Shanks very much

...Sorry, I inherited my father's sense of humour.  He is very punny.

My local butcher was offering wallaby shanks last week, and I couldn't resist.  He agreed that they are similar to kangaroo, being very lean, but less "gamey" in flavour.



The following is the same technique I use for lamb shanks, without any adjustments for time (the shanks were about the same size).  If anything, they were a little dry (being so lean), and if I try this again I would probably prefer to cook them in a sauce or something to retain moisture.

And the conclusion?  Not bad, but they lacked the sweetness of lamb - nice for a change, but I have not been converted!

 


The deep colour of the meat definitely reminded me of kangaroo!





Vegetables add sweetness, and moisture while cooking.  I also halved a couple of garlic cloves lengthways.




Sear the shanks and set aside.  Brown sliced vegetables in a teaspoon of butter, or a little streaky bacon (or both!) - just to kick off the caramelisation.


to 

Place the shanks on top of the vegetables, and add a tablespoon of red wine or port.
Cover, and cook for 2-3 hours at 180C (drop the dial back for the last hour if you are going for three hours - I left it at 160C for the last hour)









Serve with Puy Lentils and green vegetables (and the veges from the pan, they are delicious!)  Pour over any juices which are left in the pan.

My favourite things: Georgie's Garlic

 

There is a stall* at the South Melbourne Market which has a fantastic range of potatoes and other root vegetables (onions, heirloom carrots...)   The staff are always friendly, and more than happy to offer advice on which kind of potato you need for the purpose you have in mind!
But my favourite thing is the garlic.  They peel off the outer layers so that you can see exactly what you are buying - big cloves, small cloves, or a bit of a mix - instead of waiting til you get home and finding it's the opposite of what you hoped for.  Such a simple thing to do, but it makes me smile every week.

*  OK, I looked it up because I know you can't just read my mind.  It's Georgie's Harvest Potatoes & Herbs, Stall 50 - you would find it outside, on Coventry Street, if you were so inclined.

 

Brioche scrolls

Once you know how to make bread, and then learn that adding eggs makes brioche, the world is your oyster.



Brioche scrolls are my favourite food in the baking/muffins category.  They are good cold, but better warm - and they reheat well, making them a great option to take to visit a friend.  If you think you can share them, that is.

And making them is easy!  Just make brioche, and roll out to a rectangle after the first rising.  Brush with egg,  sprinkle generously with brown sugar and berries (or dark chocolate - YUM!  Cut, and allow to rise again.
Brush the tops with egg - and sprinkle the tops with sugar if you want a bit of glaze (I always forget).
Bake at 190C for about 25 minutes.

Brioche is just bread with eggs in it

...and a little butter, too.



We went out for lunch last week, and ordered a couple of fabulous salads which we enjoyed a great deal.  Unfortunately, the man at the table next to us had a burger, on a toasted brioche bun, with fries that smelled amazing.
When I asked Jason what he wanted for dinner the next day, it was no surprise that he requested burgers.  With brioche.

 

You know the bread ratio by now.  5  parts flour, three parts liquid.  Well, here we just substitute some of our "liquid" ratio with eggs.
For a 2-cup flour recipe, I add one egg plus an extra yolk (freeze the whites and then defrost to add to an omelette later if you don't need them straight away), and reduce the water or milk accordingly.  I also add about 50g of softened butter.





The resulting dough is soft, airy, and a dream to knead.  After the dough rises you can see large, long air pockets (rather than th esmaller bubbles you normally see).

 

The finished bread is rich, slightly yellow in colour, and toasts to a beautiful golden colour (I didn't toast this as it was just so fresh!)

 

Load up with your favourite fillings (hummus, chicken thighs, bacon, avocado...)



 

Hot Cross Buns are really just bread

Once you know the basic bread ratio, you can play around with it.  I've waited until we are suitably close to Easter to share this one with you.
Yes, I'm one of those people who complains when Easter eggs and Hot Cross buns roll onto supermarket shelves immediately after Christmas - which immediately follows Halloween.  I think that some things are special because we wait all year for them, so eating Hot Cross buns in January is cheating.  And besides, they're better suited to the cooler Autumn weather!



To make six buns, use 2-cups of flour and the bread ratio (follow the link above for bread 101), and add 2 teaspoons of brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and half a teaspoon each of mixed spice and nutmeg.  Then throw in a couple of handfuls of raisins, and other dried fruit.  I abhor peel, which is one of the reasons I make my own buns - but add that too if you must.

I like my rolls to join together just a little bit, so I place them 1-2cm apart.  Any closer and you'll get more of a loaf (which easily tears into portions), much like many store-bought buns, but you'll need to increase the cooking time.



After the second rising,  pipe crosses onto your buns - you just need a simple paste of flour and water (mix to piping consistency - a couple of tablespoons of cold water to a quarter of a cup of flour).



Place immediately into a hot oven (180C for 10-12 minutes)



Finish with butter and jam


.. and it is important that you consume these immediately.  While they are still hot.  So that the butter melts, and runs down your chin.

Introducing: Tadpole

Just like Joey from Friends, Alphamatrix now has her own show!  My sister has been fantastic over the past year and a half, posting when I've been too busy with work and the drama of moving countries, and keeping Bored Goldfish up and running.  
I'm now ready to pick up the reins again, and want to make a few changes to the focus of the site - so we discussed some time ago having Alphamatrix start her own "sister" site.  We jokingly nicknamed it Tadpole - and the name has stuck!
Please add onetadpole.wordpress.com/ to your bookmark list or RSS feed reader!


I've been thinking for some time about the direction I want this blog to take.  I know I have been pretty slack at posting over the past two years - this is largely due to my moving countries and taking on a job which demands a lot more of my time, but also because I'd lost a bit of my early enthusiasm and direction.  So, expect to see a few changes on the site.  I'm switching to a dynamic layout to make photos more of a feature, and will try to work in "themes" more - like the bread posts I've made in recent weeks.  I'd like to keep meeting any requests you have, so leave comments and I'll work my way through them.
I'll also be doing a bit of a "clean out", removing some of my early posts with grainy photos (I'll aim to re-shoot these in the near future) - and removing Alphamatrix's posts as these have moved across to "One Tadpole". 

Thanks for sticking with me over the past two and a half years :) 

Panna Cotta

I dont make dessert often enough.  With the last of the fresh summer berries available now, I vow to make panna cotta more often!





Recipes vary widely - some use cream only, or add varying portions of milk for a lighter finish.  I've seen yoghurt used in place of some or all of the cream, too.  I recommend you find the mix that is right for you (I've settled at about one third milk).





To make six serves, you will need one litre of liquid (cream/milk/yoghurt) to 3 tsp of gelatine powder (follow the packet instructions to reconstitute), plus a teaspoon of vanilla extract (or a whole vanilla pod, scraped) and 110g of fine sugar (again, you can play around with this - I've substituted brown sugar for a "caramel" panna cotta in the past).





Add the cream, milk, sugar, and vanilla to a saucepan, and stir on medium heat until just boiling.
Add gelatine, stirring until dissolved.
Pour into moulds, and refrigerate until set (about 4 hours).  
Run a sharp knife around the edge if required to get the mould to separate (or just eat straight from the pot!)  Serve with fresh fruit.






I also recommend finishing with a campari jelly, as in this Donna Hay recipe - yum!