White sauce and corned beef in a black out

So not that long ago, due to my own loose lips, I found myself faced with a kitchen challenge. We had found ourselves stranded by a power loss - again - so had been rescued by a friends kind offer of dinner at theirs. Corned beef with cauliflower and broccoli was on the menu.

As we had no power at our place and sunlight was quickly waning I tried to think of something I could take over for dessert that didn't need an oven. Bolied English jam pudding - easy - I can put that together by torch light easily and we have gas cook tops. Done. Now, are you thinking this was my kitchen challenge? Well, no it wasn't. That was to come.

I find myself in the warm country kitchen in Gruyere, pudding boiling away to finish off it's cook and stay warm, thinking how lucky we were when the talk turned to white cheese sauce for the cauliflower and broccoli. Our divine hosts love food but don't see themselves as cooks. We have served them white sauce on corned beef quite a few times before so of course I say – “No problem, I can do that for you.”

White cheese sauce should be easy you say. Well, it would be if you had made it in the last decade! All of a sudden I am overwhelmed with the realisation – I don’t make flour, butter, milk white sauce. I have never made it! My husband did quite a few years ago and it was always made in quantities larger than we needed.

So there I was cooking flour and butter down until it browned a little, adding milk, looking for cheese and mustard thinking – “Gee, I hope this is right”. The most important thing was to cook out the flour – right?

Well …. Upon reflection the thick doughy thing that was spread across the vegies and people smiled and ate only increased my love of those at the table. It did nothing to reignite a love of white flour sauces.

The sauce we do at home as a white sauce is actually based upon cauliflower, milk, mustard and seasoning. That’s it. Easy to do, yummy to eat and light on the tummy.

CHEATS LIGHT TASTY WHITE SAUCE

Chop your cauliflower very finely (this allows it to cook quickly)

Pour enough milk over to cover

Simmer until fine pieces are soft

Place in blender and add cheese (to taste), mustard and seasoning.

Blend to a smooth, thick, but runny enough to pour consistency.

Check it’s seasoned correctly – adjust – then pour over your food.

This is my recommended white cheesy mustard sauce to enjoy with corned beef. It is light, tasty and people always comment on how lovely it is. Unfortunately they also think it traditional white sauce - and in the heat of the kitchen - so can I!!

Morels grow in spring best after bush fires?

Spring morels apparently like areas that have had fire through them.

Morel image

Goat and fresh morels in spring!

A friend we hadn't seen for quite a while was coming over for a casual Monday night dinner. Over coffee at Mocha and Lime in Healesville we thought this would be slow cooked pork belly with some parsnip, broccoli and braised carrot.

Walking into K&B things changes and SP walked out with a goat shoulder in his hand rather than pork. Sure! We haven't done goat in ages.

Whilst shopping for some veggies to go with our goat shoulder we spotted a tray of morels. In disbelief at seeing them casually sitting on the oranges at the local fruit shop - Toscano's - we bought them and dinner took a new turn. For one another guest was invited. A great girlfriend of ours that loves a bit of a cook up, glass of wine and a chat and doesn't require much time to arrive. Perfect morel company!!

As soon as we got home the chicken bones were put on to make a light stock.

The goat was slow braised in said chicken stock, onion, carrots and parsley (very slowly as the power went out for an hour!) on about 160 for a few hours (covered). As it was a shoulder it is was important to make sure there was loads of liquid to guarantee it came out moist.

( At this stage we were drinking Punt Road Pear Cider and eating fresh goats cheese from the Yarra Valley Dairy and nibbling on smoked almonds. )

Smelling great we turned to the other bits. Broccoli -. steam the florets and maybe finish with a splash of rice wine, skin the stalks, finely slice and put in a frying pan. Put a large dessert spoonful of tahini in the pan and stir and cook until all stalks are lightly coated in the paste and it's slightly browned. This gives the stalks a great nutty flavour to sprinkle on top of florets at service.

New spring baby potatoes boiled then thrown in the oven - now the morels ....

SP had made a great reduction sauce - reduce some chicken stock by half, add some red wine - reduce by half, add some pouring cream - reduce again. The fresh morels are sliced and lightly pan fried in rice bran oil then finished with the sauce to cover. Delish!!

All this went to the table as shared family service and we all enjoyed Oakridge shiraz viognier 2008 and Medhurst cabernet 2005 with our succulent, sweet goat and vegetables until the wee small hours of the morning.

Monday night in the Yarra Valley - what a great way to start the week.


PS - We did have a steamed pudding with peach and vanilla to follow but I'll write more about that later ......