[guide.chat] February Recipes

  • From: "Kevin Burgin" <kevin.burgin@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <guide.chat@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Thu, 23 Feb 2012 23:13:29 -0000

Hi All Food Lovers

Find attached this months recipes.

Especially if you like chocolate.

Cheers

Kevin
Blueberry Strawberry Smoothy

Serves 2

Ingredients:

155 G frozen blueberries
200 G frozen strawberries
200 G protein powder, I used a chocolate flavour
250 ml unsweetened soy milk
add syrup or honey to taste (optional)
1 tablespoon peanut butter (optional)

METHOD:

Whack all the ingredients into a food processor adding some water if you want a 
thinner Smoothy.  I like smoothies to be thick like milkshakes.
Chocolate Sponge With Chocolate Custard

From Delicious Magazine February 2012

Serves 8

Preparation Time: 25 minutes
Cooking Time: 50 minutes

To Freeze:

Freeze the sponge and custard separately.  Reheat the sponge from frozen.  
Defrost the custard and then reheat it.

Tip:

The sponge also makes a great cake for large parties.  Cool the sponge 
completely and smother the top of the sponge with a generous coating of 
chocolate butter cream icing.  Decorate if you like, then cut into pieces and 
serve.  

Ingredients:

250 G unsalted butter at room temperature
plus extra for greasing
200 G golden castor sugar
50 G soft dark brown sugar
4 medium eggs, beaten
250 G self-raising flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
2 tablespoons of dark cocoa powder
50 G dark chocolate, grated
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
125 ml whole milk, warm

For The Chocolate Custard:
300 ml whole milk
300 ml double cream
4 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons golden castor sugar
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon of cornflour

METHOD:

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Centigrade/fan 160 degrees Centigrade/gas mark 
4.

Grease and line a square 20 cm cake or brownie tin.

Beat the butter with an electric hand mixer or a food processor until soft, 
then add the sugars and beat for 5 minutes until light and fluffy.  Gradually 
add in the eggs beating well after each addition.  Sift in the flour, baking 
powder and cocoa powder and fold in.  Add the grated chocolate and fold in.  
Add the vanilla extract and enough of the warm milk to create a smooth mixture 
with a dropping consistency.

Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until a skewer 
inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Meanwhile, make the custard.  Heat the cream and milk together in a saucepan 
until almost boiling.  Whisk the egg yolks in a bowl with the sugar, cocoa 
powder and cornflour.  Then pour the hot milk and cream over the top.  Whisk it 
well then return the sauce to the pan and cook it on a low to medium heat 
stirring constantly until it forms a custard that thickly coats the back of a 
wooden spoon.  Set aside.

Turn out the sponge and cut into 8 equal squares.  Serve warm with the 
chocolate custard poured over.
FISH PIE IN FOUR STEPS

Serves 2

Ingredients:

200 G skinless white fish fillet
200 G skinless smoked haddock fillet
300 ml milk
1 small onion, quartered
2 cloves
1 bay leaf, split
2 eggs
1 small bunch of parsley, leaves only, chopped
50 G butter
25 G plain flour
a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
500 G floury potatoes, peeled and cut into even-sized chunks
25 G Cheddar, grated

METHOD:

1.  Poach the fish.  Put the fish into the frying pan and pour over the milk.  
Cook for a minute then add the split bay leaf, onion and cloves.  Bring the 
milk just to the boil, -- you will see a few small bubbles.  Reduce the heat 
and simmer for 8 minutes.  Lift the fish out onto a plate using a slotted spoon 
and strain the milk into a jug to cool.  Flake the fish into large pieces and 
place them in the baking dish.

2.  Hard-boil the eggs.  Bring a small pan of water to a gentle boil, then 
carefully lower the eggs in with a slotted spoon.  Bring the water back to a 
gentle boil, with just a couple of bubbles rising to the surface.  Set the 
timer for 8 minutes, cook, then drain and cool in a bowl of cold water.  Peel 
off the shells, slice the eggs into quarters and arrange on top of the fish, 
then scatter over the chopped parsley.

3.  To Make The Sauce.  Melt half the butter in a pan, stir in the flour and 
cook for 1 minute over a moderate heat.  Take off the heat, pour in a little of 
the cold poaching milk, then stir until blended.  Continue to add the milk 
gradually, mixing well until you have a smooth sauce.  Return to the heat, 
bring to the boil and cook for 5 minutes, stirring continuously, until it coats 
the back of a spoon.  Remove from the heat, season with salt, pepper and 
nutmeg, then pour over the fish.

4.  Assemble and bake.  Heat oven to 200 degrees Celsius, fan 180 degrees 
Celsius, gas mark 6.  Boil the potatoes for 20 minutes.  Drain, season and mash 
them with the remaining butter and milk.  Use to top the pie, starting at the 
edge of the dish and working your way in -- push the mash right to the edges to 
seal.  Fluff the top with a fork, sprinkle with cheese, then bake for 30 
minutes.  

Make up to a day ahead, chill, then bake for 40 minutes.

5.  Try different flavours:
* Seafood: add 100 G raw peeled king prawns to the baking dish  along with the 
poached fish.
* Salmon and dill: Replace the smoked haddock with 200 G skinless salmon 
fillets, and use dill instead of the parsley.
* Fish and vegetable: add 50 G each of frozen peas and sweetcorn to the baking 
dish before pouring over the sauce.
Jamie Oliver's Fish Pie

From Jamie's Ministry Of Food

this is a fantastically simple fish pie which doesn't involve poaching the fish 
or making a tedious white sauce.  Loads of good fragrant veg are added quickly 
by grating them in.  You can use whatever fish you like making this dish as 
luxurious as you want it to be.  If you like your fish pie to be creamy feel 
free to add a few tablespoons of creme fraiche to the fish.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 kg of potatoes
1 large carrot,
2 sticks of celery
150 G of good Cheddar cheese
1 lemon
a fresh red chili
4 sprigs of flat leaf parsley
350 G of salmon fillets, skins off and bones removed
350 G undiced smoked haddock fillets, skins off and bones removed
125 G king prawns, raw and peeled
olive oil
a good handful of spinach, chopped (optional)
a couple of ripe tomatoes, quartered (optional)


METHOD:

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius/400 degrees Fahrenheit/gas mark 6.

Put a large pan of salted water on top of the oven and bring it to the boil.  
Peel the potatoes and cut into 2 cm chunks.  Once the water is boiling add the 
potatoes and cook for around 12 minutes until soft and you can stick your knife 
into them to check.

Meanwhile, get a deep baking tray or casserole dish and stand a box grater in 
it.  Peel the carrot.  Grate the carrot, celery and Cheddar cheese on the 
coarse side of the grater directly into the dish or tray.  Use the fine side of 
the grater to grate the zest from the lemon.  Finely grate or chop the chili.  
Finely chop the parsley leaves and then add them to the vegetables in the tray.

Cut the white fish into bite sized chunks and add the fish and prawns to the 
tray.  Squeeze over the juice from the lemon (no pips please) drizzle with 
olive oil and a good pinch of salt and a good pinch of pepper.  If you want to 
add the spinach or tomatoes do it at this point.  Mix everything together 
really well.

By now your potatoes should be cooked so drain them in a colander  and return 
them to the pan.  Drizzle the potatoes with some olive oil and season with salt 
and pepper.  Mash the potatoes until light and smooth then spread evenly over 
the top of the fish and grated veg.  

Place in the preheated oven for 40 minutes or until cooked through, crispy and 
golden on top.

Serve piping hot with tomato ketch up, baked beans, steamed veg or a lovely 
green salad.  
Perfect Apple Pie by The Hairy Bikers

From www.bbc.co.uk/food

Serves 6

You will need a 1 and a half litres or 2 pint pie dish.

Ingredients:

For The Filling:
125 G or 5 oz golden castor sugar, plus 1 tablespoon or 25 G for sprinkling
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons cornflour
600 G or 1 lb Bramley cooking apples, peeled, cored and sliced

For The Pastry:
1 egg, beaten 
400 G plain flour, plus extra for rolling out
2 tablespoons castor sugar
the rind of 1 lemon
250 G butter, cut into cubes

For The Glaze:
1 egg, beaten

METHOD:

For The Pastry: Place the flour, sugar and lemon zest into a bowl and rub in 
the butter until it resembles breadcrumbs.  Add 1 beaten egg and stir with a 
blunt kitchen knife until the mixture resembles a dough.  Set aside one third 
of the pastry for the lid.

Roll out the remaining pastry on a lightly floured surface until it is the 
thickness of a 1 pound coin and 2 inches larger than the pie dish.  Lift the 
pastry over the rolling pin and lower it gently into the pie dish.  Press the 
pastry firmly into the pie dish and up the sides making sure there are no air 
bubbles.  Chill the pastry in the fridge for a few minutes.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius/400 degrees Fahrenheit/gas mark 6.  
Place a baking tray into the oven to preheat.

For The Filling: Mix the sugar, cinnamon and cornflour in a large bowl.  Stir 
in the apples.  Place the apple filling into the pie dish making sure it rises 
above the edge.  Brush the rim of the dish with beaten egg.  Roll out the 
reserved ball of pastry, cover the pie with the pastry and press the edges 
together firmly to seal.

Using a sharp knife, trim off the excess pastry, then gently crimp all round 
the edge.  Make a few small holes in the centre of the pie with the tip of the 
knife.  Glaze the top with beaten egg.

Lightly knead the pastry trimmings and re-roll, cut into leaf shapes, place all 
round the edge of the pie slightly overlapping each other and glaze with more 
beaten egg.  Sprinkle the pie with sugar and bake in the centre of the oven for 
45 to 55 minutes or until golden brown all over.  and the apples are tender.
RATATOUILLE FLAN

Ingredients:

For The Pastry:
225 G wholemeal flour
a pinch of salt
100 G margarine
cold water to bind

For The Filling:
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
1 onion
1 pepper
1 courgette
1 tomato
2 cloves of garlic
salt and ground black pepper
2 eggs
125 ml (quarter pint) milk

METHOD:

1.  Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius/gas mark 6.

2.  Weigh out the flour and margarine, and place in a bowl together.  Rub the 
fat into the flour until like breadcrumbs.  Add enough cold water, a teaspoon 
at a time stirring in, to bind the pastry together with the hands.

3.  Knead lightly for a few minutes on a floured surface and then roll out.  
Use the flan dish as a guide to roll out the pastry (it should be about 2 
inches bigger than the dish.)

4.  Lift the pastry up with the rolling pin and lay it on top of the dish 
centrally.  Gently press the pastry into the dish.  Trim off the extra pastry 
and prick the base all over with a fork.

5.  Line the pastry with foil or baking paper and weigh down with baking beans, 
and bake in the oven for 15 minutes.  Take out of the oven to remove the foil 
and beans, then return the dish to the oven for another 5 minutes to dry out.  
Take the dish out of the oven and set aside to let the pastry cool.  Turn the 
oven down to 190 degrees Celsius/gas mark 5.

6.  To make the filling:
Prepare the onion * top, tail, peel and slice thinly.
Prepare the pepper * wash, core, and de-seed, then slice thinly
Prepare the courgettes * wash, top and tail, then slice.
Prepare the tomato * wash and slice.
Prepare the garlic * top, tail and peel, then chop or crush with flat blade of 
a knife.

7.  Put approximately 2 tablespoons of oil into a frying pan and add the sliced 
onions and garlic.  Cook for 5 minutes, then add the pepper and courgettes.  
Cook for a further minute or two.

8.  Spoon this mixture carefully into the cooked pastry case.  Place the sliced 
tomato on top of the vegetables.

9.  Crack 2 eggs into a jug and add 125 ml ( quarter pint) milk and beat 
together.  Pour over the vegetables and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
Sausages Braised In Red Wine

Serves 4

Ingredients:

400 G pork sausages
200 G lean streaky bacon, cut into cubes
200 G small button onions
olive oil
1 heaped teaspoon of plain flour
275 ml red wine
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 bay leaf, split
1 teaspoon fresh chopped thyme, or half a   teaspoon of dried thyme
175 G mushrooms, sliced if large 
salt and freshly milled black pepper

METHOD:

1.  Take a large flameproof casserole, heat a little oil in it and brown the 
sausages all over.

2.  Using a slotted spoon, remove them from the pan or casserole and put them 
on a plate.  Now put the bacon and onions in the casserole and lightly brown 
them.  When they are done, sprinkle in the flour to soak up the juices, 
gradually stir in the wine.

3.  Now pop the sausages back in, plus the garlic, bay leaf, thyme and a little 
seasoning.  Put the lid on when simmering point is reached, turn the heat as 
low as possible and simmer very gently for 30 minutes.

4.  After that, stir in the mushrooms and then leave everything to cook for a 
further 20 minutes -- this time without a lid.  Remove the bay leaf.

5.  Serve with what else but a pile of creamy mashed potato.
SPRINGTIME LAMB STEW

Ingredients:

400 G or 1 lb diced 
lamb
20 G or 1 oz flour
8 small onions or shallots
8 small new carrots
50 G or 2 oz of peas
100 G or 4 oz of small button mushrooms,   washed
25 G or 1 oz of oil
1 pint brown stock
1 bay leaf
parsley
thyme
salt and pepper
chopped mint

METHOD:

1.  Peel onions and carrots but leave them whole.

2.  Melt oil and heat in a pan.  Toss the meat in the oil to seal.

3.  Add the flour and stir well and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.  Add the stock, 
stir and bring to the boil.

4.  Add onions, carrots and herbs (except the mint).  Cook until the vegetables 
are soft and then take the pan off the heat.  Transfer the mix to a casserole 
dish.  Cook in oven on gas mark 4, 180 degrees Celsius, 350 degrees Fahrenheit 
for 1 and a half hours to 2 hours.  Ten minutes before the end of cooking, add 
the peas and whole mushrooms.

5.  Serve topped with chopped mint.
Sticky Toffee Pudding

From Delicious Magazine February 2012

Serves 8

Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 to 35 minutes

Sticky Toffee Pudding is a rich, indulgent sponge made with chopped prunes or 
dates and topped with a thick toffee sauce.

Sources say the pudding was developed in the Lake District in the kitchen's of 
the Sharrow Bay Hotel in the 1970s and was christened Icky Sticky Toffee 
Sponge.  This claim to fame has been contested over the years.  So the puddings 
true origins is open to debate.  No matter, it tastes so good it now appears on 
restaurant  menus nationwide.  All you need to decide is whether to serve it 
with that drizzle of extra cream.

To Freeze:

The finished sponge wrapped well in cling film, then foil and stored in the 
freezer for up to 2 months.

Defrost at room temperature and then heat through in an oven then top with 
freshly made toffee sauce.

Tip:

You can make the sponge and sauce the day before keeping them chilled and 
separate to allow the flavours to mellow and mingle.  Wrap the sponge in cling 
film and cover the cooled toffee sauce.  

Heat the sponge through in a preheated oven for 15 minutes.  Warm through the 
toffee sauce then pour over the hot sponge.

Ingredients:

75 G of butter, softened plus extra for greasing
180 G dates, stones removed and finely   chopped
1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
75 G golden castor sugar
75 G light muscovardo sugar
2 medium eggs, lightly beaten
180 G self-raising flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
275 ml of hot water

For The Toffee Sauce:

125 G unsalted butter
80 G dark soft brown sugar
40 G golden castor sugar
1 vanilla pod split
200 ml of double cream

METHOD:

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Centigrade/fan 160 centigrade/gas mark 4.

Grease a 2.5 litres ovenproof dish and set it aside for later.

Put the dates in a bowl and cover with 275 ml of hot water.  Sprinkle in the 
bicarbonate of soda and set aside for ten minutes.

Beat the butter and sugars together with an electric hand mixer until light and 
fluffy.  Gradually whisk in the eggs beating well between each addition.  Sift 
in the flour and baking powder and fold in.  Then fold in the date mixture 
including the water.  The mixture will be very wet but don't worry.

Pour the mixture into the greased dish and bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the 
sponge is just coming away from the sides of the dish.

Meanwhile, make the sauce.  Melt the butter in a heavy-based saucepan, add the 
sugars and vanilla pod then stir well until the sugars have dissolved.  Add the 
cream and bring up the sauce to a vigorous simmer then bubble for 5 minutes.

Once the pudding is done pour over the hot toffee sauce and serve in generous 
portions.
Treacle Tart 

From Delicious Magazine February 2012

Serves 8

Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 45 minutes
Plus chilling time

To Freeze:

Let the finished tart cool, wrap well in cling film, then foil and then store 
in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Cook from frozen in a preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes until hot.

Ingredients:

For The Pastry:
250 G plain flour, plus extra for dusting
120 G unsalted butter, chilled and chopped
the grated zest of 1 lemon
the yolk of 1 medium egg
cold water
a pinch of salt

For The Filling:
450 ml golden syrup
a good pinch of ground ginger
110 G fine fresh breadcrumbs
1 large egg, whisked
the grated zest and juice of half a large lemon

METHOD:

Sift the flour and a pinch of salt in to a large bowl or food processor, add 
the chopped butter and rub it in with your fingertips or pulse it to the 
texture of fine breadcrumbs.  Stir through the lemon zest, add the egg yolk and 
then stir in the cold water a tablespoon at a time until the dough has 
combined.  Knead the dough briefly on a lightly floured surface until smooth 
then shape it into a flat disc, wrap it in cling film and chill for 30 minutes 
in the fridge.  On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry to about the 
thickness of a 50 P piece and fits a 23 cm by 2 cm loose-bottomed fluted round 
tart tin.  Prick the base of the pastry all over with a fork and chill it in 
the fridge for a further 30 minutes.

Preheat a baking sheet in the oven to 200 degrees Centigrade/fan 180 degrees 
Centigrade/gas mark 6.

Line the pastry case with baking paper and baking beans or rice, then bake 
blind in the oven for 12 minutes.  Remove the paper and beans/rice and return 
to the oven for 5 minutes or until golden.  Reduce the temperature of the oven 
to 180 degrees Centigrade/fan 160 degrees Centigrade/gas mark 4.

To make the filling.  Spoon the syrup into a saucepan, add the ginger and 
gently warm through.  Take the pan off the heat and stir through the 
breadcrumbs, egg, lemon zest and juice mixing well.  Pour into the pastry case, 
bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden and almost set.  Remove the tart from 
the oven and leave to cool for 15 minutes.

Serve warm with double or clotted cream.

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