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| Very exciting new Annabel Langbein Annual #afreerangelife @annabellangbein |
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| Spicy Corn and Rice |
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| Roast Vege and Chorizo Salad |
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| Another view |
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| The revelation! Chimichurri Skirt Steak |
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| Dinner....also with Blackjack Chicken Nibbles |
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| Harry trying everything...but particularly enjoying the corn and rice and the chicken |
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| Birthday Boy |
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| Dad settling in with his food |
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| Raspberry Ripple Ambrosia |
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| Harry eating the fruits of his labour...he pretty much made this |
I was lucky enough to be one of the people selected to be a part of a Free Range Foodie event where we got preview copies of this new annual and get to share photos and experiences of the food. Because I have been on night shift I had to wait to have my first attempt at some of the recipes. Let me tell you....this annual is only going to cost $19.95 and it is well worth it! What I like about it is that it's all geared to the easiness of summer food and summer gatherings, which tend to be more relaxed. I have pretty much all of Annabel Langbein's cookbooks and I think it would be fair to say she is my most favourite cookbook author (I know my friends would agree).What I like about them is the high yield of recipes that actually work!
My dad had his birthday last week but as I was working, last night was the first time I could get him over for dinner. I chose the whole menu from this annual. As I was going to be home later after school pickup I picked recipes that didn't need too much preparation and cooking. There is nothing worse than over committing to a menu. It leaves you stressed therefore making the whole experience a miserable one. I had to do a small amount of prep the night before but otherwise it was pretty easy to manage.
The revelation of the night was skirt steak! I have a feeling this will go the same way as lamb shanks and end up being over priced. The cost of skirt steak is about $13/kilo making it a cheap option. Not only is it inexpensive but it tastes amazing! Trust me on this one....but most importantly do NOT overcook it and make sure you rest it. Otherwise you will end up with tough meat that is impossible to eat. The book said to cook it for 5 min each side. However my steak was quite thin so I did 2 1/2 min each side. It was pretty rare but the taste was phenomenal. I also marinated it the night before. The sauce (using the marinade whizzed up with some orange juice and extra coriander) just finished it off.
I also made the Blackjack Chicken Nibbles but only added a small amount of chilli. for these you whipped up a BBQ sauce the night before and cooked the nibbles in it before grilling them on the BBQ to give a charred taste. Delicious!!! We had the corn and rice salad (loved this) and the Roast Vege and Chorizo Salad....also very good.
Harry made the dessert with a bit of help from me however because I only had frozen raspberries ($8 per punnet was waaaay too expensive), I think that even though I defrosted them, they were made it just a bit runny. I also added the nougat but next time I would leave it out. As well as that I didn't make the compote to go on top instead I bought the Dollop Boysenberry and Raspberry Compote which is yum! This was pretty standard I thought but still Ambrosia is still fabulous no matter how simple it is! It did look pretty in the stemless wine glasses though.
All in all the meal was lovely. I can't wait to make more from this annual....next up is the Blueberries and Cream Trifle for a 'Xmas' get together on Sunday.
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