Choc-Banana Cupcakes

Chocolate Banana Cupcakes

125 grams butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 mashed banana (for best results use one that is completely black on the outside).
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
3 tablespoons banana instant pudding mix (also known as Angel Delight and probably loads of other things)
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup milk

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and line a muffin tin with paper muffin cases.

Beat together the butter and the sugar until the mixture is light and creamy. Then add the eggs one by one. Mash the banana and beat that into the mixture.

Add the cocoa powder and the instant pudding mix and beat it in well. Sift in the flour and the baking powder, mix, then add the milk and mix again. You should have a batter that is not very runny but has a smooth, even texture.

Spoon the mix as evenly as you can into the prepared muffin tin and bake the cupcakes for 20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool before frosting them.

Intense Chocolate Frosting

4 cups icing sugar
1 cup cocoa powder
250 grams butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Place the butter in a large bowl. Begin to sift in the icing sugar and cocoa powder, about a half cup at a time. Beat the mixture well after each addition. After about 2 or 3 cups of the dry ingredients the mixture will be getting very stiff so you will want to add the milk and beat that in. Add the vanilla too. Then finish adding the dry ingredients and beat the mixture until it has a good frosting consistency.

Couscous Salad

Bacon, Courgette and Couscous Salad

1 cup couscous
1 cube chicken stock
1 bunch spring onions (scallions)
250 grams bacon
2 large courgettes
1/2 cup pine nuts
1 red bell pepper
Cracked black pepper
300 grams mixed salad leaves
250 grams cherry tomatoes (or just a few normal tomatoes)

Chop the spring onions and bacon. Slice the courgettes lengthways so that you have long, very skinny strips. Slice the bell pepper lengthways as well. Heat some butter or oil in a large pan and add the spring onions and bacon. Sauté until the bacon is tender, then add the courgettes. Cook over medium heat until they are very tender, then add the bell pepper and pine nuts. Continue cooking until the pepper is done to your liking and while it is cooking give it a generous sprinkle of cracked black pepper.

Place the couscous in a large bowl and crumble the chicken stock over the top. Boil the kettle and pour two cups of boiling water over the couscous. Cover the bowl with a dinner plate or the lid of a large pot and just leave it to sit for at least 5 minutes, perhaps up to 10 minutes, until all of the water has been absorbed. Then give it a gentle stir with a fork to fluff it up.

If you have not already done so, turn the range off, then add the couscous to the pan. Give it a good stir to combine everything well.

Serve the couscous mixture over a bed of mixed salad leaves and sprinkle with chopped tomatoes.

Chocolate ANZAC Cookies

Chocolate ANZAC Cookies

1 cup plain flour
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup sugar
2 cups desiccated coconut
200 grams butter
1/4 cup golden syrup
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
250 grams dark or milk chocolate

Heat the oven to 180 degrees celsius and line a couple of oven trays with baking paper.

Add all of the dry ingredients into a large bowl.

In a small bowl, microwave the butter until it is melted. Add the water and golden syrup and heat again until the mixture is runny and easily combined.

Add the baking soda to the liquid mixture and mix it quickly. Then pour it into the dry ingredients and mix it really well. You might have to use your hands. The mixture will seem really wet and sticky, that's normal. Roll balls of dough, flattening them slightly after you put them on the tray. Bake each batch for 15 minutes.

Let the cookies cool. Then to finish, melt the chocolate in the microwave or over a double boiler and dip the bases in the chocolate. Then place them upside down until the chocolate has hardened.

Lamb Stew

Lamb Stew with Mint

500 grams lamb stewing steak, diced into bite-sized chunks
1 large onion, diced
1 bottle beer (about 330 mL)
500 mL water
1 small handful fresh mint, chopped
1 tablespoon dried, mixed herbs (or choose your own various herbs, fresh or dry)
2 large potatoes
2 large carrots
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup cornflour/cornstarch

Take a large, heavy-bottomed pot or a casserole dish (the type that sits on top of the stove, not an oven dish). Heat some oil in it and then add the onion and meat. Cook, stirring, until the meat has browned on all sides. Then pour in the beer and the water and add the mint and herbs. Simmer for about an hour and a half.

While the stew is simmering, dice the potato and carrots into small cubes. After the stew has simmered for an hour and a half add the potatoes and let it cook for another half hour or so.

Take the cornflour and place it in a small bowl. Scoop out a bit of the water from the stew and add it to the flour, then stir it quickly until it is a smooth paste. Scoop out some more water, add it to the paste and stir it quickly again until you have a smooth mixture. Do this one more time, but this time scoop out about a cup of the water and stir it into the flour mixture. You do this because if you add the flour paste directly to the stew you will get lumps goo. After you have stirred the cup of liquid into the flour mixture until it is smooth, pour it slowly into the hot stew, stirring while you do so. Keep the stew simmering about 10 minutes longer, then check the taste again and maybe season with salt and pepper.

Rhubarb Strawberry Pie

Rhubarb Strawberry Custard Pie

Sweet shortcrust pastry (you can find a recipe here)
3 cups rhubarb, finely sliced (that was about 3 or 4 large stalks)
1 1/2 cups strawberries, finely sliced
1 cup sugar
4 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 beaten eggs

Roll out half of the dough and gently lay it in the pie tin. Press it carefully into the bottom of the tin, prick holes all over the base with a fork, then let it rest for about half an hour. If you want to blind bake (it's not necessary but is a safer option), place a layer of baking paper in the empty crust and fill it with dried beans. Bake at 180 degrees celsius for about 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and let it cool.

Whether you have blind-baked or not, next you prepare the filling. But first, make sure that the oven is on at 180 degrees celsius. Then you can begin. Once you have sliced up your fruit, place it in a large bowl and add the sugar, flour and salt. Give it a stir to combine it, then tip the beaten eggs over the top. Mix it all together well, then tip the filling into the pie crust.

Roll out the rest of the pastry, and then you can either lay it flat over the top of the pie, or you can cut strips and create a woven lattice top. Press the edges together with the base and trim the edges. If you are not making a lattice you need to cut a few ventilation holes in the top of the crust.

Bake the pie at 180 degrees celsius for 1 hour, then remove the pie from the oven and let it cool for at least 30 minutes. A couple of hours would be better. That allows the filling to really set, so that it won't run everywhere.

Chicken Lasagna

Chicken Lasagna

Tomato Sauce:
(based on Tomato Sauce with White Wine)
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 cans tomatoes
2 bell peppers, diced
1 large carrot, diced
2 tablespoons tomato puree
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon mixed herbs

White Sauce:
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
3 cups milk
1/4 cup grated parmesan

500 grams diced chicken
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon basil paste or basil pesto

Dried lasagna sheets
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

Make the tomato sauce. Chop all of the vegetables, then heat some oil in a large saucepan. Throw in the onion and garlic, cook for a couple of minutes, then throw in everything else. Just let it simmer away while you prepare everything else and it will be ready when you are. Make sure that the stove is not too hot or you could burn it to the bottom of the pot (I did this, it didn't ruin the sauce but cleaning the pot was a huge nuisance!)

Cook the chicken. Make sure that it is diced up quite small, then heat some oil in a large frying pan. Add the garlic, the basil (or basil pesto), then add the chicken. Stir it about until the chicken is cooked through, then remove the pan from the heat and leave the chicken to cool.

Make the white sauce. Take a heavy bottomed, medium sized saucepan and melt the butter. Stir in the flour and keep stirring for a couple of minutes, while the butter/flour paste sizzles away. Then add the milk very slowly. Add just a little and keep on stirring quickly with a wooden spoon to keep the sauce smooth. You should have the heat on medium-low and stir until the sauce is smooth and thick. Then add a little more milk and do the same thing, each time letting the sauce thicken a bit before adding more milk. Finally, when all the milk is in you should have a thick, creamy sauce. Season it with salt and pepper until it tastes good, then stir in the parmesan.

Finally, the last step - putting the lasagna together. Begin by spooning a about a third of the tomato sauce into your large lasagna dish. Lay dried lasagna sheets over it, then spoon on a half of the white sauce. Lay half of the chicken over the white sauce. Then repeat, with a layer of tomato sauce, a layer of pasta, a layer of white sauce and a layer of chicken.

Spoon the last of the tomato sauce over the chicken, then sprinkle generously with grated cheese. Place the dish in the oven and bake for about half an hour.

If you have the time and patience, turn the oven off and let the lasagna sit for up to a half hour longer, so that it can solidify a little. That way it will hold it's shape when you serve it.

On the other hand, if you are really hungry then dig in straight away. It will still taste amazing, it will just look a little sloppy.

Easter Raspberry Chocolate Chip Cookies

Raspberry Chocolate Chip Cookies

125 grams butter
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup raspberry jam
1 egg
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cocoa powder
200 grams milk chocolate, chopped up
1 cup mini marshmallows (optional)
1 cup coconut
Icing sugar or cocoa powder (for rolling in)

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and line a couple of cookie trays with non-stick paper (important for these cookies because the marshmallows might melt and stick to the tray).

In a large bowl, soften the butter, then add the sugar and beat with an electric mixer. Add the jam and the egg, beat some more.

Sift in the flour, baking powder and cocoa. Beat the mixture until everything is combined. Then add the chocolate, coconut and marshmallows and fold them into the mixture.

Scoop up teaspoon-sized balls of dough and drop onto a plate of icing sugar or cocoa powder (depends if you want your cookies to be pale in colour or dark, and if you like the taste of cocoa. Roll around until liberally covered, and as you do so try and press the marshmallows to the centre of the cookies so that they are all covered in dough, then place on the tray and flatten

Bake for about 15 minutes (depending on how big you make your cookies and whether you like them chewy or crisp).When you remove the tray from the oven you may find that some of the marshmallows have leaked out of the cookies and made sugary puddles. While the cookies are still warm and soft, remove them very carefully from the tray and place them on a wire rack to cool.

Chocolate Hot Cross Buns

Chocolate Hot Cross Buns

375 mL milk
60 grams butter
1 egg
1 sachet fast acting, instant yeast (for using fresh yeast, see the original recipe)
1/4 cup soft brown sugar (50 grams)
1 cup rolled oats (100 grams)
3 cups strong flour (about 500 grams), plus plain flour for kneading in
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons cocoa powder (25 grams)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup sultanas (optional)
1 cup chocolate chips
2 tablespoons water plus 1/4 cup flour (for the crosses)
1 egg yolk, 1 tablespoon brown sugar and 1/4 cup milk (for the glaze)

Place the milk and butter in a small bowl and heat in the microwave until the milk is warm and the butter melted. Don't let the milk boil. The liquid should only be body temperature, so if it feels very hot when you dip a finger in then let it cool a little. When it is just warm, add the egg and whisk to combine.

Place the yeast, sugar and oats into a large bowl. Sift in the flour, salt, cinnamon (and spice if you are using it) and cocoa powder. Add the sultanas, chocolate chips. Mix the dry ingredients together well.

Pour the wet mixture into the dry and mix with a spoon until the dough is too tough to mix any more. Sprinkle a clean work surface with flour and tip the dough out of the bowl, scraping out any bits that are stuck to the sides. Begin to knead, sprinkling more flour over if it is sticky (the dough should feel a bit tacky but it should not come away on your hands). The mixture is quite a sticky one and might need up to a half cup of extra flour added to it. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes, then let it rest a little while you prepare the flour paste and the glaze.

In a small bowl, mix together the water and flour until you have a thick paste. Then, in another small bowl, whisk together the egg yolk, sugar and milk. Finally, take a baking tray and either place a piece of non-stick baking paper on it, or grease it with butter. Now you are ready to make your buns.

Divide the dough into about 12 pieces, roll each into a ball and place them side by side on a baking tray. Spoon the flour paste into a piping bag (or a ziplock bag, then snip one of the corners off) and pipe crosses on the tops of each bun. Then brush the glaze over the buns with a pastry brush.

Leave the tray in a warm place until the buns have risen to double their size. Heat the oven to 200 degrees celcius while the bread rises. Bake the buns for 30 to 40 minutes.

Lemon & Strawberry Cupcakes

Lemon Cupcakes

125 grams butter
1/2 cup caster sugar
3 eggs
2 tablespoons custard powder
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup milk

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius and line a muffin tin with paper liners.

Soften the butter slightly in the microwave, then add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. If you add them all at once the mixture will go a bit funny so just take your time. Add the custard powder, lemon zest and lemon juice, then beat some more.

Sift in the flour and baking powder. Continue to beat until it has all been incorporated into the mixture, then add the milk. Beat the mixture until it is smooth.

Spoon the mixture evenly into the cupcake liners and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes. Check that they are done by inserting a skewer into the centre. When it comes out clean take the cupcakes out of the oven and let them cool for about 5 minutes. Then remove the cupcakes and let them finish cooling on a wire rack.

Lemon Strawberry Frosting

225 grams butter
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
3 tablespoons strawberry jam
2 1/2 cups icing sugar

Soften the butter very slightly, then begin to beat it with an electric beater until it is creamy. Add the lemon juice, lemon zest and strawberry jam and beat them in well. Sift in the icing sugar a half cup at a time, beating well after each addition, until you have a rather stiff mixture. Then pipe or spread the frosting onto your cupcakes.