ELLI LUCA

I love a good steak with an indulgent sauce. Made this recipe last night, super easy and from one of my culinary heroes Marco Pierre White.   Beef is a heavy meat, so it needs a heavier sauce. The combination of cream and Worcestershire sauce in this steak recipe complements the meat beautifully, and the peppercorns add an exciting hint of spice. INGREDIENTS     75ml Worcestershire sauce 75ml double cream ½ Chicken Stock Cube 10-20 green peppercorns METHOD 1. Pour the Worcestershire sauce into the hot pan and boil over a high heat until it reduces down by about half. 2. Add the double cream and bring back to the boil. You can tell the perfect amount of cream by the colour – it should be about the shade of a café latte. Season the sauce with half a Chicken Stock Cube, letting it dissolve into the mixture. 3. Let the sauce bubble and thicken a little, then add the peppercorns to taste. The more you add, the spicier it will be. 4. Put the steaks back into the p...

LIP BALMS: Two new flavours: Fizzy Cola & Strawberry Pancakes / Tubs and tubes available: Due to all the problems of synthetic chemicals being placed in over-the-counter health & beauty products, I set out on a mission to handcraft products I knew I could use and trust! Perfectly designed to drench your lips with the unsurpassed softening protection of organic waxes, butters, and oils! INGREDIENTS (may include) Organic Coconut Oil, Golden Yellow Bees Wax, Vitamin E, Maple Extract, Organic Cocoa Butter, Spearmint Essential Oil, Orange Essential Oil, Peppermint Essential Oil. May contain Propylene Glycol or Glycerine, Ethanol, which is in flavouring oils, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Lemon Infused Olive Oil, Coffee Beans, Apricot kernel Oil, Peanut oil (only in peanut butter chocolate balms) instore now at: elliluca.com

Thought I'd share with you some ingredients I couldn't do without in my kitchen. This week it is Vinegar. I have specified a brand (no I'm not paid to do so, I just love this particular one)  If you can get your hands on a bottle of this I highly recommend it. It's the best balsamic vinegar I've ever had hands down. People who know me know I'm obsessed with vinegars. Loved them since I was a kid. Yes the price tag is a bit on the high side but you only use a smidgen each time. I generally have a bottle for 6 months or so.  Name Federzoni Elsa Balsamic Producer Monari Federzoni Profile Vinegar and mulled wine (Balsamic vinegar from Modena is derived from mulled wine) have been the leading unifying elements in Italian cuisine since the time of the ancient Romans. Historically, some evidence suggests that Balsamic Vinegar, or one of its close cousins, was used as early as the period of the Gallic Invasions of Julius Caesar. Definiti...

Excuse the mobile phone snap! But it was the only picture I took. Preparation time: 5 minutes / Cooking time   25-30 minutes INGREDIENTS 1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs 1/4 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated tiny dehydrated garlic 2+1/2 cups sliced zucchini (2 small) 1 egg  1/2 teaspoon chili flakes (optional) 1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano olive oil about a teaspoon / or cooking spray METHOD Preheat oven to 180°C. Combine dry ingredients together in a medium-size bowl. In a shallow bowl, whisk the egg. Dip zucchini slices in egg, and toss in breadcrumb mixture.  Place coated slices on an ovenproof wire rack coated with cooking spray; (I prefer to just use olive oil which I rubbed on the rack with paper towel) place rack on a baking sheet.  Bake at 180°C for 30 minutes or until browned and crisp. Serve immediately, as a side or a snack. Serves 4

The husband hijacked the kitchen for my birthday and made a beautiful meal for me. So proud of him, he had never cooked such an array of items at one time. It was super delicious & I think he needs to cook more! Tomato Consommé - Jamie Oliver INGREDIENTS 2 kilos lbs tomato 0.50 cup vodka 2 tablespoons horseradish 1 to taste salt 1 to taste black pepper 1 tablespoon vinegar 0.50 cup fresh basil 2 garlic clove 1 slice beetroot NOTES: *** You also need cheesecloth for filtering METHOD Put everything except the beetroot into a food processor and run until slushy. (You will probably want to split the tomatoes into 2 batches to avoid spillage.) Place 4 layers of clean muslin cheesecloth in a deep bowl. Pour the tomato mixture into the cloth. Tie up the corners of the fabric. Add the slice of beetroot to the bowl to color the liquid. Hang the bag from a shelf in the refrigerator with the bowl under. Let slowly filter out overnight (or at least a few hours) Serve in a pret...

INGREDIENTS 2 Granny Smith apples, halved, cored, finely chopped 1 small cucumber, finely chopped 1 cup (packed) fresh spinach 3/4 cup brewed green tea, room temperature 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves plus 2 sprigs mint (for garnish) 2 tablespoons honey Fresh lemon Juice METHOD Purée apples, cucumber, spinach, tea, 1/4 cup mint leaves, and honey in a blender until very smooth. Strain juice through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium pitcher. Season to taste with lemon juice.

Yes that's right, Jake's Kitchen. This is one of his and it's amazing! So I had to share with you all. (it is actually a Donna Hay recipe) Donna Hay’s   Jake's raspberry bread and butter puddings INGREDIENTS soft butter for spreading (he used Lurpak) 12 slices bread, crusts removed200g frozen raspberries CUSTARD 2 eggs, lightly beaten 1 cup milk 1 cup (single or pouring) cream 2/3 cup icing sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract   METHOD Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius .  Butter half the bread and sandwich together with the remaining slices.  Cut the sandwiches in half. Divide the sandwiches between 4 x 1 cup capacity greased ramekins, placing the raspberries between the layers of sandwiches.  To make the custard, combine the eggs, milk, cream, sugar and vanilla and whisk to combine.  Pour over the bread and allow to stand for 5 minutes.  Place the ramekins in a baking dish and fill enough hot water to come halfway up ...

Thanks everybody for your support yesterday & today. FYI the following flavours have now sold out: LIP BALM Small Pot & Tubes - Vanilla Honey (large tub still available) LIP BALM - Banana Pancakes with Maple Syrup (all forms sold out) LIP BALM Tube - Peanut Butter Chocolate (all forms sold out) May need to do another run of the pancake, maybe strawberry pancakes this time?

PLEASE NOTE / POSTAGE RATES Buy 4 small pots or tubes & postage is only $2.60 Large pots, postage $8 .00 Flat rate shipping capped at $8.00 up to 500gsm Australia Wide NOW IN STOCK: BALM Headache Relief - Small Pot BALM Headache Relief - Tube LIP BALM Large Pot - Spearmint LIP BALM Large Pot - Vanilla Honey LIP BALM Small Pot - Banana Cream LIP BALM Small Pot - Banana Pancakes with Maple Syrup LIP BALM Small Pot - Bubble Gum LIP BALM Small Pot - English Toffee LIP BALM Small Pot - Mint Chocolate Chip LIP BALM Small Pot - Peach Lemonade LIP BALM Small Pot - Peppermint LIP BALM Small Pot - Vanilla Honey LIP BALM Tube - Banana Cream LIP BALM Tube - Bubble Gum LIP BALM Tube - Chocolate Licorice LIP BALM Tube - Orange LIP BALM Tube - Peach Lemonade LIP BALM Tube - Peanut Butter Chocolate LIP BALM Tube - Peppermint LIP BALM Tube - Salted Caramel ...

Makes about 10  fritters adapted from Simply Recipes version INGREDIENTS 2 medium sized zucchini 1 teaspoon coarse or Kosher salt, plus extra to taste 2 scallions / spring onions, split lengthwise and sliced thin 1 large egg, lightly beaten 1/2 teaspoon white pepper 1 teaspoon dried garlic / or fresh (but use less if fresh) 1/2 cup grated tasty cheese 1/2 cup plain flour Olive or another oil of your choice, for frying To serve (optional) 1 cup sour cream  Sweet Chili Sauce to taste. Pinches of salt METHOD Salt the zucchini with about 1 teaspoon of salt. Try to remove the excess moisture from the zucchini by either squeezing the liquid out with a potato ricer, or by squeezing with paper towels. (The original recipe calls for putting the zucchini in a colander set in the sink to let it drain for 10 minutes after salting it. I think it works much better to use a potato ricer.) Whisk egg in a large bowl; add the zucchini, flou...

Serves 3 - 4 people in standard size ramekins. special equipment: Potato ricer (optional) INGREDIENTS - Pies 2 Medium sized porterhouse steaks, fat trimmed off 1 Large onion 3 cloves garlic 2 Tablespoons fresh chopped thyme 2 Tablespoons fresh chopped parsley Pepper Beef or chicken stock 1 1/2 cups (if using powdered don't add any salt) 1/2 cup red or white wine 2 Tablespoons of Worcester sauce. 2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar Cornflour (enough to coat the meat before browning and frying off) Tablespoon of olive oil 3 Tablespoons  instant gravy mix (I use greens chicken, I find beef too rich)  INGREDIENTS - Cheesy Mash Topping 2 Large Potatoes 2 Tablespoon of Butter Dash of cream 1/2 teaspoon white pepper 1/2 cup grated tasty cheese METHOD - Pie Cube beef into preferred bite size pieces (I like them small about 1 cm or so) Coat in corn flour and Fry off in small batches till brown, place in slow cooker as you go Add onions and garlic ...