Category: cooking

• 

  Welchy’s Tasting Plate Inspirations

  This is a collection of my favourite tasting platters that were either made by Welchy or by others using her style.

  I hope they give you a little bit of inspiration.

  

  

  

  Enjoy,

  PK

  Here are some tasting plate ideas: 

  Written by

  PK

  ·

  February 15, 2020

• 

  Cheese: Langres

  Langres is a delightfully smelly and gooey washed rind cheese from France. Eating this cheese is a must have experience. 

  

  Milk

  Cow

  Origin

  France

  Aged

  No

  Aroma

  Strong and salty.

  Taste

  Salty but it has a smooth rounding. Initially you might think the salt is too overpowering but the finish reassures you. 

  Texture

  Gooey

  Look

  I has an enticing folded skin and and a pale yellow interior. The rind is edible.

   

  Manufacturing and Salting Method

  A high acid curd is pressed into small moulds and pressed. Then the small wheels are brine washed as they mature.

  Serving

  Perfect on a cheeseboard or smeared on crusty bread or grissini.

  

  Wine

  Cheese.com suggests ‘…red Wine from Burgundy, Marc de Bourgogne or Champagne’.

  Here are some more posts about cheese: 

  Written by

  PK

  ·

  February 15, 2020

• 

  Simple French Toast

  Bread soaked in an egg and milk mixture and then fried in butter!
  How wonderful is French toast?

  It is so simple and quick to make that you can enjoy it for breakfast even on your busiest day.

  Simply

  Whisk an egg (for every few slices of bread) and add a dash of milk. Add a bit of sugar and cinnamon to the mixture if you want some sweetness.

  Then pour the mix over the bread and wait for it to be absorbed.

  

  Melt a bit of butter in a fry pan and cook the bread until the egg has set, flipping it over midway. 

  Serving

  Serve hot with some bacon, fried mushrooms and tomatoes.

  

  Enjoy,

  PK

  Here are some more easy to prep recipes and posts about egg: 

  Written by

  PK

  ·

  February 15, 2020

• 

  BBQ Grill Mesh Mat Review

  I love my Weber Q 2000 but it doesn’t have a hot plate. That means I can’t cook cubed/diced meat easily. 

  I was making little tin foil trays as a work around but that is wasteful. Also they don’t let the fat drain away very well. 

  Solution:

  There are a range of reusable, washable BBQ grill mats that solve the problem. They are non stick, washable and can even be cut to size. They are particularly great for meat like lamb where you really need the fat to render away.

  Now with my Weber Trivet that lets me do roasts, my barbie is complete. 

  

  Here I am barbecuing some marinated chicken pieces.

  

  

  

  Oh that mat is dirty!

  No problem. Simply pop it in the dishwasher or wash it with the rest of your dishes.

  

  Marked but clean and hygienic.

  

  Enjoy,

  PK

  Here are some more of my reviews and bbq ideas: 

  Written by

  PK

  ·

  February 15, 2020

• 

  Care Free Paprika Baked Chicken Legs

  These mouth watering baked chicken legs are fool-proof and so easy to make.  They will soon become a family favourite and watch them disappear on game day. 🙂

  Notes:

  • You can use wings but breast meat will become overly dry. 
  • They make great leftovers.

  Simply

  Make a mix of:

  • 1-2 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 tsp celery salt
  • 2 tsp paprika sweet, ground
  • A good slug of olive oil

  Coat all of thighs in the mix and cook on 240 C for about 45 minutes. I turn them once in the middle.

  

  

  

  As I said above,  wings work a treat:

  

  Enjoy,

  PK

  Here are some more easy to prep and chicken recipes: 

  Written by

  PK

  ·

  February 8, 2020

• 

  Tasting Plate Ideas: Egg Ribbons With Salami

  Here is something a bit different for your tasting platters and starters.

  You simply whisk and egg, make a thin omelette and slice it lenthways into ribbons.

  Take each ribbon and roll it around your index finger. Lay the rolled ribbons out on a plate and add some garnish. 

  Here I have used diced salami, diced carrot tops and shaved parmesan. 

  

  Enjoy,

  PK

  Here are some more eggs recipies and tasting plate ideas: 

  Written by

  PK

  ·

  February 6, 2020

• 

  Welchy’s Potato and Corn Beef Fritters

  Fritters…Hash Browns…Croquettes..whichever you choose to call these one thing is for sure – they are damn delicious.

  

  My fiance loves corned beef and I prepped these ready to make him for is return last Saturday morning. It was a warm day and our nieces and nephews were bored so he called on his way home and said when he got in we were heading out (best laid plans am I right?) So I rolled them into balls, put them on a plate and shoved them into the fridge.

  Now…I assure you there is a point to my oversharing of the course of my morning and it is this – these keep incredibly well in the fridge until needed. Mine were only in the fridge for approx 6-8 hours however they would keep well overnight. All that’s needed then is to flatten them and roll into some flour, and throw in the pan to crisp! That easy.

  This is a perfect ‘Shoot I forgot to take something out for dinner’ or ‘Need something cheap and filling to make until payday/can get to the shop’ as no matter what stage of life you are in, we have all been there.

  Ingredients:

  • 1.2kg potatoes, peeled and diced
  • 340g tin of corned beef (I used hampers but you can also use actual leftover corned beef if you have any in the fridge)
  • 1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard
  • 1 tablespoon normal or dijon mustard
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 cup plain flour, for dusting
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1/2 tablespoon salt
  • 1/2 tablespoon pepper

  Method:

  1. Line baking tray or plate with baking paper. Place potatoes in a large saucepan, cover with water and cook until tender. Drain and set aside for 10 minutes or until cool enough to handle.
  2. Roughly mash potatoes so that they are still slightly chunky.
  3. Add corned beef (diced up if using actual leftovers or broken up if using tinned), mustard, eggs and salt and pepper. Mix until combined. Roll into balls as even as possible to ensure even cooking time. This recipe will make approx 10 large fritters or 20 smaller ones depending on how you make them.
  4. Set aside on your tray or plate for at least an hour or up to 24 hours.
  5. Lightly coat fritters in flour, squashing them into pattie shapes as you go.
  6. Heat oil and butter in a wok or frypan and once sizzling (flick a drop of water or pepper into the oil and if it bubbles it’s hot enough) add your fritters one by one. My wok fits around 5 smaller ones at a time so as not to crowd the pan and as the fritters are cold, you don’t want to add too many at the same time and reduce the heat of the oil as you’ll get a soggy result. 
  7. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes each side or until golden. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate and continue with rest of batch. If doing a lot of fritters, line a tray with baking paper again and have the oven on ‘warm’ so the fritters stay hot while you continue.
  8. Serve on a bed of spinach leaves and drizzle with chili mayo for a kick, or eat just as they are!
  9. Enjoy!

  Love Welchy.

  Here are some more potatoes and of course, Welchy posts.

  Written by

  lilwelchy

  ·

  February 5, 2020

• 

  Easy Tomato Garam Masala Eggs

  This visually stunning yet simple egg, tomato and garam masala dish (inspired by Shakshuka) is perfect for breakfast.  Don’t let the short ingredient list fool you :).

  We will be softening a good handful of tomatoes and some herbs. The finale though is cracking in an egg and letting it cook as we see fit.

  Simply

  Add a handful or two of chopped tomatoes, some chives and a garlic clove into a small pan. Sprinkle with garam masala, salt and pepper.

  

  Cook on a medium heat until the tomatoes are soft. Keep stirring and add water if need be to stop them burning.

  

  Make a well in the tomatoes and crack an egg into it.

  

  If you like your egg a bit firmer, put a plate on top of the pan for the last few minutes of cooking.

  Serving

  When the egg is cooked to your liking, scoop the whole lot into a bowl and serve hot.

  Enjoy,

  PK

  Here are some more easy to prep recipes and posts about egg: 

  Written by

  PK

  ·

  January 20, 2020

• 

  How To Garnish With Vegetable Twisties

  Here is another cool way to use vegetables shapes for your plating. I have used carrots and capsicum here but any firm vegetable will do.

  Please visit https://youtu.be/YLXB7NuqBhk?t=129 because that is where the idea and technique is from.

  

  Simply take the left over bits from the main meal prep and cut them into thin rectangles. Then make two cuts, turning each rectangle into a Z configuration.

  

  Twist the ‘arms’ back on each other i.e. in opposite directions and you will get a neat triangle shape.

  

  Enjoy,

  PK

  If you liked this post you might like these too. 

  Written by

  PK

  ·

  January 16, 2020

• 

  How To Garnish With Spring Onions

  Here is a great way to use the ends of your spring onions to make a neat little flower shape for your plating. 

  

  Lay the stalk like this.

  

  Make a small downward slice all the way through the stalk.

  

  Rotate and cut again. Continue until you have made at least 4 cuts.

  

  Place the flowers into a bowl of cold water to help them unfurl.

  

  Dry on some paper towel and then get creative 🙂

  

  Enjoy,

  PK

  If you liked this post you might like these too. 

  Written by

  PK

  ·

  January 9, 2020