My Favourite Recipes - 2011

There’s no doubt that 2011 has been a busy fun-filled year. The Food Mentalist is coming up to it’s first birthday and looking back it’s been an absolute ball! I have met some amazing people, made some new friends, attended several blogging related events and sampled some amazing new foods and products. I want to take this opportunity to thank all my regular readers, Twitter & Facebook friends and and everyone else who had made this experience all the more enjoyable. Thank you x

As the year comes to a close I thought I would take this opportunity to share my favourite recipes with you all which have featured here over the last 12 months. They are fairly diverse - from the sweet (of which there are many) to the savoury and healthy. To visit the post and recipe simply click on the title of the dish.

Macadamia Praline Bread & Butter Pudding

I wanted to start with my most recent recipe as it truly is SO delicious. It’s perfect as a breakfast pudding or as a hearty dessert and can be served hot or cold. Who could possibly refuse a serving of this sticky caramel macadamia encrusted brioche pudding?! Certainly not me!

Bill Granger’s Lemon Chicken

This dish was part of The Cookbook Challenge’s citrus theme where we had to choose a recipe to make from a cookbook we owned. I chose this dish as I was intrigued and wanted to see if it tasted anything like the lemon chicken we all remember from the local Chinese restaurant growing up. Well, it exceeded my expectations and was truly delectable. And whats even better about this recipe is that it has much less fat than the traditional fried version. What I also loved about this recipe is that the chicken retained it’s moisture and the flavours were perfectly balanced. This was one of Pete’s favourites too.

Burnt Sugar Bundt Cake

This was one of those random recipes you sometimes come across on the Internet and think wow! So, I had to try it. I made it for a barbecue lunch we hosted at our place on Australia Day and it went down a treat. It was not a simple cake to make - with the burnt sugar syrup, cake, frosting and sugar topping. However, I thought the end result was well worth the effort. I also love the shape of the bundt cake and revisiting this recipe has reminded me that I will have to use my bundt tin more in 2012.

Super Easy Zucchini Slice

This super easy slice was a huge hit in 2011 for it’s versatility. It is so tasty, can be served hot or cold, is perfect for lunch or dinner and can be wrapped up and taken with you on the road, or for a picnic. Yum.

The Best Banana Cake - “In the World”

Any cake with buttermilk on it’s ingredient list always gets my vote. I think it just adds that certain oomph! to a recipe. I made this cake for a friend at work and it was a nice change from the traditional chocolate birthday cake. The cream cheese icing was scrumptious and I could actually do with a slice right now. 

The Secret to the World’s Best Chocolate Chip Cookie

Tell anyone that you will reveal the secret to the World’s Best anything and it’s sure to spark intrigue. I came across an interesting article in the New York Times online revealing the secret to the World’s best chocolate chip cookies and I just had to follow it up. This recipe was tried & tested and resulted in the ‘Ultimate’ chocolate chip cookie. It’s now my ‘go to’ whenever I need the perfect cookie.

Feta, Basil & Sun-Dried Tomato Quiche

These tasty individual quiches, served with a simple side salad are the perfect addition to any lunch or dinner during these Summer holidays.

The Best Chocolate Cake

This recipe by Jared Ingersoll from Dank Street Depot lives up to it's reputation as 'The Best'. It comes from his cookbook Sharing Plates - A table for all seasons - a beautiful cookbook filled with amazing and incredibly tasty dishes. This recipe results in a moist, silky almost fudge like chocolate cake which is simply - The Best!

Luscious Carrot & Cardamom Cupcakes

These cupcakes were indeed luscious. A moist carrot cake base mingles with cardamom and ginger and is topped with a sweet mascarpone frosting. They are impossible to resist.

Asian-Style Turkey Salad

Another favourite salad of ours. This one is a super healthy, protein enriched salad jammed full of high impact flavours. It’s incredibly delicious and you can’t stop at just one serve. What’s fantastic about this recipe is that it’s great for those of us who want to choose something healthy for lunch or dinner but who also don’t want to compromise on flavour in doing so.

Best Ever Pancakes w/ Easy Raspberry Sauce

These almost crepe-like pancakes are reminiscent of cooking with my Nan as a child. Served with an easy to make raspberry sauce, you won’t have any excuse not to make these over the holidays.

Pear & Prune Flan - flan aux pruneaux et aux poires

I made this for Bastille Day on July 14 this year. It brought back many fond memories from our trip to France in late 2010. This flan recipe is popular in the Brittany region of France and it’s from the cookbook ‘Taste Le Tour’ - by TV Celebrity Chef Gabriel Gate. What’s interesting about the cookbook is that it has no photographs of the finished recipes, only a few illustrations randomly scattered throughout the book.

Jamie Oliver’s Moorish Crunch Salad

I loved this salad so much we had is on Christmas Day last week. A combination of crunchy vegetables including radishes, apples and carrots combined with juicy sultanas, sesame seeds, and a fabulous tahini based dressing - It’s definitely a stand-out dish. It’s incredibly healthy and absolutely delicious!

Lemon Pound Cake

This one is another from Bill Granger and I made it for Mum for her birthday. I was on a self-induced chocolate ban at the time and because Mum loves lemon flavoured sweets I chose this recipe. It was absolutely divine and so dense and moist. Everything a good cake should be. The frosting was sweet and tangy and complimented the cake really well.

I look forward to sharing more food and life adventures with you all in 2012. May you all have a fabulous and safe New Year and enjoy the rest of your holidays.