Ultimate Dining Experience

We recently dined at the flying fish restaurant in Sydney, although we had been there before it was still amazing, you can enjoy your sensational meal overlooking the bay with views of the Sydney Opera House.

If your ever in sydney and love seafood you wont be disappointed.

We enjoyed the degustation menu which consisted of

Flying Fish seafood tapas

Yellow fin tuna with sweet crackling pork and ruby grapefruit

Seared white scallops with a warm cauliflower pannacotta, asparagus salad and black truffle

King Island marron tails with leek tortellini, trompettes and blue swimmer crab bisque emulsion

Lemon, lime and orange sorbet

Pan fried Mulloway with potato fondant, boudin noir,zucchini blossoms and pork jus

Dessert tasting plate

Coffee and petit fours

Images sourced from the flying fish web site

Gourmet Baked Mushroom on Sourdough

I have used this recipe as a starter for a dinner party, a light meal and it would also make a fab breky with some crispy pancetta on the side. This recipe was sorced from Taste magazine

Bash olive oil, garlic and basil.

Brush flat mushrooms with basil oil and season with salt & pepper. Place two halved cherry tomatoes cut side up on mushroom and bake in oven for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile: brush a slice of sourdough or pane de casa bread with basil oil. Bake in oven for 6 minutes.

Place rocket on bread then mushroom. Sprinkle with crumbled feta and drizzle with basil oil.

Garnish with basil leaves.

I don't know where is recipe came from.

Rocket & Spinach Pesto Spaghetti

This is a great pasta that is packed full of freshness, you can add some oven roasted cherry tomatoes or pumpkin, or even some cooked salmon pieces. Make the pesto as close to serving time as possible as it tends to loose its bite.

½ bunch rocket, washed, ends trimmed and dry
½ bunch spinach, washed, ends trimmed and dry
3 garlic gloves
35g parmesan
35g pine nuts

Lemon rind of 1/4 of a lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil
80ml (1/3 cup) fresh lemon juice

Salt and pepper

Bashed all of the dry ingredients in a mortar and pestle until it is a very thick chunky paste. Stir in lemon juice and olive oil to make it a pesto consistency. If you add the liquid too soon it makes it messy to bash up the dry ingredients. You can add a little bit of lemon juice earlier if it is too dry to bash.

Cook thin spaghetti in a large saucepan until al dente. Drain well and return to the pan.

Add the rocket and spinach pesto to the pasta and toss until well combined.

Serve with finely grated parmesan, lemon juice and rind.

Mediterranean Rice Salad

I am not sure where this recipe came from, my mother in law gave it to me. It is my most favorite salad and i have also made this using pasta instead of rice.

Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 12 Minutes

2 cups white long grain rice
2 cups chicken stock
420g drained corn kernels
1 cup semi sundried tomatoes
½ cup pine nuts, toasted.
8 green onions
½ cup green olives, sliced
1 cup fresh basil, chopped
Mustard Dressing

½ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons seeded mustard
1 glove garlic
salt & pepper

Place rice in a large sieve and rinse under cold water until water runs clear. Bring the chicken stock to the boil in a medium saucepan; add the rice, simmer covered, over low heat for about 10 minutes until the rice is just tender, and all the liquid is absorbed. Fluff rice with a fork and leave to cool.

In a jar combine all mustard dressing ingredients and shake.

Place the rice, corn, tomatoes, pinenuts, onions, olives and basil in a large bowl.
Just before serving add the mustard dressing. Season to taste.

Hummingbird Cake

Ingredients

150g (1 cup) plain flour

75g (1/2 cup) SR flour

1/2 teaspoon bicarb soda

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

200g (1 cup – firmly packed) brown sugar

450g cab crushed pineapple in syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

45g flaked coconut

2 large ripe banana’s, mashed

2 eggs, lightly beaten

180ml vegetable oil

60g chopped pecans (optional)

Soft butter, for greasing

CREAM CHEESE ICING

30g soft unsalted butter

60g cream cheese, softened

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

240g icing sugar, sifted

40g pecans, roasted and chopped (optional)

Method Sift flours, bicarb, spices and place in mixing bowl with sugar and a pinch of salt, stir to combine. Drain pineapple, pressing the liquid out with back of a spoon. Reserve 1/4 cup of syrup and add with pineapple to the flour mixture. Add vanilla, coconut and bananas, and sir to combine. Add eggs and oil and stir until until well combined, then fold through pecans. Spoon mixture into a greased and base-lined 20cm round cake tin and bake at 180 for 40 minutes or until cake teaster comes out clean. Cool cake in tin for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire cooling rack. For cream cheese icing: using an electric mixer, beat butter, cheese and vanilla until smooth. With motor running on slow speed, gradually add icing sugar and beat until smooth. Spread over cooled cake and sprinkle with pecans. Cake will keep, refrigerated in an air-tight container for 2-3 days. I think this cake gets better the on day 2 and even better on day three, so this is a great one to make a day or two ahead, I suggest a day so you can take the left overs home.

Recipe soured from Gourmet Traveler Party Food Cook Book.

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I will be posting my favorite recipes and must try recipes here so stay tuned for the first step