:: On the Shelf - myfoodbook & Giveaway ::

A Collection of Fabulous Flavour

:: Megann’s Kitchen ::

:: Megann's Kitchen featuring in a myfoodbook recipe collection ::

For years I have collected recipes: ripping them out of magazines, printing them from the web, pressing over the corners of pages, etc. My favourite dishes were scattered all over the kitchen, leaving me searching each time I wanted to make them. I had often thought, “there has to be a better way”… & when Carolyn, the creator of myfoodbook, called me to ask if I would be a regular contributor & part of the launch of her new adventure, I could not say no.

About myfoodbook

“myfoodbook is Australia's new food & cooking destination where for the first time, you can create beautiful personalised cookbooks using recipes from your favourite food brands combined with your own ideas. No more tearing out pages from magazines, collecting cards, filling out journals or storing scraps in plastic folders, with myfoodbook,you get to create a cookbook that looks professional and is only filled with recipes that you will use again, and again and again.” 

Take a video tour of myfoodbook a quick & easy way to get to know more. myfoodbook has also created some free eBooks to get you started in the kitchen. Simply print these off from your printer at home.

You can now find the most popular of Megann’s Kitchen recipes available to be professionally printed & assembled in a customised folder designed by YOU! You get to select your cover photo & book title plus the recipes to go into your folder from MK & other top chefs + contributors.

Another beautiful aspect of the myfoodbook website is you are able to develop & type up your very own secret recipes as well as adding some from the professionals. This makes a fabulous addition to anyone’s kitchen – be it a gift for someone exceptional or a more specialised way to consolidate your own family keepsake recipes. Can you imagine your grand/mother’s recipes all typed & printed, then handed down to all your beloved family members? In a day where methods can get lost in translation, this is a tremendous way to hold on to these priceless gastronomic memories throughout time.

:: a myfoodbook collection also makes a great gift for mothers day ::

In the spirit of this heartfelt thought, I decided to create a Megann’s Kitchen collection in a myfoodbook folder for some wonderful women in my life this Mothers’ Day. When I think about what a mother should be & also mean to their children, the following words come to mind -

·       A person: full of boundless thoughtfulness, support, reassurance, tenderness & kindness.

·       Who is: a creator of happiness, provider of sustenance, guardian from pain, a protector from all hurt & heartache.

·       Who has: an open mind, unconditional love, endless encouragement & above all… strength.

Thanks to Carolyn & myfoodbook, I was able to create these folders with a personal dedication in each – a beautiful touch available with each individual order.

:: recipes neatly compiled for your cooking convenience ::

Competitions & Promotions

myfoodbook has been so kind to offer 2 x $50 eGift Vouchers to two very lucky Megann’s Kitchen readers to get you started with your very own customised collection. Simply read the entry details below & comment on this post!

How to Enter…

Simply leave a comment at the bottom of this post or on the Megann’s KitchenFacebook page answering this simple question - in approximately 25 words or less:

“What does your mother or being a mother mean to you?”

Like this competition? Don’t forget to sign up to join both Megann’s Kitchen blog site & Facebook page for more chances to WIN. Not to mention find out about future fantastic giveaways! See right of screen.

:: my very own myfoodbook collection ::

Terms & Conditions

•    There are two amazing chances to win: myfoodbook has provided us with 2 x $50 eGift Vouchers, to use on their website for recipes of your choice.

•    The competition commences 11:59pm A.E.S.T on Wednesday 10^th April, 2013. Entries close 11.59pm A.E.S.T on Wednesday 8^th May, 2013 – just in time for a Mothers’ Day Gift!

•    Good NEWS! You can enter as many times as you like through commenting on this post or the Megann’s Kitchen Facebook Page.

•    Each individual entry will be judged based on literary and creative merit, then placed into a draw of 10 finalists. The winning entry will be drawn from 10 selected finalists, based on chance.

•    Prizes are not transferable or exchangeable & cannot be taken as cash.

•    The total RRP of the prize is AU $50.00 x 2

•    Winners will be announced on Megann’s Kitchen blog site & Facebook page. Keep on clicking in to see if you are a winner!

•    The competition is open INTERNATIONALLY.

Good luck to all & enjoy creating your very own recipe book with myfoodbook.

:: Eating Fresh ::

Summer Vegetable & Goats Cheese Tart

:: Megann’s Kitchen ::

:: my favourite - a Summer Vegetable & Goats Cheese Tart ::

There is something magnificent about a golden homemade tart fresh out of the oven. It sings a change in seasons from the cold & wintery months to the beaming freshness that Spring & Summer carry to the kitchen. I also love how a tart like this one is so versatile in its guises – from an elegant vegetarian creation to a manly “egg & bacon pie”, it is really up to your imagination!

This Summer vegetable tart has become one of my favourite dishes to make for a light lunch or savoury snack when special guests come around. I was making it with the basic vegetable egg mixture, but once I had found that my local Growers Market stocked seasonal zucchini flowers & goats cheese at an affordable price, I couldn’t help but add these beautiful & edible enchantments to my tart.

to start

1 quantity of Shortcrust Parmesan Pastry (see link)

to fill

300 ml cream

4 large eggs

pinch of both sea salt & cracked pepper

1 medium zucchini (courgette), grated

1 medium carrot, grated

1 French shallot onion, halved & sliced lengthways

½ cup vintage cheese or cheddar, grated

4-6 zucchini flowers (optional) – stamens removed

80-100 grams goats cheese (optional)

Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Line a 24 cm round or 35 cm x 13 cm loose-bottomed tart pan with pastry following the Savoury Parmesan Pastry instructions, then bake blind at 180°C (350°F) for 10 minutes. Remove pastry weights & parchment paper then bake for another 5 minutes, until just cooked through. Remove.

Whilst your pastry is blind baking, prepare your filling. Lightly whisk together the cream & eggs, then season with the salt & pepper. Add the grated zucchini (courgette), carrot, hard cheese & sliced onion. Stir gently to combine. Spoon the mixture into the blind-baked pastry case. Gently place your desired quantity of zucchini flowers at an angle, tenderly opening up the flowers & pushing in some golden filling. Lightly crumble the goats cheese over the top of the tart, allowing it to fall into the spaces of the zucchini flowers.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until golden on top & set all the way through. Allow to cool until the tart is just warm or at room temperature.

:: your filling options are endless ::

Kitchen Notes

:: The best thing about this tart, is that it is very flexible with its ingredients. Don’t have zucchini flowers? Leave them out or place asparagus on top instead. No goats cheese? No problem, it tastes delicious anyway. No French onions? I gently panfry half a brown onion until sweet & tender, then add this to the mixture.

:: An impressive way to serve this tart for a morning/afternoon tea is to sprinkle a punnet of washed micro herbs over the top – wow!

:: made very simple in the KitchenAid food processor ::

Quick Kitchen

:: For speed, I grate my zucchini (courgette), & carrot in the food processor, but you can also use a simple box grater.

:: No time to make your own pastry? Keep some prepared pastry in your freezer, such as Careme’s Sour Cream Shortcrust Pastry or a Pampas Shortcrust Pastry (not the low fat option).

Little Larder

:: With any leftover mixture & pastry, I add some ham & to the basic egg mixture and make baby quiches in a muffin tin, which both my son & husband adore. They also freeze well for lunchbox or picnic treats.

:: a golden tart with golden zucchini flowers ::

:: this is the perfect summer meal for the ones you love ::

Enjoy this tart as much as we do here in Megann's Kitchen!