Whats Cooking

INGREDIENTS

 8 eggs
4 english muffins
200g shaved leg ham
60g finely chopped fresh chives
hollandaise sauce
1½ tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon black peppercorns
2 egg yolks
125g unsalted butter, melted

 METHOD

 Make hollandaise sauce.

To poach eggs, half-fill a large pan with water; bring to the boil. Break 1 egg into a cup, then slide into poacher and place in pan; repeat with three more eggs.

When all eggs are in pan, place lid on pan, allow water to return to the boil and cook for about 4 minutes or until desired. Remove the eggs, turn out of silicone cups; cover to keep warm. Repeat with remaining eggs.

Meanwhile, split muffins in half and toast.

Serve muffins topped with ham, poached eggs, sauce and chives.

hollandaise sauce
Combine vinegar, juice and peppercorns in small saucepan; bring to the boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, until liquid is reduced by half. Strain through a fine sieve into small heatproof bowl; cool 10 minutes.

Whisk egg yolks into vinegar mixture. Set bowl over small saucepan of simmering water; do not allow water to touch base of bowl. Whisk mixture over heat until thickened. Remove bowl from heat; gradually whisk in melted butter in a thin steady stream, whisking constantly until sauce is thick and creamy.

With kind permission from Australian Women’s Weekly

INGREDIENTS

 625g self raising flour
80g cocoa
½ teaspoon bicarbonate soda
½ cup caster sugar
375ml buttermilk
2 eggs
150g butter, melted
125g hazelnut chocolate, chopped
250ml cream
125g dark chocolate, chopped
50g hazelnuts, roughly chopped
vanilla ice cream scoop to serve

METHOD

 Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C (fan forced).

Sift flour, cocoa and bicarbonate soda into a bowl, stir in the sugar and make a well in the centre.

Combine the buttermilk, eggs and melted butter and pour into the well. Mix until just combined. Stir in the chopped hazelnut chocolate. Divide the mixture between the muffin holes and bake for 20-25 minutes or until risen and starting to come away from the side of the muffin pan.

Put the cream and chopped dark chocolate into a pan and cook over a low heat until melted.

To serve, place warm muffin into a serving plate, pour over chocolate sauce and sprinkle over hazelnuts and serve with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream.

With kind permission from Australian Women’s Weekly

INGREDIENTS

 150g self-raising flour
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 teaspoons caster sugar
2 eggs, beaten lightly
250ml buttermilk
125g reduced-fat smooth ricotta cheese
125ml maple syrup
1 medium lemon, cut into wedges

Note: this recipe is best made close to serving.

 METHOD

Sift flour, cinnamon and sugar into a medium bowl. Whisk in the combined eggs and buttermilk gradually until smooth. Cover and stand for 30 minutes.

Pour 60ml of the batter into a heated, oiled non-stick pan and cook until bubbles start to appear. Turn the pancakes and cook until browned underneath. Remove the pancakes from the pan and cover to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining batter to make eight pancakes.

Combine the ricotta with one tablespoon of the maple syrup in a small bowl.

Serve the pancakes with the ricotta mixture, remaining maple syrup and the lemon wedges.

Pancakes suitable to freeze. Not suitable to microwave.

With kind permission from Australian Women’s Weekly

OK, make this an excuse for a party amongst good friends and kick that cupid into touch!

How to Do a Meat Fondue

Ingredients:

• Beef tenderloin or sirloin (allow about 6oz per person)
• Oil (vegetable, canola, peanut etc.)

Method

• Trim fat and sinew from beef and cut into ¾ inch chunks
• In a medium saucepan, heat oil to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Transfer to fondue pot. Do not overfill the pot. About half full works best.
• Spear a chunk of beef with fondue fork and place in hot oil. Cook until beef is done to your satisfaction (approximately 30 seconds for rare, 45 for medium-rare, and 1 minute to well done).
• Serve with salads, dips, crusty garlic bread and loads of wine.
• Remember to set the forfeits for losing meat in fondue pan….

How to do a Cheese Fondue

Ingredients

• Fondue Suisse (Fondue Cheese) pack – each pack serves 2
• Bread cubes

Method

• Pour contents of fondue cheese bag into fondue pan
• Stir and bring to boil on stove top.
• To serve, place fondue pan on fondue burner so that cheese cooks evenly.
• Skewer bread cubes onto fondue fork and dip into fondue.  Stir evenly so that the fondue stays thick and smooth.

ENJOY!

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 100g plain chocolate, melted
• 25g plain flour
• 250g shortcrust pastry, rolled out to thickness of 20p piece and used to line 2 mini heart shaped tins
• 2 eggs.
• 40g melted butter
• 50g caster sugar

Method

• Heat oven to 180°/fan 160°C/gas 4.  Bake the pastry blind for 10 minutes.  Mix melted chocolate with the eggs, butter, sugar and flour.  Pour into the pastry cases.  Bake for 6-8 minutes until just set.   

Ingredients 2 X 170g (6oz) halibut steaks  40g (1½oz) butter  Salt and black pepper  150ml (5fl oz) pink champagne or rosé champagne or sparkling wine 4 X 15ml spoon (4 tablespoons) double cream or crème fraiche 1 X 5ml spoon (1 teaspoon) mixed whole peppercorns 1 X 15ml spoon (1 tablespoon) freshly snipped chives

Method

• Place the steaks onto a grill pan.  Dot with 15g (half an oz) butter and season.
• Cook under a preheated grill for 8-10 minutes, turning once.
• Meanwhile, prepare the sauce: heat the remaining butter in a pan and add the champagne.  Bring to the boil and reduce the liquid by half.
• Stir in the cream, seasoning and chives.
• Arrange the halibut steaks onto a plate, pour over the sauce and serve on a bed of cooked green and white tagliatelle.

Ingredients

• 200g good quality dark chocolate
• 200g butter, diced
• 85g self raising flour
• 85g plain flour
• ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 200g light muscovado sugar
• 200g caster sugar
• 25g cocoa powder
• 3 medium eggs
• 75ml buttermilk
• Raspberries (optional)

For the ganache:

• 200g dark chocolate
• 285 ml double cream
• 2 tbsp caster sugar

Method

• Butter a heart shaped tin.  Preheat the oven to fan 140C/conventional 160C/gas 3.  Break the chocolate in pieces into a medium, heavy-based pan.  Tip in the butter, warm through over a low heat just until everything is melted – don’t overheat.
• While the chocolate is melting, mix the two flours, bicarbonate of soda, sugars and cocoa in a big bowl.  Beat the eggs in a bowl and stir in the buttermilk.
• Now pour the melted chocolate mixture and the egg mixture into the flour mixture, stirring until you have a smooth, quite runny consistency.  Pour this into the tin and bake for 1 hour 25 – 1 hour 30 minutes – use a cake tester to check whether it’s cooked.  Leave to cool in the tin (don’t worry if it dips slightly), then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
• Make the ganache: chop the chocolate into small pieces and tip into a bowl.  Pour the cream into a pan, add the sugar, and heat until it is about to boil.  Take off the heat and pour it over the chocolate.  Stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.
• Pour over the cake letting it fall down the sides and smoothing to cover with a palette knife.
• Decorate with raspberries if desired.

• Serves: 2
• Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time:  (Based on a 2-3cm/1″ thick steak)

• Rare: 3-4 minutes on each side
• Medium: 4-5 minutes on each side
• Well done: 6-7 minutes on each side

Ingredients:

• 2 lean beef fillet steaks

For the Tarragon and Shallot Butter:

• 50g/2oz butter, softened
• 1 small shallot, peeled and finely diced
• 1dsp freshly chopped tarragon
• Salt and freshly milled black pepper
• Dash of Port or cream sherry

For the Pea Puree:

• 1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 25g/1oz butter
• 75ml  good, hot chicken or vegetable stock
• 225g/½lb fresh green peas, freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley, optional

Method:

• In a bowl blend together the butter, shallot, tarragon and seasoning. Form the butter into a sausage shape and wrap in cling film or foil and refrigerate.
• To make the pea puree, place the onion, butter, stock and peas in a large pan.  Season, bring to the boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 4-5 minutes. Drain and reserve two tablespoons of the stock. Puree to a desired consistency with the reserved stock. Add the freshly chopped parsley, if used. Set aside and keep warm.
• Gently heat 50g/2oz of the tarragon and shallot butter in a large pan until foaming. Add the fillet steaks and cook over a medium heat, turning once. Remove from the pan and keep warm. Add a dash of Port or cream sherry to the pan, stir, bring to the boil, reduce the heat and cook for a further 2-3 minutes until the sauce is reduced and syrupy.
• Serve the steaks with the sauce on a bed of the pea puree with a hot new potato and chive salad.

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 12 oysters
• 55g (2oz) unsalted butter
• 2 shallots, finely chopped
• 300ml (10fl oz) pink champagne or rose sparkling wine
• 2 X 15ml spoon (2 tablespoons) fresh chopped tarragon
• Salt, black pepper and fresh tarragon leaves to garnish

 This fantastic recipe was sent to us by a customer in New Zealand who ordered some Dariol moulds.  We were delighted to see the results of her baking and the little cakes look so fantastic, we asked her to share the recipe:  Here it is !  Shirley has even included her recipe for home made candied orange peel to decorate.

Orange Pistachio Cakes
Makes 12                                              

• 2 medium navel oranges
• 125g/4.5 oz unsalted butter
• 145g/5oz caster sugar
• 2 medium eggs, lightly beaten
• 60g/2.25 oz rice flour
• 100 g/3.5 oz ground almonds
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 45g/1.5oz semolina
• 75g/2 ¾ oz shelled, peeled pistachio nuts

For the Orange Syrup:

• 250ml/9 fl oz orange juice (from about 4-5 oranges)
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 125g/4.5 oz caster sugar
• 2 tablespoons Cointreau or other orange liqueur