Daily Archives: April 10th, 2008

NQN’s Banana Bread bakeoff event!

NQN’s Banana Bread bakeoff event!

**PLEASE NOTE THIS EVENT IS NOW CLOSED-THANKYOU TO ALL OF THE WONDERFUL ENTRANTS! I WILL POST UP A SUMMARY SOON** 

I was given this fantastic idea by airyfairy, she of the lovely cupcake site who suggested, after making 4 banana breads that it was time to do my first NQN event. I know, from everyone’s comments and from speaking to friends, that everyone has a fabulous banana bread recipe. In Australia, now is the best time to have bananas as they’re plentiful and cheap (anything is cheap compared to what we experienced a while back) and worldwide, bananas are an ingredient that are relatively easy to get a hold of. I just ask that you bake a Banana bread and one without frosting or elaborate decorations as once we get into cakes and frostings and decorations, it ends up less of a bread and more of a cake.

The rules are simple and you don’t even need a food blog, just bananas! :)

1. Bake your banana bread and write it up on your blog with a picture.
2. email me at: info[at]notquitenigella[dot] com and include your name, blog name, blog URL and URL for the Banana Bread post. **Please do not forget to email me, otherwise your entry may not be included as I won’t know about it!**
3. Link back here to this story (and feel free to use the image on your blog)
4. I will reply to all entries so if you don’t hear back from me within 48 hours, please email me again.

If you don’t have a blog that’s fine, just send me your name, location, a picture and recipe. You can enter as many times as you’d like too-I know what it’s like when you have a kilo of ripening bananas and all you can think of is banana bread!

Banana bread bake off! Banana bread bake off!

And since I think that good work should be rewarded, the prize for the best Banana Bread is a DIY cupcake set that I’ve put together featuring 25 mini pleated souffle cups (like the ones I used here), 12 royal icing flowers, a cake tester and sprinkles. Shipped to anywhere in the world!

Entries are due in just over a month on May 12th (midnight, Australian Eastern Standard Time)!

Crab with Saffron Linguine

Crab with Saffron Linguine

I attempted, in all seriousness, to replicate the way that Heston Blumenthal served up his Spaghetti Bolognaise in one of his books “In Search of Perfection” which involves twisting it around a large carving fork.

Crab with Saffron Linguine

I bought some Motto pasta and the inner price checker in me said why would I choose a regular flavour when I could choose the saffron or porcini version? I mean who chooses vanilla when there is saffron or macadamia to choose from? One of my ex boyfriends faced with that very ice cream decision chose vanilla. I couldn’t believe that he would pass up all of the other 49 flavours to choose vanilla so I drilled him about it. He said that he crumbled in the face of such a decision and chose the simplest and safest and thus I linked it to a kind of performance anxiety. Which is precisely what I felt when I was trying to do a Heston Blumenthal with my pasta I suppose.

Crab with Saffron Linguine

Thankfully the shape took place and held. The taste was one straight from heaven. The delicate crabmeat was never overwhelmed by the other ingredients and the light lemon flavour was the perfect for marriage for this divine seafood.

Crab with Saffron Linguine

Ingredients (serves 4)

  • 400g fresh linguine (I used a 200g packet of Motto’s Saffron dried linguine)
  • 1 tbs olive oil
  • 400g raw crab meat
  • 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
  • 2 tbs lemon juice
  • 1 tbs verjuice or white wine vinegar
  • 2-3 tbs finely grated parmesan
  • 250ml cream
  • Salt & freshly ground pepper
  • Chopped fresh parsley

Method

1. Cook linguine in boiling salted water until al dente. Drain and keep warm.

2. Heat pan and add oil. Add crab meat and garlic, and cook for 3-4 mins until cooked but not browned.

3. Add lemon juice, verjuice or vinegar and the parmesan.

4. Pour in cream and reduce to sauce consistency. Add drained linguine to the sauce, season and serve topped with parsley.

5. To make the pasta shape as pictured, twirl pasta around large carving fork and lay horizontally against plate and carefully slide off fork.

Adapted from Fresh Living - May 2005 , Page 49
Recipe by Andre & Sandy Shannon (My Restaurant Rules) and presentation hint from Heston Blumenthal’s “In Search of Perfection”.

Crab with Saffron Linguine