightfully aromatic and delicious salt that is perfect sprinkled on all foods, from fried eggs to vegetable fritters and fresh, hot steamed asparagus.  Truffle Salt is incredibly Unique.

The first time I tried truffle salt was years ago when I purchased it directly from a Truffle Grower in Australia.

I was instantly smitten by the amazing taste sensation.

Since then a bottle is always in my pantry.

Here is a precious black truffle weighing 8.5 grams.

This is natural sea salt
        purchased 
from a health food store.

Place two 8.5 gram black truffles

into a small food processor or blender.

Pulse for one minute until they are roughly chopped.

Add 150g coarse natural sea salt

and whiz for 2 minutes.

You will see the black truffles chopped into
small pieces

and combining with the sea salt.

Now, you have created truffle salt.
A truly originally flavoured salt
that tastes like nothing else you have ever eaten.

Sprinkle it on french fries, or spaghetti aglio, oilo e peperoncino
or perhaps a fresh rare piece of beef eye fillet.

Enjoy, the phenomenal aroma and exhilarating taste of truffle salt.

Buon appetito, enjoy, Merryn.

Merryn's Menu: Simple Sour Dough Starter for Sour Dough Bread

Merryn's Menu: Simple Sour Dough Starter for Sour Dough Bread: One thing I have always enjoyed successfully is baking. As a teenager when I baked my first loaf it was wonderful, had risen well and was c...

Simple Sour Dough Starter for Sour Dough Bread

One thing I have always enjoyed successfully is baking.
As a teenager when I baked my first loaf it was wonderful, had risen well and was crusty.
When I cooked sour dough bread last week it didn't occur to me that it may not work.
So I am surprised to learn that it can be difficult to achieve a light loaf.

You can see the Sour Dough Starter fermentation.

Here is the Sour Dough Starter that my brother gave me a cup of to take home you can read the original recipe here.

Day 1:  In a glass container mix one dessertspoon of wholegrain flour with one dessertspoon of unsweetened pineapple juice.   Leave out of fridge on bench with lid ajar, so allowing air, but so that no bugs can crawl in.
Day 2:  Repeat Day 1, allow mixture to rest.
Day 3:  Add two dessertspoons of wholegrain flour and two dessertspoons pineapple juice and stir.
Day 4:  Repeat Day 3, allow mixture to rest.
Day 5:  Add four dessertspoons of wholegrain flour and four dessertspoons of pineapple juice.
Day 6:  Repeat Day 5, allow to rest for remainder of the day.
Day 7:  Your Sour Dough Starter is now created.  It will now begin to ferment but it is a young organism.
Day 8:  Store Sough Dough Starter in refrigerator, in a glass jar with the lid slightly open.

Day 10, 2, 14, 16, 18, 20 etc., every second day feed your Sour Dough Starter with 1 dessertspoon plain white flour and 1 dessertspoon bottled water (chlorine free - e.g. rainwater).

Day 22:  Give your sister a cupful and make yourself a loaf of Sour Dough Bread.

N.B.  If your kitchen is cold, you might have to wait an extra day after steps 2 and 4 before proceeding.

I believe the secret to baking light bread is to knead it as little as possible, until the mixture is just combined, then let the proving time for the dough do all of the work for you.

The resulting Sour Dough Loaf.

Buon appetitio, enjoy Merryn.

Home Made Sourdough Bread

I have my brother to thank for getting me into the sour dough craze.

When I last visited Brett he had made some delicious and light sour dough bread.

He offered me sourdough starter in a jar with instructions to feed it 

every second day with equal amounts of plain flour and bottled water.  

So I dutifully took it home, stored it in the refrigerator slightly ajar and attended to it 

every second day (almost). When there was enough product I asked Brett for his recipe.

Here is the dough ready to be baked at 180 celsius.

I know it's good for you, but I have only liked purchased sour dough loaves, when toasted ... until now.

This bread is light and delicious.

Brett's Sourdough Bread

2/3 cup sour dough starter culture
1 1/4 cup filtered water
1 dessertspoon natural sea salt
1 1/4 cups plain flour

In a large bowl place the sour dough starter culture with the water and salt.  Stir until mixed.
Add flour and mix together, using your hands to incorporate the flour.
Knead lightly just until all is combined.
Cover with glad wrap and let rise for at least 7 hours in a warm place.

Heat oven to 180 celsius.
Grease a loaf pan with butter.
Pour sour dough batter into pan.
Splash a little water on top and bake on lower shelf for 40 minutes turning once through cooking.

Bread is cooked when the mixture has left the sides of the pan and it sounds hollow when tapped on top.

Thanks Brett, for the sour dough starter and this great recipe.

Buon appetito, enjoy Merryn.

Merryn's Menu: July 2014 Garden Share Collective

Merryn's Menu: July 2014 Garden Share Collective: Welcome to another monthly viewing of all great gardens shared through   The Garden Share Collective  hosted by Lizzie at Strayed From The Table ...

July 2014 Garden Share Collective

Welcome to another monthly viewing of all great gardens shared through

  The Garden Share Collective hosted by Lizzie at Strayed From The Table.

I am so pleased at how well the new herb garden has evolved. 

 Marjoram sits next to oregano, thyme, lemon thyme, tarragon, sage, 

coriander, holy basil, chives, parsley and perennial coriander all growing happily together.

There are 6 custard apples on our custard apple tree that was planted 3 years ago, how exciting!

There is lavender planted around the garden, a delight for the honey bees.

Also beneficial for it's gorgeous aroma and delicate flavour to ice cream and biscuits.

My daughter informed me that everyone should have at least one lavender bush for the bees to enjoy. 

The first blush of colour on the red papaya, though we have enjoyed some grated into a green papaya salad.

I hadn't noticed the ripening locquats

until my husband asked if the yellow burst

were flowers, fruit or dead leaves.

The fruit is much larger this year

and will undoubtedly also be sweeter.

The brassicas are slowly growing.  Cauliflower and broccoli with a little spinach.

Notice the recycling of the old trampoline frame, upturned to provide a frame for shade cloth.

We had a hail storm here last weekend.

The lovely lettuce were slightly shredded

but I removed the outer leaves, 

giving these to the chickens

and they are still growing strongly.

Picking the outer leaves from a dozen plants 

daily are enough

to offer the family fresh salad.

The curly endive (escarole)

survived the hail storm.

Like lettuce, I pick what leaves 

are needed and rarely

pluck the whole plant 

from the ground.

 Our winter shallots are ready for picking, aromatic and delightful.

We are eagerly awaiting this bunch of bananas to ripen, it will be picked in one month.

The piece de resistance are the July tomatoes, 

remember we are in the mid north coast of New South Wales

and I am picking one nearly every day now.

So delicious.

The tomatoes are sharing their bed with celery, continental parsley and coriander.

The rampaging chickens now have an outdoor run.

They are still allowed to free range but there is now a good balance between

vegetables for human consumption and everything-else-that-chickens-eat.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This week I planted two rows of snow peas,

a small bed of Australian garlic,

an elderberry shrub, 

some more lavender cuttings 

and horseradish.

Who says winter gardening is boring!!?

Buon appetito, enjoy Merryn