Eat

Jessie Spiby: A Plate Full of Fun

These easy party treats are as entertaining as they are tasty! It has been a busy ride since appearing on MasterChef Australia 2015 for Jessie Spiby. Thesedays you will find her at hosting pop up dinner events around Adelaide, penning articles andrecipes for several publications, curating her pop-up event Food, Booze + Dancing Shoes aswell as catering at Plant 4 where she is a resident event caterer and has her own eatery MyGrandma Ben. “I like to think about the colour of food and how it will impact the plate, but I also enjoy theimperfection that nature naturally gives to food. Above all, I want every mouthful to bedelicious,” Jessie Spiby Passionate about supporting local food producers, Jessie takes pleasure in observing thediverse array of colour and beauty found in nature in her cooking. She celebrates modern dayAustralia by melding cultures and cooking techniques with beautiful seasonal ingredientscreating a vibrant and colourful menu for her catering business Jessie Does Food and newlyopened My Grandma Ben. It’s a Kiddo party Kids birthdays. They might evoke a feeling of stress, perhaps even present a lurking sense ofdread, but fear not. In this Pinterest-instagram- obsessed world you too can throw somethingtogether that will look cute as a button, taste great and most importantly won’t break thebank… or crush your soul. These little recipes can be done in a matter of minutes and have been designed to be perfectlypresentable as is, or a great base for your own creativity to take over. White chocolate popcorn Fun flavoured popcorn designed for little hands. Packed into cupcake patty pans, paper bags orwaffle cones dipped in white chocolate and sprinkles, it’s the perfect mixture of naught andnice. The white chocolate base is the same for both flavours and is ridiculously quick and easy toput together. The rainbow unicorn adds a sparkly touch of make-believe to the party while thescary bears in slime with tiny teddies and candy teeth scattered throughout is a creepyalternative. We’ve listed a few different options for toppings, however you can use whatever takes yourfancy. Get creative! This recipe is also a great substitute for traditional style lolly bags. White chocolate popcorn base *The same base is used for both flavours3-4 cups popped corn OR 1/2 cup kernels popped as per packet instructionsRoughly 1 cup OR 1 block white chocolate1/2 tbs coconut oil Rainbow unicorn popcorn 1/4 tsp natural food colouring – pink1/4 tsp natural food colouring – blue2 tbs sprinkles2 tbs larger natural coloured sprinkles1/2 cup mini marshmallowsSour candy hearts Scary bears in slime popcorn 1/4 tsp natural food colouring – green1/4 tsp natural food colouring – blue2 tbs sprinkles1/2 cup chocolate Tiny Teddies1/2 cup of candy teeth, chopped in halves Method Melt white chocolate and coconut oil in the microwave in 30-second bursts until melted andsmooth, stirring in between to combine. Divide the chocolate into two bowls and add the food colouring. Divide your popcorn into twoand pour over the chocolate, tossing gently to coat. Evenly spread popcorn onto a baking tray. Add sprinkles and desired toppings. Allow to sit until dry, ideally 30 mins but I wouldrecommend a couple of hours. If it’s a hot day, pop it in the fridge to help it set. To serve, place in patty pans, paper bags or big bowls and the kids (and adults) can helpthemselves. Cheesy stars and hearts Cute as a button, incredibly moreish and ridiculously easy. These adorable little stars and heartsare perfect for little people and tiny mouths. You will need cookie cutters for this recipe, anyshape will do. We’ve used stars and hearts but dinosaurs, arrows or butterflies will definitelywork a treat. Ingredients 400g puff pastry sheet1 – 2 of grated cheddar cheese, mix in a little parmesan or pecorino if you have some for asharper cheese flavour2 tbs milkFlour for dustingOptional: paprika, poppy seeds, dried herbs and sesame seeds for sprinkling on topTo ServeTomato sauce or chutney Method Preheat your oven to 200C or 180C fan forced. Line two baking trays with baking paper, setaside. Unroll your thawed pastry. Sprinkle most of the cheese over half of the pastry sheet, then foldthe pastry sheet in half to seal the cheese in and press down gently. Dust your work surface and rolling pin with a little flour and roll out the pastry until it hasdoubled in size. If you don’t have a rolling pin a bottle of wine will do. Using a cookie cutter, cut the pastry into shapes and put them on the prepared baking sheets.Brush the top of your shapes with milk and add a little more cheese, then sprinkle the seeds orherbs of your choice if you are using any. Scoop up the leftovers and re-roll to cut out more shapes. Bake in the oven for 10-12 mins or until risen and golden. Serve warm or cold. If preparingearlier allow to cool fully then place in an air tight container. You can store the puff pastryshapes for up to 2-3 days. Little monsters These little terrors can be made from fruit, meringues, marshmallows or a combination. It’s acharming way to get the kids eating some fruit at the party. These little guys are really easy andyou can customise them to your own taste. Be wary of using super juicy fruit as they tend tobleed and you may have trouble keeping the facial features stuck on. Set up a decorating stationfor older children, they may be inspired to make their own little critters! Ingredients Punnet of strawberries, tops removed2 bananas, cut into 1 inch piecesLarge marshmallows – the type you toast camping OR meringue kissesSmall white marshmallows (for the eyes) the type used for rocky roadCandy teeth cut into 3 or 4 pieces1/2 cup dark chocolate OR store bought piping icingSprinklesRoyal Icing for piping* You may be able to find pre-made ready to pipe icing at your supermarket1 1/2 cups pure icing sugar, sifted, extra to thicken if needed.1 egg white1/2 teaspoon lemon juiceNatural food colouring Method Cut your white marshmallow into the right size for eyes. I had to cut ours into three. I found

Read More >

Super Cool Popsicles with Jessie Spiby

It has been a busy ride for Jessie Spiby since appearing on MasterChef Australia in 2015. These days you will find her at Plant 4 in Bowden where she is a resident event caterer, penning articles and recipes as well as curating her pop-up event Food, Booze + Dancing Shoes. JESSIE’S SUPER COOL POPSICLES My childhood summer memories are of beach trips, boogie boards, being lathered head to toe in sunscreen by my mother and cooling off after school in my grandmother’s swimming pool, happily slurping on her home-made lemon cordial popsicles. Summer is here along with a bounty of yummy seasonal fruits that are just begging to be turned into scrumptious frozen treats. These popsicles are a step up from grandma’s and are ridiculously easy and totally customisable, but the best bit, dare I say it, is that they are pretty damn healthy too! Go nuts and create your own flavour combinations. Blend any fruit you like, add extra yoghurt or indeed have none. Try adding a bit of mint, pieces of fruit, fruit purees or freshly juiced fruit. Try iced tea, herb infusions or fruit teas for an icy sophisticated take on the humble ice block. MAD MANGO + BANANA POPSICLEMAKES AROUND 6 ICE BLOCKS 1 banana1 mangoHoney to taste (this is optional, ripe mangos usually don’t need sweetening)200mls coconut milk or yoghurt METHOD In a blender blitz all the ingredients together. Pour the mixture into the moulds, and freeze for about 3-4 hours. If you are using pop sticks place them into the iceblocks about half an hour after placing in the freezer. This will stop the sticks sinking down too far. BREKKIE ON THE RUN: GRANOLA YOGHURT ICE BLOCKSMAKES AROUND 6 ICE BLOCKS 1 cup of seasonal fruit – berries, grapes, kiwi, peachesHoney to taste200mls natural yoghurt, coconut yoghurt for dairy free1/2 cup granola – homemade or low sugar store bought METHOD Mix your desired amount of honey into the yoghurt.Fill your mould about 1/4 full of fruit. Pour the yoghurt in to moulds making sure there aren’t any air bubbles. A good tap on the bench will get them out or you can stick a chopstick in to release the bubbles.Mix a couple of tablespoons of yoghurt into the granola to moisten the mixture. This will help it stick and freeze in the mould. Top the yoghurt with spoonful of granola mixture.Freeze for about 3-4 hours. If you are using pop sticks place them into the iceblocks about half an hour after placing in the freezer. This will stop the sticks sinking down too far.Enjoy! For a naughty addition try making your own hard setting chocolate sauce by melting together 180g of dark or milk chocolate with 100ml of coconut oil in the microwave. Stir every 20 seconds to prevent burning in spots, or melt in a heat proof bowl over a simmering saucepan. Let it get to room temperature before dipping your iceblock. Save the left sauce and melt together once again next time you want to use it. jessiespiby.com Facebook  JessieSpibyCooksInstagram @jessie_spibyTwitter  jessie_spiby All images by Meaghan Coles Now and Then Photography

Read More >

RECIPE: Strawberry and Meringue Santas

There’s nothing more exciting for kids than taking them to buy their own ingredients, then letting them cook something from scratch. Bring the kids to the Adelaide Central Market to buy their fresh produce, then let them have a go at this easy and fun recipe! Ingredients  Chantilly cream300ml cream2 tbsp caster sugarvanilla extract1 pkt mini meringue nests10 medium size strawberriesfinely shredded coconutblack writing icing tube Prep time 20 -30minServes 10 Place the cream, caster sugar and vanilla extract in a bowl and whisk till soft peaks form. Fill into a piping bag fitted with a small star-piping nozzle.Remove the stems from the strawberries and cut approx 1/3 from the tip to make the Santa hat.Pipe some cream into the meringue nest; place the larger strawberry piece into the cream. Pipe a star into the cut side of the strawberry. (This will make the face)Dip the top of the strawberry into the cream and then into the coconut, place the hat onto the cream star.Pipe a small star onto the hat to form the pompom and sprinkle with a little coconut. Add two small cream spots for buttons on the large strawberry.Using the black writing icing create two eyes on the Santa and watch him come to life – HO HO HO!! For more recipes and Adelaide Central Markets opening hours visit: adelaidecentralmarket.com.au

Read More >