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.