Garlic Herb Shrimp with a Potato and French Bean Salad

It's a public holiday and the weather is sunny but cool. Perfect for a cold salad lunch.

Mrs O is cooking dinner today and I'm super excited for her. It'll be nice to get together and chit chat with all the peeps.

This serves 2 for an entree and 4 for an appetiser.

For the salad:

• 4 small potatoes
• A fistful of french beans, cut into 3-inch sections
• 2 tablespoons creme fraiche
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon roasted garlic paste
• 1 teaspoon Italian herb mix (you can get this at Cold Storage in tubes)
• Freshly ground salt and pepper to taste
• 2 handfuls salad greens

Boil the potatoes with skin on until tender, then cut into bite-sized cubes. Do the same for the french beans and let them cool to room temperature.

To make the dressing, whisk together the creme fraiche, mustard, roasted garlic paste and herbs and season to taste with pepper and salt.

Chuck the cooled potatoes and french beans into the dressing, mix well and place in the fridge to chill while you make the shrimp.

• 8 large tiger prawns
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 2 teaspoons Italian herb mix
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Freshly ground salt and pepper

Peel and devein the prawns, and season with 1 tablespoon olive oil, garlic, herbs, salt and pepper.

In a skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat and stirfry the prawns, along with all the seasoning juices. Be careful not to overcook and remove the prawns from heat once they turn red. Let cool to room temperature.

To assemble the salad, place a handful of salad greens on a plate and spoon a mound of potato and french beans over. Arrange the prawns on top and drizzle with the leftover prawn juices.

Smelly garlicky deliciousness. Remember the mouthwash before kissing!

Other healthy things:

• Spiced braised lamb shanks with grilled vegetables
• Crabmeat waldorf salad
• Spice-rubbed grilled chicken salad
• Black pepper and mushroom steak with lemon-scented broccoli

Chocolate Raspberry Slices

This is quick and dirty, rustled up at the last minute.

I know there are fancy schpancy methods of making sponges, what with separating eggs and all that jazz. But I'm lazy and this works just fine.

• 3 eggs
• 115g sugar
• 115g flour
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 180C. Mix flour and cocoa thoroughly in a bowl.

With an electric mixer, beat eggs and sugar until it has tripled in volume and is pale yellow and fluffy, about 5 - 10 minutes. Sift the flour and cocoa mixture in and gently fold until the batter is mixed.

Pour the batter into a shallow rectagular pan lined with wax paper and smooth out for an even surface and bake for 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Flip the sponge over and remove the wax paper from the cake. Slice the sponge into 3 equal parts and set aside. In the meantime, make the filling.

• 400ml whipping cream
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
• 2 cups raspberries

Whip the cream, sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. There's your whipped cream right there. Now, on to assembling this puppy.

Spread a layer of cream on one layer of sponge, dot with 1 cup of raspberries and cover with another layer of sponge. Repeat for the rest of the layers and use the remaining cream to cover the entire cake.

To serve, cut into 2-inch wide slices.

Spice-Rubbed Grilled Chicken Salad

Since I've been defeated by chicken eggs, I will take my fury out on the chicken itself.

Yet another opportunity to try out the Egyptian spice mix for chicken. Once again, I don't know what's in it, but here's my best guess on replicating it.

Burn in my spices and oven you fowl thing!

Serves 2 for entree, 4 for appetizer.

• 1 large chicken breast with skin on, deboned
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon tumeric
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Mix the spices with the olive oil and lemon juice till everything is evenly blended. Rub the chicken breasts evenly with the spice paste till well coated and leave to marinate in the fridge for a couple of hours.

Roast, skin up in a 180C oven for 20 - 30 minutes until skin is golden brown and crisp. Remove from the oven and let the meat rest for 20 minutes. In the meantime, make the salad and the dressing.

• 2 servings salad greens
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon wholegrain mustard
• Freshly ground black pepper and salt

Chuck everything into a jar with a tight screw-on lid and shake the heck out of it. Alternatively, you can whisk until emulsified. Pour over greens and toss well. You can skip this altogether by using your favourite bottled dressing of choice.

To serve, slice the chicken breast on the bias and serve atop a bed of salad greens.

Other healthy things:

• Spiced braised lamb shanks with grilled vegetables
• Crabmeat waldorf salad
• Black pepper and mushroom steak with lemon-scented broccoli
• Garlic herb shrimp with a potato and french bean salad

Lavender Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Lavender sugar is simply plain caster sugar infused with the scent of dried lavender. To make it, place a 2 - 3 tablespoons of dried lavender into a cotton sachet in an airtight jar and pour sugar over it. Let the scent infuse for a week and you're good to go.

The scent and flavour is subtle, so I find a simple cream cheese frosting goes well with it.

For the cupcakes:

• 60g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
• 65g lavender sugar
• 2 eggs
• 100g plain flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 190C and line 6 muffin cups with paper liners.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the flour mixture and beat till combine. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until smooth.

Fill each cup till 3/4 full and bake for about 16-20 minutes. A skewer inserted into a cupcake should come out clean. Let the cupcakes cool completely while you make the icing.

• 115g icing sugar, sifted
• 100g cream cheese, softened at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon pure lemon oil
• 2 drops violet food colouring

In an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese till smooth, then add the icing sugar and continue beating. Add the food colouring and lemon essence and beat until combined.

Pipe a swirl of frosting on each cooled cupcake, decorate with some pretty sprinkles of your choice and shove into face. Yum.

A-Poaching Disaster

I don't know how to poach an egg. For everything I can cook, I can't get this simple thing right.

Three waterlogged scrambled eggs later, I retreated to the couch in shame to feel sorry for myself. Foiled by yet another deceptively simple but evil chicken spawn. Bah.

I shall overcome you evil little eggs. We shall meet again. Bwahahahaha...

Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup

So much for healthy eating. An interstitial on Food Network came on last night about Taiwanese Beef Noodles and a bulb went off in my head.

OK, it may be a stretch but it's kind of healthy. I didn't add too much oil and it's a soup nonetheless. I'll keep deluding myself into thinking this is healthy. Ohm ohm ohmmm....

Serves 2:

• 300g beef brisket, cut into cubes
• 1 tablespoon chilli bean paste
• 3 shallots finely sliced
• 1 knob of ginger, peeled and sliced
• 1 spring onion, cut into half
• 1 star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 whole peppercorns
• 3 tablespoons Chinese rice wine
• 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
• 1 beef stock cube
• 2 large bowls of water
• Light soy sauce to taste
• 2 servings narrow kway teow

In a large pot, heat 3 tablespoons oil over high heat. Sear beef cubes till browned and set aside.

In the remaining oil, saute ginger, anise, whole peppercorns and cinnamon stick till fragrant, then add shallots and continue sauteing until soft and translucent. Add the bean paste and saute, then pour in the water, followed by rice wine, dark soy sauce and stock cube. Throw in the spring onions and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to low and simmer for 3 hours until beef is soft and tender.

When soup stock is ready, season with light soy sauce to taste, strain and set the beef aside. Parboil the kway teow in boiling water until tender and drain. Place noodles in a bowl, add meat and ladle soup over.

Chocolate Mousse

Alright, I caved. This is not healthy but it's all Food Network's fault for tempting me.

A simple no-bake dessert that's so sinfully rich yet light at the same time. 

• 1 cup chilled heavy cream
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 100g fine-quality bittersweet chocolate

Heat 1/2 cup cream and sugar in a saucepan until hot. Whisk together yolks in a metal bowl until combined well, then add hot cream in a slow stream, whisking until combined. Transfer mixture to saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens. Pour custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl and stir in vanilla. 

Melt chocolate in a metal bowl set over a pot of simmering water till melted, stirring frequently. Whisk custard into chocolate until smooth, then cool.

Beat remaining cream in a bowl with an electric mixer until it just holds stiff peaks. Whisk a quarter of the cream into chocolate custard to lighten, then fold in remaining cream gently but thoroughly. Spoon mousse into 4 glasses and chill, covered, at least 3 hours. Let stand out of the fridge for 15 minutes before eating.

Crabmeat Waldorf Salad

I am shamelessly ripping this off from Suburbia. But for a healthy spin, I'm using creme fraiche instead of mayonnaise and loading up on herbs for a fresh flavour.

Serves 2 as entrees, 4 as appetisers.

• 2 cups cooked crab meat
• 1 green apple, peeled and diced
• 1/3 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
• 1 heaped tablespoon creme fraiche (you can substitute with plain unsweetened yoghurt if you can't find creme fraiche)
• 2 teaspoons chopped mixed Italian herb mix
• 1 teaspoon wholegrain mustard
• Juice and rind of 1 lemon
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Salad greens
• Freshly ground black pepper and salt

Make the dressing for the leafy greens first with 1/2 the lemon juice, olive oil, 1 teaspoon herb mix, 1/2 teaspoon mustard, salt and pepper. Pour everything into a jar with a lid and shake till emulsified.

Next, place the creme fraiche, lemon juice and rind, herbs, remaining mustard, pepper and salt into a mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Add the crabmeat, walnuts and apple into the dressing and mix well.

Toss the salad greens with the dressing and place a portion on a plate. Spoon a mound of the crab mixture over and sprinkle some walnuts to finish off.

Other healthy things:

• Spiced braised lamb shanks with grilled vegetables
• Spice-rubbed grilled chicken salad
• Black pepper and mushroom steak with lemon-scented broccoli
• Garlic herb shrimp with a potato and french bean salad

Crab Bisque

Once again, leftovers from crab waldorf salad, so naturally, it's crab bisque.

It's a little randomly thrown together from what I have in the fridge, but it tastes good!

Serves 2:

• 300ml chicken stock
• 300g crab meat
• 4 shallots, peeled and finely sliced
• 1/2 leek, thinly sliced
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped thyme
• 1/2 cup cream
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• Freshly ground black pepper and salt

If your crabmeat is raw, poach it in the simmering chicken stock for a few minutes till cooked. Drain the crabmeat and set aside the stock.

In a large pot, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Saute the shallots till soft and translucent, then add the leeks and saute for a couple of minutes till cooked through. Add the stock back to the pot and add the wine, thyme, 200g of crabmeat and the cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes.

Pour everything into a blender and blend till smooth. To serve, place 50g of crabmeat into the bottom of a soup bowl, then ladle soup over and garnish with a sprig of thyme.

Spiced braised lamb shanks

I have a whole bunch of spice powders from Egypt that I haven't used yet. I'm not entirely sure what's in them, but it smells like a mix of cardomom, anise, pepper and god-knows-what else.

Obviously, it's not easy to get and I don't know how to replicate it, so dump in your favourites spices, or leave them out completely for a classic braised lamb shank.

Braising is actually an extremely healthy method of cooking. It requires very little oil and the meat is slow cooked to absorb the flavour of fresh herbs, spices and the braising liquid. If you skim off the oil and fat from the meat, you'll be left with a richly flavoured and sin-free dish.

Serves 2:

• 2 lamb shanks, fat trimmed
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 shallots, minced
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons spice powder
• 1 can whole peeled tomatoes with juice
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 beef stock cube
• 2 teaspoons chopped rosemary
• 1 teaspoon chopped thyme
• Freshly ground salt and pepper 
• Dry red chilli flakes and paprika (if you like some heat)

Wash and pat dry the lamb shanks. Season with salt and pepper, then coat in flour.

Heat about 3 tablespoons of oil in a large pot over high heat and sear the lamb shanks till brown on all sides. Remove the meat and reduce heat to medium. Chuck in the onions, shallots and garlic in the remaining oil and saute till soft and translucent.

Add the spice powder and gently saute the mixture until the spices start to get fragrant. Return the lamb shanks to the pot and pour in the tomatoes and tomato paste. Add the stock cube and top up with water till the meat is just covered. For a richer flavour, you can also use red wine instead of water. But since the spices in this recipe take centrestage, I'm omitting the wine to let the spice flavour come through.

Season with the herbs, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low and simmer for 2 - 3 hours until meat is tender.

Other healthy things:

• Crabmeat waldorf salad
• Spice-rubbed grilled chicken salad
• Black pepper and mushroom steak with lemon-scented broccoli
• Garlic herb shrimp with a potato and french bean salad

Health kick

I feel damn fat. My mouth is writing cheques my ass keeps cashing.

All in all, it's bad news so I'm taking it healthy this week. For starters, I'm jogging/walking again and putting those yoga videos from GBF to good use.

But, all that exercise isn't going to do me any good if I keep stuffing my face with naughty things. Therefore, this week will be relatively healthy food. And I stress the "relatively".

I can't count calories for shit, and I refuse to eat anything plain and steamed. Healthy doesn't mean bland and tasteless. There has to be a better way.

I reckon if I keep to a few ground rules, this should be a fairly high nutrient and low calorie/GI menu.

First, no butter, cream or excessive refined carbs.

Second, no deep frying.

Third, lots and lots of fresh vegetables and lean meats.

When it comes to healthy eating, I'm a big believer of portion control and good ol' fashioned fresh food. If I can keep to the three ground rules, I think I'll be ok.

The line-up this week will be:

• Spiced braised lamb shanks with grilled vegetables
• Crabmeat waldorf salad
• Spice-rubbed grilled chicken salad
• Black pepper and mushroom steak with lemon-scented broccoli
• Garlic herb shrimp with a potato and french bean salad

Forever young

It's DF's birthday tonight and the missus has organised a big BBQ. I'm bowing to majority consensus and reduxing mini pavlovas and bite-sized creme brulee.

Birthdays bring mixed feelings for me. On one hand, I dread getting older and saggier, but at the same time, it's a relief that my life is moving forward. Nonetheless, age is a state of mind and I'm determined to be forever young even though my arse is telling me otherwise.

In any case, today has already started out well. On my way to the supermarket, a bus driver gave way on the nasty u-turn, and a short distance later I reciprocated by giving way as he turned out of the bus lane. When things like that happen, I once again believe in the goodness of people and that life would move forward so much better if everyone was just that bit kinder.

We drove to Cali
And got drunk on the beach
Got a motel and
Built a fort out of sheets
I finally found you
My missing puzzle piece
I'm complete

Let's go all the way tonight
No regrets, just love
We can dance, until we die
You and I, we'll be young forever

You make me feel like I'm livin' a
Teenage dream

Sticky Date Pudding with Toffee Sauce

This is so rich, moist and sinful, I know I'm going to hell.

A special request from GBF, discussed over dinner at Buko Nero last week. Since he, Miss Z and Miss A are coming over, we can all go to hell together and be damned happy on the journey down.

Hells yeah.

For 6 puddings:

• 120g dates, stones removed
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 45g unsalted butter, softened
• 85g caster sugar
• 2 eggs
• 85g flour
• ¼ teaspoon allspice
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Preheat oven to 180ºC and grease 6 ramekins or muffin pan.

Chuck the dates in a bowl and cover with boiling water for a few minutes until softened. Drain the dates and whizz them in a food processor until you have a purée.

Meanwhile, cream your butter and sugar until pale, and add the eggs, flour, baking soda and spices. Mix together well, then fold in the puréed dates. Pour into ramekins or muffin cups till half full and bake for 30 minutes.

While the pudding is cooking, make the toffee sauce:

• 60g unsalted butter
• 60g brown sugar
• 70ml cream

Put the butter, sugar and cream in a pan over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved and the sauce has thickened and darkened in colour.

Run a knife around each pudding and turn upside down to unmold. Pour some toffee sauce onto a plate and nestle a pudding in the middle of the lovely toffee puddle. Serve with a side of vanilla ice cream.

Guinness Beef Pie

Beef and booze, all wrapped up into buttery pastry. Artery clogging and oh so sinful.

It's quintessential pub grub and I've been meaning to make it for ages. I'm amazed at how similar it is to Boeuf Bourguignon in terms of technique and ingredients. Substitute Guinness for wine and it's basically the same thing. Goes to show that good food is good food no matter where you are in the world.

Since I'm doing a pie, I'm using more flour for a thicker gravy. If you want to have it as a stew, use 2 tablespoons of flour instead of 3.

And if you can't be arsed with making your own pastry, store-bought shortcrust or puff pastry works just as well.

• 800g beef brisket, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3 small carrots, diced
• 2 potatoes, diced
• 8 mushrooms, sliced
• 1 spring of rosemary, finely chopped
• 1 sprig of thyme, finely chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 330ml can of Guinness
• 1 beef stock cube
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 tablespoon butter
• Olive oil
• Freshly ground salt and pepper to taste
• 1.5 portion of shortcrust pastry
• 1 beaten egg with 1 tablespoon water

Wash and pat dry beef cubes. Roll them around in some flour till evenly coated and set aside.

In a large pot, heat olive oil over high heat and sear the beef cubes till browned and set aside.

In the same pot, turn the heat down to medium and saute onions and garlic till soft and translucent. Add the butter, carrots and potatoes and saute for a few minutes. Next, add the beef cubes, sprinkle the flour over and mix well.

Pour in the Guinness and top up with water till ingredients are covered, add the stock cube and herbs and season with freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to low and simmer for 2 hours till meat is tender.

Add mushrooms to the stew and cook for a further 10 minutes. In the meantime, roll out the shortcrust pastry and preheat the oven to 200C.

To assemble the pie, pour the stew into an ovenproof baking dish and cover the pie with the pastry. Trim the edges so that you have a 1.5 inch perimeter. Scrunch the edges down into the side of the dish and use the back of a fork to make little lines.

Pierce a few holes in the top of the pie and brush with the egg and water mixture. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes until pastry is golden brown and serve immediately.

The Sweet Escape

I'm most definitely in a sweet mood this week.

Sugary comfort treats like After Eight Macarons - pretty green shells with a mint chocolate filling. Perhaps some Fruit Custard Tartlets. Or even a Key Lime Pie.

Anyway, I'm kinda running out of ideas, so if anyone has any requests or suggestions, just send them my way.

If I could escape I would but,
First of all, let me say
I must apologize for acting stank & treating you this way
Cause I've been acting like sour milk all on the floor
It's your fault you didn't shut the refrigerator
Maybe that's the reason I've been acting so cold?

If I could escape and recreate a place that's my own world
And I could be your favourite girl forever, perfectly together
Tell me boy now wouldn't that be sweet
If I could be sweet, I know I've been a real bad girl
I didn't mean for you to get hurt
We can make it better, Tell me boy wouldn't that be sweet?

I want to get away, to our sweet escape
I want to get away, yeah

Loaded Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

Nothing quite beats the smell of freshly-baked cookies, especially if they're fully loaded with walnuts, dark and white chocolate.

The basic recipe is courtesy of a baking classic Joy of Cooking, and I've just piled on an obscene amount of chocolate and nuts. Oh joy...

Anyway, these are really easy and fast to make. From start to wash-up, 45 minutes max. So, there's really no excuse to settle for crappy supermarket cookies now is there?

• 140g all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 115g unsalted butter, softened
• 100g white sugar
• 110g brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1.5 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Preheat the oven to 190C. In a large bowl, beat flour, salt and baking soda until well blended.

With an electric mixer, beat sugars and butter with the paddle attachment until smooth. Add the flour and continue beating till well mixed.

Next, add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat till you get a smooth batter. Finally, fold in the chocolate and nuts and mix well.

Drop teaspoon sized globs onto a baking tray, spacing them 2 inches apart (the cookies will spread while baking). Bake for 8 - 10 minutes until slightly coloured on top and edges are brown. Let cool completely.

Sunday with the flu

I may not have the flu, but watching back-to-back episodes of Hoarders and Dancing with the Stars is a sure-fire way to depress myself and quite possibly my immune system.

Between the stupefaction of people living amidst garbage, to cheesiness of D-listers and has-beens doing the foxtrot, I've vegetated myself into a blue funk.

Thank god for good music to perk me up.

Closed my door, forgot my key, missed my bus in the pouring rain
It's been the usual sunday with a flu
And I just can't get over you

Burnt my toast and lost your number, cut my finger, spilled my beer
It's been the usual sunday with a flu
And I just can't get over you

I put your stockings in my purple boots
What if I don't get over you?

Had a chat and left my hat, ate my dog and walked my cat
It's been the usual sunday with a flu
And I just can't get over you

I put your stockings in my purple boots
What if I don't get over you?

Rosy Borscht

Man... I've been putting this off for ages and the beets and parsnips in the fridge are almost qualifying for senior citizen benefits.

This version is more vegetable based, with only the beef or chicken stock providing the meat factor. However, if you prefer a meatier soup, start by simmering a slab of stewing beef in the stock. When nice and tender, shred fine and set aside. Then follow the recipe below, making sure that the vegetables are finely diced and sliced. Skip the blending and add the beef strips at the end for a chunky meat and veggie soup.

Serves 2 for a meal and 4 as an appetizer:

• 500ml beef or chicken broth
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 beetroot, diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 parsnip, diced
• 1 potato, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 cup red cabbage, thinly sliced
• 1 leek, thinly sliced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• Sour cream
• Freshly ground salt and pepper to taste

In a large soup pot, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Saute the onions and garlic till soft and translucent.

Add beets, carrots, parsnip, potato and bay leaf and mix well.

Add the beef stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 50 minutes to an hour until vegetables are tender.

Add the cabbage, leek, dill and vinegar and continue to simmer for another 10 - 15 minutes till cooked through. Season with freshly ground salt and pepper to taste.

Remove the bay leaf and pour the contents of the pot into a food processor and blend till thick and smooth. If you prefer a chunky soup, skip the blending and serve as is.

Dot with a glob of sour cream for some flavour and contrast and serve hot.

More for the last meal:

• Buttermilk pancakes
• Perfect scrambled eggs
• Saffron-scented pumpkin and apple soup
• Panfried foie gras with a balsamic raspberry reduction
• Crabmeat pasta in a creamy tomato sauce
  
• Shrimp paella
• Triple chocolate cake
  
• Lemon meringue pie

Mini Pavlova Redux

I'm in a bit of a kawaii mood of late so reduxing the Berry Awesome Pavlova but shrinking them down instead.

They're just so cute I could die.

Some old-school obscure Queen is perfect for an afternoon like this.

I like to sit here in the sunshine
Trees in the fields are green sublime
Suspended in time
And dawn it make you feel small

I like to sit here by the fire's light
The trees in the fields lie bed to the night
The stars burn bright
And dawn it make you feel small

Everyone needs a place they can hide
Hide away find space to be alone
Everyone needs a place they can hide
Every one needs to find peace sublime

I like to sit here in the autumn time
The trees in the fields they russle in the wind
The church bells gently chime
Gentle on your mind
Suspended in time and dawn it make you feel small

Everyone needs a place they can hide
Everyone needs to find peace sublime

Ohh... peace of mind

Everyone needs a place they can hide
Hide away find space to be alone

Roast Chicken with Lemon & Thyme

Today I'm going back to basics because there's nothing as delicious as a perfectly roasted chicken.

Over the years, I've picked up techniques from people and books, and combined them into what I think makes for a great recipe.

• 1 chicken
• 1 lemon
• 3 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 sprigs of thyme
• 1 tablespoon roasted garlic paste
• Freshly ground salt and black pepper
• 1 cup chicken stock

Remove leaves from one stalk of thyme and finely chop, putting the rest aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, juice of half the lemon (save the skin), thyme, garlic paste, salt and pepper.

Wash and clean the chicken, removing the head and feet. Make sure the chicken is patted dry with paper towels, both inside and out.

Squeeze the juice of the other half of the lemon into the cavity of the chicken, rubbing well. Stuff in the cloves of garlic, remaining two sprigs of thyme and the lemon rinds into the cavity. Using a skewer, "sew" the skin to close the cavity.

Stuffing the cavity with the lemon and herbs keeps the bird moist and as the chicken cooks, imparts a rich lemon and herb flavour to the meat.

Now, you want to truss the chicken. Trussing keeps the wings and legs close to the chicken and the wingtips tucked under. This allows the chicken to cook evenly, without the wings and legs drying out, as well as prevents the wing tips from burning.

First, tie a loop of twine around the neck of the chicken. Then cross over the back and loop around the wing tips.

Make another cross and bring the twine to the front of the chicken. Bring the leg ends together and tie off with the twine.

Place the prepared chicken in the bowl of marinating liquid and coat well all around. Leave the chicken breast down and cover with cling film. Leave to marinate in the fridge for 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 160C. Prepare a baking dish with a small wire rack at the bottom and pour in the chicken stock.

The reason I like the bird elevated is that the bottom cooks nice and crisp. I really hate for the bottom to swim around in the juices and get all soggy.

Why the chicken stock at the bottom of the pan? In the hot oven, it turns to steam, and keeps the bird moist and juicy. It also catches the drippings from the chicken for a nice jus to go with the roasted bird.

Roast at 160C for 1 hour, making sure you rotate it every now and then so it roasts evenly. Use the leftover marinade to baste. In the last 15 minutes, crank up the temperature to 190C so the skin gets golden and crisp.

When done, remove from oven and let the chicken rest for 15 minutes. In the meantime, pour the juices from the roasting pan into a saucepan and boil until reduce until thick for a nice jus.