Just some of the books currently on my wishlist!

		Title	Price	Desired	Received	Priority
1.		"Marie Claire" Fresh and Fast by Michele Cranston (Author)	$25.10	1	0	high
2.		Eco-Friendly Families by Helen Coronato	$10.85	1	0	medium
3.		Instant Entertaining by Donna Hay (Author)	$23.07	1	0	medium
4.		Jamie at Home: Cook Your Way to the Good Life by Jamie Oliver	$30.00	1	0	highest
5.		Mastering the Art of French Cooking (2 Volume Set) by Julia Child	$48.57	1	0	high
6.		Table ("Marie Claire" Style) by Yael Grinham (Author), et al.		1	0	medium
7.		The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady by Edith Holden (Author)		1	0	medium
8.		The Flavor Bible: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America's Most Imaginative Chefs by Karen Page, Andrew Dornenburg	$20.47	1	0	highest
9.		The Instant Cook by Donna Hay	$29.01	1	0	medium
10.		The Nature Notes of an Edwardian Lady by Edith Holden		1	0	medium

Gratinée - Cream of Roasted Cauliflower and Leek Soup

I've been looking for a soup recipe that has roasted cauliflower and leek for some time now. Earlier this year Sam and I went out for dinner, and we begun our meal with this most delicious soup. And so I was left with the desire to cook it for myself. I trawled all my usual recipe sites, but found nothing to satisfy the craving. Nobody was making a cauliflower soup with leek!

On a whim, I turned to Flickr and done a search for cauliflower leek soup. Imagine my surprise to find that there were two whole pages of photos people have uploaded of their own attempts at this recipe. The one I found at Gratinée seems to be the best one, so I'm going to give it a shot tomorrow night! If it turns out well, I've got my first course for my planned dinner party.

The following recipe is the property of Darina Kopcok, I post it here out of appreciation for the deliciousness of her work; and gain no financial benefits from doing so. You can read her post in its entirety here, and I heartily recommend checking Gratinée out!

Cream of Roasted Cauliflower and Leek Soup

Ingredients:

1 head cauliflower
1 large leek, white part only
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons water
olive oil
1 carton vegetable or chicken broth  (946 ml)
1 tomato, blanched in hot water and peeled
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 sachet bouquet garni *
1/4  cup creme fraiche
sea salt
fresh ground pepper

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 400F. Wash the cauliflower and leek thoroughly. Cut the leek into chunks and cook slowly in butter and water until water evaporates and the leeks are tender, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, cut the cauliflower into chunks and drizzle with olive oil. Roast in oven until golden and caramelized.

2) Bring the stock to a simmer. Add bouquet garni, garlic, salt and pepper. Add the cooked leeks and tomato. When the cauliflower is roasted, add to the broth and cover. Cook on medium low heat until the cauliflower is soft and tender and the flavors are incorporated.

3) Remove the bouquet garni. Puree the soup with an immersion blender. Season to taste with more salt and pepper. Thoroughly blend in creme fraiche.

* Bouquet garni is a mixture of dried celery, bay leaves, thyme and parsley. I buy Cote D’Azur brand, which is a local company. You can make your own bouquet by choosing a mixture of herbs and tying them into a small piece of cheesecloth. This will immerse the soup with the flavors of the herbs.

Poached eggs on a bed of baby spinach with toasted turkish bread and dill sauce

Poached eggs on a bed of baby spinach with toasted turkish bread and dill sauce, originally uploaded by | Annean |.

Leftover dill sauce from last night's salmon. This is the first time I've ever attempted poaching eggs, and I'm quite pleased with how they tasted. They don't look as appealing as the one's you can buy at a cafe, but I'm sure with practise I'll get better!

Pan-fried salmon and dill sauce on a bed of grilled asparagus and salad greens

Pan-fried salmon and dill sauce on a bed of grilled asparagus and salad greens, originally uploaded by Clara Fournier.

This was dinner tonight, Pan-fried salmon with a dill sauce on a bed of grilled asparagus and salad greens.

The salmon was pan-fried after a light brushing of oil, cracked five peppers and salt and coarsely chopped dill.

The asparagus was done in butter, chopped garlic (only a teensy amount!), more dill and lemon pepper.

The dill sauce was a basic sauce, made with canola oil, egg, mustard, dill and salt and pepper.

It tasted heavenly, and I especially love that all the ingredients were sourced locally!

Sala

Sala, originally uploaded by favaro JR..

I just adore this loungeroom, the colours, the lighting, the warmth.... Its gorgeous =]

Up On High Studio Sitting

The following photos were taken on Sunday, at the Up On High Studio in Fremantle, by the very talented Seng Mah.You can find him here; http://www.thesnapshooter.net 

These are just a few of my favourites from the shoot - now I just have to decide which one's I want prints of!

 

      

Trying to cook in season

Fruit: Avocados, bananas, cherries, grapefruit, lemons, loquats, mangoes, melons (honeydew, rockmelon, watermelon), oranges (valencia), passionfruit, pineapple, papaya, pawpaw, strawberries.

Vegetables: Artichoke, Asian greens, asparagus, beans, cucumber, lettuce, onions, peas, silverbeet, spinach, sweetcorn, tomato, watercress, zucchini.

I'm terrible for cooking whatever I feel like, with little concern for whether or not they're in season. If we were in a position to grow our own, I know I'd be better at it. But until then... I'll just have to try my best with bought food from the organic market around the corner.

What's On the Menu?

Asparagus -
Creamy Asparagus Pasta
Poached Chicken and Asparagus Spaghetti
Asparagus Risotto
Asparagus with Shaved Parmesan, Aioli and Lemon
Asparagus with Poached Eggs, Feta and Sumac

Beans
Vegetarian Chili Beans
Wholemeal Pasta with Rocket Pesto, Green Beans and Potatoes
Minestrone
Macadamia-crusted Fish with Asparagus and Green Beans
Bruschetta with White Beans and Mushrooms

Lettuce
Egg and Lettuce Wraps
Vegetarian Rice Paper Rolls

Onions
Aromatic Rice with Balsamic Onions
French Onion Soup
Baked Onions Stuffed with Pistachios and Cranberries
Three Cheese Polenta Triangles with Caramelised Onions
Onion, Ricotta and Sage Omelette
Warm Potato and Onion Salad
Caramelised Onion and Sausage Tart
Red Onion Tarte Tartines

Peas
Minted Peas Couscous
Chicken and Pea Risotto
Fried Rice
Chicken and Coleslaw Salad with Avacado
Pea, Feta and Mint Fritters
Pea and Goat's Cheese Tarts

Spinach
Spinach and Feta Slice
Cheese and Spinach Tortilla Melts
Spinach Gnocchi
Chipolata, Spinach and Red Onion Salad
Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni
Spinach and Lamb Pides

...

This project was bigger than I thought, and this is just a LIST of the recipes. Full recipes will come as I cook them. For now, I'm going to call this a day. Round two, the fruit, coming tomorrow.

Favourites Slideshow - Flickr