Tales of food, sex and friendship
Delicious and decadent. Perfect for a special shopping trip or just hanging out with friends. Use the driest champagne or sparkling white you can get.
Champagne or dry sparkling white
2 tspn cognac
2 dashes Angostura bitters
sugar cubes
Place one sugar cube in champagne flute with Angostura bitters. Add cognac and then top with champagne. Serve immediately.
Now, I know you think you’ve had chicken sandwiches before, but trust me, until you have these you don’t know what you’re missing! They are great for lunch or high tea. Recipe thanks to Chloe Rose.
Serve with any kind of sparkling beverage – of course, here at Ravenous we prefer Champagne, but if you must have sparkling water then that’s OK too. Makes 24 finger sandwiches.
3 chicken breast fillets – boiled whole
3 stalks celery – sliced finely
½ white onion – chopped very finely
Juice of ½ a lemon
3 tbs whole egg mayonnaise
Salt and pepper to taste
1 loaf soft bread cut lengthways (Ask the bakery to do this for you…. all they have to do is turn the bread the other way when they send it through the slicer…. but some little cherubs don’t realise this.)
Rip the chicken into shreds with your fingers (oooh how primal!) Mix chicken, celery, onion, lemon juice, and mayo in a bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. Press down a layer of the mixture into a slice of bread and top with another to make a big sandwich. Cut the crusts off. Now cut in half, then in half again, and in half once more. You should be left with eight delicious tiny sandwiches! Repeat the process until all your ingredients have been used up.
Light, tangy and creamy, it’s the perfect end for a spring dinner party. If you’re after something a bit more substantial, try making ginger cake and serving with a dollop of the mousse. yum, yum, yum!
Serve with fresh strawberries. Makes 4 individual serves.
1 can coconut milk (NOT low fat)
¼ cup honey or equivalent of agave syrup.
¼ cup cornflour
1cup coconut milk or soy milk or almond milk
juice of 2 limes
zest from 2 limes
½ tsp vanilla essence
Place the tin of coconut milk in the fridge for a few hours (overnight preferable). When you open the tin, the coconut cream should have solidified at the top, leaving the milk separate at the bottom. Scoop out the thick cream and put it in a mixing bowl (leave the milk for the second part of the recipe). Beat on high for a minute or two until it develops the consistency of heavy whipped cream. Put this aside.
In a small saucepan, combine honey, cornflour, remaining coconut milk and soy milk. Over a medium heat, whisk constantly until the mixture bubbles and thickens. Remove from heat and stir in the lime juice and half of the zest.
Cool to room temperature by placing pan in a ‘bath’ of ice and cold water and stirring until cool (make sure you don’t splash any of the water in the mixture). Gently fold in the whipped coconut cream until blended. Evenly distribute into ramekins or teacups and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, but longer is better. Sprinkle with remaining zest just before serving.
Got some extra dosh burning a hole in your pocket? Well, this appetiser should help fix that right up! (Adapted from New York chef Brad Farmerie’s recipe).
Serve with the most expensive champagne you can afford. Makes 10-12 serves.
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
1/2 tspn white truffle oil
2/3 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup milk
1 tbsp soy sauce
500 grams lobster meat
1 tbsp finely chopped chives
2 tspn freshly-squeezed lime juice
Salt and coarsely-ground black pepper, to taste
15 grams caviar
Adjust oven rack to centre position and preheat the oven to 165 degrees Celsius.
Arrange 10-12 shot glasses in a 9 x 9 baking pan.
Fill a saucepan with 1-1.5 litres of water and bring to a low simmer.
In a bowl whisk together the eggs, egg yolk, and truffle oil; set aside.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the cream, milk, and soy sauce. Bring just to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and let cool 1 minute. Whisking constantly, slowly pour the hot cream mixture into the eggs. Immediately strain the mixture through a mesh strainer into a large container with a pouring spout.
Pour the strained mixture into the shot glasses, filling them about 3/4 full. Carefully pour enough hot water from the kettle into the baking pan to reach halfway up the shot glasses. Cover the pan with foil and bake approximately 9 to 11 minutes or until a knife inserted near the centre comes out clean (the custards should be firm at the edges and just barely wobbly at the centre). Remove from oven and immediately remove cups from water bath. Let cool at room temperature until ready to serve.
In a small bowl, gently mix the lobster, chives, and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper.
Spoon a small amount of the lobster over each custard, then top with a dollop of caviar.
Enjoy!
Squid is a tricky thing to get right, but if done correctly it is one of the most mouthwatering delicacies you could ever hope to eat. Make sure you get really good, fresh squid and if you’re going to make this for someone you want to impress, perhaps do a trial run first.
Serve with a crisp green salad and cold white wine. Serves four as a starter/side dish.
500g cleaned squid
3 tbsp olive oil
3 finely chopped garlic cloves
3 bay leaves
15 macadamia nuts, roughly chopped
Pinch of saffron
½ cup dry sherry
1 tbsp sherry vinegar
Salt
3 tbsp finely chopped parsley
Put a large pot of salty water to a boil. Put the bay leaves in the water.
Slice the squid tubes into thick rings and set aside.
Mix the macadamia nuts, a pinch of salt, and the saffron in a food processor. Add the sherry and the sherry vinegar and whizz for a minute.
When the water is almost boiling, heat the olive oil in a deep pan or small pot over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and saute — do not let it brown. When you see the first piece browning, pour in the sherry-saffron-macadamia mixture, stir well and turn the heat down to medium. Bring to a boil then drop the heat again to medium-low. Let this cook for 3-5 minutes.
After the sauce is cooked, add the parsley and stir to combine. Taste to see if it needs more salt.
Once the water is boiling, drop the squid into the boiling water. Remove them after 45 seconds – no more!
Drain the squid and toss in with the sauce. Turn off the heat, stir to combine and serve at once.
A delectable hour serve to have with a gorgeous glass of whatever you fancy. Although you can make the pate and pears separately, don’t plate it all up until just before you are going to serve.
450g organic chicken livers, trimmed and cleaned
2 shallots, finely chopped
½ tsp. fresh oregano leaves
½ tsp. fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons grainy mustard
2 tablespoons (60mls) Sloe Gin
2 cloves garlic, crushed
225g organic butter
1 tsp allspice
Sea Salt and freshly milled pepper
Heat 25g butter in a pan with a little olive oil. Brown chicken livers and cook for about 2 mins on each side, or until they are just pink inside. Transfer to food blender. Melt 150g of butter and add to blender. Add chopped shallots and crushed garlic to pan; cook until transparent. Pour gin on shallot mixture and stir any residue in the pan until you have a sauce. Pour over chicken livers. Add mustard, allspice, oregano and thyme, and blend until the mixture is as smooth as you like it. Divide between buttered pots. Melt remaining butter (not too hot – you don’t want it to boil), and pour over pate in pots to seal. Cover with cling wrap and keep in fridge until required.
Maple Pears
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 firm pears, sliced into 12 wedges each (skin left on)
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
¼ teaspoon coarse salt
Melt butter in a pan over medium heat. Add pear; cook, turning once, until golden brown, about 5 minutes total. Stir in syrup and salt; reduce heat to low. Simmer until pears are soft, about 5 minutes.
To Serve
Get a really good quality baguette (sourdough is delicious!) and slice bread into small medallions and spread pate on as desired. Top with a piece of Maple pear and serve immediately.
Why have a regular sandwich when you can have a croque monsieur? This decadent, baked treat is delicious for breakfast, lunch, dinner….anytime you want! We add mushrooms to this recipe but you can go the straight carnivore option, or add tomato, zucchini, roasted eggplant or anything else that tickles your fancy.
Serve with a crisp green salad. Makes 2 sandwiches.
30g butter
1 tbs plain flour
1/2 cup (125ml) milk
125g gruyere cheese, grated
50g parmesan, grated
4 large slices sourdough bread
1 tsp Dijon mustard
100g sliced leg ham
100g mushrooms, sliced
Pinch of nutmeg
Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat, add the flour and stir for 1-2 minutes without letting the mixture brown. Slowly add the milk, whisking constantly, and continue to cook over low heat for about 4-5 minutes or until thick. Add half the grated gruyere cheese, stirring to combine. Add salt, pepper, parmesan and nutmeg. Set aside to cool.
Put sliced bread on baking sheet and bake for 2 to 3 mins each side, until lightly toasted.
Spread half the toasted bread with mustard, add ham to each, and sprinkle with half the remaining Gruyere. Put a spoon of the cheese sauce on this. Top with the other piece of toasted bread. Put the mushrooms on the top, slather with cheese sauce and sprinkle with the remaining Gruyere. Bake the sandwiches for 5 to 7 minutes. Grill for a further 3 to 5 minutes, or until the topping is bubbly and lightly browned. Serve hot.
OK, so the addition of beer to a crepe recipe might sound a little peculiar, but this trick makes the crepes so light and fluffy that you’ll wonder why you never did it before. Depending on how thick you like your pancakes/crepes you can add extra milk or flour.
Serve with your favourite topping (butter, lemon, sugar; maple syrup; homemade jam; fresh or stewed fruit; Vegemite). Makes 12 thin crepes or 8-10 thicker pancakes.
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup milk
1 cup pale ale or larger
1 ¾ cups plain flour
1 pinch salt
2 tablespoons butter
Whisk together eggs, milk and beer in a large bowl. Gradually whisk in flour. Add the salt and oil, then whisk the batter vigorously for 3 to 5 minutes, so it is thoroughly incorporated. Cover and refridgerate for 1 hour.
Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Brush it with butter, and when it’s hot but not smoking, pour 1/3 cup of batter into the centre of the pan, and rotate it so the batter covers the bottom in a thin layer. Cook the crepe until it is just golden on one side, 1 to 2 minutes, turn it and cook until it is golden on the other side, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a plate, and keep warm by covering with aluminium foil. Continue until all of the batter is used.
So simple, yet so delicious. Just make sure you use the best quality gin you can find (can also be made with vodka if that’s more your thing). If you can get your hands on some proper olive juice (i.e. Dirty Sue’s) then that works better than the brine. So, sit back, relax and channel Frank or James.
2 oz premium quality gin
1/2 oz extra-dry vermouth
1/2 oz olive juice/brine
2 green olives as garnish
Pour the liquid ingredients in a mixing glass with cracked ice. Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with olives.
Even if you don’t love the fact that Sarah gave Tom this recipe, you can’t help but love the dish itself. Gooey, spongy and not too sweet, it’s a proper old fashioned pudding without that heavy I-couldn’t-eat-another-morsel feeling. Looks great served in individual tea-cups and saucers. (Inspired by Tartine bakery in San Francisco.)
Serve with Mascarpone or icecream. Serves 6.
6 brioche slices, cut 1-inch thick
8 large eggs
3/4 cup brown sugar
4 cups whole milk
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Raspberries, Blueberries, Mulberries for topping
Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Grease a 9X5 inch glass loaf dish with butter. Place brioche slices on a baking sheet and put in oven for 4-10 mins until lightly toasted. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
To make the custard, crack the eggs into a mixing bowl and whisk until blended. Add the sugar and whisk until smooth. Add the milk, vanilla and salt and whisk again. Pour the mixture through through a fine-mesh sieve.
Place the toasted bread slices in the prepared loaf pan, cutting the slices to fit as needed. Pour the custard evenly over the bread, filling the dish to the top. You may not be able to add all of the custard at this point. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes, so that the bread can absorb the custard.
Just before baking, top off the dish with more of the custard if needed. Cover the dish with foil, place in the oven, and bake the pudding for about 1 hour. You can ascertain the pudding is done when you push a knife in and only a little liquid remains. The custard will continue to cook when the dish is removed.
Let the pudding cool for about 10 minutes. Poke holes in the top of the pudding to let steam out and then cover the top with a generous serving of fresh berries (raspberries, blueberries etc.). Add a sprinkling of caster sugar if desired. If berries are not in season, you can sauté any other fruit in some butter and sugar and load it onto the top. Peaches, plums or any other stone fruit work well.
Serve warm immediately or refrigerate, removing 30 mins before serving. Serve with mascarpone and/or vanilla ice cream.