Pink peppercorn and red wine beef

Sunday roast nights were quite the tradition growing up in our house. Isn't it funny how we familiarize ourselves with particular days and associate that day with a special meal we all know and love. Who hasn't made or had Friday fish and chip night or a take-away of some sort. As kids, I think our Friday nights went between pizza to fish and chips with pizza being a bit of a novelty for us kids in the suburbs in the 1980's. But our roast night was most definitely on Sunday. I would often remember B and I cringing at the prospect of this night looming. We did not appreciate how delicious this meal really was and how we would grow to LOVE and even give up that date with Tom Cruise (well maybe a favourite TV show) for this roast night. I remember a very young B describing roasts as "burnt dinner". It wasn't really burnt, but the things kids say right?  It wasn't until I had kids of my own that I now hear the word "burnt", most often when it's not and I now know how Mum felt after slaving away over the roast, only to be told "Ugh, not burnt dinner again!". After all this, I can happily say that B and I now do enjoy a roast with all the trimmings and we even surprise ourselves by having it any night of the week (not just Sundays, Mum!)

This recipe is a roast beef one and I found it in one of my many Donna Hay bibles - issue 33 JUN/JULY 2007. It's a little different from the ordinary roast meat that bakes away in a baking dish. Here the meat sits in a delightful array of juices and flavours that are slowly being absorbed by your meat and what more could I ask for, the gravy was already made once the meat was cooked!!

You will need:
2kg (4 1/2 lb) beef blade cut (my piece only weighed 1.5kg, so just adjust the cooking time depending on how large your piece of meat is)
2 tablespoons olive oil
sea salt and cracked black pepper
10 eschalots, peeled
300g (10 1/2 oz) Swiss brown mushrooms
1 teaspoon pink peppercorns
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup beef stock
2 cups of red wine

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees (355 F). Rub the beef with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Tie the beef with kitchen string to secure. I had Mr M tie the beef for me!

Heat a large heavy based saucepan over high heat ( I used my heavy casserole dish as you will need a lid ). Cook the beef, fat side down, for 3-4 minutes or until well browned. Turn and cook for a further 5 minutes.

Remove from the pan and set aside. Add the eschalots, mushrooms and peppercorns to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes or until starting to brown.

Stir in the tomato paste, stock and wine, scraping the bottom of the pan, and bring to boil.

Reduce the heat to low and return the beef to the pan. Cover with a tight fitting lid and cook in the oven for 3 hours or until the beef is tender. (Remember not to over cook it if your piece weighs less than the above)
Carve thick slices of beef and pour over the pan juices.

We had some roast vegies with ours but you could make some yummy mash with yours!

M x

Velvet Cupcakes

This one is for all the Mum's, Mum's-to-be and those who love their Mum out there (Hi Mum - B & I love you!). B has entered the Mum's club and celebrated her first official Mother's Day this year. Soon B will experience all the beautiful little homemade cards and gifts that baby B will bring home from school hidden in the bottom of his school bag (well when he starts school that is) but for now I'm sure she enjoyed getting pampered and maybe having a sleep in. This could be a regular gig hey Mr B? (hint hint).

As everyone says, until you become a mother yourself, words can't explain the amount of love that you have for your little people and that protective instinct that kicks in from late in pregnancy. It's an amazing feeling and I now understand my own mum and the way she is always putting herself last on the list. She is a very strong woman and I hope to instill all the strengths and values she has taught me into my own children. Thanks Mum!

We usually gather at Mum's place on Mother's Day or we sometimes head out for a picnic depending on the weather and even though it's "OUR" day I still bake because we all know Mr M is not exactly skilled in this department. Lets just say a pair of tongs in his hand is better suited and as for Mr B, he can produce an edible dish now and then under instruction, but now that baby B has arrived, he will have duties of his own. I think I may have more hope with my own Mr 8 being able to master the kitchen and we will work on baby B from the moment he can hold his spoon!!

So the Mother's Day picnic usually requires making simple things to eat straight from the picnic basket and I always seem to be allocated a sweet thing, so I was desperate to try these Velvet Cakes that I had spotted in Jamie's America ages ago. I had never made a red velvet cake before and wanted to know what all the fuss was about. It certainly has a dramatic colour and is so soft and fluffy (I had to eat one before I even iced them) and there was the hint of chocolate with the cocoa.

You will need:  - makes 12 cupcakes
50g unsalted butter, at room temperature
150g caster sugar
1 large egg
sea salt
1 teaspoon good-quality vanilla extract
optional: 3 tablespoons natural red food colouring - I used normal red food colouring
2 heaped tablespoons cocoa powder
150g plain flour
125ml buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 1/2 teaspoons white wine vinegar

For the frosting:
150g full-fat cream cheese
50g unsalted butter, at room temperature
100g icing sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
zest and juice of 1 lemon

Preheat oven to 180 degrees/350 F/gas 4 and line a 12 hole muffin tin with cupcake cases.

Using an electric mixer, or by hand, cream your butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.

Gently beat in the egg, a pinch of salt, the vanilla extract and, if using, the red food colouring.

In a separate bowl, mix together the cocoa and plain flour and fold half of it into your batter mix, followed by half of the buttermilk. Repeat with the remaining flour and buttermilk until you have a gorgeous smooth mixture.

In a small bowl mix your bicarbonate of soda and white wine vinegar together so it fizzes up, and stir this into your cake mix.

Divide the mixture between your cupcake cases and bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes.
I learnt a new trick when making cupcakes....if your like me and your cupcakes usually come out of the oven spilling over the edges, flat on some, not enough in others, well I found this very useful tip in one of my Donna Hay books. For a nice rounded cupcake spoon your mixture into 1/3 measuring cup for each patty case as this will ensure each cake will be nice and even.

To check they are cooked through, insert a skewer into the centre of a cake - if it comes out clean, they are perfect. Leave them cool for 5 minutes in the tin, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely while you make the frosting.

Frosting
Put all your ingredients into a food processor (I just used my cake mixer for this) and whiz until smooth and creamy.

Once the cakes are cool they are ready for the frosting.

Yum! M x