Believe it or not, Easter is just around the corner. Actually, just writing that made me realise just how around the corner it actually is! Eeeeep!!!

The lovely Felicity has been kind enough to send me some recipe drafts that Curtis Stone has been working on, along with Coles. Curtis is back in Australia to help promote the current Easter campaign for Coles. Coles’ Simon McDowell, General Manager Marketing, says its “focus on food this season is to instill confidence in the ‘kitchen novice’ and assist them in putting fresh, quality and inexpensive meals on the table”.

There was one recipe that stood out for me, and it was this one with apples. It was so easy to make, and took no time at all. I will admit I had Hamsley on apple peeling duty so that helped to speed things up. The addition of muesli was good, almost making it like an apple crumble in a cup.

I'll be making it again when I want a quick, easy, tasty dessert to impress.

Coles and Curtis Stone have created recipe cards with meal solutions designed to inspire Australian seafood novices. The range of fresh meal ideas designed to suit any Easter banquet include;

• Beef Rib Roast with Whole Grain Mustard 
• Grilled Barramundi with Spinach and Herb Roasted Potatoes 
• Fettuccine with Prawns, Spring Onions, Lemon and Chilli 
• Ginger and Soy Glazed Salmon with Bok Choy 
• Fresh Green Beans with Pan Fried Mushrooms 
• Oven Steamed Ling Fillets with Mushrooms and Garlic Mash 
• Cauliflower Gratin 
• Caramel Apples with Cinnamon and Vanilla Ice-Cream

Recipes can be downloaded from http://www.coles.com.au/, and have a tasty Easter!

Caramel Apples with Cinnamon and Vanilla Ice Cream
Curtis Stone

Prep time: 10mins
Cooking time: 15mins


1 cup Coles thickened cream1 cup Coles white sugar
7 royal gala apples (Iron Chef Shellie suggests peeling, coring and quarting your apples)
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp queen vanilla extract
1 cup Carmans classical fruit muesli, to serve
Coles vanilla ice cream 2L, to serve


1. Place the sugar in a large frying pan over a medium high heat. Cook, without stirring but swirling the pan, watching closely as it can burn easily, until the sugar dissolves and becomes pale golden.


2. Carefully add the cream (it will sizzle) and swirl the pan to mix. Once cream and sugar are mixed thoroughly, add the vanilla, cinnamon and apples and cook, stirring often for 10 minutes, or until the apples are tender. Remove from the heat and allow apples to cool slightly in the caramel.


3. Spoon the warm apples into 8 sundae glasses or small bowls, add the ice cream and garnish with the toasted museli. Spoon some of the remaining caramel sauce from the pan over the ice cream and apples and serve immediately.

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I didn't have any ground bean sauce. I looked in 3 different supermarkets and an Asian grocery store. So we settled on a black bean and garlic sauce. Luckily for me, it tasted fantastic, and Hamsely was most impressed!

Aromatic Vietnamese Beef Curry
Australian Women's Weekly
2 tablespoons peanut oil
800g beef strips
1 medium brown onion (150g), chopped finely
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 fresh long red chilli, chopped finely
10cm stick fresh lemon grass (20g) chopped finely
1 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
4 cardamon pods, bruised
350g snake beans, cut into 4cm lengths
2 tablespoons ground bean sauce
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh corriander
1/2 cup (40g) toasted almond flakes


1. Heat half of the oil in wok; stir-fry beef, in batches, until browned. Cover to keep warm.


2. Heat remaining oil in wok; stir-fry onion until soft. Add garlic, chilli, lemon grass, star anise, cinnamon, cardamon and beans; stir-fry until beans are tender. Discard star anise, cinnamon and cardamon.


3. Return beef to wok with sauces; stir-fry until heated through. Remove from heat, stir in coriander and nuts.


Serves 4.

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