Merryn's Menu: Jam Filled Donuts

Merryn's Menu: Jam Filled Donuts: Fresh and light bursting with raspberry jam delight! The day started out well; I accidentally put salt into my son's coffee inste...

Jam Filled Donuts

Fresh and light bursting with raspberry jam delight!

The day started out well; I accidentally put salt into my son's coffee instead of sugar.
My husband's car wouldn't start and there was no fresh bread.
Do you ever have days like that?

When this happens there is only one thing to do - cook and create in the haven that is your kitchen.
My son forgave me for salting his coffee, the mechanic was summoned and the need for bread could wait.

Gather your ingredients
and make a strong cappuccino.

I think a jam filled donut should be as light as air, melt in your mouth and be satisfying all at once.
Much like fairy floss or a gentle souffle.   Light as a whisper yet as tasty as a truffle.

The melted butter, warmed milk and eggs.

This is the texture when the dough is combined.

Just one advantage to living in the country is that you can leave your keys in the car 

for the inspection whilst you remain happily cooking in the kitchen.

Sometimes, on days like this you just need some seriously comforting food.

(Remind yourself that you will be happy if this is the worst thing to happen this year.)

Jam filled donuts are a family delight.

Accompanied by a glass of cold milk or a hot steaming frothy coffee.

Gently knead the dough, lift and push with your fingers only.

Look at these puffy balls of dough.

Fry for 1 - 2 minutes then turn over.
Fry for a futher minute and remove with
a slotted spoon.  These look quite brown
as they were fried in rice bran oil.
Drain on paper towel
then roll in castor sugar
and squirt the jam inside with a nozzle
fitted to a piping bag.

So tasty, fluffy, delicious and enjoyable.

Raspberry Jam Filled Donuts

 A recipe adapted from taste.com.au

Ingredients

500g  plain flour

60g  castor sugar
3 teaspoons dried yeast
pinch of salt
250ml milk
100 grams butter
2 whole eggs
Rice bran, vegetable or canola oil for deep frying
1/2 cup raspberry jam (you could use strawberry instead)
Extra, 1 cup castor sugar

Method
Combine flour, sugar yeast and salt in a large bowl
In another bowl combine melted butter, warmed milk and eggs together then mix into the flour mixture.  You can do this in your mix master with a dough hook on low speed.  You don't need to add more flour even though it seems a bit doughy.

Knead on a floured surface until it becomes smooth.  Place in a greased bowl, cover and set aside for 1 hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.

Knead again on a floured surface, gently stretching and folding the dough for five minutes or until it is smooth and glossy.  Roll out dough to 2.5cm thickness.  Using a round cutter, approximately 7cm, cut out rounds and place on a lined baking tray.  Cover lightly with a tea towel and leave to rise for another 30 minutes.

Heat oil in a saucepan until a cube of bread starts sizzling straight away when dropped in the oil.
Gently place the donuts, about four per time and turn over after 1-2 minutes.  When puffed and light brown, remove and place on paper towel to drain, briefly, then roll in the extra castor sugar.

Place on a large tray and put the jam into a piping bag and insert into the middle of each donut, squeezing until sufficient jam is placed into each centre.

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Buon appeitito, Enjoy Merryn

Valentine's Day Lavender Wreath

Here is a unique present for the love of your life on Valentine's Day.

When love is fresh you might swap gifts of jewellery with each other

over a lovely dinner at a romantic restaurant.

On our first Valentine's Day we were living in Bondi, in a side street off Bondi Road.

We bought a bottle of Mateus, a popular affordable wine at the time and wandered up to

the China Moon,  past Kemenys and an amazing French bakery

for a delectable Chinese meal.

This was a journey we regularly made. 

 30 years ago Bondi was more like a country town than a City

where you knew so many people.

You could safely wonder the streets at night and knew the shop keepers by first name.

The China Moon is still there today but I don't know if it has the same owners,

or indeed the same atmosphere.

We, however, have very fond memories of dining on Bondi Road which 

shortly thereafter became a Mecca of dining establishments.

About 15 years ago we bought another similar bottle of wine on our anniversary for old times sake

but we realised that your taste for wine changes over time.

It is however the memories you make together that really matter

and sharing Valentine's Day together is special.

Dining in obscure establishments on Bondi Road still hold a firm place in my heart.

Here is a  unique Valentine's Day gift, made with love,

 you will enjoy for many years.

Cut fresh lavender stalks into roughly 7cm lengths.

Insert the stalks, with the leaves facing the same way,

as if they were still on the bush, into the cane crevices.

Continue doing all of the stalks with leaves, reserving the lavender heads for last.

Lavender symbolises peace, purity and tranquility.

When you are happy with the presentation and have all of the facing surfaces filled,

spray with hairspray to help the lavender retain it's colour as it dries.

Here I have created a gift for my Valentine.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Buon appetito, Merryn.

Forster Foliage in February

We are officially in the middle of summer! 

Strolling around the garden there are so many delights to enjoy!

Here are mangoes, bursting with colour and vibrancy.

The biggest avocado tree is loaded with Secondo avocadoes, a semi dwarf variety

which is flourishing in our mid north coast climate.

Note the varieties of lettuce, protected behind a chicken proof fence

(I always think of rabbit proof fence when I walk past this garden bed).

Below is an example of what ten free ranging chickens can do to your garden.

This was a healthy patch of sorrel at Christmas time, before the chickens arrived!

The dwarf Pinkabelle and Granny Smith trees are a delight.

I plan to harvest them before the flying foxes do

(wish me luck).

 Figs Figs Figs!  Black Genoa, Brown Turkey and White Adriatic.
So sweet and succulent.
We check each morning and night to ensure we get them before the birds, blue tongue lizards or rats eat them.

A baby watermelon, proudly nestled on the ground, growing every single day.

The capsicums have been abundant, even looking slightly weathered as these ones do, 

they are still sweet and luscious when cooked or finely sliced for a salad.

I am so proud to show this Banana Passionfruit.

This is the first time I have ever grown a passionfruit plant successfully.

Previously they were planted too far from the house for frequent watering.

However I have found they are incredibly hard to spot on the vine.

The flowers were prolific, but I don't know where all of the passionfruit went -
did birds eat them or did they prematurely drop off?
 I don't know and would welcome advice as to how to harvest these passionfruits.

The next crop of bananas, biding their time to ripen to a golden yellow delight.

Tamarillos, or tree tomatoes as they are known.

I don't know what to do with them, apart from turning them into a chutney.

Any ideas are welcome.

I picked the first Pomegranate yesterday.

These are truly beautiful fruits.

I had to share this, these are beautiful chicory flowers, a traditional Italian vegetable,

the flowers are gorgeous and I love the idea of blue nectar in the bee hives. 

More rockmelons, we have been eating them for three months now, these vines are great~!

There are two (yes, 2) pears on the Williams Pear Tree.

I check them daily, as does a gorgeous Rosella, hopefully I will win

and taste the sweetness of the pears before the Rosella does ...

Three years in the ground and this dwarf Ruby Red Grapefruit has hit the jackpot.

It was well worth netting for protection.

You can see the colour is slowly changing.

Hopefully we will eat them in early Autumn.

This quince tree is only one year old and there are five gorgeous quinces growing firmly.
I can't wait to cook them.

My healthy bunch of lemongrass had to be moved as it was pushing out

the garden bed's wooden supports.

I literally dug a hole in the ground, in the middle of the lawn and planted some here.

12 months on and look at it flourishing, sometimes neglect is a good thing.

Tahitian Limes.  This Lime tree was a house warming present from my brother and three years on,

we will be picking many limes in the next few months.

This yellow aubergine (Eggplant) is fruiting continuously.

We have picked kilos of grapes, sweet and almost seedless, these are succulent.

Here you can see seedlings shortly to be planted out, gardening is a continual process.

These are the highlights of my February garden.
I hope you have enjoyed strolling with me around the Garden Share Collective this month.
Kind regards and buon appetito, Merryn

Crab Fried Rice

Crab Fried Rice - My Unique Recipe

I have amazing days at work.  They can be incredibly hectic, talking to so many people, 

or quiet, gentle days when I can sit, read and reflect on things.

I prefer the busy days as they fly by and it is 4.30pm before you know it.

I pop into the supermarket on the way home to purchase the nights' dinner ingredients 

which ensures you always run into one or two friends which can be so entertaining.

This evening I bumped baskets with a very creative friend of mine.

This energetic friend throws everything in with anything to create a meal.

There were tins of crab for about $2 each where we were standing

so I bought a few, envisioning sang choy bau or crab + lettuce sandwiches.

Ms Creative said that she threw crab in with left over rice and vegetables.

I thought why not, but I would rather fry it.

Meanwhile Ms Creative and I walked together and were passing the fresh vegetable section when we

saw a man eating grapes.  Not just one, but he had a whole big bunch in his hand

and was standing there devouring it!  Seriously, I tried so hard not to look at him;

he was definitely not a local person - you just can't do that.

I did however leave the supermarket with a big smile on my face.

So a quick google search later revealed a few crab fried rice recipes,
which I glanced at before deciding to cook it my way.
This is what I came up with and cooked for lunch the next day - it was delicious!

Crab Fried Rice

2 cups cold cooked rice

150g cooked crab

1 egg

1 small onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 teaspoon curry powder 

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon fish sauce

white pepper and salt

vegetable oil

coriander leaves and a slice of lime for garnish

Heat up your wok, add oil and stir fry onion 2 minutes, add garlic and cook 1 more minute.

Toss in the rice and curry powder, cook 1 minute, add flaked crab and cook 1 more minute.

Move to the side and add the egg, slightly frying before folding through the rice mixture.

Add the soy and fish sauces, season with white pepper, taste before adding salt.

Slide onto a serving plate, garnish with coriander leaves and a slice of lime on the side.

Serves 1

Buon appetitio!  Enjoy, Merryn

Eggnog Ice Cream

Delicious, dreamy and creamy.

It was Christmas time and the teenagers were begging for Eggnog.

In between peeling prawns and wrapping Christmas presents, we had to give eggnog a blast.

Then I remembered seeing this recipe in The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz.

I am so excited that our chickens are now all laying one egg each day ensuring we have a surplus of eggs.

Free range, organic and wholesome.

Planning to have friends over for dinner, I made a pavlova with 6 egg whites 

and pre-made this Eggnog Ice cream to chill in the refrigerator.

I also marinated the lamb and chicken in tandoori paste and yoghurt -

preparation is paramount to perfection.

See the lovely fresh bits of nutmeg.  Fresh nutmeg has an amazing flavour.

Here is BB pouring the eggnog mixture into the frozen ice cream churner.

Then we cooked our tandoori meat, made a huge green salad and a minted potato salad.

All while the ice cream churned and thickened.

Success!

Eggnog with delicious nutmeg bits, creamy, delicious and refreshing.

Shame I forgot about the pavlova in the oven when I turned it on to keep the plates warm.

Buon appeitito, Merryn

Eggnog Ice Cream

1 cup 200ml whole cream milk

2/3 cup (130g) white sugar

pinch of salt

2 cups (500ml) heavy cream

6 large egg yolks

1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

2 tablespoons brandy

2 tablespoons dark rum

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Warm the milk, sugar and salt in a medium saucepan.  Pour the cream into a large bowl and set a mesh strainer on the top.

In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks.  Slowly pour the warm mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.

Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula.  Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the cream to cool.  Mix in the nutmeg, brandy, rum and vanilla and stir until cool over an ice bath.

Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator.  Once the mixture is cold, taste it and grate in more fresh nutmeg if you wish.  Freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.