the alex (a)

Have you ever heard of the Reuben sandwich? It a sandwich with 1000 island (or russian) dressing, pastrami, sauerkraut and swiss cheese.

In the sandwich world, there is much debate about who invented the reuben. Was it Reuben Kulakofsky from Omaha nebraska, who invented it in the 1920s as a late night snack for him and his poker buddies or

Arnold from NY, who sold the reuben at his deli (reubens deli) in 1928?

The mystery has never been solved.

The more important issue at hand is that I would like to claim copyright on 'the alex' (watch out guys this is gonna be big). Invented in my mothers kitchen in 2011, my brothers and I have been eating a version of this sandwich for the past few years (paul is probably gonna say he invented it but he didnt...i did) but I have finally perfected it.

Once I have my cafe, the alex will be a staple menu item. As that future is a while away, I will share the recipe with you :) because thats how nice I am. And because you will never get it perfectly right because you wont have exactly the same ingredients that I use - and my special secret ;) MUAHAHAHHAHAHA!!!

The alex

1 piece fillet steak

3 pieces grill haloumi

1 pickled cucumber

1/4 avocado

1 turkish pocket

tomato sauce

Cook the fillet steak and haloumi.

Layer the ingredients in the sandwich, starting with tomato sauce on the bottom, steak, haloumi, cucumber and avocado.

Enjoy with a cold beer :)

rhubarb crumble cake (a)

I am the eggman, they are the eggmen.
I am the walrus, coo coo catchoo coo coo catchoo...


i think that across the universe has to be one of my favourite movies of all time. bono singing 'i am the walrus' is pretty epic. i just looked up the lyrics to this song and realised there is alot of food references in it...


anyways, made something delish this morning, and a little bit out of this world, so you may feel like a walrus when you eat it (no it has nothing to do with fish). its rhubarb crumble cake. smelt so good in the oven and OH EM GEE when you taste it...its like...buttery and spongy on the bottom and a little bit lemony then the rhubarb is moist and oh so tart then the crumble ontop is sweet and crunchy. the perfect mix of sweet and sour with textures to boot. 



so i suggest you cook it up for dessert, or lunch...in fact, im going to eat some more while i write this, gah it is soooo good.


Rhubarb crumble cake

sorry the measures are all in g, but it doesnt translate to cups very well...
185g SR flour
1/2 tspn baking powder
185 butter diced and room temperature
185g castor sugar
zest of 1 orange
3 eggs beaten
juice 1/2 lemon
3 stalks rhubarb, cut into 2cm pieces
1 tablespoon raw sugar


crumble topping
50g butter cubed and chilled
40g plain flour
40g demerara sugar (i used brown sugar)
40g flaked almonds


Preheat oven to 180 celcius and grease 22cm spring form cake tin.
Sift flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt into a large bowl.
Add softened butter, sugar, zest, eggs and lemon juice. Beat well until just combined (may be easier with a mixer but i cbf)
Spoon mixture into cake tin.
Mix rhubarb pieces with raw sugar and then spread evenly over the top of the cake mixture, pushing it into the batter slightly.
To make topping, rub butter into flour and sugar until crumbly (like bread crumbs) then mix in almonds.
Spread the crumb mixture over the rhubarb ontop of the cake and press down lightly.
Bake for 65-75 minutes or until golden, risen and firm to the touch.
Allow cake to cool for 10 minutes before removing from tin.
Keep in an airtight container.
Serve warm, dusted with icing sugar and a dollop of thick cream.


Tips
DO NOT EAT THE CRUMBLE or you will eat it all and get sick. trust me.

toasted coconut bread with ricotta, honey and cinnamon fried bananas (a)

This...is just because everyone should eat something yummy on saturday mornings. i want to inspire you to eat delish foods on the weekend - its the weekend. time to relax, read the morning paper, and indulge in some good tasting healthy foods.
And its a good way to use up the coconut bread 
(see: http://cafe-couture.blogspot.com/2011/04/coconut-bread.html)


Toasted coconut bread with ricotta, honey and cinnamon fried bananas (for 2)

4 slices of coconut bread
2 bananas
1 tspn cinnamon
2 tbspns ricotta
honey


Heat frypan.
Toast coconut bread.
Slice banana in 3rds and each 3rd in half.
Lightly oil frypan and place bananas in pan (flat side down). 
Cook for about 4-5 minutes on low heat, or until lightly browned.
Flip bananas over. Sprinkle cinnamon evenly oven the bananas and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Place coconut bread on plate. Spoon ricotta overtop and drizzle honey ontop of that (prob only need about 1 tbspn).
Place bananas ontop.
Serve with OJ and ice.


Best saturday morning breakfast EVER.


Tips
Coconut bread is pretty filling, so you might only need 1 slice each.
Use peaches, nectarines or berries instead of bananas.
Make honey ricotta (add 2 tbspn honey to a tub of ricotta) if you really feel up to it.

coconut bread (a)

I dont really have an introduction to this. basically, mum made coconut bread on wednesday.

Ok ok so its not really my recipe because MUM made the bead, but I think it is worth a mention as it was actually really really good. Its quite a heavy loaf, and one slice will be sufficient as a good snack. It keeps well in the freezer, or in the pantry for up to a week (just toast it if it gets a bit dry haha). 

Would probably work as muffins as well...

mmm steaming hot from the oven :) :)

Coconut bread

2 eggs

300ml milk

1 tspn vanilla essence

3 cups plain four

2 tspn baking powder

2 tspn cinnamon
150g coconut shredded

110g castor sugar

75g brown sugar

80g unsalted butter melted

Preheat oven to 180 celcius and line baking tin (loaf tin) with paper.

In a small bowl, lightly whisk eggs, milk and vanilla. set aside.

In a larger bowl, sift flour, baking powder and cinnamon.

Add sugars and coconut and mix until combined.

Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and add the milk/egg mix, stirring until just combined.

Add melted butter, folding into the mix until smooth - do not over mix.

Pour into loaf pan and bake for 1 hour (or until skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean).

Serve hot from the oven with butter.


Tips:
USE WHOLEMEAL FLOUR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Would taste just as good AND its healthier!!!

Macadamia choc chunk muffins (a)

My boyfriend just left me.


I've crashed my car and have dented all down the right side - and taken out another cars door as well.


My dad is 'FURIOUS' at me.


I made a batch of chocolate muffins. Because thats the only thing i can think of to make myself feel better.


Macadamia choc chunk muffins

mmmmmm soo good warm :)

2 cups SR flour
1 1/2 tbspn cocoa
1/3 c castor sugar
1/2 c macadamias chopped
60g dark cooking chocolate chopped
60 g butter
1 egg
1 c milk


Preheat oven to 180 celcius and prepare muffin tray
Place flour, sifted cocoa and sugar into bowl.
Add macadamias and chocolate, stir.
In a small bowl, melt butter and stir in egg, add to dry mix.
Add milk and stir roughly until just combined.
Bake for 17 minutes.
Eat warm (with icecream if you have it).


Actually made me feel lots better :)


Oh and the boy hasnt 'left left' me, just left to go home...

C restaurant

I have a special treat for you today. Not a recipe, but A REVIEW.
An extra SPECIAL review, as it was written by my well chiseled, witty and handsome (his words not mine) brother.


Last week we went to C restaurant, mainly to take steve up high to see the city on his last weekend in perth. 11 of us were there, my family, and my aunt/uncle and cousins. For those of you who dont know, C restaurant is the revolving restaurant 33 stories high in the centre of perth.

the other well chiseled handsome man in my life, and his dinner (which paul describes below)

I think paul (the well chiseled handsome one) does an excellent job...


This, is my amazing review of C.

I had high expectations for C (pun intended. Its 33 floors up. Side note- IT REVOLVES!). However, these expectations were somewhat surprised, namely by the service. In what scientists are calling "quite slow" it took about 1/2 an hour for wine to get to the table. Now I was aware that the room CIRCULATED, but I doubt the waiters really found it so disorientating it took 1/2 an hour to find a table of 11. And like any teenage girl, middle aged customers (namely my parents) are much easier to please once they have had a glass or two. Or in the case of a teenage girl, 1/3 cask. So that may have lead to the disappointment they felt, which ended with me writing this review.

At $70 a head, I am not going to lie, a broader menu could be expected. The selection was either steak, chicken, fish or gnocchi, which I am pretty sure did not cater for any vegetarian needs. Though I didn't actually check, as I originally had no intention of writing this review, or eating the gnocchi, which may have been vegetarian.

Due to my continuously starved, upper middle-class upbringing I picked the menu item which one would assume would be the largest portion size. This was the sirloin steak, served with mushroom deluxe, and "Parsley Mash". Feeling like I had nothing but pure testosterone and boredom pulsing through my veins, I ordered the steak medium rare, so as to really bring out my blood thirst, without actually have copious amounts of blood dribbling down my chin, onto my new shirt and tie. 


However, it would appear that both the waiter and chef over indulged my thirst for semi-cooked cow blood, as the steak was cool in the middle. Which is what rare is (Official studies indicate that "Medium Rare" and "Rare" are not the same thing). Also my drink order was originally not what I asked for. (Whiskey and Soda. Get whiskey, and ice and soda. You get money, I get drink, everyone gets what they want.)

However, the Ethiopian like state of my hunger forgave the bleeding mass of steak. It did not however forgive the portion size. Though the steak appeared to be made of three whole cows, sowed together with raw blood, the distinctly small amount of potato made me feel like I was in Ireland during 1845 (The Great Potato Blight in Ireland for those uneducated in tumor based affairs).

Furthermore, the lack of moisture in the potato made seemed to top off the already Ethiopian like hungry. The mushroom deluxe was de-wait-for-it-licious, though, relative to the amount of bovine, was a paltry sum. 

As for the sauce that accompanied the steak, it was reminiscent of Vegemite. Which is disappointing on bread, let alone sirloin steak. Though the chef did manage to water it down to a less paste-like substance, without losing any of its huge levels of salt. So kudos to him. Or her. I'm not workplace prejudiced.

The dessert (Chocolate Mousse) was not particularly special. At all. No flamboyant additives like the sap from an endangered vanilla plant that only "cries" once a millenia IF the moon is both directly overhead, and bleeding moon tears of joy. I am almost certain that it was supermarket chocolate and cream. Maybe some vanilla essence. Maybe. 

Overall, at $70 dollars, not including drinks, I wouldn't say it is not worth it, as it is marketed as something special. Which besides the ROTATION of the room, it isn't. The only reason you would come here is to mildly disappoint someone. And if you did want to do that, I would just take them to KFC and make them try the new "Double Down" Burger. If they do somehow manage to survive the massive amounts of cholesterol, you can be happy knowing that instead they will be spending the next three days running back and forth between the toilet.


note: apparently the best way to enjoy this restaurant is to forgo dinner, buy a drink and make i last a LONG time.