Friday 30 December 2011

:: Leftover Love ::

Holiday Ham Pâté
:: Megann’s Kitchen ::

:: leftover love from holiday ham dip ::

It just isn’t Christmas holidays without this recipe: My mother’s festive Leftover Ham Pâté spread. As a small child, she always sold it to me as a simple "dip" instead of pâté... & I loved it! Every Christmas throughout the years my mother would purchase a traditional Kentucky Ham & glaze it with all the love of her homeland, Southern USA. There is one thing that matches the beautiful succulent salty sweetness of her ham, & that is the lovely creaminess of her leftover dip.
The first time I made it for Mick he was beside himself & ate the whole bowl in one sitting! This was followed the next night with requests for more, I couldn’t believe it! A simple dish that I grew up with & made from leftovers was creating such joy on the tastebuds for my future husband. Now, even though it is just the 3 of us in our small family, we still get a full 8kg leg ham as we know it will get eaten in many ways, & ham dip is a must.
I have to admit, I have tweaked it just a little since my first frantic phone call to my mother for the recipe (sorry mum) but for me this easy dish is full of memories & happiness.

Ham Dip
250g sliced leg ham
1/3 cup light sour cream
1/3 cup whole egg mayonnaise
1/3 cup finely grated parmesan
1½  Tbs chives, roughly chopped
1 Tbs seeded mustard (optional)
A pinch of sea salt & cracked black pepper

Garnish
finely chopped chives
pink peppercorns


:: ingredients in KitchenAid ::
:: beautifully blended ::

Place ham, sour cream, mayonnaise, parmesan & chives into a food processor (I use my ever trusty KitchenAid) & blend for about 2 minutes, or until the mixture is creamy & smooth. Then fold through seeded mustard (optional). Place into a serving dish & garnish.


:: garnish with pink peppercorns & chives for a festive touch ::


Serve
:: I like to simply serve my Holiday Ham Dip with either water crackers or a crisp bread.
:: I have also made it with the ham dip served in small pastry cups, with a sprinkling of chives & peppercorns on each individual one. They are perfect for a New Year’s Eve canapé. 


:: share with friends with a platter to take to their house ::


Kitchen Notes
:: This is a dish that I also love to share with my friends, as it is something that many haven’t had. Simply create a platter, tie a festive ribbon around it & voila... present.
:: My beloved KitchenAid Food Processor didn’t always exist in my kitchen. Prior to this I made Holiday Ham Dip in a blender! It took some shaking, stirring & a little water added to help the mixture to move, but it did the job.


:: perfect holiday ham dip ::


I would also love to see your Megann's Kitchen Creations/photos of recipes that you have made on Megann’s Kitchen Facebook
 
 


Thursday 22 December 2011

:: Easy Kitchen: Zyliss Grater ::


Zyliss Cheese Grater
:: Megann’s  Kitchen ::

:: zyliss classic cheese grater- beautiful angel hair grated cheese ::

I have to say there are some items & products in my kitchen I simply couldn’t live without. Since having my son I have suffered terribly from radial nerve palsy in my left hand (somehow during childbirth!), tendonitis in both arms/hands & have also had calcium deposits in both shoulders. Phew! Is that all??? Yes, it has made my love of cooking & life a challenge at times but I now understand the importance of good tools in the kitchen. Items that are not only fast for someone that is time poor, but are easy to use for someone in pain & limited function. There are some that I rate highly in efficiency & quality and believe that they could give every kitchen a helping hand. I am going to bring a few essential items to you under a title Easy Kitchen. It is aimed at products in the kitchen that make my life just that little bit easier, & hopefully yours too. They are a few items that I believe help a kitchen to work like a dream, so please enjoy my new Easy Kitchen in the new year!


:: zyliss classic cheese grater ::

Freshly grated parmesan on hot pasta or stirred through a creamy risotto. Mmmmmmm.... delightful. I can taste it now! There is something about this incredible flavour that gets lost in the packet & only fresh will do. I know, I know, “I have no time for that guff” you are saying, but this Zyliss grater is so quick & easy for fresh cheese that you will use it on a day to day basis!
About 8 years ago I purchased this fabulous cheese grater from Zyliss after another less expensive brand melted away in the dishwasher. As you can see this one has stood the test of time & is just as effective now as the day I bought it. I use it numerous times a week for freshly grated parmesan or grana padana cheese, as they are a key ingredient in much of my weekly cooking. 


:: perfect for all hard cheeses ::

Pros: This gives a fine, angel hair consistency to your cheese. It’s perfect for on top of risottos or pastas, or to simply mix through recipes.
:: Also perfect for uniformly grating nuts & chocolate.
:: You can assemble the handle for right or left handed people.
:: It is easy to pull apart & assemble again for easy cleaning & it is dishwasher safe.
Cons: Hmmm, let me think.... nope, nothing.
How to use: Cut off a small wedge/block of hard cheese (or desired product) & insert it in the hole in the top, apply pressure to the handle as you wind & lovely cheese comes out the side. Too easy! Pull apart to rinse/wash.
Plus: All Zyliss products are Swiss made & have a 5 year warranty :)


:: zyliss classic cheese grater ::

Honestly, do yourself a favour & place this wonderful peice of equipment on your Christmas list for a stocking filler, or at the very least, buy yourself a little bit of happiness because I know you deserve it. I hope you love yours as much as I love mine!

Purchase: My Zyliss is an earlier model, but I have included a picture of the current classic model for you to set your sights on.
Amazon: Always a great price... now for that postage to your destination! Just follow this link.
David Jones Store: Often stock Zyliss products.
Specialty Kitchen Stores: Often stock Zyliss products.

I would also love to see your Megann's Kitchen Creations/photos of recipes that you have made on Megann’s Kitchen Facebook

 
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