Traditional Hot Cocoa

I am, as you probably all know an enormous fan of chocolate of any kind or form and this beautiful comforting hot drink has been prepared as long as cocoa powder has been available. It is a drink that warms on a cold winter day and can cool during a hot summer when served as a cold chocolate milk. If there is any chocolate milk leftover it can be used to make a cocktail by adding your favourite liqueur such as brandy, rum or whisky.

Blueberry Lemon Muffins

These healthy sweet muffins were made using our new super quick 4 blade Ninja food processor, however you can use any type of food processor.

Buttermilk and Lemon Bread

This is an easy and ideal white bread for breakfast or lunch. The buttermilk mixed with lemon in this recipe delivers an excellent textured and fresh zing.

Sticky Date and Walnut Scones

This scone is wonderful for morning, afternoon or even high tea and is not as sweet as a sticky date pudding.

Traditional Roast Turkey with Pistachio Stuffing

Christmas lunch in Australia or dinner which is referring to the evening meal is based on the traditional English version and because of the heat in the Australian summer meats such as ham, turkey and chicken are more often than not served cold with cranberry sauce accompanied by side salads or roast vegetables.

Orange Glazed Ham

A glazed ham is a big tradition in many countries around Easter or Christmas time. Hams are made from the butt end leg of the pig or shank end. The meat is wet cured in a brine solution or dry cured and then smoked or cooked. The butt end has more meat and fat and the shank end has sweeter meat. An uncooked ham is a fresh ham and the meat must be cooked to a temperature of 71ºC before eating.

Chicken and Bacon Casserole

Cooking chicken with bacon will add lots of extra flavour in this easy casserole recipe which can also be cooked in a slow cooker. This chicken dish is great both with boiled or mashed potatoes or rice.

Rick’s Strawberry and Mango Margarita

Rick made this refreshing cocktail in Christmas 2012 and while making it experienced a funny kitchen incident. Rick was following the method from the recipe, but accidently removed the bowl from the blender with the lid off and the power still on. It is amazing how much a short pulse can spread a strawberry and mango margarita over you and the kitchen.

Ratatouille with Feta Gratin

This is a light version of a classic dish and the topping of bread and feta turn it into a vegetarian main meal. Eggplant is rich in anti-oxidants and may help to protect against cancer and heart disease. It also contains vitamin K, needed to regulate blood clotting, some foliate for heart health and a useful amount of fiber.

Dutch Oven Bread

This bread is extremely easy for anybody to make at home or even in an open fire at the camping ground. The structure of this bread is similar to sourdough bread with big uneven holes through the bread.

Coconut Mango and Mint Scones

Copha is solidified coconut oil made in blocks available in Australia and is in reality hydrogenated coconut butter.  If Copha or similar products is unavailable use unsalted butter or white vegetable shortening.

Featuring Rick Wallin’s Lamb Medallions with Redcurrant Glaze

I was born in Australia and I’m currently living in Menai, NSW. Over the last 15 years cooking has been a form of relaxation after a busy and frustrating day at work. Since I finished full-time work at Christmas 2011 I’ve enjoyed having more time to expand on the variety of dishes I cook. My regular comfort meal is Eggs Benedict; however the recipe I keep going back to is my special fried rice. I get a lot of my recipes from my favourite internet cookbook, taste.com.au, but I get more good ideas from Ina Garten (The Barefoot Contessa) than anyone else. My preferred classic dish is Beef Wellington. My ideal food to eat is my next new recipe and a dish I am proud of my last new recipe.

My favourite kitchen gadget is the espresso machine. The most essential ingredients in my kitchen are good oil and other essential ingredients in the cupboard are garlic, pepper, pasta and rice. The best kitchen tip I can give is to start simple, follow the recipe and build up a personal repertoire.

There has been a few funny incidents in the kitchen, such as removing the bowl from the blender with the lid off – and the power still on. Amazing how much a short pulse can spread a strawberry and mango margarita over you and the kitchen.

Lamb Medallions with Redcurrant Glaze

This is a quick, lower-fat version of a slow-roasted classic, but with all the flavour and goodness. Serve it with crushed new potatoes for a hearty, sustaining meal. Cannellini beans have a low GI which makes them not only a good source of fiber, but a longer lasting energy source.

Orange Mousse

This is the standard way I used to make orange mousse on Sundays as a pastry chef in the 70’s and it is a very refreshing dessert.

Beef Beer and Bacon Stew

This is a delicious beef casserole flavoured with your favourite choice of beer and is straightforward to cook.

The Secret to a Perfect Banana Smoothie

Smoothies are smooth beverages normally mixed with fresh fruit, crushed or shaved ice, frozen fruit or other fruit juices and do not contain ice cream like a milk shake. To make a perfect banana smoothie start with an ideal yellow banana with brown spots stored at room temperature which develops a supreme and intense banana flavour. Peel and cut into bite size pieces for speedy blending and consistent texture. Use freshly made ice from good tasting tap, filtered or bottle water. As soon as the ice cubes freezes, empty the trays and store the ice in air tight plastic bags as a result they won’t absorb any unwanted flavours from the freezer or other products. Blend ingredients until smooth and pour into cooled glasses. Serve and enjoy straight away.

Guinness bread

This bread recipe is from Guinness storehouse, it is a full of flavor and moist beer bread which gets better the next day. I baked this bread in a big square cake tin since I didn’t have a large bread tin.

Nile Perch Fish Cakes

Make fish cakes from leftover steamed or poached Nile perch. If Nile perch is unavailable use other white fleshed fish Ling, Blue-eye Trevalla, Coral Trout, Emperors and Mahi Mahi which are fish with firm, white flesh. These fish are popular choices for many recipes as their flavour is not as characteristic as pink or red-fleshed fish and their firm texture means they hold together well in a variety of cooking. There are many species of fish in the ocean and one can be substituted for one another. If a recipe calls for a particular species which is unavailable or is too expensive on the day you’re shopping, your fishmonger will help in suggesting a suitable substitute.

White Chocolate and Passionfruit Scones

This is the most popular sweet scones I make.

Lemon Mousse

This is the classic way I make lemon mousse.

Beer and Cheese Quick Bread

This is a brilliant and fast savoury bread to make at home when unexpected visitors arrive. It is also great for toasted sandwiches or served with soup.

Kids Aussie Hamburger

The Aussie kid Hamburger is a very simple and quick hot sandwich to make, consisting of toasted bun sandwiched with a juicy beef burger, cheese and tomato sauce. The meat is always beef mixed with other ingredient such as sausage mince, tomato sauce, onion and breadcrumbs.

Banana Milkshake

This milkshake is rich in banana flavor with hints of vanilla sweetness from honey and spice from cinnamon. Keep all wet ingredients cold. Cooled glasses are the key to a perfect cold summer milkshake. To make it as a really great thick shake, you can scoop out of the glass, use only half the amount of milk.

Banana and Oatmeal Cookies

These cookies are healthy, vegan, dairy free, flourless and lactose free and are great for in between snacks.

Banana Pancakes

This pancake is delicious with plenty of banana flavour ideal for breakfast, lunch and dessert.

Pumpkin parsley and cheese scones

Savoury scones are always popular especially if they contain pumpkin and cheese.

Lamb Leg Roast

A Sunday roast is always perfect for the cooler month of the year. The leg is a favourite cut for roasting and a whole leg is ideal for serving large numbers with plenty of lean and tender meat.

Spotted Dog Bread

Spotted Dog is fruit bread derived in Ireland using the same key ingredients as the traditional Irish Soda Bread with the addition of sugar, egg and dried fruit. The spotted look is achieved with the addition of sultanas, raisins or currants. It is in essence a quick bread and is best consumed on the day it is baked.

Chicken Mulligatawny

Mulligatawny is a curry flavoured soup of Anglo-Indian origin and there are many variations. In European style cuisine it has in general a yellow colour containing chicken meat, beef or lamb and is more often than not thickened with rice.

Bellini Cocktail

According to legend the Bellini cocktail is a mixture of Prosecco sparkling wine and white peach purée. It is a very popular Italian long drink created in Venice at Harry’s Bar by Giuseppe Cipriani. The unique pink colour reminded Cipriani of the toga of a saint in a painting by Giovanni Bellini and therefore named the drink the Bellini. Place 1 part white peach nectar in the bottom of a chilled Champagne flute, top with 3 part Prosecco and if you prefer add a drop of raspberry syrup or grenadine to deliver the perfect balance with a pink hue.

Irish White Soda Quick Bread

Brown and white soda breads are still widely made in Ireland and initially the bread was cooked in an iron bastible or pot oven beside the open fire. This oven baked quick bread is very fast to make and is best eaten fresh.

Aussie Hamburger with the Lot

The Great Aussie Works Burger, also called Aussie Hamburger with the lot, is a traditional good old OZ burger served in many fish and chip shops all over Australia. This Hamburger sandwich is also available on many pubs, coffee shops and restaurants menu. It usually consists of toasted bun, barbeque sauce, beef, cheese, onion, bacon, egg, pineapple, beetroot, tomato, iceberg lettuce and is served with hot chips. An OZ Hamburger is a large meal with plenty of flavour and echoes the Australian way of good living like abundance of summer, surf and sunshine.