AN ALL AMERICAN DINER DESSERT - the food dept. have photographed and produced a recipe developed escpecially for us by mega food blogger Naomi Robinson from Baker's Royale

the food dept. and Baker's Royale join forces to create this food feature
This post is super exciting for the food dept. and a first for us! So who is Baker's Royale you ask? Baker's Royale is an American food blogger Naomi Robinson, who recipe develops, styles and photographs her beautiful baked treats on her blog Bakers Royale. She is also a working Mum and wife, so she really is an inspiration to everyone. This little baker didn't eat a real cupcake until she was a teenage, grew up on Jiffy’s blueberry muffin mix and doesn't like perfume. Yet Naomi bakes fragrant cakes such as lavender honey cupcakes, and rose cupcakes so go figure. This duplicity, her everyday musings, and breath taking food photography, make her blog totally addictive and clearly very successful.

For the food dept.'s American diner food feature, Naomi has developed a melt-in-your-mouth banana split whoopie pie recipe. We wanted an all American dessert recipe for our diner story and we have all admired Naomi's blog for some time, so she seemed the perfect fit. Lucky for us, she said yes! Check out her awesome 8 layer, Coconut and mango cake, (she also likes to smash things a little). Her tuxedo cake is super cute as well, for its name, and the sweet image. 

For anyone who aspires to be a food blogger or make their blog better, Naomi has generously written for the food dept. some cool tips and tricks to making your food blog a success.

Bakers Royale Top 5 blogging tips:
1. Find your voice and style, while this may not happen immediately, it will happen more quickly the more you blog. There are a lot of excellent food blogs, with crazy good recipes and awesome pictures, but the ones that have me coming back regularly are the ones that have a distinct voice and photography style.
2. Hone your craft, and take measured risks to grow. By measured I mean, know why you are doing something different, rather than just trying to be different. I tend to gravitate to blogs that take risks with their craft and switch things up, especially their photography. 
3. This is a philosophy that I blog by and live by, “Take your work and craft seriously, but don’t take yourself too seriously.”
4. Embrace the food blogging community and use social media as much as you can. It’s a great place to connect, make friends and learn from your peers.
5. Know your ability and measure your success to it. I know this is common sense, but it’s something I forget sometimes and it causes me undue frustration.

For more cool tips.

Banana split whoopie pies

I know it seems long but there are essentially 3 components to making this recipe. Firstly the whoopie cake then the 2 fillings, the banana pastry cream and Swiss meringue buttercream and lastly the chocolate glaze. For image

Whoopie cake
• 245g all-purpose flour (2 ¼ cup flour)
• 75 g light brown sugar (1/2 cup, lightly packed)
• 5g baking powder (1 teaspoon)
• 105g sour cream (1/2 cup)
• 5g baking soda (1 teaspoon)
• 45g egg (1 large egg)
• 5g vanilla extract (1 teaspoon)
• 95ml vegetable oil (1/2 cup)

• 85ml carbonated water (1/2cup)

1. Sift flour, brown sugar and baking powder in a bowl; set aside.
2. In second bowl fold baking soda and sour cream until combined; set aside.
3. Place egg, vanilla extract and vegetable oil in a bowl and whisk until well
combined and mixture is slightly emulsified. Add in sour cream mixture and
whisk until combined. Add carbonated water and whisk until combined.
4. Combine flour mixture with wet mixture fold to combine.
5. Transfer mixture to a pastry bag fitted with a round tip and pipe onto a
parchment line bake sheet.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

Banana pastry cream
• ½ cup plus 1 ½ cup of whole milk
• ½ cup cornstarch
• 1 large egg
• 3 large egg yolks
• ¾ cups of banana, mashed (about two medium bananas)
• ½ cup plus 2 tablespoon sugar
• pinch of salt

• 4 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 teaspoon vanilla
Whipped cream
• 1 cup heavy cream
• ½ cup confectioner sugar

1. Combine ½ cup milk and cornstarch stir to dissolve. Add in whole egg, egg yolks and bananas and beat until well combined; set aside. Prepare an ice bath; set aside.
2. Combine remaining milk with sugar and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove saucepan from heat and transfer mixture to a new pan to reduce any residual heat. Set aside and cool milk mixture for 5 minutes.
3. Slowly add egg mixture into cooked milk mixture, stirring constantly so the eggs do not curdle..  Return mixture to stovetop and stir vigorously until mixture comes to a boil. Continue to stir until the whisk leaves a trail in the pastry cream, about 5-7 minutes. Once pastry cream reaches this stage, remove saucepan from heat and stir in butter and vanilla extract. Transfer the saucepan to the ice bath. Stir occasionally until pastry cream is cool about 30 minutes.
4. Place heavy cream and confectioner sugar in a chilled stainless bowl. Using a hand mixer beat until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
5. Once banana pastry cream has cooled, combine 1 part whipped cream to 2 parts banana pastry cream.

Bakers Royale note: The filling is a diplomat crème—a combination of pastry cream and whipped cream. You can skip the whipped cream and just use the banana pastry cream. But keep in mind the banana cream will have a greyish tint to it. Making the filling as a diplomat creme will help to lighten the color, since adding any yellow food coloring to banana pastry cream seems to give it a mustard color.
Frosting (Swiss meringue buttercream)
Can be made up in advance and kept refrigerated until ready for use. Place on counter to bring to room temperature (do not mircorwave)

• 5 large egg whites
• 11/2 cup sugar
• 4 sticks unsalted butter, sliced and softened
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Combine egg whites and sugar in a stand mixer bowl and place it over (not on) simmering water. Heat mixture to 160 degrees F while whisking constantly.
2. Transfer mixer bowl to stand mixer, fitted with a whisk attachment and beat on medium high speed (speed 8 on a KitchenAid stand mixer) until mixture cools, doubles in volume and forms stiff peaks; about 10-12 minutes.
3. Add butter in one piece at a time, mixing to incorporate after each addition. The mixture may appear clumpy and almost curdled looking at first—this is normal. Keep mixing and it will become even and smooth again.

Chocolate glaze
Can be made up in advance and kept refrigerated until ready for use. Reheat to pouring consistency

• 7 oz. chocolate, 65% cacao
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 10 tablespoons powdered sugar, sifted
• 4-5 tablespoons water, warm

1. Place chocolate and heavy cream in a bowl over simmering water. Let chocolate and cream sit for 2-3 minutes to melt without stirring. Then stir mixture to combine. Add confectioner sugar and mix to combine, mixture will clumpy. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing after each addition until pouring consistency is reached. Push mixture through a sieve to avoid any clumps
Set aside and let sauce cool to warm.
Assembly
2. Place frosting in a pastry bag fitted with a round tip. Pipe frosting along the bottomside
perimeter of one whoopie cake. Fill center with banana filling. Place a second whoopie cake
bottomside down on top of filling.
3. Place assembled whoopie pie on a grated rack with a bowl fitted underneath (to catch excess chocolate). Drizzle chocolate glaze on top. Dust top with sprinkles. Place a small dollop of frosting on and garnish with a maraschino cherry. 

TAKE A BOOTH SEAT at the food dept.'s American diner. A beef burger, cherry cola float and would you like fries with that?

The Food Dept.'s Beef Burger with Spicy Ketchup and Mustard Mayonnaise

This is our take on what you might find in an American diner. Nothing beats a beaut burger! Of course if you want to make it more Aussie you could add beetroot, pineapple and fried egg…

Makes 8 burgers.

• 1 kg freshly minced chuck steak

• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped continental parsley
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, for seasoning
• 8 rashers of streaky bacon
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 8 slices Colby cheese
• ½ cup whole egg mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons American mustard
• 8 seeded burger buns, split in half
• 8 oak leaf lettuce leaves, washed
• 2 large vine ripened tomatoes, thickly sliced
• ½ cup Homemade spicy ketchup

1. Combine the mince, Worcestershire sauce, garlic and parsley in a bowl. Using your hands mince the ingredients together and divide onto 8.
2. Gently pass the balls of mince from hand to hand until they form a firm ball. Push the balls down to 2cm thick, season both sides of the patties with salt and pepper and set aside.
3. Heat a bbq plate or large frying pan and cook the rashers of bacon until browned and crispy, set aside and keep warm.
4. Add oil to the bbq or pan and cook the burger patties for approximately 5 minutes on each side for medium. Turn and cook for 5 minutes on the other side. Remove and put onto a plate, place a slice of cheese on each patty and lightly cover with foil. Allow to rest in a warm place for five minutes.
5. While the burgers are resting combine the mayonnaise and mustard in a small mixing bowl, set aside.
6. Toast the inside of the hamburger buns until golden. Spread the inside of the buns with mustard mayonnaise.
7. Top the bun base with lettuce, slices of tomato and then the beef patty. Top with a rasher of bacon and Homemade spicy ketchup. Serve immediately.

food dept. fact: You can make your own chuck steak mince if you like. Trim any sinew from the chuck steak, leaving the fat. The fat will keep the patties juicy, tender and full of flavour. Cut into 2 cm cubes and freeze for 30 minutes. Pulse in your food processor until coarsely minced. More or less depending on how you like your burgers.

Spicy Homemade Ketchup

This makes a delicious spicy ketchup with smokey flavours from the paprika, but you can also use your favourite  store bought ketchup too.

Makes 800ml.

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon smokey paprika
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 x 400g cans tomatoes
• 1 large red chilli, seeded and chopped (optional)
• 1 x 140g tub tomato paste
• ½ cup brown sugar

• ¼ cup cider vinegar

• 1 teaspoon sea salt flakes
• 1 bay leaf

1. Heat the oil in a large pot over and medium heat and sauté the onion and garlic  until transparent but not browned.
2. Add the ground spices and sauté for 1-2 minutes or until the spices become fragrant.
3. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer, cook for 15 minutes or until thickened to a spoonable consistency, remove the bay leaf and discard.
4. Using a stick blender, blend the ketchup until smooth.  Pour into sterialzed jars and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.

The Food Dept.'s Chips Cooked Three Times with Chipotle, Coriander, and Lime Salt

These tasty chips may not be the traditional diner frogs legs or French fries, but they are definately mighty fine!
Serves 6-8.

• 2 tablespoons salt flakes

• finely grated rind, 1 lime

• 2 tablespoons coriander leaves

• 1 dried chipotle chilli, or more, to taste

• 1 kg desiree or bintji potatoes

• 1 litre vegetable oil

1. To make the flavoured salt, preheat the oven to 150°C (300F)  Combine the salt flakes, lime rind, coriander leaves and chipotle chilli on a lined baking tray.

2. Bake in the oven for 15 minute, turn off the oven and allow to stand in the warm oven until cool.

3. Remove and discard the stem from the chipotle chilli and place the chilli into a small food processor. Process until finely ground, add the salt, lime and coriander leaves and process until all ingredients are ground together.

4. Store in a jar until ready to use, keeps for up to 6 months.

5. To make the fries, peel the potatoes and cut them lengthways into 1½ cm chips.  Rinse well in cold water to remove any excess starch, drain and dry with a clean tea towel.

6. Steam the chips for 15 minutes until the chips are partially cooked. Remove from the steamer, spread onto a lined tray until cool and dry.

7. Heat oil in a wok or large saucepan until 170°C (325F) and fry the chips for 5 minutes, they should not have any colour at this stage. Drain on paper towel.

8. Just before serving reheat the oil to 190°C (375F). Fry the chips in batches until golden brown, drain on paper towel and sprinkle with the chipotle, lime and coriander salt. Serve immediately.


Reuben Sandwich with Spicy Russian Mayonnaise and Garlic and Dill Pickles

Makes 8 Reuben sandwiches.

• 1 x 1.2kg piece corned beef

• 2 tablespoons brown sugar

• 2 tablespoons malt vinegar

• 1 onion, halved

• 1 bay leaf

• 8 peppercorns

• 1 whole orange

• ½ cup whole egg mayonnaise

• 1 tablespoon chili sauce (vary the quantity to suit your taste and the strength of chilli sauce you have)

• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

• 1 tablespoon finely chopped onion

• 16 slices rye bread, for serving

• butter, for spreading

• 1 packet or 400g can sauerkraut, rinsed and well drained

• 8 slices Swiss cheese

• 1 quantity Dill and garlic pickles

1. Rinse the piece of corned beef and pat dry with paper towel. Place the meat into a large pot with the brown sugar, malt vinegar, onion, bay leaf , peppercorns and orange. Add enough water to just cover the meat and bring to the boil over a high heat. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 1¼ to 1½ hours or until the meat is tender when tested. Remove form the heat and allow the meat to cool in the cooking liquid.

2. Make the Russian mayonnaise by combining the whole egg mayonnaise with the chilli sauce, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice and onion, set aside.

3. Drain the meat, pat dry and remove any fat. Cut the meat into 3-4mm thick slices, set aside.

4. Spread the rye bread slices with butter on one side. Place half of the bread slices butter side down onto a board and spread with the Russian mayonnaise. Divide the meat slices evenly between the sandwiches top with sauerkraut and Swiss cheese. Spread Russian mayonnaise on the inside of the remaining bread slices and top the sandwiches, butter side out.

5. Heat a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and place the sandwiches into the pan.

6. Cook for 7-10 minutes each side or until the rye bread has toasted and the filling is hot. Serve with Dill and garlic pickles.

the food dept. fact: Cook the meat the day before to save time. It is also best to have all of the sandwich fillings at room temperature before assembling, this will make sure that you have a piping hot centre in your Reuben sandwich when its cooked.

Garlic and Dill Pickles

Makes 2 x 500g jars.

• 2 x 250g packets baby cucumber

• iced water

• 2 cloves garlic, sliced

• ½ cup dill sprigs

• 2 cups water

• 2 tablespoons salt flakes

• ¼ cup white vinegar

• 2 tablespoons sugar

1. Place the baby cucumbers into a large bowl filled with iced water. Allow the cucumbers to stand for an hour to crisp them so that you get a crunchy pickle.

2. Drain the cucumbers and pack into sterilized jars with garlic slices and dill sprigs.

3. Combine the 2 cups water, salt , vinegar and sugar in a large jug, stir until the salt and sugar have dissolved.

4. Pour into the jars until the cucumbers are covered.

5. Seal the jars and store in the refrigerator for 1-2 days before eating and then they will keep for 2 weeks in the refrigerator

The Food Dept.'s Cherry Vodka Cola Float

Dessert as a drink! What a great way to end a fun ‘diner’ meal.

• 300g fresh or frozen cherries

• 300ml good quality vodka

• vanilla ice cream

• cola

1. Place the frozen cherries into a sterilized jar and pour over the vodka. If the cherries are icey you can give them a quick rinse under cold water to remove any excess ice - you don’t want to water down the vodka.

2. Pour over the vodka and seal the jar, allow to stand in a cool dark place for at least a week, giving the jar a gentle shake every few days.

3. Once the vodka has had a chance to stand for at least a week it is ready to use. Place 2 tablespoons cherry vodka and a few of the cherries into a tall serving glass, add a scoop of ice cream then top with as little or as much cola as you like, we recommend ½ cup.

4. Give it a gentle stir and serve immediately.

the food dept. fact: We used frozen cherries for this recipe because they are available all year but you can of course use fresh cherries when in season. Pit the cherries or leave them whole and just split them down the side, if you leave the pit in, it will give the vodka a slightly bitter, nutty flavour.

Recipe: Sally Courtney.