Gourmet Beef Casserole & Coffee Pistachio Roll

Main:  Gourmet Beef Casserole
Best Recipes from Women’s Weekly

Dessert:  Coffee Pistachio Roll
Best Recipes from Women’s Weekly

Hi Everyone!

Hope your week has been a good one.  As we rug up for the onslaught of a cold blast from the south, I keep thinking about the fact that people are very tentative about hugging and kissing these days due to Covid.  As they should be.  However, we all need that feeling of love and contact – what better way to get it than through warm, nourishing family friendly food!  Sitting around sharing a meal is one of the best ways to share your love.  When someone cooks for me I feel so grateful because to me it’s a sign that this person cares enough about me to take the time to shop, prepare and then cook.  No matter what it is it always tastes fantastic because it’s made with consideration and care.

So thats the long way around about telling you that last night I cooked from the Best Recipes from the Women’s Weekly which, seriously, I would have had on my shelves for at least 35 years.  An old no fail favourite is the Gourmet Beef Casserole.  An inexpensive cut of meat which is marinated in pantry staples making it simple to prep.  I always marinate for longer than suggested but that just depends on how much time you have.  This recipe is a fantastic freezer standby.  I often cook it in advance and defrost on the day, adding the bread after I have heated the meat through in the oven.  Topping the casserole with bread which has been spread with mustard and butter just adds another layer of comfort as well as taste.

There will be fights over who gets the most bread to mop up this moreish casserole

There is always a fight in our house as to how many pieces of bread everyone gets!  I served this with a platter of vegies which included new potatoes, carrots and roasted brussel sprouts.  I’ll just quickly tell you what I did with the sprouts.  So, I bought baby ones, cut them in half, chopped up onion and bacon and sprinkled that over the top, toss in a little oil and bake for 20 mins or until starting to brown.  On the stove top I warmed through 2 tablespoons of maple syrup and 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar until it started to thicken.  When you take the sprouts out of the oven sprinkle the syrup on top (don’t drown them).  My nephew was here for dinner and his statement was “never thought I’d eat brussel sprouts by the ton”.  This was a 10/10 winner.

The humble brussel sprout is a winner

Dessert was light and moreish and I would definitely do it again.  BUT, you must have the correct size swiss roll pan or it will be harder to roll and I didn’t and it was.  Nevertheless, I managed to do a fairly good job of rolling and the appearance was pretty good.  Another thing I would have preferred was if the filling was a little firmer and that comes down to the gelatine so perhaps keep an eye on that and increase the gelatine by half a teaspoon if you need to.  It’s a dessert that look very impressive if you want to make an impact.

Rolling the cake will be easier if you have the correct sized pan

Otherwise it went down well with everyone, except perhaps my nephew who said “it was yummy but I wouldn’t order it again”!!!  I had to remind him that he wasn’t in a restaurant – it was from the heart and gave us a good laugh.  8/10.

So give these a go, I’m sure the family will enjoy them.

Until next week….

From my table to yours with love x