Fouetté Foodies: In the Kitchen with Ashleigh Bennett
Ashleigh Bennett
For all the fouetté foodies out there, we’re dishing up an exclusive recipe from Hong Kong Ballet’s Ashleigh Bennett! Off from a long day of rehearsal with the Hong Kong Ballet, Ashleigh is getting right in the kitchen to share not one, but “tutu” delectable recipes!
Ashleigh Bennett is no stranger to the stage or the kitchen, known as the Baking Ballerina (don’t forget to follow her on instagram @baking_ballerina) she’s teaching us how to make Fish Tacos, and for dessert...Chocolate Brownies!
What’s your favourite recipe?
I definitely have too many to choose just one favourite, but my brownie recipe is quite special. I bake it for my family every time I fly home to visit them, and if I'm not already baking when my brother arrives, after he's said hello the next words out of his mouth are “So where are the brownies?”. At least I know he misses my baking if nothing else haha. And now, it's become a bit of a tradition for me to bake them for the company here to celebrate the Opening Night of each performance.
What’s your typical dietary routine?
During a performance season we start later than normal, so I'll have breakfast around 2 hours before class. I don't like dancing on a full stomach, but if I have breakfast too early, then I'll get hungry too soon. And if I'm in the middle of a matinee show, then there's nothing I can do! I always have a form of carbohydrates, dairy and some fruit, either muesli, fruit salad and yoghurt, or toast with sliced banana and honey, and a yoghurt. I always have a banana after class, and keep a container of nuts in my bag, to snack on throughout the day.
Then 'lunch' during our performances is actually our dinner break! And again, there's a fine line between eating enough to fuel for the upcoming show, but not eating too much and feeling sick on stage. This has definitely been a process of trial and error to find what works! And it's different for every production, depending on what roles I'm dancing. My go-to meal before a show is usually stir fried veggies with chicken or beef, and noodles. I learnt the hard way that for me, rice takes too long to digest! In the summer months I might change it up and have a chicken pasta salad, or a wrap. I don't tend to eat the exact same thing before every show, and like to change it up to add some variety to my diet where I can. Although for some dancers it can be like a superstition, and eating the same thing becomes part of their routine. Then after the show we have our 'dinner'. This also varies, according to what I have the following day. The night before a double show day for example, I'll have pasta with maybe a Bolognese sauce, otherwise I'll have noodles, a toasted sandwich, soup or my fish tacos! As long as it's quick, nutritious and filling!
What’s a food item that you could not live without?
Technically it's a food group, but I couldn't live without seafood! At home in Australia, we have amazing seafood, and my favourites include crab, prawns, lobster, Moreton Bay bugs and Coral Trout!
Chocolate Brownies
“This is one of my most baked recipes, and it’s the perfect little treat after a successful premiere!”
Ingredients
115g butter, cut into small cubes
240g chocolate (I use a mix of milk and dark) 3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup dark brown sugar, tightly packed 3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup plus 4 tbsps plain flour
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C, and line a rectangular pan with baking paper. Place the chocolate and the butter in a heatproof bowl and microwave, stirring every 30 seconds, until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
180°C 2. Add both sugars to the chocolate mixture, and mix to combine. Add the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla. Sift the flour into the batter, and mix until all the pockets of flour are gone. Pour into the prepared pan, and smooth the top. 3. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle of the brownie comes out clean, with only a few crumbs. Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, before transferring to a cooling rack. Cut into squares, and serve warm!
25 30
Fish Tacos
Serves 2
“I make this quite often for dinner after a performance, because it's quick and easy, light but satisfying, and can be easily customised with whatever you already have on hand!”
Ingredients
4 flour tortillas
10 frozen fish fingers (can also substitute chicken if you don't eat seafood!)
1 small red onion
2 tomatoes
1 small Lebanese cucumber
Small can of diced pineapple pieces Mayonnaise, to serve
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C and line a tray with baking paper. Arrange the fish fingers so they're evenly spaced on the tray. Place in the oven, and bake for 20 minutes, flipping the fish to the other side after 10 minutes. 2. Dice the onion, tomatoes and cucumber into small pieces and place in a bowl. Drain the juice out of the pineapple (I freeze mine in an ice cube tray and keep it for smoothies) and add to your salsa. Mix everything together. 3. Place the tortillas on a large plate. Microwave for one minute on high, then cover the plate with a kitchen towel to keep warm. 4. To serve, place one tortilla on a serving plate. Arrange two or three fish fingers in the middle, and drizzle with some mayonnaise. Spoon a generous amount of salsa over the top, and fold up into a wrap. Repeat with the remaining tortillas, fish and salsa, and serve!
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A Dish I'd Like to Cook Next
I'm not sure why, but I've always wanted to make a Bombe Alaska, or a Croquembouche. Unfortunately these are both desserts to feed a crowd, so I'd need to host a very large dinner party!
Giving us something savoury and something sweet, Ashleigh truly knows how to keep both a menu balanced as well as her arabesques! Ready to start cooking up a masterpiece? Grab your apron, and follow along! A special thank you to Ashleigh Bennett for sharing her recipes!