Strawberry frangipane tartlets

Ah, cup day weekend. When Melbourne gives it citizen's a holiday to gamble at the races. Or in my case, to stay home and cook to my heart's content.

To start off the weekend, Ryan & I invited his parents down for an early al fresco dinner. I didn't want to spend much time cooking so I tried to find easy, simple dishes that could either be prepped ahead of time or cooked in minutes. As I wanted to serve 3 courses, I whipped out my trusty, often turned-to friend, Donna Hay's Instant Entertaining.

I normally don't cook many things twice and tend to cook recipes I haven't road tested when entertaining, this time around however I decided on two recipes that I have cooked before which were successful, and one I had not.

For starters I made a Parmesan Wafer Salad:
150g goats cheese
80g rocket
2 red apples, thinly sliced
1 cup parmesan, grated
1 1/2tbs balsamic
1tbs olive oil
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 180C.
Place 8 x 1 1/2tbs of shredded Parmesan in circles on a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake for 10mins or until crispy. Whisk balsamic, oil and salt and pepper together. Slice apples and toss in balsamic with rocket. Place rocket on plate and layer apples with goats cheese. Place Parmesan wafer on top. Serves 4.

ease: 5/5. Just make sure you don't burn the Parmesan wafers.
prep time: 7mins to prep everything except parmesan.
cooking time: 10mins to make parmesan disks.
total: 10mins - you can prep everything while parmesan melts.

taste: 4/5. Great starter with classic flavour combinations. Clean and light.

would I make it again: Yes, this is the third time I have made this.

For main - Aioli, rocket & steak sandwich:
8 x 100g sirloin of fillet steak (I used 4 eye fillets)
80g rocket
4 slices ciabatta or thick wood fired bread, toasted
salt and pepper
olive oil, for frying
lemon aioli (I used Neil Perry's aioli to cut down on time)
3/4 whole egg mayonnaise
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2tbs lemon juice

To make lemon aioli, combine mayonnaise, garlic and lemon juice.
Season steak with salt and pepper. Fry steak in oil until cooked to your liking. To serve place bread on plates and top with steaks, lemon aioli and rocket. Serves 4.

ease: 5/5.
prep time: 3mins to toast bread and get ingredients ready.
cooking time: 5mins for steak for medium plus some resting time.
total: 8mins. Put steak on first and get everything ready while it cooks.

taste: 5/5. I used bio dynamic eye fillet - the steak really makes this dish. I cook mine to medium so it's tender. would I make it again: Yes. Made this one twice.

For dessert: Strawberry Frangipane Tart:
ease: 2/5. Takes hours to chill.
prep time: 6.5hours. I only chilled my dough for a total of 1.5hours, so my prep time was 2hours.
cooking time: 12mins.
total: 6.5hours. If you chill the dough as long as I did it will only take 2hours & 15mins.

taste: 3.5/5. The strawberries make this tart, without them it would be dry and boring.

would I make it again: No. Too much time for such a mediocre tart. Thank God for the tasty strawberries.

recipe: http://gourmettraveller.com.au/strawberry_frangipane_tartlets_with_sheeps_milk_yoghurt_sorbet.htm

Garlic Butter Steak & Mushrooms

From Donna Hay's Instant Entertaining cookbook

8 thin sirloin steak ( I used 2 Porterhouse for Ryan)
80g butter, melted
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbs olive oil
2 tsp Dijon Mustard
salt and pepper
4 Field mushrooms
baby spinach

Mix butter, garlic, olive oil, Dijon mustard and salt and pepper together. Brush butter mixture onto mushrooms and steaks. Cook steaks in fry pan until browned and cooked, around 4mins. Remove and cook steaks to your desired length, around 8mins for medium. Remove and put any remaining butter mixture into pan to warm up. Place sauteed spinach on plate, top with steak and then mushroom. Pour butter sauce over steak. Serves 4.

EASE: 5/5. Not much effort at all. I halved the recipe.
Prep time: 5mins. To make butter mixture and wash spinach/peel mushrooms.
Cooking time: 15mins. The spinach took around 2mins to wilt. I just sauteed it in some butter and oil with lots of minced garlic and some salt and pepper. The mushrooms took 5mins (my pan was not hot enough) and the steak took 8mins for medium.
TOTAL: 20mins. Everything goes in the same pan after each other, and all cook quickly.
TASTE: 4.5/5. I LOVED the flavour of the mushrooms with the butter sauce; really tasty. The spinach was beautiful (I always do it the same) and Ryan said the steak was great. I will be using the butter mixture for all mushrooms I quickly fry in the pan (I used Swiss Brown - couldn't get Field). I also used two Porterhouse steaks.
Would I make it again: Yes. Super quick - on the table in 20mins and full of flavour. Ryan did initailly complain that I didn't make mash with it - but he couldn't even finish his plate, so it's not needed.

Pepper Steak with red wine, parmesan and chilli

EASE: 5/5. Few ingredients and one pan.
Prep time: 2mins. To get everything ready.
Cooking time: 10mins. 8 mins for steak and 2mins for wine reduction.
TOTAL: 12mins. I only rested the steak for 2mins while the wine was reducing.

TASTE: 3.5/5. Ryan liked it. I served it with mashed potatoes.

Would I make it again: Yes. Easy and quick - pretty cheap too.

Recipe: http://www.cuisine.com.au/recipe/Pepper-steak-with-red-wine-parmesan-and-chilli

Black Pepper Scotch Fillet with Nutmeg Butter Spinach & Mash

At 4pm today I had to turn on the lights just to see my hands - it is getting much too dark much too early. The combination of dark rooms and muggy weather drains all of my energy. Sitting on the couch with a good book and cup of hot chocolate is pretty much all I want to do for the next 3 months. But my tummy is rumbling and I feel like some heavy, warm, carbo-loaded food. So naturally I'm making mashed potato (Sebago & Spunta are best) - with Nutmeg Butter Spinach for nutrition, and a big fat juicy steak for my meat loving fiance.

Some Facts About NUTMEG:

• Ground nutmeg is smoked in India.
• In amounts of 10-40 g (~4-8 teaspoons) it is a mild to medium hallucinogen, producing visual distortions and a mild euphoria.
• Nutmeg oil is used for rhuematic pain and, like clove oil, can be applied as an emergency treatment to dull toothache.
• At one time, nutmeg was one of the most valuable spices. It has been said that in England, several hundred years ago, a few nutmeg nuts could be sold for enough money to enable financial independence for life.

Ease: 4/5. (I am only scoring the spinach). Prep took all of 5 mins to wash and get the nutmeg and butter. Prep: 5mins. Cooking Time: 10mins all up. TOTAL: 15mins.

Taste: 2/5. I didn't hate it - but the partnership of nutmeg and spinach just didn't do anything for me, wasn't palatable at all and after frying in the butter the spinach was quite watery.. First time I haven't eaten all of my spinach - I MUCH prefer to put the spinach in a pan with some olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper.

Would I make again: NO. What I prefer is not only tastier, but I only cook the spinach once.

Recipe here: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/WILTED-SPINACH-WITH-NUTMEG-BUTTER-240983

Potato and caramelised onion tart with Scotch Fillet

Ease: 3.5/5. Chopping, caramelising and then baking. Few ingredients is a plus though.

Taste: 3/5. Ok - I prefer the onion tart I made previously. I only used 3 eggs, 1 pastry sheet, 2 onions and 2 potatoes to make the four tarts.

Would I make again: No

Recipe here: http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/18585/potato+and+caramelised+onion+tart

Tarte a l’oignon with Pepper Scotch Fillet

Recipe from Gourmet Traveller.

Ease: 3/5. Pastry has to be started in advance as well as the onions. Only modification I made to the tart was to make one large tart rather than 4 smaller ones. As a result it needed a little longer in the oven. With the steak I just seasoned it and cooked it til medium. I served the tart and steak with some sliced goats feta and balsamic reduction.

Taste: 4.5/5. Really tasty - might add extra salt and nutmeg the next time round. The goats cheese helped to cut through the sweetness of the onions.

Would I make again: Yes.