Feb 13, 2018
Photography by Darren Bester
Say ‘I love you’ with this decadent chocolate dessert made for two !
Featured on The Pretty Blog for Valentines Day back in 2016, this chocolate pot of yumminess seems to have made a lasting impression.
Go on, give it a go … after all, ‘sharing is caring’
xxx

Yield: 2 large chocolate pots or 1 x 30cm quiche pan
Ingredients:
2 Packets of Oreo Biscuits – blitzed in a food processor to form a crumb like consistency
5 tbsp Salted Butter, melted
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
500g Cream Cheese
1/2 Cup Double Thick Cream
1/2 Cup Caster Sugar
x 1 350g jar of Nutella
2 tbsp Cocoa
1 Cup Fresh Raspberries
For the Topping: 3 Ferrero Rocher Chocolates crushed & extra fresh Raspberries
Method:
Combine the Oreo crumbs with the melted butter and pour into bottom of your jar, pressing up the sides, I like to be quite generous with the biscuit base vs. filling ratio. Press with the back of a spoon to smooth down the mixture before refrigerating while you prepare the filling. In a mixer, beat the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract, cocoa powder and Nutella until smooth. Add the cream and beat until just combined. Add the raspberries and stir by hand before gently pouring the mixture onto the Oreo base. Refrigerate for approximately 4 hours or overnight. Just before serving, top with the crushed Ferrero Rocher and fresh raspberries. Serve with 2 spoons.

May 3, 2016
Planning an intimate celebration with your nearest and dearest? Why not hold it at Martha Who Culinary Studio… We will design a bespoke menu for your special occasion and work to a theme of your choosing.
Our venue becomes your venue but all the hard work is left to us, allowing you time to connect with your guests while eating delicious food, receiving great service and avoiding all the ‘not so fun’ tasks that come with hosting a party.
Martha Who? can accommodate up to 20 guests for a seated meal or a few more for a standing buffet type celebration. Perfect venue and experience not only for intimate lunches and dinners but also for Baby Shower’s and other special celebrations.


Feb 10, 2016
There’s all this fuss about cauliflower these days, its proving to be a great substitute for rice, pizza bases and mash potato. Aaaah… Mash Potato, how I love thee … unfortunately though, you do nothing for my waistline! So I thought, let me see how the cauliflower puree phenomenon will stand up against my beloved mash potato. The result? A creamy, rich, indulgent and delicious ‘mash’ / puree. Is it mash potato? Well, no but its a very good substitute for those trying to avoid carbs at dinner time. So quick and easy to prepare and I caught a few fingers licking the plate … mine included 😉
I served mine with Pork Chops which I fried with olive oil, garlic and sage leaves. I fried a few of the sage leaves first in the hot olive oil for 3 or 4 seconds before draining on carlton towel and sprinkling generously with salt. I then set these aside for garnishing. The oil was then nicely flavoured with the sage, so I added the pork chops, which I had already marinaded in a little olive oil, with a clove of garlic which I crushed into a smooth paste, salt & black pepper. As far as week night dinners go, it was a goodie!

Yield: 3 – 4 servings
Ingredients:
1 head cauliflower – tough stalks removed
1 cup chicken stock / Water
3 Tbsp fresh cream
1 Tbsp butter
Salt & Pepper for seasoning
Method:
Roughly chop the cauliflower and put in a pot together with the chicken stock. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer gently until cauliflower is completely tender. Strain in a colander, retaining a few spoons of the cooking liquid. Put cauliflower in food processor and blend until smooth, adding about 20ml of the cooking liquid as you go. Once processed to a smooth consistency, add the cream and butter and process again until combined. Season with salt and pepper and enjoy !
Cooks Note: I use the Woolworths organic ready made chicken stock for this recipe. The stock freezes well, so I freeze whats left over after I’ve measured. If you find the puree too thick, add a little extra cooking liquid or even better, extra cream 🙂

Jan 25, 2016
Photography by Darren Bester
(This sauce pairs beautifully with cold fish, such as Trout or Salmon. See my recipe for Cured Salmon here)
Yield: 500ml
Ingredients:
2 x quantities of homemade Mayonnaise ( Mayonnaise recipe here )
200g Baby Spinach, stalks removed
10g Chives
20g Parsley, stalks removed
A good pinch of freeze dried Tarragon (or 10g fresh Tarragon leaves)
10g Shallots, peeled and thinly chopped
Method:
Place the spinach, herbs, shallots and 350ml water into a blender and blend on a low speed for 2 minute before increasing the speed and blending for an additional 4 minutes. Place a piece of muslin cloth over a pot and secure it with an elastic band. Pour the mixture on top of the muslin cloth and let it drain through to the pot slowly. After about 10 minutes, pull up the sides of the cloth and squeeze to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the residue remaining on top of the cloth. Rinse the cloth and keep aside. Put the pot on a low heat, stirring occasionally. Once the liquid starts to simmer, remove from the heat. Over a bowl, again tie the muslin cloth in place and slowly empty the contents of the pot onto the cloth. Leave for 20 minutes to drain. The green puree that remains on top of the cloth at the end of this time, is chlorophyll. Use a spatula to scoop up the chlorophyll & place in a little dish. Using a teaspoon, incorporate a little of the chlorophyll into your mayonnaise until the desired flavour and shade of green is achieved. Season with salt & pepper.
Cooks Note: The Chloro Mayo will keep well for up to 3 days in the fridge.

Jan 25, 2016
Photography by Darren Bester
Food is not complete without a good sauce! Be it a sandwich, a bowl of french fries, a roast dinner or even a dessert. Married with the right sauce, that dish reaches new heights! Of all the sauces, good old mayonnaise is right up there as one of the household favourites. Making your own mayonnaise is really easy and takes just 5 minutes. You can taste the difference & will find that the store bought versions simply won’t cut the mustard anymore …
Yield: Approximately 250ml
Ingredients:
2 Egg Yolks
1 heaped tsp Dijon Mustard
Squeeze of Lemon Juice
125ml Canola Oil
125ml Olive Oil
Pinch of Salt
Method:
In a blender, combine the egg yolks, mustard, salt & lemon juice and give a quick blend on a low speed to combine (bout 10 or so seconds). Slowly start trickling the oil into the mixture until you can see that it starts to thicken, once it starts thickening you can increase the flow of oil into the blender until all the oil has been combined. Taste and season accordingly. If too thick, add another dash of lemon juice.
Cooks Notes: Refrigerate if not serving immediately. Will keep for 3 days in the fridge. Add a crushed clove of garlic with the egg yolks, mustard, salt & lemon juice for a Garlic Aioli sauce – a nice variation with great flavour. ( Garlic Aioli )
