Our Greek Dinner - Thanks George

{ Lamb and Olive Lady’s Fingers with Beetroot Tzatziki }

Serves 4

Fingers…

½ onion, diced

1 garlic clove, diced

Vegetable oil, to fry

200g lamb mince

¼ cup madeira

Pinch salt

½ cup chicken stock

30g green olives

100g butter

4 sheets filo pastry

1 tbsp icing sugar, to serve

Preheat oven to 180C. Finely dice onion and garlic. Add oil to saucepan and heat. Add onion and garlic, cook till translucent. Add lamb mince and cook until browned. Add the Madeira and cook for 2 minutes. Season with salt. Add chicken stock and cook for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Finely dice olives and add to lamb mixture. Melt butter by placing in a microwave for 1 minute or melt in saucepan. Take a sheet of filo pastry and brush with melted butter. Place a tablespoon of lamb mixture in the middle of the filo and roll to resemble a finger. Repeat with remaining mixture and filo sheets. Place fingers on a greased baking tray and cook for 8 minutes. Dust with icing sugar and serve whole with the beetroot tzatziki.

{ Beetroot Tzatziki }

4 large beetroots

200g thick greek yoghurt

½ garlic clove, minced

Zest of 1 orange

Zest of 1 lemon

Salt

Individually wrap beetroots in foil and bake on baking tray in a low oven, 120C, for 2 hours. Allow to cool, remove foil and peel the skin off. Dice beetroot into small cubes. In a mixing bowl combine yoghurt, beetroot, garlic, zest and mix. Season with salt.

{ Roasted Pork Cutlet, Dodoni Feta Crumble, Greek Coffee Jus }

Serves 4

4 x 300g pork rib eye

50g butter

1 tbsp sage leaves, chopped

1 tsp thyme leaves, chopped

4 portions dodoni feta crumble

¾ cup greek coffee jus

Pinch of salt

Season pork with salt then seal on the chargrill on either side. Cook to medium (approx 4 minutes each side, no oil) and allow to rest. Heat the butter, sage and thyme until it turns golden brown. Add the pork and coat for 30 second. Spook feta crumble evenly on top of the pork and place under grill until golden brown. To serve, place pork on serving plate and drizzle with greek coffee jus.

{ Dodoni Feta Crumble }

100g dodoni feta

300g baked beans

¼ red onion, diced

100g fresh breadcrumbs

Combine onion, feta and baked beans in a bowl. Mix well. Toss through breadcrumbs and refrigerate until ready to serve.

{ Greek Coffee Jus }

1 ½ tbsp sherry vinegar

30g brown sugar

15g greek coffee

1 ¼ cups lamb jus

20g butter

In a small saucepan combine the vinegar and sugar and heat over a low heat. Whisk in coffee until dissolved and the consistency is smooth. In a medium saucepan heat the lamb jus gently. Combine the liquids and finish the sauce by whisking through the butter to thicken.

{ Baklava Souffle, Smoked Chocolate Ice Cream }

Serves 4

¾ cup low fat milk

20g cornflour

45g caster sugar

1 egg

2 egg yolks

6 egg whites

100g caster sugar

4 portions smoked chocolate ice cream

In a small saucepan bring milk to boil. While milk is warming, in a medium bowl mix the cornflour, sugar, eggs and egg yolk together to form a smooth paste. Pour the milk onto the paste and blend together. Return mixture to the saucepan, bring to a gentle simmer whilst whisking continuously for 5-6 minutes. Remove from heat and pour into a bowl, cover with cling film and allow to cool. Once cooled, beat in an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg whites until foamy and gradually add the sugar, whisking continuously until stiff peaks form. Fold 1/3 of the egg white mix into the cooled milk mixture and whisk vigorously then add the rest and gently fold in. Pour into buttered and sugared soufflé moulds (rameins) and bake in preheated moderately slow oven, 175C for 13 minutes or until the soufflé has risen to 2.5cm above the rim of its mould. Serve immediately.

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Carrot Cake Cupcakes

There was flour all over the kitchen after I made these scrummy treats from Joy the Baker - it was in my hair, on the floor, in the toaster and all over my face too. It's not that they're hard to make, I'm just a bit special sometimes - either way, they're completely worth the effort.

We've been stalking Joy's blog for some time now, one of us has been swooning over her creations for years. I thought I would give these a go after one of us baked them and brought them into work a couple of weeks ago. I ate three cupcakes that day, today I ate another three. They're super easy and the girls I baked them for absolutely loved them. Check out Joy's here.
{ Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Dulce de Leche Buttercream }

Recipe from Joy the Baker adapted from Martha Stewart.

Makes around 28 cupcakes.

4 cups peeled and finely grated carrots
3 large eggs, room temperature
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped, pod reserved for another use (or 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract)
1/2 cup crushed pineapple, well drained
1 cup walnuts or pecans, toasted and finely chopped
1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground cloves

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 standard muffin tins with paper liners. In a bowl, whisk together carrots, eggs, sugar, oil, buttermilk, vanilla seeds, and coconut, pineapple and nuts if desired. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Stir flour mixture into carrot mixture until well combined.

Divide batter among muffin cups, filling each 3/4 full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until testers inserted into centers come out clean, 23 to 28 minutes. Let cool in tins on wire racks, 10 minutes. Turn out cupcakes onto wire racks, and let cool completely. Unfrosted cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen for up to 2 months in airtight containers.

Frost cupcakes with dulce de leche or cream cheese frosting. Frosted cupcakes can be refrigerated for up to 3 days; bring to room temperature, and sprinkle with toasted coconut (press gently to adhere) before serving.

{ Dulce de Leche Buttercream Frosting }

From The Pastry Queen
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened
3 tbl heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar
pinch of salt
3/4 cup prepared dulce de leche

Cream together softened butter and powdered sugar on low using an electric mixer. Add cream and vanilla and beat on medium speed until smooth and no lumps appear. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the prepared dulce de leche and beat to incorporate. Frost cooled cupcakes using a knife or a pastry bag and tip. Top with toasted coconut.
A friend also brought along a tasty pavlova inspired by Donna Hay's from last week's Master Chef challenge. Yum!
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