The Hangry Chef

Arancini are Italian deep-fried risotto balls. Yup. It doesn't get more delicious then that! Once you know how to make them, the possibilities for flavours and fillings are endless. I had pumpkin, feta and chorizo in my fridge so they're the ingredients I used. But you could do anything, spinach and mushroom, tomato and basil, bacon and mozzarella cheese, truffles if you're feeling fancy or just plain risotto if you're feeling not-so-fancy. You will need... (makes 16 balls) 1 small brown onion 1 clove garlic 1 cup arborio (medium-short grain) risotto rice 2 cups hot chicken stock (I use salt-reduced chicken stock cubes) 150gr butternut pumpkin, skin and seeds removed. 100gr danish feta 50gr chorizo, skin removed 30gr butter 30gr parmesan cheese salt and pepper 1 tsp picked thyme leaves 4 tsp olive oil For crumbing and frying.... 1 cup plain flour 2 eggs 1 cup milk 1 cup breadcrumbs 5 cups vegetable oil in a wok or saucepan, for deep frying sal...

As I was typing my last post they released more information!!! http://www.thefatduck.co.uk/Australia/ Reservations will be taken through an electronic ballot. The ballot will be open to apply on  WWW.THEFATDUCKMELBOURNE.COM  from 9am (Melbourne time) on Wednesday 8th October 2014, and will close at midnight (Melbourne time) Sunday 26th October 2014. When you go to The Fat Duck Melbourne website, you a greeted by a black webpage with a pocket-watch world clock on it and to the side it says MELBOURNE Reservations will be taken through an electronic ballot. The ballot will be open to apply on this website from 9am (Melbourne time) on Wednesday 8 th October 2014, and will close at midnight (Melbourne time) Sunday 26 th  October 2014. Sign up here  to be the first to know the latest about the opening of The Fat Duck restaurant in Melbourne.

Image taken from crownmelbourne.com I'm waiting with bated breath for ANY announcement about how to score a table at Heston Blumenthal's The Fat Duck restaurant opening in Melbourne's Crown Casino in 2015. It was announced on Facebook at 2.20PM (Australian Eastern Standard Time) yesterday that they will be revealing TODAY how you can possibly score a much coveted table at the restaurant. One Hour Ago Crown Melbourne's Facebook page posted an image of the building stating 'Look Up! It's The Fat Duck... taking shape at Crown Riverwalk. We are excited to share more new with you in the next could of hours #HestonAtCrown stay tuned..' These teasers are painful! They know how to build suspense! The whole thing has been very hush-hush, and although I've been stalking all the appropriate avenues (social media mainly) there has been little information given. This is all we know so far: Heston is relocating his entire Fat Duck staff to Crown Casi...

For those of you who have never had a scallop, they are a saltwater clam. They live in a very pretty, fan-shaped shell, and have a round, white fleshy meat (the adductor muscle ), and a roe which is usually pinky in colour, soft and creamy in texture when cooked. Scallops are sold at most seafood suppliers/markets, usually in a half-shell, with or without the roe. Although you can eat the roe, many people opt to discard it as it can have a strong flavour and a slimy mouth-feel. Whereas the round, fleshy meat is mild in that 'fishy flavour' with a slight sweetness. Image taken from  http://www.martins-seafresh.co.uk/fresh-scallops.html The trick to a good scallop is to fry or sear briefly on a high heat. You want to achieve caramelisation (browning) on the outside, while still being medium-rare on the inside. If a scallop is cooked to 'well-done' or overcooked, it will become rubbery. You can also eat fresh scallops raw as 'sashimi'. Because scallops ...

Last week I posted a recipe about the friendship cake I received. Here is the post if you missed it---> http://elisethehangrychef.blogspot.com.au/2014/09/herman-german-friendship-cake.html After giving away two portions and baking one cake, I also kept a second portion for myself to try a different recipe with. So 10 days on I split him up again and made another cake- this one I took to work to share around! I followed the same steps, but instead of apples and raisins in the mix, I used one large ripe banana, 3/4 cup of toasted and crushed hazelnuts and 2/3 of a cup of dark chocolate pieces. The flavours went beautifully with the mix, and I still topped the cake with slivered almonds and brown sugar before baking so I had the crunchy texture and caramelised sugar to add a little something extra.  I'd say both the traditional and my own spin on the cakes worked well, but alas I'm all caked out now! I've tried so many new desserts recently I'm ready ...

I love a baked cheesecake, I know I've said it before but the velvety, fluffy texture wins every time against the firm and creamy cold-set cheesecake types. It's just a personal preference, and although I know they are a bit more work than cheesecakes that are set in the fridge, I believe the reward is worth the labour. I've already posted a recipe for baked cheesecake  , which is made with an amaretti biscuit base, served with cherries (my favourite). I wanted to give a decadent chocolate NY-style cheesecake a go, and thought Father's day would be a good opportunity to share this heavenly-rich recipe. You will need... For the biscuit Base 375gr dark chocolate digestive biscuits (I used Scallywags as I'm in Australia and these are the easiest plain chocolate biscuits to find) 3 Tbs double cream 75gr unsalted butter For the Filling 100gr unsalted butter 350gr dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids is preferable) 450gr cream cheese 100ml s...

This is a show-stopping dessert, and will impress all your friends and family. It's super rich, and I love serving it with some lovely fresh raspberries and a nice glass of red wine. It's sure to bring any meal to a delicious side-splitting end, preferably followed by a nap. You will need... 1/2 a quantity of sweet shortcrust pastry (recipe found here Sweet Pastry ) For the filling... 400gr dark chocolate (54%-56% cocoa solids) - I used Callebau t brand, I've talked about different qualities of chocolate before and how if you're making a chocolate dessert, the better quality your chocolate means the better your dessert will be. 250ml thickened cream 125ml milk 2 small eggs, beaten Dutch cocoa, to serve. Method.. 1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius, grease and flour a 20 inch round, fluted flan tin. 2. Remove your rested pastry from the fridge (it should have been in the fridge for at least 1 hour), and leave on the bench for 10 minutes to make it eas...

This dessert takes me back to being a little girl and going through old cookbooks with horribly styled images of cocktail food on toothpicks and desserts glazed with aspic.. (quite possibly an Australian Women's Weekly recipe book or similar)... Although most of the recipes in these books have been left by the wayside to make room for new and innovative food trends, the fruit flan has held strong and quite rightly so, it's an old favourite. You will need... For the pastry 100gr unsalted butter, room temperature 50gr caster sugar 1 medium-sized egg 180gr plain flour, sifted For the filling 80gr caster sugar 30gr plain flour 2 egg yolks 300ml whole milk 1 vanilla pod/1 tsp vanilla essence To decorate Assorted seasonal fruit; any kind of berry, kiwi fruit, apple, orange, mandarines, pear, cherries, rhubarb, grapes, lychee... Use about 3-5 different fruits, ranging in colours for effect. Method... 1. To make the pastry ; combine the butter and sugar in a bowl...