Tarte Tatin

300gms flour

250gms butter
Waters - 1 Tbsp give or take
Sugar
3-4 apples peeled and quartered

1. Make pastry by processing butter and flour until breadcrumb texture

Add water bit by bit and pulse until pastry comes together, bring together and chuck in fridge in baking paper

2. Make caramel by covering pan in sugar so the base is fully covered by a few layers, an heating on a medium heat until caramel colour, I added about 30gm butter a few splashes of masala and water.

3. Place apples on top (rounded side down...I accidentally did up) and then cover with the rolled out pastry and tuck in.

Cook in oven on 180 for 40 odd mins

Curried pumpkin soup & Coriander pesto

Curried Pumpkin Soup

1 butternut - peeled and chopped into 2cm cubes
2 kumara as above
2 Tbsp butter
2 onions
3 cloves garlic
1-2 Tbsp chopped fresh ginger
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/4tsp ground cardamom
1.5tsp salt
2 C chicken stock
2 C water
1 can coconut cream
1 tsp mustard seeds

In a large saucepan, sweat onion in butter and add garlic and ginger to fry off for a few mins
Add coriander, cumin & cardamom and cook out for a min
Add all other ingredients except mustard seeds
Cook for 2-3 hours uncovered in a medium heat.
Fry off onion seeds in sep small fry pap for a min or until seeds start to pop and add to soup.
Blend in batches until smooth, taste and salt
Serve up with a swirl of olive oil and a dollop of coriander pesto or fresh coriander leaves

Coriander Pesto
1 large bunch of coriander leaves (about a compressed cup)
1tsp lemon juice
1/2 small Chilli finely chopped
60 gms grated parmesan
3/4c cashew nuts
1/2c Ev olive oil
1/4c olive oil
Salt & pepper
Blend all except s&p and oils
Add oil to mix while blending to make smooth paste or to preferred consistency

Sticky Date Pudding

Ingredients

250g chopped dates
1tsp baking Soda
1.5 C Boiling Water
125g softened butter
1C Brown Sugar
1tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 & 3/4 C Self raising flour

Caramel sauce
1 C Brown Sugar
300ml cream
.5 tsp vanilla
60gms butter

1.Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease and line the base of a 7cm deep, 22cm (base) cake pan.

2.Place dates and bicarbonate of soda into a bowl. Pour over boiling water. Allow to stand for 20 minutes.

3.Using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar and vanilla until pale and creamy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Using a large metal spoon, fold through date mixture and flour until well combined.

4.Spoon mixture into prepared cake pan. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Turn onto a plate.

5.Make sauce Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until sauce comes to the boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 2 minutes.

6.Pierce pudding all over with a skewer. Pour 1/2 cup of warm sauce over warm pudding. Stand for 10 minutes. Cut into wedges. Serve with remaining sauce.

Mushroom Soup (with chicken if you want...)

75gms Butter

2 garlic cloves
1 onion (finely diced)
600gms mushrooms sliced (you can use less I just used this much as it was what i had in fridge)
3 Tbsp Flour
1Tbsp Thyme
1L chicken stock (& 4 chicken thighs or 2 breasts if wanted)
1/2 C cream
2Tbsp Sherry

S & P to taste

Melt 25g Butter in large frying pan and saute onion and garlic until translucent and starting to brown

add mushroom and saute until cooked.

While the mushrooms are cooking start stock boiling and poach chicken in stock if using until cooked and then remove to shred.

Take mushroom mix out of frying pan and add to pot with stock in it, and in frying pan add remaining butter and flour and start making a roux by cooking off the flour and butter and then gradually adding the stock mix (just liquid) to the frying pan until you have a thick sauce.


Add this thickened sauce to the stock pot, add cream, sherry, thyme and S&P to taste.

Process in a food processor in 2 batches (Make sure not to full cover as the mix is hot) and then when smooth (with some chunk bits of mushroom) add back to pot and keep on heat until required.When servicing place shredded shicken into the soup mix in using.

Serve with crusty bread - YUM!


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Cranberry & White chocolate cookies

1/2C Butter (113gms)

1/2 brown sugar
1/2 white sugar
1 egg
1 Tbsp vanilla essence
1 & 1/2 C flour
1/2tsp Baking soda
1 C dried cranberries
1 C white chocolate drops/buttons/chips
1.Preheat overn to 190C
2.Cream butter & Sugars
3.Add egg and vanilla essence and beat well
4.Sift Baking Soda & Flour over top and then add in the cranberries and chocolate & mix till combined
5.Drop balls of dough onto the pan (I just used a small icecream scoop as the dough is quite soft)

6.Bake for 8-10mins, when they are still quite light means they will be soft and chewy and YUM!

MMMM beef and redwine casserole

1. 1KG gravy beef - diced into 1.5cm cubes
2. Flour to dust beef in
3. 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
4. 2 Tbsp Tomato Paste
5. 2 carrots - thickly sliced (4mm)
6. 2 small potatoes - diced
7. 1 butter nut - diced
8. 2 onions - sliced
9. 1/2bottle red wine 
10. 300 ml beef stock
11. a few splashes or worcestor sauce
12. Rosemary stalk, bay leaf, thyme stalks & a few sage leaves
13. The marveous S&P to taste
14. A dash of HP sauce if you like it slightly sweeter

Dust the beef in flour, salt and pepper and then brown off in batches, add the onion to brown.

 

Add the wine to deglaze the pan and stir, add the tomato paste, beef stock and all the remaining ingredients.

 

Bring up to the Boil and then turn down the heat and leave for 3-4 hours, taste at the end and add more seasoning, will need a bit of salt and pepper and I also added a little bit of HP sauce to sweeten it up...i ate it after 2 cos im naughty and hungry, and it was super yummy!

 

I served it with Garlic bread and it was serious AMAZE!!

 

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Its Pesto time!

With summer finally here - Basil is starting to flourish! I am very very proud of this Pesto recipe - I load it full of garlic so you may want to go a little easier on the garlic if your not super keen!

1C Basil Leaves - Packed Cup
2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
60gms Pine Nuts
2-4 Cloves of Crushed Garlic (Make to taste, I use 2 very large gloves of 4 if they are smaller)
1 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil (you may want normal olive oil depending on taste preference)
50gms Parmesan cheese
Salt and Pepper

Blend first 4 Ingredients until chopped finely (I like mine more like a paste to spread on bread)
Pour oil in gradually while blender is on
when combined add Parmesan and blend until you have desired consistency.
Add salt and pepper to taste - I wouldnt suggest putting too much salt in as the Parmesan is already quite salty.

I love this spread on top of Sliced Ciabatta, which has been chucked on the grill to lightly toast..Always great with a few slices of tomato on top!

Coconut and Jam Muffins

This was kinda an experiment but turned out surpringly well!

1.5C Flour

2tsp Baking Powder

1/2 White Sugar

100gms Butter

1Dspn Golder Syrup

1 Egg

1/2 C Milk

Cocunut

Jam



Preheat over to 190 degrees

Melt butter and Golden Syrup together - I just did this in the microwave

Sift flour, Baking Powder and Sugar together in a bowl

Add Butter and GS mix

Fold together to lightly mix

put 1 Dspn of batter in each muffin cup and then add 1tsp of Jam in the centre - try not to let this touch the edges, top with another Dspn of batter. Sprinkly Cocnut on top.

Bake for 15-20mins, watch until muffin springs back when touched.

Mini Pikelets - Easy peasy! Serve with Jam and Mascarpone

I made Pikelets this morning and thought I should post up my recipe!
1C Flour
1tsp Baking Powder
2 Tbsp Caster Sugar
3/4 C Milk
1 Egg

Heat non stick frypan to a medium heat
Sift Dry Ingredients
Seperately whisk together Milk and Egg
Mix all together
Drop teaspoon size amounts onto fry pan - as soon as bubbles appear, flip them over. About 40secs each side.

I have served mine with a Mascarpone & Jam - Mix 1C Mascarpone with 1/4 C Caster Sugar and 1tsp Vanilla essence, spread on piklets and top with Jam - YUM!

Most Dangerour choc cake ever! As found on zm!

The Most Dangerous Cake In The World
http://www.zmonline.com/WhosOn/MorningCrew/Highlights/Detail.aspx?id=10287#
Hey Guys, they talked about this on the radio so i HAD to try it and oh my gosh - all in the microwave in less than 5 mins a gorgeous moist choccie cake!
With easy to find cupboard ingredients! Naughty!


INGREDIENTS
4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
1-2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
A small splash of vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well.
Add the egg and mix thoroughly.
Pour in the milk and oil and mix well.
Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again.
Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts. The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed!
Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.
EAT! (this can serve 2 if you want to feel slightly more virtuous). And why is this the most dangerous cake recipe in the world? Because now we are all only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of the day or night!

Mmmmm melting Moments

Another of the boyfriends favs that his dad used to make him.
It took me quite a bit of trial and error to work this one out. And to find a decent recipe to base it off.
A friend who own a cafe had the same troubles...but luckily while we were chatting over wines I shared my experiences and we swapped my melting moments for her lolly cake ;-)
I initially used a hand mixer for all of this recipe but it was a nightmare - I always ended up covered in flour/IS/CF, So I now have the Boyfriends late grandmothers rather old but very effective Kenwood Mixer - this made the whole process basically mess free!
Ingredients:
200gms Butter
3/4 C Icing Sugar
1C Cornflour
1C Flour
1tsp Baking Powder
Method:
Preheat over to 180 Deg Celcius.
Cream the butter and Icing Sugar
Add Cornflour - Half cup at a time - this will look a little like breadcrumbs to begin with, just keep going and it will all come together
Add Flour and Baking Powder - Half cup at a time again
This will make a Light dough.
Roll into small balls - about a teaspoon at a time
Squash VERY lightly with a fork, not to squash as much as to put the lovely fork imprint.
Place in the oven for about 10/15 minutes - but keep watching as you dont want these to brown - let them go only slightly golden - still quite pale, nearly looks uncooked.
Pull out and let cool
ICE ONLY WHEN COOL...with the below
Mix 100gms Butter (Softened)
2C Icing Sugar
1/2 tsp Vanilla Essence
Mix all together for a thick butter icing.
Sandwich the icing between 2 biscuits
YUM!

Muffin Monster...3 Yummy muffin recipes!

Banana Choc Chip Muffins

Ingredients:

• 2 Eggs
• 2 Banana-Mashed
• 1/4 C Oil
• 1 C Milk
• 3/4 C Brown Sugar
• 2 & 1/2 C Flour
• 4 tsp Baking Powder
• 1 C Choc chips

Preheat oven to 200 C

Beat first 5 Ingredients together

Mix in flour, BP & Choc chips - Dont over mix (general rule with muffins)

Place into Muffin pans/Cups normally 3/4 fill.

Bakes for 10-15 mins Until golden and risen.

Crunchy Lemon Muffins

Ingredients:

• 2 C Flour
• 2 tsp Baking Powder
• 3/4 C Sugar
• 75g Butter-Melted in bowl
• 1 C Milk
• 1 Egg
• Grated rind of 2 Lemons
• 1/4 C Lemon Juice
• 1/4 C Sugar

Preheat oven to 200 C

Place Flour, BP & Sugar in bowl and mix

Mix Milk, Butter, Egg and Lemon Rind together

Add wet mixture to the dry and lightly mix (Once again be careful only to wet dry ingredients and dont over mix)

Add into muffin pan, only fix max 3/4 as you will want the syrup to catch on the sides.

Bake for 10 mins or until golden.

Once out of the over and still hot pour mixed lemon juice and sugar (Syrup) over each muffin (I use a pastry brush to try and distribute evenly)

Leave for 5mins then taken muffins out of pan for easy removal, otherwise it gets sticky!

Bran Muffins

Ingredients:

• 2 C Bran
• 1/2 C Flour
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 C Golden Syrup
• 1 Egg
• 1 C Milk

Preheat over to 200 C

Sift Flour, BP & BS into bowl, Add Bran and mix together

Warm golden syrup and add milk and egg and mix

Combine both mixtures (you know the rule)

Place in Muffin pan to about 3/4 C Full.

Bake for 10-15 mins