Please don’t mistake this breakfast as something I would only make for my children. Mainly because I have no children, just a bunch of lifelike Monkey soft toys. The reason I tried this is not to introduce pumpkin into my diet (it already features frequently), or to add vegetables (I eat a lot of veges). Its because, even before I cooked it, I knew this would be really good.
The spices in it, cinnamon and nutmeg, along with the milk give it an oatmealy almost pumpkin pie taste. Once you have the puree, its a cinch to make-indeed I made it on a busy work day morning using frozen pumpkin puree stashed in my freezer and microwaved for 1 minute. I preferred to add the raisins in while it was cooking as I love fat plump raisins. As far the peanut butter goes, it does enhance it but I think only 1 teaspoon of peanut butter would have done me or left out altogether would have been fine. And because I loathe the taste of skim milk and never have it in the fridge, I used a half water half full cream milk. It would be equally as fabulous on a weekend morning, tarted up with chopped pistachios and dried sweetened cranberries.
Oatmeal with pumpkin from Deceptively Delicious
- 1 cup nonfat (skim milk)
- 1/4 cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup canned pumpkin or sweet potato puree (I didn’t use canned, I used real pumpkin pureed and frozen in batches)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice (I used cinnamon and nutmeg)
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats
- 2 teaspoons natural peanut butter (optional, I’d say go with 1 teaspoon)
- Dried fruit and nuts (optional)
- Pure maple syrup, for serving
1. In a small saucepan, combine the milk, sugar, pumpkin, vanilla, and if using, and spice. Bring to a gentle boil and stir in the oatmeal. Reduce the heat and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, until the oatmeal is soft and creamy. Stir in peanut butter, if using.
2. Spoon the oatmeal into bowls, sprinkle with dried fruit and nuts, if you like, and serve warm with maple syrup.
By Jessica Seinfeld from Deceptively Delicious
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February 1, 2008
by Not Quite Nigella
Sel et Poivre is one of my favourite restaurants in Sydney. In, fact, I usually celebrate my birthday here, lured by the fabulous, and very authentic French fare on offer. Its also a reliable place when you’ve got fussy eaters. A group of friends that we dine with includes a friend, Hot Dog, who likes his food just so and is likely to get the waiter or waitress who doesn’t seem to want to convey this wish to the kitchen so he ends up supremely frustrated. Not here though, we don’t hear a peep of complaint from him when we dine here.
I know the menu back to front and have already pre ordered my dishes in my mind. I never veer, although sometimes I do if its winter and I ask for the Cassoulet (not a menu item, you have to ask for this). But since the weather is warm, I order my usual two entrees instead of an entree and main: the Salmon Marinated in Olive Oil, Aromatic Herbs, Mixed lettuce and Warm Steamed Potatoes $17.90 and the Crispy Galette of Fresh Swimmer Crab, Leeks and Sauce a l’Americaine $15.50. My husband orders the Marinated Braised Beef Cheeks with Miramar Cabernet Sauvignon Sauce and Frites $24.90, Rose does the two entree thing too with the Crispy Galette of swimmer crab and the Duck Terrine with Armagnac $16.90 and Ronald orders the Duck Leg Confit with lentils and salad $25.90 and we have a serve of mash for the table ($6.90). We’re seated at my favourite table, on the outside with the cushions but not the table right on the street.
Salmon Marinated in Olive Oil, Aromatic Herbs, Mixed lettuce and Warm Steamed Potatoes $17.90
As its relatively early, its quite empty but we know that it will be busy by 8pm. After all Darlinghurst-ites don’t exactly dine early and we overhear them having to knock back people without reservations. Its not long before Rose and my cold entrees arrive. My Salmon Marinated in Olive Oil, Aromatic Herbs, Mixed lettuce and Warm Steamed Potatoes is, as always, delicious. The soft, olive oily salmon beautifully textured and the potatoes dotted with finely diced spring onion. The accompanying birds eye chili and garlic clove, although decorative, remains untouched, I think either or both would overpower the fish.
Duck Terrine with Armagnac $16.90
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January 31, 2008
by Not Quite Nigella
This would be incredible for a kid’s or a kids at heart party. Indeed when we went to the Blue Mountains recently for Christmas we had a good old fashioned kid’s party complete with fairy bread, vampire teeth lollies, mini meat pies, sausage rolls (and the vegetarian versions) along with delicious Finnish pinwheel pastries and we played pass the parcel, treasure hunt and donuts and apples on a string. Despite the fact that everyone was well and truly grown up, we all had a ball which goes to show that some kid’s things never go out of fashion.
An adult may scoff at first if they see this, thinking that they were too sophisticated for this sort of silly stuff but you can bet they’ll be all alone pouting on the sidelines when everyone else happily digs into this.
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January 30, 2008
by Not Quite Nigella
Don’t you hate it when you go to foodblog about a place that has always provided you with great service and food only to find that the owner is away and chaos and confusion runs amok?
Needless to say, this is what happened to us with Crystal Garden. Its our most well loved Chinese restaurant, a hidden gem and we’ve always had flawless service and food there. Tonight, the owner is absent and sadly it really shows with the service we receive.
If you order their regular suburban Chinese offerings, you’ll wonder what I am talking about. Its only when you scratch the surface of this suburban Chinese restaurant and order the seafood from the tank that this gem really shines.
He looks mad-as well he should be!
Tonight its a celebration so its Lobster from the tank ($75 a kilo for a 2.3 kilo lobster). We needed to pre order it as they usually only have crab and fish ready in the tank. We also order Pay pah tofu (tofu balls sauteed with prawn meat with broccoli), fried rice and a steamed fish with ginger, coriander and shallots.
We’re waiting a good 25 minutes before any food arrives with nary a prawn cracker passing by our table. Its relatively empty but we’re receiving service as if the restaurant was full and there was only one waitress on. There’s also no sign of the complimentary house soup that one gets when making a big seafood order.
XO Chili lobster 2.3kg with double lot of e-fu noodles $182.50
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January 29, 2008
by Not Quite Nigella
I know that I’m cheating ever so slightly when I used white nectarines instead of peaches. We had just purchased a huge bounty of them and I just knew that the delicate blush of the white nectarines would look fabulous alongside the gorgeous, vividly hued raspberry sauce and the tiny black flecked vanilla bean ice cream.
If you feel like this is a one trick pony and can’t be bothered making it again, the poaching liquid is fabulous with some sparkling on a hot, sweltering day and it certainly looks like Sydney’s weather is coming out to play these few days! Hence the almost melting photos…
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January 29, 2008
by Not Quite Nigella
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