Puff Pastry

Puff Pastry

Adapted from this recipe

400 grams plain flour

50 grams butter

1/8 teaspoon salt

220 grams cold water

200 grams pastry margarine or butter (original recipe called for 300 grams but I used butter and it was far too much, my pastry was too soft, and perhaps pastry margarine would be different but I don't think so)

In a bowl rub the first measure of butter into the flour, then add the salt and water and mix to a stiff dough. Let it rest, covered, for 15 minutes, then roll it out. While the pastry rests get out the butter/margarine to soften Try to make it into a cross shape (mine is more a wonky square) and try to leave the centre slightly thicker than the bits sticking out to the side. Then place your pastry margarine/butter in the centre (the recipe that I followed made it look so tidy, much nicer than mine).

Fold the sides on top of the butter, so that you have a smaller square.

Roll the entire thing until it is just a centimetre thick. Then fold the sides inwards, like below, and let it sit, covered, for 15 minutes. Then repeat this 4 times.

Finally the dough is ready to use. Roll it out to about a half a centimetre thick (the original recipe said 3 mm but that was too thin, the filling soaked through and made holes). Line pie dishes with pastry, or make pocket-style pies like my take on Cornish Pasties below. For the filling this time around I used leftovers from a beef stew I had made, but of course any filling can be used, so long as you remember that it should be cold when you place it in the pastry!

I baked my pasties until the pastry was golden brown, which took longer than I expected, about 40 minutes or so. Most of them burst open, but at least one was very perfect. And they were delicious. Although the pastry wasn't really as puffy and flaky as the original bloggers. So I'll be trying this pastry again really soon, and hopefully it will be perfect next time.

Homemade Sushi

Sushi

1 packet nori (seaweed sheets)
1 packet sushi rice
Sushi vinegar (rice vinegar)
Vegetables, sliced thinly (like carrot, cucumber, bell pepper, avocado)
Other fillings, like meat or fish, and sauces (if you want them)

First of all, you have to cook the rice according to the packet directions, until it is soft but not so soft that it is mushy and loses its shape. Then you drain it (if it needs it) and let the rice get completely cold. Splash in a generous amount of rice vinegar and gently fold it into the rice with a fork, trying not to mash the rice as you do so. Taste it and then repeat until you are happy with the flavour.

To make the sushi, lay a sheet of the seaweed (one side should seem smoother and this should be laid downwards, with the rougher side facing up). Spoon rice onto the seaweed and pat down flat (wet your fingers first so that the rice doesn't stick to them). Make the layer of rice about a centimetre thick and leave 1 or 2 centimetres of seaweed bare at each end (as above).

Lay the fillings at one end of the rice (don't use too much!). Rinse your hands and pat them dry, otherwise when you touch the seaweed it will disintegrate. Then roll the seaweed around the filling, tucking it in tightly.

Keep rolling and then press down gently to seal the roll.

Take a sharp knife and dip it in cold water, then gently slice the roll into several pieces and lay on a plate. Then enjoy! Sushi is far more filling than most people expect, so one packet of seaweed and rice will be enough for quite a lot of people.

Healthy Chocolate Mousse

Chocolate Mousse

2/3 cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon gelatine (or flavoured jelly crystals)
2 tablespoons boiling water
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
70 grams chocolate (white or dark)
*Optional - 1/4 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons cocoa powder*

Place the 1/3 cup of milk in the fridge until it is quite cold. Meanwhile, place two tablespoons of boiling water into a small bowl with the gelatine and stir until it is dissolved.

Melt the chocolate with 1/3 cup evaporated milk in the microwave or over the stove. If you want the extra sugar and cocoa powder add these to the chocolate and evaporated milk before heating. I found that extra cocoa was unnecessary, the mousse was too rich, and if you are using white chocolate it definitely doesn't go! When the mixture is smooth add the gelatine mixture and the vanilla essence and stir well. Cool at room temperature for 15 minutes.

Take the evaporated milk from the fridge and pour it into a medium sized bowl. Beat it with an electric beater until it is quite thick - it should be like whipped cream. Fold  in the cooled chocolate mixture and divide into dishes - two large servings or four small servings.

Chill until completely cold and set.

Fresh Spring Rolls

Spring Rolls

1 packet rice paper
1 packet rice noodles (the really thin ones)
A variety of vegetables sliced really thin - I used bean sprouts, cucumber, pepper, carrot, spring onions and avocado
Some sort of dipping sauce (I used teriyaki)

First, prepare all of your vegetables and the noodles (there should be instructions on the noodles, but for lack of that, if they are the really thin ones, they should just take 3 minutes in boiling water).

Next, take a single sheet of rice paper and dip it into a bowl of hot/warm water until it is bendy. You could keep it in there until it is really soft but you don't have to, so long as it is wet and a little bendy. Then you take it from the bowl and place it on a plate, or other flat surface. As the paper sits there it will magically get softer and become like rubbery paper.

Pile your noodles and vegetables into the centre of the paper. You could either leave them plain and dip them in sauce later, like this one:

Or you could include sauce inside of the roll, like I have done here. I thought it needed a little something extra. But they were really good plain too. Wrap the roll but first folding the paper over it lengthways, to wrap around the filling. Then fold the sides in. The roll it until have a little parcel.

Serve them with some sauces to dip in and enjoy!

Cranberries, Macadamia and White Chocolate Cookies

Cranberry, Macadamia & White Chocolate Cookies

225 grams butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 cup macadamia nuts (chopped)
1 cup dried cranberries
200 grams white chocolate
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups plain flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup rolled oats

Turn the oven on to 200 degrees celsius and prepare a couple of cookie sheets. Then place the softened butter in a large bowl and beat the sugar into it until it is smooth and creamy.

Add the egg, extra egg yolk and vanilla essence and beat well until the mixture is smooth again. Then stir in the cranberries, macadamias and chocolate.

Add the cinnamon, flour, baking powder and rolled oats and combine using a spoon or your hands (by the end you will have to use your hands to really combine it properly). Then roll the dough into balls and press onto a prepared cookie tray, leaving room for them to spread. Bake each batch for 12 to 15 minutes (depending on your oven and how crispy you like your cookies).

Fettuccine with Caramelised Onions and Peppers

Fettuccine with Caramelised Onions and Peppers

2 tablespoons butter
1 large brown onion, diced
2 orange or yellow bell peppers, diced
1 tablespoon brown sugar (optional)
Fettuccine for two people
2 more tablespoons butter
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (plus extra to sprinkle)

Set a pot of water to boil for the pasta, then in a large saucepan or frying pan melt the first measure of butter.  Add the onions and peppers and stir until the onion becomes soft and translucent. Then turn down the heat, sprinkle over the sugar and cover the pan. Let the onion and pepper cook like this for about 10 minutes or so (just let them cook until the pasta is done). Stir them every now and then and if they are getting brown or sticking at all turn the heat down further.

When the water boils add the pasta and cook it according to the packet directions. When it is done, tip it into a colander to drain and place the saucepan back on the stove. Add the second measure of butter and crush the garlic into it. When the butter has melted, remove it from the heat and add the cheese, then return the fettuccine to the pan and toss it about until it is all covered in butter.

Finally, take the peppers and onions from the heat and add them to the pasta. Combine the two well and then serve, with a sprinkle of extra parmesan.

Double Chocolate Tofu Pie

Chocolate Tofu Pie

Adapted from this recipe and this recipe
*This recipe can easily be dairy-free and vegan, simply make sure to use margerine instead of butter in the base, dairy-free cookies (a lot of cookies use vegetable fat instead of butter, or make your own) and proper dark chocolate with no dairy in it.

400 grams chocolate biscuits
150 grams butter (or combination of butter and margerine, or only margerine)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
220 grams chocolate
1/2 cup cocoa powder (only if you're not using dark chocolate)
1/4 cup kahlua (or other liquer, or leave it out completely)
350 grams silken tofu

First, crush up the biscuits really well. If you have a food processor, great. Simply throw them in there and process them until they are crumbs. Then add the butter and continue to process it until the mixture is homogenous. If you have no food processor, you will have to combine it with your hands. It will work, but won't be so finely textured.

Press the crumb mixture into a pie dish and place it in the fridge.

Next, melt your chocolate over a double boiler.

If you are not using good dark chocolate and want a richer taste add the cocoa powder and stir it into the melted chocolate. Then remove the chocolate from the double boiler and add the kahlua (if you are using it) and the tofu. If you have a blender (or a food processor will do the trick) pour the whole lot into that.


The next step is to blend the mixture together really well, until it is completely smooth, in a blender or using an immersion/hand blender. Then pour the filling into the base.

Spinach & Tomato Spaghetti

Fresh Spinach and Cherry Tomato Spaghetti

2 punnets cherry tomatoes, cut into quarters
200 grams baby spinach
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon mixed dried herbs
Cracked black pepper
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 servings wholegrain spaghetti

First, cook the spaghetti as you normally would, and while it cooks prepare all of the other ingredients.

When the spaghetti is cooked, drain it and set it aside. Then place the saucepan back on the hot stove and add the butter and olive oil. When the butter is melted add the garlic, the mixed herbs, the tomatoes and the spinach. Cook, stirring, until the spinach is wilted. Make sure to keep the heat up high so that everything cooks quickly, stirring so that it doesn't stick or burn, because if you are too slow the spaghetti will cool and stick together.

When the spinach is soft and dark, add the hot pasta back into the saucepan along with the parmesan cheese. Stir it until the spaghetti is coated well in the juices from the vegetables and the cheese. Season with cracked black pepper, and salt if need be, then serve immediately, with more parmesan for sprinkling.

Couscous Tuna Salad

Couscous and Tuna Salad

2 cups couscous 

2 cups boiling water 

1 stock cube (vegetable or chicken) 

2 peppers (red, orange or yellow) 

2 large carrots 

1/2 cup pinenuts 

2 200 gram cans sweetcorn 

2 185 gram cans tuna 

Salt and pepper to taste

Place the couscous in a large bowl, pour over the boiling water and sprinkle in the stock cube. Place a lid or plate on top of the bowl. Leave it for 10 minutes.

While you wait for the couscous to be done, dice the peppers finely and grate the carrots. Then toast the pinenuts in a little bit of oil in a large frying pan. When they are fragrant add the peppers and let them cook and soften a little.

When the couscous is ready, stir it gently with a fork to fluff it up. Add all of the other ingredients, mix well and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Irish Car Bomb Cheesecake

Irish Car Bomb Cheesecake

Adapted from Triple Irish Cheesecake 

Guinness Brownie Base
1/2 cup stout (guinness)
70 grams bittersweet dark chocolate
90 grams butter
1/2 cup soft brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder

Heat the oven to 180 degrees celsius and prepare a 9 inch round cake tin.

In the microwave or on the stove, melt the chocolate and butter together, stirring until the mixture is smooth. Let it cool slightly, then whisk in the sugar and the egg.

Stir the guinness (or other stout) into the mixture, then fold in the flour and the cocoa powder. Pour the batter carefully into the prepared tin, and bake for 30 minutes. Let the brownie cool completely before continuing.

Whiskey Chocolate Glaze
85 grams bittersweet chocolate
1 tablespoon whiskey
1/2 cup heavy cream

Melt the chocolate and cream together in the microwave or on the stove, being careful that the chocolate does not overcook and burn. Then stir in the whiskey and set it aside.

Baileys Cheesecake
250 gram packet cream cheese
1/4 cup baileys
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1 sachet gelatine (however much is supposed to set 500 mL) in 3/4 cup boiling water

Prepare the gelatine by whisking into the boiling water, then place in fridge until it is sort of thick, but not fully set.

Meanwhile, beat the cream until it is thick, then in a separate bowl beat the cream cheese with the caster sugar until the sugar has dissolved.

Fold the cream, the baileys and the gelatine into the cream cheese. If the mixture is still quite thick after this, you can immediately spread it on top of the brownie. However, if the mixture is very liquidy, like mine was, place it in them fridge for half an hour or so, until it is not runny any more, before spreading it over the brownie base.

Take the cooled chocolate sauce and drizzle it over the cheesecake filling, then use a knife or fork to swirl it around.

Let the cheesecake set in the refrigerator overnight (24 hours is best).

 

Chicken Bolognaise

Chicken Bolognaise

1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic
600 grams chicken mince
2 cans crushed tomatoes
3 cubes chicken stock
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon mixed herbs
1 tablespoon cornflour
1/2 cup cold water
Salt and pepper to taste

Now there's really not much to this recipe, and it's made just like every other bolognaise out there, so I'm going to try and keep this short and simple (for once).

To begin with, heat a couple of tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan. Add the onions and crush the garlic into the pan and cook for a few minutes, until the onion is soft and translucent.

Add the chicken mince and cook, stirring, until it is crumbly and browned all over. Then add the tomatoes, chicken stock, tomato paste, and mixed herbs and stir to combine. Mix together the cornflour and cold water separately and then slowly stir it into the rest of the sauce.

Keep the sauce simmering, stirring every now and then and seasoning with salt and pepper as it needs it. When it is thick and tastes good, serve it over hot spaghetti.

Eggplant and Tomato Soup

Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Soup
from Judy the Foody

1 eggplant
1 kilo tomatoes
2 red peppers
5 cloves garlic
1 large onion
Salt and pepper
1 handful fresh basil
1 1/2 cups water

Heat the oven to about 200 degrees celsius.

Chop the vegetables into small-ish pieces and spread over a large roasting dish. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper and roast for about 40 minutes, until the eggplant is soft. You don't really need any oil because the tomatoes will lose a lot of water, which will stop everything from sticking anyway.

When the vegetables are all soft, tip them into a large saucepan. Chop the basil finely and then add the basil and the water to the saucepan. Bring it to the boil and let it simmer for a little as you taste it and season it with more salt and pepper if necessary. Then you can either serve it up immediately as a chunky soup or blend it first. I would recommend serving it with fresh, crusty bread.