Simplicity is the Key - Issue #7

Hello Food Lovers,

Welcome to the 7th edition of the EasyPeasy.co Newsletter. I hope these newsletters leave you feeling inspired to try something new next time you’re in the kitchen. Whether it’s trying a new plating technique, or cooking something you have never tried before, I hope it’s an enjoyable experience.

Beautifully presented food doesn’t need to be expensive or time consuming. For example, in this weeks video there are some very simple tea sandwiches you can make with what you have on hand.

In this issue:

• Fresh off the press (+ Recipes) - Simple Tea Sandwiches - Everything you need to know
• Inspiration from my kitchen - Sweet Corn
• Q&A - Do you need to use eggs as a binder when crumbing or breading?
• What’s in the pipeline? - Halloumi cheese and asparagus entrée

Fresh off the press... (+ Recipes)

Our latest video - Simple Tea Sandwiches - Everything you need to know - has just been published.

Tea sandwiches in their simplest form are the ultimate in glamour and sophistication, but that doesn't mean they're hard to make. In this video you'll learn how easy it is to put together a plate of super simple sandwiches that still look and taste amazing.

I'm sure you can whip up a tray of delicious sandwiches in no time at all.

Click on the video to have a look and see how we made them…

Simple Tea Sandwiches

Ingredients for single layered sandwiches made in the video:

• Sliced bread (use a mixture of white and wholemeal toast bread)
• Store bought or homemade dip or spread
• Toppings I used: cucumber, diced bacon, thin carrot ribbons, fresh flat leaf parsley and strawberry slices
• Fresh chives, snow pea shoots and parsley to garnish

Ingredients for double/triple layered sandwiches made in the video:

• Sliced bread (use a mixture of white and wholemeal toast bread)
• Chive butter, or homemade lemon and parsley cream cheese spread
• Fillings I used: cucumber, ham and cheese
• Snow pea shoots to garnish

Ingredients for mashed filling tea sandwiches:

• Sliced dark rye bread
• Avocado, mashed
• Hard boiled eggs, mashed
• Mayonnaise
• Fresh parsley to garnish

Ingredients for Calla lily tea sandwiches:

• Sliced white bread
• Homemade lemon and parsley cream cheese spread
• Orange capsicum, celery stalk
• Fresh herbs for plating

Ingredients for lemon and parsley cream cheese spread:

• Cream cheese
• Lemon zest and juice
• Fresh parsley, finely chopped

Method:

• Soften cream cheese with a fork.
• Add lemon zest and parsley, and mix together.
• Add lemon juice until a desired consistency is achieved.

Ingredients for chive butter:

• Butter, softened
• Fresh chives, finely chopped

Method:

• Mix together until well combined and spreadable.

Inspiration from my kitchen

Sweet corn is finally available in abundance here in New Zealand and is very reasonably priced. It’s such a quick and easy vegetable addition for any meal and has been featuring very regularly on our dinner table and even in the kids lunch boxes!

I usually microwave the cob in the husks for about 3 minutes, then cut off the bottom end and slide/squeeze it out of the husks. This easily pulls off all the stringy bits and husks in one smooth motion.

Anyway, with having it so often, I decided it was time to get a bit more creative and try some alternative ways to serve it - not that there’s anything wrong with having it plain!

Tonight we had it with a blob of sweet chilli mayonnaise. All I did was mix a little sweet chilli sauce, lemon juice, crushed garlic and finely chopped coriander into a generous blob of mayonnaise. Then we slathered it all over. It was a lovely, fresh way to enjoy our corn. Give it a try or let me know some of your favourite ways to eat sweet corn.

Q&A

Q: Do you need to use eggs as a binder when crumbing or breading?

A: This is a great question, especially with eggs still in very limited supply here in New Zealand. In short the answer is no you don’t need to use eggs. There are lots of different alternatives.

There’s a video on the channel showing the traditional way to crumb, but some alternatives you can try are:

• Milk, either plant based or dairy
• Buttermilk
• Mayonnaise
• Melted butter
• Aquafaba (chickpea liquid)
• Ground flaxseed mixed with water
• Vegetable oil
• Flour and water slurry
• Heavy cream

What's in the pipeline?

This week we have been playing around with putting an entrée together. It’s such a nice way to start a meal, especially if you have guests around. People often think it’s too hard, but hopefully you’ll see how easily you can put something like this together. Watch out for this video next fortnight.

Happy cooking,
Taryn