Custard Tart

Confession: I've always been a little afraid of custard tarts. I'm fairly certain it had everything to do with a deep distrust of nutmeg and the fact that really, the only custard tarts I'd ever tried were the nameless, tasteless, fake-yellow gelatinous goo-flled ones I'd had the misfortune of eating from supermarkets. blecch.

I'm not a fan of gelatinous goo.

Anyhow, as there's always a surplus of sad little egg yolks left over from such meringue-y goodness as Eton Mess, there has to be a way to use them up. And custard is always the first thing I think of. I wanted the sinfully rich cream-and-egg mixture like Nigella Lawson would make, and not some supermarket goo-filler, so I've adapted a regular pouring custard into something that would hold its shape (somewhat) in a crust.

Oh and by the way - I bought the crust so am only posting the custard recipe here. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 cup milk
1 cup thickened cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 egg yolks
1 1/2 tablespoons cornflour/cornstarch
1/3 cup caster sugar

Directions:

1. Combine milk and cream in a small saucepan. Add vanilla and cook over medium heat 5 minutes. Do not allow to boil.

2. Whisk egg yolks, cornflour and sugar together. Pour hot mixture over eggs and whisk until combined.

3. Return saucepan to low heat and cook gently, stirring constantly for 10-15 minutes. It may not take that long (mine didn't), but you want it to be lovely and thick. Take it off the heat if it starts to boil.

4. Allow the custard to cool, stirring regularly to help thicken and to avoid getting a skin (um, ew).

5. Pour cooled custard into browned and cooled frozen pie shell.

Gnocchi with lemon cream and basil

Yes, I'm afraid of tomato-based pasta sauces and will nine times out of 10 choose a creamy one.

I promise, there will be a low-fat pasta sauce on this blog at some point in my life.

Ingredients

1/2 cup stock

300ml cream

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 clove garlic, minced

Pepper

a handful of spinach (or more if you want... it wilts down dramatically)

1/2 cup parmesan

8-10 basil leaves, chiffonade (sliced thinly) or torn (better option)

gnocchi

Method

1. Put stock, cream, zest and garlic into a frying pan and boil vigorously until reduced to about half. The sauce needs to be fairly thick to coat the pasta. It will take 10-15 minutes. Be careful not to let it boil over!

2. Add pepper, 1/2 cup parmesan, spinach and most of the basil, reserving some for the top.

3. Cook gnoochi according to packet directions and drain. Add to the sauce.

4. I like to serve mine with chopped fresh tomato on top with the remaining basil and a serve of garlic bread.

Creamy sundried tomato and roasted pumpkin pasta

If you're watching your weight, I'm sorry.

If you don't like rich, flavourful food, well, I'm sorry for that too.

If you don't like easy pasta dinners, then you're nuts.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sundried tomatoes

200g pumpkin, cut into small cubes

1 cup stock

200ml cream (I used light.. )

pepper

fresh basil leaves

penne pasta

Method:

1. Put the pumpkin in a tray and spray with oil. Bake in preheated, fairly hot oven (200-210C) for 15-12 minutes until cooked. I was in a hurry and threw them under the grill/broiler for a few minutes each side.

2. Prepare pasta according to packet directions.

3. Meanwhile, simmer chopped sundried tomatoes in the stock about 10 minutes until plump. After 5 minutes, add the cream and pepper.

3. Add pumpkin to cream mixture, and tear basil leaves over. Stir to mix.

4. Pour over the pasta.

Family Fondue

Fondue gets me excited - I mean, I really love melted cheese that I can dip things in and overload on.

Which is why real fondue makes me cry. It's too kirschy and not anywhere near creamy enough for me. Or small children, for that matter.

So, for board game nights or Sunday evening dinners, there's nothing better than a pot of creamy cheese sauce and crusty bread. in my house, anyway.

It's basically a cheese sauce that you would make an au gratin from... over-cheesed into creamy fondue. Yay!

Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup milk
2 cups swiss cheese
2 cups gruyere cheese
1/2 tsp mustard
salt to taste

Method
1. Melt butter in a pan over medium heat

2. Add flour and cook 1 minute. This helps get rid of the raw flour taste.

3. Add milk and whisk vigorously for a bit... you don't want any lumps!

4. Bring to a boil, stirring often.

5. When thick and bubbling, add cheese a cup at a time, waiting until it's fully melted to add more.

6. Add mustard powder and salt at any time.

7. You could also drop in a dab of garlic.... yum!

I serve mine with cheese, blanched veggies, gherkins and those little cocktail onions.

Roasted Cauliflower Penne with Rosemary Cream

Poor cauliflower. A much-maligned vegetable. That is, of course unless it's covered in cheese sauce, or wallowing in glorious creaminess as soup.

I never knew roasting it could be so damn good.

Unfortunately its white-on-whiteness doesn't photograph well, but it IS delicious.

Ingredients

1 large clove garlic, halved

1 cup cream

3 sprigs rosemary, 1 sprig finely chopped

A pinch of ground nutmeg

Salt and pepper

1 pound whole wheat penne pasta

1 head cauliflower, roasted

1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese, plus more to pass around the table

1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped

To roast the cauliflower, preheat your oven to 220 C. toss bite-size florets in olive oil, add salt and pepper. bake for 30 minutes. Oh so sweet and uber-delicious.

Method

1. Rub the inside of a small saucepan all over with the garlic. Add the cream, the two whole rosemary sprigs and the nutmeg; season with pepper and cook over medium-low heat until reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Discard the rosemary.

2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and transfer the pasta to a serving bowl. Add the rosemary cream, cauliflower and Pecorino Romano cheese; toss to coat.

3. Season with salt and pepper and top with the walnuts and chopped rosemary. Pass more cheese around the table. Easy peasy.

It's almost Rachael Ray week on Veggie Mama... haha. Recipe here.

Real men eat quiche

What's not to love about quiche? Its creamy goldenness? Its smooth cheesiness?

The glorious semi-sweet sauteed veggies you can pack in it? The crispy, crunchy, crumbly pastry shell?

Stop whining and eat it.

And better yet, it's super-easy to make.

I adapted a quiche lorraine recipe, as I'm obviously not a fan of... bacon.

I also made my own pastry case by taking the frozen sheet out of the freezer and allowing it to thaw before placing in my fancy christmas-themed pie plate. Voila!

Ingredients

Pastry (either shell, frozen shortcrust pastry or make it yourself, ha!)

1 onion, chopped fairly small

3 eggs

300ml cream

1/2 cup milk

3/4 cup cheese

Method

1. If you're using frozen shortcrust pastry, you'll need to blind bake it. Once you've put it in your pie plate/quiche tin/whatever, you'll need to prick a few holes in it with a knife, cover it in foil and place some dried beans or baking beads on, and bake 10 minutes. Remove beans and bake 10 minutes more.

2. OR, if you're me, you'll poke a few holes in it, and throw it in the oven for fifteen minutes. If it puffs up, burst the bubbles and press them down with the back of a spoon. Moving on.

3. Cook onion in frying pan in a little oil until soft. You don't want too much colour on it, unless you're adding other veggies. If so, saute them along with the onion. Capsicum, zucchini, spinach... plenty of options.

4. Beat eggs in a bowl with whisk, add cream, milk and cheese, whisk until just combined. Pour into pastry case.

5. Bake at 180C for about 35 minutes or until filling is set and brown. Stand for five minutes before removing from tin.

Cheesy Garlic Potato Bake

I’ll fight you to the death for the last scoop.

Potato bake, otherwise known as potatoes au gratin (French for holy shit this creamy, cheesy potato dish is amazing) has long been a staple in my life. It causes fights, is jealously guarded, and significantly overindulged in on a regular basis.

It is surprisingly easy to get wrong. I know what you’re thinking… potatoes, cream, cheese. What is there to ruin? But we’ve all been there. RSL potato bakes with still-raw slices. Friends’ mother’s tasteless trays of goo (isn’t that the worst? you get all excited when you see its golden goodness, and you dig in only to find it tastes just this side of depressing). Bakes that have funny ingredients in them that shouldn’t be found within twelve light years of the holiness that is au gratin.

Allow me to help.

ooh. Nice, yah?

Ingredients
Potatoes. Lots of them. It actually depends on what size dish, but you’ll probably need four or five decent-sized ones for most rectangle casserole dishes. peel and slice thinly. Please do use the big brown or white ones, the little red ones will hold their shape too much. Still tastes good, but just isn’t the same!
3/4 cup vegetable stock
300ml cream
garlic powder
onion powder
pepper
cheese (amount depends - for this I’d probably use 1 3/4 cups)

Method
1. Preheat oven to 180 and grease your casserole dish. Place a layer of potatoes on the bottom, and sprinkle quite liberally with the garlic, pepper and onion powder. Sprinkle over a layer of cheese.

2. Repeat.

3. On the top layer, pour over the stock and then the cream before sprinkling with the seasonings, and adding cheese to the top.

4. Bake for at least an hour. You don’t want RSL potatoes do you? I would check after an hour by sticking a knife in the middle. If it slides in easily, you’re good to go.

There are honestly so many ways of making this - poaching minced garlic in milk, adding sliced onion, sprinkling the layers with nutmeg or lemon pepper - but I just wanted to give you a basis. It’s so easy, has tons of flavour, and will probably need a security guard if you’re wanting leftovers the next day.

Enjoy, Miss K x