A Maggie Beer Roast Chicken with Parsnip Pear Mash

I want to share a fabulous meal with you today that I have made twice in a year, tried and tested, it is a great meal idea to share for a family gathering.  Maggie Beer is a big Australian Icon, she is an inspiration, I use to watch the “Cook and the Chef” on the ABC channel religiously. She is natural, down to earth and uses as much home-grown, Australian and organic as much as possible, actually I have witnessed her using anything not. She is a big supporter of her local community in the Barossa Valley, I can’t wait to travel there one day as she makes you wish you were there cooking in it too.

So what we have today is a pairing of two fabulous dishes to make the perfect meal, first is the Roasted Chicken in Verjuice and a Parsnip Mash.

To see the sites I used for my Fabulous Roast, please check out my links:
http://www.masterchef.com.au/mothersday.htm
http://www.maggiebeer.com.au/recipes/details/?Item=ArtclsRoastCho

Roast Chicken

20 whole cloves or garlic (approx 2 bulbs)

1 whole lemon (sliced in half)
1 Medium Organic Fresh Chicken (approx 2 kgs)
2 Tbsp of roughly chopped Continental Parsley
50ml Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
Freshly Cracked Black Pepper - to taste
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
125ml Verjuice
125ml Water
1 cup Chicken Stock

Preheat oven to 200'C.

Half fill small saucepan with water and blanch the unpeeled garlic in water once it is at boiling point for 4 minutes, then drain and set aside.

Wash Chicken under cold water and dry thoroughly with paper towel. Next cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice into the cavity of the chicken, place parsley inside the cavity with the 2 halves of the squeezed lemon.  Mix the olive oil with a good pinch of sea salt and pepper and massage into the skin of the bird.  Cover the breast section (breast side up) with a foil cap and place the chicken on a trivet in a rectangle bakign dish.  Place the baking dish with prepared chicken on the middle shelf in the oven and cook/bake for 40 minutes.

After the 40 minutes, remove foil from the breast section and use the foil to cover the legs (only) to prevent any burning.  Pour verjuice over the chicken, place the blanched garlic in the baking dish and add the water to the base of the dish to avoid burning.  Cook for a further 20-30 minutes.

Next remove the chicken and place breast down onto the trivet to rest for 40 minutes, covering loosely with new foil.

To make the jus, pour all the pan juices from the baking dish into a small saucepan and add 1 cup of warm chicken stock, simmer for 10 minutes to reduce slightly and pour into a small serving jug, and place jug into the refridgerator to chill slightly whilst chicken is resting.  Just before serving, scoop out the fat that has risen to the top, warm the remaining jus in either the saucepan or microwave. 

Finally you need to carve the chicken (or get someone else to do this task like I do, as I am self-confessed chicken/turkey massacurist - I CANNOT CARVE!), then place on plate accompanied by roasted garlic cloves, peas and THE Parsnip Pear Mash and pour the jus over the chicken.

Parsnip Pear Mash
4 Parsnips - peeled & largely diced
1 Pear - Peeled & sliced
3 Tbsp Butter - cubed
Pinch Sea Salt
Cracked Pepper - to taste

Firstly boil the prepared parsnips until very soft but not falling apart (this is a longer amount of tiem than potatoes so probably at least 45 minutes.  Once boiled, drain off the water and add the pear, then place into the Mouli (THE BEST INVENTION I was introduced to in 2011).  Turn the Parsnip and Pear through the Mouli, this may require some help with a spoon (all the fibres will remain in the Mouli).

After the Parsnip and Pear are passed through the Mouli, add the butter, salt and pepper, and mix them through thoroughly with a fork or potatoe masher, until you have a silky smooth mixture.

Serves : 4 - 6 adults
Time : Allow approx 3 hrs (more depending on chicken size and oven)

Great Cookie Swap – Wandering Spice

As I promised you in December, I would blog both of my received cookies from http://www.loveandoliveoil.com/2011/12/the-great-food-blogger-cookie-swap-recipe-roundup-part-1.html. I have finally received my second cookies due to a teensy mix up.

These deliciously scrummy cookies came from Yasmeen at http://www.wanderingspice.com/2012/01/wholemeal-orange-and-hazelnut-biscotti.html, she baked and sent me Chocolate and Orange Biscotti.  I have never tasted Biscotti in Chocolate and Orange and being a jaffa lover, they were delicious!  Why have I never tried this combo in cookie before?? With the hazelnuts it added a lovely crunch to them also and I had to stop myself eating the entire dozen in the first day.  The cooler rainy nights I’ve had in Sydney lately have meant I could curl up on the lounge with my fav hot chocolate and dunk them.

So I will post a photo for you to drool over and wish you were in the swap, and if you love your baking, get out the mixer and pop on over to Yasmeen’s blog and whip yourself up a batch.

No 1 Challenge - Caramel Apple Cheesecake Slice

Month 1 - January
Blog 1 - BAKE IT, CREATE IT, LOVE IT at http://www.bakecreatelove.com/?m=1
Recipe 1 - http://www.bakecreatelove.com/2012/01/caramel-apple-cheesecake-bars.html?m=1

Well here I am at the starting block, having just completed my first Monthly Kitsch’n Challenge. And it was definitely a good one. I accidently fell into this recipe through a cute little site called http://www.sweet-as-sugar-cookies.blogspot.com.au/ where I was contacted to link up my Mini Rainbow Cheesecakes in January. And next to my post a photo caught my eye, if was from a blog http://www.bakecreatelove.com/2012/01/caramel-apple-cheesecake-bars.html?m=1. She had posted a scrumptious looking recipe for Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars.

My first hurdle was getting hold of a box of Snickerdoodle Cookie Mix (but you can just mix up the dry ingredients of a recipe. The slice is pretty much made in 3 separate parts and then layered. You need to be mindful, after preparation and baking, it needs to cool and then set in fridge, allowing an additional 4 hours to cooking time. Something I didn’t read in advance. But I can assure you, this slice is well worth the time that it takes to make. It is delicious! If you like Cheesecake and you love apple pie, then this is your perfect match!

If you live in Australia like me and you want to buy fantastic American ingredients and products, check out http://www.usafoods.com.au/ (based in Melbourne, Australia).

Recipe

Ive broken this into 3 easy parts to try to simplify it for you, because it appears more complicated then it actually is. 

1. Bottom Layer

1 x Packet of Snickerdoodle Cookie Mix including the Cinnamon Sugar (or the dry ingredients of a cookie recipe)

125g Butter - melted

1 Tbsp water

1 Egg

2. Middle Layer

2 x 250g Packets of Cream Cheese (2x8oz)

½ cup Castor Sugar

2 Eggs

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

3. Top Layer

2 x Cooking Apples – peeled, cored and sliced into ½ peices

1 Tbsp Cinnamon

2 Tbsp Castor Sugar

1 cup Plain Flour (All Purpose)

½ cup Oats

½ cup Brown Sugar

½ cup Butter – softened and cubed

Preheat oven to 190 degrees. Line tin with foil and grease with butter or oil. You can use 1 tin that is 13 inch by 9 inch, or 2 tins that are 11 inch by 7 inch.

Place the packet of snickerdoodle mix and cinnamon sugar sachet into a large mixing bowl, add the egg, water and butter and mix well. The mix will become a gluey mixture. This is normal. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin or tins and spread it out evenly to the sides.

Place tin/s into the oven and bake for 25 minutes on middle shelf. Remove to slightly cool. Turn oven down to 180 degrees.

In the electric mixer place cream cheese, castor sugar, eggs and vanilla, and commence mixing, until you have a smooth and runny mixture.  When the base cookie in your tin/s has cooled down, pour the cheesecake mixture on top of the warm cookie.

Peel, core and slice your apple and place into a large bowl, measure out the cinnamon and castor sugar and then toss through the apple until all the apple pieces are coated evenly.  Spread the apple pieces over the top of the cheesecake mixture (there will be gaps between apple pieces).

In a food processor place all remaining dry ingredients and butter, pulse the processor until your have a combined but course crumbly mixture.  

Cover the top of the slice/s with the crumb mixture. Place in the oven and bake for 25 minutes. Remove, allow to cool and then refrigerate for 3-4 hours. Slice and serve with a caramel sauce and an optional scoop of ice cream.

Red Velvet Pancakes

I have a personal favourite to share with you all, and you can thank my Little Miss Two, who this week has declared Pancakes for breakfast each morning, and given we have gone through a few months now of a refusal to eat anything for breakfast, Im happy to oblige to this sudden craving. Lucky for me we have been away and so the Pancakes til today were provided courtesy of the Qantas Business Club Lounge Pop-cakes Machine and the Hotel room breakfast (which I deemed the best pancake breakfast Ive eaten EVER and that is a HUGE call – I sneaked in a pic of it below so you can drool and by totally jealous) at The Prince St Kilda in Melbourne Australia.

So anyway back to breakfast, Missy declared pancakes and then immediately whipped out her apron and pushed in her chair. So with my Handy Helper all ready with whisk in hand I had no choice but to roll out the bowl and pan myself and start dishing out the ingredients to her!

Recipe

1 1/3 cups Plain Flour (All purpose)

1 tsp Baking Powder

½ tsp Bi-carb Soda

1 Tbsp Castor Sugar

1 Lrg Egg

200g Yoghurt (any – I used strawberry kids yoghurt)

200ml Milk

40g Butter – melted

Sprinkle cinnamon, or Vanilla, or Emulsion (I used Red Velvet Emulsion by Lor Ann)

Using a large mixing bowl and hand whisk (even a kids size whisk or fork), measure and place in all the ingredients. And whisk til you have a runny mixture.

Place frypan on low heat for 3-4 minutes and then using paper towel or greaseproof paper grease with butter.

WHOOPS! Thats not mean't to happen!

Using a ¼ measuring cup or spoon place mixture in 2 or 3 lots in your frypan. When pancake/s become covered in air bubbles it is ready to flip over. Do this and wait approx another 3 minutes, check and if golden remove from pan. My suggestion is to keep your cooked pancakes on a dinner plate covered with a tea towel to keep them warm and soft.  Grease pan with butter between each batch of pancakes.

Cover with chopped strawberries and drizzle with maple syrup for best results!

Serves – 4 people (2-3 pancakes each)

Verdict = DELICIOUSLY STRAWBERRY!!