FEAST AUSTRALIA & SORRENTO COOKING SCHOOL- Catering and Cooking Classes on the Mornington Peninsula

STRAWBERRY GRANITA
Serves 4 Prep time 5 minutes Waiting time 3-4hrs

Granitas are different to sorbets and offer a textural contrast- sweet, icy and crunchy. The perfect match for warm summer afternoon…

This recipe calls for gorgeous ripe juicy strawberries full of sweetness- organic if you can. I also use rice syrup in this recipe- I like its mellow flavour and it’s a good alternative to white sugar. You could replace with 130g of castor sugar dissolved in 300ml water.

Ingredients:
400g Strawberries- ripe, washed and green bit removed.
130g Sugar, dissolved in 300ml water & allowed to cool
1 Orange juiced
½ tsp Vanilla essence or ½ vanilla bean finely chopped

Method:
• Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blitz until smooth. You may need to stop and scrape down the sides regularly to get a consistent mix.
Strain through a sieve and transfer into a shallow tray.
Freeze for 2-3 hours. Remove from the freezer and drag a fork through the ice crystals to mix it up a little. Place back in the freezer for an 1½ hr or until set.
Take out of the freezer and break up the crystal again before spooning into serving glasses.

To serve- garnish with a piece of mint, or a dob of great quality yoghurt (I love Meredith Sheep’s Yoghurt), or- my favourite- drizzle a couple of teaspoons of Cointreau over the top of each serve. It’s very good.

I have to admit its been a long time since I’ve made a super-green smoothie, but inspired by my gorgeous friend and most excellent blogger Tess Masters aka Blender Girl, I thought I’d blend up a green storm this morning. Almost a meal in a glass, this green smoothie is over-the-top with nutritional value and post-sculling virtuous feelings! You should definitely try this one…

Mint & Pineapple Green Smoothie (2 generous serves)

1/2 C          Kale (or other leafy green) rinsed and roughly chopped

5g             Mint (fresh, about 5 springs)

100g          Pineapple roughly chopped

200ml        Water  (or omit pineapple and add 300ml pineapple juice)

1                 Whole Orange- peeled

½               Avocado

2tsp           Chia seeds

Place all ingredients in a blender and buzz until smooth. Enjoy.

For more inspiration…  blendergirl.com

We’ve been putting together some great packages for group cooking classes, so you feel like doing something fun & different for your Christmas or end-of-year function this year, give us a call about a private group cooking class!
We cater for groups of 6-28 people with hands-on cooking experiences & beautiful food- its makes for a great & memorable day. Packages start from $110pp and can include Italian, Thai or Wholefood Classes, cooking challenges, prizes, lunch, herbal teas, bubbles & wine.

If you’d prefer to sit back for a pampered lunch or you’re just looking for something more traditional we offer great catering options too- canapés, BBQ’s or long lunch..? For enquiries give Rachel a call on 0410 544 505, but be quick because November/December is filling up fast!

As the weather warms up its the perfect time for outdoor entertaining, and what better than a wood-fired pizza oven! At the end of October we’ll be running another one of our wood-fired oven classes for all those that either have or dream of having a wood-fired oven. John will be sharing his tips and tricks for firing up the oven, saving wood and get the most efficient heat. We’ll be making amazing pizza, rustic bread, baked fish and Sicilian ricotta cake to top it all off. Plus we’ll be discussing plenty of other ideas for for baking, roasting and preserving in the oven. This is hands on class and loads of fun, finishing with lunch and a glass of wine in the garden.

Sunday October 31st 12.00-3.00pm $135pp. Booking via the calendar or call Rachel 0410 544 505