Short Bites: Mayonnaise, Macarons and Rabbit

Well hello there! Did you have a great Easter break? I had 6 days off in total, and during that I spent minimal time in front of the computer. It was fantastic, and I didn’t overindulge in chocolate. I like my chocolate in small doses, you see (note: chocolate cake is my least favourite of all cakes). However I did enjoy a few Cadbury Creme Eggs and hot cross buns

Brasserie Bread’s Chocolate & Sour Cherry Hot Cross Bun (photo taken with Instagram app)

This weekend we also honoured our diggers on Anzac Day. Each year I watch my Pa march in Sydney’s CBD, and I always feel so proud. Pa marches with the National Servicemen’s Association, but always rejoins the Polish contingent halfway through their march. I usually make Anzac biscuits at this time of year, given their long history with their namesakes. However, as well as minimal computer time during the break, I also spent minimal time in the kitchen – so no biscuits to report of  If you’re interested in a good recipe, I love Taste’s Cinnamon Anzac Biscuits – I bake mine for 17 minutes so they’re slightly crisp but still chewy inside. Yum.

My Nanna & Pa, Anzac Day 2011

Time for this week’s 3 short bites…

Mayonnaise / Aioli

What do do with leftover egg yolks… I could have made something sweet, but I decided homemade mayonnaise was a better idea! This was my first time making mayonnaise, and I was very pleased by how easy it was. Next time though, I will probably use the food processor method, as using a balloon whisk got tedious very fast.

This recipe is from the Australian Women’s Weekly ‘The AWW Cooking School’. I only had extra virgin olive oil and vegetable oil in the cupboard, so the olive oil taste was a bit too rich. Garlic seemed like a better idea, so I ground a couple of garlic cloves and stirred it through the mayonnaise. That was much better (even though I got lazy and left the garlic a little chunky)! Very garlicky, very creamy, and very yummy. Especially on roast potatoes, chicken or rabbit (see below).

Classic Mayonnaise, Australian Women’s Weekly (makes 1 cup)

• 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1/3 cup (80ml) olive oil
• 2/3 cup (160ml)) light olive oil
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Combines the egg yolks, salt, and mustard in medium bowl. Gradually add oils in a thin, steady stream, whisking constantly until mixture thickens. Stir in vinegar and juice.

Garlic Mayonnaise & Roast Taters

MakMak Macarons

I love macarons. Possibly even more than I love cupcakes. Maybe. That’s a big call. Maybe just as much as I love cupcakes, except I feel less guilty eating a macaron than I do a cupcake Anyway, I had been hearing about MakMak‘s handmade premium macarons on Twitter, and found a cafe that stocks them in the CBD – Via del Corso at Westfield Sydney! Yay! Of the options they had, I chose a pavlova and a salted caramel (I was sharing with Paul!). The presentation of these macarons is perfect. They are a perfect shape and size, smooth and even, with the requisite ‘feet’. The pavlova was sweet like a meringue, with coconut and a surprise centre of passionfruit jelly. The salted caramel was not as salty as Lindt’s Delice, but the flavour of MakMak’s was deliciously heady, and unique, with the rich dulce de leche, with a punch of rum and light sea salt. Heaven!

If there are no cafes stocking them near you (Via del Corso sell them for $3.50 each), you can order MakMak via their website for $25 per dozen, plus $10 delivery to certain Sydney areas; or you can pick up from their headquarters in Newtown. I personally can’t wait to try their black sesame macarons.

MakMak Macarons, Salted Caramel & Pavlova

Rabbit

I’ve always been anti-eating rabbit. My reasons were that I used to have pet bunnies, so I didn’t want to eat them. Paul had been threatening to cook rabbit for a while, and finally he did. It wasn’t over Easter, but a few weeks ago. I’d been out to dinner with friends and Paul had sent me a picture of him prepping the rabbit. Poor rabbit. I was adamant that I could not possibly eat it, especially seeing the prep photo. Then I walked in the front door. The smell throughout the house was so delicious, my traitorous senses could not help but override my no-rabbit-eating rule.

Well, I ate it. And I loved it. I got over the fear after the first bite, and then wanted more! Most recipes I’ve seen stew the rabbit, but Paul just cooked it similar to chicken breast, and pan-fried it. It wasn’t dry, just simply seasoned and so full of flavour. We ate some with the aioli and OMG it was a perfect match! I don’t have a photo, but believe me when I say, rabbit is tasty.

That’s all folks!