Ok guys... For those that know me I’m a BIG coffee lover! Like, I really, really love coffee. It’s my Mumma secret weapon!  So you can imagine my excitement when I was invited to attend the launch of LOR Barista Coffee Machine. As if that wasn't enough, I got to meet Manu! Omg, double dream come true. We tasted the different espressos and checked out the new machine - epic, by the way! It’s ideal for catching up with friends, as unlike most capsule machines it makes two coffees at once (or a double shot if you like it strong like me!).




Manu Feildel, Australia’s most loved French chef, has teamed up with L’OR Espresso to create cocktails and dessert.



The greatest dessert you’ll ever sip on Café Liegeois au Kahlua It’s French for delicious 





Serves 6 Preparation: 20 minutes (plus 3-4 hours for freezing)


INGREDIENTS

Coffee granita
40g caster sugar
3 x double shot L’OR Barista Selection intensity 13 (freshly brewed, Espresso setting)
60ml dark rum

Mascarpone crème
 60g mascarpone
 60ml pure cream
 15g pure icing sugar
 1 egg yolk

To serve
500ml vanilla bean ice cream 100g Speculaas biscuits, half crushed and the remaining kept whole 3 x double shot L’OR Barista Selection intensity 13, ristretto pour freshly brewed and chilled 6 x 30ml Kahlua shots  Whipped cream, to serve Crushed coffee beans, to decorate

METHOD

1. For the coffee granita, dissolve the sugar into 3 freshly brewed double shot L’OR Barista Selection intensity 13 (using Espresso setting) in a bowl. Allow to cool before adding the rum and pour into a shallow container. Freeze for 3-4 hours before scraping with a fork to break up into small ice crystals and freeze until required.

 2. For the mascarpone cream, place all the ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer and whisk until soft peaks form. Refrigerate until needed.

3. Several hours before serving, place 6 serving glasses in the freezer to chill.

 4. To serve, place 1-2 scoops of vanilla bean ice cream into each serving glass, top with a spoonful of mascarpone cream, a spoonful of granita and a sprinkle of Speculaas biscuits. Drizzle over a single shot of chilled double shot L’OR Barista Selection intensity 13 per glass, a shot of Kahlua and finish with whipped cream, a whole Speculaas biscuit and crushed coffee beans as desired.

This recipe has to be my ultimate favourite!  I'm looking forward to my next family night, to really show off my barista skills and with a fabulous dessert like this I'm sure will really impress everyone.


Are you a coffee lover?  What's your favourite dessert using coffee?

More on LOR HERE

Julie Goodwin and Westinghouse are encouraging parents to cook with their kids and have together created a Kids in the Kitchen recipe booklet, featuring 12 delicious recipes that families can cook together. Today i will be sharing a family favorite with you all and reveal all the 12 in the coming weeks.

A recent Westinghouse Kids in the kitchen survey found that cooking from scratch is in decline, Lack of time has resulted in over a million parents reporting that they never teach their kids to cook. One third (33%) of families teach their kids to cook once a month and 30% of  parents say they never share their family cooking traditions and tips.

Julie Goodwin believes getting kids in the kitchen is about having fun, getting messy and enjoying the chaos as well as teaching lifelong skills.

 "Cooking is one of the greatest life skills that you can teach and share with your children. It helps set them up for life for their nutrition and wellbeing as well as proving a wonderful time for the family to spend together"

Julie shares some tips in getting kids into the kitchen

1. Get them involved in the whole process- from going through cookbooks and picking what your going to make,to going to the grocery store and getting the ingredients. Children are far more likely to enjoy cooking and eating what has been created if they have some ownership in the process.
2. Chanel your inner green thumb- going to the garden and picking veggies you have grown together from a seed is very rewarding.
3. Dont overcomplicated it- focus on simple dishes and the fun behind cooking, teach your kids to clean as they go to minimize stress in the kitchen.
4. Colour is the key- kids love color, so choose recipes that have vibrant colors throughout like salads and stir-frys.
5. Homemade take away- identify your kids favorite takeaway meal and work out how to create them at home in a fresh way.

Homemade Sausage Rolls and tomato sauce


Serves 4
Ingredients
 400 grams beef mince
 1 egg
 2 sprigs parsley
 1 piece bacon
 ½ cup bread crumbs
 2 shallots
 1 tsp mustard powder
 1 small carrot
 1 zucchini

 Salt and pepper
 1 tbsp. tomato sauce

Pastry:
 1 ¼ cups plain flour
 125 grams butter
 ½ t salt
 4 tbsp. iced water
 1 tbsp. extra milk

Homemade tomato sauce:
 500 grams good quality vine ripened tomatoes (must be super ripe) or good quality tinned tomatoes
 ¼ cup red wine vinegar
 3 tbsp. brown sugar
 Pinch of salt and pepper
 ¼ tsp Worcestershire sauce
 1 small brown onion
 1 tbsp. olive oil

Method
Sausage rolls:
1. Pre-heat oven to 200C. Line a biscuit tray with baking paper
2. Place butter and flour into a bowl. Rub the mixture in between your index finger and thumb until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add a pinch of salt and pepper
3. Add the salt and half the iced water, mix to combine. Add a little bit of water at a time until the pastry forms a ball
4. Knead the dough on the bench a few times, until it looks smooth. Roll to 1cm flat, wrap in plastic and place into the fridge
5. Using the finest side of the grater, grate the carrot. Grate the zucchini into a strainer, then push out all of the excess liquid. Dry on paper towel
6. Place zucchini and carrot into a bowl
7. Whisk the egg
8. Finely dice the shallots, parsley and bacon
9. Add all ingredients into a large bowl and mix to combine
10. Remove pastry from the fridge. Lightly flour a rolling pin, pastry roll to ½ cm thick with a rolling pin. Trim the edges to be a rectangle. Cut rectangle into 6x6 cm squares
11. Divide filling evenly onto each piece of pastry. Place filling on one edge and roll
12. Place onto baking tray, brush with milk and bake for 20 minutes or until golden

Homemade tomato sauce:
1. Remove stem from the tomato mark an X in the bottom of the tomato with a sharp knife. Fill a large bowl with boiling water. Place the tomatoes in the bowl. Place a round cake tin with a little water on top to keep the tomatoes in the bowl. Allow to sit for 5 minutes.
2. Drain the tomatoes and rub the skin off
3. Finely chop the onion
4. Place olive oil into a small non-stick saucepan and put onto a low heat. Slowly sweat and caramelize the onions (this may take up to 20 minutes)
5. Whilst onions are cooking, finely dice the tomatoes
6. Once the onions are cooked, place all remaining ingredients into the saucepan and bring to the simmer. Allow to simmer for 20-25 minutes until the mixture is nice and thick
7. Using a stick blender, blend until smooth. Strain mixture using a sieve and set aside to cool

Kids in the Kitchen can:
1. Measure the ingredients
2. Rub the flour and the butter together
3. Roll out the dough
4. Grate the vegetables
5. Pick the parsley leaves from the stalks
6. Roll the sausage rolls
7. Brush the sausage rolls with milk

Recipe Book

Kids in the Kitchen

Christina xx

I've been following the lovely Patricia on Instagram @its_gourmet_baby for a while now. I love the food she posts, it always looks amazing. I've tried many of her recipes and they have always been a winner with the family. I asked Patricia to share a quick and easy dinner that the whole family can enjoy.


Cheese and bacon pasta

Ingredients
3 rashers bacon
3 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 tablespoon plain flour
250mls chicken stock
125 mls thickened cream (full fat)
A handful of chopped shallots
3-4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
500g packet pasta of your choice

Method
Chop bacon (excess fat removed) and pop this is a pan with butter and crushed garlic and cook until butter has melted.
To this add plain flour and mix until it's combined and take this off the stove.
Slowly whisk in chicken stock and then thickened cream and whisk it until it's all combined.
Get it back to the heat and stir it until it's all bubbly and simmering away and gets a little thicker.
Add some shallots and some parmesan cheese and mix well.
Toss through some cooked pasta of your choice (I've used small spirals).
Plate and serve with a sprinkle of shaved Parmesan and some chopped parsley.



Patricia has recently started her own blog featuring more of her yummy food! Check her out
https://itsgourmetbaby.wordpress.com/


Thanks for sharing Patricia x


Hope you love it as much as we did.

It's almost Australia Day and wanted to share what I made with the girls to celebrate. The girls loved to be able to get involved and we had so much fun. It's super quick and easy and made little mess.



INGREDIENTS to make 6-8 biscuits
1 pack of Milk arrowroot biscuits
4 Tablespoons icing sugar
2 Tablespoons milk
2 Tablespoons Cocoa powder
4 Tablespoons Desiccated coconut
M&M's for eyes ( or anything else you want to use)
Jelly beans  for mouth ( or anything else you want to use)
Marshmallow for ears

METHOD

-Mix the icing sugar, cocoa powder and milk together till it's at thickness add more icing sugar if you want it thicker
- Spread the icing mix to the arrowroot biscuit
- Spinkle the coconut on top of the biscuit
- Add the M&M's eyes on top
-Add the marshmallow ears
-Add the jelly bean mouth

Put in the fridge for 20 min to make sure it's hard
And then EAT!! Yum yummy.


** If you want to skip the icing part for a quicker option use Nutella spread on the biscuit.


Hope you liked them.



Christina xx