Toni Basil Pesto

Condiment

After such a long absence, we are so thankful that Toni step up and dougie’d her way back into our life. She had barely locked her car before we were out the front of Annelie’s house greeting her with some bends, snaps and other loving movements.

Our friendship remains as close as it was way back when and it felt like no time had passed at all. We filled her in on our feud with Nigel Lythgoe and were both shocked (at the betrayal) and thrilled (for her opportunity) that she was considering accepting an offer to judge on So You Think You Can Dance. Obviously after the whipping it (in the sack) with Devo drama, we will try to end the Lythgoe feud to help her secure the role.

That being said, as delightful, kind, forgiving and warm dear Toni is, she is also a total nut. When she called to organise our catch-up she firmly requested we make our famous Toni Basil Pesto. Just the pesto, nothing else. Just pesto and a spoon.

 

Toni Basil Pesto_1

 

Basil is the kind of herb that hits you like a mid break-dance fly-kick to the gut (in a good way), and when you add the sharpness of the parmesan with a dash of lemon juice, you have pesto perfection.

Unlike Toni, I would suggest serving with crackers or some freshly cooked pasta and an extra squeeze of lemon. I like lemon, especially Liz.

Enjoy!

 

Toni Basil Pesto_2

 

Toni Basil Pesto
Makes: Probably about ¾ cup, maybe (noting that I am terrible with estimations)

Ingredients
1 bunch basil, leaves picked
½ cup finely grated parmesan
⅓ cup toasted pine nuts
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
lemon, salt and pepper, to taste

Method
Place the basil, parmesan, pine nuts and garlic in the bowl of a food processor and process until finely chopped. With the motor running, gradually add the oil in a thin, steady stream until well combined. Taste and season with salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Place in an airtight container and cover with a little oil – this will help stop the basil from turning black. Store in the fridge for up to one week.

Locking in a date

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

As highly influential members of the dance world through our noted stewardship and as founders of dance troupe, Jazz in Your Face, Annelie and I have long been confidantes of Toni Basil. Well, despite that brief hiatus during our “Groupie Era” when we worked our way through all the members of Devo while she was dating Gez.

Thankfully, we moved passed the awkwardness and were able to reconnect and work together successfully choreographing for Legally Blonde, the critically acclaimed Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde and the TV Land Awards tribute to Soul Train.

It has been close to a decade since our last catch-up slash dance-fest/battle (as we have a lifetime ban at Caesars Palace and couldn’t help choreograph for Bette’s farewell show), so Toni is dropping by this week.

What dish screams we mutually inspire each other to achieve dance greatness and that we are so fine, so fine we blow people’s minds? Oh Toni. Oh Toni.

Picture source: Unknown.

Kevin Bacon & Egg Pie

Main

Kevin is one of the sweetest celebrity friends we have. Sweetest and sexiest, obviously.

Following our one-two punch of Stockholm syndrome-ing and Fatal Attraction-ing our way into his heart, he gave us a start running coffee on Apollo 13 where we did such a good job (minus “accidentally” spiking Tom Hanks coffee with laxatives) that I was given the role as Jim Lovell’s wife’s body-double in the pivotal shower/ring scene and Annelie was hired to advise on the appropriate representation of the peanuts.

Obviously, we killed it and it brought us closer to Kevs and were invited to join his entourage/heavies during the filming of Picture Perfect (he was feuding with Jen An at the time…the only time we aren’t on Team Jen) before we graduated to being his fluffer on the set of Wild Things (we are really good with various…jobs).

We haven’t seen Kevin in a while, with him busy on the set of The Following, so to celebrate our warm and sexy friendship and show our gratitude he made the trip to see us, we served him up a large, hot, delicious slice of our famous Kevin Bacon & Egg Pie. This time, unusually, on plates rather than…never mind.

 

Kevin Bacon & Egg Pie_1

 

The pie is the perfect meal for when you are short on time and want something easy and comforting. Plus spinach makes it seem healthy (and I just love spinach) and bacon is the best.

The food and the man. Enjoy!

 

Kevin Bacon & Egg Pie_2

 

Kevin Bacon & Egg Pie
Serves: 6.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium brown onions, chopped
350g rindless shortcut bacon rashers, diced
1 3/4 sheets frozen reduced-fat shortcrust pastry, partially thawed
1 1/3 cups grated reduced-fat tasty cheddar
8 eggs
1/2 cup pure cream
250g frozen spinach, defrosted and drained

Method
Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add onion. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until softened. Add bacon. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until browned. Remove from heat and stir through drained spinach. Cool.

Preheat oven to 180°C. Place a baking tray in oven. Grease a 6cm-deep, 20cm round springform pan. Using base of pan as a guide, cut 1 circle from 1 pastry sheet. Line base of prepared pan with pastry round. Cut remaining pastry sheet into 3 equal strips. Line side of pan with pastry, trimming to fit and pressing edges together (you will have some leftover pastry).

Spoon half the bacon and spinach mixture into pan. Sprinkle with 1 cup cheese. Whisk 4 eggs and cream together in a jug. Add to pan. Sprinkle with remaining bacon and spinach mixture. Make 4 holes into mixture in pan. Crack 1 egg into each hole. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Season with pepper. Fold pastry over at top edge.

Place in hot oven and bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until pie is firm to touch. Stand in pan for 10 minutes. Serve on whatever dish you desire.

Everybody loves Bacon

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

Despite the rumours and well, the implication of our title, we are not hungry for fame. It is simply a hilarious play on the fact that we bake like mofos and are friends with hundreds upon hundreds of famous people.

That being said, there was a time we would do anything to be famous and that is where our next friend comes in.

When we were young ingenues in the early nineties, Kevin Bacon was doing the rounds for The River Wild boasting of his interconnectedness and within minutes, we were at his door pledging our undying allegiance.

After a couple of arrests for stalking and three incidents with his pet rabbits, he let us into his life, heart, home and we have been close ever since.

What says thanks for helping us out when we were younger (and obviously thank you to Stockholm syndrome, as without you we would not have many friends)?

Picture source: The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon/YouTube.

Panna Cotta Paquin

Dessert, Oscar Gold

Despite being trans-Tasman neighbours, it took us a while to meet and befriend Academy Award winner Anna Paquin.

Unlike most of our celebrity friends we connected with her as fans first, while we were visiting our friend/black-market plastic surgery patient Lil Kim on the set of She’s All That. During an altercation after Lil K found out we weren’t licensed plastic surgeons or you know, doctors, Anna swooped in like a mother-goose and hid us in her trailer.

To show our appreciation, we became her personal cooks during the course of filming and our relationship developed to the deep state of love we currently share and has seen us visit and bake her treats on all of her future sets.

Well except for True Blood after I was thrown out for repeatedly draping myself naked in Alexander Skarsgård’s trailer, car, house, bedroom, etc.

She was sweet about it though and to apologise for the awkwardness I made her a batch of Panna Cotta Paquins, which I whipped up yesterday while we discussed the minimal Aus-Zealand nominees this year and our shared hope that Boyhood prevails for Best Picture.

 

Panna Cotta Paquin_1

 

The recipe is an adaptation of a Nigella classic (from Nigellissima) and is smooth, delicate and beautiful. Like Skarsgård…oh, Skarsy! Maybe Anna will be able to get through to him for me?

Enjoy, while I enjoy this.

 

Panna Cotta Paquin_2

 

Panna Cotta Paquin
Serves: 4.

Ingredients
75ml milk
425ml double cream
50g raw caster sugar
1 vanilla pod
3g gelatine

Method
Combine milk, cream and sugar in a saucepan, stirring to ensure the sugar dissolves.

Slice the vanilla pod lengthways and scrape seeds out with a spoon or (carefully) with the tip of a knife. Stir seeds into the milk mixture and then add the emptied pod.

Heat the saucepan over low heat until it is just about the come to the boil (bubbles will form around the edge). Remove move heat, remove vanilla pod and empty half of the mixture into a heatproof jug or bowl.

Vigorously whisk in the gelatine (you could whisk less vigorously if you dissolve the gelatine in water but I can never be bothered and it never turns out poorly). Pour the liquid in the jug back into the saucepan, whisking as you go until it is all combined.

Pour the mixture evenly between 4 dariole moulds or ramekins and refrigerate until set.

Four hours seems to be enough for me, but Nigella suggests overnight and I would never argue with her!

Serve with fruit, berries, caramel or by itself, it doesn’t matter.

ParmiGeena Davis Meatball Poppers

Oscar Gold

It is a fact universally known that the greatest friends you can make, are those that you connect with during the darkest periods of your life and our dear, dear friend and Academy Award winner Geena Davis came to us in a time of deep personal turmoil.

We connected with Geens when she was studying for her role in Thelma and Louise. It is a little known fact that the final car chase is based on actual events.

Annelie and I had committed a crime that we don’t like to talk about (it was the basis for the plot of Ocean’s Eleven and we don’t talk about it because we hate Clooney); we were caught, were tailed by the police and drove into the Grand Canyon.

Geena was so understanding of our issues when she was trying to get into character that we have continued our friendship and even had her support when we were thrown off the set of Stuart Little during one of our foiled revenge plots against Jonathan Lipnicki.

Geens wanted to catch-up before the Oscars to talk about the rise of Patty Arquette and comeback of our mutual friend Keats (I was DeVito’s stunt/body double on Batman Returns) and we felt something warm and loving, like our ParmiGeena Davis Meatball Poppers, was appropriate.

 

ParmiGeena Davis Meatball Poppers_1

 

The gooey cheese is offset by the rich passata with a strong punch of the basil that makes the meatballs a perfect comfort food/first post-awards-season-dieting meal.

Well, if you don’t go to In’n’Out, obviously. Which you should.

Enjoy!

 

ParmiGeena Davis Meatball Poppers_2

 

ParmiGeena Davis Meatball Poppers
Serves: 4.

Ingredients
500g beef mince
¾ cup breadcrumbs
1 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
3 garlic cloves, pressed
small onion, grated
2 Tbsp + 1 cup passata
½ Tbsp dried oregano seasoning
2 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped
2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
½ tsp kosher salt
½ tsp fresh cracked black pepper
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup shredded mozzarella

Method
Preheat oven to 180°C and line a baking sheet with baking paper.

Set aside 1 cup passata and the shredded mozzarella

In a large mixing bowl, combine all remaining ingredients. Mix well, do not over mix or you will have tough meatballs. Portion out meat mixture to desired size (about a tablespoon is good) and place on baking sheet. After all meatballs have been portioned roll into balls with wet hands.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until lightly browned.

Turn over meatballs and drizzle passata over each meatball and top with cheese.

Bake a further 2-3 minutes, or until cheese is golden brown and bubbly.

Gorge.

Heloumi Hunt Skewers

Oscar Gold

You always need a calming force following a catch-up with Cagey and there is no Academy Award Winner more calming than our dear friend, Helen Hunt.

We have known Helen since our time together working as Jami Gertz’s co-Assistants on the set of Twister, where Hells was the only person able to calm us down during our infighting to be Jami’s personal favourite and confidante.

It was a highly tumultuous period of our lives and the thought of sharing that honour was too much to handle and she was the only one brave enough to come between Annelie and I when we were throwing empty bottles at each other and ruining the other’s weaves.

Helen stuck with us during the years of court-ordered anger management, rehab and prison (following the Halle incident) and has become like a third Hollywood mother to us (she got us a role as Wilson’s assistant on Cast Away to get our feet back in the door, bless her).

To show our appreciation we made some Heloumi Hunt Skewers to enjoy while we discussed Julianne finally winning Best Actress. We don’t even have to pretend that won’t happen, right?

 

Heloumi Hunt Skewers_1

 

The combination of charred vegetables and haloumi are amongst my favourite and with a splash of lemon the party moved from our hearts, to our mouths.

Enjoy!

 

Heloumi Hunt Skewers_2

 

Heloumi Hunt Skewers
Serves: Hunger and ingredient dependent.

Ingredients
haloumi
zucchini
capsicum
cherry tomatoes
red onion
lemon wedges, to serve

Method
Cut all ingredients (except cherry tomatoes) into a roughly one centimetre dice…or you know, cherry tomato size.

Load skewers with ingredients piece by piece, alternating however you find aesthetically pleasing. I tend to start and finish with capsicum or haloumi as they act as an anchor to keep the skewers together.

Once all of the skewers are done, heat a large griddle or frying pan. Fry for a couple of minutes each side, season to taste and serve with lemon wedges.

Note: If you are using wooden/bamboo skewers, soak them in water for a couple of hours so that they don’t burn.

Nicolas Cajun Chicken Tenders

Oscar Gold

As far as Academy Award Winning dynasties go, the Coppola-Schwartzman-Cages are by far our favourite. We first integrated into the family after working as ghostwriters on the Nicolas Cage star vehicle (and grossly overlooked Best Adapted Screenplay contender) Valley Girl in the early eighties and have been considered members of the family ever since.

We also ghostwrote The Godfather trilogy, but that is another story for another time about another missed shot at Oscar Gold!

Nicolas dropped by unannounced, I assume as he sensed we would be celebrating the Oscars and he would want to help us find a way to move past our feud with the other great acting dynasty, the Shues.

As Nic, like us, is completely jane-o insane-o we decided it best to whip up something hot and spicy and see where the visit took us, so went with a batch of our Nicolas Cajun Chicken Tenders to discuss the Best Screenplay nominees.

 

Nicolas Cajun Chicken Tenders_1

 

The heat and spice hits you straight up, but is mellowed out by a garnish of yoghurt, lime and sweat-lodge spooning with Cage.

Enjoy…we sure did!

 

Nicolas Cajun Chicken Tenders_2

Nicholas Cajun Chicken Tenders
Serves: 4.

Ingredients
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
½ tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp ground black pepper
1 tbs vegetable oil (olive will do in a pinch)
1 tbs citrus juice (I prefer lime, but lemon would do)
2 chicken breasts
Lime wedges, sliced red chili and natural yoghurt, to serve

Method
Slice chicken breasts into long, 3cm strips to resemble a chicken tender.

Combine spices, herbs, oil and juice in a large enough bowl to marinate the chicken and place chicken in said bowl and coat. Cover with clingfilm and place in fridge for an hour or so to do the aforementioned marinating (Yes it is more of a spice rub, but whatever…I like to let my breasts stew).

Pre-heat oven to 180°C and remove chicken from fridge to come to room temperature for ten-fifteen minutes.

Spread chicken strips across a large lined baking tray and bake for roughly 20 minutes until golden and crisp.

Serve with lime wedges, chillies and yoghurt.

Or Lupita Nymang’o Salad.

Lupita Nymang’o Salad

Oscar Gold

While some of our closest friends have won Oscars, we thought it would be best to invite some of our newer friends to Oscar Gold as a kind gesture of support to solidify friendships.

Not as a desperate attempt to capitalise on Lupita’s It Girl status (thank you Benedick Cumberbitch)!

We first connected with Lupita while attending Yale, where Annelie’s dog Nigella studied Law with future President Hillary Rodham Clinton and we attended the journalism program/worked the Yale Daily News with our gal pals, Rory Gilmore and Paris Geller.

We befriended Lupita when she assisted us in breaking up a fight between Rory and Paris in Shake Shack and were front runners to attend the Oscars with her, before her jealous brother threw a tantrum and got us banned from the Awards.

As we missed out on being in the big selfie, we will never forgive him.

Lupita dropped by quickly to celebrate last year’s win before having to jet back to LA to present JK Sim…sorry, the Best Supporting Actor Award. As it is still quite hot here, we opted for the Lupita Nymang’o Salad we whipped up during our visit to catch-up on the 12 Years a Slave set.

Lupita Nymang'o Salsa_1

The sweetness of the mango countered the sharp acidity of the vinegar and lime and leaves you feeling more satisfied than we will on Sunday when Cumberbitch loses.

He knows what he did. Enjoy!

Lupita Nymang'o Salsa_2

 

Lupita Nymang’o Salad
Serves: 2-4.

Ingredients
1 ripe mango, cubed
1 avocado, halved, stone removed, peeled, diced
1 red capsicum, halved, deseeded, finely diced
½ red onion, finely diced
1 lebanese cucumber, diced
½ cup roughly chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt & freshly ground black pepper

Method
Combine juice, oil and vinegar in a small jug.

Combine everything else in a medium bowl.

Add dressing and season to taste.

This recipe is crazy basic.

I think you probably got that though, right?

Sean JalaPenn-o Poppers

Oscar Gold

To kick off Oscar Gold week, we thought it best to catch-up with two time winner and dear friend from our childhood trailer-park, Sean Penn.

After Jefferson-ing our way up and out of the park, we reconnected with Sean when we worked as Tom Cruise’s stilts on Risky Business and we’re inseparable for decades, with us playing a pivotal role in his charity work (slash community service, for us) in Haiti.

He is just the greatest and we would go as far as to call him our third favourite person that lives in a trailer. That is a huge deal.

Despite not having seen each other since we were thrown off the set of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty for stalking Kristen Wiig (we wanted her to be spokesmodel for our wig line), Sean was eager to drop by and park his motorhome in Annelie’s yard.

In honour of the feisty spirit of our friendship (and our mutual love of booze and booze related food), we decided to serve up a plate of Sean JalaPenn-o Poppers while we discussed this year’s winner odds (Best Actor may have an upset, according to our bookie).

Oh yeah, we also bonded over our love of blackmarket gambling.

 

Sean JalaPenn-o Poppers_1

 

The cream cheese counteracts the heat of the  jalapeños, while the garlic and paprika add a subtle depth. Plus, there is bacon and bacon in glorious. Enjoy!

 

Sean JalaPenn-o Poppers_2

 

Sean JalaPenn-o Poppers
Serves: 6…or 1? No judgement.

Ingredients
12 fresh jalapeños, cut across the top and deseeded
6 rashers streaky bacon, finely diced
250g cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 clove garlic, crushed
½ tsp smoked paprika
1 cup flour
1 cup dry bread crumbs
1 egg, whisked
vegetable oil for frying, optional

Method
Fry bacon for 3-5 minutes or until lightly crisped. Leave to cool slightly.

In a medium bowl, mix cream cheese, garlic, paprika and cooled bacon.

One at a time, take a  jalapeño and spoon filling into the large end. Replace the tip and repeat until all of the  jalapeños are filled.

Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

In three separate bowls, place flour, breadcrumbs and egg. Take jalapeños and one at a time lightly score the skin before covering with flour, dipping them in the egg wash and coating them with the breadcrumbs. Repeat until complete and then refrigerate for a further 30 minutes.

You can either fry or bake the  jalapeños, I generally bake them as I am lazy / shouldn’t be trusted with hot oil. If baking, they take about fifteen minutes at 200°C. If frying, heat about an inch of oil in a large saucepan until it is hot. Then fry jalapeños one at a time until they are golden and crisp.