Category Archives: Bake & Brew

Spring salad recipes

Posted on by

It’s warming up and spring is almost here. Here are some super easy and delicious salad recipes from our friends over at Bake and Brew.

Caesar Salad

Bake and Brew’s Caesar salad and potato salad

 

Caesar salad recipe

Caeser recipe

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 whole Cos lettuce (washed and sliced)
  • 6 rashers of bacon (with rind removed and chopped)
  • 50g Shaved Parmesan cheese
  • 8 Boiled eggs
  • 4 slices of toast to make croutons
  • 100mL of Caesar dressing (Zoosh brand)
  • Parsley (optional)

Method:

1. Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Cook the bacon, stirring, for 3-4 minutes or until crisp and browned. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel.
2. To boil eggs, place 2-3 eggs in a saucepan and cover with warm water. Cook on high until the water starts to boil, then remove from the hot plate and cover with a lid for three minutes (set a timer). Once three minutes is up, transfer the eggs to cold water and leave there until cool enough to peel.
3. Toast and butter the bread, before cutting into small squares for croutons.
4. Combine the lettuce, croutons, bacon and half the Parmesan in a salad bowl.
Drizzle over the dressing and top with the remaining Parmesan.

5. Sprinkle parsley over the top if desired.

Potato salad recipe
Potato Recipe

Ingredients:
  • 1kg potatoes (quartered)
  • 6 rashers of bacon (with rind removed and chopped)
  • 1 whole red onion (finely chopped)
  • Six pickles (chopped)
  • 200mL Coleslaw dressing (Zoosh brand) OR mayonnaise
  • Parsley (optional)
  • Balsamic glaze (optional)
  • Salt and pepper

Method:

1. Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Cook the bacon, stirring, for 3-4 minutes or until crisp and browned. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel.

2. Place potatoes into a large pot and cover with salted water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.

3. Mix potatoes, coleslaw dressing, bacon, pickles, onion, salt, and pepper together in a bowl until all combined. Refrigerate to allow flavors to blend and bacon to soften, about 1 hour.

4. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and parsley if desired, prior to serving.

 

Recipe: winter warmer veggie soup

Posted on by

 

soup 2

I don’t know about you, but this weather makes me crave soup: packed full of flavour and healthy veggies, served hot with a buttery piece of bread or a savoury scone… yum!

The cafe here at the Library, Bake & Brew, were kind enough to give us their recipe to share with you all. Happy soup-making!

Ingredients:

2 Turnips

2 Swedes

1 Pumpkin

2 Zucchini

1 Celery head

4 Carrots

6 Potatoes

Vegetable stock (the amount of stock will be the amount of soup liquid you get)

(This the Bake & Brew suggested veggie combination, but the great thing about soup is that you can chuck so many different ingredients in! Experiment with different veggies if you like)

Note: The veggie amounts in this recipe is for a big serve of soup, if you are cooking for a small group of people, adjust the recipe for less veggies and less stock.

 

Method:

1: Dice all veggies in even sizes.

2: Take pumpkin, swedes, carrots, potato, celery, turnips. In a large saucepan or pot big enough for your soup, saute off in a little butter.

3: Add stock. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer until tender. Add zucchinis in last few minutes.

4: Season with salt and pepper to taste, and top with fresh chopped parsley. Serve with savoury scone or bread with butter if you like.

5: Enjoy!

Soup 1

Lady Alice biscuit recipe

Posted on by

Lady Alice biscuits melt in your mouth.

These little golden beauties have no comparison. They are a divine accompaniment to a creamy latte or a hot chocolate, any time of year.

Library cafe Bake and Brew, always have a fresh batch on the go. Here’s their recipe.

Lady Alice biscuits

Fresh at Bake and Brew every day…perfect with coffee or hot chocolate

Sue’s Lady Alice biscuits

This recipe came to Sue from her great-aunt, who lived in Port Pirie.

Ingredients:

340gm butter, softened
115gm icing sugar
340gm plain flour
115gm custard powder
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

(Measurements have been converted to metric from imperial).

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees.
  2. Cream butter, vanilla and icing sugar in a bowl. Add flour and custard powder and mix until smooth.
  3. Roll teaspoons of biscuit mixture into balls and place on a lined baking tray 2cm apart
  4. Gently flatten each ball with a fork. After flattening, place the tray in the fridge and let the balls chill (takes approximately 1 hour).
  5. Place the tray in oven and bake biscuits for 10-15 minutes until just golden around the edges. Leave to cool on the trays for five minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Amazing cheesecake recipes

Posted on by

Cheesecake is one of the universal desserts, with thousands of versions across global food cultures.

Ancient Greece is believed to be the original home of cheesecake – historians have evidence to suggest cheesecake was served to athletes at the first Olympic Games in Athens 776 BC.

While the original cheesecake was a simple affair of flour, wheat, honey and cheese, those four ingredients are often the same core ingredients of any cheesecake made today.

Around the world, cheesecake recipes vary. Italians use ricotta cheese, while the Greeks use mizithra or feta. Germans prefer cottage cheese, while the Japanese tend to use a combination of cornstarch and egg whites.

Bake and Brew, next door to the library feature a fabulous baked and a set cheesecake on their menus, available for purchase with a tea or coffee for $8.

cheesecake

Baked and set cheesecakes available at Bake and Brew, next door to Tea Tree Gully Library

A quick straw poll of library staff revealed a preference for baked cheesecake – no doubt due to the cold weather this year? These were some of the comments:

 

‘Baked cheesecake is heavy and is a kind of winter food. But nicely presented.’

‘I think it goes perfectly with espresso, or if you’re a tea drinker, Darjeeling or Chai.’

‘Love the meaty base – it’s perfect for the sweet and mellow upper layer.’

cheesecake 3.JPG

Thoughts on the set (or mousse) style cheesecake:

‘Light and refreshing’

‘The texture swirls around your mouth – a nice light option’

‘It’s like cutting into soft butter, soft and delicate.’

cheesecake 2

Baked cheesecake on the left and set cheesecake on the right, plated up at Bake & Brew

No matter how you slice it, cheesecake is truly a dessert that has stood the test of time.

Sue, the head chef from Bake and Brew, has kindly provided the recipes for both her baked and set cheesecake.

Sue’s set cheesecake recipe (makes two cheesecakes)

Ingredients:

Base:
600g crushed sweet biscuits
200g melted butter

Top layer:
500g cream cheese
500g cream
250g caster sugar
100ml lemon juice (this can also be substituted for another fruit eg mango puree)
10g gelatine leaves (5 leaves)
42mL cold water
120mL hot water

Method:

  1. First, make the base. Mix the biscuit crumbs and butter until combined. Press into the base of a 20cm springform pan and chill for at least 30 minutes.
  2. Beat the cream cheese in a bowl until smooth. Add sugar, then the lemon juice.
  3. Soak the gelatine leaves in the cold water. Once soft, gently heat the gel on the stove until fully dissolved.
  4. Whip cream until soft peaks form, then fold into the cream cheese mix and then add the warm gelatine.
  5. Pour mix over the base in the tin and refrigerate overnight for best results.

 

Sue’s baked cheesecake recipe

Ingredients:

Base:
600g crushed sweet biscuits
200g melted butter

Cheese layer:
250g cream cheese
250g ricotta
1 cup of cream
1.5 tbspn of plain flour
1.5 tbspn of cornflour
1 cup of sugar
2 eggs
30g melted butter
vanilla
lemon juice

Method:

  1. First, make the base. Mix the biscuit crumbs and butter until combined. Press into the base of a 20cm springform pan and chill for at least 30 minutes.
  2. Process cream cheese, ricotta and cream in a bowl until smooth. Gently fold through flour, cornflour and sugar.
  3. Add eggs, one at a time, processing until just combined. Gently fold in butter, vanilla and lemon juice.
  4. Pour mix over the base in the tin and bake for 1 hour in a 150° oven.

A beautiful cupcake in a world full of muffins

Posted on by

Move over cronuts. Witness the birth of the Lemon Curd Cupcake at the Bake & Brew café.

lemon curd cupcake

This luscious hybrid is indeed a cupcake but it is the size of a muffin! Experience delicious, tangy lemon curd embedded in a light, fluffy sponge base, topped with fresh cream and a cake hat. This beautiful creation is baked in-house. It is the ideal accompaniment to your favourite beverage. Bake & Brew café is situated next to the Tea Tree Gully Library in the Civic Centre. You can enjoy the lemon curd cupcake for $5.00.  The Bake & Brew café is open from 8.45am to 4.00pm from Monday to Friday.  Telephone:  (08) 8397 7383.

 

 

Sue’s sticky date pudding recipe

Posted on by

Yum. Sue the chef from Bake & Brew, next door to Tea Tree Gully Library, has given us her recipe for a winter classic: sticky date pudding with creamy butterscotch sauce.

sticky date pudding

A sweet, gooey classic for winter

This recipe is one of Sue’s faves. She developed the recipe as a young chef working at the Four Seasons Hotel in Sydney and contributed it to a community cookbook. She has made it for dessert at several weddings and continues to make it for Bake & Brew customers.

Here’s what you need to do to make sticky date pudding ASAP:

Sue’s Sticky Date Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce

Ingredients

Pudding
170gm pitted dates
300ml water
1 tsp bicarb soda
60gm butter
170gm castor sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
170gm SR flour
60gm walnuts

Sauce
200gm brown sugar
130gm butter
150ml cream
1/2 tsp vanilla
50ml brandy (optional)

Method
Bring dates and water to the boil. Simmer for a few minutes. Remove from heat and add bicarb soda. Leave to cool. (You could do this the day before serving, and keep it in the fridge).

Cream the butter and sugar, add eggs, vanilla and date mix. Fold in the flour and chopped walnuts.

Bake in a 160 degree oven for 40 minutes until firm to touch. A round 20cm cake tin is ideal, and you can also use individual moulds.

For the sauce, bring all ingredients to the boil and simmer for 2 minutes until cool.

If you make a big batch, you can always can reheat the puddings in the microwave for a sweet treat all week.