Grandma's Kitchen Table

IHCC: Donna Hay - Pistachio Cakes with Raspberries

      The theme for this week forI Heart Cooking Clubs is Fill the Tins! (Cookies & treats to load to a cookie plate or fill up a gift tin.)  The recipe I chose for this week was Pistachio Cakes with Raspberries, and it can be found on page 169 in Donna Hay's Simple Dinners cookbook. 

      The ingredient list:  almond meal, unsalted shelled pistachios, butter, confectioner's sugar, flour, baking powder, egg whites, and raspberries.  

      These little cakes just felt festive and Christmas-y with their colors, in the book she suggests serving them with Rosewater Cream and a few pistachios on the side.  Since the theme this week was to "Fill the Tins!" I thought I would just show them that way. 

      The little raspberries were supposed to poke up through the batter, some of mine did and some of them didn't, so I think next time I need to put in less batter or fill it up with more raspberries.  That said, it didn't affect the taste at all...the combination of the almond meal and ground up pistachios (you use the food processor for the whole recipe) works so well, the taste is unique and delicious.  It's wonderful biting into that little bitty cake and have the burst of flavor from the fresh raspberries inside.  Light, refreshing, fruity, cakey, and all-around just plain delicious. I might have eaten more than one.  Might have.  Definitely a repeat, all done, including clean up in less than an hour. 

      Really, for the recipe, just buy the book, I've made eleven recipes from it so far, and each one worthy of the purchase price. Please visit the I Heart Cooking Clubs site to see what the others made, you just click on their photo entry and it links you to their post/recipe.

IHCC: Donna Hay - Almond Roasted Chicken

      The theme for this week forI Heart Cooking Clubs is Fast & Fabulous (Dishes that take 30 minutes or less to make-- perfect for busy times).  The recipe I chose for this week was Almond Roasted Chicken, and it can be found on page 85 in Donna Hay's Simple Dinners cookbook. 

      The ingredient list:  cumin, lemon zest, lemon juice, chicken, olive oil, cinnamon, almonds, oregano, currants salt, and pepper.  

      I'm forever trying to find new ways to cook chicken for weeknights, requiring something easy, quick, and flavorful.  Something NOT the same old baked or sauteed chicken. This recipe meets all those requirements and then some.  The combination of almonds and currants, cinnamon, oregano, cumin, and lemon makes it full of flavor, they all go together so nicely. 

      It literally takes less than four minutes to throw all that together. The recipe has you use parchment to line a baking pan, place the chicken in the pan, toss in all the ingredients, bake for 20 minutes.  At the end of the meal, you just throw away the baking parchment and cleanup is done.  Perfect for weeknights or any time, wonderful enough to serve guests.  Delicious. 

      Really, for the recipe, just buy the book, I've made ten recipes from it so far, and each one worthy of the purchase price. Please visit the I Heart Cooking Clubs site to see what the others made, you just click on their photo entry and it links you to their post/recipe.

IHCC: Donna Hay - Red Curry Roasted Sweet Potatoes

      The theme for this week forI Heart Cooking Clubs is Easy Entertaining (Hosting made simple -- dishes perfect for serving to guests but easy to prepare!).  The recipe I chose for this week was Red Curry Roasted Sweet Potatoes, and it can be found on page 158 in Donna Hay's Simple Dinners cookbook. 

      The ingredient list:  sweet potatoes, Thai red curry paste, coconut cream, vegetable oil, salt, and pepper.  

      I'm always looking for new and interesting side dishes to serve with the main course.  It doesn't get any easier than this recipe, absolutely perfect for preparation ease, simple to bake, easy to serve to guests, and very little clean up (toss away the foil used to line the baking pan). 

      Wash and slice the sweet potatoes in half, cross-hatch with your knife, mix coconut cream and curry paste to spread on top, drizzle on a little oil, place in the oven and bake.  The sweet potatoes take on a little extra flavor with the curry and coconut cream that heightens and compliments the sweet potato flavor.  These were delicious, soft, buttery (without the butter), and lovely in taste and texture, a little kick from the curry but nothing wild.  Mark said he would happily eat sweet potatoes prepared this way once a week...Donna Hay does it again.  

      Really, for the recipe, just buy the book, I've made nine recipes from it so far, and each one worthy of the purchase price. Please visit the I Heart Cooking Clubs site to see what the others made, you just click on their photo entry and it links you to their post/recipe.