grilled tomatoes with chili, garlic and ginger

11. July 2024
by troutandhawk
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Dinner / Lunch

(an Ottolenghi inspired recipe)

A quick and simple summer dish I often prepare for lunch as soon as the tomato season starts. Its deep and rich flavour comes from the olive oil which has been slowly sizzling together with chili, garlic, ginger and cilantro stems adopting their fragrance. This a technique Ottolenghi often uses.

grilled tomatoes with chili, garlic and ginger
(serves 2)

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 mild red chili, sliced
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 piece fresh ginger (2cm), peeled and thinly sliced
about 10 cilantro stems, keep leaves for the garnish
ripe tomatoes (amount depending on the variety available and your hunger; beef tomatoes work especially well)
salt and pepper

Heat the grill/oven to maximum.

Heat the olive oil in a small sauce pan. Add chili, garlic and ginger and fry over low heat until the chili softens and the garlic starts to brown. Add the cilantro stems and let sizzle for another 2-3 minutes.

With a slotted spoon take out all ingredients and let them cool. Keep the infused oil for later.

Slice the tomatoes and place them on a baking tray. Now drizzle the infused oil onto the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Grill for about 10 minutes.

Once ready and out of the oven top with the chili-garlic-ginger mixture and garnish with cilantro leaves.

I love to enjoy this dish with a big mound of Greek yoghurt.


reasons to visit Brisbane

3. July 2024
by troutandhawk
comments 2
Guest Post

guest post by Loui

Since moving to Brisbane in May 2024 I got to love the city already. Below you can find some of the reasons why I would always recommend visiting the city.

1. Amazing coffee, food and more

  • Lune is a croissanterie founded by an aerospace engineer. The “spacy” croissanterie does not only offer sweet and savoury croissants but also great coffee. I always love the flat white.
    You can find Lune in the CBD and South Bank.

  • Tuk Tuk is an authentic Thai restaurant located on Park Road in Milton. Besides Pad Thai and the curries, I can highly recommend the “beef waterfall”, a spicy Thai style beef salad.
  • Etna, an Italian Pizzeria and wine bar located in Fortitude Valley. I especially enjoy dinner at Etna due to the open kitchen and its cosy atmosphere.
  • Gelato Messina, also located in Fortitude Valley, serves ice cream beyond the traditional flavours. I would always recommend one of their weekly specials.
  • Felons is a brewery located at Brisbane’s famous Story Bridge. Enjoy the amazing view of the bridge, accompanied by a cold beer or a cocktail
Felons
Tuk Tuk

2. Tranquility in a buzzing city

  • City Botanic Garden – Wander through beautiful bamboo groves and fig avenues or enjoy tranquility at one of the ornamental ponds. Bring a book to read sitting on the grass or simply enjoy the beauty of the flora.

  • Archives Fine Books – At 40 Charlotte St you can lose track of time between “one million books on every topic”

3. Beautiful Hinterland

  • Scenic Rim – Explore the Scenic Rim on a bush walk in Mt Barney National Park. The Upper Portals hike offers wide trails that lead to rocky gorges and swimming holes along Mt Barney Creek
  • Sunshine Coast – get up early in the morning to do the hike up Mt Coolum while it is still not too warm. Afterwards, grab a refreshing juice or an iced coffee at the little coffee van at the foot of Mt Coolum. Before you head back to Brisbane cool off with a dip at Coolum beach.

wedding in the woods + the honeybee signature cocktail

25. June 2024
by troutandhawk
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Drinks / Uncategorized

the venue: hidden in the Ontarian woods at the bride’s parents’ place

the mood: misty and enchanted

the guests: friends and family came from Canada, the U.S., HongKong, Greece and Germany to celebrate Sara and Peter. There’s nothing better than extending the family!

the food: a delightful variety of dishes, occasionally with a Canadian hint 🍁 (note to self: must urgently ask for the recipe of the homemade wedding cake. A lemony tiered masterpiece baked by Sara’s aunt)

photo credit: the wedding photographer

the drinks: find my favourite one at the end of this post, the delicious HoneyBee made with honey from the family’s beehives

the honeybee cocktail

4cl Bourbon
2cl lemon juice
1cl honey simple syrup

Straight from the jar honey doesn’t mix well with cold drinks, but turning it into simple syrup solves the problem.

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Pour in the bourbon, lemon juice and honey syrup. Shake the mixture for about 10 to 15 seconds until the the outside of the shaker feels ice cold.
Fill a glass with ice cubes. Strain the mixture into your prepared glass. Garnish with an lemon wedge.

Honey simple syrup

1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup water
In a small saucepan combine honey and water and warm the mixture over medium heat until clear. There may be no swirls of honey visible. Let the mixture cool to room temperature.

Rhabarberkuchen mit Streuselboden

21. April 2024
by troutandhawk
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Cakes + Cookies

Rhabarberkuchen mit Streuselboden

für den Teig:

300g Mehl (Typ 405, oder Dinkelmehl Typ 630)
150g Butter
150g Zucker

für den Belag:

800g Rhabarber
1 TL Butter
5 EL Zucker
2 EL Speisestärke

Den Backofen auf 180°C (160°C Umluft) vorheizen.

Mehl, Butter und Zucker zu einer krümeligen Masse vermengen und mit der Hand zu Streuseln kneten. In den Kühlschrank stellen.

Für den Belag den Rhabarber waschen, putzen und in fingerbreite Stücke schneiden. Die Butter in einer großen Pfanne bei mittlerer Hitze schmelzen und den Rhabarber hineingeben. Rhabarber mit dem Zucker bestreuen und diesen kurz schmelzen lassen. Die Speisestärke unterrühren und bei kleiner Hitze ca. zwei Minuten dünsten.

Den Boden einer Springform (oder einer feuerfesten Form) einfetten. Zwei Drittel der Streuselmenge auf dem Boden der Form verteilen und mit einem Löffel festdrücken. Den Rhabarber darauf verteilen. Die restlichen Streusel als Topping darübergeben.

Den Kuchen 45 Minuten backen.

Filet vom Wild

7. April 2024
by troutandhawk
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Hunting

So wird das Filet perfekt:

1- salze das Filet erst kurz bevor du es brätst

2- brate es dann von allen Seiten scharf an

3- schiebe es für 30 Minuten bei 100°C in den Ofen

4- mahle noch etwas schwarzen Pfeffer über das fertige Filet

orange and nettle salad

2. April 2024
by troutandhawk
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Salads

In the late afternoon we went out for a walk to find some fresh nettle leaves. They are still very small, just regrown after the winter. Soaked in water, rolled and chopped, finally combined with orange slices and almond sauce they make for a delicious springtime salad.

orange and nettle salad

ingredients:

1 orange
1 cup fresh nettle leaves
1 tablespoon almond butter
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon olive oil
salt and pepper

Soak the nettle leaves for 20 minutes in cold water.
Spread the leaves on a wooden board and soften them with a rolling pin.
Chop them (option 1 for a more intense flavour) or just leave them rolled (option 2 for a more appealing look).

Peel the orange and cut it into bite-size pieces.

For the sauce mix the almond butter, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Combine all ingredients and put the salad aside for 20 minutes to let the flavours unfold.


cranberry margarita // french 75

5. January 2024
by troutandhawk
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Drinks

cranberry margaritas
4 generous servings

200ml pure cranberry juice
100ml freshly squeezed lime juice (2-3 limes)
150ml tequila
100ml orange flavoured liqueur, like Cointreau or triple sec
2 handfuls ice cubes
salt

Check your pantry to see if you have a large canning jar, which can do double duty as a shaker.

Put the ice cubes, the cranberry juice, lime juice, tequila and orange liqueur in a canning jar, close it tightly and shake for ca. 30 seconds.
Rub a lime quarter around the rim of each glass and press the rim in a plate with salt, so that you end up with a salt rim.

Pour the drink from the canning jar into the glasses through a little sieve to retain the ice cubes.

french 75

1 cl freshly squeezed lemon juice
dash simple syrup
dash grenadine
2 cl gin
champagne

Shake on ice cubes, strain into champagne glasses, fill up with champagne.

Quiche mit Räucherlachs

27. November 2023
by troutandhawk
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Cakes + Cookies / Lunch

Meine Gäste lieben sie als herzhafte Variante bei Einladungen zu Kaffee und Kuchen.

Für den Teig:
300g Weizenmehl
80ml Wasser
100g Butter
1 TL Salz

Für den Belag:
2 EL Butter
600g Lauch (in Ringe geschnitten)
300g saure Sahne
2 EL Speisestärke
4 Eier
Salz und Pfeffer
1 Bund Dill, gehackt
400g Räucherlachs

Zuerst verarbeitet man die Teigzutaten zu einem elastischen Teig. Dann wird der Teig ausgerollt und auf eine runde Backform gelegt, den Rand zieht man an den Seiten hoch.

Der Lauch wird in der Butter gedünstet.

Die saure Sahne, Speisestärke, Eier Salz und Pfeffer und Dill werden gut vermischt, dann Räucherlachs und Lauch dazugegeben und auf dem Teig verteilt.

Bei 200°C Umluft 30-35 Minuten backen.

Stachelbeerkuchen // Johannisbeerkuchen

27. July 2023
by troutandhawk
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Cakes + Cookies

Stachelbeerkuchen // Johannisbeerkuchen

125g Butter
100g Zucker
4 Eier
ein wenig abgeriebene Zitronenschale
eine Prise Salz
200g Mehl
2 Teelöffel Backpulver

für den Guss:

4 Eier, getrennt, Eiweiß zu Schnee geschlagen
200g gemahlene Nüsse
100g Zucker
eine Prise Zimt

500g Stachel- oder Johannisbeeren, oder beide gemischt

Aus den Zutaten einen Rührteig herstellen und in eine Springform geben. Darauf die Beeren verteilen.
Für den Guss die Zutaten vermischen, zuletzt den Eischnee unterheben. Auf die Beeren streichen.

Ca. 40 Minuten bei 180°C backen.