I see so many recipes that are in metric and sometimes it’s confusing.  How many grams are there in a cup of flour?  125 grams.  If you use a kitchen scale you’ll always get the amount right.

I was halfway through getting these volume to gram equivalents and my husband said, “someone’s already done it!” He was right. GourmetSleuth.com has it already. Here are a few equivalents for you if you’ve wondered what standard ingredients are when changed to grams. We all want to cook the latest trendy food but sometimes it comes in metric. This table can help.

Volume to Grams

I was talking with a good friend who lives in New York yesterday and she was griping about a dessert recipe that had gone horribly wrong. Griping? perhaps I should say she was bellowing like a stuck pig that her culinary concoction was a flop. I said what any friend would say, “Did you measure and weigh correctly?”

She swore she measured appropriately but she doesn’t weigh anything because she doesn’t have any kitchen scales. What??? In the land of the free and the home of the brave where streets are paved with gold – Anna doesn’t have kitchen scales? She said that she only knows of one person who uses them and that’s because her friend is always on a diet.

Kitchen scales are considered a must-have by home cooks everywhere – everywhere but the US. I suppose all the recipes are by volume because they know that most people don’t have scales.

Imagine my frustrating cooking when everything was in celsius and metric when I moved from the states to Australia? Cooking went from being something I loved to being something I dreaded. My partner thought I didn’t know how to cook and for 6 months he did all the cooking. I made the mistake of taking over one night when he was on the phone and he hasn’t cooked since. Why oh why did I do that? I could be living the life of Riley being waited on hand and foot.

I think in metric now but I still keep my handy converter close by so I can still use all my favorite recipes that mom and nana raised me with.

Kitchen scales aren’t expensive and they’re so easy to use. When I make bread in my bread machine I take the bucket thing out and sit it on my scales and add the water, clear the amount and then add the flour and it takes about one minute to get the loaf in the machine and the only thing that’s dirty is the spoon. Do I sound lazy to you? Also, I know that everything was measured accurately and I’ll get consistent results.

Once you get the hang of it, using scales results in quicker more reliable results. If I had to choose one piece of kitchen equipment that I wouldn’t want to be without, it’s my scales. When measuring by volume it’s so easy to pack flour in a cup so you end up with more flour than the recipe calls for. Don’t get me started on sifting before measuring. If a recipe calls for one cup of flour, that’s 4 3/8 ounces or 126 grams.

Most scales will measure in ounces or grams so if you share your recipe with a friend or online, the cook will be able to reproduce your recipe exactly. No more, “I don’t know why it doesn’t look as good or taste as good as yours.” If I say one cup of chopped onions, how small you chop them makes a difference in how much onion you’ll use. No problem if the recipe says 200 grams or 7 ounces of chopped onion.

If you don’t have scales in your kitchen, it’s time to ask for them for your birthday or Christmas or just because you’re wonderful. Buy them for yourself, you’re worth it and the meals and desserts will make you a better star than you are now. You ARE a star, right?

If you’re like me, you love eggs. I know the doctors said don’t eat eggs, they’re bad for you and now they’re saying oops we were wrong. For me, there’s something about a fork cutting open a runny yolk and seeing all that yellowy goodness oozing across the plate.

Frying an egg is no big deal for me, I can do that with my eyes blindfolded and dancing a jig but when it comes to poaching an egg mine come out looking like an egg in a torn, flimsy wedding dress. Imagine my delight when I came across The Gingerbread Girl’s blog about how to poach an egg. I can’t say that this is her original recipe because once again, it’s based on our old friend Julia Child. It’s really a fake poached egg but with more taste and flavor I think.

You’ll need 4 ramekins or small heatproof bowls for this method.

Ingredients:

4 large eggs, room temperature
1/4 cup cream
2 Tbsp butter
parsley
1 cup boiling water

Method

Place ramekins or bowls in a large casserole dish. Fill dish with boiling water, until the ramekins are about 1″ submerged.

Add a pat of butter to each ramekin and swirl, until butter melts and bottom and sides are fully coated.

Crack one egg into each ramekin. Fill with approximately 1 Tbsp heavy cream. Sprinkle with parsley or other spices.

Transfer the entire casserole dish to the oven, and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, or until eggs are firm.

That’s it. Imagine if you had a crowd for breakfast, you could easily pre-cook the bacon ahead, toss all the eggs in the oven and delegate someone to make the toast soldiers. You’ll be a hero.

Now about the Hollandaise Sauce. It’s coming but I haven’t perfected it for photography yet.

I love raspberries. The variety I grow fruits in the spring and again in the autumn. I was in Australia last week and the autumn crop is at its perfect ripeness. As much as I love them though, I hate it when someone gets the juice on my beautiful linen placemats and napkins.

This time, however, I got the stains out right away with lemon juice. Who knew? If you knew and didn’t tell me, it would hurt my feelings. My friend Chris was at the dinner and when she saw the stain on her husband’s placemat she told me to wipe the stain and then rub the stain with lemon juice and toss it in the washer. I was skeptical but I was moving out in a few days and didn’t want to buy anything new to have to throw away. I still had lemons on the trees so I picked a few and juiced them and put it on the stain.

The placemat looks brand new. I didn’t take a photo for you, sorry. I was thinking about where I could find a replacement placemat.

Do you have stain remedies you want to share?

I made this casserole for the first time when I was about 22 and it’s been a favorite at our table every year since.

Ingredients

1 lb sliced carrots
1 large onion, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup saltine cracker crumbs
1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese tightly packed
1 can French fried onion rings (3 1/2 ounces)
1/2 tsp caraway seeds (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Method

Cook carrots and onions in a pan of boiling salted water til tender (you’re going to mash them so they must be cooked through)
Drain carrots and onions
Mash with a fork leaving chunks of carrot
Add butter, evaporated milk  and cheese and mix well.   The heat of the carrots and onions will melt the cheese. Add the cracker crumbs and mix well.
Place in a buttered casserole dish and top with a can of french fried onion rings.  Bake in a moderate oven 350F or 180C til golden brown, about 40 minutes.

You knew this would have to show up here, didn’t you? I swear I didn’t name it but the name certainly fits here. Not only does it have a jazzy name, it’s so easy to make. Nobody can get this one wrong.

Ingredients

1 (18.25 ounce) package devil’s food cake mix
1/2 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk (remember 1/2 a can)
6 ounces caramel ice cream topping 3 bars chocolate covered toffee, chopped – (Heath Bar)
1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed (don’t have any? Make your own with chef’s secret whipped cream)

Method

Bake the cake according to the package directions for a 9×13 inch sheet pan; cool on wire rack for 5 minutes. Make slits across the top of the cake but don’t go through all the way to the bottom. You’re making little pockets.

In a pan over low heat, combine sweetened condensed milk and caramel topping, stirring until smooth and blended. Slowly pour the warm topping mixture over the top of the warm cake, letting it sink into the slits; then sprinkle the crushed chocolate toffee bars liberally across the entire cake while still warm. The first time I made this I crushed the Heath bars but the second time I left the candy in small chunks because it was nice to bite into a crunchy bit of sweetness.

Let cake cool completely, then top with whipped topping. Decorate the top of the cake with some more chocolate/toffee candy chunks and swirls of caramel topping. Refrigerate and serve to happy mouths.

A few years ago we were going to a conference in Jamaica and thought.. why not visit Cuba while we’re there? It was one of the best holidays we’ve ever had. Our travel agent said about 15 times, “Don’t talk to the locals, you’ll get robbed.” We’ve never listened to advice like that. We know there are good people everywhere.

On our first morning in Havana we went outside and this nice man named Alberto asked us if we wanted a horse carriage ride through the old part of Havana. Discarding the aforementioned advice from the travel agent and we hopped aboard. We had a lovely time and we stopped to have our first mojito with Alberto (it turned into lunch – Alberto loves being treated to turtle soup). We asked where we could find a guide to see Cuba outside of Havana and he patted his chest and said, “Alberto will do it but you must rent the car because Cuban citizens cannot rent cars.”

And that’s just what we did. He guided us through beautiful countryside to the Bay of Pigs (more mojitos and a swim) and we stopped at several places on the way back to our hotel to pick up “supplies” for Alberto. Cubans will stand by the roadside and sell cheese, lobster, fruit and anything else you can think of. He invited us to his house for dinner (our travel agent would have shit herself on that one!) and I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. It’s one of our very best travel memories.

The next day he brought his wife and we went touring in another direction.

So have had mojitos in Havana and also on a beach near the Bay of Pigs. I’ve gotta tell you, on a hot day there’s nothing more refreshing than a nice cold mojito. Ok, a pitcher of them might be better but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

Ingredients

8 – 10 fresh mint leaves
1/2 lime, cut into 4 wedges
2 – 2 1/2 tablespoons white sugar, depending upon how tart you like your mojito to be
1 cup ice cubes
1 1/2 fluid ounces white rum
1/2 cup club soda

Method

Place mint leaves and 1 lime wedge into a sturdy glass.

Use a wooden stick (called a muddler) to bruise the mint and lime to release the mint oils and lime juice. This is very important so don’t skip this. The bartender in Havana said that if you don’t bruse the mint enough, it’s not a good mojito.

Add 2 more lime wedges and the sugar and use the muddler again to release the lime juice. Do not strain the mixture. Fill the glass almost to the top with ice. Pour the rum over the ice, and fill the glass with carbonated water. Stir, taste, and add more sugar if desired. Garnish with the remaining lime wedge.

Ahhh… just thinking of it now makes me feel all summery.

If you ever have a chance to visit Cuba, don’t pass it up. Cubans are some of the friendliest people we’ve met anywhere in the world. Our horse carriage driver and his wife invited us for dinner at their apartment. We went!

The first time I made this it was so good I didn’t want to stop eating. It’s an easy recipe and the sauce can be made a day or two in advance so it’s a great meal for guests, leaving you lots of time to entertain.

If you’re a beginner cook it might look like a lot to do but honestly, this is a recipe that is very forgiving, even if you get some of the amounts wrong. Don’t let the sauce burn and don’t overcook the pork and you’ll be just fine.

Ingredients

Sauce
1 large (or 2 small) onion thinly sliced
3 tbs olive oil
1/3 cup Balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 tbs brown sugar
1 cup water
1 apple (granny smith will do) peeled and thickly sliced
5 pitted prunes
1 cup chicken stock
1 tbs fresh chopped parsley

2 pork tenderloins
3 tbs olive oil
salt
pepper
2 sprigs of fresh thyme

Method

1. Preheat oven to 450F

2. Place the sliced onion in a frying or saute pan and cook very slowly over medium heat. You want them golden brown but not dark brown. This should take about 8 – 10 minutes.

3. Add the balsamic vinegar, the red wine vinegar, the water and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer slowly until all the liquid has boiled off and the onions are really soft — about 45 minutes to an hour. Don’t let this mixture burn.

4. While the onion mixture is cooking, slice the apple and chop up the prunes and place them in a frying pan with the butter. Saute on med-low heat until the apples are cooked and caramelized.

5. When the onions are cooked add the apple mixture to them and stir.

If you are making this ahead, you can stop now and place in the fridge til you’re ready to cook the meat.

6. Place both tenderloins on a roasting pan and cover with olive oil. Add salt and pepper and one sprig of time on each tenderloin and bake in a hot oven for 20 minutes. At 10 minutes turn the tenderloins over.

When the meat is cooking place the apple onion mixture back in a pan (if you have made it ahead) and add the chicken stock. Cook slowly and the sauce will be thick and dark and delicious.

Rest the meat for 5 – 8 minutes and slice and place on a plate with the sauce on the side.

If you like a bit of sweet/sour you will love this recipe. I have made it heaps of times and have never had anyone say they didn’t enjoy it.

This dessert is also called sticky toffee pudding. I made it for my son who was visiting Australia for the first time. When I said we were having sticky date pudding, he said he’d give it a miss. Now my son loves dessert but he’s not big on American style pudding so when I said it was pudding AND dates, he thought he’d just have a bowl of ice cream.

I explained that pudding was any kind of dessert in England and it’s occasionally used in Australia. It’s really sticky date cake with toffee sauce. He said he’d try it. Try it? He ate his, cleaned up his wife’s plate and started eyeing mine. It’s really that good.

Serve it with cream or ice cream or go all out and serve it with both. It’s a rich gooey dessert. Better than sex? Maybe.

Sticky Date Pudding

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups dates, pitted and chopped
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup butter
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/8 cups self-rising flour
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup butter
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups boiling water to cover

Almond praline
½ cup caster sugar
¼ cup slivered almonds

Toffee sauce
(3 1/2 tbs) butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup cream
1 tsp vanilla extract

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C (350F) (160C fan-forced). Lightly grease eight (½ cup capacity) individual silicone molds or large cupcake tray.

2. Place dates and boiling water in a bowl. Add bicarbonate of soda, stir until dates start to break down, set aside to cool, stirring occasionally.

3. Beat butter and sugar in a bowl using a hand beater, gradually add eggs one at a time, beat until light and fluffy.

4. Add date mixture, stir to combine. Carefully fold through sifted flour, divide mixture evenly between the eight molds, 2/3 full.

5. Bake in oven for 40 minutes or until golden and skewer comes out clean.

6. Meanwhile, for the almond praline, combine sugar and 2 tablespoons water in a saucepan over medium heat and cook caramel without stirring, swirling pan, until deep golden. Scatter almonds onto a Silpat silicone mat and pour over the hot caramel and cool until set. Break praline into pieces.

7. For the toffee sauce, combine butter, brown sugar, cream and vanilla in small saucepan over low heat until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Bring sauce to the boil, reduce heat and cook for 5-6 minutes or until sauce thickens slightly.

8. To serve, invert the hot pudding onto a serving plate, top with butterscotch sauce and shards of praline.

This can also be made in a cake tin – just watch the timing depending upon the size of the pan you’re using. It’s done when a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Our caterer served these tarts as an appetizer at my husband’s birthday party a few years ago. I thought I would crawl in the plate and live with them. It’s just the right balance between the sweetness of the fig jam and the tartness & richness of good bleu cheese.

You can buy tiny appetizer tart shells (expensive) or you can make your own if you have two small mini-cupcake silicone pans, it’s really easy. Buy or make pastry crust and cut into small circles and pat the crust into one of the cups. Then, very carefully put the other pan on top to hold the crusts in shape and bake til cooked but only barely beginning to brown. You can put them in an airtight container and they’ll keep for a while.

Ingredients

1 container of fig jam
1/2 lb of good quality bleu cheese or blue cheese
Small pastry tart shells

Put a small spoonful of fig jam in the tart shell and put a small piece of bleu – blue cheese on top and then bake in the oven at 350F for about 10 minutes or until the cheese melts.

I’ve never had these at a party when there were any left over.