Information on some of the ingredients and procedures that are used in my recipes…

Arborio Rice

What distinguishes this pearly-white, short-grained rice is the amount of starch it releases during cooking, and it is this starch that makes a risotto creamy. Arborio rice should be cooked until it is al dente, which takes about 20 minutes, depending on the quality of the rice.

Blind Baking:

Baking a pastry case ‘blind’, or without its filling helps to stop the filling from making the pastry soggy. Lining the pastry case with foil and holding it down with pastry weights prevents the pastry case from rising and losing its shape as it cooks. Special pastry weights are available at kitchenware shops, but dried beans work just as well.

Cartouche:

This French term refers to a paper cover that is placed directly onto the contents of a pan or casserole to help retain moisture during or after cooking. To make a simple cartouche, take a square piece of baking paper slightly larger than your pan. Fold the square in half and in half again, then fold it diagonally to make a fan shape. Hold the pointed end of the fan to the centre of your pan, then tear or cut any paper that extends beyond the outside edge of the pan. Open out the paper to reveal your cartouche – a disc of paper that will fit snugly over the contents of the pan.

Caul Fat (Crepine):

This is the lining of a pig’s stomach, and can be used to wrap cuts of meat or delicate foods such as kidneys before baking or pan-frying, to help retain moisture and add flavour.
You’ll need to order caul fat in advance from your butcher.

Cheese:

See Gorgonzola, Labna, Parmigiano Reggiano

Chocolate:

The flavour of chocolate is determined by the amounts of chocolate liquor and cocoa solids it contains. Bitter chocolate has the highest percentage of cocoa liquor and no added sugar, so it has a strong chocolate flavour, which adds depth to savoury dishes.
A good bittersweet chocolate may contain 65 – 70 per cent cocoa solids, and the best even more. Because it has sugar added, it is mostly used for sweet dishes - or eating.
Couverture Chocolate is the name given to high-quality chocolate that melts well and dries to a glossy finish, making it perfect for covering cakes and for making fine desserts. It can also be used in any recipe calling for chocolate, since its high cocoa butter gives it a fine flavour and texture.

Cocoa:

There are two types of unsweetened cocoa powder: natural and Dutch-processed. The latter is treated with an alkali to neutralise its acids, giving it a gentle and more rounded flavour. It is available from delicatessens and specialty food shops.

Cornichons:

Cornichons are tiny, crisp gherkins pickled in the French manner: picked when they are 3-8cm long, and pickled in vinegar and brine. They are crunchy and salty, and are perfect to serve with rillettes, pates or terrines, to accompany a charcuterie plate, or as part of a ploughman’s lunch.

Cream:

In Australia, most cows are kept to produce milk rather than cream, so the fat content of their milk needs to be supplemented at various times of the year to bring it up to the 35 per cent fat content that is needed for pure cream. With nothing else added, this cream is good for enriching sauces.
Any cream labeled ‘thickened cream’ also has a thickener such as gelatine added. Because of the extra stability that the thickener provides, this is the best cream for whipping – just remember that reduced-fat thickened cream (with around 18 per cent fat) cannot be whipped successfully.
Double cream is very rich, with a fat content of 45-60 per cent. Some of the thicker ones are perfect for spooning alongside a dessert. Try to find farmhouse versions that have been separated from unhomogenised milk.

Flour:

Strong flour; also known as bread flour or baker’s flour, is my staple flour. What differentiates strong flour is its high gluten content which allows the dough to stretch rather than break during kneading and rolling, making it particularly suitable for making pasta and bread. The gluten in strong flour also helps to ensure an extensive and even rise in bread.
Flours are further classified according to the percentage of what wheat grain is present. Wholemeal flour contains the whole grain, and so has a wonderful nutty taste, while brown flour contains about 85 per cent of grain and white flour between 75 and 80 per cent. The flour industry is moving to predominantly unbleached flour; bleached flour must be specially requested. I prefer unbleached flour as it contains slightly more nutrients; it also has a more robust texture, which works well in breads and pizza bases.
Self-raising flour is plain flour with baking powder and salt added during the milling process, in the proportions of about 1 ¼ teaspoons of baking powder and a pinch of salt for every cup of flour. It is used for making pancakes, cakes and muffins.

Gelatine:

Gelatine leaves have a better flavour and texture than powdered gelatine. However, confusion can arise from the fact that the gelling strength of gelatin leaves is measured by their ‘bloom’ rather than their weight. All my recipes have been developed using Alba brand gold-strength leaves, which weigh 2 g each and have a bloom of 190 – 220 g. As gelatine will set more firmly over time, you may be able to use less gelatine if you can make the jelly the day before it is needed. A couple of other things to note: gelatin takes twice as long to dissolve in cream or milk as it does in water; and sugar can inhibit setting, so the higher the sugar content the softer it will be.

Gorgonzola:

The Italian blue cheese comes in sweet (dolce) and spicy (piccante) versions. Gorgonzola dolce is soft and ripe, with a creamy, spreadable texture. Gorgonzola piccante is earthier in flavour, firmer, and has a more powerful aroma, having been washed repeatedly in brine during its year or more of cave-ageing.

Labna:

Also referred to as yoghurt cheese, labna in its purest form is simply thick drained yoghurt. You can make it yourself by stirring 5 g salt into 500ml plain yoghurt (the kind with no pectin, gums or other stabilisers) then placing it in a sieve lined with muslin or a clean Chux and leaving it to drain for at least 4 hours or overnight – the longer you leave it, the thicker it will get. Commercial labna is tart and tangy, some versions are thick enough to hold up a spoon, while others are more like soft sour cream.

Oils:

As you will probably have gathered by now, I use Extra Virgin Olive Oil liberally in my cooking, and consider it vital to my food - and, indeed, my life. The only other oils I occasionally use are nut oils to flavour a salad dressing, and refined grapeseed oil in dishes where a more neutral-flavoured oil is desirable, such as in desserts, or to combine with Extra Virgin Olive Oil when making mayonnaise, to avoid a bitter after-taste.

Parmigiano Reggiano:

Authentic aged parmesan cheese made in Italy according to specific traditional practices, Parmigiano Reggiano is my first choice for use in risottos, polenta, soups and sauces such as pesto. I also love it as a part of a cheese board or freshly shaved in salads. Grana Padano has a similar flavour to Parmigiano Reggiano, but has not been aged for as long, so can be a useful, less expensive alternative.

Pastry Weights:

See Blind Baking

Rice:

See Arborio rice

Sterilising Jars and Bottles:

To sterilise jars that are to be used for storing or preserving food, wash the jars and lids in hot, soapy water, then rinse them in hot water and place them in a 120°C oven for approximately 15 minutes to dry out. This method also works for bottles.

Sugar Syrup:

Sugar syrup is a simple solution of 1 part sugar dissolved in 1 – 2 parts water (depending on its intended use) over low heat. It is great to have on hand if you are keen on whipping up your own cocktails at home!

Tomato Sugo and Passata:

These dense, slow-cooked tomato sauces originate from Italy. They are usually made with just tomatoes, but herbs and spices may also be added. Sugo is coarser as it is made from chopped tomatoes, whereas the tomatoes for passata are sieved, making it more like a puree. Both can be used in soups, stews, sauces or any other dish where a tomato flavour is desired, but without the texture or acidity of fresh tomatoes.

Vino Cotto:

Literally meaning ‘cooked wine’ in Italian, this traditional Italian preparation is made by simmering unfermented grape juice until it is reduced to a syrup. The one I produce is finished with traditional red-wine vinegar to make it truly agrodolce (sweet and sour). With a much softer flavour than vinegar, vino cotto can be used to make sauces for meat or salad dressings or even drizzled over strawberries. In fact, it can be used anywhere you would normally use balsamic vinegar.