Lamb with Cumin and Pear

Last week I posted a photo on Instagram of a delicious recipe that I recently stumbled upon, stole from my Mother-in-Law and was asked to share the recipe here. So last night when I cooked it again for my friends I took a few quick snaps here and there and now, here I am. Now, apparently this recipe came from Karen Martini originally but I have been unable to find it on her website.

My Mother-In-Law cooks this meal, every single time we visit, and I absolutely love it. So I thought it was only fair that I should have a copy of this very loved recipe myself. I have now cooked it twice since returning home after Christmas time, and both guests have been more than impressed. It looks delicious, it smells divine, and it tastes sensational. So from my very appreciative taste buds, hopefully, to yours here is

Lamb with Pear and Cumin

What you will need

2 brown onions
1 lamb shoulder, semi-cut into portions (ask your butcher!)
2 tbsp cumin seed
2 tbsp peppercorns
5 cloves garlic
2 tbsp flaked salt
1 tbsp olive oil
7 sprigs thyme, leaves only
4 beurre bosc pears (or quinces)
3 tbsp raw sugar
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
80 mls water

What to do

Preheat fan forced oven to 160 degrees

Create your delicious paste - crush cumin and peppercorns, garlic and salt in a mortar and pestle until a thick paste. Add your oil.

Trim and lightly score the lamb, then rub the paste into your lamb, making sure to rub into bones and cracks and crevices.
Slice onions into rounds and place on the bottom of a heavy ovenproof dish (I used a scanpan roasting dish), top the onion with the lamb, scatter thyme leaves and add halved pears to the pan. Sprinkle the sugar over the top. Lastly, add your vinegar and water.

Cover your pan with a double layer of foil and place into the oven for 4 hours. After which, remove the lamb and skim of the fat and baste the lamb, return to the oven uncovered and cook for a further 35 minutes at an increased temperature of 180 degrees.

Serve with mash potato and peas 

Enjoy!

How to make your own ~ Christmas Candy Cane Hearts

I love everything about this time of year. I love the vibe and the atmosphere. I love the happiness and the festive spirit. I love the rush and the stress. I adore the giving and of course the receiving. I love the lead up, the day and the come down. Christmas is that one thing every year that I look forward to, all year. When the decorations start to appear in the shops I start to get goosebumps and have often found myself tearing up when I have found a new and exciting decoration to bring home. It excites me, it brings out the child in me, it encourages my inner imagination and creativity and it just makes me so freaking happy. I love Christmas!

Before I had children I was known to spend hundreds of dollars on buying well thought out gifts for my family and friends, never recording what I had spent... Because the feeling of buying, wrapping and giving far out weighed the cost! But since Evelyn was born and we now live on a single income I have had to reign in my spending come Christmas. My desire to give is still live and well and so each year I look for ideas for handmade and cost effective gifts.

This week I saw a photo of a great quick and easy candy cane treat on the instagram feed of this lovely lady and I just knew I had to give it a whirl. With today being my Mothers Group Christmas party I thought it was a good excuse! And I had the best time making these little gems so I thought I would share with you this very cost effective, quick and easy "baking" recipe for the non baker.

I have a few other "crafty" christmas projects on the go at the moment and will share each one as they are finished here. I am not a crafter, but come Christmas, I try to be! So all of these projects are easy to do, for the non crafty mama!

What you will need

4 x boxes of Candy Canes ~ Aldi - 2 for $3

2 x bags of Cadbury Melts ~ Coles - $3.98 each

Cellophane Lollie Bags ~ Coles - 30 for $2 (I think!)

Total cost - $15.96 

(this made me 15 hearts)

Recipe

Lay your candy canes out on baking paper in the shape of hearts to make 15 hearts

Crush your spare Candy Canes in a plastic bag with a hammer or meat mallet

Melt your chocolate down over boiling water, I used milk chocolate and white chocolate so had to melt mine down in two steps

Carefully spoon your chocolate into the heart of your candy cane, then sprinkle with the candy cane dust

Pop in the fridge for a couple of hours and wait for the chocolate to set

Once it is set I placed two hearts, one milk and one white chocolate into my lolly bags. I wrapped a small piece of christmas ribbon around the end and made a 'Merry Xmas' tag with some cardboard and stamps that I had in my craft drawer.

Ta - Da!!!

Merry Christmas